Kōe didn't know how many people in the Seireitei's history had suffered a fate like Azashiro Sōya's, nor did he know if, had they survived, they would harbor the same thoughts.
It couldn't be denied that Central 46, supposedly composed of forty-six sages, had made its fair share of mistakes. Perhaps if they had been more diligent, many of these tragedies could have been avoided. But their sights were set too high. Considering that only one Azashiro Sōya had emerged after so many years, one couldn't exactly call them wrong.
"So, do you accept this invitation, Kōe?" Azashiro Sōya thought for a moment and added, "Of course, there is still a reward for you. Your life, for instance."
Hearing Azashiro Sōya's repeated invitation—no, threat—Kōe was quite surprised. After everything that had been said, did Azashiro Sōya really think he would help him? Was his cowardly nature of clinging to life really that obvious?
"Do you think I would agree, knowing that you don't even plan to spare yourself?"
"Why not?" Azashiro Sōya countered, continuing in an earnest tone. "Only by living are there infinite possibilities. My plan will take some time to come to fruition. You are entirely capable of making your own moves during that period."
Kōe was speechless. *'You just spelled it out loud! How the hell am I supposed to make a move now!'*
"Then what will you do? Let me guess," Kōe dragged out his words, speaking in an exasperated tone. "You'll use Kidō to restrict my Reiryoku, or just use your Urozakuro to control my body?"
"Those are necessary measures," Azashiro Sōya replied briskly, not bothering to hide his intentions.
"And then you'll find that one called Roca..." Kōe momentarily forgot the Hollow's name, so he just continued, "After finding Roca, I'll just be one of your test subjects, right?"
"No, no, no. Assimilating the mind of a Captain-class Shinigami requires far too much effort." Azashiro Sōya shook his head and continued, "So you won't be the first. But once the initial experiments are concluded, the mental assimilation on you will begin. You won't have much time, but it certainly won't be a short amount either."
"But I don't think I'll have any real chance. Turning myself into an emotionless machine... I'd rather just die and get it over with," Kōe replied, curling his lip.
"But living like this is actually worse than a quick death," Azashiro Sōya said indifferently. "Even someone like Kuruyashiki couldn't live as he pleased in the Seireitei. He was often forced to act in ways that completely contradicted his own beliefs."
"It is better to become an emotionless being. That way, there would be no more vexations," Azashiro Sōya sighed softly, tilting his head back.
In Azashiro Sōya's eyes, this was perhaps the greatest salvation. Just as he had said, becoming what he was today was something he had never anticipated.
He, along with his younger brother Azashiro Kōzō, had perhaps become nothing more than walking corpses after that Hollow execution. The only thing keeping them going until today was the obsession in their hearts to reduce everything to nothingness.
But Kōe was different. Having lived two lives made him cherish everything he currently possessed even more. A life without a sense of self, or even basic instincts, was something he absolutely could not accept.
Perhaps feigning agreement to Azashiro Sōya's invitation and following him to the World of the Living and Hueco Mundo would be a good choice. Whether he waited for Yamamoto to rescue him or looked for another opportunity himself, it offered the highest probability of survival.
However, Kōe knew this was actually a death wish. Although Azashiro Sōya's actions in the World of the Living would be massive in scale, they would be carried out in complete silence. Given the stubborn nature of Central 46 and Yamamoto's personality, Kōe figured that unless a massive commotion occurred, it was nearly impossible for them to dispatch a large group of Captains to the World of the Living just for his sake.
As for saving himself, once his Bankai was restricted, posing any threat to Azashiro Sōya would be absolutely impossible.
Therefore, the only one who could save him was himself—not in the future, but right now, while his Bankai was still active!
*Crack, crack, crack, crack!*
While Azashiro Sōya was looking up and lamenting, a series of crisp sounds echoed from Kōe's body. Kōe, whose body was supposed to be controlled by Urozakuro, was actually moving.
Just as Azashiro Sōya had said, Kōe's Bankai materialized his Zanpakutō by further compressing his internal Reiatsu into his divine garments, which was why Azashiro Sōya could easily control his body.
However, Kōe could rapidly shift this Reiatsu between the inside and outside of his body. To avoid alerting his enemy, he didn't transfer the Reiatsu back into his body this time. Instead, he directly used the Reiatsu to manipulate the garments on his body, forcing his physical form to move. The crisp sounds from earlier were the snapping of his own arm and leg bones.
Enduring the agonizing pain, Kōe rolled up his left sleeve, transforming it into a pitch-black short blade. Like an arrow released from a bowstring, he charged straight toward Azashiro Kōzō.
"Brother!"
In less than the blink of an eye, Kōe's short blade was pressed against Azashiro Kōzō's throat. Unable to defend himself in time, Kōzō subconsciously cried out for his older brother.
But before he could even finish his shout, the short blade in front of Kōzō flew upward. Blocking it was a crystal-like Zanpakutō—his brother Azashiro Sōya's Urozakuro.
An orange-red bead of fire, traveling through a channel formed by blood, branded itself onto Kōe's severed left hand as it flew through the air. [Hadō #7・Burning Bead] [Original Kidō]—this was the Kidō Kōe had cast the instant he charged forward.
"[Hadō #96・Ittō Kasō]!"
"Too naive!"
Kōe's left hand was still burning fiercely, and the incantation for Ittō Kasō still echoed in their ears, but the giant crimson blade of fire did not descend. At this distance, with Azashiro Sōya's Zanjutsu, striking Kōe before the Kidō could be completed was not a difficult task.
Kōe's body slowly collapsed beside the Azashiro brothers. The empty space above his neck proved that this body would never stand up again.
Azashiro Sōya watched as Kōe's head, still wearing the Hannya mask, rolled past him. He allowed the splattering blood to stain his Captain's haori. This was likely the final trace left in this world by the man known as Kōe Shihouin.
"It seems you wouldn't agree to this operation even with a reward," Azashiro Sōya shook his head, muttering to himself. "What a pity. Now I'll have to spend a bit more time."
The moment those words left his mouth, Azashiro Sōya's expression drastically changed. A sudden chill down his spine was instantly replaced by excruciating pain. A pale hand pierced right through the hole beneath the 'Eleven' on his haori, gripping his heart directly.
"That's right, you really will have to spend a bit more time," a cold voice echoed from behind him. "Because you'll have to spend time reincarnating first!"
Standing behind Azashiro Sōya was a body possessing only the lower half of a face. The voice had come from this very figure—a figure Azashiro Sōya was intimately familiar with. It was none other than Kōe Shihouin, the man he had just decapitated.
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