Chapter 168

The next day.

The newly promoted captain of the 5th Division, Aizen Sosuke, brought along his division's vice captain, Gin Ichimaru, and came to the captain's office of the 1st Division.

"Professor Araki, we're disturbing you~"

As the doors of the 1st Division captain's office slowly opened, Aizen Sosuke smiled and led the young Gin Ichimaru inside, greeting Araki, who stood in the office, with a smiling expression.

"Aizen, I didn't expect you kid to have such good connections~"

"It's amazing that you managed to get nine active captains of the 13 Court Guard Squads to vouch for you!"

"Even I, old man, would need to spend some effort to have nine active captains willingly do something for me at the same time~"

After seeing Aizen, Araki casually placed the book in his hand on the table behind him and then smiled at Aizen.

"Professor Araki, please don't tease me~"

Aizen gave a wry smile after hearing Araki's words.

"Haha, I originally planned to arrange your captain's examination within the next few months, letting you succeed as captain of the 5th Division..."

"I didn't expect you, kid, to lack even this bit of patience; right after your confinement ended, you went and took the 5th Division captaincy through other promotion channels."

Araki chuckled lightly after hearing Aizen's words, then continued.

"How could I dare trouble Professor Araki?!"

"Since a few years ago, when Captain Platini was framed and left the 13 Court Guard Squads, you've been tirelessly working for the Soul Society; I heard from Mother Unohana that you often work until midnight, unable to rest properly! If I were to trouble you again over my own matters, I'd feel guilty to death..."

Aizen looked at Araki seriously, as if from the bottom of his heart, like a qualified disciple, sincerely considering for this teacher Araki.

However, in fact, this is a lie!

The reason Aizen, as soon as his so-called confinement was lifted, immediately became captain of the 5th Division through the 13 Court Guard Squads' captain recommendation system...

Because he didn't want to show his Soul-Cutter Sword's ability in front of Araki; if Aizen became captain through the normal process, he would have to release his Soul-Cutter Sword in front of Araki, at which point his biggest trump card would be directly exposed to Araki's eyes.

"It's rare that you have some filial piety..."

"Then Sosuke, what brings you here this time?"

Araki lightly nodded after hearing Aizen's words, then continued asking.

"Professor Araki, I came this time to recommend a talent to you..."

"Professor Araki, this is our 5th Division's newly appointed Vice Captain, Gin Ichimaru; he only recently graduated from the Shin'ō Academy, barely over ten years ago, yet his ability is already sufficient to serve as our 5th Division's Vice Captain, his talent is undoubtedly genius-level..."

Aizen turned his body to introduce to Araki the Gin Ichimaru he had brought.

Aizen paused here, then reminded Gin: "Gin, hurry up and greet the Commander-General!"

"Commander-General Araki~"

Gin Ichimaru nodded with a smile at Araki after hearing Aizen's words.

At this moment, Gin Ichimaru still wore a smiling expression, like a venomous snake that has retracted its fangs, a poison-coated blade hidden in its sheath.

"Gin Ichimaru? I think I've heard that name before..."

"Right, you're the genius boy that Teacher Genryūsai mentioned, who graduated from the Shin'ō Academy in just one year!"

Araki pretended to ponder, thought for a moment, then asked Gin Ichimaru.

"Ah~ I never thought someone as ordinary as me could be remembered by such a great figure as Commander-General Araki; this is truly an honor for me, kid~"

Gin Ichimaru replied with a grin after hearing Araki's words.

"Don't underestimate yourself; your talent, placed in the Soul Society, even if not top-tier, is still a once-in-a-century genius; becoming a captain of the 13 Court Guard Squads shouldn't be difficult for you."

Araki spoke lightly after hearing Gin's words.

"You really think highly of me~"

Gin Ichimaru's mind was not shaken in the slightest by Araki's praise; he had a deep understanding of his own talent. Although he is considerably stronger than ordinary people, facing true geniuses—such as his companion Aizen Sosuke, and Araki, who is famed as the strongest Shinigami in Soul Society's history—he still has quite a gap...

However, combat isn't simply about who has greater talent having greater strength; he never thought of defeating Aizen in talent or power—he only needs to beat Aizen once, just as Aizen has never revealed his Soul-Cutter Sword's true power before Araki, he also has never revealed his Soul-Cutter Sword's true power before Aizen; everything he does is for that decisive strike.

"Professor Araki, if Gin just stays like this in our 5th Division as Vice Captain, it's like a jewel forever locked in a box, with no chance to show itself! It's truly a waste of talent and letting it gather dust~"

"I think it would be better to temporarily transfer Gin to the 1st Division, letting you personally train him; I believe only your personal instruction in the 13 Court Guard Squads can develop his talent to the fullest..."

At the moment Gin Ichimaru was aimlessly thinking about Araki, Aizen's voice once again softly reached his ears. Just as Aizen had said to Gin Ichimaru when he was in the 5th Division, Aizen truly recommended Gin to Araki, hoping Araki could properly train Gin.

"Personal instruction? Once people get old, they start becoming lazy; I myself have forgotten how long it's been since I last personally took on a disciple, but since you recommended this talent, I'll lightly train him for a while! As for taking him as a disciple, that's not necessary for now..."

Araki raised his eyebrows slightly after hearing Aizen's words; it's not that he doesn't want to take Gin as a disciple, but time seems not to allow it—following his usual disciple-training process, by the time Gin finishes his training, Aizen should already have taken over his position...

Thinking this, Araki decided to take Gin as an nominal disciple, give him a little guidance, and have Gin undergo some light training for a few decades.

"If you let the Commander-General give him just a little guidance, Gin would already be quite satisfied~"

After hearing Araki's words, Gin Ichimaru, without waiting for Aizen to speak, immediately looked at Araki with a smile and thanked him from the bottom of his heart.

"If that's the case, starting today, Gin Ichimaru, you will stay in our 1st Division!" Araki nodded lightly upon hearing that, then turned to Aizen: "Sosuke, do you have anything else?"

"Replying to Professor Araki, I have no other matters..."

Aizen immediately replied after hearing Araki's words.

"Is that so? Then you may go, Gin Ichimaru stay..."

Araki lightly nodded upon hearing that, then waved his hand at Aizen.

"Yes, sir, Professor Araki~"

After hearing Araki's words, Aizen first smiled, nodded at Araki, then turned and walked toward the door of the 1st Division Captain's Office; as he turned, he seemed to cast a deep glance at Gin Ichimaru.

"……"

This made Gin Ichimaru feel like a thorn in his back.

In fact, Gin Ichimaru's heart is very clear: Aizen leaving him alone in Araki's Captain's Office was actually to test him...

At the same time, Gin Ichimaru also knows that since Aizen dared to leave him, he surely has his own backup, and need not fear telling anything to Araki...

Even Gin Ichimaru knows that if he were to reveal something to Araki, Aizen would not only be unharmed but would retaliate by destroying him, leaving him no chance for revenge.

Chief Huangmu~

Thinking of this, Shiwan Yin took a deep breath, smiled as he greeted Huangmu, and at this moment Shiwan Yin had already decided that he would never speak up about anything concerning Lanzhan, lest he fall into Lanzhan's trap.

At the same time, Shiwan Yin thought that since Lanzhan was willing to spend his own connections and have Captain Huangmu teach him, he would turn the scheme to his advantage, learn a great deal from Captain Huangmu, continually strengthen himself, and one day make the ever‑arrogant Lanzhan pay a heavy price.

"Just call me Teacher Huangmu, like you do with Lanzhan, Jingle and the others! Although I just told Lanzhan that I don't intend to take you as a disciple, not because you're lacking talent or any other reason, but simply because I no longer have much time to teach you; I plan to retire soon. However, taking you on as a named disciple is no problem."

Huangmu looked at Shiwan Yin and smiled faintly.

"Retire?"

"Captain Huangmu, I mean Teacher Huangmu, you can't be joking, can you?"

"In the current Gotei 13, I don't know anyone who could replace you as Captain~"

However, after hearing Huangmu's words, Shiwan Yin slowly opened his eyes; what he focused on was not Huangmu taking him as a named disciple, but the fact that Huangmu had said he was retiring…

Captain Huangmu—or rather, he should now call him Teacher Huangmu—spoke with utterly plain words that revealed earth‑shattering news! If the captains of the Gotei 13, and the Central Forty…

Even the god‑like Captain Lanzhan, after hearing that Captain Huangmu intends to retire, would probably choose to go alone to the division leader's room to cool off a bit, wouldn't he?!

"Heh, why are you so surprised? What you lack now will eventually come…"

"I suppose after a hundred years passes, that kid Lanzhan will start moving, right?"

"Did Lanzhan not tell you the exact timing of his actions?"

After hearing Shiwan Yin, Huangmu said something that left Shiwan Yin utterly shocked.

"Huang... Teacher Huangmu, I don't quite understand—what exactly are you saying…"

"What do you mean by 'Captain Lanzhan's action time'? I know nothing about it!"

After hearing Huangmu, Shiwan Yin's complexion changed slightly as he asked Huangmu.

"Is that so? Then let me put it another way!"

"In about a hundred years, Lanzhan's Hōgyoku should have matured. I imagine then he'll try to scheme with the other half of the Hōgyoku that resides in the living world, within Puyuan Xizhu's assistant. Given Lanzhan's temperament, once he gathers the two halves, will he choose to confront me? That is truly something to look forward to~"

Huangmu gave no hint of concealment and spoke directly to Shiwan Yin.

"Ah…"

Shiwan Yin was now dumbfounded, staring wide‑eyed toward Huangmu, his normally narrow eyes now filled with great confusion.

"I can't possibly have fallen victim to Captain Lanzhan's Mirror Flower Illusion, could I?"

At this moment, Shiwan Yin's first thought was that he had been caught by Lanzhan's Mirror Flower Illusion. Otherwise, how could Captain Huangmu be so clear about Lanzhan's plan?

"Ha ha, that little brat Lanzhan wouldn't dare release his Mirror Flower Illusion inside Division 1's quarters. Lanzhan has always been very cautious; he fears I might discover the true power of his Zanpakutō, so he never uses his Zanpakutō while I'm present, not even within my quarters. He worries I would unravel his Zanpakutō's true ability; otherwise, he wouldn't waste so much time being recommended by other division heads to become a captain of the Gotei 13."

Huangmu saw straight through Shiwan Yin's thoughts and laughed instantly.

"Ah…"

Shiwan Yin was now speechless; he hadn't expected that all of Lanzhan's movements were under Huangmu's observation.

"Shiwan Yin, when did you start believing that Lanzhan is the mastermind behind everything in the Soul Society, the hidden puppet? Know that I am the Captain of the Jingling Court…"

"Everything that occurs within the Soul Society cannot escape my discerning eyes! Whether it's that brat Lanzhan, that kid Puyuan, the countless civilians of Urahara Street with the potential to ascend to Shinigami, the Hollows of the Void Circle with the potential to become Great Voids, all involved in the creation of the Hōgyoku, or Lanzhan's earlier scheme that placed Heishi Mako, Puyuan Xizhu and others of the Gotei 13 into a Hollow‑transformation experiment—every single action is under my control."

Huangmu did not wait for Shiwan Yin to speak further and continued.

In just a few short sentences, he shattered Shiwan Yin's worldview.

"Captain Huangmu, I don't understand. Since you know all these atrocities are caused by Lanzhan, why don't you stop him? Do you know how many souls in Urahara Street have prematurely died because Lanzhan pursued the Hōgyoku?"

Shiwan Yin opened his eyes and questioned Huangmu.

"Shiwan Yin, what are you saying? The souls of Urahara Street have already died once. Those that vanished early because they couldn't become Shinigami have had their memories erased by me, turned into basic spiritual particles, and sent to the living world to be reborn…"

"And the Hollows that Puyuan Xizhu expended; after his experiments turned them into basic spiritual particles, I likewise erased their memories and sent them to the living world to be reborn. From the moment the first Hōgyoku created by Puyuan and Lanzhan was born, the emergence of the second Hōgyoku shifted from chance to inevitability. That is the Hōgyoku's own will, serving the balance of souls across the Three Realms."

After hearing Shiwan Yin's questioning, Huangmu said calmly.

At this point Huangmu's brow twitched slightly; in fact, because Yuanliuzhai has long been stationed at the Jinmao Spiritual Academy and occasionally visits Urahara Street to scout children with Shinigami potential, Lanzhan could not be too reckless when creating the Hōgyoku…

Lanzhan only took from those souls what he needed; he didn't dare act alone, even if it cost time, opting for a cautious approach. As for mass slaughter of souls, he couldn't do it, because Huangmu and Yuanliuzhai would notice.

Thus, the ordinary souls whose talents Lanzhan stripped away are only reborn a few decades earlier than their original fate! They originally would have remained in the Soul Society, living as destitute peasants for centuries before their memories were cleansed, turning into spiritual particles to be reborn in the living world. Now they need only a few decades to return to the living world. Huangmu Yege couldn't say whether this is good or bad for the grassroots souls of Urahara Street.

Conversely, because Puyuan Xizhu forged the Hōgyoku using Hollows, he became far more extravagant in his actions. After all, Huangmu and Yuanliuzhai don't monitor how many Hollows exist in the Void Circle, so Puyuan Xizhu, in creating the Hōgyoku, expended countless Hollows with the potential to ascend to the A‑Quark‑class Great Void. This gave Huangmu a headache, since the Void Circle is, in a strict sense, also his domain, though he cannot yet voice any objection—it's a rare silent loss for him.

"This…"

After hearing Huangmu, Shiwan Yin suddenly recalled something: the common folk of Urahara Street seem to be dead already; they have all died once in the living world, but having lived so long in Urahara Street, Shiwan Yin had forgotten this.

"When Hollows die they are purified and reborn; when Shinigami die they become spiritual particles and are reborn. The world we inhabit is essentially a massive reincarnation mechanism, a huge system where true death does not exist! In the true sense, death only applies to those Hollows destroyed by Quincy using Quincy power to annihilate even the lowest spiritual particles, right?"

Huangmu looked at Shiwan Yin and continued.

"Thus the Quincy shattered the system and broke the balance of the Three Realms."

"Shiwan Yin, grip the sword in your hand! Sooner or later the Quincy will clash with us Shinigami, and that battle will be the true decisive war that determines the future of the Three Realms."

After finishing, Huangmu added another sentence.

"…"

At this moment Shiwan Yin fell silent; he realized his perspective on the world differed completely from Huangmu's. The latter stands from the world's viewpoint, as a detached being, continuously maintaining the world's balance; as long as that balance remains unbroken…

Conversely, if sacrificing some souls and Hollows would make the world more stable, then Huangmu and the Zero Squad would even…

"Why are you worrying about that girl whose body holds the Soul King's power that Lanzhan removed? As for that, you need not worry; her soul has already been restored with the Soul King's power…"

Huangmu seemed to see through Shiwan Yin's thoughts and smiled.

"You mean?"

Shiwan Yin was stunned; he hadn't expected that even the matter of Ranju…

"You think that with your meager spiritual strength you can restore that orange‑haired girl to her full power?"

"If I don't intervene, that girl will probably never reach Third‑rank spiritual might and wield her own Bankai in this lifetime."

"Even if both of you perish on your respective revenge paths, you still couldn't meet in Hell, could you?!"

Huangmu looked at Shiwan Yin and continued.

"…"

Shi Maru Gin fell silent; the shock he received from Araki today was far too great, so great that his mind began to reel.

Bang— bang— bang—…

Just as Shi Maru Gin did not know how to speak, a series of knocks suddenly sounded at the headquarter of the First Squad.

"Enter…"

Araki, hearing the knock, gave a gentle nod.

"Captain Araki, apologies!"

The moment Araki finished speaking, the door of the First Squad's headquarters was flung open; Dong Xianyao, eyes covered by a blindfold and wearing the head‑garment of the Ninth Squad, strode into the First Squad's headquarters, first bowing respectfully to Araki, then turning his head to look toward Shi Maru Gin.

"Dong Xianyao… Captain?!"

"Did you even betray Captain Lan Ran?"

Shi Maru Gin stared at Dong Xianyao, a hint of disbelief in his eyes, and then asked aloud.

"Shi Maru Gin, you seem to misunderstand me! First, I want you to understand that my life has always been upright; there has never been any betrayal as you claim, because from the very beginning I have been loyal to Captain Araki, and that has never changed…"

"I simply felt that Captain Lan Ran's ideals resemble my own, which is why I stepped in to help him, and I am also a little curious about the world he envisions, wanting to 'see' the world he created to know whether it is as wonderful as he describes—nothing more…"

After hearing Shi Maru Gin, Dong Xianyao frowned slightly and explained aloud: Yes, from the start Dong Xianyao has been Araki's subordinate. As for Miss Ge Kuang, who has been guiding Dong Xianyao, she has now succeeded Wo Ling Tiezhai and You Zhao Tian Boxuan, and currently serves as the Grand Ghost Dao Elder of the new generation of the Ghost Way Sect.

Because Ge Kuang also possesses a fragment of the Spirit King within her, in other words she is a genuine Perfect Manifestation practitioner; under Araki's guidance, her foundational Perfect Manifestation skill 'Command of Soul and Spirit' has progressed well, and her current Ghost Dao techniques even surpass those of the former Grand Ghost Dao Elder Wo Ling Tiezhai.

By the way, in the original work Ge Kuang, because of the Spirit King fragment in her body, was discovered by the inherently evil Kongmidai family, recruited into the family, married to Kongmidai Shi Tan, and ultimately killed by the invincibly evil Shi Tan; this eventually led Dong Xianyao onto a crooked path. Of course the current Shi Tan would never dare such a thing, and because Araki discovered Ge Kuang first, she directly joined the Ghost Way Sect, thereby successfully avoiding Shi Tan.

As for Dong Xianyao, just as Araki placed Wo Ling Tiezhai beside Pu Yuan Xishu, he naturally placed his own man beside Lan Ran. In Araki's view, as an undercover planted beside Lan Ran, no one is more reliable than Dong Xianyao, who was born with an eye disease and thus immune to the illusionary Mirror‑Flower Water‑Moon.

Years later, when Lan Ran brandished the rebellious banner and intended to rebel against his teacher Araki's absolute rule over the Soul Society, Shi Maru Gin and Dong Xianyao reluctantly drew their Zanpakuto and said to Lan Ran Souusuke, "Sorry, Lord Lan Ran! We are undercover!"

Before Lan Ran could think further, the ten ninjas personally forged by Lan Ran also sheathed their blades, surrounding him, and helplessly said, "Our apologies, Lord Lan Ran, we are also undercover…"

To this, Lan Ran replied, "I…"

Back to the First Squad's headquarters.

"So, Captain Araki, what exactly do you want me to do?"

The now‑scrutinized Shi Maru Gin had become numb; he could no longer grasp Araki's intentions.

"Train diligently under me and strive to improve yourself~"

"Then accompany Lan Ran's continued performance; I look forward to the day when that little brat Lan Ran swings his Zanpakuto at me, raising the rebel banner!"

Araki looked at Shi Maru Gin with a smiling gaze and said.

"I understand…"

After hearing Araki, Shi Maru Gin gave a gentle nod.

At this moment, Shi Maru Gin finally understood why Lan Ran told him that Lan Ran also had someone he feared—a person who held Lan Ran in his palm and secretly directed everything; could such a person not be frightening? The captains Lan Ran schemed against feared him as much as he feared Araki…

"Hehe~"

Thinking that way, Shi Maru Gin suddenly felt that Captain Lan Ran was not so hateful; he even felt a hint of pity for him.

After Araki and Shi Maru Gin faced each other directly, in the time that followed Shi Maru Gin was pulled by Araki into frantic training…

Although Shi Maru Gin was hailed as a genius at the Mao Spiritual Arts Institute, earning a perfect score in the four fundamentals—Zan, Fist, Run, Ghost—in just one year and receiving his diploma, Araki considered none of those fundamentals even satisfactory.

Gin's talent in 'Zan' fell short of Gengmu, Ku Wuxi, and Maozhihua Lie; his Ghost Dao talent lagged behind Zhi Cheng Shuangye and the overpowered Ge Kuang; his 'Run' skill was inferior to Si Feng Yuan Ye Yi and Sui Feng; overall he was outclassed by Jing Le and Fu Zhu…

Moreover, with time pressing, Araki's training regimen for Gin was devilish, almost a destructive squeezing of Gin's potential, then using Araki's own abilities to brutally heal Gin's wounds. If Gin's spirit weren't extraordinary, anyone else would have gone mad.

"Cruel."

When Dong Xianyao heard the clashing sounds at his ears, though he saw nothing, he could roughly grasp the scene and therefore turned and left the First Squad's headquarters, leaving it to Gin and Araki.

As for Dong Xianyao's next task, he would naturally return to the Ninth Squad's headquarters and report the day's experiment to his great Lord Lan Ran.

And so time kept flowing…

About another five years passed slowly.

On that day, the group of extinction masters who had been hiding in the shadows of the Jingling Court and surviving in silence suddenly felt a stir; the chest of their king, Yuhabach, who lay in a crystal coffin with his eyes tightly shut, suddenly emitted a strong, powerful heartbeat.

As sung in the anthem of their invisible empire, the great sealed King of the Extinction Masters reclaimed his heartbeat after nine hundred years, his consciousness after ninety years, his power after nine years, and would reclaim the world in just nine days! After nine hundred years, their great king finally regained his heartbeat.

However, only those members of the Old Star Crusader Order who, under Yuhabach's leadership, had taken part in the Light Empire's invasion of the Soul Society, knew that their great sovereign recovered his heartbeat about ten years later than the hymn proclaimed.

"The hymn's prophecy has been broken?"

Hassward stood before Yuhabach's crystal coffin, his brows knit tightly.

Since the prophecy has been broken, can their great sovereign still reclaim the world in just nine days as foretold?

"Your Majesty! How can you possibly defeat that monster Araki?"

To this, Hassward began to doubt Yuhabach.

However, for the sake of face and the accuracy of the hymn's prophecy, Hassward publicly claimed that Yuhabach had long since regained his heartbeat, only recently allowing others to sense it.

"Your Majesty is truly great!"

In their eyes, the King Yuhabach of the Extinction Masters and Hassward, his half, were the supreme beings.

Months passed again…

On this day, six judges from the Central Forty‑Six Room and the head of the Kuchiki family, Kuchiki Ginsui, simultaneously arrived at Araki's headquarters.

The six, perched at the pinnacle of Soul Society's power, first glanced at the blood‑splattered Shi Maru Gin, then shivered, and solemnly said to Araki, "We have come with a matter we hope Captain Araki can decide."

"What matter?!"

Araki, hearing this, gave Shi Maru Gin a look, letting him rest, then turned to the six judges and asked.

"Regarding the detention of the Kuchiki family's son‑in‑law, Kuchiki Kyouka…"

"... its Zanpakuto is far too dangerous in our view!"

"After speaking with the Kuchiki head, we have decided to seal Kyouka's Zanpakuto to prevent its harmful impact on the Soul Society. What do you think, Captain Araki?"

The six judges, hearing this, spoke plainly.

"Oh?! Kuchiki Kyouka…"

After hearing the words of several judges, Aramaki immediately narrowed his eyes slightly.

"If I'm not mistaken, Kuchiki Kouga is currently a member of our First Division, right? Since he's a member of the First Division, I'll handle him—do any of you have objections?"

Although Aramaki appeared to be asking the six judges before him, his tone left no room for questioning; he spoke in an overbearing and firm manner.

"This..."

The six judges' faces changed slightly upon hearing Aramaki's words.

Aramaki gave them face as the Central Forty-Six; they are the judges, but if Aramaki didn't give them that face, they wouldn't be worth a fart…

"How dare we have any objections?!"

"Then this matter will be left to Captain-Commander Aramaki to handle…"

"Thank you for your hard work, Captain-Commander Aramaki!"

Although the judges were unwilling to hand over Kuchiki Kouga's matter to Aramaki, the situation forced them to smile, agree to his decision, thank him, and at the same time tell him not to overexert himself.

"Alright, you few, go on now!"

Aramaki couldn't be bothered with the judges before him and spoke coldly.

"Okay, okay…"

Upon hearing that, the judges immediately left Aramaki's captain's quarters, fearing to provoke him.

"…"

Seeing this, Ichimaru Gin beside him felt astonished once again.

"Isn't the authority of the Central Forty-Six supposed to be above the Thirteen Court Guard Squads? How does he feel that the Central Forty-Six seems to have become Aramaki's subordinates?!"

"Thank you for your trouble…"

"Please take care of that boy, Kouga."

As for the silent Kuchiki Ginrei, after hearing Aramaki's words, she bowed deeply to him. Because the power of Kuchiki Kouga's Soul-Cutting Sword Muramasa was too extraordinary, this decision to seal Kouga's sword was not only made by the Central Forty-Six, but also by countless nobles jointly, with even other of the Five Great Noble Houses involved; thus even the Kuchiki family could not protect Kouga—who could not fear a man who can control others' Soul-Cutting Swords?

"No problem! I'm merely doing my duty as Captain-Commander."

After hearing Ginrei's words, Aramaki merely nodded lightly.

"Then I shall take my leave as well."

Ginrei said this, bowed once more to Aramaki, then turned and left.

Ginrei is also a sensible person; she naturally knows she shouldn't linger here with Aramaki.

"Silver, go call Kuchiki Kouga."

After waiting for Kuchiki Ginrei and the judges of the Central Forty-Six to all leave the First Division's barracks, Aramaki softly spoke to Ichimaru Gin, who was sitting on the ground resting.

"…"

Ichimaru Gin remained silent for a moment, then rose and headed to the First Division's barracks.

Originally, Ichimaru Gin's job under Aizen was just running errands; he never expected that coming to Aramaki's place would still be running errands…

In fact, Ichimaru Gin sometimes thinks that Aizen and Aramaki truly deserve to be master and disciple; they are sometimes so similar that even he can't tell whom he's facing.

"Crack~"

Not long after Silver left, the door to Aramaki's captain's quarters was pushed open again.

"Captain-Commander Aramaki, please let me explain…"

Wearing the star-shaped clasp and red wind-flower gauze symbolizing great nobility, Kuchiki Kouga looked exactly like the main house of the Kuchiki family as he anxiously entered Aramaki's captain's quarters, his eyes filled with worry as he gazed at Aramaki.

Obviously, Kuchiki Ginrei had informed Kuchiki Kouga, and Kouga also guessed why Aramaki had summoned him, which made Kouga extremely anxious; in fact, he had been framed, and he had never harmed his comrades or disobeyed orders.

"You need not explain anything…"

Upon seeing Kuchiki Kouga, Aramaki spoke lightly.

"Captain-Commander Aramaki…"

Upon hearing that, Kuchiki Kouga's eyes revealed disbelief; he could not understand why even the Captain-Commander he admired would not believe him.

"I have always believed in you."

Immediately afterward, Kuchiki Kouga heard Aramaki's faint voice.

"Captain-Commander Aramaki!"

This made Kuchiki Kouga feel a warmth in his heart; he suddenly felt that everything he had done for the Soul Society seemed worthwhile.

"Heh…"

This made Silver beside him unable to help but give a cold smile. Silver finally understood wherein Aramaki and Aizen were similar; this heart‑winning tactic was practically the same…

"Now I suppose Aramaki has ordered Kuchiki Kouga to assassinate the Central Forty…"

"Kouga, use your Soul-Cutting Sword against me!"

Aramaki looked at Kouga and continued.

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

Upon hearing that, Kouga broke out in a cold sweat, dropped to his knees before Aramaki, and repeatedly said, "To brandish my blade against you would be the utmost disrespect! I would rather seal my sword forever and continue serving the First Division in the Kido Corps than ever use this filthy, base Soul-Cutting Sword ability against you…"

Sometimes Kouga thinks, how nice it would be if he were given an ordinary Soul-Cutting Sword; then those dirty, scheming troubles wouldn't come his way…

"Rest assured! Feel free to use your Soul-Cutting Sword's power against me…"

"Who do you think I am? I am the Captain-Commander of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads!"

"The strongest Shinigami in Soul Society's history, do you think your Soul-Cutting Sword alone could be effective against me?!"

"This is my order to you: use your Soul-Cutting Sword's power against me…"

Aramaki looked at Kouga and spoke softly.

"This! As you command!"

Although Kouga still hesitated a bit, since it was Aramaki's order, he must carry it out regardless of what it is.

"Whisper, Muramasa!"

Regarding this, Xiang He softly released his Soul-Cutting Sword.

However, it was utterly useless……

Huh?!

Whisper, Muramasa!!!

Xiang He seems to have lost face, after all, besides Huang Mu, there's also a silver-haired little brat here; his Soul-Cutting Sword can be ineffective against Huang Mu, but he can't even release it, right?!

Muramasa! Are you there? Muramasa!

Xiang He watched as Muramasa failed to release, muttering to his Soul-Cutting Sword.

Muramasa: "Are you sick? I dare come out? After coming out, who's bewitching whom? You give me a demon sword to bewitch a Holy King? You're something else! Or else you're my master?! Awesome, awesome, impressive, impressive!"

Strange.

At this moment, Xiang He is still a bit strange; why won't his Muramasa obey?!

Ten-thousand-word chapter~

Yesterday I had a fever, over 38 degrees! This chapter is to make up for yesterday's~