On a plain in West Rukongai, a scorched, cratered expanse of land spanning roughly five or six square kilometers looked entirely out of place amidst the otherwise picturesque scenery.
Suddenly, with a deafening bang, several charred rocks shot into the sky, shattering the dead silence. A man emerged from the ground, his clothes in tatters but his body completely devoid of dirt. It was Kōe, who had just personally put an end to Azashiro Sōya.
Actually, saying he did it 'personally' wasn't entirely accurate. After giving Kōe his final instructions, Azashiro Sōya left behind a single sentence and crushed his own heart. He had even been the one to kill his younger brother, Azashiro Kōzō.
"I cannot rest easy letting Kōzō go alone." That was Azashiro Sōya's final sentence.
Kōe sighed lightly. He pulled on a rope of light in his hand, and two stone coffins broke through the earth, containing the corpses of Azashiro Sōya and Azashiro Kōzō.
Although he had stood on the opposite side of Azashiro Sōya for various reasons, Kōe couldn't muster a single ounce of hatred for the man. In fact, he even felt a faint sense of guilt. At the end of the day, these two brothers were just pitiful souls. Because of that, Kōe reserved his utmost respect for their remains.
But even so, there was no way these two bodies could be buried in the Seireitei. Perhaps they couldn't even be given a proper burial at all. The members of Squad 11, having lost their captain, would likely want nothing more than to tear their corpses to shreds.
*Should I just bury them here?* Kōe looked back at the two stone coffins. It was probably the best outcome for them. But if he didn't bring their bodies back, then the brutal beating he just took would have been for nothing.
He looked down at himself. His once-spacious Shihakushō was now reduced to a collar above his abdomen, and both sleeves were missing a large chunk, making it look like a comical little vest.
As for Kōki hanging at his waist, the hilt wrapping was reduced to a few thin threads dangling loosely. The blade inside the scabbard was in an even more disastrous state. Originally less than two feet long, it had been snapped, and the remaining portion wasn't much better. The blade was covered in dense cracks, and the once-sharp edge was pitted and jagged, looking as if it had been gnawed on by a dog.
This was the nature of Kōki's Bankai. Once damaged, it could only repair itself at the natural healing speed of its master's body. Until it was fully restored, he couldn't even release his Shikai. With Kōki nearly a quarter destroyed this time, it would take at least ten days to half a month to recover.
"I don't have it easy either. Not many people in this world do," Kōe muttered, pressing his hands together in prayer toward the two stone coffins. "So please forgive me for having to take you back to the Seireitei. As for what happens after... well, you can't blame me for that. Try to be understanding."
Regardless of whether such words would actually do any good, Kōe turned around, hoisted the two stone coffins onto his shoulders, and sprinted westward toward the Seireitei.
However, a thousand meters in the sky directly above Kōe, a green, manta ray-like creature floated silently. Standing atop it was a woman with her hair draped down her back. Kōe's every movement fell into her lifeless eyes.
It was Squad 4 Captain Unohana Retsu, and the creature beneath her feet was her Shikai, Minazuki. Or perhaps, in this moment, she should be called by the name Unohana Yachiru—the first-generation Kenpachi.
She had only just tracked him down. According to Yamamoto's orders, she was supposed to swoop down right now, knock Kōe unconscious, and drag him back to the Seireitei.
But it wasn't hard to guess who was lying in the stone coffins behind Kōe. The only person capable of causing such a massive disturbance was the escaped criminal who had stolen the title of Kenpachi—Azashiro Sōya. This realization made Unohana hesitate.
Allowing Kōe's figure to disappear from her line of sight, Unohana still hadn't made a decision. Or perhaps, she actually had?
"Has he been infected by my misfortune from interacting with me so much?" Unohana grasped the scabbard at her waist, her right thumb rubbing back and forth against the empty air, as if she were gripping an invisible blade.
"But the misfortune that started with me cannot end with me. Let me see how far you can go, and whether you can reach the level of that man from back then." After murmuring to herself, Unohana tapped her right foot lightly. The Minazuki beneath her feet opened its mouth in a goofy, wide smile, turned around, and flew off toward the west.
...
Two days later, outside the Seireitei, Kotetsu Isane looked at Kōe carrying the two stone coffins, her face full of unconcealed excitement and admiration.
Kōe hadn't deliberately hidden his tracks on the way back, so his whereabouts were naturally discovered by the Shinigami stationed in the Ryūkai District. Along with his return came the shocking news: the prime criminal, Azashiro Sōya, had been executed!
Just like with the death of Kuruyashiki Kenpachi, every Shinigami, whether inside or outside the Seireitei, knew of Azashiro Sōya's terrifying strength.
This was especially true for the members of Squad 11. Even if they had a thousand grievances in their hearts, they all knew that the man who had killed their captain was more than worthy of being respectfully called Azashiro Kenpachi!
They wanted revenge. Even knowing that confronting him would just be throwing their lives away, they wouldn't hesitate. But they also harbored a deep confusion. If Azashiro Sōya wasn't defeated by a single person, wouldn't the title of Kenpachi—the very symbol of Squad 11's existence—completely disappear?
Should they seek revenge, or wait for a certain someone to appear? Waiting was, of course, a form of revenge too, but they feared that their hatred would gradually dissipate with the passage of time.
But right at that moment, the news that Kōe had slain the escaped criminals Azashiro Sōya and Azashiro Kōzō reached the Seireitei.
Kuruyashiki Kenpachi's death had plunged Squad 11 into a long, endless night, for the sun in their hearts had been extinguished. But now, that night was finally over. A man named Kōe Shihouin had risen as their newborn sun, sweeping away the gloom in their hearts!
Only Kōe and Kotetsu Isane made the journey from the Rukongai back to the Seireitei. Yet, ever since they entered the Junrinan District—District 1 of East Rukongai—the number of people around them began to grow.
They were the members of Squad 11. Every hundred meters, a squad member stood on either side of the road. From afar, they would perform a deep, ninety-degree bow to the pair, only rising after they had passed, before silently falling into step behind them.
However, Kotetsu Isane knew that this profound salute was meant for Kōe alone. These usually arrogant and unruly Squad 11 members now wore expressions of deep gratitude and reverence—and all of it was directed solely at Kōe.
Isane didn't ask to receive the same treatment. She only hoped that one day, everyone would look at her with that same expression of absolute trust and reassurance. But she wasn't there yet.
At first, she had walked shoulder-to-shoulder with Kōe, but eventually, Isane consciously dropped back to follow behind him. She understood that, in this moment, this was the only place she belonged.
Arriving before the Seireitei, the usually empty outer perimeter was now lined with two parallel rows of Shinigami, forming a long, black corridor.
At the far left end of the path stood a short man, his face streaming with tears. On the armband on his left sleeve, beneath the character for 'Eleven', was the emblem of a black yarrow—the flower that represented battle, the squad flower of Squad 11. He was the lieutenant of Squad 11, Gosuke.
"Wel..." The moment Kōe stepped into the Seireitei's perimeter, Gosuke trembled as he forced out a single syllable. Taking a deep breath to forcefully steady his breathing, Gosuke strained his neck and roared at the top of his lungs, "Welcome the Ninth Generation Kenpachi! Kenpachi Shihouin!"
"Salute!!!"
The Squad 11 members lining both sides of the path, as well as those following behind Kōe, drew their Zanpakutō in unison, gripping them with both hands and holding them upright before their faces.
"Welcome, Kenpachi Shihouin!"
The voices of over three hundred Shinigami erupted at once. The sound was deafening, as if it were going to crush the very foundations of the Seireitei. And they all chanted only a single phrase.
"Welcome, Kenpachi Shihouin!"
"Welcome, Kenpachi Shihouin!"
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