Like a cat toying with a mouse, Haineko made no attempt to hide her smug smile.
"Now... what are you going to do?"
What else could they do?
Rukia Kuchiki immediately threw herself into Muten Natsu's arms. "Remember that thing we learned in class?"
A cold white light flared beneath their feet.
Tsukishiro activated, sealing Muten Natsu and Rukia Kuchiki inside a pillar of ice.
"Useless!"
Haineko waved her hand, sending endless ash surging toward the ice pillar. Blade-like flashes tore through the ash, shaving away layer after layer of ice and snow.
But before the pillar could be completely destroyed, an icy black flame quietly flickered to life.
The Hell Flames.
When the stable structure of Reishi was disrupted, tremendous energy was released.
Haineko's ash was composed of highly stable Reishi structures.
Flammable.
And ash like this was essentially dust.
Large quantities of combustible dust inside a confined space...
Explosive.
Boom!
The surging Hell Flames swallowed all the ash, burning wildly as they unleashed terrifying power in every direction.
The rock walls shattered, the ground trembled, and overwhelming force rampaged through the cave without restraint.
Even the ice pillar surrounding Muten Natsu and Rukia Kuchiki shattered under the impact.
Fortunately, Rukia Kuchiki had transferred her power to Muten Natsu. He covered himself in ice armor, then used the Hell Flames along its outer layer to release force in the opposite direction and counteract the shockwave.
If Haineko had used her increased power to strengthen the speed and force of a smaller amount of ash instead of creating more of it, the battle probably wouldn't have ended so quickly.
With no one left to stop them, Muten Natsu and Rukia Kuchiki accelerated toward Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto's location.
...
Amid the swirling smoke and dust, Suzumebachi stared at the blurry figure within.
"You're actually still alive..."
"Bakudō #30, Shitotsu Sansen!"
Three sharp beams of yellow light shot toward her.
Suzumebachi dodged them easily.
But in the next instant, six beams of yellow light struck her body and pinned her in midair.
"Bakudō #61..." Suì-Fēng murmured. "Rikujōkōrō."
"A double incantation?" Sensing that the power restraining her was far beyond what an incantationless spell could produce, Suzumebachi scoffed. "You keep going on about Yoruichi, Yoruichi, Yoruichi, yet while she was being attacked, you were secretly chanting?"
"If a comrade is defeated, you recognize it as an opportunity. You don't interfere. You strike from behind instead. That is the way of Onmitsukidō."
Suì-Fēng raised her Zanpakutō and aimed it at Suzumebachi.
"And it is also the resolve expected of the Commander-in-Chief of the Onmitsukidō."
"So..." Suzumebachi looked into Suì-Fēng's unwavering eyes and slowly closed her own. "This is your resolve."
Her voice softened.
"How incredibly... stupid."
"I know."
Suì-Fēng drove her blade into Suzumebachi's tiny body.
"It must have been hard staying with someone like me all this time."
Suzumebachi's body vanished in a burst of light, leaving behind a small finger blade.
Suì-Fēng had never understood why she loved Yoruichi Shihōin so much while Suzumebachi harbored such intense hostility toward her.
But Yoruichi Shihōin's words just now had suddenly made everything clear.
The methods of Onmitsukidō were correct in Yoruichi Shihōin's eyes because she herself had once been its Commander-in-Chief.
Yet when Suì-Fēng was in danger, Yoruichi Shihōin had still rushed to save her without hesitation.
Because Yoruichi Shihōin was no longer the Commander-in-Chief of the Onmitsukidō.
Suì-Fēng was.
So when Yoruichi Shihōin was gravely injured, Suì-Fēng had seized the opportunity to attack Suzumebachi.
Different positions led to different choices.
As a mirror of Suì-Fēng's Soul, Suzumebachi loved Yoruichi Shihōin as well.
But as Suì-Fēng's Zanpakutō, Suzumebachi could not accept the choices Suì-Fēng made.
In Suzumebachi's eyes, if you loved someone, then you should do something about it. Dress yourself up, make yourself more attractive, and even resort to somewhat extreme methods if necessary.
But...
As the Commander-in-Chief of the Onmitsukidō, Suì-Fēng could not forget her responsibilities.
She could not cast everything aside simply to satisfy her own feelings.
She loved Yoruichi Shihōin and had no intention of hiding that love.
How could loving someone be wrong?
But Suì-Fēng could not let her love for Yoruichi Shihōin make her forget that she was the Commander-in-Chief of the Onmitsukidō.
That position carried the expectations of all her subordinates.
Having once served under Yoruichi Shihōin herself, Suì-Fēng understood those expectations better than anyone.
She also knew what it felt like to be left behind.
That position was also one of the bonds connecting her to Yoruichi Shihōin.
As Yoruichi Shihōin's former subordinate, the better Suì-Fēng performed, the more she proved just how capable Yoruichi Shihōin had been.
So when Yoruichi Shihōin was gravely wounded by Suzumebachi, Suì-Fēng chose to act as the Commander-in-Chief of the Onmitsukidō rather than as someone in love with Yoruichi Shihōin.
The moment Suzumebachi realized Suì-Fēng had truly followed the principles of Onmitsukidō, she understood her resolve.
I love you, so I won't repeat your mistakes.
I love you, so I'll carry on the things you did right.
"Yoruichi-sama!"
Suì-Fēng hurried to the badly wounded Yoruichi Shihōin and began administering first aid.
"How are you...?"
At the moment of the explosion, Suì-Fēng had heard thunder unlike anything before.
A tremendous force had protected her, allowing her to complete the incantation without interruption.
"Well done, Commander-in-Chief." Yoruichi Shihōin opened her eyes with difficulty. "I knew you could do it, Suì-Fēng. You've worked hard all these years."
"No..." Suì-Fēng carefully embraced Yoruichi Shihōin. "I've always been happy to sit in the position you once held."
Yoruichi Shihōin chuckled.
"Then I'll give you the cat bed I usually sleep in."
"Yoruichi-sama..." Suì-Fēng didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Then her eyes lowered slightly.
"I'll treasure it."
Yoruichi Shihōin looked toward the direction she could sense.
"I wonder how things are going with the Captain-Commander..."
...
[Do you know what you should do next]
[Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13]
[whose duty is to protect Seireitei]
Faced with Myōki's question, Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto remained silent.
"You were willing to imprison Kōga back then because someone framed him..." Muramasa demanded bitterly. "So what is this silence supposed to mean now? Answer me!"
"It's precisely because Kōga serves as a lesson from the past, along with all the trouble you've caused now, that he has to carefully consider the proper way to handle this."
Aura Michibane smiled sweetly.
"More importantly, everything Myōki has said is still only speculation. There's no conclusive evidence yet. The most the Captain-Commander could reasonably order would be to confine every member of the Tsunayashiro Clan to their estate."
Her smile deepened slightly.
"And that kind of ruling is something Myōki cannot accept."
[No]
[I fully understand the status of the nobility]
[and the stubbornness of old men]
[I can completely accept]
[an outcome I already expected]
[The one who cannot accept it]
[is him]
***
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