Chapter 130: with translation of chapter title

All right, old timer! You and I have rested enough; it's time to go back.

I was just about to take up my post in the Tranquil Spirit Court~

After Huamu felt his strength mostly recovered, he gestered to Yuanliuzhai behind him, and without waiting to see if his teacher would follow, he stepped forward and strode into the Black Cavity he had opened.

Departure! Taking up my post in the Tranquil Spirit Court!

After Huamu defeated Yuanliuzhai, the chronic pain in his waist that had prevented him from attending the captains' meeting of the Court Guard Thirteen Squads suddenly disappeared, his legs became nimble, and his posture became exceptionally upright.

You rascal, you show no respect here; you should call me Master!

Besides, can't you show a little respect for your elders and care for the young? Do you think my old bones are the same as yours, you youngsters, that just sitting on the ground and resting a bit will restore me to my former state?

Hmph! When you reach my age, you'll know what it's like to suffer...

Yuanliuzhai may have been shouting angrily at Huamu, but his pace was not slow either; he closely followed Huamu and walked into the Black Cavity.

To be honest, deep down Yuanliuzhai still looks forward to seeing Huamu take command of the Court Guard Thirteen Squads; surely when that happens, the Thirteen Squads will welcome a lawless captain-general, which will surely be interesting!

When we return to the Tranquil Spirit Court this time, I must definitely take on more disciples...

Who knows, I might encounter a few more talented brats like Huamu~

At the same time, Yuanliuzhai eagerly awaited the day he would personally teach at the True Center Spiritual Arts Institute; the commoners of the Corpse Soul Realm have long suffered from the nobility due to their lack of technique, and it is time for him to open a path whereby nobles and commoners alike can, through relentless effort, change their own destinies with their own hands……

Although Yuanliuzhai cannot eliminate class differences or make all beings in this world equal, he still hopes that through his efforts he can make the world as fair as possible.

Corpse Soul Realm

In the Central Forty-Six Chamber, the highest judicial organ of the Tranquil Spirit Court

At this moment, this group of enforcers, whose abilities are mediocre and who rely solely on so-called virtue and their contributions to the Corpse Soul Realm to have become the sages and judges of the Forty-Six Chamber, are engaged in heated discussion.

Yes, although Maozhibua Lie had all the agents cultivated by the Forty-Six Chamber slaughtered on the Hill of Double Punishment before everyone's eyes, the Forty-Six Chamber still learned of what happened at Double Punishment in the first instant……

However, all of this was within Maozhibua Lie's plan; although the Central Forty-Six Chamber is incompetent, its grip on the Tranquil Spirit Court remains strong, and losing these agents merely delayed their awareness of the information by a moment, which is exactly what Maozhibua Lie wanted……

As for who exactly leaked the information to the Forty-Six Chamber, Maozhibua Lie had a good idea; after all, besides the captains of the Origin School present at the time, there were also the soldiers responsible for lifting the Double Punishment seal, as well as the captains of the Third and Fifth Squads of the noble faction……

Yuanliuzhai and Huamu abandoned their duties and ran off to the Hollow Realm to duel? Are they crazy? If Huamu and Yuanliuzhai both fall in the Hollow Realm, who should take over the Court Guard Thirteen Squads? And who should protect us, the Forty-Six Chamber? Their behavior is utterly irresponsible……

That's right, I think what that sage just said is correct! As the captain-general of the Court Guard Thirteen Squads, Yuanliuzhai actually discarded our Forty-Six Chamber's execution order and went to duel Huamu Sword Eight of the Eleventh Squad; saying that out loud would be utterly irresponsible! We should directly charge him with guilt! After he returns to the Tranquil Spirit Court, he should at least write a self-criticism letter and submit it to us!

Furthermore, besides Yamamoto and Huamu, the captain of the Fourth Squad, Maozhibua Lie, after they left, revealed her true colors; she actually dared, while Yuanliuzhai and Huamu were absent, to kill the death attendants raised by our Forty-Six Chamber—she's practically flaunting her domineering attitude, seeking death! This is utter contempt for all the sages and judges of our Forty-Six Chamber!

At this moment, the entire Forty-Six Chamber was constantly criticizing the actions of Yuanliuzhai, Huamu, and Maozhibua Lie; in their view, whether it was Yuanliuzhai or Huamu and Maozhibua Lie, all deserved punishment and prosecution, but because Huamu holds the status of the Zero Squad, they could only ignore him and thus continually criticize Yuanliuzhai and Maozhibua Lie.

Sigh……

One of the older judges, after hearing everyone's remarks, helplessly let out a sigh.

'Punish him? What do we have to punish Yuanliuzhai with?'

'Only when the judicial and military organs are combined does the judicial organ have the power to judge criminals.'

'Right now, after the Jing Le family incident, our Forty-Six Chamber has completely fallen out with the Origin School; to break with the Origin School is tantamount to breaking with the entire Thirteen Squads as they stand today!'

'If this were a few hundred years ago, it wouldn't be a problem! Besides the Court Guard Thirteen Squads, we Forty-Six Chamber also have other armed forces at our disposal; if the Thirteen Squads won't obey, we could just send the Covert Mobile Forces or the Spirit Way Corps to handle things—why worry so much?!'

'But in the present Tranquil Spirit Court, Sifengyin Yichi, as captain of the Second Squad of the Court Guard Thirteen Squads, has absorbed the Covert Mobile Forces; our cultivated guards and agents have suffered heavy casualties, and the Spirit Way Corps won't obey our orders—what strength do we have left to punish those possessing immense martial power?'

The judge saw everything with perfect clarity, a rare glimmer of wisdom flashing in his eyes within the Forty-Six Chamber.

Originally, this judge had opposed the Forty-Six Chamber's interference in the affairs of the Jing Le and Yi Se families!

Put simply, the eldest sister-in-law of Eighth Squad Captain Jing Le Chunshui losing a divine artifact, while not proper, was still within her family's affairs and had not overstepped……

The heir of the Yi Se family of this generation hasn't even said anything about losing the family's ancestral Eight-Mirror Sword, yet our Forty-Six Chamber insists on meddling—isn't that just stirring up trouble?

'Looks like my old bones, up in years as they are, had better retire soon.'

'Staying in the Forty-Six Chamber isn't any long-term plan either… sigh…'

The judge gazed at the noisy crowd around him, feeling the urge to withdraw from this place; after all, over the years he's taken what he should and shouldn't have, and it's pretty much all been gathered—it's time to step aside and let the worthy take over.

Moreover, in the judge's view, this institution that has stood in the Tranquil Spirit Court for a million years—long enough to date from the birth of the Corpse Soul Realm—the Tranquil Spirit Court's highest judicial organ, the Central Forty-Six Chamber, seems about to become historical dust! The Forty-Six Chamber is no longer the entity that could summon wind and rain in the Tranquil Spirit Court at will.

Meanwhile……

After the meeting of the Five Great Noble Families concluded, the Gangmimdai family finally noticed something amiss; while the other heads of the Five Great Noble Families have all returned, the head of the Gangmimdai family appears to have gone missing.

'I have a bad feeling about this.'

'I hope the Gangmimdai family's massive warship won't sink in the impending storms……'

With the family head still not returning, the Gangmimdai family's steward temporarily took the position of acting head and concurrently convened a new council of elders for the Gangmimdai family, demanding that all five of the family's elders must be present.

Even so, the Gangmimdai family's steward still felt uneasy; in his view, the vast Tranquil Spirit Court was about to be engulfed in a furious storm, while now it was merely the calm before the tempest.

Time flew, and a week soon passed……

Seven days have passed since Yuanliuzhai and Huamu both left the Tranquil Spirit Court.

During these seven days, whether it was the Gangmimdai family having lost its head, the various noble factions, or even the Central Forty-Six Chamber, all became much more restrained……

It seems that all the major powers in the Corpse Soul Realm have prostrated themselves, awaiting the outcome of the duel between Huamu and Yuanliuzhai.

Among them, some who originally had ulterior motives and were never very law-abiding, taking advantage of Yuanliuzhai and Huamu's absence, continually stirred up trouble in secret within the Tranquil Spirit Court……

Of course, they did not choose to act openly, but instead tentatively spread a rumor in the Tranquil Spirit Court.

The rumor went: 'The contemporary Sword Eight Huamu has defected from the Corpse Soul Realm and fled to the Hollow Realm, while the captain-general of the Court Guard Thirteen Squads, Yuanliuzhai, pursued him and his whereabouts are unknown……'

As this rumor spread continually through the Court Guard Thirteen Squads, the entire Tranquil Spirit Court became filled with panic.

However, under the suppression of the Origin School's captains, this information remained barely within controllable limits.

After all, the high-ranking officials of the Corpse Soul Realm all know exactly what's going on; moreover, as a member of the Zero Squad, how could Huamu possibly betray the Tranquil Spirit Court?!

During that period, Gengmu and Saitou were immortal; when Huamu and Yuanliuzhai left the Tranquil Spirit Court, they carried out a purge of the court's great noble families, and on the fourth day of the rumor's spread, the truth finally came to light when the Forty-Six Chamber discovered it……

Although the Forty-Six Chamber was then awaiting the outcome of the duel between Yuanliuzhai and Huamu and did not want to add further trouble!

Yet faced with this event stained with the blood of countless nobles, they still felt furious!

In response, after some discussion, the Forty-Six Chamber urgently summoned the immortal Gengmu and Saitou to come to the Central Forty-Six Chamber to hear judgment, but what no one expected was that Gengmu and Saitou did not go, instead delivering to the Forty-Six Chamber a stack of evidence of the nobles they had killed……

Central Forty-Six Chamber

Rebelled! Rebelled! Everything has rebelled...

The sages and the judge railed against Gengmu and Saito's immortal behavior, yet they could do nothing. During the sentencing, the Forty-Six Chamber had indeed ordered the Thirteen Court Guard Squads to arrest Saito and Gengmu, compelling them to appear before the Forty-Six Chamber for judgment! But the Forty-Six Chamber's order was dodged by its captains, who claimed the head captain was absent and they could not go to help, leaving the Forty-Six Chamber in a panic.

Immediately they issued another order for the Covert Ops and the Kido Corps to go apprehend Gengmu and Saito, yet in the end no faction moved. The Covert Ops said they must follow the captain's orders and await the head captain's return; as for the Kido Corps, they said their Kido operations are fully booked, with no time for other matters, and besides they are not very skilled in combat, so please the Forty-~

After several consecutive refusals, the Forty-Six Chamber shockingly discovered that the armed forces under their control had quietly vanished entirely. Moreover, the day after the Forty-Six Chamber declared Saito and Gengmu guilty, the two jointly announced that they still possessed more noble criminal evidence! And their slaughter of nobles would not stop here; for a moment, the entire Pure Spirit Court became filled with panic.

As for the Forty-Six Chamber, after these sages realized they could not apprehend Gengmu and Saito, out of concern for face, they had no choice but to begin investigating the noble criminal evidence that Gengmu and Saito had provided them……

Finally, after thorough investigation, a shocking conclusion was reached: the evidence Saito and Gengmu provided was all true; consequently, the Forty-Six Chamber withdrew its charges against Gengmu and Saito.

At the same time, the Forty-Six Chamber offered protection to the siblings of the Chi clan whom Gengmu had saved during execution, and declared it would further investigate the Chi clan affair, causing the darkness lurking within the Pure Spirit Court to seem to become somewhat agitated.

Time flew by, and another month passed in the blink of an eye.

Since Yuan Liuzai and Huang Mu have not returned to their unit for a full thirty‑seven days! At once, the undercurrents beneath the Pure Spirit Court began to stir, and some ulterior‑motived people have practically already made their judgment……

In their view, perhaps this master‑disciple pair of Yuan Liuzai and Huang Mu have both perished in the Hollow Realm!

After all, no battle, whatever its form, could possibly last a full thirty‑seven days.

Moreover, the earlier rumors were once again exploited by those with ulterior motives at this moment, and for a time Huang Mu seemed to become the target of every Soul Reaper in every division of the Pure Spirit Court……

Even the captains of the major divisions seemed unable to stop the spread of this rumor.

For a moment, all the ordinary Soul Reaper soldiers who graduated from the Central Spirit Arts Academy felt intense hatred toward Huang Mu, suspected of betraying the Soul Society……

Fortunately, everything still seemed within control, so these ordinary Soul Reaper soldiers dared not actually do anything; they merely cursed Huang Mu when they drank and chatted in their daily lives.

Time passed another half month……

As Captain General Yuan Liuzai remained absent, the ordinary troops of the Pure Spirit Court felt their unease reach its peak, even evolving from anxiety and hatred of Huang Mu into anger toward the entire Eleventh Division.

During this period, many soldiers from other divisions, ignoring their captains' orders, privately clashed with Eleventh Division troops in daily life, involving verbal altercations as well as fist‑and‑foot fights……

Regardless of whether it was a verbal clash or a fist‑and‑foot fight, the Eleventh Division soldiers displayed the excellent quality befitting a combat division, overwhelmingly defeating all who came looking for trouble!

They not only sent those troublemakers to the Medical Division, but also cursed the mothers of those who came looking for fights into oblivion; indeed, many soldiers lost their entire clan genealogies in the shouting matches.

Ultimate foul‑mouthedness plus absolute power equals swaggering through the Thirteen Court Guard Squads.

Those beaten by the Eleventh Division and sent to the Fourth Division often receive special treatment there: although their injuries would heal in a week, the Fourth Division soldiers always employ a unique method to keep them staying in the Medical Division barracks for several extra months, during which they must pay out of pocket and endure daily painful treatments that make them scream like pigs being slaughtered……

After this, no soldier dared to go provoke the Eleventh Division any longer.

Thus the Thirteen Court Guard Squads once again regained peace, and, lacking a head captain, the present Sword Eight, and any replacement, they passed a full six months under these special circumstances,

And on that day half a year later, the noble forces secretly observing could no longer sit still.

Late night in the Eleventh Division barracks……

A man clad in black tight‑fitting clothes sneaked in here; facing the night‑patrol Eleventh Division soldiers who carried lanterns and walked the barracks, responsible for guarding and maintaining order, he showed contempt.

With his formidable spiritual pressure of Rank‑Three Spirit Might and basic techniques—slash, fist, step, demon—comparable to a captain‑level Soul Reaper of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, evading these patrol soldiers was utterly easy! After all, the Eleventh Division currently lacks a captain……

This time, his sole purpose in coming to the Eleventh Division was to destroy the evidence of his family's crimes in the Pure Spirit Court that the Eleventh Division holds.

"Weak defenses!"

The man spoke softly, and after easily evading all the sentries, he walked straight to the front door of the Eleventh Division captain's quarters.

"Click~"

All that was heard was the man gently turning the doorknob of the Eleventh Division captain's quarters, and the door swung open effortlessly.

"This is too easy……"

"After the captain left, these soldiers have become too lax."

Facing the opened door, the man muttered to himself, slipped sideways inside, and then gently closed the door.

"Next……"

After entering the captain's quarters, the man lightly pulled out the tinder from his pocket; having now entered the Eleventh Division captain's quarters, what he needed to do next was to search this room for his family's 'evidence'.

But this seemed too troublesome for him, so he decided on a simpler solution: directly set a fire, ignite the entire captain's quarters, whereupon everything inside would be reduced to ashes.

"Hum!"

However, before the man could act, a sharp Zanpakutō was already pressed against his neck; its icy, bone‑chilling blade made his body tremble slightly, and beads of sweat sprang onto his forehead.

"Damn it, I've been tricked!"

In an instant, the man's face turned extremely unsightly.

"This really is a big catch!"

"I never expected the esteemed captain of the Third Division to actually pull off a night raid on the Eleventh Division captain's quarters."

Before the man could think further, with the Eleventh Division captain's quarters suddenly brightening, Saito the Immortal and Gengmu appeared before him—the two lieutenant commanders of the Eleventh Division.

"Fishing?!"

"Hahaha! I never imagined that, spending all day hunting geese, I would someday be pecked by a goose……"

Indeed, the visitor was naturally the captain of the Third Division of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads; upon hearing Saito and Gengmu's words, he burst into loud laughter, seemingly utterly unconcerned about his own safety at the moment.

"Was it you who orchestrated the framing of the noble Chi clan and the decline of other noble families behind the scenes?"

Saito the Immortal looked at the Third Division captain before him and asked.

"Such talk cannot be spoken recklessly; I dare not take credit for giving orders……"

"I merely took a share of the profits behind those families, the biggest slice among the nobles—nothing more."

"To call me the chief culprit is a bit of a stretch; after all, the cause of those families' decline is not me."

The Third Division captain, hearing this, replied candidly.

"Oh? Since you say that, you know the reason for those families' decline, right?"

Saito the Immortal looked at the Third Division captain and asked.

"Of course I know……"

Upon hearing that, the Third Division captain showed a dismissive smile.

"Survival of the fittest, natural selection! This is the very way of survival for us Soul Reapers in the Pure Spirit Court—whether noble or commoner, one must obey the rules to stay alive."

As for why the Mole City family has declined, it's because they deserved to die! Even without me pulling strings behind the scenes, other nobles would have chosen to strike at them!

Think about it, the Mole City family was a perfectly fine martial arts family, clearly a noble that rose through martial arts and violence, yet suddenly they said violence was wrong, every clan member stopped practicing martial arts and switched to 'doing business', and the most infuriating part is that they actually succeeded at it! Such a self-crippled martial arts tycoon—should they not die, who should? Should I die?

The Third Division Captain's words were spoken with utter frankness, as if the Mole City family had been completely slaughtered, leaving only a pair of siblings under a hundred years old, purely because the Mole City family was stupid.

It seems in his view, this is the path the Mole City family chose for themselves; it's no wonder others aren't to blame—only the Mole City family's own stupidity can be blamed.

Well said!

Undying Saito listened to the Third Division Captain's words and lightly nodded. She felt what this person said made sense, but having reason doesn't mean the other side can survive, after all, we are stronger now, so their words are the truth! As the other side said, this world itself is survival of the fittest……

Captain Saito, I ask you, are you really treating each of yourselves as agents of justice?

Do you truly intend to change the entire Pure Spirit Court by your own strength, or do you plan to stir up this already turbid sewage once more and profit from the chaos?

If it's the latter, our purposes don't conflict; we can make money together, no need to fight to the death, playing too rough is bad for everyone! Let's earn money together, it's not cold……

But if you're the former, heh, I can only tell you, the darkness of the Pure Spirit Court is far beyond your imagination! You few people, even if we give you as much lifespan as possible, it's only a few thousand years; wanting to change the Pure Spirit Court's darkness that has persisted for millions of years—isn't that just pure foolish daydreaming?

The Third Division Captain's eyes were full of contempt for Saito and the others.

What you're doing is simply challenging the entire Pure Spirit Court—this is digging your own grave.

Finally, the Third Division Captain revealed the result of Saito and the others' actions.

Clap clap clap clap……

Just as the Third Division Captain was speaking at length……

Wave after wave of applause slowly sounded from the boss's chair behind the desk inside the division chief's room.

Huh?!

The Third Division Captain, hearing the applause one after another, his face suddenly changed……

Simply because the division chief's room is clearly not large, and the lighting is fairly transparent and bright, yet he had never noticed that besides him and the two vice-captains in front of him, there were actually other people present in the room.

To be honest, although he lacked confidence in his own combat ability, he was still confident in his perception; in the Pure Spirit Court, anyone who could shield his perception was extremely dangerous.

Yo, isn't that Captain Nagase? Long time no see, how have you been~

As the person behind the curtains slowly walked up to the Third Division Captain, the Captain finally saw the visitor's appearance, and he immediately broke into a wry smile.

Captain Aramaki, it turns out all of this behind the scenes was your doing……

The head of the high-ranking noble Nagase family gazed at the handsome young man before him, his eyes revealing a hint of helplessness; the moment he saw the visitor, he knew he was likely doomed this time. That Aramaki who fought Genryusai—he simply wasn't dead! Since Aramaki isn't dead, it's unclear who actually died……

Yes, that visitor naturally was Aramaki returning from the Soul King Palace.

In fact, Aramaki and Genryusai had already returned to the Soul Society seven months ago after their battle ended, but they didn't show themselves; instead, they directly took the Heavenly Pillar Palanquin to the Soul King Palace……

Aramaki and Genryusai spent a full seven months in the Soul King Palace; during that half-year-plus period, aside from watching the Pure Spirit Court's Sarugaki and others 'fishing', Aramaki helped his teacher—Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni, who had become a member of the Zero Division—familiarize himself with the enhanced power within his body.

This time, Aramaki's return from the Soul King Palace to the Pure Spirit Court was naturally to assume the position of Captain-Commander of the Guardian Thirteen Divisions!

Captain Nagase, that statement is mistaken……

It wasn't me behind the scenes directing Sarugaki and Saito to wipe out you nobles all at once!

Rather, before I left I clearly stated that Sarugaki and Saito must, before I return, eradicate the cancerous tumors among you nobles in the Pure Spirit Court and restore a pure Pure Spirit Court.

Aramaki looked at the Third Division Captain, Nagase Antaro, and spoke calmly.

What's the difference?

Captain Nagase heard this, his eyelid twitched slightly.

The difference is huge……

You should know, from today on, this place is my Pure Spirit Court~

Aramaki, upon hearing this, gave Captain Nagase a light smile.

Your Pure Spirit Court? What do you mean?

Captain Nagase, upon hearing this, suddenly felt a vague sense of foreboding, and asked Aramaki with a terrified expression.

Let's get reacquainted! Captain Nagase……

I am Aramaki, Captain of the First Division of the Guardian Thirteen Divisions, the new Commander-in-Chief of the Guardian Thirteen Divisions.

Aramaki looked at Nagase Anjiro and laughed heartily as he spoke.

What about Lord Genryusai?

Nagase, upon hearing this, his face suddenly changed, and he looked at Aramaki and asked.

He's retired~

Aramaki looked at the terrified Nagase Anjiro and continued to laugh.

Commander-in-Chief Aramaki, please give me a chance to start over as a person!

I am willing to spit out all the property I swallowed by abusing my position from those nobles; I only beg you to give me a way to live! Our entire Nagase family still needs me, the head, to hold things up!

Nagase Anjiro, upon hearing Aramaki's words, dropped to his knees and begged desperately.

Rest easy! I will naturally take back the money your Nagase family embezzled; as for your Nagase family members, you no longer need to look after them—they should already be on their way……

Aramaki looked at the desperately begging Nagase, gently shook his head, and spoke calmly.

What do you mean by that?

Nagase Anjiro, upon hearing this, froze in place.

Don't be nervous! I haven't laid a hand on your Nagase family…… Aramaki first comforted Nagase Anjiro with a sentence, then laid out the harsh reality: 'I merely gave those nobles who had once been persecuted by your Nagase family a chance to take revenge.'

What the hell?!

Those innately lowly scum will surely seize this opportunity to slaughter every member of our Nagase family.

You can't do that, no……

Nagase Anjiro, upon hearing this, let out a desperate roar.

No one understands the evil deeds the Nagase family has committed better than Nagase Anjiro, the family head.

As for those nobles who had once been persecuted by their family, if they got a chance to take revenge on the Nagase family, no one knows better than him how they would strike……

Swish—

Before Nagase Anjiro could say more, a cold flash sliced his neck, accompanied by blood spreading downward, and Nagase Anjiro's expression froze there forever.

Gengmu, go call the patrolling division members outside to come in and mop the floor…

Find someone to put this corpse into a burlap sack, and when you have time, hold a soul burial rite for them together.

Arashi watched Nagase Anjiro shouting and yelling, then directly ended his life with a single slash.

At the same time, Arashi ordered Gengmu behind him.

All right, Dad…

Gengmu heard Arashi's words and responded perfunctorily, without a care.

Perhaps because Arashi had taught Gengmu etiquette, speech, combat skills, and so on, Gengmu usually regarded the powerful Arashi as a father figure, so in private he sometimes called Arashi "Dad," and Arashi never objected to that.

……

However, Arashi looked at Gengmu yawning and wearing a perfunctory expression, his brow slightly rising; he planned to find time to properly discipline this wayward disciple. Although Arashi could treat Yuan Liuzhi this way, his own disciple must never be allowed to do so! Yes, Arashi is simply a super famous double-standard person!!

Saito, go notify all the division heads of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, and say that the Captain-Commander wants to convene a meeting of the division heads.

Immediately after, Arashi quietly gave an order to Saito Furofushi beside him.

Leave it to me.

As Saito spoke, he had already vanished into the division heads' chamber.

Remember to watch the Eleventh Division members finish mopping the floor, then go report to the First Division's heads' chamber! Today is your first day as division captain—don't embarrass me…

After Saito left, Arashi casually tossed a division heads' haori to Gengmu, then his figure also vanished into the Eleventh Division's heads' chamber.

What a hassle…

After receiving the haori from Arashi, Gengmu casually draped it over himself.

Immediately, he left the division heads' chamber, intending to find someone to clean up the bloodstains inside…

Only after Gengmu had wandered around the Eleventh Division barracks and found not a single Eleventh Division member did he realize that the original Eleventh Division members had all gone to report to the First Division.

This is also why today's guard duty is so lax, allowing the Third Division captain to easily infiltrate the Eleventh Division's heads' chamber; in fact, even those few guards were merely a decoy to deceive people, and once the bait was taken, they too grabbed lanterns and headed to the First Division to report.

In other words, although he inherited the Eleventh Division captain's position from Arashi, Arashi only gave him that position and left him nothing else—no damn thing at all.

According to Arashi's meaning, one should recruit members for one's own division oneself, not always rely on seniors for everything; aside from this haori, he had nothing else to leave for Gengmu.

Oh, right, Arashi also said he would give the title "Kenpachi" to Gengmu; as for whether passing on the name like this violates the original spirit of the "Kenpachi" title, Arashi said there was absolutely no problem.

After all, the title "Kenpachi" originally referred to the strongest Soul Reaper in Soul Society aside from the Captain-Commander, and Arashi is now the Captain-Commander.

……

By this point, Gengmu looked at the desolate barracks with only one person, and silently began mopping the floor by himself.

As Saito Furofushi notified all the division heads throughout Soul Society that the Captain-Commander wanted to convene a meeting of the division heads, the entire Soul Society fell into an uproar.

Over the past six months, everyone had grown accustomed to the Thirteen Court Guard Squads having no Captain-Commander and no regular division heads' meetings; for now, they were still somewhat unaccustomed to the change.

However, now that the Captain-Commander has returned, they will certainly attend.

As for why the message was delivered not by Quebuzhang Erlang but by Saito Furofushi, everyone had a slight doubt but didn't dwell on it, after all, in Soul Society no one yet dared to joke about the Captain-Commander.

For a moment…

All the division heads of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads hurried toward the First Division.

And after a long absence, they gathered in front of the First Division barracks' main gate.

Junior brothers, you've arrived quite early~

Captain Kyōraku, Captain Ukitake, and Captain Shuntan, good evening~

Among the captains, Kyōraku, Ukitake, and Shuntan appeared to have arrived earliest.

After that, arriving together were Shiba, Yoruichi, and Kuchiki, the three captains representing the Five Great Noble Houses.

Captain Shiba, it's been a while—you look even more beautiful today~

Of course, Senior Yoruichi, you're also beautiful……

Upon hearing those greetings, Kyōraku immediately turned his head; upon seeing the voluptuous Shiba Tokaku, he instantly smiled and gave a perfunctory nod to Yoruichi and the Kuchiki family captain.

You should say that to your sisters instead!

Shiba Tokaku and Yoruichi listened to Kyōraku's words and spoke disparagingly.

Good evening, everyone!

At the same time, the rather stern Captain Kuchiki, along with Ukitake and the others, slightly bowed their heads in greeting.

Crack—

Just as everyone was exchanging greetings, the main gate of the First Division barracks suddenly opened, pointing the way forward for them.

Let's go, don't keep the Captain-Commander waiting.

Seeing the First Division barracks' gate open, the division heads stopped lingering with pleasantries and proceeded unimpeded toward the First Division's heads' chamber.

Along the way, the captains discovered that everything inside the First Division barracks was just as peaceful as before, identical to the usual scene, which allowed those who had been anxious about the Captain-Commander's sudden return to breathe a little easier.

Only when the captains had walked all the way to the door of the First Division's heads' chamber and saw the youth in a white haori waiting quietly there did their expressions change, solely because the number on the back of his haori was "Eleven".

At the moment the Captain-Commander returned, the Eleventh Division captain had been replaced, causing Kyōraku, Ukitake, and the others' faces to shift repeatedly, and even Shuntan instinctively gripped the twin soul‑reaper swords at his waist.

That shouldn't be.

Yoruichi even began to mutter doubtfully to herself.

Let's go in and have a look first…

Just as Ukitake was about to step forward to ask the youth, Kyōraku reached out and blocked his advance.

That youth was known to Kyōraku and the others; his name was Gengmu, and like them, he was also a disciple of Arashi.

Although they had little interaction with him, they still shared some camaraderie as fellow disciples; if the worst scenario they imagined were to actually occur, this youth would certainly not be standing here so openly.

Good.

Ukitake heard the words, and immediately forcibly suppressed his excited feelings.

Crack—

At the moment everyone was looking at Gengmu wearing the white haori of the Eleventh Division, brows furrowed.

The originally tightly shut door of the First Division Captain's chamber slowly opened before everyone.

The Commander-General told everyone to come in.

After the door opened, the imagined voice of Sparrow Squad Leader Jiro did not sound; the speaker was still Saito the Immortal, who had previously relayed the message to everyone.

Huh?!

This made everyone present even more doubtful; although it was understandable for Saito to relay messages for the Commander-General, given his status, he shouldn't be appearing in the Captains' meeting room, right?!

Despite everyone's hearts being full of confusion, they still walked into the open-doored First Division Captain's chamber, after all, only the Commander-General could likely answer their doubts……

However, upon entering the First Division Captain's chamber, they were completely stunned by the sight before them.

All they saw was that the person standing in the First Division Commander-General's position was not the Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni they had imagined, but the former Eleventh Division Captain—Araki.

As for Unohana Retsu, whom everyone had originally wondered why she didn't attend the Captains' meeting, she had already taken her place ahead of time at the Fourth Division Captain's position, clearly having entered the First Division Captain's chamber before everyone else.

Genryūsai-sensei has been promoted to the Zero Division!

From today onward, I am the new Commander-General of the Gotei 13……

Before anyone could ask a question, Araki, standing in the Commander-General's position wearing the First Division Captain's haori, spoke first; those two short sentences had already answered everyone's doubts.

As expected……

At that moment, Kyōraku, Ukitake, and Shihōin all let out a sigh of relief.

Kyōraku exaggeratedly wiped the nonexistent sweat from his forehead and spoke in a light tone: "Araki-sensei, you really gave us all a big surprise; just seeing the Eleventh Division Captain suddenly change, I was really nervous for you~"

You're hoping I lose?

Araki looked at Kyōraku and asked.

Of course not……

Kyōraku exaggeratedly waved his hand.

Master, this counts as a promotion for you too, but don't forget to give me a gift.

Yoruichi stepped up to Araki and reached out to ask for a gift.

I'll make it up later.

Although that's what Araki said, in reality he had no money to buy a gift; after all, he had been in office for many years and never accepted such things as rings, so he planned to go to the Four Maple Court family to ask for money to buy a gift.

Master, where have you been all these years?

Ukitake first gently wiped the tears that kept streaming from his eye sockets, then looked at Araki and asked.

The Soul King Palace.

Araki replied.

In that case……

Upon hearing that, Shihōin instinctively looked toward Shiba Zehu.

Yes, I already knew that Commander-General Yamamoto……

Shiba Zehong felt Shihōin's gaze and immediately began to explain.

It seemed that because Shiba Zehong was still not fully accustomed to Araki serving as Commander-General, he accidentally called him Commander-General Yamamoto, and upon realizing his mistake, Zehong still added: 'I had long known that the former Commander-General Yamamoto and Commander-General Araki would return.'

Don't worry! Your master has been doing well these years, and afterward Araki will treat everyone to hot pot~

This is, as the legitimate wife, Unohana spoke; she first smiled at everyone, then announced the hot pot matter.

Obviously, Unohana also already knew about Araki's return……

For a moment, the entire First Division Captain's chamber fell into a state of joy and celebration.

Only the Kuchiki head, as the Sixth Division Captain, after hearing everyone's words, his face somewhat awkward, he silently thought: 'After all this fuss, I'm the only one here, am I just a clueless outsider kept in the dark? Should I just leave?!'

I need to think of a way, at least to let my son……

Forget it, I'll still think of a way to have my grandson become a disciple of the Yuanliu school.

Feeling excluded, Kuchiki Ginrei made a decision at this moment.

Such exclusion will end with Kuchiki Ginrei's generation……

Although saying that, it makes their Kuchiki family, which is touted as the epitome of nobility, seem somewhat empty in name, but he still insists that from now on, other heads of the Kuchiki family must collude with the Yuanliu school.

Alright, let's end the idle chat here!

Please, all captains, return to your respective positions and stand ready……

Well then, the Gotei 13 Captains' meeting will now officially begin.

After chatting with his disciples for a while, Araki's expression suddenly became serious.

In an instant, Araki's disciples all lined up and stood ready!

From then on, the Gotei 13 officially entered the Araki era.

At the same time, the True Central Spiritual Arts Institute.

A man who, from birth, felt endless confusion and loneliness due to his excessive talent enrolled.

May I ask, what is your name, junior?

Although the man tried to appear ordinary, he was still noticed by observant people.

Perhaps this is the radiance of the 'golden child' that cannot be concealed no matter what!!

May I ask, are you asking me again?

Well, my name is Aizen Sōsuke.

I am just an ordinary student of the Spiritual Arts Institute.

In response, the man, when faced with anyone who approached him—whether upperclassmen, underclassmen, or the teachers of the Spiritual Arts Institute—always gently pushed up the glasses on his nose and gave a warm, spring-breeze-like smile, softly replying to everyone.

Continue, the ten‑thousand‑character grand chapter!