Someone lay sprawled on the ground like a dead fish.
The way he was breathing in more air than he was breathing out made it obvious he was about to die — or at least wished he were already dead.
"This time… I really took a massive loss."
After finally recovering enough to speak, Kisaragi Akira clutched his chest in heart-wrenching pain.
"Back in the Reverse-Bone District, performing a ritual of this level would've earned me at least eight, maybe even ten thousand rings.""But this time? Not only did I do it for free — I threw in a hand bell, two incense sticks, and an ofuda wand on top of everything. This is pure blood-loss. Zero profit. Negative profit. Tragic."
Aizen gave him a cold, expressionless glance and replied flatly:
"You acted on your own. So the regret and the self-inflicted pain are also your own.""If I hadn't been there just now, the ritual wouldn't have succeeded. In fact, you might've been the one getting caught in the backlash.""Do you actually have any moments in life where you behave reliably?"
Akira furrowed his brows, looking genuinely deep in thought.
Aizen, briefly hopeful that the idiot might finally reflect on his mistakes, waited.
Then came Akira's firm, resounding answer:
"Nope!"
Aizen: "…"
Resisting the impulse to draw his sword and split the idiot's skull, Aizen exhaled and looked off into the distance.
The wailing still hadn't stopped. The sound carried a grief that cut painfully deep.
To Shirogane Souya, from today onward… he truly was alone again.
The pain he experienced as a child had returned to play out in front of his eyes.
The helplessness he had felt as a child… hadn't changed at all.
Even now — one of the strongest dozen Shinigami in the entire Soul Society — he still couldn't bring back his sister's life.Strength meant nothing in the face of irreversible separation.
Even someone as overwhelmingly powerful as Captain-Commander Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni couldn't overturn such a reality.
Souya drowned helplessly in grief.
Execution Grounds
Aizen's eye twitched as he watched Kisaragi Akira stuff the offering table down the front of his pants.Even though he'd already seen it countless times, he still couldn't understand how this guy developed such a bizarre fetish.
"You're not planning to hand that bell directly to Shirogane Souya, are you?"
"How could I?!" Akira widened his eyes in disbelief, shaking the hand bell proudly."This is a sacred artifact I exchanged for with countless units of divine-sight energy! A masterpiece of craftsmanship and faith!""By the divine grace and boundless benevolence of Lady Mimihakki—"
"Do you need extra payment?" Aizen cut in wearily.
Akira grinned. "You truly understand me, Sousuke."
Eventually, after who knew how long, the anguished cries faded.Shirogane Souya reappeared at the execution grounds.
The area had returned to its usual eerie calm.
When he approached Akira and Aizen again, the Eighth Generation Kenpachi had already put his cold mask back on — an even sharper, harsher version than before.
Like an ancient glacier that would never melt.
"…Despite the unexpected complications, thank you, Kisaragi Akira."
Souya was a man of principle.
He knew very well that what he did today was a serious overstep.
Neither Akira nor Aizen should have been dragged into something like this at all.
But the ritual Akira performed at Zenteiji — bringing a dead soul back long enough for final words — had shaken Souya's otherwise calm heart.
If possible… even seeing her one more time would've been enough.
Driven by that desire, he used Uroshokuri to create a clone in the temporary quarters and made his plea.
He hadn't expected much.Yet he still brought them to the execution grounds — the graveyard of his grief.
Thankfully, Akira didn't fail him.
Since they were already involved, Souya decided it was time to reveal his original plan, and hear their thoughts.
"About Zenteiji…" Souya began, his tone calm. "It was a test site."
"What do you mean?" Akira tilted his head.
Souya explained in a cold, detached voice:
"I intend to modify all residents of the Rukon District and grant them the ability to exterminate Hollows. After that, we strike directly into Hueco Mundo.""Zenteiji was just the beginning.""My next move will be to submit this proposal to the Central 46, then carry out the plan—"
He didn't finish.
Because he noticed the subtle shift in Akira's expression — the "benefactor" he respected was no longer smiling.
"You don't mean… the Reverse-Bone District is included too, right?"
Souya nodded without hesitation.
"Of course. Exterminating large-scale Hollow clusters requires—"
Shing—!
The sound of a blade leaving its sheath cut him off.
Aizen's eyes widened.
Kisaragi Akira… looked like a different person.
Spirit pressure erupted violently from him, wrapping around the silver-white blade in savage waves.
His face was calm — too calm — stripped of every hint of emotion.The cheerful boy vanished, replaced by something cold and lethal in an instant.
"You should already know.""I'm from the local shrine in the Reverse-Bone District.""That place is my home."
The blade gleamed dangerously in his hand.
Souya nodded."I know.""But—"
"Isn't sacrificing a few for the greater good exactly what a true Shinigami should do?"
Brilliant arcs of sword light clashed with roaring waves of spiritual pressure, sparks bursting forth and illuminating two expressionless faces frozen in deadly resolve.
"…Screw your Shinigami ideology."
Akira's violent sword strikes exploded forth like a raging storm.
Reishi condensed rapidly in the air, forming blade after translucent blade to intercept his frenzied barrage.
Bankai — Uroshokuri!Souya merged his own reishi with every living and nonliving particle in the area, allowing him to manipulate them freely.
Even though his Bankai had fused with the entire Seireitei's spiritual particles, effectively letting him observe everything happening within it—
His brain still had limits.
He only monitored what mattered to him.Places like the Spiritual Arts Academy were below his priority.
Which is why Souya was genuinely shocked by Akira's eruption.
He never expected that beneath that carefree, irresponsible mask… something this fierce was hidden.
Facing someone leagues stronger than him —Akira still chose to draw his blade for the sake of what he cherished.
Kisaragi-kun… you have far surpassed me already.
A faint smile tugged at Souya's lips.
Akira gripped his zanpakutō tightly, eyes cold and razor-sharp.He didn't care about the difference in power.
He only understood one thing:
If he didn't stand up now… no one else ever would.
Just as the clash reached its breaking point—
A familiar voice echoed.
[Shirogane Souya's trust level reached. Sign-in conditions fulfilled.][Character Sign-In: Shirogane Souya…]