The Second Deep Prison of the Senzaikyū. Despite the name, it housed numerous cells. The prisoners held here were also scheduled to be executed tomorrow; they simply weren't deemed worthy of the Sōkyoku. Another member of the Azashiro clan, Azashiro Kōzō, was among them.
"Have you been waiting long, Kōzō?"
Sitting on the ground with his head bowed, lost in thought, Azashiro Kōzō suddenly heard an incredibly familiar voice. It was the voice of his only remaining family, his older brother—Azashiro Sōya.
"B-Brother?" Azashiro Kōzō asked in disbelief, unable to trust his own eyes.
"You have suffered these past few years."
Though Azashiro Sōya's voice was quiet, it still startled the inmates in the adjacent cells. They craned their necks out as far as they could. The hope of survival stripped them of their composure in that moment, and disregarding the strict environment of the Senzaikyū, they shouted, "Lord Azashiro, save us!"
"My lord! I don't want to die yet, please let us out!"
Azashiro didn't speak. He simply raised his right hand and made a sharp, downward motion in the air. The people clamoring for a way out instantly ceased their shouting.
"Brother, how did you escape?"
"This isn't a good place to chat. Let me get you out first." Azashiro smiled and gripped the hilt of his Zanpakutō with his right hand. In the blink of an eye, a small section of the blade was exposed. However, his motion didn't look like he was drawing the sword, but rather sheathing it.
Two flashes of cold light suddenly illuminated the dim cell, carving a cross into Azashiro Kōzō's cell door. The sturdy door was split into four pieces. With a heavy thud, the final barrier separating the two brothers vanished just like that.
"Brother, I'm sorry!" Kōzō lowered his head. His usual ruthlessness was nowhere to be seen; instead, he sobbed like a child. "It's all my fault. I caused your plan to fail. It's all my fault!"
Azashiro Sōya walked up to his younger brother, intending to pat his head, only to realize that the 'child' before him was now much taller than himself. Shaking his head, he patted Kōzō's arm instead and said gently, "I don't blame you. If anyone is to blame, it's me for not saving you sooner and letting you suffer in fear."
Seeing that his brother was still consumed by guilt, Azashiro Sōya gave a helpless, bitter smile. "We are still inside the White Tower, Kōzō."
Indeed, the cell door separating the two brothers had been severed, but the Senzaikyū—or rather, the Seireitei—that imprisoned their freedom still loomed before them. This was certainly not the time for sentimentality or guilt. Surely, Azashiro Sōya hadn't gone through all the trouble of escaping just to see Kōzō one last time.
"Right! The two of us absolutely cannot die such a pathetic death, otherwise our sister's sacrifice will have been in vain!" Kōzō roughly wiped his eyes with his sleeve and asked, "Brother, what do we do next? Are we going to slip out of the Seireitei under the cover of night?"
There were watchtowers all around the White Tower, but to Azashiro Sōya, they might as well not exist. As long as he wished it, and provided they didn't accidentally run into a captain-class Shinigami, sneaking Kōzō out of the Seireitei without a sound would be a breeze.
Azashiro Kōzō hadn't deliberately lowered his voice, so his words were heard loud and clear by the people in the other cells. Like a boiling pot of soup, they erupted into an uproar—yes, this time, they were fighting amongst themselves.
"Lord Azashiro, take me with you! If not for my achievements, then for my hard work! For the sake of how I've always served you, save me!"
"My lord, I am stronger than them! I will be of more use to you!"
"My lord!..."
They all understood that no matter how strong Azashiro Sōya was, he could only take two or three people with him at most. Not counting the others, there were over thirty clan heads here alone. Taking everyone was an impossibility.
"Quiet!"
Azashiro Sōya's voice was somewhat insignificant in that moment. In the face of a bone called survival, this pack of vicious dogs was already seeing red.
"Brother, keeping these people around will only drag us down. Why don't we...?" Azashiro Kōzō leaned in and whispered into Sōya's ear, drawing his right hand across his neck. He was already harboring murderous intent; he didn't want to bring a single one of them along.
"Brother?" Azashiro Kōzō was somewhat baffled when he saw Sōya shake his head.
Gripping his sword, Azashiro Sōya walked step by step toward the nearest cell. The others grew even more frantic, each of them wishing they could squeeze their bodies through the tiny windows of their cell doors. They loudly called out "Lord Azashiro," hoping to make him change his mind.
The 'lucky winner' was overjoyed; the bone had finally landed in his mouth. He was just about to express his gratitude and pledge his loyalty, but he found himself unable to speak. A fountain of blood suddenly erupted from his neck. He reached up to stop it, but no matter what he did, he couldn't stem the flow of his fading life.
"Now! Can we quiet down?" Azashiro Sōya raised his voice as he looked around. This time, he didn't sheathe his sword. Blood dripped slowly from the blade, reawakening the fear these people held for the Azashiro name.
Azashiro nodded. The renewed silence of the Senzaikyū satisfied him. With a flick of his wrist, he shook the blood from his blade and slowly returned it to its sheath in front of everyone, indicating that he had no intention of slaughtering them all.
"All of you, I will give you a chance—a chance to live!" Azashiro Sōya paced between the cells, his leisurely demeanor making it seem as though he were strolling through his own courtyard. "I have no use for your loyalty. However, you will follow my orders for our next move. Otherwise, you will share his fate!"
"We are at your command, my lord!"
These men understood that Azashiro Sōya was going to use them as cannon fodder. Though they were unwilling, being cannon fodder still offered a slim chance of survival, whereas staying here meant certain death. Azashiro held all the cards; they had no say in the matter.
"Brother, why go to such unnecessary lengths?" Azashiro Kōzō walked up to Sōya and asked bluntly.
He naturally understood the logic behind it, but since they could escape silently, why deliberately cause a commotion? Even if this chaos was meant to cover their escape, it seemed excessive.
"Some things cannot be resolved in a day or two. I need some time," Azashiro Sōya replied as he released the people in the other cells. A total of twenty-four noble clan heads, along with their immediate family members—sixty-two people in all—gathered around the two Azashiro brothers.
"Lord Azashiro, could you remove these as well?" a short-statured clan head asked tentatively, holding out the Kidō restraints on his hands.
"I will remove them, but not right now!" Azashiro said, glancing at the man as his left thumb lightly tapped the hilt of his sword. Seeing this, the man hunched over and backed away, not daring to ask another question.
"In a moment, you can leave together or scatter to escape the Seireitei. But I have only one demand! You are not to follow Kōzō and me!"
"W-We understand!" Scattered voices replied. These clan heads knew they were nothing but cannon fodder. They had hoped that by following Azashiro Sōya, they might have a chance to force their way out. Now, their last hope was gone. The path called 'survival' was pitch black, and the feeling of despair seemed to outweigh any glimmer of hope.
Azashiro Sōya took all of this in. He didn't speak, simply standing in place with his eyes closed, his thoughts unknown.
After waiting for nearly a minute, a golden light akin to the sun suddenly shone into the Senzaikyū. Almost simultaneously, a massive explosion echoed from the south.
"Now!" Azashiro Sōya abruptly opened his eyes. The Kidō restraints on everyone fell to the ground with a clatter, and a rhythmic sound, like the striking of wooden clappers, echoed through the Senzaikyū. "Everyone, I have muddied the waters. Whether you can make it out or not will depend on your own luck."
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