CAN'T FEAR YOUR OWN WORLD III Translated by Shadowliepard & Scheneizel

translated by https://www.reddit.
com/user/shadowliepard
CFYOW Volume 3 Part 1
Translation by u/shadowliepard
Please credit if using
"That's why people have given this march a special name." — Aizen Sousuke
Connecting Chapter
Ubuginu Hikone didn't remember the moment his self came into being.
It's not the same as how a normal shinigami or human doesn't remember their infancy. The soul called
Hikone was an unnatural form made of the layered fragments of various existences, woven together.
Millenia-old hollows, dead Quincies, even the souls of aborted fetuses collected from the human world,
all kinds of souls were brought together with the fragment of the soul king as the center.
Originally, they all immediately fell apart and lost form, but because of a certain event, the fragments of
the soul king that the Tsunayashiro family had collected so far miraculously formed a soul with
individuality who was able to survive.
Hikone remembered the moment he was given the name Hikone and brought fully to consciousness, but
he was captured by the fantasy that the thing called his self must have existed far before that. Or
perhaps, that really wasn't a fantasy.
But in any case, Hikone was created out of souls used as material before they decomposed into reishi.
There was a possibility that something like the remnants of those previous existences could exert a
measure of influence. He sensed he was a mixture of dozens or hundreds of different selves. The
combination was merely a chaos that felt like emptiness. Many different emotions floated within him,
fading.
A piece of soul in him found joy in killing, while another piece rejected that and could not allow it. One
piece ranted that evil was human nature, while another praised the good in humanity. Though each of
their rationalities and memories had long since been fading, the differences in the base existences
carved into their souls were tangled together, and at times the way they rejected each other threatened
to tear apart Hikone's soul.
Therefore, the creation known as Hikone found peace under the orders given by Tokinada. They could
show Hikone, lost in doubt, a definite sense of "right", and lead all the riotous soul remnants within his
mind in the same direction. The only thought in his own will was to become a good king. For the sake of
Tokinada who would make him king, he would become one who was loved by his subjects.
Tokinada taught him that sometimes, to become a king, killing and violence were necessary, and Hikone
took that in—but in some part of himself apart from that, something like Hikone slowly began to
blossom.
And that would begin to lead him to his own fate, but—
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translated by https://www.reddit.com/user/shadowliepard
That had no connection to the current Hikone who continued to follow Tokinada.
For now.
Chapter 19
"You have merely not seen the stars."
When she learned of Tokinada's true nature, his wife was shaken but didn't give up hope, simply
speaking to him like one would admonish a child. Her voice had no self-interest or the flattery one
would give to a member of a great noble clan, only simple kindness.
That was unforgivable to Tokinada. He felt like he was being looked down upon, given something by one
standing in a far loftier place than him.
For Tokinada, the lowest-ranked member in the branch family, to take Kakyou as a wife, was an order
from the main family. The Tsunayashiro family had chanced upon this woman, with certain "talents"
hidden in the depths of her soul. When she came to the academy to take the examination for becoming
a shinigami, she caught the eyes of the Tsunayashiro family's "watchers".
Back then, the Tsunayashiro family searched for people with those "talents" and used them up in
various experiments, and from the remnants of that, collected the fragments of that talent. But then,
they started thinking.
If a holder of one of the "talents" they sought were to have a child, would that talent be completely
transferred as it was inherited? Would it be weakened? Would it not be transferred? And if so, if they
had children, could it be multiplied?
Enticing "talents" into their family was a great pasttime of them, but this woman was one of the
Rukongai residents they detested as slum-dwellers. And so, the leaders of the Tsunayashiro family
conducted a test using the lowest ranked of the branch family.
Even within the same Tsunayashiro clan—or it should be said, because it was the Tsunayashiro clan, the
head of the four great noble clans who judges the world according to status, there was a clear hierarchy
within its ranks.
Following the orders from the main family, Tokinada approached her while feigning coincidence. Though
he found it hard to bear that the main family's orders were controlling even his marriage, he wanted,
more than that, to see the face of a powerless woman at the very moment when she fell from the peaks
of joy to the depths of hell.
After she was unable to back out, if he presented her with the truth—"I don't love you. You were merely
chosen to be an experimental subject for the Tsunayashiro family"—what kind of an expression would
she make? Imagining that moment, Tokinada tempted the woman with a sadistic curiosity like she was a
pitiful lamb.
And so, armed with false kindness and his own status, he easily captured this woman's heart.
Or, he was certain he had captured it.

Tokinada revealed everything the night after their wedding ceremony.
"Even if you try to annul the marriage now, other people from Rukongai might be blamed and receive
punishment. In particular, the dear friend Kaname you talk so much about probably won't escape," he
went on to say.
Just how much of that laughable despair would show on her face, Tokinada wondered, watching her
expectantly, but his hopes were dashed. That woman named Kakyou understood it all. On top of that,
she said that she had already married Tokinada. Perhaps she had realized that if she rejected the
marriage, it would be as a crime against the friends she'd left in her hometown.
Tokinada could not understand her heart even now, but in any case, those ways of thought were
incomprehensible to Tokinada.
In the midst of Tokinada's confusion and frustration, she began to gain her powers as a shinigami. There
were rumors that she was sure to become a seated officer soon, and even Kyouraku and Ukitake who
had been in the same year as Tokinada acknowledged her strength.
Like this, she would take over everything. Tokinada's own self was being eroded. But despite his
impatience, the main family didn't allow him to kill or divorce Kakyou. Kakyou was a valuable test
subject to the main family, and Tokinada was nothing more than a laboratory instrument being used for
her study.
However, fortunately or not for Tokinada, someone discovered the Tsunayashiro family's plan by
chance. He was outwardly a good friend who associated with them, a shinigami who had risen up from
the common people. He was also a friend of Kakyou, and possibly had feelings toward her.
Trying to save Kakyou from the Tsunayashiro family, he called out Tokinada in the dead of night to
interrogate him about his true motives. Tokinada willingly revealed the truth. He also implied that he
had not the slightest love for Kakyou. He could've gone according to his clan's orders and pretended he
loved his wife, but Tokinada's nature didn't allow that. He wanted to see it—the man's expression as he
realized the one he had thought of as a close friend was just a degenerate.
After his expression filled with despair, just as Tokinada had anticipated, he declared that he would slay
him as a friend.
With a smile, Tokinada drew his zanpakutou. Both their strengths were comparable, and either could
have fallen. Their swords, aiming to slay each other, crossed countless times. Then, something neither
had expected happened.
Kakyou was anxious about Tokinada, who had left the house in the middle of the night and never
returned. Leaving to search for him, she arrived at their location following the sound of clashing blades.
Kakyou interposed herself between the two men hell-bent on murder, trying to stop their swords.
And at that moment, when her back was facing him—Tokinada gave her a push toward his opponent.
Injured, his opponent couldn't avoid her and stumbled, caught up together with her.
And so, Tokinada—
With no hesitation, cut Kakyou down together with his opponent.

Tokinada was ecstatic. A slight smile appeared on his face. It wasn't joy that he would live on. Though by
an unexpected series of events, he would be able to see the despair of his wife who had so given herself
to hypocritical beliefs.
Well then, cry, rage, fall into despair. If you want to go out in a blaze of glory, then just try turning your
Suzumushi toward me. If you want to curse your own softness, then come at me to kill!
He gazed at the dying Kakyou's face with an expression like a child stepping onto a half-dead bug for the
second time.
However, even at death's door, she had a slight smile on her face, and as if correcting a child, spoke her
last words.
"I'm sorry…"
"I could not… wipe away your clouds…"
And there, she closed her eyes.
Tokinada was dumbfounded for a moment, standing before two dead bodies, then he began to tremble.
It wasn't regret over killing his wife, who had tried to save him until her last moment, it was pure anger.
"You… until the end, until the very end you still looked down on me with pity! So, I simply haven't seen
the stars yet? My clouds haven't been cleared? Don't say—don't you say such ridiculous things! I have
always stood above the clouds! No, I am the clouds! You were the one who was wrong!"
"The stars make the world beautiful? Our viewpoints are so different it's ridiculous! How have you not
noticed the ugliness of those points of stardust that try to shine over each other? If that's just and
acceptable, isn't this merely the result of your conceit?"
Tokinada kept shouting, kicking at the body of his dead friend instead of his wife. As his shoulders shook,
his breathing eventually settled, and the rage disappeared from his expression.
"It's too bad, Kakyou. I wanted to more properly show you the absurdity of this world. Your heart that
loved peace was precious and just, but I wanted to teach you your desires were meaningless. If I could
have tainted you with evil, I would have truly opened your heart to me. Well, perhaps in that way, I
really did love you."
Perhaps the words of Tokinada, whose smile had returned, did somehow reach Kakyou. But now that
she was no longer alive, her answer would never be known.
After that, a member of the Tsunayashiro clan soon showed up, and Tokinada was called in by the main
family.
"I just couldn't stand that my wife was a peasant from the Rukongai."
Tokinada responded readily to his family's questioning. After that, the people of the Tsunayashiro family
tried to label him as incompetent, but reluctantly agreed. They were also nobles, and similarly felt that it
was humiliating to take a poor person as a wife.

Tokinada told one lie to his clan. It was a great lie. He didn't care either way about a Rukongai person
being his partner. To him, noblemen of the four great clans or common people or even his own parents
were, all the same, nothing more than toys for him to enjoy life. Originally from one of those lineages
who were branded as commoners, like the low-class and middle-class nobles, Tokinada was raised in an
atmosphere where that was natural, but even among a clan like that he could be said to have
exceptional viciousness.
"My wife committed adultery with a man who was her friend, and I came across that. In a rage, he killed
Kakyou, and I reluctantly returned the favor."
With the backing of the Tsunayashiro family, who didn't want a criminal discovered in their midst,
Tokinada shamelessly gave that answer afterwards. A member of one of the four great clans saying
something like that might not even be put to trial. But at that time, the circumstances were slightly
different.
A man came along who saw though his deception and brought to light the slightest piece of evidence.
Ordinarily, that kind of evidence and testimony should've been easy to cover up, but because he was an
influential second son from a higher-class noble family, this became a disaster for Tokinada.
Kyouraku Shunsui.
If he hadn't been there, Tsunayashiro Tokinada would've walked a much different path.
At the palace
Kyouraku, after arriving at the floating tower, narrowed his eyes at its size.
"...Oh boy. Even in the Kyougoku, building something like this without anyone knowing is a bit
unreasonable for the great noble clans."
"I doubt he would've hired people to construct it. Does it float in the air by the same mechanism as the
Soul King Palace?"
"Wouldn't that be a secret technique?"
At Yoruichi's assessment, Kyouraku shook his head as if amazed. He turned his eyes to the palace
directly under the huge floating tower. Though it appeared normal compared to the tower, as he looked
at the building bigger than the first division headquarters, Kyouraku quietly honed his reiatsu. He could
recognize the reiatsu within that palace.
"No desire to hide, huh? So, they're prepared to face us?"
Kyouraku, with himself in the lead, went to enter the gate. During that, he said with a brief glance at
Kenpachi, "Sorry, Zaraki-taichou. It'll probably end in a brawl, but would you let me speak to them first?"
"Huh? If we're gonna be fighting anyway, then isn't speaking a waste of time?"
"Well, even so, protocol is necessary. If we attacked them without warning, we would be traitors. If
things go badly, all of Soul Society could become our enemy."

Kenpachi answered with a brutal smile. "Don't say obvious things. Didn't you call for me cause you knew
I didn't care about details like that? Soul Society becoming our enemy? Sounds great. I don't see a
problem."
"Well, even so, the fact that you wore a haori means you're taking measures in case of facing off against
one of the great noble clans. If you were facing Yoruichi-chan, though she's a fellow member of the four
great clans, you wouldn't take such care."
"Even if you took precautions, it would be a problem, but you shouldn't say it so clearly either."
Yoruichi said mockingly, then proceeded to name one who was not present.
"It's too bad Byakuya-bou isn't here. If he had the chance to openly slay Tokinada, he'd certainly want to
take it."
"Did something happen?"
"He insulted his wife—Hisana—to his face. Byakuya-bou was calm on the outside, but he must've been
furious inside."
"Then I'm glad for his resilience. If he had drawn his sword there, it could've started a civil war."
Imagining what could've happened then, Kyouraku let out a small sigh.
Kuchiki Byakuya was not currently in Seireitei. Due to the troubles that Kurosaki Ichigo was facing in a
certain place in the human world, he headed to the human world together with Hitsugaya and his team,
nominally to investigate. In any case there was no plan to call him here, but if the troubles Ichigo faced
were also part of Tokinada's scheme, then he had split the Gotei's forces impressively.
Thinking about that, they reached the middle of the courtyard. On the top level of the palace, a man
appeared standing on a balcony and called out to them.
"Looks like you're late, Kyouraku."
"…Tokinada."
"Oh, no honorific? Should I see that as you coming not as the captain-commander of the Gotei, but as an
old friend from my school days?"
"...Something like that."
Kyouraku responded to Tokinada's taunting question with a thin bitter smile that disguised his real
feelings. "As an old friend, I came to stop you."
Maybe he had noticed, but Kyouraku had his zanpakutou already drawn. Because of its second sword
that was born to guard the Ise family's Hakkyouken, Katen Kyoukotsu was known as an unusual
zanpakutou with two blades.
While preparing for a surprise attack, Kyouraku asked with a glance at the floating tower that hung in
the air, "Will you hear me out for now? By transferring that thing to the human world, just what are you
trying to accomplish?"

"Ah, so you've realized that much. Naturally, I suppose. You were the one who exposed my lies and took
me to trial."
"In the end, I couldn't charge you with a proper crime, so I was the one who lost… I regret that."
"So in return for that, have you brought the rabble here to start some mockery of a revolution? You
never change. You had everyone think that you were prudent, but that passion is just like the old days.
Just like how you went against Central 46 to save Kuchiki Rukia, do you now plan to go against the four
great noble clans… no, the very history of Soul Society?"
As Tokinada spoke cheerfully, Kyouraku shook his head.
"Going against history? Oh my. Can't anything be seen that way?"
"The Tsunayashiro clan is a symbol that governs history. Every action of a member of the Tsunayashiro
clan becomes a cornerstone of the world. Don't you think that means that opposing me, the head, is
treason against history?"
"That depends on the history you're trying to create. From what Yoruichi-chan says, it seems like you're
trying to rule over not just Seireitei, but Hueco Mundo and the Human World as well. What's the
meaning of doing something like that?"
Tokinada answered, his smile vanishing. "Don't you think the current three worlds doesn't hold enough
respect?"
"Respect?"
"Exactly. By who's deed do you think it is that the rabble in the human world have lived through so many
nights to enjoy the light of another dawn? By who's deed do you think it is that reishi sand continues to
fall ceaselessly over Hueco Mundo?" Tokinada talked on while raising a fist. "It's just like that event from
the previous war. The only ones who know of Kurosaki Ichigo's accomplishments are the shinigami of
Soul Society. A great number of the people of the world of the living don't even know that their world
was on the verge of destruction. Should we let it go on like this?"
At this, Nelliel interrupted. "Don't talk without knowing anything about Ichigo. He's not a person to care
about such things."
"Well now, arrancar lady. If he himself doesn't care, does that mean everything's fine? Is it right if the
people of the human world, not knowing the blessing of their survival, continue spending their days
carelessly, start complaining at the smallest trouble, and keep on living their depraved lives?"
"You are free to think that way. But I'll thank you to not use Ichigo for preaching such selfish rationales."
Liltotto, watching the conversation, turned to Grimmjow at her side. "Hey, is that arrancar Ichigo's
girlfriend or something?"
"Huh? Nah, no way. Ichigo's with that airhead human girl," Grimmjow says, remembering the girl Ichigo
had risked his life to come to Hueco Mundo to save.

Liltotto spoke disinterestedly, ignoring Grimmjow who was reminiscing about the girl who had healed
his arm. "Oh, that girl. She's certainly real feminine."
Meanwhile, Tokinada had dropped his smile and answered Nelliel with a serious expression. "That I
won't. But I truly am grateful to Kurosaki Ichigo. If he had not defeated Yhwach, then the boundaries of
the three worlds would've vanished, and we would've gone back to a world without the cycle of souls.
That would return the history of Soul Society to zero. I want to make the world offer appropriate praise
for the great deed of preventing that."
At that, Kyouraku who had fallen silent for a while spoke with a wry smile, "Paying lip service doesn't
suit you, Tokinada. I'd rather you spoke your true thoughts."
"Haven't I said already, Kyouraku, that the captain-commander of the Gotei shouldn't see through me?
Are you saying you understand my true intentions?"
"Yeah, and not as a captain-commander of the Gotei 13. As an old friend with an unfortunate history
with you, I can see through you."
Readying his twin swords, Kyouraku cut to the point. "You just want to watch, don't you? As the world
loses all sense and slowly crumbles."
"..."
"The human world has its own society and religions that've developed. In the current world, even the
existence of souls is not accepted by science." With a look at the tower above him, Kyouraku declared,
"Using that, you'll show undeniable evidence to the world, publicizing the existence of shinigami and
souls, as well as hollows. People who believe in the current religions would be thrown into panic, but
even more troublesome than that would be those people who believe there's no next world suddenly
learning of the existence of an afterlife."
If the existence of an afterlife was really confirmed or denied, the world itself wouldn't be destroyed,
but the society and culture within that would certainly break down. Those who had sorrows in this world
might welcome their own deaths while dreaming of a happier afterlife. Possibly, if they knew that even
after they were sentenced to death, there would be a next world, the number of people who commit
crimes would increase. Those countries with religion as the basis of their societal systems could be
overturned by their roots and thrown into a state of anarchy.
"Well, in order to prevent that, they could try to eliminate that floating tower along with Karakura
Town. In the human world, there is an overabundance of frightening weapons made not to slay hollows
but to annihilate one's fellow human beings."
In addition, if the existence of hell was known, that would be another cause of chaos. What are the
criteria for being thrown into hell? Is any evil act permitted as long as it doesn't fall into those criteria? If
that's so, how will the meaning of laws in life change? With the world's common legal systems being
pushed into a completely different direction, human society would fall into a state where it would lose
sight of tomorrow.

Over a long period of time, that chaos would settle, but how much tragedy would the world experience
before then? And conversely, there's the fear that people who made prior arrangements for the afterlife
could collaborate to create a new religion in Rukongai, spreading chaos to within Soul Society.
While imagining those various dangers, Kyouraku changed his focus to the "motive" instead of the
"result". "You could say the human world and Hueco Mundo are on thin ice. Right now, anything could
break the balance. As I wondered what reason you could have to willfully disrupt that in order to reform
the world, only one answer came to me."
Kyouraku's wry smile vanished, and he spoke unthinkable words with a serious expression. "Because you
want to watch. As the systems of values that people believe in crumble, as they fight each other while
creating chaos and head toward self-destruction, you just want to laugh and watch while eating tea
cakes. Just for that, you've been trying to break down the current common laws and force new moral
systems onto the human world. Am I wrong?"
The other people listening to Kyouraku mostly looked perplexed. His theories weren't easy to take in.
Just who can believe that the motives of the man trying to perpetrate such grand deeds would simply be
something so vague as "he wants to watch a society in chaos"? However, Nanao and Yoruichi, who had
come into contact with his cruelty a little, were considering that it may be just as Kyouraku said.
Tokinada narrowed his eyes and spoke with a thin smile on his face. "My, my, you're quite the tricky
man, eh, Kyouraku? You understand my tastes well, don't you? …Quite a bit more than those ones in the
main family, who looked down on me."
"Just for a bit of leisure, you'll bring down the current framework of the world?"
Tokinada tilted his head at Harribel with a smile at her doubtful words. "You're saying that? Queen of
the arrancar? You hollows, in order to fill the absences carved into your souls, exist controlled by your
unfulfillable desires. One of you is filled with gluttony, another drowns in destruction, another seeks
companions to heal his loneliness, another seeks eternal beauty. Isn't that the kind of beings you guys
are?"
A member of the corpse squad, Charlotte Chuhlhourne, was listening and spoke to himself while striking
a pose. "Fufu… how shallow. Certainly, I did seek beauty, but that desire has already been fulfilled.
Because I have reached perfection. That's right, the place where true beauty resides… is me!"
"..."
As Chuhlhourne flexed his muscles, Yumichika was about to speak, but instead averted his eyes without
saying anything.
Whether or not Tokinada had heard Chuhlhourne's words, he continued speaking to Harribel without
even glancing in his direction. "Or, are you saying that to this day you've lived an upright life without
consuming others?"
"Sacrifice is necessary in this world. However, just because something is our sustenance, there's no
reason to treat it as our plaything."

"No reason? You need a reason? To me, sustenance and diversion are of equal importance. A life where
one only lives to consume is like being dead. So, we may both kill, but don't you think killing to enjoy
yourself as much as you can would be living a 'proper, healthy life'?"
When Tokinada made this declaration without a shred of hesitation, the people around Kyouraku
understood. That was, that someone like him, who rejected the bonds between people, was someone
they could not agree with.
"Tch… that good-for-nothing," Muguruma spat. Kenpachi, acting uninterested in the conversation,
investigated his opponent's reiatsu. Behind him, the lieutenant and third seat of the eleventh squad
were whispering.
"Say, Yumichika. Looking at Kuchiki-taichou and Oomaeda, perhaps there are some nobles who think
like us?"
"I do think the disinhibition of the Shihouin clan is beautiful. It's remarkable how words can reveal
beauty and ugliness."
While Madarame and Yumichika were having this conversation, the Quincy and arrancar were looking at
Tokinada with expressions of mixed shock and disgust. Even Giselle whispered to Candice, "Ugh. Isn't
that guy a little too full of himself? He probably has no friends." Meanwhile, Grimmjow, ever since
Tokinada had called him "rabble", had been radiating a murderous aura.
"Hm, the one closest in disposition would be Luppi-dono, perhaps?"
"About right. He and that guy would probably be good friends."
As Dordonni and Cirucci spoke, Luppi glared at them with narrowed eyes as if upset. "Hey, you must be
kidding. Don't compare me to that pervert. Though I don't despise sadistic actions, I wouldn't have such
degenerate interests."
Tokinada, looking at the people who were reacting, spoke with a shrug. "My, my. I thought it was just
Kyouraku, but I see these days even arrancar and Quincy talk about morality. Is this what the world has
come to? Well, it was ending from the start."
Kyouraku, hearing those words, kept walking. "What will end is your schemes. I suppose you have no
intention of quietly letting yourself be caught?"
"What crime do you intend to charge me with? Private use of the kyougoku is a privilege of the
Tsunayashiro family. If you had suspicions about the going-ons inside the visuals department, then I
would've hoped you had officially started an investigation with an official of the Central 46 or Kin'in
Noble Council."
"In order to stop your scheme, I didn't have time for that. If I can forcibly apprehend you, I'll lay out my
charges against you."
Hearing Kyouraku's words, Nanao standing behind him was puzzled. She wondered if there was any
meaning in discussing the existence of a crime at this point, after they had already unofficially mobilized
forces, but then she immediately came upon the answer.

Tokinada was the man running the visuals department. This current situation might also be recorded. If
Tokinada escaped even temporarily, and took those records to the noble clans who originally opposed
the Kyouraku family, the Tsunayashiro family would gain a great advantage. Also, she, Hirako,
Muguruma, and the rest of them, in order to show they had mobilized according to proper procedures,
needed to at least make a show of questioning him about his crimes. In addition, the fact that the
Quincy and arrancar had joined their mobilization would end up being subject to a strict investigation.
"Oh? You'll try to pin my crimes on me? They are of such gravity that the Central 46 would be
immediately able to apprehend me, but what exactly am I guilty of?"
"There's one crime. You should know too. Even a member of the Kuchiki clan would be arrested with no
questions asked for this crime."
"..."
"It's Ubuginu Hikone. I haven't met him, but you can't expect me to have not heard of him."
The smile on Tokinada's face faded for a moment. It was replaced by one different from the smirks so
far, filled with the malice of a predator, as he mumbled.
"...The transfer of shinigami powers, huh?"
The transfer of shinigami powers to a human was strictly forbidden under Soul Society law. Even though
it was due to Aizen's schemes, the taboo was such that even Kuchiki Rukia who was an adopted child of
the Kuchiki clan was arrested without argument.
"I gathered evidence from the Shinou Medical Institute. You mixed the souls of shinigami into the souls
of humans in order to activate the saketsu and hakusui. Even if it was a corpse, the act of giving the
power of a shinigami to something that was human is sufficient trampling upon a taboo."
"Don't joke with me, Kyouraku. When Kurosaki Ichigo was powerless, the captains and lieutenants of the
Gotei Thirteen joined forces to lend him power. Do you think I don't know?"
"Well, now. As that was approved by Yama-jii, don't you think it's a special case? However, I have no
intentions of allowing such special exceptions to you. And since Central 46 won't allow it either, you'll
just follow the precedent set by Rukia-chan."
Though Kyouraku said this much with a smile, he brazenly added, "Though the death penalty was due to
Aizen's plot."
To Nanao who was listening, this was a very troubling fallacy in his argument. However, even if Tokinada
pointed out the flaws in his provocation that was full of holes, that could have its advantages. For
example, Kyouraku could be trying to pull Ubuginu Hikone into the open as soon as possible.
Furthermore, if the things she had heard were true, the child himself could be a testament to all of
Tokinada's crimes.
But Tokinada, unperturbed, said, "You're quite composed. Aren't you worried about Hirako Shinji, who
you left alone in a crowd of monsters?"
Those words showed that he understood, even among this group, what actions one of them had taken.
However, Kyouraku tilted his hat down and shook his head with a wry smile.

"He's a dependable adult. He can more than handle a child's errand… no, a child's battle alone."
The shadow cast by Tokinada atop the balcony reached Kyouraku's feet. Kyouraku sank into the
shadow—
And in the next moment, his blade gleamed at Tokinada's feet.
In the midst of a rock-and-sand-covered ravine in the kyougoku, at odds with the atmosphere of
desolation, an object like a huge flower was enshrined. Closed into a form like a bud, it began to slowly
bend, blossoming forth into a sublime ring of petals on the white earth.
The man who appeared from within spoke bluntly. "Looks like it's over. Thanks for the trouble,
Sakanade."
A beautiful grand pedestal, shaped like a nadeshiko flower. That was the shape of Hirako's zanpakutou
in its bankai form.
"Honestly, real shame about the battle with the Quincies." Shinji's voice echoed against the cliffs of the
kyougoku. "They suddenly appeared inside Seireitei and started causing chaos… if they'd made a neat
formation outside the walls, I coulda taken care of half of 'em."
Hirako kept grumbling slowly to himself. "It wouldn't have mattered if they had allies around them. It
wouldn't have mattered if it was one-on-one. It wouldn't matter if I'm alone in the midst of a crowd of
enemies. It doesn't matter whatever situation I'm in."
With a sigh, he turned his head back to the "sea" around him and asked, "Don't y'all agree?"
Spreading out around Hirako was a field of death. A vast white ocean made of an uncountable number
of twisted corpses. It was calm, no longer the tsunami it had been earlier. The vast unnatural swarm that
had numbered in the tens or hundreds of thousands had each died in a strange way. With their
stomachs torn open by teeth or sharp claws, they had all been killed by each other.
To reverse the perception of allies and enemies. That was the power of Sakanade's bankai, Sakashima
Yokoshima Happou Fusagari.
"Sorry. Sakanade's a liar. When I said it was hard to hypnotize opponents that were like bugs, that was
also a lie."
Normally, his shikai was known to only reverse the senses of sight and hearing, but his bankai turned
that perception on its head, revealing a terrible power that hypnotized not the sensory organs, but the
mind. But with how wicked that power was, there was a proportionate cost. Because unlike the shikai, it
disables the ability to distinguish between ally and enemy, if his fellow shinigami were near him, they
would also start attacking their allies.
In a one-on-one situation, the ability wouldn't work because there was no one else around to substitute
the perception of ally and enemy with. That could also be called one of the costs.
If I could do that, I could pretend to be their friend and kill them whenever I wanted.

For a moment he thought, I should've come here alone and gotten Tokinada and Hikone to attack each
other, but that took more than just having a good opportunity when they were together.
"Well, it probably wouldn't work against an enemy on the level of Aizen or Yhwach."
With another sigh, Shinji began walking through the sea of corpses. He patted the hilt of his sword as if
in appreciation, but belied that by grumbling. "Seriously, with a shikai that works best against strong
opponents and a bankai meant to clean up small fry… you're just way too contrary."
"It seems the swarm created by Ikomikidomoe has been eliminated," Aura murmured, scanning the
reiatsu from afar.
"If you have the time to be looking elsewhere, then you're really underestimating us."
Aura smiled softly at Ginjou. "I'm not underestimating you."
They felt like the exchange of words before a battle, but in reality it had already started. Tsukishima,
foregoing the conversation, jabbed his sword at Aura, trying to insert his bookmark, but instead of being
inserted, it slipped through as if he were cutting air. Ginjou had also swung at her several times to test,
but every time he tried to cut her, her body dissipated like smoke and passed through it, so he had
lowered his sword for now before they became stuck in a stalemate.
"I have simply made it so physical attacks will not work against me."
"What a pain. I was never any good at kidou." Ginjou shrugged, then further asked in order to gain
information, "Was it you who sealed off Karakura Town?"
"Actually, it was me and her," Yukio answered, standing behind him. "It was easy with her ability to
control souls and reishi. Activating my ability though her gives a huge difference in power. It's like having
a booster inside me."
"...You mean, way different from the power stolen from Ichigo?"
Does this mean that the ability to dissolve her body is some crazy version of the fundamental powers of a
fullbringer?
Ginjou realized that Aura had reached an especially dangerous domain as a fullbringer. While using the
greatest caution, he had carefully been investigating his opponent's intentions.
"It's a bit late, but do you mind telling me your goals? Miss beautiful founder of a new religion?"
"There's no need for flattery. In fact, my goals will change depending on what you wish."
"You said the same thing earlier. What I wish? Now that I'm dead and sent to Rukongai, do you think I
have anything to wish for?"
Aura returned Ginjou's question with a slightly more serious expression.
"Do you still desire revenge against the shinigami?"
"...That's none of your business. Did Yukio tell you?"

Yukio shook his head slightly. "It's the other way around, Kuugo. Because she knew about your past, she
approached me."
"What does that mean?"
Aura replied to a suspicious Ginjou. "Michibane was my mother's name. My father's name was Agata
Tenshou."
"...!"
At that, Ginjou's expression noticeably changed. Tsukishima also narrowed his eyes, recognizing that
name.
"I see… Old Man Agata's daughter, huh? Didn't think parent and child would both be fullbringers." As
Ginjou narrowed his eyes at her, Aura bowed respectfully.
"I am grateful to you for giving my father hope."
"Is that sarcasm? Your father was killed because he answered my call."
They were betrayed by the shinigami. In their attack on Ginjou's fullbringer companions, Aura's father,
who was one of them, also lost his life. A history he didn't want to remember returned to Ginjou's
thoughts. However, Aura shook her head slightly with a small smile.
"No. Whatever the outcome had been, you brought light for just a moment to my father's eyes which
were only filled with despair and fear. I am truly grateful, and there's no reason for me to resent you."
"If that's the case, then why are you here? From what I've heard, you don't think about anything other
than following some shinigami called Tsunayashiro."
"Yes. Tsunayashiro Tokinada is my master. If I can, I would like to have everyone flock to Tokinada-
sama's side. That is why I so quickly joined him."
"...So what, because I'm a shinigami, I have to join you?"
As Ginjou voiced his natural suspicions, Aura answered.
"It's because of the new world Tokinada-sama is creating. There, we fullbringers can flourish as the
strong ones."
"..."
"I was told by President Yukio. Didn't you also say the same earlier? Xcution is a gathering of those with
the power to change the world." She repeated her earlier words with a gentle smile. "Shall I tell you
what kind of world Tokinada-sama is going to create?"
"Let's see..."
Ginjou thought in a serious manner, then called out to his companion as if asking for advice.
"Tsukishima."
"What?"

Ginjou's next words, in a surprise attack, upended the entire situation. "Insert yourself into Yukio's
past."
The next moment, the blade of Book of the End was stuck into Yukio's chest.
"Ah!" A small sound came from the boy's mouth.
Taken completely by surprise, Yukio couldn't evade or even use his abilities. However, no blood came
from Yukio's body, and when Tsukishima withdrew his sword, there was no wound. But the traces of his
reiatsu did linger, proving that Tsukishima had inserted his own presence into Yukio's past.
"If you were brainwashed, we're even now. Now, let's hear the truth nice and slowly from Yukio."
As a safety measure, Ginjou had first completely restored Yukio to being an ally as a test. If any hypnosis
or coercion had been placed on him, Tsukishima would've prevented it in the past. It was a temporary
measure, but he had removed the possibility of Yukio backstabbing them. But Aura, watching these
events, kept smiling unconcernedly.
"Quite a hastily made ally, eh?"
She bowed to him again as if appreciative. "I am grateful. As I expected, you marked Yukio-san."
"What…?"
Just then, Ginjou felt a strange sensation in his gut. When he looked down, he saw a silver gleam he
knew well.
Book of the End.
Tsukishima's sword had pierced Ginjou's stomach from behind.
"Tsuki...shima?"
In his muddled consciousness, Ginjou saw Tsukishima cut through Kutsuzawa Giriko on the return
stroke.
"What…"
"I'm sorry, Ginjou, Kutsuzawa." Tsukishima, unruffled, had a smile tinged with irony.
Before he could ask him what he was doing—
—Ginjou's past had been rewritten in an instant by Tsukishima's bookmark.

translated by https://www.reddit.com/user/scheneizel
Can't Fear Your Own World III (pages 54-69; translated)
Chapter 2
Kyogoku:-
Neither Hisagi Shuhei himself nor Tessai had any idea that he would be arriving here, in this place. When
the pile of Tenkai Kecchu were operated as a single unit, then the coordinates are set automatically to
the centre of the effective range. So, in other words, the 'centre of the effective range' was-
"......Here in this Kyogoku?"
Hisagi had been transported to a completely different place from the basement of the Urahara Shoten.
At the moment of transportation, Hisagi had felt a strange light-headedness but it had seemed like there
was hardly any temporal progress.
"No, wait... The flow of time within the Dangai is different... Did the temporal coordinates get shifted
somehow?"
Hisagi did not remember penetrating through the darkness of the Garganta. He tried to grasp his current
location and take measure of his surroundings.
It looked like he had been transported inside a building whose interior resembled structures from the
Soul Society. However, the interior of the building had no windows to let the light stream in. It was
uniformly but scantily illuminated by the lighting fixtures just like the ones used in the Department of
Research and Development.
"A building like this... here..."
He had considered the possibility that the transfer might have failed and that he might have drifted off
somewhere within the Dangai. But, on the other hand, it was also true that the concentration of reishi
was different here than in the Soul Society and Hueco Mundo. Also, although he himself had never been
to Hueco Mundo, he had learned in a previous interview that there were no Japanese-style buildings in
that vast empty desert.
"So then, it's not a mistake, after all? I really am inside a Kyogoku?"
He felt the presence of various reiatsu from down below his current location.
-Am I on higher ground?
Since the concentration of reishi was odd, it was difficult to distinguish between the reiatsu. But one
particular reiatsu was extremely distinctive and rough.
-Wait... Is that Captain Zaraki's reiatsu?
-Does this mean that the Gotei is also on the move?
Hisagi did not know about the incidents that had taken place in the Soul Society; so he assumed that the
Soul Society had conducted their own independent investigations regarding the blockade of Karakura
and that their findings had led them to this Kyogoku.
-I suppose Captain Kurotsuchi has already gotten his hands on one of the samples of the Tenkai
Kecchu...
"Well, if Captain Zaraki is here, then I don't have to worry about fighting... But I have to go join them and
tell them about Urahara-san."
He checked his Denreishinki, but the communication channels were still cut off. Prior to following the
reiatsu of the Shinigami, Hisagi explored his surroundings once more.
"This must be a high tower or something, because Captain Zaraki's reiatsu seems to be considerably far
away."
As Hisagi passed through a door, he noticed something at the centre of the room.
"What is that?"
At first, he thought it was a pillar, but as he moved closer, he realized that it was actually a glass case
mounted on a device. The case looked like it could hold a single person inside it, but it was now empty.
The device beneath it had electrode-like tubes attached to it, but Hisagi could not tell if they were
working or not.
"When I interviewed Akon from the Department of Research and Development, I saw something similar
to this thing..."
Hisagi inspected it meticulously, but there were no clues that could tell him what it was.
"Should I touch it? But what if it breaks?"
A voice was heard from behind him.
"That's my throne."
"What?"
"I wouldn't want it to get destroyed. You see, I am supposed to rest here when I take up residence at
this castle."
It was an innocent voice, yet that voice made Hisagi instinctively flinch. He turned to face a familiar
figure; the child he had seen a few weeks ago at the Pharmaceuticals Institute of the aristocrats. But
now, he had none of his earlier injuries.
"You're..."
"It's me, Hikone! You helped me a lot back then, Hisagi Shuhei-san!"
Hikone lowered his head. As Hikone came close to Hisagi, he was startled.
-How did I not notice him coming so close to me? Even though the light is very dim, I should have sensed
him coming close.
-Of course! It's because the reishi around here is so dense.. His reiatsu had been filling up this room, but
I hadn't even noticed until now.
This young Shinigami, neither boy nor girl, looked quizzical.
"But Hisagi-san, why are you here?"
"I..."
"Oh, I get it! So you are Tokinada-sama's guest! If that's the case, then I must show you hospitality."
As he heard that name, a chill ran down Hisagi's spine. Earlier, to him, that name belonged to a
nobleman whom he had not yet met. But now that very nobleman was their enemy.
"He's here? Tsunayashiro Tokinada is here?"
"Yes, he is down below."
"Can I see him now?"
"Oh yes!"
Hikone spoke easily. Hisagi, on the other hand, felt empty and drained. His instinct warned him that this
situation was too abnormal. However, he could not possibly retreat now. Whether it was sheer
coincidence or inevitability, he seemed to have gotten tangled with the enemy much more than he had
imagined. It was after this realization had dawned upon him that Hisagi made his choice. At the same
time, he also came to the conclusion that the reiatsu of the child in front of him; a reiatsu which
comprised of Shinigami, human, Quincy and various other souls, felt different than when he had
experienced it at the Pharmaceuticals Institute. Unlike back then, the Hollow reiatsu had been raised;
but so were the other kinds of reiatsu along with it, making the imbalance between them more
prominent. At that time, he had been worried, but right now, the reiatsu was of a completely different
level. Looking at Hikone, Hisagi's long time experience led him to another thought. The one in front of
him was still very much a child; much like Kusajishi Yachiru, Hitsugaya Toshiro and perhaps even
Sarugaki Hiyori.
Having quickly switched back his mindset, Hisagi addressed Hikone with a very serious expression.
"What is it?"
"Are you aware of what Tokinada is trying to do?"
Hikone looked at Hisagi with a smile.
"I do not understand difficult things all that well. But since Tokinada-sama is doing it, it must be the right
thing to do!"
"I think that is an unreasonable thing to say."
"Why is that?"
Hisagi chose his next words very carefully.
"Listen. Think about it, isn't it possible for Tokinada to make a mistake or be wrong at times? Because,
you see, nobody in this world is perfect."
"Don't listen to him because he's a very, very bad person."
-Was what Hisagi really wanted to say, but in all likelihood, he probably would not be believed.
-Tosen Kaname, the former editor-in-chief of the Seireitei Communications, despised and rejected evil.
And here I am, being unable to say the truth to someone who was being deceived by that very evil, by
considering his naivete.
Hisagi was not yet as experienced as Tosen was in such matters.
"What's wrong? What is Tokinada-sama's mistake? Tell me!"
"Well, I..."
"Tell me, wherein lies the mistake when I can see it with my eyes?"
There was no underlying tone in Hikone's question, it was a query of pure doubt. Hisagi did not think
that such logic would be uttered by someone so young. This unnerved Hisagi a little.
{t/n: As to why Hikone's statement surprised Hisagi so much; well, it's a bit complicated. This thing that
Hikone says about what he's seeing cannot be a mistake.. that's a very common concept among
epistemologists. According to their beliefs, 'what is false, cannot be known'. According to this school of
thought, X (in our case, Hikone) may know Y (in this case, Tokinada) to be true if and only if X believes in
Y or if X is justified in believing in Y. I think that the introduction of this kind of philosophy in the story is
very important for both Hikone's and Hisagi's contrasting as well as aligning characterizations.}
"Do you refer to this world, the Soul Society and the World of the Living separately, or do you mean the
world from a general viewpoint?"
"Yes, I mean both. So please tell me where the mistake lies."
"What?"
"To me; this world is the only thing that Tokinada-sama has to offer to me."
Hikone went on,

"I do not know about other worlds, and I do not need to know either. But I myself have no problems, so I
am satisfied."
"That's...!"
Hisagi could go on no further. At first, Hikone's eyes, although innocent, made Hisagi feel empty deep
inside. But now, as Hikone spoke in such a manner, Hisagi saw the light of strong will shining in those
eyes.
-Not only does he possess resolve, but he has also learned to persevere and stand firm in this world of
his own volition.
But Hisagi felt that something was still missing from Hikone's eyes. As he tried to fathom what it was,
Hikone spoke further.
"Even if Tokinada-sama is doing something bad to everyone in the world; to me, it is not a mistake."
"Huh...?"
"Even if everyone else says that Tokinada-sama is a bad person; for me, Tokinada-sama represents
'justice'!"
"Stop!"
The instant he heard that word, Hisagi involuntarily raised his voice. He had not meant to. A little
surprised, Hikone lowered his head towards Hisagi.
"I'm sorry. Did I say something to make you angry, Hisagi-san?"
Hisagi felt guilty; looking at Hikone, he apologized.
"No, I'm the one who is sorry for raising my voice."
But then he turned his eyes away from Hikone, as if trying to escape the memory of the blind Shinigami
who had also been his mentor. He clenched his fists tighter.
"Justice is....a term that must never be used so lightly."
"Why? The Shinigami fight for justice. Don't the Gotei 13 fight to protect justice? Then why do you say
such a thing?"
"It's not so simple... There are several different meanings of justice. The justice that your Tokinada-sama
spoke of and the justice of the Shinigami are not necessarily the same..."
Hisagi struggled to explain the concept in simpler terms since such topics were not meant for young
children like Hikone. But surprisingly, Hikone gently nodded his head, as though he understood.
"Yes! Tokinada-sama also said so! As a matter of fact, Tokinada-sama and I may have to fight with the
Shinigami from now on."
"What was that?"
"Therefore, I'm sorry that I couldn't be more hospitable towards you."
Hikone bowed again and turned away. Hisagi, who was momentarily shocked, now caught hold of
Hikone's shoulder.
"Wait! Why should you have to fight? There's no reason for you to fight!"
Hikone looked back at Hisagi with a mysterious look on his face.
"Tokinada-sama told me that the Shinigami are 'enemies'. Is that not a good enough reason for me to
fight?"
{t/n: A callback to Haschwalth's words about the Shinigami being the Rei-o's enemies.}
"That's not what I'm saying. Among the opponents you are about to fight, there's Zaraki Kenpachi. He is
not the kind of person who holds back when it comes to a child. I don't want to have to say this, but if
you fight him, you will probably be killed."
"Is that so?"
"I'm afraid so. And that's why...."
His voice trailed away. Hisagi desperately wanted to stop the child at all costs. However, Hikone gave a
sad little smile of gentle acceptance.
"So then I'll just have to die for Tokinada-sama. And in any case, if I can't live up to Tokinada-sama's
expectation, then there's no value to my life."
Hikone spoke as though he was innocently making arrangements for tomorrow's trip.
"You idiot! Don't ever say things like 'it's easy to die' and 'my life's worthless'!"
And once again, without meaning to, Hisagi raised his voice.
"I'm sorry.."
Hikone hung his head looking a little sad.
"I seem to make people angry."
"You don't have to apologize..."
Hisagi started chanting the Eishohaki. He spoke in a mortifying voice.
"Forgive me! I hate having to do this! Bakudo 63: Sajo Sabaku!"
A chain of light appeared out of Hisagi's outstretched palm and wound itself around Hikone, binding
him. Hisagi was sorry about his actions but said clearly,
"Sorry; I am probably Tsunayashiro Tokinada's enemy, but certainly not yours.."
Hikone opened his mouth and said simply,
"I don't know what you're saying, but I think that's impossible."
The chains of the Kido flew off him. Hisagi half-expected this to happen as Hikone was not someone who
could be sealed easily. But the child was still inexperienced in combat. So perhaps his movements could
still be blocked.
{t/n: Well, Bakudo 63 was cast by Hachi on Hollowfied Kensei, and he was shocked to see Kensei break
free of it because it was a high level kido. Hikone just peels it off like it was no big deal XD}
Before he could start chanting out the incantation for a new Kido, Hikone had already disappeared from
sight. Hisagi felt something hit his solar plexus to his astonishment. Widening his pupils in shock, he
noticed Hikone's palm pointed towards his chest. The tumultuous reiatsu that flowed through Hisagi at
the same time, gave his Saketsu and Hakusui a tremendous jolt. There was no suffering, no pain, just
deep, cold darkness, eroding away Hisagi's consciousness.
{t/n: The name of this technique is unnamed here, but it is undoubtedly Senka, the one used by Byakuya
to destroy Ichigo's Saketsu and Hakusui. Byakuya destroyed them using his zanpakuto in Ichigo's case,
but here, Hikone uses his reiatsu to violate Hisagi's Saketsu and Hakusui.}
"Hisagi Shuhei-san, you cannot win against myself, nor Tokinada-sama, nor Aura-san. Even with your
collective powers, it is impossible."
Hikone's voice reverberated as Hisagi's consciousness began to fade away.
-Wait.
-Don't go out there to throw your life away.
-Listen to me. I finally understand what is missing in you.

-Hey, wait.... Please wait....
Hisagi tried to speak, but he could do so no longer. His consciousness fell into complete darkness.
Hikone turned his back on him, smiling innocently once again.
"Please do not push yourself and lie at rest here."
{t/n: I love how the novels are completely blurring the lines between black and white. Here, Hikone is
the apparent 'big bad', as we call them. And the Gotei are the 'good guys'. In this story, Hisagi, who is
himself a member of the Gotei, is desperate to stop Hikone, not because of your usual protagonist vs
antagonist cliche, but because he genuinely cares about this innocent child, and doesn't want him to die
in the hands of people like Kenpachi or the Captains. Hisagi is trying to stop Hikone because he doesn't
want Hikone to die in the hands of the Gotei, the 'good guys'. How ironic. It is incredibly refreshing to
have a level-headed, honest, complex and caring protagonist, who is a full-grown adult, who isn't that
strong, but can be a real badass when he absolutely has to.}
The Palace Courtyard directly underneath the aerial castle:-

A dry metallic sound scraped the courtyard; the zanpakuto that appeared out of Tokinada's shadow was
blocked by the sword that Tokinada had pulled out.
"Kageoni, was it?"
Tokinada laughed as Kyoraku's entire body emerged out of the shadow.
"How troublesome! Guess I should have known that you were acquainted with this technique.."
"That guy! He jumped in without me!"
In response to Kyoraku's sudden surprise attack, Kenpachi was rather peeved. Kenpachi, who was
extremely bored listening to long and never-ending conversations, was clearly upset, having to watch
from the side-lines. Ikkaku and Yumichika spoke.
"Captain Commander Kyoraku! Please sir, let our Captain and us go in first! Let us be his opponents."
"I hate sneak attacks. I'm joining in."
"Hikone!"
Continuing to be in tune with Kyoraku's attacks, Tokinada sneered and called out his name. At the same
time, an ominous and dense reiatsu seemed to rain down from the castle in the sky. Each and every
single one of these warriors gathered here, with the sole exception of Nanao, who were long-
accustomed to fighting, moved forward, presenting a united front. Even warriors of their calibre tensed
as they felt the reiatsu hurling down towards them. It was the same reiatsu they had felt in the streets
of the Rukongai. The quality was the same, but the reiatsu itself felt like it had increased by a great
amount within a very short span of time.
-How long has it been since Tokinada had called out that name?
Actually, it was only a few seconds ago; but to the ones below who were overwhelmed by it; it felt like
long minutes, even hours.
"What...what is this...?"
Candice could bear it no longer; cold sweat dripping to the ground as 'that person' landed on the
battlefield. His reiatsu created a sharp wind, distorting the surrounding space. The one who had just
entered the fray, raised his voice joyfully,
"Oh, I finally did it beautifully!"
-It hasn't been that long since I last saw him at Soul Society. And yet...
Grimmjow, upon observing Hikone, felt like he was under the illusion that a few years had passed since
they had last met. The facial expression and overall demeanour had not changed a bit, but it was as
though; within the intervening time period, Hikone had experienced hundreds of battles. He displayed
an abnormal amount of growth.
"Tokinada-sama! Thank you for waiting! What do you want me to do?"
"Slow down, Hikone..."
Tokinada laughed as he kept exchanging sword strikes with Kyoraku.
"Thanks to you lot, it has been perfected at last.. Kyoraku."
Coolly parrying off Katen Kyokotsu's attacks, Tokinada proudly announced,
"Meet Ubuginu Hikone.. The Rei-o of the next era."
Some people sharply drew in their breath, while a few of them expected such an answer, and narrowed
their eyes; and the remaining people expressed interest in the topic. Although, judging from past
circumstances, the members of this coalition only half-trusted each other, including Ginjo, who was
currently not with them; the vibe among the members had changed in light of such a revelation. When
the words came out of the mouth of the very leader of the Four Great Noble Houses, the weightage of
the fact that Hikone was to be the new Rei-o, had clearly changed completely. However, Kyoraku spoke
with a bitter smile, as if disregarding the weightage of the meaning behind that statement,
"Replacement of the Rei-o? This, escaping the lips of a member of the Four Great Noble Houses? Isn't
that the height of disrespect?"
"Oh, don't make me laugh, Kyoraku. You ought to know too, right? Don't you think it would be the
height of respect if he were to be replaced, knowing the kind of existence he is?"
Tokinada's words were partially drowned by the sound of clashing metal, but Halibel heard them clearly.
Looking at Hikone, she murmured to Tokinada, hiding her disgust,
"You are going to offer such a young child as a sacrifice to the Soul Society?"
"....That child... Did he not come here to bail you out of this situation?"
"Oh, but Hikone sees the two of us clashing swords as nothing more or less than a child's game."
Tokinada, distancing himself from Kyoraku, called out,
"Hikone! Hikone! Do you see all the people gathered here?"
"Yes. I have seen some of them before."
"I see. And do you like them?"
"Oh yes! They all fought seriously with me!"
Although the sentiment was hardly mutual, this seemingly innocent declaration from Hikone felt
strangely eerie.
"In addition, since they are going to be your subjects in the future, there is no reason to dislike them,
don't forget, ok, Hikone?"
"Yes! Thank you, Tokinada-sama!"
"By the way; these people here are my enemies. Would you slaughter them for me, right now?"
In response to that cruel command told with a smile, Hikone nodded; his expression unchanged.
"Yes, Tokinada-sama!"
Without understanding the meaning behind those words, without displaying confusion, he stated,
"I will put my heart into that task!"
"That's... Ubuginu Hikone...?"
Nanao, setting her eyes upon Hikone for the first time, shivered. A child of indeterminable age and
gender. But the reiatsu concentration contained within this child is not balanced at all, the overall effect
being ghastly. This 'Shinigami-like' child gracefully brandished his zanpakuto.
"Thank you! I was brought up thus far to fight with all of you at last!"
Lowering his head, he releases his zanpakuto. But this time, the release command was a totally different
one.
"Hatch the deceased, Ikomikidomoe!"
And thus, 'it' was born.
Accompanied by a tornado of raging reiatsu, the blade of the zanpakuto morphed to form a creature.
Although it was much smaller than the previous one, it was still the size of a small house. Its reiatsu was
even more condensed than the one before it; as though it had greatly shrunk; the strength of the reiatsu
seemed balanced with Hikone's abnormality. A white aberration that gave off an impression of
specializing in killing; resembling a beast with an overwhelming presence who could bring about the end
of the world by letting no one live.
Hikone looked around, his eyes both blank and innocent; and politely addressed everyone.
"It was a pleasure meeting all of you! I will cherish these memories! Thank you very much!"
Hikone created a bow in the air; strengthening it by employing the Quincy technique: Blut Arterie, and
shot an arrow by condensing a Cero.
"What the hell? Is he serious?"
Liltotto was amazed at the combination of two incompatible attributes. If that Quincy arrow with Hollow
powers were to strike her directly, then it would lead to a fatal injury since Hollow reiatsu was
poisonous to Quincies. The Arrancars leapt forward to face off against the creature born from the
zanpakuto. Grimmjow spoke.
"It's strange. Although the size is closer to that of an Adjuchas, the reiatsu is higher than that of a Vasto
Lorde, even among Arrancars."
In response to that, Halibel told him the identity of their opponent.
"I had heard that there used to be an ancient Hollow during Baraggan's time. It had lived for a very long
time and it was probably far beyond the rest of us."
As to why such a being had turned into a zanpakuto residing within the Soul Society, the reason was
unclear. But one thing was certain; it was most definitely not on their side. As opposed to Halibel and
Neliel, who were wondering about their opponent, Grimmjow had only one thought in mind; to eat the
one standing in front of them.
"Grind, Pantera!"
As Grimmjow entered his Resurreccion state, reiatsu swirled up around him and hit the body of
Ikomikidomoe. Grimmjow took advantage of the instantaneous lapse and hurled himself forward.
Halibel and Neliel followed suit.
"Hunt, Tiburon!"
"Praise, Gamuza!"
Their reiatsu stormed around the courtyard like a muddy stream.
"Hoh?"
Kenpachi looked delighted as he watched the Arrancars enter their Resurreccion states one after the
other.
"I'd like to fight that blue haired bastard!"
"Um, Captain... He's our ally for the time being, you know?"
"Yeah, 'for the time being'..."
Kenpachi replied, his grin becoming more pronounced. Hoisting his sword over his shoulder, he looked
at Tokinada, Hikone and Ikomikidomoe and murmured,
"Which one of them is the strongest?"
However, as if interrupting Kenpachi's analysis, there was a change seen in Ikomikidomoe. At first, it
seemed to receive the attacks of the Arrancars from all sides without any movement. But gradually, it
increased its reiatsu while lowering itself. A gigantic single eye opened up in the centre of its body just
like that of Hooleer.
"What the hell is that?"
"I don't know, but I have a really bad feeling about this."
Ikkaku and Yumichika were staring at Ikomikidomoe; wary. Kenpachi frowned at them.
"Oi, what happened to your fighting spirits?"
"Eh?"
"Well... what are you waiting for? Let's go!"
As soon as Kenpachi ordered them to move, they drew out their zanpakutos and rushed after him. At
the same time, an enormous amount of reiryoku was released from the body of Ikomikidomoe. A
dazzling light enveloped a portion of the Kyogoku. It was no longer a Cero, but an explosion of reiryoku
centred on itself. The ground blew up, the tiles of the palace courtyard rose up and flew away due to the
force of the blast. The Arrancars close to it were heavily injured, but the damage was somewhat reduced
because of the shield of water that Halibel enveloped them in. The explosion was so widespread
because the increased reiatsu expanded it outwards. Nanao managed to alleviate the damage partially
by casting a barrier; Bakudo Shouheki. The Quincies mitigated the damage by using their Blut Vene to
the maximum. When the explosion reached Kenpachi, he scattered it by swinging his zanpakuto, and as
a result, both Ikkaku and Yumichika were protected.
"Ah... That was dangerous..I could have ruined my kimono.."
Kyoraku spoke to Tokinada as if nothing had happened. He had been lurking inside Tokinada's shadow.
The explosion cast a long shadow behind Tokinada and Kyoraku had stepped into it.
"Oh dear... The palace and the garden are messed up. Well, I have to ask Aura to do something about it
later.."
Kyoraku addressed Tokinada with sarcasm,
"Even you have friends?"
"No, no, not a friend, just an employee."
"I don't know who you mean but I feel sorry for whoever it is."
"Hoh? But have you realized?"
Kyoraku looked at Ikomikidomoe and then at Hikone. Living-type zanpakutos were very few in number;
and a zanpakuto with the disposition of a Hollow was particularly unheard of. Since the soul is
connected to the zanpakuto, the Hollow reiryoku of the zanpakuto is poured into Hikone's body. Under
normal circumstances, this would destabilize the soul, causing it to break down. But what keeps the soul
intact? Is it the influence of the fragment of the Rei-o that is present within his body? What on earth
could make such a thing possible? Whatever the case, Hikone has reached a level of mastery over such
power. Kyoraku considered the circumstances of this newborn Shinigami and looked at Tokinada.
"Poor thing... what have you done?"
Tokinada smiled; a cruel smile.
"Now that you feel the reiatsu, you understand it clearly, don't you?"
Kyoraku was silent; his blade shot out towards Tokinada. But Tokinada dodged it by a hair, laughing all
the while.
"So you see. He can become the Rei-o, just like Kurosaki Ichigo and Ginjo Kugo."
"I don't know much about Ginjo; but I can tell you're probably lying."
"I guess you don't believe my words, huh, Kyoraku?"
"I've had enough of your words. But I need to know one more thing."
Kyoraku asked Tokinada with a serious expression.
"That thing you made Nanao-chan overhear... that was a lie?"
"Oh that... About her mother, you mean?"
"You really had no hand in her execution?"
"As unfortunate as it is, it really is the truth."
Kyoraku let out a deep sigh.
"I see. I'm sorry to hear that."
"?"
Tokinada did not immediately take in the meaning of those words; but then he cried out in joy,
"....'Yubikiri'... I get it now.... Ha ha ha... That was a close call!"
"I don't think I've ever told anyone about this game before..."
{t/n: 'Yubi' means 'fingers' and 'kiri' means 'to kill'}
Katen Kyokotsu turned children's games such as 'Takaoni' and 'Kageoni' into reality. But children, being
so whimsical, could always say 'Let's play again'. 'Yubikiri Genman' was one such game.
{t/n: 'genman' means 'linking pinky fingers together as a promise'}
If you lie to each other, your fingers get paralyzed on the first lie; your whole body feels like it is getting
crushed by a fist on the second lie and finally, on the third lie, you feel unimaginable pain as if your
viscera were being stabbed from the inside. It was a technique meant to extract information from the
kind of opponent who lies during battle, but it worked on people 'other than one's own self'. This game
had one single disadvantage. As long as the game is activated, the wielder is not allowed to lie.
"I understand. But shouldn't you have used such a technique right from the start? It's a little too late in
the game for you to try something new, isn't it?"
"I had my suspicions. But I couldn't very well draw my sword based on suspicions, now could I? But
you're right. I ought to have used this on you a long time ago."
"Ha ha ha! Right?"
Tokinada provoked Kyoraku,
"Honestly, it's so difficult to say the one thing that is completely true, even though it is not involved in
the execution of Ise Nanao's mother. However, I do wonder where the Ise sword belonging to the
daughter is hidden away.."
Kyoraku's face paled. Tokinada, looking at Kyoraku's ashen face, seemed satisfied.
"To be perfectly honest, I always had this lurking suspicion that you had it."
Tokinada continued, looking gleeful,
"Did you really think that you had the House of Tsunayashiro fooled? You are from the senior nobility,
after all. Say, wouldn't it be interesting if the truth came out now, that both you and the daughter are
guilty of hiding the sword?"
"....."
"Ha ha ha! Don't make that face, Kyoraku... Relax.. That proposition was already rejected by Kuchiki
Ginrei. Honestly, that old-timer! He was austere, but kind-hearted."
Hiding his immense relief, Kyoraku once again slashed out at Tokinada. Tokinada said mockingly,
"What's wrong? Can't use 'Yubikiri' anymore, can you? What about 'Iro oni' or 'Kageokuri'? Does my
zanpakuto's ability scare you that much?"
"Ah... it's frightening indeed."
".....?"
Tokinada looked sharply at Kyoraku who had just laughed a little. Kyoraku distanced himself from
Tokinada and asked,
"The name of your zanpakuto... what was it, again?"
"Don't you know it already? Surely, I don't need to say it?"
"Ah, that reaction tells me all I need to know."
Kyoraku glanced up at Tokinada from the shade of his straw hat and asked a strange question.
"The name of your zanpakuto... Kuten Kyokoku...is that name a lie?"
This time it was Tokinada's face that was robbed of all colour.
"I'll take your silence as affirmation, since this is a situation where lies are not permitted."
Kyoraku drew in a deep breath and continued in a level voice,
"I had my doubts, you see.. Your zanpakuto has the ability to reflect attacks from another zanpakuto; a
truly frightening ability indeed, befitting the House of Tsunayashiro. However, in this case, the number
goes down by one."
"....."
"Moreover, I think you seal it under a false name; thus the Shikai is only a half-release. I came to this
conclusion because the kanji for 'Kuten Kyokoku' is quite close to that of my 'Katen Kyokotsu'."
There have been only a few rare cases in the past in which a zanpakuto's ability was limited by calling
out a fake name. Just like Ayasegawa Yumichika's Ruri'iro Kujaku was sealed under the fake name of 'Fuji
Kujaku'.
"There's just something about your personality that made me think of this. So when were you planning
to show us the real ability of your zanpakuto by calling out its real name? Was this a part of your
strategy or is there a different reason behind this?"
Tokinada sighed a little and looked coldly at Kyoraku.
"You really can't read the atmosphere, can you? Did you think you could trick me?"
"I happened to get too many hints."
"Did you think that Kuten Kyokoku sounding so similar to your zanpakuto was a mere coincidence? You
wanted to know, right? Yes, it is indeed a half-release. But the other half is an admonishment.
Sometimes I forget just how much I dislike you."
Tokinada's lips curled.
"Sip from the four seas; the heavenly shores entwine ---"
Realizing that this was part of the Shikai, Kyoraku used Shunpo to instantaneously move behind
Tokinada. He had been hoping to prevent Tokinada from completing the release command. He was
confident that he was better at Shunpo than Tokinada. However, something unexpected occured just
then. As Kyoraku advanced, Tokinada, instead of dodging, allowed himself to get stabbed by the blade.
Kyoraku realized that Tokinada had been waiting for this very opportunity. This could only mean one
thing. Tokinada had not actually halted his chant mid-command. The rest of the command required him
to put his own life at risk.
"--- equally duplicate ten thousands; and sharpen ---
Enrakyoten!"
{t/n: Enrakyoten-'law of the bewitching lucid mirror'}
Coughing up blood from his wound, Tokinada called out its true name; laughing. The blade of the
zanpakuto changed form right in front of Kyoraku's eyes. Extending out from a guard that combined a
square and a cross, the blade shone brilliantly silver like a mirror. The light dazzling off the blade blinded
Kyoraku's one eye.
-A zanpakuto that manipulates light?
The blinding flash of light took away his judgmental senses momentarily. But Kyoraku was not the
Captain Commander of the Gotei for nothing. He recovered much faster than an ordinary person and
tried to twist his sword deeper into Tokinada's body. But Tokinada pulled himself away, kicking Kyoraku
aside. Kyoraku's body was caught by someone.
"Are you alright, Captain Commander?"
"Thank you, Nanao-chan."
As his eyesight slowly began to return, Kyoraku turned to look at Tokinada. Tokinada stood there,
uninjured. His shihakusho had a rip on it, but there was no trace of blood on the exposed skin; nor was
there a scar.
"What's wrong, Kyoraku?"
Tokinada, who had been gravely wounded just a minute ago, now spoke pleasantly to Kyoraku.
"This is what you wanted to see, yes? Behold! This is one of the oldest zanpakutos belonging to the
House of Tsunayashiro; Enrakyoten."
The blade and guard were unblemished and smooth; the scratches from the previous sword-fight had all
disappeared.
Electronic space:-
"It seems that both Hikone and Ikomikidomoe have gotten serious. Even Tokinada-sama has called out
the true name of his zanpakuto."
"Your reikaku is really a cheat-code."
{t/n: 'reikaku'-reiatsu perception sense}
"It's not really all that omnipotent. I just let a part of myself diffuse and spread across the key points
within the Kyogoku."
"Diffusing your body... I'd still call it a cheat code."
This was a subspace created using Yukio's ability. Only Aura and Yukio were visible at the spot where
Ginjo and the others had disappeared.
"So, what are you going to do?"
Yukio asked her coldly as he fidgeted with his game console.
"It'd be pretty terrible if your supporter was to be found. Better go check."
"Urahara Kisuke, you mean?"
"Excuse me, but we'll have to talk about that later."
"What's wrong?"
Yukio noticed that Aura's complexion had changed. He paused his game and looked at her. Aura spoke
with a thin laugh,
"It appears as though our guest in the Throne Room has woken up. Let's head over there."
Frowning at the idea of a 'trespasser' within the Throne Room, Aura uttered words of phrase,
"To just materialize there, you sure are an interesting one."
Palace Courtyard:-
"It's only been half a day and your reiatsu has risen considerably."
Grimmjow told Hikone as he fought off the Quincies. Hikone answered with a smile,
"Yes! It is all thanks to you! Ikomikidomoe is indebted to you!"
Hikone's personality had not changed but his reiatsu kept rising by several stages. But Grimmjow was
not surprised. Even back in the Rukongai, he had almost mistaken Hikone for someone else, because his
reiatsu had been very different than when he was in Hueco Mundo. Things could turn unpleasant if he
displayed any further evolution. Grimmjow knew another Shinigami who had evolved remarkably within
a very short period of time and who continued to grow even during battle.
"...He is like Kurosaki.."
Grimmjow muttered as if in soliloquy.
"That's right! I will become the king, yes!"
Hikone replied brightly.
"Is that so? What a coincidence! I share the same opinion as yours!"
Grimmjow laughed aloud. Hearing Grimmjow's words, Ikomikidomoe, the zanpakuto that had turned
into a beast, responded with a cocky laugh.
"Well said, young Arrancar..."

A voice seemed to reverberate from deep within the earth.
"A kid like you ruling over Hueco Mundo! Ha ha ha!"
"Well, what can I say... I don't know why you're a zanpakuto, but you're supposed to be on our side."
"On the same side? The hubris, honestly. Lee la runa. I had to crawl across the desert and travel by bus
to reach Baraggan 2 ken* away, and you are 11 ken away."
{t/n: Lee la runa- Spanish for 'read the runes'. You know, as in 'read the signs' spoken in an annoyed
tone. It was in Spanish in the text, by the way. This Hollow seems to like foreign and modern words,
since he actually uses the word 'bus'; must have picked them up from Ouetsu XD. 'Ken'-Japanese unit of
measurement of length}
Grimmjow laughed at those unusual words, baring his teeth.
"Apparently, it seems like I was right in coming here."
He moved towards Ikomikidomoe, his reiatsu boiling over. The reason why he decided to chase after
Hikone ever since he had left Hueco Mundo was because of certain words; words that Grimmjow could
never forget.
"I don't give a damn about what you want. I'll kill anyone who stands in my way and then devour them."
The memories of his past were what drove his base instinct.
-"Let us go together, Grimmjow."
-"You shall become our king."
Every time Grimmjow stepped in closer, his sinews tightened. Yes, it was evident that this Shinigami in
front of him was dangerous. Yes, this child's youthful appearance was misleading and the creature's
Adjuchas-like look masked by the reiatsu of a very high class Hollow was unnerving indeed. Grimmjow
understood all that. This Shinigami named Hikone emitted reiatsu which was very similar to that of
Kurosaki Ichigo but no Hollow hole had opened up for the world to see. It was essentially a living thing. If
the soul itself is considered to represent the world, then; it was as if the hole gets punctured the more
the world became crowded.
{t/n: The reiatsu of Ichigo that is being compared to here, is the one from when he had transformed into
a full Hollow}
Ikomikidomoe, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. It was like the very personification of
greed; pounding everything towards its hole. It could be referred to as a monster, the same as Baraggan,
the former king of Hueco Mundo.
Sharpening his reiatsu, he walked forward.
-"We have come to the realization that we are not destined to rise above the Adjuchas level."
-"But you are meant for something far greater."
Grimmjow took another step further.
Thoughts of losing faded from his mind. He did understand, however, that this was not an opponent he
could easily win against; in fact, if he wasn't careful, he would be the one whose neck would go flying
instead.
But Grimmjow would never stop walking.
After all, this was an internal strife among the Shinigami; he would never become their foot soldier.
Well, Grimmjow did come here of his own free will. He did not really consider Tokinada's ideas to be
ridiculous. He, too, did not mind watching the world break down. He realized that this idea was unusual
and that it was unfortunate that Tokinada was the enemy, but he had come all this way from Hueco
Mundo because he thought that Tokinada's idea was not too different from his own.
It was because he knew. He knew that a trivial reason was enough for him to turn the world into his
enemy, given his way. That was his sole purpose for fighting against Hikone and Ikomikidomoe. To
ordinary people, this would sound ludicrous. When he was dominated by the overwhelming personality
of Aizen, his desire was still suppressed. But during his battle against Kurosaki Ichigo, the words once
spoken by his former comrades were brought to the surface. The very words, if neglected, would lead
him to deny his own existence and bloodlust.
-"Devour us, Grimmjow."
The voice of his comrades resounded within his head; his comrades who had called him king and had
later given up on their path to evolution. They, who had once become his own flesh and blood, now
gave rise to Grimmjow's bestial instincts.
Halibel, the real ruler, who was also aware of Grimmjow's nature, never addressed herself as a ruler
precisely because of this. She knew that the moment he called himself that, he would regain his instinct
to kill. Even if he lost, he would invariably sink his fangs into his opponent's body.
{t/n: In Grimmjow's flashback as an Adjuchas, it was stated that if one Hollow was bitten by another
one, they would regress}
Aizen's words were
"Do not deny your desires."
Condensing his reiatsu on the claws of both his hands, Grimmjow sprang forward, his face predative and
ravenous, ready to plunder and bring about destruction.
"I am the king!"
Chapter 3
A persistent jet-black wind rotates the cog-wheels.
A jet black wind scatters the young foliage.
Singing its worth, the same wind that surrounds life and death.
-"Dedicate."
He heard a voice.
Hisagi realized that he was standing atop a large tree. A shower of green leaves fell around him, giving
off the illusion of a forest at first glance. Hisagi's feet were touching a thick branch; and through the
small gap among the leaves, a clearing was visible little above the ground. The scenery appeared foggy
and a gigantic tree came into view. Its proportions were massive enough to call it the Yggdrasil.
{t/n: Yggdrasil-Also known as the World Tree; a mythical tree that connects the nine realms in Norse
cosmology. It is interesting to note that this World Tree is quite often depicted as the Tree of Knowledge
from the Garden of Eden. And the Biblical 'original sin' was after all heavily connected to the Tree of
Knowledge. And in this story, the kanji for the Soul Society's original sin is written in the same way as the
Biblical one. Also, the tree symbolism comes from Hisagi's name; the kanji in his surname reads as the
Japanese cypress}
"Ah... So you have come?"

Hisagi recalled that this was not the real world.
"....Since I had arrived at the Reiokyu."
Hearing metallic sounds and iron clanging behind him, he looked back and saw a huge windmill standing
upon the vast plains visible through the branches. Even though it was a windmill, it resembled a cedar
tree to which clung the odour of iron and oil that could be smelled from afar, the description of the
scenery matching that of an idyll.
The red, rusty windmill had a cog-wheel with a pulley exposed to the outside; it kept rotating as the
chain connecting it to the windmill's rope pulls it.
Hisagi now knew that this was the inner spiritual world of Kazeshini's; one that his heart had inter-
woven.
Then, a black wind blew all around him; discolouring the green leaves as they all withered away. The
cog-wheel of the windmill started turning vigorously as it violently rotated.
-"Dedicate."
That voice, again.
Hisagi replied to the familiar voice with his usual response.
"Discipline yourself. I will not do as you say. I will not fight to make you suck the enemy's blood."
Ignoring Hisagi's words, the black wind kept on blowing.
The lamp in the wind turbine lit up. It was as if the leaves, the branches and the serenity of the
landscape, which had signified 'life', until the red rust-covered windmill withered it away, was on one
side; and the fire lighting up the windmill symbolized the advent of 'death'.
"Good grief... I think there is something that I was able to understand."
The black wind now took on the form of a person and appeared behind Hisagi.
"Am I to understand that this is your form, Kazeshini?"
In retrospect, Kazeshini certainly did have a form like this.
"That's right. I am your shadow and the shadow of the world itself that you see around you. Depending
on the manner in which the light strikes, this form may change its appearance, way of speech and
everything. But, if you talk to me, you may find this form's tone to be very agreeable."
Exasperated with this unusually long conversation with the black shadowy figure, Hisagi spoke in
annoyance,
"I see. So if you are capable of changing your nature, then all the chats I've had with you until now were
all pointless?"
"Incorrect. You certainly understood one side of me, and that's why you could achieve Shikai by calling
out my name. That is why, I..... this world of 'Kazeshini', has invited you in."
The shadowy form changed back into the black wind and passed through Hisagi's body, pouring words
craving with desperation into Hisagi's soul.
"Dedicate your blood and life to appease my soul. Hurry."
{t/n: Kazeshini's speech pattern changes in that last sentence. Earlier, when he talks to Hisagi, he uses
pronouns like 'ore' and 'omae' which are very informal, but in the last sentence, he uses 'waga' which is
very formal. Also, this picturesque and idyllic description of Hisagi's inner world accurately describes
Kazeshini. The name of the zanpakuto carries aspects of both life and death. 'Kaze' represents 'life' and
then you have 'shini' or 'death'. In the rustic scene, we see the beauty of the scenery first, symbolizing
life, and then our attention is turned towards the windmill with the chain and the rope. The leaves
withering represents 'death'; literally 'the wind of death'. The fire lighting up in the windmill signifies
that focus is now on 'death', not 'life'. A very beautiful depiction. Also, another interesting contrast:
Kazeshini talks to Hisagi about the 'manner in which the light strikes'; Tokinada's zanpakuto is a light-
type one whereas Kazeshini is Hisagi's shadow}
The Throne Room:-

Hisagi regained consciousness and gritted his teeth in silent fury.
"Damn you... You're still asking me to kill?"
Ever since he had first heard the name, Kazeshini had kept on asking him to offer up blood and lives
several times. Even though he was far removed from Kenpachi and the other Captains, he was still a
battle-hardened, veteran soldier. He had slain countless enemies in battle. But the voice of his
zanpakuto could never be silenced.
"...Wouldn't it be good to cut down Hikone?"
The voice of his zanpakuto was possibly pointing out his guilelessness.
"Just drop it already. I only swing my sword for the sake of the Gotei."
-I do not consider my actions to be just, because I am not qualified to say so. But I am a Shinigami. A
Shinigami does not slash at Hollows out of hatred; it is done for purification.
In his desire to always do what is right as both a Shinigami as well as a warrior, Hisagi did not think that
killing Hikone was the right thing to do. Although, even if he had been on board with his zanpakuto's
suggestion, it was sort of useless in such a place where the walls and the ceiling were all clammed shut.
Hisagi stood up, hoping to seek out an exit, since he could see no way out in his vicinity.
"There's no door. How did Hikone leave this place? I suppose I'll have to smash open the wall."
Hisagi tried to use Kido, but stopped when he heard a voice saying,
"You won't be able to destroy that wall."
A woman's voice. Hisagi turned around. It was the same woman he had seen in Karakura Town.
"Michibane Aura!"
"What an honour to know that the famous, renowned Hisagi Shuhei remembers my name."
"There is no need for sarcasm. I'm no prodigy."
After his time at the Shino Reijutsuin, there had been prodigies in zanjutsu, such as Hitsugaya Toshiro
and graduates like Hinamori Momo, well-versed in Kido. Hisagi did not consider himself to be someone
who was outstanding. He had obtained his current rank of Lieutenant through sheer perseverance and
continuous hard work. He had never stopped training and disciplining himself all this time so that he
could proudly say that he was an accomplished Lieutenant.
He recalled Hikone's words from before.
-Yes. I most likely can never win against either Hikone or this woman.
But for Hisagi, this was no reason to stop walking. Drawing out his zanpakuto, he asked,
"Where is Urahara-san?"
"Rest assured. He does not have a single wound on him. Harming him is not my purpose."
"I see. Then let me change the question. Where is the exit? And why on earth are you here?"
Hisagi would have liked to challenge Aura to a duel in order to rescue Urahara, but then he decided to
gather information first. Even if, somehow, he managed to defeat Aura, there was no way out anyway.
"This is the Throne Room that is meant to protect Hikone from assailants. Only Hikone and Tokinada-
sama can go in and out of this place. But I can easily pass through. The walls are no hindrance to me."
Aura added casually. Hisagi decided to take a shot in the dark and asked cautiously,
"Are you planning to create a Hogyoku and make Hikone the Rei-o?"
"That is Tokinada-sama's wish."
"Aizen wanted the same thing. To use the Hogyoku to overthrow the Rei-o."
Aura blinked and then nodded,
"Ah... my apologies. You, Hisagi-san have no knowledge of the kind of being the Rei-o is."
"No, I don't know. All I know is that Yhwach killed the former Rei-o, and that everyone was saved
because of Mimihagi-sama's intervention; the Right Arm of the Rei-o residing within Captain Ukitake."
Hisagi still found it hard to believe that the thing that rose towards the sky from Ukitake's body was
actually a part of the Rei-o. He had assumed that Mimihagi-sama was the one who held everything in
place after Yhwach's death. But now, listening to Aura, he was no longer sure.
"Is that wrong?"
"So that's what you know. It's not exactly wrong, but it's true that if Hikone becomes the Rei-o, the
world will be rock-solid compared to what it is now. So, what will you do?"
Hisagi replied seriously to Aura's question that deviated from the topic at hand.
"....It's no trifling matter. But even if Hikone himself says that he wants to become the Rei-o, first and
foremost, I would try and stop him."
"Why is that?"
"It's because he does not know anything, yet."
Hisagi clasped his sword tightly.
"Hikone told me something. This world was the only thing that Tokinada had to offer him. After seeing
the wide world, then if he decides upon it based on his own free will, then I won't say anything. I would
even prepare myself to face him as a Shinigami should he become an enemy of the Shinigami."
Hisagi continued,
"But he does not know anything about the world; he knows only what Tokinada tells him. Tokinada is
manipulating him. That's why I.... have to teach him. If that changes nothing then it'll be like there are
different worlds."
For some reason, Tosen's face drifted into Hisagi's mind. He added,
"No, on the contrary, I, too, know the world that he is watching. For better or for worse."
"....."
"And that is why it is necessary for me to meet Tokinada in person."
"As a journalist or as a Shinigami?"
Aura asked with a smile. Hisagi asserted,
"As both."
Hearing those words, Aura spoke after a slight silence.
"Knowing the whole world does not always bring happiness."
"?"
"There are people who live and die without knowing anything about the outside world; confined inside a
narrow room with an aquarium. Some people find unhappiness knowing about the outside world."
Aura spoke quietly. Hisagi was momentarily puzzled. Then he asked,
"Are you perhaps referring to yourself?"
Aura neither confirmed nor denied it. She went on, as if testing Hisagi,
"Don't you think Ubuginu Hikone is like that?"

"I also thought so at first. But I've seen for myself that he does have his own will. There is just one thing
that is missing in him. I just want to convey that to him."
"....."
"If you wish to kill me, then I'll have to fight you. But you must release Urahara-san in the event that I
win."
Aura looked expressionless as she walked away, then she smiled as she walked back.
"What's going on?"
"Please do not misunderstand. I just want you to do me a favour."
"A favour?"
Although Hisagi remained vigilant, he did not sense any hostility. Aura approached and looked at Hisagi's
confused face. She murmured something in a low voice that was audible only to Hisagi.
".....What do y-....?"
He did not understand the meaning of what she said. But before he could ask her what it meant, she
had already disappeared.
"Hey, where...?"
Hisagi looked around. A door that should never have existed, now appeared on the wall of the room.
The door was half-ajar.
The sky above the Palace Courtyard:-

While Ikomikidomoe fought the Arrancars, the Quincies attacked Hikone from the sky. A relentless
torrent of arrows rained down. Hikone, using a combination of Hierro and Blut Vene, alleviated the
attacks. Liltotto clicked her tongue.
"Though not as much as Kurosaki Ichigo, this one is also quite dangerous."
Giselle repeated casually,
"He really might kill me... So dangerous... I'm scared..."
Candice shot a myriad of lightning arrows towards Hikone.
"Wow! Thunder!"
Saying so, Hikone scattered them with ease. Meninas, with tremendous momentum, brought down her
fist upon Hikone's elbow. Hikone's feet gave way.
"That was tough, huh..."
However, Meninas' fist was twisted, bent at an odd angle. The bones of her fingers snapped. Hikone
looked up admiringly at her arm strength. But then he noticed a garland of reishi bombs around him.
The moment Bambietta touched Hikone, a chain of explosions took place, the area gleaming because of
her bombing raid.
As the smoke cleared, Hikone appeared to be slightly ruffled. Whatever Bambietta touched was turned
into a bomb. Since she had touched the skin directly, it had exploded. But Hikone's Hollow-like ability of
'instant regeneration' had mended his skin and thus the damage from the explosions was almost
prevented.
"Wow! That girl is a zombie! Then she must be unbeatable!"
Liltotto noticed Giselle looking greedily at Hikone.

"Don't forget, Hollow reiatsu is also mixed in, so don't do anything stupid."
She chided. They fell back just in the nick of time because Hikone had retaliated with an arrow made out
of condensed Cero. Liltotto had predicted such an attack and thus she had wanted the five of them to
fall back and wished to settle this battle as quickly as possible since fatigue was already starting to kick
in. However, Hikone, who had remained silent until then, now spoke,
"I have memorized how everyone attacks."
He smiled.
"What?"
The next instant Hikone began to intercept the incoming Heilig Pfeil of the Quincies with his own arrows.
He shot five arrows at nearly the same time as his five opponents did, firing rapidly, and tracking down
Liltotto using Hirenkyaku.
"Damn!"
Noticing Liltotto's danger, the other Quincies who had spread apart in order to fight against Hikone, now
converged at the same spot. Extraordinary reiryoku was being compressed in Hikone's right hand as he
prepared to create an arrow. It was impossible to avoid it at such close quarters; given the timing.
Liltotto would not even get time to use her own ability.
-Ah... So this is the end. But in any case, if I had used my ability, my stomach would have punctured.
The last image that Liltotto's brain conjured up was Hikone's hand creating a Cero and then she
imagined her own body being torn into smithereens.
Just then, a chilling reiatsu rent through the sky of the Kyogoku. Hikone halted in his actions and turned
around slowly. And standing there was 'death', taking on a human form.
"I was watching you from down below. You really are the most powerful one here, kid!"
Zaraki Kenpachi grinned at Hikone. More of his colossal reiatsu overflowed from within his body,
threatening to collapse his footholds in the air. He had never practiced Shunpo before, nor had he
considered solidifying reishi underneath his foot because it was too confusing for him. But somehow he
could still manage to remain standing in mid-air. This was probably due to years of cultivating
experience in battle.
Instead of replying to Kenpachi's words, Hikone shot a Cero-consolidated arrow towards him. As the
pale white flash of light flew through the air, Kenpachi diffused it with the pressure of a single swing of
his sword. Streaks of the scattered flash of light fell to the ground like a shower of meteorites. Candice
murmured,
"What a savage!"
"Yeah! He's the guy Gremmy couldn't kill."
Liltotto replied, her emotions a little complicated.
Ikkaku and Yumichika appeared behind them.
"Ironic, isn't it? The one you tried to kill is now saving your lives."
"So you want to slash me from behind?"
Liltotto's group had a connection to the 11th Division. Half a year ago, during the war, they had heavily
wounded Kenpachi and had killed several members of their division. Giselle had turned many of their
soldiers into her zombies.
"It's ugly to stab someone from behind. We aren't like you."

The two of them had not witnessed Liltotto's actions directly, but had learned about it later from the
survivors.
"How very kind of you."
"When you joined forces with the Shinigami to kill Yhwach, we could have back-stabbed you, but we
didn't."
Kenpachi, Ikkaku and Yumichika had been present during the formation of the 'gate', but they had
parted ways with the rebel Quincies after that.
"The Captain may have forgiven you, but we can't ever forgive what you did to our men."
Ikkaku kept his voice to a mild tone, but did not disguise his hostility. Yumichika chimed in,
"You used our men as zombies, your playthings. The Captain Commander may have formed an alliance
with you, but that doesn't necessarily mean we agree."
However, it was against their sense of aesthetics to disregard the intentions of their Captain.
Liltotto shrugged her shoulders.
"Don't hold back your grudges... Hey, Lil..."
"Stop that, Gigi!"
"But I haven't even said anything yet!"
Giselle was staring at Yumichika with an odd expression on her face. Liltotto wanted to prevent
unnecessary disputes.
"Let's leave it at that, Yumichika. We don't need to waste time talking to them. I, too, do not completely
agree with the Captain Commander's decision."
The majority of the members of the 11th Division were battle-addicts. In case of these two, they were
proud to fight under Captain Zaraki and die under him. Once, Ikkaku had preached to a delinquent in the
World of the Living who had wanted to give up his life for Tsukishima..
-"I'm asking you if he's willing to die for you. Die only for someone who'll do the same for you."
Unlike Captain Komamura, who had dedicated his own life for Yamamoto Genryusai, Ikkaku's
sentiments were a little different. Unlike Captain Komamura, Ikkaku was gambling his life on fighting
under the commander he greatly admired. Protecting the Seireitei did not take first priority.
Looking at Giselle, Yumichika said,
"You hurt a lot of our comrades with your necromanic tendencies. In all honesty, I wanted to wring your
neck."
"But that was su-uch a lo-ong time ago, right?"
"Why you..."
"Don't you ever shut up, bitch?"
Liltotto spoke sharply to Giselle. Listening to that, Ikkaku sighed.
"Regardless of the circumstances, we are at a temporary truce, as unfortunate as that it."
Turning to look at Kenpachi, he grinned and muttered,
"If you get in the way of the Captain's amusement, who knows what might happen.."
Hikone shot several more arrows of Cero but most of them were blocked by Kenpachi's sword. One of
them hit him but he did not seem fazed.
"What's wrong? That didn't hurt much."
Kenpachi approached Hikone and suddenly swung his sword. Hikone reacted and the sword hit the tip of
his shoulder. The blade sank into his skin, penetrating the Hierro and Blut Vene. Blood spurted out as
the blade sank in, but the bleeding stopped instantly.
"Ah.. That happened to Ichigo too.. You two related or somethin'?"
Recalling the battle with Ichigo fondly, he asked, pleased.
"I'm happy that you compared me to such a famous hero. Kurosaki Ichigo-san is like me. It is because of
the Quincy blood flowing through our veins. Did you know that he is a Quincy, Kenpachi-san?"
"I don't think I mentioned my name. How do you know who I am?"
"I heard about you from Hisagi-san. He wanted to stop me from fighting you because he thought you
would kill me if we fought."
Hikone spoke happily. Before Kenpachi could reply, Ikkaku and Yumichika reacted.
"Hisagi? Wait a minute.. Hisagi's here?"
Hikone turned his head upwards, looking at the castle.
"He's in the Throne Room, unconscious."
Ikkaku and Yumichika were amazed.
"What is that guy doing?"
Ikkaku spoke to Yumichika.
"When he says the 'Throne Room', he means a room inside that floating castle, right?"
"Probably. But how do we get up there?"
But Hikone intercepted them.
"I'm sorry, you cannot do that. I'm supposed to kill everyone right now."
All of a sudden, a gust of wind passed by them. It was the force of the swing of Kenpachi's sword.
"Hey.. You two had better step back, unless you want to end up getting cut."
Kenpachi was behind Hikone.
"Yes, sir!"
As Ikkaku and Yumichika descended, Hikone said,
"Amazing! You got the two of them to leave!"
Kenpachi spoke irritably,
"Those guys got greedy. Can't have them barging in on my fun."
"The first person I must kill is you."
Narrowing his eyes ever so slightly, Hikone moved towards Kenpachi, combining Shunpo, Sonido,
Hirenkyaku and Bringer Light. A shock ran through Kenpachi's body. Hikone was currently without a
zanpakuto and so with just his bare hands, strengthened with Hierro and Blut Arterie, he had struck
Kenpachi. It was even worse than a sword slash. In the blink of an eye, Hikone struck him five to ten
more times. Although Kenpachi had swiftly retaliated after the initial strike, Hikone blocked his sword
and pummelled in a series of strikes.
However, Kenpachi himself was well-known for his durability. Amidst a wave of reiatsu, he swung his
sword, striking Hikone. A wound appeared upon his Hierro-like skin, bleeding. Ikkaku and Yumichika,
watching from afar, begrudgingly admitted that Hikone's battle prowess was rather good as he had
managed to injure Kenpachi. But then-
"I finally got accustomed to your hardness!"
Ikkaku and Yumichika's admiration turned to one of wonderment.

Kenpachi rushed towards Hikone, drops of blood, dyeing his haori red.
"Yes, just as I thought..."
Stained scarlet, Kenpachi let his eye-patch flutter away in the wind. And as it did so, his reiatsu went
through the roof. A skull-like mass of violent reiatsu appeared behind him and opened its mouth.
"I'm having so much fun! You are a most entertaining one!"
The Phoenix Palace; Reiokyu:-

"Oh, so you are here."
Hearing Hyousube Ichibei's voice, Nimaiya Ouetsu looked over his shoulder and stood up. He had been
sitting on the cliff behind the Phoenix Palace and had been gazing up at the empty sky.
"What are you doing here, monk? It is rather rare to see you in a place like this, no?"
"Well, there were no signs of your presence in that gaudy bar full of female zanpakutos, so I thought I
would find you here."
The monk stood beside Ouetsu and looked up at the sky, stroking his beard.
"Hmm.. Ikomikidomoe is in the Kyogoku?"
"You see everything, don't you, monk? Guess I didn't even need to ask."
"Well, not as much as I would like to see, but you're not entirely wrong."
Sighing a little, the monk spoke again,
"Causality is a strange thing. The monster who was once on the level of a Vasto Lorde class Arrancar
among the Menos, and who had contended with them, has accomplished a different evolution."
"They had help, didn't they? Both the Tsunayashiro kid as well as the Fullbringer Princess.."
"Our role is to try and keep the 'bottom world' in its present form. It will not change the foundation of
all creation even if those who reign over this court changes."
"There you go again, with your dry sense of humour."
"No, no, I will have no hand in matters related to the ones down below. I am quite satisfied with the way
the Kyoraku boy runs things. We have a relationship with the ancestors of the Four Great Noble Houses;
but at the same time, there is no reason for us to favour the Tsunayashiro descendent whom I have
never met."
He settled himself comfortably behind the Phoenix Palace and peered down. Everything looked serene.
He nodded,
"Regardless of whether or not he possesses free will, the lynchpin will always stand in the sky,
preserving the current world in its present form. Everything will be fine. The ordinary peace, as we call
it."
He turned his head and looked towards the central part of the Reiokyu, flanked by the five floating
plates of the Zero Division. The monk laughed and spoke softly, following his line of sight,
"What say you, Revered Rei-o sama, or should I say - Your Majesty, Yhwach?"
Ancient times.
When the spiritual world had still not conpletely taken its current shape; when the Shinigami had no
weapons to call their own; Menos Grande prospered within Hueco Mundo. During the dawning era of
Hollows, their evolution was in a chaotic state. They evolved to the Adjuchas level. Unable to attain a
humanoid form and without strong will, they continued to exist over a long period of time.
One of these spirits of old, which was particularly powerful, fought against Baraggan Louisenbairn and a
few others who had reached a new form of evolution; a Vasto Lorde level Arrancar. It did not belong to
any group and fought against Baraggan's faction's hegemony amongst the sea of sand in Hueco Mundo.
A creature possessing intelligence that continued to evolve, possessing a torrent of reiryoku. It kept
devouring everything in its way, until one day it left Hueco Mundo and spread its influence towards the
World of the Living and the reishi-enriched Soul Society; where the Shinigami were impotent. It
continued to take in everything inside its own body, breaking down and destroying everything in its path
like a hurricane. A grotesque figure with unlimited evolution. This resembled the ability 'Glotoneria'
possessed by the Gilian which later came to be known as the Noveno Espada, but that is a different
story.
Unlike the aforementioned ability, it could not retain the abilities of those it had devoured but gained a
proliferative ability. Instead, the reiatsu of the ones it ate were inexhaustively accumulated within its
body. And thus its reiatsu, compressed within the body of an Adjuchas grew until it came to be
recognized by Baraggan, who governed 'senescence', as a 'walking disaster with infinite evolution'. The
two of them reached an agreement to never interfere with one another.
Then, one day, something happened. At the end of its battle with the Shinigami, including young
Yamamoto Shigekuni, it ascended to the sky by devouring the Rei-o, but was defeated by the monk and
sealed by Nimaiya Ouetsu.
It was given the name 'Ikomikidomoe'.
-"Be honoured that you were given such an elaborate name."
-"You being nothing more than a lump of Hollows and souls."
-"Remain here for eternity and let those Hollows indulge in cannibalism inside you."
-"Until the one who comes along and tames you; remain there till the end of time, and then devour the
soul of your owner."
The monk used 'Ichimonji' to deprive it of its name and rewrote a new name using 'Shin'uchi : Shirafude
Ichimonji'. Then, it was forged into a blade by Ouetsu with its reiatsu sealed in as it is.
Its original existence was not erased out of the reincarnation cycle because the eradication of the sheer
number of Hollows condensed within it was enough to tip the balance of the world.
And so, until the appearance of a Shinigami who would wield this power properly, it remained sealed by
Ouetsu at the very bottom of the Phoenix Palace.
Millennia flew past. The seal was violated and the blade was handed over to a child. A child who had not
passed any birthdays.
In the hands of someone who would become the Rei-o, this blade was destined to devour him.
Kyogoku; Palace Courtyard:-

The courtyard was transformed into a vast waste-land as a result of the ensuing battle. Grimmjow stood
facing Ikomikidomoe, his breathing shallow and ragged; yet he was grinning.
"So that's all you got?"
His entire body was covered in scars.
"For small fry, you are quite the wily one."
It was not just him, he who was directly in front; but Halibel, Neliel and the other Arrancars as well. Each
of them were wounded to some extent.
Ikomikidomoe was an aberration that encompassed the advantages possessed by each of the three
classes of Menos; Gilian, Adjuchas and Vasto Lorde, with the highest and deepest degree of spirit
consolidation. Despite its bulky build, it performed Sonido effortlessly, so much so, that the echo felt like
the nightmarish cry of the Nue. With such unstoppable speed, it appeared before the eyes; and plunged
in its claws with the force of a katana. Even if dodged and attacked back, it consumes reishi from the
surroundings and performs instant regeneration so that the wound closes up immediately.
{t/n: Cry of the Nue-often mentioned in old Japanese legends; like the Heike Monogatari; it signifies ill-
omen. The Nue is a chimaera-like yokai; depicted in Japanese folklore}
"My, my! This is turning unpleasant. At this rate, we will only end up exhausting our strength."
Halibel agreed with Dordoni's statement.
"This is the kind of opponent who will serve to only rob us of our breath."
"But that is no reason for us to give up."
Looking at Neliel, who had uttered this, Dordoni smiled a little. He squared his shoulders.
"Here I am, fighting alongside the lady who took the rank of 'Tres' away from me... Such is fate... Tastes
like liquor mixed in with chocolate."
"I do not understand that analogy very well. But it sounds delicious."
Judging from Neliel's serious expression, it was impossible to discern whether or not she spoke in jest.
"But now's not the time for such talk. We can put aside our differences for the time being."
Dordoni spoke loudly, glancing at Neliel,
"What are you talking about, Neliel? Did I do something to you in the past?"
He had tried to kill her when she was in her child form in order to bring out Ichigo's power.
"Let's just say that a lot has happened between you, me and Ichigo."
"Whatever do you mean? No, wait... That reiatsu...That hair colour.... Could you possibly be.... that
little Bebe?"
Dordoni appeared to look more and more dismayed as he pieced together bits of memory fragments.
Before Ikomikidomoe's claws could snake around his body, Dordoni yelled,
"It's regrettable that this isn't a one-on-one battle. Haven't had one in such a long time. But let's dance
together!"
He then released his ability.
"Whirl, Giralda."
Dordoni was engulfed by two snake-like tornadoes with a bony bird-beak attached to each tip. Because
of Szayelaporro's and Mayuri's modifications upon his body, his ability had been enhanced from the
time he had fought against Ichigo. The wind velocity had greatly increased, as it gouged out the
surrounding soil just by being there.
The twin cyclones raged through, creating a whirlwind of soil and earth. In harmony with Dordoni's
tornado, Halibel conjured a stream of muddy water using her own ability. The wind and water swirled
together, wrapping themselves around Ikomikidomoe and ensnaring it.
"You... impudent insects!"
The single eye embedded within the body of Ikomikidomoe glowed once more as it shot a Cero
outwards, blowing away the whirlwind of water; resulting in a large amount of steam which obstructed
vision. But then, the metallic sound of a blade rang out, right past its eye.
"Damn! It's really frustrating; having to put on the appendages that I once discarded. It's all that insane
scientist's fault."
The once who had exclaimed was Cirucci. She had entered her Resurreccion, 'Golondrina', which had
transformed her into a gigantic swallow-like bird with iron blades for feathers. The blades, whose
frequency of vibration had been highly increased due to body-modifications, pierced right through the
eye of Ikomikidomoe as it got distracted by a second tornado of wind, water and soil. Ikomikidomoe
made an angry noise. Its blindness and subsequent confusion lasted only for a moment. But that small
lapse was enough to create an opening for the Arrancars.
Neliel's quiet voice was heard over the raging storm.
"Lanzador Verde."
The fierce lance spun and built up reiryoku while it was thrown straight towards the enemy. This
weapon which could even penetrate the Hierro of Nnoitra, the Espada with the greatest degree of
impenetrability, lodged itself deeply into the single eye of Ikomikidomoe. It let out a scream of pain.
Charlotte struck up a pose.
"Oh? Oh? Oh? Not looking so great now, are you? Sorry to say, but your beauty does not even reach the
feet of Baraggan-sama!"
Leaping forward, Charlotte also entered his Resurreccion, 'Reina de Rosas'.
"Rosa Blanca."
Black thorns grew around them and began to envelop the body of Ikomikidomoe. The entirety of
Ikomikidomoe's large frame could not be concealed; just half of it. The pitch-black rose bush began to
suck out its reiatsu.
"You... You... You bastard!"
Ikomikidomoe did not stop thrashing around. It tried to break free of the rose bush by leaping up into
the sky but it could not; as it soon began to get exhausted due to lack of reiatsu.
"I'm sorry, you cannot escape this."
The large body of Ikomikidomoe was hammered into the ground by Meninas, despite her broken
fingers. It reflexively created multiple copies of itself in the air but they were consumed by the gaping
maw of Liltotto's mouth.
"That tasted awful. See ya! I gotta leave before I get caught up in the midst of those two freaks' battle."
Candice fired a series of lightning bolts from the sky.
"Hah! Let's see you crawl out of this one!"

The glittering lightning bolts illuminated the battle-field.
"Wow! They're like fireworks at a festival! Look, Bambi-chan!"
Giselle continued to shoot her Heilig Pfeil as she spoke pleasantly.
"It's fun, isn't it, Bambi-chan? So work hard, ok?"
In response to Giselle's voice, Bambietta clicked her fingers and the light arrows that fell from the sky as
rain turned into explosive flames; striking the body of Ikomikidomoe and lighting up the tornadoes and
the rose bush.
"Sorry to interrupt. It's my turn next; to hunt."
Grimmjow pooled in reiatsu into the claws of both his hands, creating five reishi lacerations using each
hand. This felt strangely nostalgic and uplifting to Grimmjow. In the past, he had usually been all by
himself, but perhaps it was a beast's instinct to hunt in packs. Like his brethren who had called him
'king'. Grimmjow did not linger on those thoughts as he prepared to land his blow upon his enemy.
Luppi, who was a little farther behind him, yelled out,
"That's my line, Grimmjow!"
The eight vines of 'Trepadora' began to bathe in reiatsu. The two of them yelled in unison,
"I will destroy you!"
As a massive amount of reiatsu began to accumulate in front of Ikomikidomoe, it tried to create a shield
of flesh using its multiplicative ability, but it stopped abruptly. Ikomikidomoe was puzzled by the feeling
of being paralyzed. It could not move its limbs, nor could it use its ability. Then, a voice was heard. The
voice of someone who had hidden himself until then.
"Although it took me some time to make readjustments; I can now easily alter your reiatsu. You gave me
too much time to observe."
"..?.."
"You thought I was some kind of underling, didn't you? And so you underestimated me. If Nakk Le Vaar
had been here, he'd probably say-"
Raising his fingers, NaNaNa Najahkoop smiled in pleasant remembrance of his former comrade.
"That's lethal!"
Even the vocal chords of Ikomikidomoe were paralyzed as the 'Underbelly' was used upon it; and
therefore it could not even scream out. As the 'U' pattern was lodged upon its body, all resistance it
could muster was completely removed.
Grimmjow Jaegerjaques' 'Desgarron' and Luppi Antennor's eightfold 'Gran Rey Cero'. Two attacks
coloured with the aspect of death known as 'destruction' were fired at exactly the same time.
Up in the sky:-
"....Ikomikidomoe..."
Hikone murmured.
"Worried about others in the midst of a fight?"
Kenpachi swung his sword.
"Ah...I apologize.."
Dodging Kenpachi's attack, Hikone asked,

"Could you please give me a little time?"
"Huh? What's your intention?"
Hikone smiled innocently.
"Of course, it is in preparation for killing you, yes!"
"Interesting! Bankai, you mean?"
Normally, it is common for a swordsman to strike before the opponent can try something new. But it
was different for Kenpachi. He was happy to wait and see what his opponent would come up with. If it
were Kyoraku, he would have stabbed Hikone from behind; but he was currently on the ground, facing a
different opponent.
"Bankai.... Maybe. I couldn't really say."
"Oh?"
"In case of Ikomikidomoe, 'Resurreccion' is perhaps a better term, don't you think?"
Saying so, Hikone took a sudden nose-dive towards the ground.
On the ground:-
"The bastard's still alive! Damn!"
Grimmjow said, in shock. Ikomikidomoe's body was now mostly fragmented and scattered. Yet it still
groaned.
"You... bastards... I... will... get back... my true name..."
"I don't know what it's trying to say, but I'll finish it off."
Grimmjow pierced his palm with his claws and prepared to shoot a Gran Rey Cero with his blood mixed
in. But before he could fire it, a voice was heard close by.
"Your name... it is already there."
Upon hearing Hikone's voice, everyone present there became instantly vigilant.
"Ikomikidomoe, you are my own zanpakuto."
Ikomikidomoe's voice trembled as if it was frightened by Hikone's innocent smile.
"That name...call out..."
Ignoring the appeal, Hikone thanked everyone present there.
"Thank you very much! Now let me weaken you, Ikomikidomoe!"
Grimmjow frowned. He did not understand Hikone's words.
Hikone now called out its full name.
"Ikomikidomoe Hououraku Hakkei."
{t/n: Hououraku Hakkei-"Eight picturesque views of the Fenghuang's fall". The Fenghuang is a mythical
bird; a very rough translation of such a bird in Western terminology would be a Phoenix. This full name
known as 'Ikomikidomoe Hououraku Hakkei' is littered with yin-yang references, signifying harmony and
balance. The first name Ikomikidomoe (己己巳己巴) contains the repeated kanji for 'serpent/self' as
well as the 'tomoe' symbol. And now with the addition of the kanji for 'Phoenix' in the full name, you
have the phoenix-dragon symbolism; signifying harmony, sexual ambiguity, etc. Basically, the first name
symbolizes a serpent feeding upon itself; creating a perfect harmony; and now with the addition of the
phoenix in the last name, we get a perfect synchronized balance. Sorry for rambling on, but Tite Kubo is
well-known for hiding tons of references in a name :P}
The creature's remains began to collapse as it shone white and wind wrapped around Hikone's body.
The next instant, the creature had returned to being a pure white katana, held in the hand of Hikone;
whose face took on a distinct Hollow-like appearance. Clad in a shihakusho with the shadow of a Hollow
creeping into his skin, Hikone's look was akin to that of an Arrancar.
A fusion of Shinigami and Hollow.
A mixture of black and white; yin and yang.
Clasped in Hikone's hand, the pure white zanpakuto developed black splotches on its surface. It was not
just the appearance that had changed.
As if all the missing pieces fell into place, Hikone's reiatsu completely evolved to resemble the one
above. The reiatsu of Ikomikidomoe was not simply added to Hikone's. This ancient reiatsu became the
key to unlock the Gentei Kaijo that was placed upon Hikone's body.
Those who sensed this unique reiatsu, although different from Aizen's, instinctively felt, rather than
understood, that this child was indeed suited to be the Rei-o.
"Well, see you all later!"
Even with such tremendous power, his personality and sexual ambiguity did not change. In the blink of
an eye, Hikone leapt towards the sky. He covered the huge distance from the ground to the sky with
what can only be described as 'godspeed', as though the surrounding movements were somehow
delayed for an instant.
He stood in the sky, awaiting to fulfill his duty of cutting down his greatest enemy; the owner of the title
'Kenpachi', the name given to the mightiest Shinigami.
Castle in the sky:-

"What is this reiatsu?"
Running towards the exit of the vast castle turret, Hisagi inadvertently came to a stop. As his entire body
was immersed by a cold, eerie feeling, he sensed intermingling reiatsus coming from down below him.
"Is that....Hikone's?"
Inside the Palace:-

Let us rewind time for a little bit. While Grimmjow and the others confronted Ikomikidomoe, Kyoraku
and Nanao faced Tokinada, who had just released the Shikai of his zanpakuto. Watching Tokinada's
zanpakuto, Nanao felt a sudden chill.
-There's no blade?
-No, that's not it.
-That sinister reiatsu...
-But there is definitely a zanpakuto in front of the guard.
Then why is it that I cannot see it?
There was a flash of light before. So does this zanpakuto manipulate light as well? If that's the case, then
perhaps the blade cannot be seen because of the refraction of light. But that still did not explain why the
wound on Tokinada's abdomen had disappeared. Voicing Nanao's doubts, Kyoraku asked Tokinada
warily,
"Apparently, that zanpakuto is no simple threat. Would you perhaps be kind enough to explain its
abilities?"
"You want an explanation? Hmm.."
Tokinada looked at the zanpakuto and smiled.
"Don't worry.. You will understand its ability soon enough."
Grasping the handle of the zanpakuto whose blade could not be seen, Tokinada said,
"In exchange for your life, Kyoraku Shunsui."
"That sounds disturbing. I'd prefer it if you ended it as gently as possible, you know.."
"Have you ended 'Yubikiri'? Then I'd say that I, too, would like to do it as gently as possible."
"Of course. It's better to not have a trial at all rather than having a bad one. I wouldn't mind dying, but
the upper nobility makes such a fuss.."
Kyoraku, who himself was from the senior nobility, spoke bitterly. Tokinada spoke,
"Oh, please. You are still a far cry from the House of Tsunayashiro. The family that has guarded Soul
Society's history for a million years."
"..."
"We are talking about judgment here, right? But let me assure you; I will reveal the truth behind it all."
"Ah.."
Hearing Kyoraku's soulful tone, Tokinada burst out laughing.
"Hahahaha! You must take me for a fool! Is that how you plan on plucking off my wings with your
nonsense? What a joke, Kyoraku!"
"The Four Great Noble Houses already had far too many wings from the time they were born. In
exchange for their might, they act as the pillars supporting the three worlds on their own; as the Soul
Society's cornerstone."
Kyoraku's voice was dripping with irony. Nanao had often hear Kyoraku mention the 'liabilities of the
nobility'. But did Tokinada understand its meaning?
"Are you saying that the descendants are in no position to speak as they themselves did not pollute their
own hands?"
"Well, at least there's one thing we both agree on; given your position."
"..?.."
Tokinada sensed something move behind him and reflexively moved aside; thus mitigating the damage
from Yoruichi’s kick. But her turning kick caused him to be blown off.
“Sorry, your conversation was too long; I got impatient.”
However, another Shinigami got ahead of Tokinada before he could recover.
“Bankai.. Tekken Tachikaze!”
Muguruma’s knuckle blades made contact with Tokinada’s body and a chain of blasts exploded
outwards from his fists; blowing away Tokinada’s internal organs, strewing them in the opposite
direction.
“An improvised collaboration. You were quick on the uptake.”
At Yoruichi’s rough tone, Muguruma looked down at Tokinada.
“Is he dead?”
“But don’t let your guard down; although it was overkill on your part.”
“So that blade is invisible, after all?”
He could not imagine what sort of ability it possessed, but it was always feasible to be wary of
something that was invisible.
“No. For a moment there, it felt like I could see the blade. But that was only for an instant.”
Yoruichi moved closer, but suddenly stopped short.
“What’s going on?”
Her feet, which had just been slashed by the invisible blade, felt very heavy, all of a sudden. In the few
seconds when she stopped her feet with a sense of discomfort, Tokinada stood up; laughing.
“Well, well.. Whoever said I was bad at acting?”
His kimono was torn up, but the gashes upon his body had disappeared.
“You’re unscathed?”
At Muguruma’s question, Tokinada’s smile widened. As the others intensified their vigilance, Tokinada
gripped the handle of his zanpakuto tightly; a zanpakuto without a blade.
“I won’t die so quickly, but I wouldn’t want to be suffering in the most ridiculous manner possible when I
do happen to die.”
Tokinada spoke, slowly turning the hilt of his zanpakuto. At the same time when Tokinada spoke to
Kyoraku and the others, something else was happening up in the sky; Hikone was heading up towards
the air, watched by the Quincies and the Arrancars. A cold feeling struck the Shinigami down below.
Even Ikkaku and Yumichika, whose gaze was fixed upon Hikone facing Kenpachi; felt it too.
Kyoraku sensed another reiatsu as well; the reiatsu of a beast welling up from the ground. Grabbing
Nanao’s hand, he sprang aside, as a bear-sized spherical figure passed by them, He could feel the danger
of getting close to it run through his entire body. It was a large sphere, about three metres in diameter,
with gigantic fangs protruding from its muzzle. Kyoraku’s eyes widened as he recognized the creature.
“This is...”
The one close to him was not the only one. There were quite a few of them across the courtyard, with
their gaping maws. The technique used by Kyoraku’s old friend, Kenpachi Kuruyashiki, the 7th
generation Kenpachi.
“...Gagaku Kairo...”
“What’s wrong, Kyoraku? You look like you’ve seen a ghost. Does this look familiar?”
Tokinada asked, spreading his arms wide apart. As the huge jaws approached, Kyoraku pushed Nanao
into the shadows.
“Oh, I certainly am familiar with this. This feels like watching a dead man come back to life.”
Kyoraku spoke bitterly as he sank into the shadows with one of the creatures.
“Ho? So even your enemies can get dragged into the shadows of your zanpakuto? I didn’t know that.”
Tokinada laughed pleasantly as he began to gauge where Kyoraku would emerge from.
“Will you first ensure the safety of that woman? Or will you fight me for using the technique of your
fallen friend?”
Tokinada provoked. As if in response, Kyoraku answered by letting his blade protrude from beneath
Tokinada’s feet. Tokinada jumped back to avoid it, but Yoruichi managed to get close to him. As every
cell inside her feet seemed to scream out in agony, she, somehow, unexpectedly, managed to drag her
feet towards Tokinada and tried to aim a kick.
But then, a swarm of sakura petals swirled around her leg as blood splashed out. Fortunately, the
wounds were not very deep. If she had actually kicked him, the tiny petals would have chopped her leg
into fine dust.
“There’s no mistaking it.. It’s..Byakuya’s..”
Yoruichi gasped; the blizzard of blades had already disappeared.
“Oh no.. Don’t tell me..”
Glancing at the fleeting appearance of the blade, Kyoraku realized the true ability of Enrakyoten.
The heaviness in Yoruichi’s feet. Disappearing scratches and gashes. The gorging monster of ‘Gagaku
Kairo’. And finally the squall of petals of ‘Senbonzakura’. Upon watching the last two in action, it was
becoming undeniably clear.
-The ability to freely imitate the powers of other zanpakuto.
As if to scorn Muguruma who had attacked him, Tokinada decided upon a new tactic.
He suddenly struck one knee to the ground and hit the ground with his fist. In his fist was clasped a disc-
shaped blade. As soon as it touched the ground, the earth near his knee shattered. The soil rose up, the
shards sped forwards to impale Muguruma as well as the Arrancars and Quincies who had joined in the
fray as opponents of the creatures of Gagaku Kairo.
“Hey, this guy’s zanpakuto... Maybe..”
As Muguruma diffused the debris with his zanpakuto and landed next to Kyoraku and Nanao, who had
emerged from the shadows; he expressed his doubts. Kyoraku mouthed off the names one after
another, as if confirming Muguruma’s doubts.
“Let’s see...’Wabisuke’, ‘Hisagomaru’, ‘Senbonzakura’, ‘Tsuchinamazu’..”
When Kyoraku mentioned the last zanpakuto’s name, Tokinada smiled as though in admiration.
“My.. Do you know the names of the zanpakuto of all the seated officers?”
This zanpakuto belonged to Kurumadani Zennosuke, the Shinigami who had been in charge of Karakura
Town.
“Well, I am the Captain Commander of the Gotei, after all. But I didn’t think it was possible for
‘Hisagomaru’ to mitigate such great damage.”
“It depends upon the reiatsu of the wielder. ‘Hisagomaru’ is useful. When Seinosuke’s brother uses it, it
may not be that potent, but since I am the one using it, even fatal wounds do not pose a threat to me.”
‘Hisagomaru’, the zanpakuto belonging to Yamada Hanataro was not a sword meant to harm. It healed
the injuries of its target. Kyoraku guessed that Tokinada had activated its ability before Muguruma had
attacked him by cutting his own body.
-But Hanataro’s zanpakuto could not have healed such immense injuries.
-Is Tokinada really adjusting it with his own reiatsu?
When Nanao realized that Yoruichi failed to hit Tokinada because of ‘Wabisuke’, Kira Izuru’s zanpakuto,
she shivered, and told Kyoraku,
“No way... Surely he can’t use them all freely? There has to be some limitations.”
Kyoraku was carefully scrutinizing Tokinada’s face to see if he gave himself away. But Kyoraku did not
have the luxury of time as Tokinada utilized the next wave of attacks.
A maelstrom of ash swiftly surrounded him.
“It’s ‘Haineko’!”
Nanao screamed as she recognized it. Kyoraku tried to avoid making contact with the whirlwind of ash,
but he was also cornered by the creatures generated from ‘Gagaku Kairo’. There was nowhere to run
since the swirling ash hindered the creation of shadows. Tokinada anticipated this and pressured him
further,
“Hado 58: Tenran!”
A tornado rolled up; the wind and ash tried to wrap around Kyoraku with great speed. He barely
managed to escape the ash using Hoho, but another problem arose. Tokinada’s Kido had scattered the
ash over a wide area and the others all fell into its grasp one after the other. But then-
“Cascada!”
A waterfall swept away the wind, the ash and the creatures all together; clearing the air.
“I do not recall this ability belonging to him.”
Halibel spoke, recalling how Hitsugaya’s subordinate had used it against the Tres Bestias in Karakura
Town. She turned her attention to Tokinada’s zanpakuto.
“And about those creatures... Is it similar to Aaronierro’s ability, Glotoneria?”
The rest of the Arrancars and the Quincies continued to battle against the creatures of Gagaku Kairo.
They realized that their present source of danger was no longer Hikone, but Tokinada. Hikone was
currently high up in the sky; at a higher altitude than the floating castle. Down below, in addition to the
Quincies and the Arrancars, reinforcements arrived on the side of the Shinigami.
“I got rid of those things. Hey, where did Kenpachi go? I seem to feel Ikomikidomoe’s reiatsu along with
Hikone’s coming from high up.”
It was Hirako.
“Captain Hirako! You’re safe!”
Hirako grinned at Kyoraku as he joined them.
“Of course I’m fine! But I suddenly saw Rangiku-chan’s ‘Haineko’ and I was wondering..”
“That was Tokinada’s doing. Listen, I’ll tell you straight away. His zanpakuto can imitate the abilities of
other zanpakuto. At least, we’ve seen six of them in action so far.”
“You serious? Damn, more trouble!”
Hirako spoke fervently, with a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.
“If he uses the abilities of ‘Sakanade’, can you flip it back by using your own ‘Sakanade’?”
“The idea is fascinating, no doubt, but it’ll be difficult. But I’ll try somehow. But if it’s the Bankai, we’re
finished.”
Hirako looked around; there were quite a lot of people. He had been using Sakanade for a very long
time, so it was easy enough for him to understand how the reversal would benefit him the most. But to
counter this very ability while he himself was using Sakanade, would be next to impossible, since he
would have to completely focus on doing complicated calculations within his head, exposing him to the
dangers of the usage of multiple zanpakuto by Tokinada.
“Just thinking about it is frightening, isn’t it?”
Tokinada sneered. As Halibel directed another stream of water towards him, Tokinada countered it.
The surroundings flared up as the ground was set ablaze. The water manipulated by Halibel evaporated
instantaneously.
“...Ryujin Jakka...”
Kyoraku gasped, recalling the time when he and Ukitake had confronted Yamamoto in order to prevent
Rukia’s execution.
“Feeling nostalgic, Kyoraku?”
“No, I feel relieved. The heat is not as scorching as Yama-ji’s.”
But inwardly, Kyoraku did not think it was alright to relax, because Tokinada’s reiatsu was at par with
Kuchiki Byakuya’s and Shihoin Yoruichi’s, the other aristocrats from the Four Great Noble Houses. The
members of the Four Great Noble Houses were famous for their immense reiatsu, but it did not mean
that they had reached the outskirts of common sense, unlike Yama-ji.
“I wonder how things would have turned out if that zanpakuto were to be wielded by that child?”
There was irony in Kyoraku’s voice.
“Hikone would have been ineffective. Be it ‘Engetsu’ or ‘Hyorinmaru’, he would have had an affability
with only one particular kind of zanpakuto.”
Tokinada replied while he manipulated the flames. Kyoraku narrowed his eyes
-This is the family treasure of the House of Tsunayashiro. So it can certainly be said that it was meant to
watch over history.
-No wonder it could handle the reiatsu of those who had made history, like Yama-ji and Aizen..
-Wait. What did I just say? Aizen?
-Oh no...
Kyoraku had a premonition of impending doom. It was so fearful that it sent a shock throughout his
entire body. As if sensing Kyoraku’s fear and the fluctuation in his reiatsu, Tokinada held out his palms,
“Bakudo 21: Sekienton.”
Red smoke exploded, covering the wasteland that was once the courtyard.
-No, no, no. Everyone, watch out!
Kyoraku feared that ‘it’ was about to be used. To be honest, from the time he had figured out the
zanpakuto’s ability, the possibility of ‘it’ was always present within his subconscious, but he was so
afraid of that thought, that he had pushed it to the back of his mind.
-Don’t look..
-Close your eyes..
Kyoraku’s brain was screaming out. He wanted to warn the others, but he felt like his throat had
stopped working. Almost as if on cue, Tokinada’s voice rang out, loud and clear.
“Da-ru-ma...san..”
-Wait, what?
It was one of the techniques of ‘Katen Kyokotsu’. When the enemy has launched an attack using reiatsu,
this technique traces their reiatsu and travels towards them using the shortest distance possible. The
fact that the technique was activated meant that if Tokinada was ‘seen’, the opponent ‘wins’ and lands a
fatal blow. In other words, if Tokinada is ‘not seen’, then the opponent ‘loses’. The first thing that
Kyoraku’s mind registered was Nanao’s fluctuating reiatsu.
-Is she using Kido to try and clear the red smoke? Or was she trying to set up a barrier?
Kyoraku had no choice but to open his uninjured left eye in order to protect Nanao. But what he saw
approaching, was not the scimitar of Katen Kyokotsu, but a sword with a spear-head attached to one
end of a floral structure, extending out from a whip.
“Eh? Is this Rose-kun’s?”
-From within the smoke?
-Was he bluffing...?
-Has the game not been activated...?
-I can’t close my eyes if it’s indeed ‘Daruma san’. It is a flawless technique.
The blade was approaching Nanao’s blind spot.
-I can’t do anything if my eyes are shut!
Such thoughts rapidly crossed Kyoraku’s mind, finally leading to one deadly conclusion.
-Oh no!
Kyoraku yelled out in panic,
“Close your eyes! Don’t look!”
But he did not make it in time. Before the others could grasp the meaning of the warning, Tokinada had
already ensnared them in ‘it’s’ spell.
“Look.”
They had already fallen prey to ‘it’.
To some people, the approaching blade appeared to be the numerous petals of Senbonzakura. To some,
it appeared to be the hungry maws of Gagaku Kairo. To some, it was the ash of Haineko. Even Hirako,
who had figured it out at around the same time Kyoraku did, saw the extending blade of ‘Shinso’
approaching. He had heard Kyoraku’s warning, but his battle-hardened optical reflexes made it
impossible for him to close his eyes.
There was no avoiding ‘it’.
A sound was heard; as if the surroundings shattered like glass. Kyoraku and Hirako expected this. But the
rest of the Shinigami and the Arrancars were startled as they finally realized what was going on. The
Quincies who were unfamiliar with this, looked confused, sceptical.
As soon as they began to fathom the situation, that was when the Shikai of Aizen Sosuke’s zanpakuto,
‘Kyoka Suigetsu’, shattered.
-----------------
“Whatever is going on down below? And just how big is this damn tower, anyway?”
Hisagi kept running frantically within the palace; seeking a way out. Although it was true that he had left
the Throne Room, the exit to the entire Palace was nowhere to be found. However, with every step he
took towards a certain direction, he could sense various reiatsu getting closer to him. Earlier, he had
sensed Hikone’s swollen reiatsu clashing with Kenpachi’s violent one.
“I just hope I’m not too late!”
As long as the exit eluded him, he could only hope that Hikone and Kenpachi had not begun killing each
other.
All of a sudden, Hisagi could sense a few other familiar reiatsu.
-That’s the Captain Commander’s! And Yoruichi-san’s! And Captain Muguruma’s!
But that was not all.
-Wait.. Arrancars? Quincies?
-What on earth are they doing here?
Hisagi ran, his heart beating very fast. Anxiety built up within him as he realized-
“The Captain Commander’s reiatsu is beginning to weaken..”
Terror welled up inside Hisagi.
-If Hikone is fighting against Captain Zaraki, then what is the cause of the Captain Commander’s
weakening reiatsu?
-The unfamiliar reiatsu close to the Captain Commander.. It could only belong to Tsunayashiro Tokinada.
Hisagi continued to run; desperately suppressing his frustration. Finally, he came across a pool of light
streaming in. He ran towards it.
-A window!
He climbed up on the window-sill and looked outside. A gentle breeze caressed his cheeks.
This was no tower. It was floating in the sky.
“Just like the Reiokyu.”
From his position high up in the air, the scene overhead was truly a sight to behold. There were two
faraway shooting stars trying to chase one another. For an instant, Hisagi was bewitched by this sight.
He then looked down towards the direction of Kyoraku’s reiatsu, and squinted,
“Oh my goodness!”
He noticed the Arrancars and Quincies on the Shinigami’s side. And one single Shinigami was
pressurizing everyone in the battlefield.
Without hesitation, Hisagi jumped from the window-sill; heading for the battlefield spreading beneath
him.
He was not aware that the darkness of the Soul Society would soon envelop him in that very battlefield.
Chapter 4
-So this is the Reiokyu.
-I can understand how you feel, Your Majesty.
-What are you talking about, Haschwalth?
-I do not feel any emotion upon gazing at this decaying grave-stone.
--------------
Palace Courtyard; just under the castle in the sky:-
Hisagi gracefully landed right in the middle of the battlefield.
Kyoraku looked at him in amazement.
“Is that really you... Shuhei-kun?”
In Hisagi’s eyes, Kyoraku looked quite maimed; although none of his injuries seemed fatal. Nanao, too,
had a couple of wounds here and there.
There was something wrong with the combatants; each of them seemed to concentrate only on
defense. Everyone seemed afraid to move or attack.
Besides, there were an odd assortment of people gathered here in this battlefield. He remembered
fighting some of the Quincies six months ago. He also recognized the Espada who had fought against
Hitsugaya in Karakura Town. And then there was Mayuri’s Corpse Unit. They were all looking at Hisagi in
a strange way, a look he couldn’t fathom.
“Shuhei... Why are you here?”
Muguruma, down on one knee, asked him in surprise. Yumichika raised his voice.
“Lieutenant Hisagi, are you really here?”
Ikkaku spoke up,
“No wait, Yumichika. That can’t really be him.”
Hisagi did not understand what was going on. Everywhere he looked, eyes filled with suspicion were
turned towards him.
Hisagi ran towards Kyoraku, hoping to get some answers,
“What’s happening, Captain Commander?”
But he was forced to halt mid-step as he noticed the tip of Katen Kyokotsu being pointed straight at him.
“Captain Commander...?”
“My bad, Shuhei-kun.. No.. Lieutenant Hisagi..”
Wiping blood off his face; Kyoraku had on his usual smile; still pointing his sword at Hisagi.
“There are lots of things I’d like to hear about from you; like the fact that you’re here and were a witness
to the event in Karakura Town. But right now, it’s better if we keep our distance from each other.”
“I don’t understand.. What on earth are you...?”
From behind, he heard a voice. It was unfamiliar to him.
“Who are you? How did you get in here?”
“...”
“You were not among those present in Kyoraku’s group. I did not sense you penetrating the barrier..”
Hisagi inquired, still facing away,
“Are you....Tsunayashiro Tokinada?”

“How very rude of you to not use an honorific.”
Tokinada looked as the Lieutenant of the 9th Division turned towards him, but then his expression
cleared and he smiled pleasantly,
“Oh, I know who you are. You were in Karakura Town. Did you use the Tenkai Kecchu without
permission?”
Tokinada spread out his hands in a welcoming gesture as he continued speaking.
“As you so rightly stated just now, I am indeed Tsunayashiro Tokinada. And I am honoured to meet such
a promising Shinigami such as yourself, Lieutenant Hisagi Shuhei.”
“...”
“No, perhaps I should rephrase that. I would be very happy if you would write an article praising me in
the Seireitei Communications, Hisagi Shuhei.”
“You...?”
“What’s wrong? I’d say that you have plenty of material here to work with. How about an article stating
how Kyoraku Shunsui started a rebellion by joining forces with Arrancars and Quincies? You might want
to see to it right away so that it makes the morning news tomorrow.”
Listening to those words, Hisagi came to a very simple conclusion. This man was ‘evil’, and that this kind
of ‘evil’ was completely different from how the term was used in case of Aizen and Yhwach. He had
learnt from Tosen that there was no clear distinction between right and wrong. ‘Justice’ and ‘evil’
depended on perspective. Unlike some of the criminals he had interviewed in the past, this man was no
rogue ruffian either. But Hisagi’s instinct told him that this man was ‘pure evil’. Such black malice
dripped from Tokinada’s soul. Such a man was never tried by the Central 46 and was even allowed to
become the Head of one of the Four Great Noble Houses. Hisagi now knew that Kyoraku was trying to
do the exact thing that the Central 46 had opted to ignore: to oppose this man.
“I would have to disagree. You see, in my opinion, the readers would enjoy an article about your
downfall much more than one that sings your praise.”
Hisagi boldly retaliated, sword in hand.
“As a journalist, is it ethical to allow personal grudges to seep into your work? Shouldn’t you always
maintain neutrality?’
“Even if I kept up my fairness; from what I know about you, you are most definitely not a good person.”
To Hisagi, Tokinada was a clear ‘enemy’ because he had tried to kill Kyoraku. However, there were a few
other issues that needed to be taken care of.
“Tell me what you intend to do with Hikone.”
“Oh, you know Hikone?”
Tokinada shrugged for a moment, but then he seemed to remember something and nodded.
“Oh, right. Hikone did mention meeting a ‘kind Shinigami’ at the Pharmaceuticals Institute.”
“I’m asking you what you stand to gain by turning him into the Rei-o.”
“In order for the Shinigami to dominate over the three worlds, it is necessary to repaint the values of the
World of the Living and Hueco Mundo. Hikone was created for this purpose. It’s as simple as that.”
Hisagi’s wrath spilled over as he heard Tokinada’s unconcerned tone of voice.
“He is a person, not a tool!”
“You seem to misunderstand. Hikone is definitely a tool, but I think it’s ridiculous for you to suggest that
he has to think, feel, shout, cry, despair like a person. Hikone does not have his own will and leaves all
the thinking to me.”
“You bastard!”
“I don’t see what the problem is here. Hikone is not a person and that’s a fact. He is a vessel I created so
that I can use him as a figure-head and rule over the three worlds myself from the shadows. I don’t
understand why idiots keep talking about things like ‘attachment’.”
Tokinada shrugged his shoulders, without any qualms about his own action. He smiled a little wryly.
“Emotions are way too unimportant. Just like death. Whether someone tortures you by crushing your
lungs, or whether you yourself is gladly tearing out your own chest, in the end it’s still death. It’s trivial,
really.”
Liltotto, who was afraid to move a muscle because of the ‘complete hypnosis’, recalled a conversation
from the past, her mouth dry.
-That bastard Tokinada just mentioned something about ‘suffering and death’, didn’t he?
-...Yes! I will do my best to suffer as much as possible!”
-That wasn’t a metaphor!
“You... Did you really ask Hikone to do the same?”
“And why should I give you my reasons?”
Hisagi’s voice shook as he desperately tried to suppress the anger that was born inside him. Glaring at
Tokinada, he said,
“All the options I had other than killing you... Well... Sorry to say, but I am rapidly exhausting each one of
them.”
“Oh, you had that option from the onset, did you? But it’s impossible for you.”
Tokinada brushed off Hisagi’s comment. But after a moment, he looked at Hisagi with interest.
“I don’t understand you. You met Hikone only once in the Pharmaceuticals Institute, right? Why do you
care so much?”
-No, I met him twice.
But Hisagi answered without correcting that mistake,
“Even if I hadn’t met him before; I wouldn’t have remained silent, knowing that he was being used by a
lowlife like you.”
“What’s this? Chivalry? Or compassion? Whatever be the case, just give up.”
Tokinada sounded bored as he continued to speak about Hikone.
“Trying to save Hikone would be a mistake on your part. He does not know how to live other than by
working under me. I taught him to live that way; he doesn’t even know any other way. I am never
violent with him nor do I reward him. I present myself to him just as I am. He is happy that way. Why do
you want to deprive him of his happiness? Are you sure you’re not doing this out of a sense of self-
satisfaction?”
Hisagi was able to understand the exact relationship between Hikone and Tokinada. This relationship did
not involve domination by fear nor expectation of pleasure. Reversing innocence and ignorance, this
man named Tokinada presented himself as the world itself. By turning Hikone into a god, he is trying to
raise himself to the same status as the world itself.
-Something like that is...

Hisagi swallowed his anger and released his zanpakuto.
“Reap, Kazeshini."
Just as he released his Shikai, the collar of his clothes was grabbed by Kyoraku, his other hand holding
Nanao. Kyoraku jumped to a different position; forcibly dragging Hisagi along with him.
“Wha-?”
The next moment he felt himself falling into pitch-black darkness.
Tokinada glanced behind him, at the raging flames created by his own ‘Ryujin Jakka’. Then he looked at
the flickering shadows caused by the fire and smiled.
“You sure are overprotective of your subordinates, aren’t you? But was that a good idea, Kyoraku?
Entrusting your last hope to a Shinigami like him?”
--------------
Within the shadows:-
“...Kyoka Suigetsu?”
Hisagi had been dragged into the shadows by Katen Kyokotsu’s ‘Kageoni’.
“All of us here, with the sole exception of yourself have seen the moment of release, not counting
Captain Zaraki who is not here in this battlefield. The fellowship is in a state of fear and everyone is
afraid to even move. Even the Quincies have realized this. Tokinada can use the abilities of other
zanpakuto.”
Upon closer inspection, Hisagi noticed that Kyoraku had burns on his body as well as various wounds.
Hisagi did not need any further explanations. The attacks were ‘misidentified’ because of Kyoka
Suigetsu’s ‘complete hypnosis’. If you think you have dodged the flames by a wide margin, the flames
end up damaging your body, since it was closer than it appeared. If you think you have outmatched the
speed at which the flame spreads, it ends up engulfing you. It was Kyoraku’s hypothesis that since most
of the reiryoku was being poured into Kyoka Suigetsu’s ability, the performance of the other zanpakuto
had fallen somewhat.
“To be honest, I am glad that Captain Zaraki’s hands are full at the moment.. That child is as much of a
threat as Kyoka Suigetsu is.”
“Such a dangerous zanpakuto! What are we going to do?”
“Tokinada’s reiatsu is far lesser than Aizen’s. Therefore, I think there is a limit to his ‘complete hypnosis’.
Regardless, he is still a formidable foe.”
“He is in charge of the Visuals Department. So it’s possible that he can use only those abilities which he
has seen through the recordings.”
Hisagi nodded.
“Yes.. That woman called Aura, who is Tokinada’s subordinate, practically admitted to having observed
every single battle that took place in the fake Karakura Town.”
“They seem pretty well-informed. He must have observed Rukia-chan and Ichigo-kun as well. I wouldn’t
be surprised if I were told that he had been connected to Aizen behind the scenes.”
Although Kyoraku reluctantly stated such a thing, he knew that the possibility was slim, knowing Aizen’s
nature. Aizen’s alliance with Tokinada and the House of Tsunayashiro would have definitely brought
about a backlash from Tosen. But then there was also the fact that the Tsunayashiro family members
were killed in the exact same manner as the previous Central 46.
“Anyway, we cannot afford to fight thinking that there is a limit to the opponent’s abilities. Knowing
him, he might even be faking it before pulling the rug from beneath our feet at the last moment. He
thrives on other people’s despair.”
“He’s the worst, isn’t he?”
“Shuhei-kun, it was I who asked you to write the article about his inauguration, it was I who dragged you
into this mess. If we do get out of this alive, I’ll lower my head as many times as necessary.”
Kyoraku’s tone was light , but Hisagi could see the depth of his wounds and tension. Perhaps Kyoraku
was trying to behave as normally as possible to set Nanao’s mind at ease, but it wasn’t working. Noticing
Nanao’s uneasiness, Hisagi immediately responded to Kyoraku’s anxiety.
“I’ll do it, Captain Commander. I will kill him.”
“But... Lieutenant Hisagi...”
Nanao looked worried.
“I know that, given my ability, you have every reason to have doubts. But perhaps I could do something
to wrench that zanpakuto off him.”
Kyoraku stared at Hisagi’s eyes.
-It’s obvious you’re really frightened; even though you’re being so adamant and resolute.
Looking at Hisagi, who was willing to head out into a death battle with fear in his heart, Kyoraku let out a
sigh and asked him a question.
“During your time at the Shino Reijutsuin, was ‘battle training in the dark’ still taught as a compulsory
subject?”
--------------
“Do you hear me, Kyoraku? How about you come out now?”
Tokinada, smiling, was scrutinizing the innumerable shadows around him, created by the flames.
“I don’t mind if you decide to shut yourself within the shadows until everything is over, but your army
has gone out of breath.”
Tokinada then turned to Yoruichi.
“Shihoin Princess, I’ve thought of something great. How about I finish you off with ‘Suzumebachi’? The
zanpakuto belonging to the girl who loves you so. I’ve already placed the Homonka upon your body. But
I won’t use ‘Nigekikessatsu’ right now.”
Yoruichi stood up with fearless laughter, but her wounds were not shallow at all.
“Talk about bad taste. Showing me mercy?”
“I’ll do it right in front of her. I can’t wait to see the kind of face she’ll make. Hahaha!”
“The world is full of irony. My final epitaph will be composed in front of the very person who wanted to
kill me with this very power in the first place. Things sure came full circle.”
“Is it really the world’s that full of irony? Or is it because of the man known as Urahara Kisuke?”
Tokinada suddenly sensed reiatsu springing up from the shadow behind him. Standing behind him were
Kyoraku, Nanao; and-
Hisagi holding Kazeshini, with both his eyes closed.
When Tokinada saw the three of them, he burst out laughing.
“Hey, don’t make me laugh so much, Kyoraku! Don’t tell me you dragged him into the shadows just for
this.”
Looking at Hisagi who stood in front with his eyes shut, it was easy enough to understand what their
intention was. He was not under the spell of Kyoka Suigetsu’s ‘complete hypnosis’, so they wanted him
to avoid seeing the Shikai release.
“That’s not it. It’s not that simple.”
Tokinada narrowed his eyes a little.
-You want to substitute him for a detector?
Hisagi was a Shinigami who was proficient in long-range combat. As he attacked, he would convey the
location of reiatsu to Kyoraku using his voice and attack direction. This would help to confirm the
identity of an ally or Tokinada himself.
-Naive of you, Kyoraku.
-I can overwrite his voice, figure and the trajectory of attack with ‘complete hypnosis’.
But in order to reproduce perfectly, it was necessary for Tokinada to closely pay attention to Hisagi’s
voice and method of combat. If there was even the slightest incongruity, Kyoraku would recognize it and
respond accordingly
-I cannot be careless but I won’t kill him right away either.
When he had had the absolute upper-hand at ‘complete hypnosis’, he had not been on high alert. It
might seem like a contradiction , but Tokinada was actually keenly interested in making the enemies slay
each other without having to do much himself.
“Your last ray of hope.. I will extinguish it soon.”
With his own field of vision closed, Tokinada’s voice clearly echoed in Hisagi’s ears. He roughly gauged
Tokinada’s location from his voice. Hisagi’s reikaku was in agreement with his auditory senses.
Sharpening his reikaku, he gradually began to get used to the dark.
At the Shino Reijutsuin, he had learned how to fight in the dead of the night when not even a sliver of
the moon shone. It was possible to create light using Kido, but the basic idea was to fight spiritual
entities like Hollows by refining the reikaku as much as possible. Of course, it was not possible to
determine the precise trajectory of an attack in comparison to fighting with the field of view intact. The
theory was to maintain a certain distance from the opponent.
But the opponent facing Hisagi was no lower ranking Hollow, but a Captain-class Shinigami with a most
lethal zanpakuto.
He could sense Senbonzakura’s power. Fighting such an ability with eyes closed was indeed terrifying,
but Hisagi remained calm.
-Captain Tosen always fought like this..
-No, not quite. I can still feel the light through my shut eyelids. Captain Tosen was completely blind.
Tosen, who had a good sense of hearing and spiritual perception right from childhood, once told him,
“I could feel what my friend saw in the night sky. There were clouds in the sky.”
Tosen perceived and sensed more than a normal person. Hisagi thought that perhaps he would be able
to perceive the movements of the clouds in the sky without looking at them. Naturally, he could not. He
had none of Tosen’s senses. Hisagi used to believe that there was nothing more frightening than what
Tosen used to experience; absolute darkness.
But then he remembered Tosen’s words when he had been stabbed.

-I am afraid.
-I’ve had the same fear for over a hundred years.
-The fear of assimilating and dying as a Shinigami.
That was Tosen’s reply to Hisagi’s question-
-What is it that you fear now, Captain? Where is the fear that guided you?
Hisagi also recalled Tosen’s conversation with Komamura; words that he was able to take in even
through his vague and flickering consciousness as he was kicked from a rooftop.
-If someone were to join an organization for the sake of revenge, then lose sight of his true purpose and
become complacent in his peaceful new life, wouldn’t you call that depravity?
-What is justice?
-To forgive the one who killed my beloved friend?
-That would certainly be virtuous. Beautiful, even. Sickeningly so.
-But does that make it just?
-No. To live out my life in peace, while the dead goes unavenged..
-This is ‘evil’.
That may have been the very first real tears that the man named Tosen Kaname had ever displayed.
Such bottomless fury, despair and fear in that voice.
Hisagi was able to find the strength to stand up again without losing consciousness precisely because he
had heard that voice.
Tosen had continued to live for a long time, harbouring his anger and fear. He never once forgot it, nor
did he try to cast it aside. He continued to walk with all that pain and suffering. It must have seemed like
hell to him.
Why did he have to suffer so much?
The answer to Hisagi’s question was right in front of him. The man who drove Tosen down the path of
destruction, the source of Tosen’s rage. The man who found amusement in terror.
Eyes still closed, Hisagi turned towards the direction from which he felt Tokinada’s reiatsu and opened
his mouth.
“Tell me one thing.”
“What? More questions? A commoner interrogating me? What has the world come to... Well, spill it...”
Tokinada asked, sounding uninterested. Hiding his anger and fear, Hisagi asked him,
“You were watching it too, weren’t you? When Captain Komamura and I fought against Captain Tosen?”
“It was a real pain, I’ll have you know, to try and hack into the Technology Department’s surveillance
equipment.”
Tokinada’s tone was indifferent. Hisagi was finding it more and more difficult to suppress his anger.
“You must have seen it! You must have seen Captain Tosen’s death!”
Hisagi took a step towards Tokinada, emotions swelling up within his heart, his voice breaking down,
“Y-you must have heard Captain Tosen’s cries!”
Tokinada nodded.
“I saw all of it. You ripping open his head and throat and then Aizen pulverizing him. It’s frustrating that I
didn’t have front-row seats.”
Tokinada smiled, the very personification of evil. He narrowed his eyes and added,
“I’ve seen him cry in a better voice a long time ago.. Oh yes.”
It was then that Hisagi completely snapped. The dam inside him broke; anger came flooding out,
surpassing all other emotion. Keeping his eyes shut tight, so as to tether Tosen’s teachings close to him,
he threw one of Kazeshini’s blades towards Tokinada; his mind no longer listening to reason.
Avoiding the attack, Tokinada cried out,
“His cry resonated with my heart! His tears were so exciting, hilarious, glorious as well as pitiful! Who
would have thought that the seeds of entertainment that I planted so long ago would turn out this way.
The blade pointed towards me is overflowing with it. I must thank you, young warrior, for getting rid of a
rebel!”
“One more word out of your mouth, and I swear I’ll...”
“To put it in another way.. I knew that he always had it in for me. What I didn’t know was that he had
been working with Aizen. When Urahara Kisuke was sentenced, I was convinced that one of the real
culprits was Tosen. But I didn’t bother telling the Central 46 because it was way too much trouble.”
Upon hearing this, Hirako and Muguruma stared at Tokinada in shock. But ‘Senbonzakura’ and ‘Shinso’
had rendered the two of them immobile, they could barely even stand. But they were afraid to attack
for fear of hurting the wrong person. Ignoring them, Tokinada addressed Hisagi,
“I want you to be grateful for what I did. Without him, the 9th Division would have been ruined.”
Hisagi didn’t know what to say. He had certainly been saved by Tosen; but by a Tosen who bore revenge
in his heart. Refusing to be side-tracked by Tokinada’s ridiculous logic, Hisagi asked him another
question, still seething with rage;
“So why have you raised Hikone this way?”
“Is there a problem?”
“He is innocent. He only knows the narrow world that you presented to him. What if he hits a wall
someday? How is he supposed to overcome it other than my running away from it? What a warped way
of raising someone. Captain Tosen never did the same to me.”
“Instead of using the values of others, why don’t you tell me what you think in your own words?”
Focusing his reikaku, Hisagi once again confirmed Tokinada’s position, as he rotated one of the blades of
Kazeshini using the chain, his eyes shut.
“Oh, I’ll tell you what I think. I think you’re a coward. You are teaching whatever is convenient for you to
a child who doesn’t know anything; raising him within a confined world; a world that suits your desires.”
Tokinada widened his eyes and let out a cackle of laughter.
“Not teaching him anything was cowardly? Is that what you’re saying? You, a Shinigami?”
Hisagi told him irritably,
“You’re a Shinigami too.. What the hell are you suggesting?”
“So it’s true that the editor-in-chief of the Seireitei Communications doesn’t know the secret. I see, I
see! It’s arrogant of you to believe that knowing about the full length and breadth of this world makes
you just!”
Tokinada jumped up on a half-destroyed roof and spoke in a clear voice so that everyone could hear.
“Everyone keeps on existing without even knowing that we all are living on the sins of a single person.”
Tokinada was not loud; in fact, his voice had been rather gentle; but his voice echoed as though it was
sweeping across the ears of those who were in the courtyard.
From behind Hisagi, who was rather confused himself, Kyoraku’s voice was heard.
“So now you want to talk about an old wives’ tale that has no basis in history?”
“Believe it or not, but that story has been in the Tsunayashiro archives for ages. You are a sharp man,
Kyoraku. Surely you have some inkling of the sins the foundations of the Soul Society are built on?”
“Oh, don’t mind me...”
Hisagi had thrown the chains of Kazeshini straight towards Tokinada the instant he had heard Kyoraku
voice the last sentence. Following the chain’s trajectory, Kyoraku used Shunpo and closed the distance
between himself and Tokinada in an instant.
“Ah, so that’s what you were aiming for!”
Tokinada laughed. Just then, something completely unexpected attacked Kyoraku.
“What is this...?”
A collection of patterns were floating in the air. They formed a number of tentacles and made a beeline
for Kyoraku, But they were blocked by a powerful Kido barrier created by Nanao. The tentacles
scattered but reformed themselves. They were brandished like a whip. Kyoraku muttered,
“A zanpakuto? No..Is this.. Fullbring?”
Then; as if to answer Kyoraku’s question, another figure appeared beside Tokinada.
“To instantly realize that this is Fullbring... You must be the Captain Commander of the Gotei, am I
right?”
“Is that the voice of Michibane Aura?”
Kyoraku leapt back to Hisagi’s side who had kept his eyes closed and had recognized that voice. Kyoraku
sighed,
“That was close!”
Aura bowed to Kyoraku.
“I’m sorry to have gotten in your way.”
She looked at Hisagi and continued,
“However, I would like you to listen to Tokinada-sama’s story till the end. Please forgive me.”
“And what do you mean, Miss?”
Kyoraku asked lightly, trying to look for an opening. Aura smiled a little.
“Someone in Hisagi-san’s profession should make it their duty to inform the world about the truth. He is
the correct person to talk to, about the circumstances surrounding Tokinada-sama’s world.”
“Me?”
-What is Aura’s purpose?
-Is she trying to mislead us by asking us to hear Tokinada’s story till the end?
-What kind of ploy is this?
Hisagi swung Kazeshini once more towards Tokinada’s reiatsu, his eyes closed. However, the blade of
‘Shinso’, whose speed exceeded his perception, pierced through Hisagi’s shoulder. Sharp pain shot
through his body. His reikaku began to waver, as fear began to creep through the darkness.
“Has it ever occurred to you, Hisagi Shuhei?”
As if to enhance Hisagi’s fear, Tokinada continued,
“That Tosen Kaname; rather, Aizen Sosuke might have been right?”
“What’re you implying?”
“While revenge was certainly a factor, have you never really questioned why Tosen Kaname, who used
to be so virtuous, ended up betraying Soul Society itself? Or why Aizen Sosuke hated the existence of
the Rei-o?”
Tokinada grasped the handle of Kazeshini and yanked Hisagi along with it. Dragging Hisagi’s body with
surprisingly strong hands, Tokinada continued, a hideous smile on his face.
“No, perhaps I should say it like this. Why did Urahara Kisuke create the Hogyoku? Have you ever
thought of that?”
He tossed Hisagi aside and spun enigmatic words about the ‘Original Sin’ which lay at the root of the
Soul Society.
“...The Hogyoku removes the boundaries between the souls of a Hollow and a Shinigami... It’s meant to
exceed the growth limit of spiritual entities...”
Hisagi replied, getting up.
“But for what purpose? Back then, no one was even aware of Aizen’s rebellion. So why was more power
necessary for Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni? There were no enemies to win against.”
“...The Quincies...”
“Was it really not possible to survive without the Hogyoku? But of course, if the Hogyoku was used, it
would have clinched things.”
Hisagi’s mind switched to Urahara and Aura’s conversation.
-It was a lie, wasn’t it? If you had given the Hogyoku to Kurosaki Ichigo, the world would have become
more rock-solid. But that was not the result you desired, was it?
-I’m sorry, you got me there. If I had handed it to Kurosaki-san, something different might have been
made of the Hogyoku..
At the time, the conversation had not made sense to Hisagi, but now that Hikone’s reiatsu so closely
resembled Kurosaki Ichigo’s, a lot of entangled elements fell into their right place within Hisagi’s mind.
Coupled with the idea that Hikone was to be turned into the Rei-o using a Hogyoku, Hisagi reached a
single inference.
Tokinada went on speaking,
“Then, there’s the Right Arm of the Rei-o that lived inside Ukitake’s body. Don’t you find it strange?”
“...”
“Why do you think that the Rei-o lost his Right Arm? When it fell to the ground, why did the Zero
Division not collect it?”
-Mimihagi-sama, the Right Arm of the Rei-o, whom Captain Ukitake had accepted into his body when he
was young.
-Pernida Parnkgjas, a Quincy, was the Left Arm of the Rei-o.
-If the Right Arm governed ‘stagnation’ and the Left Arm governed ‘progress’, then why did the Rei-o
lose both?
-That means the Rei-o is neither ‘stagnant’, nor is he ‘advancing’. That means he is in between the
‘static’ and the ‘dynamic’.
Hisagi’s mind now turned to the fragment of a speech Aizen had uttered when he had defected from the
Soul Society.
Aizen had directed that cryptic statement towards Ukitake.
Thinking about it now, Hisagi realized that the sentence had taken on an entirely different meaning.
-From the very beginning, no one has ever stood at the top.
-Not you, not me, nor the gods.
Why did Aizen bother to use ‘not you’ when addressing Captain Ukitake in particular? As though Captain
Ukitake was somehow qualified to stand in the heavens?
Aizen must have known that a part of the Rei-o resided within Captain Ukitake.
When Hisagi recalled Aizen mentioning the two of them as ‘not standing in the heavens’, he initially
thought that they were not ‘gods’ in the true sense.
But Hisagi’s brain immediately called forth the next phrase spoken by Aizen; ‘the unbearable vacancy in
the throne in the sky’. So then-
“Was the Rei-o already dead from the beginning?”
As Hisagi murmured those words, eyes still shut; Kyoraku’s gaze was fixed upon him. Not a word left his
lips. Yoruichi was silent too. After a momentary pause, Tokinada shook his head with a bitter smile.
“You’re not wrong. But you’re not right either. I’m so sorry. The thing known as the Rei-o is certainly not
alive, but he isn’t dead either.”
“What does that mean?”
Although puzzled, Hisagi did not stop attacking with his eyes closed. With his left arm, he threw
Kazeshini, which was dodged by Tokinada. Instantaneously, he threw the other blade of Kazeshini with
his right hand which approached Tokinada from the opposite side. Tokinada blocked it with
‘Gegetsuburi’ and answered Hisagi’s question.
“The Rei-o is a sacrificial lamb.”
“What?”
“The world did not always have its current form. Without a boundary separating life and death; within
this chaotic world.... at first, there stood the original guardian; between Hollow and Man. Quincy,
Shinigami, Fullbringer... An existence who could be called the progenitor of all three..”
Laughing heartily, Tokinada went on,
“It was a Quincy as well as a Shinigami; also a human. A symbol of hope governing the chaotic world
with innumerable abilities like that of Fullbringers.”
Distorting his face with a smile full of pleasure as he revealed the darkness of the Soul Society to Hisagi,
he said,
“The three worlds were created by sacrificing a being who was both a devil and a messiah.”
“By five individuals; whom we now know as the ancestors of the Five Great Noble Houses.”
--------------

Reiokyu:-
"The Tsunayashiro ancestor was a man with power; however, he was more suspicious than anyone
else."
Thus spoke the monk; in front of the repeatedly affixed seal. The rest of the members of the Zero
Division were gathered around him; silently listening to the story.
They were not the only ones present there, in front of what was both a throne as well as an altar. There
were others who had recently joined as soldiers. The previous soldiers who guarded the temple had
been killed by Pernida and the other members of Yhwach's Schutzstaffel; so it had been necessary to
replace them.
Atop the throne, was 'sealed' the remains of Yhwach.
The new soldiers, who were informed that this was the current Rei-o, were extremely confused.
'Looking at' the riot going on in the Kyogoku, the monk thought that perhaps this was a good
opportunity for them to learn the Soul Society's secrets. After discovering that the soldiers guarding the
Phoenix Palace had been violated, the monk had asked Oetsu and the others to assemble so that they
could all delve into the past.
"During that age, all of creation was in a state of ambiguity. There was neither life nor death;
progression and regression flickered to and fro. Swaying and swaying slowly; this waning and waxing
world waited for a hundred million years to cool down. Eventually, Hollows became a part of the
circulation of souls."
The monk spoke in a matter-of-fact tone; quietly reminiscing about the world that existed before the
birth of Hueco Mundo and the World of the Living.
"But before long, Hollows began devouring humans. And so, the circulation ceased. All those souls came
together to form a gigantic Hollow, a Menos. The world became completely still. But you know, it's a
strange thing. A new life came into being. As if the world itself naturally rejected it, he destroyed it and
turned it into sands of reishi; thus, circulation began once again."
"That was the Rei-o of the first era...?"
One of the new recruits involuntarily whispered; but he hurriedly closed his mouth for fear of having
said something profane. But the monk nodded and told him not to worry.
"That's right. Others; with special powers, including myself; appeared, but it is fair to say that the Rei-o
stood out; his powers very close to omnipotence and omniscience."
The monk paused, recalling the former Rei-o who had already disappeared from this throne.
"As the Rei-o continued to protect the world from the Hollows by annihilating them; to prevent the
world from stagnating, the world itself began to slowly sink into chaos."
The monk went on, stroking his beard.
"However, there were those who did not find this state of affairs agreeable. There were five of them.
Although not as much as the Rei-o; they were strong. They were the original founders of the Five Great
Noble Houses, including the Shiba family."
The monk told them.
Each of them had different motives.
The Tsunayashiro ancestor was afraid that this mighty power would someday be used against them.
The ancestor of the opposing clan said that it was necessary to have a world that would serve as the lid
to cover up the 'pit' that would later be known as 'Hell'.
The Kuchiki ancestor believed that a new order was necessary to solidify the world more.
The Shihoin ancestor said that it was necessary to form a larger circulation to advance the stagnant
world.
And the Shiba ancestor wanted to explore the path of purification of Hollows rather than destruction;
since they too had hearts.
But their widely varying motives strangely led to the same goal in the end; to split the world. A world of
order, a world of implementation, also a paradise of sand where Hollows from two sides would end up
in.
Perhaps another form of the world would be born, but the essential thing was the clear separation the
world of the 'living' from the world of the 'dead'.
In order to turn this division into a reality, what was required was the power of a man who transcended
everything.
"Although the Shiba ancestor tried to talk the Tsunayashiro ancestor out of it, it is said that the Rei-o
was tied up and sealed within the crystal. The rest of Soul Society's history was witnessed directly by
myself."
A man who was later named the Rei-o.
Using his powers of the Almighty as the 'keystone', the five of them created the foundation of a new
world. Soul Society, the Material World and Hueco Mundo. Life and death were separated. The Soul
Cycle ushered in a new era.
And then, one day, the ones who managed the Soul Society, came to be known as 'Shinigami'.
"Perhaps it was because he could see the far-flung future.... Maybe he could not escape his fear; or
maybe he found some hope in the new world.... I don't really understand... But the Rei-o dared not
resist it."
The monk lowered his eyes and then repeated his first words.
"But the Tsunayashiro ancestor doubted even this non-resistance. Afraid of the Rei-o escaping from his
seal by himself; he neither wanted the Rei-o to live nor did he want to kill him. Continuing this helix of
contradictions, the Right Arm of 'stagnation' and the Left Arm of 'Progress' were torn off."
The recruits drew in sharp breaths. The four members of the Zero Division, except for the monk, had
unfathomable expressions on their faces; but they remained silent.
The monk then stated a cruel fact in a flat tone as if he was talking about the weather.
"Well; I suppose that still wasn't enough. The ancestors; including Tsunayashiro; gouged out his heart
and internal organs; and dismembered both his legs. Doing so, they destroyed his power; creating a king
convenient for themselves."
Upon hearing the monk's tale; Shutara Senjumaru, who had remained silent until then, opened her
mouth with a smile. But that smile was heavy with traces of insurrection.
"Convenient indeed. He continues to remain the lynchpin without ever having a say in the workings of
this world, while the real business is carried out by others."
The others all nodded at her words. But the monk said,
"Oh, he most certainly had a will of his own. It might have faded with the passage of time, but I think he
was aware of the general situation and thus guided Kurosaki Ichigo here to the Reiokyu. This shows that
he possessed his own will. I could feel it. If the bone is the Oken, then a part of his soul is entrusted to
this Reiokyu."
Actually, long ago, the Right Arm and the Left Arm of the Rei-o did find their way back to the Reiokyu
along with their respective 'wills'. The Right Arm had been enshrined within the Soul Society as a
protector of this world, whereas the Left Arm as a Quincy under Yhwach's influence; was meant to
restore this world back.
As if agreeing with the monk's words, Tenjiro Kirinji raised his voice, his toothpick going up and down.
"Bloodline will always tell. The boy from the House of Shiba was supposed to be the next Rei-o. It's
interesting."
"The Shiba ancestor did rebel against the Tsunayashiro ancestor for sealing the Rei-o by force. He tried
to find a way to sacrifice himself instead of the Rei-o. I had hoped that the sinless would be exempt from
the other crimes."
"Ho..! That mentality certainly fits the House of Shiba."
"In a sense, it was a most foolish thing for him to do. If he had not failed to persuade; then he would
have had to prepare himself to be the cornerstone of the three worlds. It's ironic, really. The Shiba
bloodline was allowed to thrive only because the Tsunayashiro ancestor decided to seal the Rei-o."
Hikifune Kirio shrugged her ample shoulders, thinking about the past.
"I remember Kaien-kun. He was like that too."
"And so, the Shiba ancestor was erased from history by the House of Tsunayashiro."
The monk sighed, staring up at the ceiling.
"But when the descendant, Ichigo appeared, possessing all the qualities that made him fit to replace the
Rei-o, I really thought that history was repeating itself. Perhaps the world needs someone like him."
As the monk's story drew to a close, he saw the pale, ashen faces of the newcomers. They were looking
at each other nervously. But the Zero Division understood. The monk's words could also be interpreted
this way:
That is; the history of the Shinigami is built on far more cruel sins than murder and that the crime is
being committed even today.
{t/n: A few notable things. The story of the old world is uncannily close to the Biblical Genesis; verse 1:2.
Hollows existed right from the start alongside humans. In the light of this new revelation; Tokinada's
words to Shuhei becomes very clear: "At first there stood the original guardian; between Hollow and
Man". This man, whose real name we don't know, continued to destroy Hollows to protect humans; but
just like the Quincies, he completely obliterated them. The world naturally rejects stagnation. The
Hollows are a force of nature existing to oppose the natural order. Also, in this context, Urahara's words
about the Hollow factor not being necessary becomes clear. The lynchpin was created by just sealing the
Rei-o. His mutilation came after that. The mutilation didn't create the lynchpin. The Rei-o didn't resist
the sealing. Also, Hell is not a separate realm because it came into being as the world blended into
chaos. That's why Hell is never mentioned as one of the new worlds that were created. And lastly, heavy
implication that Ichigo would have willingly allowed himself to be used as the Rei-o. What Aizen hates is
the mutilation by the Shinigami ancestors, not the Rei-o himself.}
Kyogoku:-
"If Yhwach was the originator of the race known as the Quincy, then the Rei-o can be called the source
of the very power of the Quincy. Whether the Rei-o had left behind an actual child before he was sealed
or whether the 'power' that was stripped off the Rei-o had manifested in the form of a person, I couldn't
really say."
Tokinada had finished talking about the Soul Society's past at around the same time the monk did. He
enjoyed watching Hisagi letting go of Kazeshini and losing his balance as he chose that moment to aim
the flames of Ryujin Jakka to burn Hisagi's body. If Hisagi had not retreated the instant he had sensed
the hot air, his body would have been burnt into charcoal. Tokinada wanted to see despair on Hisagi's
face, the one opponent who had not yet fallen under the spell of complete hypnosis. Just for that
reason, he exposed the past archived by the House of Tsunayashiro.
"Don't you find it hilarious? The Rei-o you all so desperately tried to protect.. the saviour of mankind..
was entrapped by the very ancestors of us Shinigami. Yhwach was trying to save his father from an
isolation spanning over a million years; his father who was not even allowed the privilege of either life or
death!"
Selecting his words with care, Tokinada continued to brandish his shapeless zanpakuto. Liltotto shot an
arrow towards him but it deviated from Tokinada's direction. A cero followed suit, but was met with the
same result. Kyoka Suigetsu's ability allowed them to aim for clumps of soil resembling humanoid forms
created by Tsuchinamazu. Also, Hisagi, who could accurately judge Tokinada's position, had gradually
slowed down. Thus, Tokinada did not need to avoid his attacks as much as before.
"Restoring the world to its former shape or killing his own father and liberating him; which was the
better solution, I wonder. Anyway, Yhwach had absorbed the Rei-o and he is currently acting as a
substitute for the Rei-o. Such irony! Wouldn't you agree, eh, Kyoraku?"
Kyoraku, who was seriously injured, smiled a little at Tokinada's words, breathing out with difficulty.
"Well... what can I say... I'm in a bit of an unpleasant position to judge whether or not your story is
true... In fact, it has nothing to do with this situation."
"Am I supposed to believe that a man in your shoes does not know this when people like Aizen Sosuke
and Urahara Kisuke have been gathering information for over a century?"
"You don't have to believe it. The only fact that's certain here is that Soul Society and the World of the
Living will both be thrown into chaos if you don't stop. Even Hueco Mundo will be affected."
"What's certain is that you will all die here."
Tokinada laughed cheerfully as he continued to provoke everyone.
"That's right! You Shinigami have no sense of justice! Naturally, I, too, conduct myself in accordance
with the legacy left behind by my bastardly ancestors as befitting their descendant. Don't assume that
there ever was justice in this world. That was something only Tosen Kaname believed in."
Tokinada now wielded the huge blade of 'Tengen', producing a large amount of ice, using the ability of
'Hyorinmaru'. He shot a barrage of icicles towards them. Each gleam of the icicles was mistaken for a
different attack and therefore it became incredibly difficult to avoid. In order to protect Kyoraku, Nanao
set up a number of Kido barriers. But creating multiple barriers simultaneously was far more exhausting
than usual Kido and so Nanao's reiatsu was wearing out.
"I'm fine, Nanao-chan. Concentrate on protecting yourself instead."
Nanao responded to Kyoraku's words by tightening her expression.
"It's only natural to prioritize the Captain Commander's safety."
"Now is not the time for social service. Aren't we battling against personal grudges?"
"Then there is all the more reason to."
At Nanao's words, Kyoraku gripped his zanpakuto with a complex expression.
"...But there really seems to be nothing... There ought to have been restrictions of some kind..."
Making sure that none of Nanao's barriers were wasted, Kyoraku sharpened his senses, meticulously
observing the flow of reishi. Then, he felt a slight incongruity in Tokinada's reiatsu.
"Don't tell me..."
Kyoraku's reikaku picked up on the fact that Tokinada's reiatsu itself was changing. Rather than a
transformation, it seemed to be more of a gradual degradation and declination.
"Could it be that Tokinada is shaving off his own life?"
"Ho? So you realized it within such a short period of time, eh? Hahahahaha!"
Tokinada did not hide it; he spoke about it indifferently, as if to claim that such a weakness was
negligible.
"This is exactly why the former Head of the family did not want to possess this zanpakuto. The soul lost
by the owner never returns. As long as I continue to wield it, my soul will keep on wearing out, similar to
the curse of the Ise sword, Hakkyoken."
Kyoraku glanced at Nanao. Stepping protectively in front of her, he moved towards Tokinada and asked
him,
"I don't understand. You are willing to bet on your life just for your own pleasure?"
"What's the point in living if I don't gamble on my life for my own pleasure? My wife also died of self-
sacrifice; but when stacked up against the world, it seems like a trifling difference. The difference lies
merely in the finer points of view, as to whether it is good or not. Just that."
For generations, the Head of the House of Tsunayashiro has been entrusted with 'history' and this
'treasured sword'. However, as soon as they learn the characteristics of this treasured sword, they are
reluctant to touch it as they are afraid of death. If mastered, the owner can boast of unrivalled strength
that can overwhelm Shinigami, Hollow and Quincy. But nobody willingly wants to cut away their own
lives. Because of that, the sword continued to remain sealed in the mansion's secret warehouse, whose
location was known only to the Head. That is, until an exception named Tokinada appeared. He was very
different from Kenpachi who found pleasure in cutting down lives in battle. This man was an anomalous
case, who was willing to cut down his own lifespan just to scorn those who had lived for hundreds of
years. And that is why Tokinada did not hesitate to use this accursed sword, Enrakyoten. Thus, this man
stood facing Kyoraku, bold, tough and unbroken.
While the others engaged in battle defending themselves, one man gradually regained his composure.
Despite the mention of the name 'Tosen Kaname' incurring his wrath, he calmly began to read the
reiatsu of Tokinada's attacks and started to evade each one of them by a hair's breadth. Noticing the
calmness and accuracy behind his movements, Tokinada addressed this lone challenger, Hisagi Shuhei,
who still had his eyes shut tight.
"You seem to be awfully quiet, Hisagi Shuhei. Forgot how to speak after learning about the 'real truth'?"
"....."
Hisagi made no reply to Tokinada's question.
"You're no fun at all. Has your brain not processed all of the reality yet?"
Even so, Hisagi still remained silent and calm as he listened to Tokinada's words. Had he been hearing
the current story in his normal state, he would have probably said something like 'shut your mouth'. He
might have even roared out, enraged.
"I would have thought you'd be more disturbed. In fact, I expected you to scream out like Tosen
Kaname."
But the darkness behind his closed eyes and the fear associated with it, calmed down Hisagi's heart; on
the contrary. It was because his current state of blocking visibility by himself and the significance of the
existence of the Shinigami as recited by Tokinada, reminded him of the past.
Soul Society; bygone days:-

There was nothing but darkness.
No light, no sound, no smell, no fluctuation of reiatsu, no life; only darkness and silence stretched out
infinitely.
He realized that despite him being able to swallow, no sound could escape his throat. He was trembling,
his teeth occasionally chattering; but no sound came out; just the tactile sensation was felt.
For Hisagi Shuhei, the entire world was now reduced to just the feel of his zanpakuto clutched tightly in
his hand. Hisagi wondered whether the soles of his feet were touching that infamous rumoured location
known as the 'Muken'.
Sinners trapped within such a place would surely lose their minds if they remained here for more than a
day; they would be crushed by fear, losing their sense of self. Hisagi thought to himself, for how long
would this unknown hell of nothingness continue?
He felt like he could hear something from behind. There was nothing there, just silence, but that feeling
remained. Hisagi could not shake off the sensation that something was definitely there. A monster. A
monster more terrifying than a Hollow was opening its huge mouth right behind him; as the death of a
comrade replayed in his head.
The next instant, the face of the corpse was replaced with his own-
Hisagi, shaking, tried to take a wild swing of his sword behind his back. But he was paralyzed.
Thinking that the monster still lurked in the dark, Hisagi broke down; screaming out in terror.
But the darkness was lifted abruptly. His senses returned all at once.
And Hisagi remembered.
It was noon here in the Soul Society; and he himself was in a forest in the Rukongai. There was no one
else around, except his superior officer, who stood right in front of him. He recalled that it had been the
blade of his Captain. He lowered his zanpakuto.
".....Captain Tosen.."
Hisagi was perspiring profusely; his heart thumping loudly in his chest. It look a little time to get used to
the light, the sound, the smell. Mostly, he was overwhelmed by the feeling that he was still alive.
"I decided that it was too dangerous for you. First of all, you should adjust your breathing."
"Forgive me. That was a most unsightly behaviour on my part."
Taking a deep breath, Hisagi lowered his head to Tosen. But Tosen quietly shook his head.
"You don't have to apologize. There is nothing to be ashamed of. When one is suddenly deprived of all
their senses, it is only natural to know fear. Even for someone like me who never saw the light of day
from birth... if I was robbed of my sense of sound, I would not have been able to move."
"How long was I in the dark?"
"It's been half an hour."
When Hisagi heard that, he immediately regretted his naivete, because he thought that more time had
passed. He looked up; the black ellipsoid created in the forest collapsed and converged at the blade held
in Tosen's hand.
"So that was your Bankai, Captain..."
"Suzumushi Tsuishiki: Enma Korogi... That is the name of my Bankai."
Hisagi, who had just been appointed as the Lieutenant, was the very first person to see Tosen's Bankai.
Usually, a Bankai is not something that is easily revealed to others. It is considered prudent to not flaunt
it no matter how powerful it is, except in battle. Tosen decided on showing his Bankai to Hisagi because
he wanted to teach the 'essence of fear' to Hisagi.
While he felt bad that the Bankai had to be shown only for that reason, Hisagi clung to the expectation
than perhaps the Captain trusted him enough to reveal it to him. But Tosen's next words made him feel
ashamed.
"There is certainly fear within you. But I still cannot sense that fear emanating from your sword and your
words."
"...."
Hisagi hung his head at Tosen's clear statement. He understood how immature he had been. He had
blindly swung his sword because he had been afraid of the dark. All he tried to do was extinguish fear by
force; to shake off fear. It was a far cry from Tosen's method of fighting whilst allowing fear to dwell
within himself.
To Hisagi, who had remained silent, Tosen spoke slowly,
"Fear takes on various forms.."
Tosen sheathed his zanpakuto and turned his head towards the sky. It was as if he was counting the
number of clouds floating in the sky with his unseeing eyes.
"Being afraid of that black world you witnessed for yourself is universal. When one is born, they are
acquainted with neither light nor sound. When you are faced with a world that is completely unknown
to you, you fear it. If there is someone who is not afraid of something like that, then they are neither
human, nor Shinigami, nor Hollow. Someone like that can only be called a 'demon'."
{t/n: in the manga, Tosen had called Kenpachi a demon because he was fearless}
"A demon?"
"Those who do not know fear, will eventually turn into demons in due course. The same goes for you
and me. The more we try to cast away fear, the more our hearts will approach such a change. Don't
forget that."
"I don't think that you will ever become like that, Captain Tosen."
To Hisagi, Tosen was an exemplary warrior and a Shinigami. Even if he did abandon fear, it would mean
that he had overcome it. Hisagi, who was still not mature enough, believed that such a change would
never lead Tosen down the path of nagativity.
"I have never known what light is. And the colours that are spread across the world."
Tosen spoke to Hisagi, as if he was warning both him and his own self.
"If there ever comes a time when I get to know about them and I forget my fear as I begin to see only
hope and happiness in the repainted world, then, at that time, I will no longer remain a warrior."
{t/n: The last sentence spoken by Tosen was exactly what happened to him in the future. After Hisagi
and Komamura comforted Tosen after his defeat, he began crying and wanted Hisagi to lean in closer so
that he could remember his face forever. Tosen did see hope and happiness. And immediately after
that, Aizen vapourized him because then that would mean that Tosen would face an existential crisis. I
was watching that episode a few days ago; the anime nailed that scene with the OST. Made me all teary}
"Captain...?"
Tosen turned his blind eyes straight towards Hisagi, as if he could see through his soul.
"As you walk down your path; with your pride as Shinigami; as you protect the world itself; you must
keep embracing fear."
"There will come a time when you will not know the way yet; when you will not understand what pride
is yet, when you will be faced with a world you know nothing about yet; then, you will find yourself in a
place where you will not always be safe."
Kyogoku; present time:-

Tosen Kaname had declared that the world of the Shinigami was vile. Hisagi had not been completely
convinced back then. He had often asked himself,
-Why did Captain Tosen hate the Shinigami to that extent?
-Rather than hating the individual named Tsunayashiro Tokinada, he seemed to hate the very existence
of the 'Shinigami'.
Finally understanding that the answer to that question lay in the 'sin' spoken about by Tokinada, Hisagi
murmured to himself,
"I did not fear anything... I did not realize anything..."
"...? What are you talking about?"
Tokinada asked curiously, as Hisagi finally managed to get words out. Rather than answering Tokinada's
question, Hisagi continued to speak in a low voice, angrily chiding himself,
"....And there I was, thinking I was always righteous..."
Tosen's voice rang out within his mind, the same words he had spoken as Aizen's subordinate, when
Hisagi had challenged him to battle.
-"You haven't changed a bit."
-"Even now, your words don't have a shred of fear in them."

Hisagi had recalled these exact words when he had spoken to Tessai in Karakura Town. However, now it
took on a whole new meaning and hit Hisagi's heart painfully.
-I was so wrong. My sense of justice and righteousness about the world I stand in were wrong.
-I never even considered that I could have been so wrong. I always used to believe that Captain Tosen
was being manipulated by Aizen.
He who does not fear his own blade has no right to hold it at all.
Captain Tosen always said so.
That 'blade' did not merely refer to the zanpakuto. It was a metaphor for 'justice' and Tosen was the
blade itself.
The words Tokinada told him were probably true. There was no point in lying in this situation. Besides,
his story was consistent with Aizen's own words. And above all, it supported Tosen's declaration that
Soul Society was evil.
The existence of a single Shinigami like Tokinada did not make Soul Society itself evil. What made Soul
Society evil was that its history was a betrayal of the wish of Tosen's beloved friend, a wish she did not
live long enough to see granted.
It would not have necessarily been an exaggeration to say that Tosen was an enemy of the 'justice' of
the Soul Society; the very thing that continued to give false hope that it was possible to sweep away the
clouds that covered the world.
-To think that I used to believe in the 'justice of the Shinigami'....
-To think that I did not fear the 'justice of the Shinigami'....
-But Captain Tosen had always lived with that fear.
"If I truly feared battle.... then why... did I.... tell you such a thing, Captain Tosen? I had actually thrown
out the phrase 'to open your eyes' towards you in my ignorance, Captain! What a joke!"
Upon hearing Hisagi's mortifying tone of repentance, Tokinada was finally released from his boredom.
His expression was dyed with utter joy.
"...Ah! I see. Do you regret it? You didn't even know Tosen's true feelings when you stabbed him,
believing yourself to be a champion of justice! What do you feel like doing now? Do you want to turn
back time? To go back in time to stop Tosen's tears from falling and preventing his death? Or to go back
and be reunited with Tosen by allying yourself with Aizen?"
Slowly mulling over Tokinada's words, Hisagi spoke as if he was trying to brush off insects crawling over
his body. Tokinada's words sounded almost wishfully appealing to Hisagi.
".....Even so... I'm not going to say that Captain Tosen was right.... Even if what you say is correct... I still
would have stood up to Captain Tosen..."
"Oh? If so, then shall I recreate it for you?"
Tokinada drew out a new power from Enrakyoten.
"But tell me this... What would you have done then? You know better than anyone else that the justice
held by Tosen was not really flimsy like the pages of a textbook, don't you? It was pure, absolute."
Hisagi was about to be hit by hundreds of needle-like blades.
'Suzumushi Nishiki: Benihiko'.
Tokinada used this technique without hesitation solely to provoke Hisagi. Although used by Tosen, this
formerly belonged to Kakyo, Tokinada's wife.
But then-
The black chain that connected the two swords of Kazeshini accurately countered each of the numerous
blades.
"What.....?"
Looking at Hisagi's flawlessly swift manoeuvre of the chain, a movement so fast that it was nearly
impossible to see; the smile was wiped off Tokinada's face to be replaced by one of pure shock.
{t/n: Sorry for barging in while you're all reading, but that technique with Kazeshini reminded me of
what Ichigo did to Senbonzakura's petals! And here, Shuhei's eyes were closed! What a badass! Excuse
the term XD}
With a distinct hostility that no one had ever seen before in Hisagi's disposition, he spoke with chilling
ferocity,
"I don't think I gave you permission to talk about justice."
Was Hisagi chiding himself or Tokinada?
Accepting the fact that he needed to walk hand-in-hand with fear, Hisagi challenged Tokinada by
gambling on his own fate.
"You're not even afraid of dying, are you, bastard...? But you'll be sorry you ever messed with Captain
Tosen."
{t/n: this section makes every one of Tosen's actions clear. He shed tears before hurting Uryuu because
he was a Quincy, a race born to oppose the evil of the Shinigami. But he had to stop Uryuu because
Uryuu was the first one to reach Rukia's cell. Tosen hated Kenpachi and Grimmjow because of their
mindless violence. Mindless violence was exactly what the five ancestors did to the Rei-o. I love how the
sides of right and wrong are getting flipped in this novel. And Shuhei's characterization is absolutely
fantastic. And Tosen's too}
Chapter 5
"Hahahaha! I see, I see! The sharpness of your slashes has increased remarkably! How interesting!"
Not just the speed.
Tokinada smirked as the attacks of Kazeshini continued, the accuracy of the throws increasing
dramatically. The angle, power and movement of the chains also grew in precision, corresponding to the
blades, responding well with their timing, flow and shape.
However, the speed of Kazeshini continued to rise further.
Tokinada found himself being captured within the narrow area of a single tatami mat. Taking a step
forward would narrow down the slashing area more. The rotating scythe was manipulated in such a way
by the chain, so that Tokinada's body could be confined without being bound. It seemed like Tokinada
was completely entrapped by the two blades.
Tokinada tried to double their weights by using 'Wabisuke', in order to halt their movements.
But Kazeshini, like a living creature with will, avoided contact with Wabisuke as soon as it was
manifested.
-Did you actually see it?
To confirm his suspicions, Tokinada created a wall of flame, using Ryujin Jakka, between himself and
Hisagi and attemped another test slash with Wabisuke.
But the result was the same as before.
Looking at the blades of Kazeshini which broke through the wall of flame, Tokinada realized-
Hisagi could practically perceive everything with just his reikaku alone.
At the same time, he came to the conclusion that his own reiatsu was far below Yamamoto Shigekuni's.
-My reiatsu is not enough to melt his zanpakuto. Even if I use all of my reiatsu, the heat won't rise to
that extent.
If it had been the original 'Ryujin Jakka' wielded by Genryusai, then he would not have had to rely on
'complete hypnosis', its heat would have been enough to end all of this swiftly.
-It doesn't matter; I'd have to get rid of them sooner or later anyway...
If too much reiatsu is expended on Ryujin Jakka, thought Tokinada, then the effect of 'complete
hypnosis' would have to be reduced. But that may cause trouble.
Tokinada began to ponder on what to do.
Should I slay all of them as it is, or should I let Kyoraku fall into despair by killing around eighty percent
of his allies first?
It would be good if I could get the job done here. One can't be too careful.
If Hikone is at a disadvantage with regard to Kenpachi, then there is always Aura on whom physical
attacks have no effect.
There is only one thing to do here.
And so, Tokinada chose the option involving the swift annihilation of all present here, even if it meant
the abandonment of his distorted pleasures and desires.
Now was not the time for carelessness.
As Hisagi's attacks became more and more intense, the Quincies and Arrancars around him began to
follow his lead and started attacking with renewed energy. Tokinada dodged them by using the abilities
of various suitable zanpakuto. Some of the attacks were even bounced back.
-I see.
-He should have been at the level of a Lieutenant. So why... why...
He realized that Hisagi's manoeuvre of Kazeshini was much different and faster than what he had seen
in the past via the recordings. Tokinada tried to formulate plans.
However, before he could bring out the ability of a different zanpakuto-
-....?
-He's still speeding up?
When Tokinada realized that Hisagi was not an opponent to be taken lightly, he relaxed his tautness as
he imagined the pleasure of bringing the strong to his knees as he scattered 'Senbonzakura' in the air-
Everyone witnessed what happened in the next instant.
The blizzard of petals scraped Kazeshini, but every single one of them was deflected by the force of the
extraordinary rotation of one of Kazeshini's scythes.
At the same time, the second scythe of Kazeshini approached Tokinada from high up through the gap
and loped off the right arm that held Enrakyoten.
"Gah....!"
"Tokinada-sama....?"
Hearing his cry of pain, Aura turned towards Tokinada.
"Impossible... I never imagined that he could penetrate the wall of Senbonzakura...!"
As soon as they heard the screech and saw the disappearing sakura petals enveloping an injured
Tokinada and Aura, those who were watching, seized this opportunity and moved all at once as if it was
a chance of a lifetime.
"Ha! Let's destroy that zanpakuto along with his arm!"
Candice was the first to fire one of her 'Galvano Javelin' Heilig Pfeil towards Tokinada, followed by a
Cero from Grimmjow.
"And that's that..."
As Tokinada fell to the ground, Ikkaku looked at him, the long spear of 'Hozukimaru' hoisted upon his
shoulder.
"Well, even if it was Kyoka Suigetsu, it'll obviously be different from Aizen's."
Yumichika muttered. But they did not relax their fighting posture, neither did they lower their guard.
Although Tokinada had fallen, the mysterious Fullbringer woman was still alive.
The Shinigami surrounded Aura.
Hisagi, on the other hand, was breathing in painfully. Perhaps it was because he had continued to swing
Kazeshini at incredible speeds which even exceeded his own limits. He desperately tried to catch his
breath and calm himself down. He felt his own reiatsu rippling through his body violently, as though
every single cell within his entire body was being torn off.
"D-Did...I...do...it?"
Hisagi's shoulders slumped in relief as he sensed Tokinada's reiatsu disappear.
However, a dark shadow took shape within his heart.
-I did fall into the vortex of vengeance too, didn't I?

Hisagi wondered whether it was hatred that caused him to slash the one who had brought despair into
Tosen's life, who had robbed Tosen of his future.
-There is no time to think... Aura and Hikone are still left to deal with...
- "What you bear is not hatred."
All of a sudden; words heard in the past; were repeated in his mind.
- "It is merely a sentiment left behind by the fading footprints of Tosen Kaname."
Whose words were they?
- "Remember this."
- "No matter how strong the determination one holds-"

Perhaps this was a memory that Hisagi's mind had accumulated; based on his long experience as a
Shinigami.
The words heard in his head felt like a warning.
Then, a loud voice jolted him back to reality.
Muguruma's voice reached Hisagi's ears.
"Shuhei! Watch out!
That woman is right there!"
"What?"
Aura's reiatsu could not be detected by reikaku.
In a moment of panic, Hisagi's eyes snapped open, to stop his opponent's actions.
He finally remembered the last part of the sentence.
- "-it is not possible to slaughter a warrior with sentiment alone."
Yes, recalled Hisagi, those were Aizen's words.
In front of his slowly uncovering eyelids, he saw the blade shattering almost simultaneously.
"Hmm!?"
The landscape around Hisagi shattered; his open eyes now perceived the truth exposed by Kyoka
Suigetsu.
Tokinada's figure, on the ground, was actually Aura's; whereas Aura's figure in front of Hisagi, was
actually Tokinada's.
Tokinada had on a strange cloak.
Yoruichi gasped.
"It's the mantle that shuts off reiatsu...!"
Upon seeing the cloak developed by Urahara Kisuke, Yoruichi immediately understood what had
happened.
At the moment when Tokinada had released 'Senbonzakura', he had switched himself with Aura;
assuming her appearance; while activating 'complete hypnosis'. Tokinada had used 'Tsuchinamazu' to
make them see the soil mass as himself. He had not actually let go of his zanpakuto. He had made it
seem as though Kazeshini had cut off his arm; in fact, he had merely raised his voice in anguish so as to
strengthen this illusion. Then, by allowing them to see 'Aura' attacking Hisagi, he had tricked them into
warning him.
{t/n: In case the narrative of Kyoka Suigetsu's hypnosis sequence feels confusing; it's like this. Everything
that happened upto Shuhei swatting away Senbonzakura was real. The rest of the narrative was from
the point of view of the ones under the spell. They saw Hisagi cutting off Tokinada's arm; the person
they thought was Tokinada wasn't even himself; that was Tsuchinamazu. After Shuhei deflected
Senbonzakura, the diversion, he himself was tricked into believing that Tokinada's reiatsu had
disappeared because of the cloak. Hope this clears up the confusion from last time}
As Hisagi stood there; stunned; Aura, who was pretending to be 'Tokinada', stood up slowly from the
ground and dusted herself. She was absolutely unscathed; not even her clothes were awry. The Cero
had no effect on her.
"Look what happened!"
Staring into Hisagi's shocked eyes, Tokinada opened his mouth in delight.
"Your allies are so foolish; it's almost pitiful!"
Returning to Aura's side, Tokinada swung around 'Ryujin Jakka' once again, restraining Hisagi and the
others.
"You should have realized that no matter what the situation involved, opening your eyes upon hearing
the warning was extremely stupid."
Laughing derisively, Tokinada dared provoke Hisagi. He looked up at the sky, where Hikone and
Kenpachi were locked in fierce combat.
"If Hikone can win against Kenpachi, then there's no problem. Will you do the honours of slaughtering
everyone here, leaving out the journalist as the sole living witness?"
Tokinada asked Aura. But then he remembered something else.
"Come to think of it.. Whatever happened to the Fullbringers left in your care? Ginjo Kugo and his
group?"
"Oh, them. You already know, don't you?"
"According to the report provided by the surveillance bacteria; it appears as though they had a falling-
out with each other. What did you do?"
"That was President Yukio's doing, his abilities amplified by me."
Noise crackled in the space behind Aura; a boy stuck his head out.
"It was simple, really. I placed a virus within my 'past'; cracking and returning the bookmark that
Tsukishima had inserted."
"Little boy! You countered Tsukishima! Your Fullbring is that versatile?"
"With such a resource at my disposal, it was like modifying a program. Tsukishima transferred the same
virus into their past as well."
As if on cue, Ginjo appeared beside Yukio; looking blank. Tokinada looked at Ginjo joyfully; who stood
there; as empty as a doll.
"I see, I see. Close to Kurosaki Ichigo; both potential Rei-o candidates. This is about aiding the power of
the lynchpin that keeps the three worlds together."
Saying so, Tokinada turned the handle of his zanpakuto towards Ginjo.
"I'll be showing them the Shikai of 'Kyoka Suigetsu', that is; if you don't mind?"
"Yes. Please go ahead."
In accordance with Aura's gracious approval, Tokinada tried to use Kyoka Suigetsu-
"Hmm...?"
But he could not activate Kyoka Suigetsu. He tried to activate the Shikai once again. But it did not work.
Tokinada frowned and looked down at his right arm. That momentary lapse provided Ginjo with the
opportunity to move. With the minimum amount of motion; silently; with the finesse of a dancer; he
transformed his pendant into a large claymore and rushed towards Tokinada.
Cross of Scaffold.
Tokinada tried to retaliate, using 'Zangetsu', but it shattered in his hand as Ginjo's sword struck it;
injuring Tokinada's chest in the process.
{t/n: Great to see a Zangetsu cameo, even if it shattered}
"Well now.. He's tougher than I had anticipated."
Ginjo's slash was unfettered, but it seemed as if Tokinada's reiatsu was higher than he had imagined.
Indeed, the wound was not deep; it stopped short just in front of the ribs. Although unable to use
'Zangetsu', he had healed the wound using 'Hisagomaru'.
"My, oh my. 'Zangetsu' is a special case. All my Enrakyoten can do is mimic its mere appearance."
"If you had used the real thing, I would have been defeated instantly."
Ginjo was now smirking.
{t/n: Well... what do you know... Ginjo has gotten better at acting XD}
Tokinada tried to activate Kyoka Suigetsu again, but something was hindering the release of its Shikai.
"Do you remember how Kyoka Suigetsu gets disabled?"
This time it was Aura who spoke; a small smile on her face, her voice emotionless.
Kyoka Suigetsu was an extremely powerful zanpakuto that provided the wielder with absolute
superiority once activated. However, it had one single weakness. As long as the target is touching the
blade from the front, it is impossible to activate 'complete hypnosis'. Had it been Aizen, it would have
been possible to keep the others in check by maintaining the Shikai; the condition being that the
opponent had to witness the moment of release of the Shikai just once. Since it was being used by
someone other than Aizen, someone whose reiatsu was lower than Aizen's, another weakness of Kyoka
Suigetsu is born. The stronger the reiatsu of the opponent, the initial condition of the Shikai itself
changed accordingly. Tokinada had gone to great lengths to dexterously display the moment of release
of the Shikai to strong warriors such as Kyoraku and Yoruichi; whose collective reiatsu was higher than
Tokinada's. Currently, there were quite a few people whose reiatsu were greater than Tokinada's. The
place was overflowing with the reiatsu of various people. Ubuginu Hikone. Zaraki Kenpachi. Ginjo Kugo.
And finally Michibane Aura.
The moment when Tokinada glanced at her, she had already taken action.
Tokinada realized that his body was being restrained. The handle of Enrakyoten clasped in his hand
conveyed something else.
The fact that all kinds of blades that were being manifested in this place are now being touched by
someone.
"Are they attacking each other by mistake...? But why...?"
Nanao's eyes followed the pattern of tentacles; that had earlier attacked Kyoraku; as it entangled
Tokinada's entire body.
"It's better not to let your guard down. This might also be an illusion of Kyoka Suigetsu."
Standing, surrounded by the raging flames, Kyoraku squinted as he saw Tokinada and Aura; as well as
Ginjo.
"Perhaps... it is not an illusion... But it's better to not become too optimistic."
There was something missing within Michibane Aura. If asked what was missing, she probably would not
have been able to give a suitable answer. If she had been trying to fill an empty hole in her chest, then,
she would be akin to a Hollow.
But it was not that she was trying to satisfy unfulfilled desires. There was just the lingering feeling that
something was missing from her.
She displayed no interest in anything; she passed the days doing whatever she was told; from the time
she was young. No attachment towards anything, hardly any great emotions. She remembered her
childhood with her father; trapped as though in a glass bottle.
As an adult; she felt no sense of desperation: nor any of hope. Among the complexity of this world, her
days kept turning as gears.
She used to believe that nothing really mattered. She only felt that the gears should keep turning
uneventfully, according to the flow of time, till the day her body decays.
It was only about half an year ago that certain changes occurred in this 'gear'.
Under orders from Tokinada who had gathered the fragments of various Konpaku, including that of the
Shinigami; she was asked to create new life.
She felt no disgust upon getting involved in such a deed. It was very difficult to create a single life by
combining Shinigami and Quincy Konpaku by adding in a unique element known as the 'fragment of the
Rei-o'; since those elements were inherently incompatible to begin with.
After concentrating on carrying out her task, she finally realized, that for the very first time in her life,
she was smiling down at the life she had created; once reiatsu began flowing through 'it'.
It was not a smile of relief upon having carried out a job properly. It was a smile of affection towards the
new life she had created with her own two hands.
She was just a 'gear', but now that gear had turned to produce something.
Perhaps that was the moment when she actually took a step outside her glass jar; in the real sense of
the phrase.
At the same time, she also felt a sense of anxiety. It was hardly right to call this life a 'decent existence';
even she knew that. She was aware of the fact that humans often spoke of a well-known philosophy;
about the preciousness of life. But this philosophy was not applicable within the Soul Society because
Tokinada had told her about the corruption of the aristocratic rule. Aura wondered what Tsunayashiro
Tokinada would use this life for.
Then, as she learned that this life was meant to be a substitute for the Rei-o; a mere figure-head who
would continue to reign over the world, who would keep turning the gears of the three worlds, Aura's
world was easily repainted upon setting her eyes on the 'next Rei-o'.
Or maybe, her world, which had been a blank canvas until then, was splashed with colour for the first
time.
After a while, this Shinigami named Hikone spoke to Aura in his own words. Those words were lodged
within Aura's head.
"You are Aura! Tokinada-sama told me that you are like my mother! I don't really understand what a
'mother' is, but thank you!"
The eyes were innocent; no malicious intent at all. Aura realized that the expression was the same as
her own; back when she had seen her own child-like face reflected upon the glass walls in her room.
She realized how happy her father must have been during those days he had spent with her in that
confined space. She now knew that his heart had been full back then.
In those days, she had felt that it was not the right thing to do; to monopolize her and to imprison her.
But now she knew that it was the love of a parent. Perhaps Aura felt the same towards Hikone.
However, she had not realized that more feelings towards Hikone would be thrust upon her. When she
learned what affection was, it was then that she became tired of her apathy. Although Aura was content
to live with her own passivity, it was not acceptable for her to allow Hikone, whom she had created, and
who laughed so innocently; to fall into a similar or worse situation than herself, as he continued to hold
the world together forever.
That was what the current Aura believed. That was why she had secretly made up her mind to try and
save Hikone's future from Tokinada. Even if that involved Hikone's soul getting corrupted and he ended
up resenting her.
If someone were to ask her now; 'why do something unnecessary like that'; she would have been able to
reply freely with : 'it made me happy'.
Just as her father had wanted her to remain safe by confining her; she wanted Hikone to do the
opposite and see the wide world. Which option involved happiness and which one involved ill-fortune;
Aura didn't know.
What she really wanted was to give Hikone the freedom to choose from a wide range of options. She
wanted Hikone's chosen path to be illuminated by his own desires and wishes.
If Hikone himself decided to follow Tokinada, then so be it. Happiness does not always await at the end
of one's chosen path. Hikone would be the one to decide whether he would not mind stumbling head-
first in the middle of the road or whether he would spend the rest of eternity as Tokinada's puppet.
She just wanted to show Hikone the endless number of paths forking towards the future.
That was why she had decided to stop Tokinada.
If he did not choose his own will, then both their lives would be forfeit.
"...This was unexpected.. Such behaviour...”

Tokinada groaned. Aura answered casually.
“Oh? This was unexpected? You’re the one who says that you trust no one, Tokinada-sama.”
Aura bore no particular hatred towards Tokinada. She did not really want to kill him either. She would
be satisfied with just stopping him. However, since it was impossible to stop Tokinada without killing
him; Aura was prepared to move in for the kill, in order to save Hikone. Therefore, she was also
prepared to die in Tokinada’s hands should she fail. In the worst case scenario, they would both fall,
taking each other down with them-
“What are you talking about? I knew from the very beginning that you would betray me.”
“...?”
Simultaneously, Aura’s soul was aware of physical disorder, as Tokinada spoke these words.
“When I said ‘unexpected’, I only meant the timing. It was only a question of when you would betray
me.. You would have done so sooner or later anyway.”
“...?”
Then, when Tokinada was supposed to be tied up, a single blow was struck by him towards Ginjo.
“!”
Ginjo realized that the restraint was ineffective. He sensed Aura sinking to her knees.
“What’s wrong?”
Ginjo asked her urgently, but Aura couldn’t speak, it was difficult for her to even breathe.
“Ugh...ugh..”
“Strange, isn’t it? That you cannot escape by turning your body into wisps of smoke? That your reiatsu is
rapidly disappearing?”
Tokinada looked down at Aura with a smile as he beheaded the tentacles trying to touch his zanpakuto.
“I see. Touching Enrakyoten was a good strategy, but I wonder what will happen if I turn it into a blade
of ash? Or into a living creature?”
Tokinada continued.
“The Seireitei has all kinds of zanpakuto..”
Tokinada turned his gaze towards one Shinigami in particular.
“You might just find that one single zanpakuto; belonging to some lower ranked officer; the one with the
worst possible compatibility for you. Don’t forget that.”
The Shinigami in question who heard these cryptic words narrowed his eyes.
-There’s no mistaking it.
He could feel it from Tokinada’s gaze upon him. He stared back at Tokinada with a murderous glare.
Usually, it is not possible to distinguish the reiatsu of a zanpakuto; but the story is different once you call
out its name and become its partner. A reiraku of the same colour as the zanpakuto in his own hand was
certainly felt from Tokinada’s side.
{t/n: reiraku=spirit ribbon}
-Yes, the symptoms were the same.
He didn’t know what kind of person Aura was and why she was doing what she did. But he did know that
she was being attacked by ‘Ruri’iro Kujaku’.
A zanpakuto with the ability to suck out all of the reiryoku of the opponent; weakening them. No
wonder Aura could not turn her body into mist; that skill of hers was still connected to her reiryoku.
“This Kido-type zanpakuto has promptly set to work. With a bit of Kido added in, It becomes practically
invisible.”
Although Enrakyoten could reflect the abilities of most zanpakuto; with the exception of a few rare
cases; Tokinada did not know the abilities of every single zanpakuto within Soul Society. But he knew
enough to be able to pick and choose according to the situation. For example, he knew of a certain
zanpakuto known as ‘Uro Zakuro’, used by an inmate of the Muken. He had obtained the idea of using
Yumichika’s zanpakuto because Aura’s power was as close as one could get to ‘Uro Zakuro’, and because
‘Ruri’iro Kujaku’ was an effective countermeasure against such an ability. Tokinada had been saving its
usage for Aura when she had finally gotten around to betraying him.
“My dear girl, if you had wanted to betray me, you should have done so right at the start. That way, you
could have joined Kyoraku’s group and prevented them from falling under Kyoka Suigetsu’s spell. It is a
little late at the moment; now that Hikone’s powers are getting close to perfection.”
Tokinada spoke in a pleasant tone to Aura, looking down fondly at her. Aura was gasping; shedding
sweat from her forehead. Aura slowly raised her face, her expression vacant.
“Why...did...I...betray you?”
“It’s only natural that you did. When you created Hikone with your own hands, didn’t feelings of
maternity well up within your chest? Didn’t you start embracing your maternal instincts?”
“...”
“I knew this would happen. I thought it would be great fun if I could develop an emotion within you and
then trample on them... Such a shame that you’re not showing me an appropriate expression.”
In order for her to betray him, he had planted the seed of emotion from early on. Ginjo, who heard that;
frowned. This extreme level of irrationality on Tokinada’s part angered him.
“Well, it can’t be helped if you’re not displaying any of my desired emotions over Hikone; but you have
to admit, it is refreshing to watch children grow up as you want them to. Even I understand Aizen’s and
Yhwach’s feelings; as they had closely monitored Kurosaki Ichigo-“
Before he could complete the sentence, a metallic sound was heard. Ginjo had stepped in to attack
Tokinada.
“Hah! I don’t think I need to inform you that two of your comrades have already fallen! And.. well..
you’ve just met this woman today. So you can get rid of your misplaced compassion.”
As he spoke, Tokinada tried to activate ‘Kyoka Suigetsu’; but once more; he could not perform Shikai.
“...?”
“What’s wrong? Is that a chink in your armour that I see?”
Tokinada flew backwards as Ginjo’s attacks increased in both speed and force.
“Impossible.. Are you still suppressing it? Aura...”
Even though more than half of her reiatsu was sucked away, a part of Aura’s body was still kept diffused
in all directions; continuing to touch the various blades of Tokinada. One of the blades was ‘Ruri’iro
Kujaku’; but Aura had not let go of it even when it continued to absorb her reiatsu.
“Why are you still touching it? You wish to just die meaninglessly here?”
Then Aura responded, standing up.
“There is meaning.”
“What is it?”
“Perhaps I am... it’s strange...”
Whilst Tokinada kept Ginjo’s attacks in check, Aura seemed to pour all her life force into stopping the
invocation of ‘Kyoka Suigetsu’.
“You don’t only see me, Tokinada-sama. Seven hundred thousand believers have placed their faith in
me...”
Feeling the reiatsu of Hikone clashing against Kenpachi high up in the sky, Aura smiled from the very
bottom of her heart. A true smile.
“I do not even care about myself, I’m just trying to hang on till the very end for the sake of one little
child.”
The smile of a loving parent.
-When I was young, did my father smile at me like this?
-Ah... I can’t remember..
-I wonder if Daddy loved me...
-What about Mummy? Did she love me? I never met her...
As her consciousness began to slowly fade, Aura continued to exude reiatsu to all the surrounding
space. She broke down her own cells to transform them into reiatsu. The emotions she had never
embraced thus far began to slowly explode out of her.
Upon seeing Aura in this way, Tokinada spoke one word, in fascination.
“Interesting..”
He smiled. His voice was more joyful than ever. He surrounded Ginjo with Ryujin Jakka and Gagaku
Kairo, and spoke to Aura.
“Well then.. How about this? When the very person, whom you have been trying to protect by
sacrificing your own life, slays you... What kind of expression would you have on your face?”
“...”
Tokinada went on addressing Aura, who was so weak that she could no longer respond.
“Oh, I know! I’ll tell you right away! Perhaps I’ll have Hikone kill you, then!”
He immediately tried to call out to Hikone overhead, so as not to let his excitement go cold-
“I won’t let you do that!”
Ginjo’s voice rang out, loud and clear.
The Fullbringers began to mobilize upon hearing his command. Giriko swept away the creatures of
Gagaku Kairo; his body muscular and inflated. Tsukishima flipped his bookmark into the flames;
rewriting the past as: ‘the fire was extinguished ten seconds ago’. And so, that obstacle disappeared,
allowing Ginjo to pass through.
He looked different. His hair had turned white. His black and white clothes had taken on a different
form; like that of a skeletal armour. His sword had changed shape in an instant; with a skull upon it. His
reiatsu escalated.
“Such mastery over your Hollow powers! Yes... I expected nothing less from a Rei-o candidate such as
yourself! So, do you wish to kill Hikone and myself and then claim the throne of the Rei-o for yourself?”
Tokinada asked Ginjo. Ginjo asked back,
“Oh? Me, the Rei-o? Claiming the throne isn’t some kind of special bargain sale, you know!”
“That’s not what I mean. Do you know how Fullbringers are born?”
“I think I can guess. A fragment of the Rei-o, am I right?”
Why is the Fullbringer targeted by the Hollow at the foetal stage?
Ginjo had predicted that the reason had to be because of something that was mixed into the Konpaku
from before it was born. Although it was not clear what kind of influence this fragment of the Rei-o
would have; Ginjo had assumed that just like Mimihagi-sama had taken possession of a Shinigami; if this
fragment were to be fused with human beings, then it would bring about an effect similar to that of the
Hogyoku.
A device that manifests the desires of those around it; something that could change the world.
The Hogyoku.
It would not be surprising if the fragment of the Rei-o acts as its substitute and activates Fullbring that
can turn attachment into an ability.
And since the Konpaku of the unborn child has this special reiatsu mixed in, it gets targeted by Hollows,
who sense this reiatsu.
Conversely, there may be cases in which the Rei-o factor gets inherited through generations and blooms
via defensive instincts when faced with Hollows. Two examples would be Inoue Orihime and Chad.
Ginjo was not sure whether or not his speculations were correct, but Tokinada smiled at him.
“If you know all that, then how about it? If you become the Rei-o; with the powers of a Fullbringer, a
Shinigami and Hollow, then you can either destroy this world or change it, wouldn’t you agree?”
“I’m not interested. If we need to turn the world around; then we can do it in our own way.”
“Then why are you lending a hand to Aura? Your former comrades were killed on orders; but that was
not me; it was the work of those from the main family.”
Regardless of whether Tokinada’s words were true or false, Ginjo replied,
“That doesn’t interest me either.. Even if I knew who did it, the fact that I became an enemy of the
Shinigami will not change.”
Ginjo swung around his sword as he narrowed his eyes.
“I only have one grievance to speak of.”
Recalling the face of a single Shinigami, the words tumbled out of Ginjo’s lips.
“That I never got to hear the truth from Ukitake.. Not even when I was right in front of him.”
{t/n: in the first book, it was stated that Ginjo had gone to see Ukitake, but Ukitake was already dying
then}
“Hahahaha! So did you hear about it from Aura? We have surveillance bacteria, but what kind of
method did you use to share information? And besides, didn’t you think that she could have lied to
you?”
“We had a different modus operandi.”
As a matter of fact, Ginjo had not heard anything at all from Aura. That is why the surveillance bacteria
controlled by Tokinada had not detected Aura’s betrayal.
However, Ginjo knew everything. That was because of Yukio and Tsukishima. Via these two Fullbringers,
the will of Aura was transmitted to Ginjo, disregarding the flow of time.
What Aura had done to Yukio was simple. Using her unique ability to rearrange even the elementary
structure of her own body, she had engraved a certain pattern on to the back side of the business card
that she had handed to Yukio.
It was a myriad of QR codes encrypted in grey; closer to white, not black. There was also the thinness of
the colour; and at first glance, it looked just like the texture of the paper. But Yukio had been able to
easily read the information written upon the business card.
{t/n: QR code- Quick Response Code. A matrix barcode. Developed for usage by the Japanese car
companies, such as Toyota, Subaru, etc, in 1994. Nowadays, you see them practically everywhere}
-In exchange for information on the Shinigami clan responsible for killing Ginjo’s friends, Yukio had
agreed to play the part of forming an alliance for the sake of Tokinada’s cause.
It was a little unbelievable for Yukio at first, but upon obtaining information that Aura had several
powerful business conglomerates amongst her followers, he realized that it provided him with sufficient
business profit. Yukio did not know whether that information would be of any use to Ginjo;
nevertheless, he formed a real alliance with Aura.
After that, it was an easy matter for him to convert the rest of his comrades to his side, since he was so
familiar with their habits. First of all, he knew very well that Tsukishima would invariably try to interfere
with his ‘past’. When Yukio had mentioned ‘I placed a virus in my past’ to Tokinada, he wasn’t exactly
lying. Tsukishima had not actually altered Yukio’s past, and thus the surveillance bacteria had not
reported anything. Since Tsukishima already knew about Ginjo’s circumstances, he had looked into
Yukio’s past and had conveyed the message to Giriko and Ginjo by bookmarking them, leaving Yukio’s
past as it was.
“I’d say that ‘time is money’, but Tsukishima-san, you ought to thank the god of time for giving you that
power.”
Tsukishima shook his head at Giriko’s words.
“Unfortunately, I am not a very religious person.”
“Just as tea leaves turn black and fruit wine darkens with the passage of time; so does all things. Our
prayers may begin only on the surface, but eventually, time matures all things.”
Yukio covered his mouth, pretending to be profoundly impressed by those words.
“You totally sound like a suspicious religious fraud, Grandpa Giriko!”
Amidst this light-hearted banter, the three of them watched the battle between Ginjo and Tokinada.
Because they knew. Knew that this was a necessary battle for Ginjo to come to terms with his past.
Ginjo answered Tokinada’s earlier question as he lashed out with his blade.
“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have doubts at first; but your actions just now and your words were
satisfactory enough to have me convinced.”
“Hahaha! I see! Then your desire to kill is most justified. But make no mistake. You didn’t have me
dancing on the palm of your hand. It was I who had placed the monitoring mechanism within the
substitute badge. It was I who made the decision to be your enemy. It was my will. Your agonizing
efforts went to waste since you were deceived by falsehoods.”
Having said that, Tokinada raised his voice again and continued to talk pleasantly,
“I just did not tell the truth about the Fullbringers and the violence of the House of Tsunayashiro after
the decision was taken by Ukitake. As a result of his judgment, he settled down to an agreement that
benefits me now as well as the House of Tsunayashiro. So I am grateful to Ukitake.”
Even though Ginjo’s superior reiatsu had the upper hand, Tokinada went on relentlessly,
“Oh, Ukitake opposed the nobles’ idea of eavesdropping and monitoring via the substitute badge more
than anyone else. In the end, I had to throw in my final word. Even after he was left with no choice but
to surrender, he said, ‘Ginjo’s suspicions will fade away and Central 46 will definitely understand soon
enough’. He had always believed in you.”
“So your family used the tracking device in the badge to hunt down my friends and then killed them in
order to collect the ‘fragments of the Rei-o’... is that right?”
{t/n: Now we know why Soul Society wanted to get a hold of Ginjo’s dead body. The nobles wanted the
Rei-o fragment}
“I spoke to Ukitake, telling him ‘Ginjo was so distraught that he killed the Shinigami as well as his
friends’. Ukitake didn’t want to believe it but I showed him the data from the Visuals Department. And
thus, you were labelled as an ‘enemy of the Shinigami’. Later, you even killed Ukitake’s subordinates in a
fit of rage; so it amounted to the same thing in the end. Such a pity that he believed in someone such as
yourself!”
{t/n: In case the narrative is puzzling; Ukitake and Ginjo’s relationship was one of tragic
misunderstanding; orchestrated by Tokinada. Ukitake didn’t know why the nobles wanted to spy on
Ginjo; he protested, hoping that Ginjo would forgive him. However, the murder of Ginjo’s friends was
something that was unknown to Ukitake. Tokinada made it sound like Ginjo was distraught over the
eavesdropping incident only; leaving out the bit about Ginjo going mad with rage over the unfair death
of his friends. Ukitake only got to know one side of the picture. Tokinada also lied to Ukitake, stating
that Ginjo had killed his own friends. It was easy enough for him to lie; seeing as his family was in control
of the Visuals Dept. Ginjo, on the other hand, believed that Ukitake had initiated this event; since he was
the one who had given him the badge. Remember how Ginjo described Ukitake? ‘The most peace-loving
man within Soul Society’. This showed that Ginjo really respected Ukitake, and thus he was even more
upset that this same peace-loving man had betrayed him}
As he kept on provoking Ginjo, Tokinada increased the sharpness of his movements step by step. He was
stalling for time with his narration of this story, as ‘Ruri’iro Kujaku’ went on sapping Aura of her reiryoku.
“I wanted to tell him the truth and then hush him up by taking his younger brothers hostage, but as
Kyoraku says, it is bad to incur the wrath of the fearful Mimihagi-sama once you drive him to that
point... He is the flesh of the Rei-o after all..”
To Tokinada, who spoke in a forlorn tone, Ginjo replied,
“I only regret not immediately doing what I came here to do..”
Poising himself for an attack, his emotions awry, he said,
“...Slaughtering this Shinigami standing in front of me!”
Ginjo released a massive ‘Getsuga Tensho’ comparable in power to Ichigo’s own. But the red flash
emitted by Tokinada diverted its direction. It struck a faraway rocky mountain, greatly altering the
terrain.
“Tch! He still had that kind of trick up his sleeve!”
The red flashes were from ‘Hisagomaru’. They had been released by converting the wounds absorbed by
its normal ability into its attacking ability. A slash created by accumulating all of Tokinada’s wounds up
till then was not successful in offsetting his opponent’s attack, but it did manage to change the attack’s
direction at the last minute.
-Hmm.. So what should I use next?
-Let’s see..
As Tokinada tried to select a zanpakuto suitable for Ginjo’s power, he noticed Aura’s reiatsu being
almost extinguished.
“Oops.. It’ll be boring if she died of weakness.”
Distancing himself from Ginjo, keeping him restrained with ‘Tsuchinamazu’ and ‘Senbonzakura’,
Tokinada turned his attention towards the sky.
-Hikone! Leave him alone! Kill Aura first!
-These words were what Tokinada wanted to shout out-
“Hiko...”
The next instant; he sensed a gust of wind cut right through a part of his body.
“...?”
Before he could grasp the identity of that sensation, Tokinada saw his own detached right arm; still
holding the zanpakuto, flying up, making a high arc in the air.
“Wha-?”
Even before the pain was transmitted to his brain, Kazeshini had wrapped itself around his right arm a
moment earlier and had peeled it away from his body in the blink of an eye.
“No...way...”
The pain of losing his right arm shot through his entire body; but the doubt that rose within his mind
somewhat pushed aside the pain momentarily.
Standing before him was Hisagi Shuhei, looking straight at him with blazing eyes.
“You.. you were supposed to be under ‘complete hypnosis’...”
Aura had stopped the further initialization of the Shikai, but Kyoraku’s group was still under its
influence. Hisagi, who had also seen it before it was sealed, but after Kyoraku’s group saw it, should
have been even more strongly hypnotized. The scenery reflected in his eyes, fluctuations in reiatsu, even
the sound of the wind, ought to be misidentified.
Hisagi was no longer operating in the dark, he was looking straight at Tokinada. But his visual, auditory
and olfactory senses as well as reikaku should not be functioning properly. Therefore it should have
been impossible to grasp Tokinada’s exact location from just his conversation with Ginjo and Aura. It
was impossible to attack unless one could cancel out the hypnosis by releasing reiatsu of Aizen’s level.
There were other reasons as to why Tokinada had been caught completely off guard by Hisagi.
A piece of cloth fluttered between Tokinada and Hisagi. It was the mantle that completely masks reiatsu;
the one which he had worn earlier and then thrown aside.
-Did you wrap Kazeshini in it before throwing?
-So that I wouldn’t feel its reiatsu?
-So you began rotating the blade just before wrapping it up?
-Is that how you cut off my arm?
Tokinada couldn’t understand. He had made sure that the cloak had been misidentified as sand.
Was it possible that Hisagi had not actually seen the Shikai of Kyoka Suigetsu?
But surely I had shown it to him the instant his eyes opened.
I did see Hisagi’s astonished look and subsequent confusion.
-...Wait.
-Confusion?
It took him just one second to understand. Tokinada turned his face towards one Shinigami. Hirako
Shinji.
Hirako was exhausted and he could barely hoist himself on one knee. Despite his condition, he was
grinning confidently.
“You know.. I was actually saving this for when Aizen showed his Shikai to Ichigo. But I never got a
chance to do it since Aizen never used Kyoka Suigetsu on Ichigo.”
“But perhaps Aizen did it deliberately.”
It was Kyoraku who spoke. He and Nanao appeared beside Hirako and picked up the handle of
‘Enrakyoten’ that had fallen to the ground.
“We were saved because you were so prompt, Captain Hirako. And Lieutenant Hisagi himself, who was
so quick to respond, even though he did not know about it then.”
“Well... it would have been a lot more difficult to pull off this kind of stunt against someone like Aizen.”
Hirako said so fairly, while swinging Sakanade from his wrist. It was in its Shikai state, but Tokinada did
not remember Sakanade being able to reverse the visibility and hearing of illusions.
Then, whom did he use that power on?
As the answer came to Tokinada in a flash, Hirako told him,
“Oh, you poor simpleton!”
Hirako had not used Sakanade on Tokinada; he had used it on Hisagi instead. At the exact moment when
Tokinada had shown Hisagi the release of Kyoka Suigetsu.
Since the front and back were reversed, Hisagi had not actually seen the release of the Shikai. His look of
astonishment was because he had been shocked and confused that everything before his eyes was
inverted; front, back, left, right, above, below. It was all upside down.
When Tokinada finally understood what was going on, he turned his eyes towards Kyoraku to take away
the zanpakuto from his hand. But before he knew it, the hilt disappeared from Kyoraku’s hand; and it
could not be found anywhere.
“Sorry about that. But Okyo has already hidden your zanpakuto away.”
{t/n: Okyo is Kyokotsu. Term of endearment. Shunsui uses ’Ohana’ for Katen and ‘Okyo’ for Kyokotsu}
Kyoraku informed Tokinada sweetly.
“Hey now... You don’t want to keep me waiting, do you?”
The voice was heard from behind Tokinada. It was already too late by then.
A Getsuga Tensho released by Ginjo struck Tokinada’s body obliquely.
Red blood blossomed like flowers as it danced high up in the sky of the Kyogoku.
{t/n: A really awesome feat by Shinji. And kudos to Shuhei for being able to function so well while
mentally adjusting to Sakanade’s inversion. Oh, and PS. Tokinada is still alive and kicking}
Chapter 6
“Gah!”
Tokinada’a clothes were soaked in blood regardless of whether or not the strike reached his internal
organs. He staggered forward; his faltering steps heavy, as he paused after a while and looked up at the
heavens.
Then, he burst out laughing.
Laughing his head off, he forcibly stopped the bleeding using Kaido.
“Hahahahaha! To think that... you stopped Kyoka Suigetsu... with something like that! This is hilarious!”
“Bastard! You’re still alive! A stubborn one, aren’t you?”
Ginjo held up his sword to stab Tokinada’s throat. But in the next moment; a strange cloth was ejected
from the sleeve of Tokinada’s left arm.
“What the...?”
Ginjo stepped back warily; creating some distance between them. The white cloth seemed to move like
a living creature; and instantly formed a tornado-like vortex around Tokinada, spinning and enveloping
his figure.
“This was... in Isane-kun’s report!”
A cloth imbued with a special Kido; a device of Aizen’s own design; created by him at a time when
spatial transition was still forbidden by Yamamoto. This device was used by Ichimaru to allow himself
and Aizen to escape from the crime scene at the Central 46. At the same time, Tosen had used this
object to abduct Rukia and Renji.
“Oh my! Are you going to run away, Tokinada? It would have been better if you had let yourself be
arrested quietly.”
“Don’t be stupid, Kyoraku! Being confined in prison till I die... What could be more boring? I’d rather die
than spend my days in boredom!”
A trickle of blood ran down the corner of Tokinada’s mouth, but his voice was uplifted; rather surprising
for someone who seemed to be gravely injured.
“If so, then die quietly, will you?”
Ginjo rushed forth with his sword, but Tokinada had already disappeared. Ginjo had barely managed to
nick the cloth. He had not been quick enough.
“Damn it! Where the hell did he disappear to?”
-------------
Castle in the sky; Control Room:-
“Hahahaha! I see, I see! Indeed, this is the first time I’ve been driven so far.”
He dragged himself into a room full of strange instruments, leaving behind a trail of blood in his wake.
“But perhaps I did take the game a little too far.”
While fiddling with some of the instruments using Kido, Tokinada curled his lips.
“I’ll have them killed here.”
This was Tokinada’s hidden ace in the hole. He had the castle equipped with it.
The Kido Cannon.
Its degree of bombardment was akin to the military weapons from the modern era of the World of the
Living and it was as deadly as the toxic ‘Konjiki Ashisogi Jizo’. He tried to activate this fortified weapon-
“Hmm..?”
However, he could not get it to work.
At first he thought it was Aura’s doing, but it had an alarm system embedded in it; informing him of any
kind of abnormality until its final moment of launch. But the alarm had not gone off. As those doubts
crept into his mind, a cheerful voice echoed through the communication equipment placed within the
castle.
“Ah, greetings, greetings! Tsunayashiro-san, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you! I suppose I should begin
my acquaintanceship in that way?”
“... Urahara... Kisuke!”
“Well, ever since I discovered the surveillance bugs flying around our shop and thwarted them, I’ve felt
like I’ve had a long-standing relationship with you and the Visuals Department!”
---------------
Hisagi; who was extremely injured and was breathing heavily, his eyes closed from the pain; opened his
eyes and looked up at the sky as he heard the voice coming from the castle.
“That voice.... Urahara-san..? But you were kidnapped..”
Yukio interjected from behind Hisagi.
“He wasn’t. I just invited him in. If I had talked to him about my circumstances, then he would have
followed me normally.”
“Wait! So have you not had time to speak to him about that?”
“Aura was being watched by the surveillance bacteria; so we couldn’t exactly be open about it, could
we?”
When Urahara and Yukio had met each other in Karakura Town, they had ‘conversed’ in a way other
than by using their voices. The static noise that was occasionally heard on the screen floating in the air
and Urahara’s act of hitting it with his cane were nothing more than means of communication. Using the
Morse Code was risky as there was the possibility of Tokinada detecting it; therefore Yukio had
transformed the Japanese language into a binary code using a personal computer and had shown it to
Urahara via the various kinds of static noises. Urahara, who had noticed the noise, had replied to Yukio
in a corresponding way, using the explosive and flashy attacks on purpose. In order to deceive the
surveillance bacteria, he had fought Aura seriously.
After providing this explanation, Yukio shrugged his shoulders and stared up at the castle tower from
where Urahara’s voice was heard. He chewed his lower lip.
“Good thing he caught on to me so fast. Really, that guy!”
-----------------
“So you disturb me too, Urahara Kisuke.”
Urahara smiled, answering Tokinada.
“On the contrary, what makes you think that you wouldn’t get disturbed?”
“I created Hikone in order to completely liberate the existence of the Rei-o. For those of us who created
it solely for the sake of it, what’s wrong in offering up the sacrifice?”
“I’m with you. Be it the Rei-o or Hikone-san, it is far from decent to sacrifice a soul with will, to preserve
the world. Even as Yhwach’s corpse currently acts as a replacement, I do not think that the status-quo is
perfect either.”
Urahara spoke in a low voice meant only for Tokinada in that room, but it was heard outside as well.
Tokinada laughed; the stench of blood all over the room.
“You sound like such a hypocrite. Don’t you have the same purpose as I do? Don’t you have your own
hideout full of dolls stuffed to the brim with all kinds of Konpaku; created with the intention of replacing
the Rei-o using the Hogyoku-“
Urahara’s words echoed as if to block out the words of provocation.
“If that’s what it looks like through your surveillance bugs, then all I can say is this..”
The words sounded cheerful, but somehow, the underlying tone was enough to run a chill down the
listener’s spine.
“Your eyes are like knot-holes and your sense of word-selection is zero.”
“So do you intend to keep turning your back on your desires till the end?”
“I never pretended to be a good person. How about you? Wouldn’t it be better to surrender? Your
trump card, Hikone-san, may or may not win against Zaraki-san, but even if he wins, how does he hope
to oppose the rest of the members of the alliance? And as for this aerial castle suspended in mid-air...”
Urahara said lightly that he had ‘disabled all systems’; but Tokinada’s smile never disappeared. He
looked up at the ceiling.
“I see. So you think this is a piece of junk floating in the sky.”
The next moment-
Tokinada fished out the miniature Tenkai Kecchu from his pocket, allowing a single droplet of blood to
fall on it. Using a special Kido, he struck it onto the floor of the chamber at the same time.
“This should be enough for your enjoyment, Urahara Kisuke.”
------------------
A dull roar was heard and the lower part of the floating castle was buried in explosive flames.
“What is it this time?”
Candice exclaimed; her eyes wide. Then, the bullhorn outside the castle began to function once again.
“Everyone down below.. Can you all hear me?”
“Kisuke... Is this your doing?”
Yoruichi had a bad feeling upon hearing Urahara’s voice from up in the castle. Her voice probably would
not have reached him, but his next words were delivered at such a precise time, as if Yoruichi’s voice
had reached him directly.
“That wasn’t me. It seems that Tsunayashiro-san has gotten a little too impatient.”
“I should have known... Is it going to fall?”
Kyoraku’s statement was confirmed as the gigantic castle; much larger than a tall skyscraper, began to
slowly descend.
“Tokinada must have bumped his head really hard. We can always escape using Shunpo.”
“No. It’s not that simple.”
Ginjo, who had ended his Bankai and had reverted to his normal appearance, was observing the
surrounding reishi; his eyes narrowed. As he looked, the dense reishi filling up the entire Kyogoku began
swirling violently in the vicinity of the aerial castle. The surrounding air started changing gradually.
“By any chance... has the Tenkai Kecchu been activated already?”
Then, from the bullhorn, another voice reverberated. It was not Urahara.
“Congratulation. This time, victory is yours. As unfortunate as that sounds, it seems that I cannot kill
you.”
“Tokinada...!”
Kyoraku frowned as he understood what the opponent was about to do.
“What? It’s just a piece of junk falling from the sky. It’s not like the world is ending.”
Did he wish to merely watch what happens? Or was this revenge for the plan going astray? While his
motive could not be narrowed down, it was obvious what was coming next.
Tsunayashiro Tokinada had destroyed the system that kept the castle afloat, and was going to transfer it
to Karakura Town.
“Wait.. If that massive thing falls from that height...”
“Karakura Town will be finished.”
Liltotto said casually; in response to Yukio’s exclamation.
“We don’t really care about Karakura Town. So what if it’s a Jureichi? Even if it’s smashed to pieces, it
won’t really have such a great impact upon the world.”
“What the hell are you saying?”
Kyoraku looked up at the sky as he strengthened his reiatsu.
-Captain Zaraki could destroy it with ‘Nozarashi’, but he’s still in the middle of a fight.
-But that doesn’t guarantee the prevention of the transition.
-The Arrancars and the Quincies have no reason to protect Karakura Town...
As Kyoraku desperately sought a way to stop this, using only the Shinigami group, the situation got even
worse.
“Wait! The lower portion that got blasted first is coming straight down at us!”
Everyone heard Muguruma’s cry. Just before the transition would occur, the bottom part of the castle
would fall down. Directly towards the ground of the Kyogoku. Most of the people present there were
heavily wounded. They were running out of physical strength. As they tried to move; one single shadow
slipped past them. At first glance, it seemed like the shadow had raised its right arm towards the sky.
However, there was definitely something abnormal in the air around them. A tornado of reishi
entangled itself around that figure as it extended towards the sky in an instant; preventing the
fragments of the castle from falling. The rate of their fall gradually lessened and finally the debris were
suspended in air, as if time had stopped. Hisagi Shuhei had realized what was happening. He saw the
Fullbringer Aura and raised his voice.
“Stop! If you use that amount of physical strength, you will die!”
There was almost no reiatsu left in her. Despite that, she was trying to further release reiatsu in order to
halt the fall of the castle. Aura smiled lightly.
“Showing concern towards an enemy? You are a strange one.”
“But we know now that you are not an enemy. I may not know all the details, but I heard that you
capturing Urahara-san was an act. Besides, I think you are doing this for Hikone’s sake right now.”
“No. It’s not just for Hikone, but for myself as well.”
She turned her gaze towards the sky, or rather, towards the tiny figure who was still fighting. Then,
Tokinada’s voice was heard once again from within the castle tower.
“I knew you would move in such a way. You have become such a first-rate actress. I thank you, Aura, for
providing me with such enjoyment just before my death.”
It was a voice seeped in distorted pleasure. One could just imagine the twisted smile from the voice
alone.
“Hikone.”
Tokinada now uttered his final command.
“This will be your top priority. Kill Aura.”
It was as if no time had passed by during the intervening moments. Just like an illusion; Hikone, who was
supposed to have been engaged in combat with Zaraki high up in the air; was now standing right behind
Aura. How did he move so fast? It wasn’t just the speed. As he landed from such a height; he had not
raised so much as a speck of dust. It was a beautiful movement; as if the force of gravity favoured him
and as if inertia was twisted by reiatsu and technology. Even though he had been in the midst of a sword
fight with Kenpachi, Hisagi Shuhei instinctively sensed that Hikone would immediately attack Aura
without hesitation. So he hurried to stand in front of Hikone, acting as a shield.
“Hisagi Shuhei-san, would you move a little from there?”
Hikone’s appearance was different from when Hisagi had first met him. He still resembled a young child;
but he also bore the unique look of someone who was a cross between a Shinigami and a Hollow. It was
not the outward appearance that was alarming. It was the inside that had changed drastically, so much
so, that it could not be compared to the basic outer look. As if the Shinigami soul was forcibly bound to
the Quincy soul; and was then mixed in a complex way with the Hollow soul. Hisagi could already see
the reiraku; it was in the shape of a sphere, not in the form of a long ribbon. It was a mixture of several
colours.
“Do you intend to kill Aura?”
“Yes! Because that was Tokinada-sama’s command!”
“Did you know that Aura was trying to protect you? Because of that, she defied Tokinada.”
“Is that so?”
Hikone tilted his head. Aura spoke,
“Please stop. It is not that child’s fault.”
Sensing the impasse, Hisagi made a decision to confront Hikone. But Aura held up her hand, as if to stop
Hisagi from saying anything. She asked Hikone,
“Do you know that I cannot be killed by physical attacks?”
“Can you really do that now like always? Then why aren’t you turning into fog and disappearing?”
“....”
Silence was the answer. Hisagi clenched Kazeshini and took a step forward towards Hikone. No matter
from which angle one sees it, Hisagi’s chance at victory was nil. That much was obvious. Aura asked,
“Why go that far?”
“It’s not just because of you. It’s just that, there are issues in my past that I need to deal with.”
Seeing that Aura was confused, Hisagi began to speak but then noticed Muguruma out of the corner of
his eye. Remembering what Muguruma had joked about a few days ago, Hisagi chuckled.
“What was it that my Captain had teased me about? Ah yes... Apparently, I seem to be vulnerable to the
snares of questionable women. Haha!”
Returning to his serious self, Hisagi continued to walk.
“I will help you because you risked your life to protect Hikone. That makes you a decent person.”
Hisagi was accompanied by the shadow of fear that was always present by his side.
“Please step aside; don’t you get it?”
Once Hikone realized that Hisagi approaching him was an inhibition of Tokinada’s command, he closed
his eyes for a moment. Then, he opened his eyes and slowly turned over the blade of Ikomikidomoe in
his hand.
“It’s a shame...”
As he spoke, Hikone swayed his body as if to lean forward. Not just Hisagi, but Yoruichi and Muguruma
who had stepped in on either side of Hisagi, prepared to respond immediately. The Quincies and
Arrancars flanking Hisagi from both sides, were trying to gauge Hikone’s exact ability. Normally,
Grimmjow would have been the first one to attack, but he had learned from his earlier experience with
Tokinada that it was a bad idea. Also, Neliel was keeping him in check. Everyone could feel it; the gravity
of the situation caused by a simple tilt of the body of this lump of ‘death’ given the name ‘Hikone’.
Then, a single blow, such as a thunderbolt falling from the sky, distracted Hikone, sweeping away the
surrounding soil.
“...!”
Hisagi stood his ground, enduring the shock-wave. The one who appeared before his line of sight was
the demonic Zaraki Kenpachi. He addressed Hikone,
“We were in the midst of battle! What made you come down here?”
“I wanted to be done with you before I was given my orders. It’s a pity.”
Although Hikone looked apologetic, there was also slight joy upon his face. An enormous amount of
reiatsu was building up around his body.
“How very strange! I’ve never felt this exhilarated before.”
{t/n: Do you see Gremmy’s personality starting to spill out over Hikone’s docility?}
“Yes, you’re just great!”
A battle between two demons. Their mere sword clashes made it difficult for the rest of them to stand.
-How long has Hikone been fighting Kenpachi?
They did not know how many minutes had passed, but it was reinforced upon the Shinigami exactly how
brutal Hikone’s existence was if he could keep receiving sword slashes from Kenpachi. The two kept on
fighting.
“Won’t you use Shikai?”
Hikone performed a series of instantaneous sword attacks, and Kenpachi blocked them all with his own
fierce strikes.
“What are you talking about? When my opponent is this interesting, it’s more fun to increase the degree
of trouble!”
As she witnessed the ensuing battle, Candice looked amazed. She opened her mouth.
“Can you believe this? They’re laughing!”
“When that Shinigami fought against Gremmy, he had been laughing then too.”
“That reminds me... Gremmy was having a lot of fun too, wasn’t he?”
However, Liltotto, who was friends with Gremmy, said,
“Who knows... I haven’t got a clue.”
Hearing Liltotto’s cold tone of voice, Candice pursued the subject no more.
“Oi, NaNaNa, stop observing and start moving!”
At Liltotto’s commanding words, Najahkoop replied irritably,
“Shut up! I’m trying. His pattern is too complicated. It’s different from the simple but insanely strong
one of Aizen.”
Liltotto sighed in exasperation as if she’d had enough.
“In the meantime, let’s hope we don’t end up as collateral damage.”
While the Quincies were talking, Hikone and Kenpachi also exchanged words.
“You think my hands have become dull? You want me to use Shikai that much?”
A strike from Kenpachi made Hikone leap backwards.
“Don’t think about unnecessary things. The only thing that matters is that we’re fighting each other to
the death, here, at this moment. Right?”
“That’s right! I have to fight you with all my might and I have to kill Aura and everyone else here.”
“Hah! Don’t get too greedy. If you waste time thinking about later, I’ll kill you!”
“Yes, of course! I will kill you after fighting with everything I’ve got!”
As soon as Hikone made this declaration, the reiatsu contained within him began to circulate violently.
The balance of the Shinigami soul began to collapse.
“The reiatsu is still rising...?”
Kyoraku exclaimed. Hikone’s body swayed in an eerie manner, but he tried to hold on to his zanpakuto-
The movement stopped for a moment.
That was because Hikone saw a figure break in, standing between himself and Kenpachi.
“...Hisagi-san?”
Hikone was puzzled by Hisagi Shuhei, who stood facing Zaraki Kenpachi.
-Back then, he was facing me, trying to help Aura. But now his back is turned towards me. Why?
It was unfathomable to Hikone that Hisagi had interrupted his fight with Kenpachi.
It seemed Kenpachi had the same question as well. The laughter died from his face as he looked at
Hisagi standing in front of him.
“What the hell are you doing? Move!”
Kenpachi’s anger accompanied by his reiatsu seemed to burn the ambient air. The others around them
were also surprised at Hisagi’s behaviour. If Hisagi intended to save Kenpachi, then he ought to have
been facing away from Kenpachi, not interrupting Kenpachi’s movements. Besides, everyone in the
Gotei knew that Kenpachi required no help in a fight and hated it when someone tried to disturb.
“Hisagi?”
“What do you think you’re doing?”
Madarame frowned. Yumichika, in his puzzlement, even forgot to attach the designation of ‘Lieutenant’
to Hisagi’s name. The two of them knew better than anyone else what it meant to get in Captain Zaraki’s
way. When Madarame, Yumichika and their group had faced off against Komamura, Tosen and their
respective lieutenants, the two of them chose to leave their Captain with Komamura and Tosen, leaving
the premises, so as to fight the lieutenants elsewhere. ‘Helping’ Captain Zaraki was practically taboo.
But an even more outrageous answer escaped Hisagi’s lips as he spoke directly to Kenpachi.
“Let me take care of this. Captain Zaraki, please do not get involved.”
The air around them seemed to freeze. Most people thought that Hisagi had lost his mind. They were
nervously looking at the exchange between Hisagi and Zaraki. One could cut the tension in the air with a
knife.
“That idiot... What’s he thinking?”
“Shuhei-kun... are you trying to get yourself killed?”
Madarame’s eyes widened in shock and Yumichika was gaping at Hisagi, hoping from the bottom of his
heart that Hisagi wouldn’t get killed.
Because Hisagi Shuhei had the audacity to utter the most unspeakable thing imaginable to Kenpachi
when he was in the midst of enjoying a truly uplifting fight.
Speaking words like ‘hand over your prey to me’ was equivalent to death.
“Let me get something straight. You want me to just hand over this battle to you? Is that what you’re
saying?”
For Zaraki Kenpachi, protecting the peace of the Soul Society was secondary. All he wished for was to
test his strength against enemies by pushing beyond his own limits. That summed up Kenpachi’s
purpose of living. So, in other words, having his prey snatched from him was the same as taking away
the meaning of life itself.
Kenpachi did not need to withdraw. Just by forcefully exerting his extraordinary reiatsu, he could easily
make Hisagi’s body collapse. In a sense, this was a much greater life-threatening crisis than against
Tokinada.
Behind Hisagi, there lurked a distinct symbol of ‘death’, more than ever before. However-
Despite such a situation, Hisagi spoke in a soft tone.
“He is... Hikone is... weak.”
“What...?”
Weak.
Yes, that was indeed what Hisagi had said, standing in front of him. His ears weren’t playing tricks on
him.
“Are you telling me... that the kid over there...the one I’ve been fighting with all this time... is weak?”
“Yes.”
“Is that an indirect way of saying that I’m weak too, Hisagi?”
Hisagi quietly shook his head, watching Kenpachi. Fear glistened in Hisagi’s eyes. He was desperately
trying to hold down his trembling body as he was hit by Kenpachi’s reiatsu.
“Hikone is weak... Weaker than you, Captain Zaraki; no; probably more than everyone present here.”
Clutching fear close to his heart, this ‘mere Shinigami’ spoke words that his soul believed in, still looking
at Kenpachi,
“Captain Zaraki, you have rightfully succeeded to the title of ‘Kenpachi’. Fighting against a weak
opponent does not suit the owner of that title. It is an insult to that name. Therefore, let me do it.”
“...”
After thinking for a few seconds, Zaraki uttered a few words as if speaking in soliloquy to someone.
“...Ah, I see... Yachiru.”
“?”
Hisagi couldn’t catch those words for they were spoken in a low voice. Zaraki soon went back to his
usual tone and said,
“I was gifted the title of ‘Kenpachi’.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Not Zaraki; but ‘Kenpachi’ cannot afford to fight someone who is weak.”
Hearing those words, Kenpachi’s subordinates gasped in surpise.
“Eh?”
Not just Madarame and Yumichika, but the other Shinigami as well, those who knew Kenpachi’s
mannerisms. Nobody could believe their eyes as they witnessed Kenpachi lowering his blade and
stepping away from his enemy. Kenpachi hoisted his sword upon his shoulders and turned his back
towards Hisagi, stopping himself and standing in the space behind Hisagi. Within his mind rose the
memory of the woman who had given birth to the title of ‘Kenpachi’.
“Before, I was only a provisional holder of that name.”
The reiatsu which had overwhelmed Hisagi up till then, now seemed to become surprisingly calm as it
melted and dissolved as soon as it touched Hisagi. Kenpachi addressed him.
“Show me a fight to remember. Don’t you dare show me a pitiful battle. If you do, I’ll personally make
sure that I kill you.”
Most of the people in the vicinity received the dissipated reiatsu head-on and winced. But Hisagi
acknowledged with only a few words.
“Yes.. I thank you, Captain Zaraki.”
Then, Hisagi turned to face Hikone. Some people wanted to lend a hand, but after Hisagi’s exchange
with Zaraki, they backed away because the battle was meant to be one-on-one.
There were not many warriors who could deal with such an opponent; except Kurosaki Ichigo, Aizen
Sosuke and Zaraki Kenpachi. At the very least, perhaps Urahara Kisuke or Kurotsuchi Mayuri could find a
way to resist this opponent. Certainly not someone at the level of a Lieutenant.
Perhaps Ginjo might have had a chance against him, but he was now busy supporting Aura to prevent
the fall. Their powers were not sufficient enough to stop the lower portion of the castle from tumbling
down, so they were joined by Yukio and the other Fullbringers.
It appeared to the rest of them that Hisagi shared history with Hikone. So they thought he had a strategy
planned in mind and thus turned to look at him.
However, one man was not happy at all with this situation. Clenching his fists and ignoring his own
injuries, Muguruma Kensei stood up and muttered,
“Shuhei... For heaven’s sake, don’t be reckless..”
-You... You are still unable to use Bankai.
Hisagi Shuhei could not attain Bankai.

Even at the end of his training session with Muguruma and Mashiro, he was still incapable of reaching
Bankai.
-"It is regrettable... But I'm certain that your skills and strength have greatly increased within these few
days. Show our Quincy friends the fruits of your labour."
-"....Yes, sir."
In the middle of that exchange, Hisagi was aware of Muguruma's intense desire to swing his fist out of
frustration; his chagrin at the training not resulting in the achievement of Bankai. However, more than
that, Muguruma felt something that caught his heart.
-Both Mashiro and I half-intended to kill Shuhei.
-I thought it was impossible to attain Bankai unless I pushed him to the brink.
-Maybe I couldn't help but make allowances.
-Shuhei... That could not have been how far your strength goes, right?
Although he had collapsed several times, the appearance of Hisagi still standing on his feet was like
watching an undead murderous demon out of one of the horror films so popular in the World of the
Living. Judging that to be Hisagi's tenacity, Muguruma hoped that he would reach Bankai once he got
involved in the upcoming battle with the Quincies. But that was not meant to be, for Hisagi had been
defeated a number of times and was finally shot down by Lille, one of Yhwach's Schutzstaffel, wandering
between the boundaries of life and death.
When Muguruma had heard those stories, there was something he had wondered about. Hisagi Shuhei
had been defeated many times, but he had always stopped just short of death. Was this simply a case of
'I just happened to survive'? Were these just coincidences or was the key to Hisagi's Bankai hidden in
there?
And now, Hisagi was facing Hikone. Hisagi had received quite a number of wounds from Tokinada and
he was still suffering from them. Hikone looked at Hisagi; standing in front of him in a condition far from
perfect; and asked him curiously,
"I don't understand. Why did you stop Zaraki-san?"
"I told you before, didn't I? Captain Zaraki would have killed you."
Grasping Kazeshini, Hisagi tilted his head and told Hikone,
"I did not come here to kill you. I came here to stop you."
"And as I said earlier, Hisagi-san, I think it's impossible for you."
Hisagi smiled at Hikone's words and replied,
"A short while ago, I did tell you that you were indeed strong. But I made a mistake."
Holding on to Kazeshini, Hisagi looked straight at Hikone with his frank and piercing gaze, his emotions
neither of pity nor of enmity.
"Tokinada is not here now; his absence does not perturb you... You are weak, after all."
{t/n: You may recall that in the throne room, Shuhei was rather impressed by Hikone's adamant defense
of Tokinada; this statement is a contradiction of his earlier impression of Hikone}
"There is no such thing! Tokinada-sama told me I was strong."
"I see weakness in you. That's why, you are unable to pursue your path, you cannot reach anywhere...
That is, as you are now."
"If that's how it is, then I shall prove it with your death, Hisagi-san. By doing so, I will have proven that I
became strong enough to serve Tokinada-sama!"
Hikone spoke confidently. But Hisagi denied it.
"...When I first met you, you said that it didn't matter if you died. You said that you had failed to serve
Tokinada, and so it was okay to die..."
"Yes, I did! But I'm stronger now, so I won't lose to anyone anymore!"
"It's the other way around."
Speaking to Hikone in a voice now filled with emotions that could be interpreted as affection and
kindness, Hisagi took up his stance. Like an adult gently admonishing a child, he said,
"Back when I first met you... you were probably at your strongest."
And then, Hisagi threw Kazeshini.
The blade danced, cutting through the air, forming a complicated trajectory as the rotating scythe
approached Hikone. The black chain entangled itself around Hikone's body as it was meant to simply
seal his movements. But the reality was brutal. The chains were simply torn off by Hikone's base
strength.
Hikone's blade gleamed for an instant before he flew past. In a moment of silence, as Hikone passed by,
Hisagi's body was already bifurcated into two.
Then, the body of Hisagi that was slashed into two; collapsed-
"Yo!"
The shadow spoke to Hisagi.
Standing atop a huge tree that made one feel as if it was part of a forest or a mountain, the sound of a
rust-coloured windmill turning its gears, was heard.
The usual panorama.
It is a mirror of the world that reflects the cycle of life.
'Death' and 'life' are repeated. Something new is born and then it perishes; it becomes a new wind and
continues to blow around the trees and the iron.
Amidst such a scenery, Hisagi witnessed the appearance of 'Kazeshini' as it called out to him. It was an
individual who took on the form of a terrifying black monster.
"That was quite reckless on your part. Did you think you could win?"
"I don't know. However, it had to have been me; otherwise, Hikone would have been the one who died.
It doesn't really make sense if I let others fight in my stead whilst I go telling them 'Please do not kill
Hikone, go easy on him', does it?"
"Hah! So you were trying to be a hero, huh? Don't tell me you wished to save the kid like Muguruma
saved you? Or perhaps you thought you could save him from being terrified like Tosen Kaname did for
you?"
"That's not it. I was a little familiar with the circumstances concerning Hikone. He never even cried, but I
just could not leave the poor kid all alone."
In response to the provocative 'Kazeshini', Hisagi spoke vexedly.

"And yet... somehow... I seem to be able to talk to you like this..."
"And yet somehow, you got cut into two at the same time."
Laughing, the humanoid 'Kazeshini' leaned against the wall of the windmill.
"You admired the Shinigami, didn't you? You longed to be one, but you had no idea what that meant. In
order to become an exemplary Shinigami, you tried to pull off this daredevil, idealistic stunt of yours,
that you read about in those textbooks our dear Soul Society prepared. The result is this..."
Saying so, the mocking laughter disappeared from Kazeshini's face, to be replaced by a smile filled to the
brim with something. It was a smile very different from the previous one.
"Finally. You have finally made me surrender to you."
"...What?"
To Hisagi, who did not grasp the meaning behind the sentence, 'Kazeshini' spoke about his own
characteristics.
"A bit like my colleagues, 'White' and 'Nozarashi', I'm unique as well. My disposition is closer to
shadows."
Wondering whom this 'White' belonged to, Hisagi remained silent and waited for the continuation of
those words.
"Your admiration of the Shinigami and your desire to become one was partly responsible for the shape I
took. The shape that looks like it was meant to reap lives."
"No way..."
Hisagi was surprised to be told that the shape he so disliked was a reflection of his own wishes.
"I am your shadow. Once you decided to gamble on your life and soul by accepting all of what you were
told... the front... the back... everything, you let every ounce of your being submit itself... that is to say;
to me. Well, for the time being, I have to ask you this once. Whether or not you are prepared to share
our best and most effortless conversation ever."
To this unusually loquacious 'Kazeshini', Hisagi offered words of apology with a little smile.
"I'm really sorry for not understanding you for such a long time."
Strangely enough, Hisagi felt like he could fully comprehend the meaning and wonders behind the words
spoken by 'Kazeshini' earlier. He understood all of it.
If 'Kazeshini' was supposed to be my own shadow, thought Hisagi, then the answer should originally
come from me. I just did not realize that.
And thus, this time, it was Hisagi who re-affirmed the answer.
"I dedicate myself to you. My blood and my life are all yours."
A fierce gust of wind blew, scattering the leaves of the trees, turning the blades of the windmill
intensely.
"Shadow of mine; standing in front... Lend me your strength."
'Kazeshini', who had stood in front of him, now disappeared.
"Life is nothing but life, pure and precious. Dedicating one's life means to not die; to not kill; to not let
others die. When we think of 'death'; we include 'life' in it. And 'blood' is the oil that burns your life. Be it
wealth, or a sense of duty, or honour, even that fear you care about so much... Whatever be the
reason... Just gather them all together and add them to my blade."
That voice seemed to come from within Hisagi.

As soon as 'Kazeshini' disappeared, the windmill stopped moving. All sound disappeared from the world.
"To freely manipulate whether one lives or dies... Is that not what a 'god of death' does?"
The power of 'Kazeshini' flowed into Hisagi. It was not to raise his reiatsu, but it merely showed the
concept of 'Kazeshini' to Hisagi.
As of this moment, Hisagi Shuhei accepted 'Kazeshini' inside him; the very shadow he had detested till
then.
With that, the curtain was brought down upon the cycle of life.
{t/n: The degree of complexity in Shuhei's character is just astounding. Basically, Kazeshini had
surrendered the moment Shuhei had learned about the original sin and the reason behind Tosen's
hatred of the Shinigami. However, it was Shuhei's acceptance of everything, while still keeping his
morals intact, was what made Kazeshini submit himself. You may recall that was the moment when
Shuhei decided to bet on his life to challenge Tokinada, going full badass mode; it was Shuhei who gave
in to Kazeshini, and Kazeshini, as his shadow, also did the same. No wonder they were so in sync. Also,
the amount of duality in Shuhei's inner world is fascinating. It had many references to the original sin
too. It was called the 'mirror reflecting the cycle of life' when Kazeshini was present in it. The moment
he left and became a part of Shuhei, that world changed and the cycle of life ended. Btw, the Bankai
release is on page 321}
an't Fear Your Own World III (pages 312-321; translated)
"You idiot! That's why you should have let the Captain take care of this! Get up, idiot! Get up!"
"No... stop it, Ikkaku.. please... He's gone.."
As Ikkaku kept on screaming, Yumichika spoke in a broken voice, his emotions all astray, his tone close
to resignation as the two of them stared, horrified, at the spot where Hisagi's torso had fallen. People
like Inoue Orihime or the talented squad members of the 4th Division could have done something to
save Hisagi, but unfortunately, none of them were present here. Those in the Gotei, who knew Hisagi
well, were extremely torn up and they broke down as they saw his body; grotesquely detached;
abdomen-up, while the others had expressions that clearly said 'it was pointless, after all'.
But there were two people who displayed different reactions-
"No.... not yet."
Kenpachi murmured softly. Kyoraku seemed to have felt something too. He muttered to Nanao, who
was rendered speechless from sorrow,
"...Don't worry, it's alright."
He then turned to look at Hikone, his eyes burning, as he waited to see what would happen next.
"Well then, please let us continue!"
Hikone walked towards Kenpachi, without even the slightest shred of guilt over having cut down Hisagi,
the man who was well-known as being a kind and gentle person. However, Kenpachi replied to Hikone,
his face expressionless.
"Hey, aren't you being a little too quick to jump to conclusions?"
"What?"
Hikone sensed something incongruous. The black chain, that was supposed to have been torn off, was
entwined around his arm. The chain was shredded, was it not? But it immediately became clear; that
was not the case. Hikone's body was pulled backwards.
"...?"
Hikone turned to look behind him-
What his eyes beheld was Hisagi Shuhei, whose body was supposed to have been slashed into two,
standing upright, completely unharmed.
"Eh...? What's going on?"
In front of a surprised Hikone, Hisagi stood, gazing silently at him, his expression unchanged from
before. Hikone, in his confusion, held his sword aloft, with a slightly bewildered look.
"But surely I killed you, Hisagi-san... Is this some sort of Kido?"
"This is-"
Hisagi tried to answer but was cut-off mid-sentence.
"I don't care. I don't want to know. I won't let you talk!"
Hikone cut off the chain entangling him and attacked Hisagi again in the exact same manner. Carefully
confirming that Hisagi had indeed fallen to the ground, probe once again, Hikone turned towards
Kenpachi-
"What...?"
And once again, Hikone realized that his body was encircled by the chain. Curiously enough, once again,
Hisagi was seen standing there, uninjured; his torso still attached to the lower half of his body. Even his
shihakusho was intact.
Hikone was under the impression that he was hallucinating, but as he looked around, the others looked
just as confused as he was, upon seeing Hisagi. All, except for Kenpachi and Kyoraku.
"Oh my god..."
NaNaNa Najahkoop, who was 'observing' Hikone's reiatsu pattern, now turned his attention towards
Hisagi instead, and subsequently was extremely baffled by the reiatsu pattern.
"That Shinigami... He's doing something incredible, isn't he?"
"Oh, that? You're right. He is, indeed."
In order to carry out Tokinada's orders and to continue his fight with Kenpachi, Hikone struck Hisagi
again, without comprehending the situation. He cut off both of Hisagi's arms, so that the zanpakuto
could no longer be held. Unable to cope with Hikone's speed and skill, Hisagi unceremoniously got
slashed yet again.
This time, however, Hikone was a little unsure, so he did not avert his eyes from Hisagi; and just like
before, Hisagi's arms had returned to their original state.
"...If that's the case, then..."
Hikone raised the palm of his hand and shot a point-blank Cero towards Hisagi. Unsurprisingly, the Cero
hit him directly. There was a clean hole through his chest, his heart was lost; and so was his Saketsu. This
time, Hikone appeared to be in a state of agitation.
However, Hisagi did not fall. Although he had bent forwards from the force of that attack, he steadied
himself moments later; no hole in his chest.
"What does this mean?"
"....Do I have to think for myself? Tokinada-sama, will you no longer tell me what I should do?"
For quite a while, Tokinada's voice had already disappeared from the Kyogoku. It was unclear whether
he had died from the excessive blood loss or whether he had escaped from the Kyogoku. The one thing
that was clear was that Urahara had done something.
There was no one here to define and give shape to Hikone's 'world'.
The world that was convenient for Tokinada and crafted to be pleasant for Hikone.
"There is a trick behind this, isn't there?"
Unable to explain what was happening right in front of his eyes, Hikone decided to meticulously attack
Hisagi so as to confirm it. Lowering the speed of his movements and carefully stepping in position where
he could see all of Hisagi clearly, he slashed at Hisagi again. Hisagi raised Kazeshini, but the blades were
cleanly chopped off in a single breath, hacking off a large chunk of Hisagi's body from the neck to his
femur. Then, Hikone approached Hisagi, aiming for the head-
-There! I see it!
The cross-sections of the body organs of Hisagi, which had been hacked off, were each connected by a
jet-black chain; a chain for every wound. A sound seemed to ring out from the chains as they pulled
together the body organs and re-assembled Hisagi's body into its original form.
"No..."
Hikone involuntarily stopped moving as he beheld the sight in front of him, still unable to grasp its
significance. He did not even notice that the chain was now wrapped around his own body again.
"Oi, Gigi... how long has he been your zombie?"
Candice asked. Giselle shrugged her shoulders and shook her head,
"I didn't do anything to him. He isn't a zombie at all."
"It's not even high-speed regeneration."
Grimmjow frowned, staring at Hisagi. But Halibel had noticed something else.
"That Shinigami's change is not the only thing that has been altered around here."
"What do you mean?"
Asked Neliel. Halibel was concerned about their surroundings.
"The reiatsu of this entire area is being repainted into a different form."
"...."
Hikone, confounded, gradually lost his ability to speak. He realized that this was the work of Hisagi's
zanpakuto, but he couldn't figure out what exactly its effect was. Hikone had acquired knowledge about
the abilities of most zanpakuto from Tokinada. All of that was hammered into his head, even knowledge
about their respective Bankai. As far as Hikone knew, 'Konjiki Ashisogi Jizo' possessed the ability to learn
and evolve according to the opponent's capabilities, but Hisagi's completely unknown ability nonplussed
Hikone entirely. As there was no one to instruct him, his confusion accelerated.
To this bewildered child, Hisagi spoke softly,
"Show it to me, Hikone. The kind of world you wish to see."
"World...?"
"Yes."
Aura's cryptic words from the Throne room were-
-"Please do not misunderstand. I just want you to do me a favour."
-"A favour?"
-"...Please pray as a Shinigami. That the world of this child is blessed."
Perhaps the woman knew that she was being watched by Tokinada and that was why she had been
careful with her choice of words. Initially, the sentence had sounded like; 'in a world where Hikone
would be the Rei-o; pray for his safe sovereignity as a Shinigami'. Even if Tokinada had heard it, that was
what it would have sounded like to him as well. But now that Aura's betrayal became clear, the sentence
took on a different meaning. The favour she had pleaded for was Hikone's future. She had entrusted
Hikone's future to Hisagi.
"Honestly. It should not have been me. Urahara-san would have been the far better option."
Briefly glancing at Aura, who was burning out her life by extending her life force towards the sky, he
sighed. But he did think that this was necessary for the good of Hikone.
As a 'god of death'; who governed over lives, Hisagi handed over the world on a silver platter to Hikone
by standing right in front of him.
"All I can do for you, Hikone, is just teach you one thing."
Saying so, he released both the blades of Kazeshini, one from the right and one from the left.
"You should never have to compromise your sense of apprehension, no matter what. Get along with fear;
don't ever forget that."
The dual scythes that were thrown into the air, now ascended, forming a helix, as they rose over Hisagi's
head. The helix gradually turned into a whirlpool that converged itself around Hisagi.
The two ends of Kazeshini hurtled around, eventually coming into contact with each other, erasing their
forms as they disappeared into the black whirlpool.
Then, Hisagi spoke a single word in a quiet voice. A word heavily endowed with power that signalled the
ultimatum of a Shinigami.
"- BANKAI."
The chain was condensed into a single point in the air and in the next instant, it turned into a black wind
of reiatsu that raged around, devastating the entire area. Then, it became a jet-black cluster that sprang
and leapt up, bursting outwards.
"- Kazeshini Fushi no Kojyo."
{t/n: Here, we see an exact re-enactment of the Rei-o mutilation ritual through Shuhei and Hikone. First,
the torso was separated from the legs, then the two arms were cut off, then the heart was removed;
finally the viscera. However, in Shuhei's case, the result is the complete opposite. This, my friends, is
Kazeshini's true Shikai. The ability to have free control over the cycle of life. Remember, in the inner
world, Shuhei and Kazeshini are now one and the same. Here and in the previous section with the inner
world, the word 'Shinigami' was written in quotes, and is spelled as a literal 'Reaper' or a literal 'god of
death'. Kazeshini's true ability is akin to that of a true Reaper, to have full control over life and death.
Shuhei hated the 'death' aspect of Kazeshini, but now Kazeshini is representing 'life'. That's why Shuhei
has two weapons, two separate concepts, connected by a chain. The chain is important here. Here, we
see life and death entwined together, bound together. Shuhei is the literal epitome of the culmination
of the world Yhwach wanted; to fuse life and death together. The chain of Kazeshini does that. To fuse
life and death is not immortality, it is just the cycle of life. That was what Yhwach failed to see. Anyway,
the meaning of the Bankai is 'Rope of Strangulation'. If you break down the furigana Fushi no Kojyo, then
it has another meaning: 'eternal life after one's death'. Shuhei, as a literal hanging corpse; from Kubo's
sketch, represents death, but underlying that; he is actually holding life precious. Absolute duality in the
name of the Bankai. Btw, you probably are cursing me for ending on a cliffhanger, but the Bankai is
conceptually breathtaking, so I request for some time to do it justice}
The wind ceased.

And before one knew it, the two blades had already returned to Hisagi's clasp, as if no time had passed;
standing in front of Hikone.
From his feet grew jet-black chains; they coiled themselves around his right and left arms, firmly
tethering his body to the solid earth.
Upon viewing this mysterious sight before him, Hikone became more puzzled than ever. To fumble
around for what kind of ability this Bankai has, Hikone extended his reikaku over the surroundings.
However, that only served to convey to Hikone a queer sense of reality.
No reiatsu was felt.
Once the raging black wind had stopped a moment ago, the movement of the air had completely
vanished from the environs. As if to match it, the shimmering of all reiatsu had disappeared as well. The
reishi of the Kyogoku, which is far more markedly pronounced than that of Soul Society and Hueco
Mundo, had halted all forms of movement as though time itself had stopped.
But this phenomenon was limited to the ground and the ambient atmosphere. Aura could still expand
her reiatsu towards the sky and the ominous reiatsu that could be felt from Kenpachi was still intact.
Hikone no longer knew what was going on anymore, so he decided to attack Hisagi directly, disregarding
his opponent's appearance.
His zanpakuto felt sharper than before. Hikone, after confirming that his own reiatsu was not a problem,
was convinced that he had slashed Hisagi once again. But Hisagi was not injured, to be exact. It was true
that he had cut Hisagi, however, the instant he had been cut, the wound was closed as if nothing had
happened.
No matter how severely the blade encroaches upon Hisagi, the moment it passes through, the gash
already gets healed.
It would not be accurate to call it healing; it was more like the event that he had been cut had simply not
taken place. After all, the ability to get healed instantly was something that was happening even before
Hisagi had released his Bankai. It was not clear what exactly was happening to this Shinigami known as
Hisagi Shuhei, but it seemed as though the earlier activation of the ability to recover using the 'chain'
was what had led to the awakening of his Bankai.
The chains were entangled again, to Hikone's confusion.
"Ah..."
Hikone tried to cut them like he did before, but instead of getting torn off, the chains stretched and
snaked around Hikone's body, further interweaving themselves around him.
Where do those chains extend from?
In order to confirm it, Hikone turned his line of sight towards the very end of the chain-
And in doing so, his entire body became taut with fright.
High, high above Hisagi's head-
At the same height as the castle in the sky-
'It' was located; an existence different from any other thing that Hikone had ever known about.
There 'it' was.
Was that- a jet-black moon, or the sun?
An enormous black orb was enshrined, completely illuminating the ground with shadows; a ray
stretching down from the sky to the ground, substituting light with innumerable black.
{t/n: Don't you find the paradoxical nature of this aforementioned sentence very interesting? A black
sphere illuminatingthe ground with shadows. This reminds me of the BBS trailer of CFYOW; where they
describe Shuhei as 'shining like a light in a new world'}
Hikone's eyes immediately saw through the true identity of the 'sun'.
Chains.
The same chain that connected the two scythes on the left and the right in the Shikai of Kazeshini, now
created a gigantic sphere.
At around the same time that Hikone noticed the chains swivelling at high speed, Hisagi raised one of
the blades that he had been clutching to his side without uttering a word.
Then, in the next moment; like countless fireworks erupting from the ground, the chains stretched as if
thousands of them were raining down from the sky; uniting the sky to the earth.
A bundle of thick chains coils behind Hisagi; resembling a huge black tree that extends towards the
heavens, and then falls from above, joining the earth to the black orb.
For a second there, the chains around Hikone uncurled and formed a single chain that twisted itself
around Hisagi's neck as well as Hikone's own.
It was as if a contorted execution by hanging was being carried out; one in which the necks of both
parties were tethered to each other on either end of the shackles.
The castle in the sky had lost most of the facilities that had kept it afloat as it fiercely descended. Since
the transition to Karakura Town was underway, Urahara was in the midst of carrying out a certain task.
But then, he saw the huge black sphere just outside the window and the infinite number of chains
extending from it. Exploring the reiatsu of the surroundings, his expression grew grave as he spoke
without pausing in his task,
"So that's Hisagi-san's Bankai..."
"There is also something at the centre. Something frightful."
"Captain Commander... That thing... What in the world..."

Nanao asked as she looked up at the black 'sun' that had appeared in the sky. Watching the endless
chains engulfing the area around Hisagi and Hikone, Kyoraku engaged in speculations about the
zanpakuto 'Kazeshini'.
"....I always thought it was odd."
"Eh?"
"At first glance, Lieutenant Hisagi's 'Kazeshini' appears to be two blades, right? But actually, there is no
such thing as a pair of swords. My wakizashi 'Okyo' was a zanpakuto that 'Ohana' gave birth to later on.
And in case of Ukitake, Mimihagi-sama's influence is surely the reason as to why he had a pair of
swords."
"And Lieutenant Hisagi's zanpakuto is..."
A bewildered Nanao wondered; thinking about Hisagi and how he had controlled the sickle-shaped
blades. Then the answer came to her.
"So then, the real body of 'Kazeshini' is..."
"Yes, most likely."
The Shikai of Hisagi's 'Kazeshini', with its windmill-like scythes, forever in pursuit of prey-
The chain that joins the blades of the two swords was what really makes up the full length of its body.
"...The Shikai of 'Kazeshini' does not comprise of a blade shaped like a sickle. Its real essence lies in the
chain that connects the two sickles."
{t/n: According to the JET book, Kubo apparently placed quite a lot of thought into designing this Bankai
and providing its name. I think that Kubo's cinematographic vision and Narita's excellent descriptive
skills makes for a vividly picturesque portrayal of this Bankai. Anyway, I would like to ask for forgiveness
for posting only a few pages of translation; I know that a large chunk of this battle and the Bankai would
have been desirable, but I've got some personal problems to take care of, so I've not had time at all.
Sorry for the inconvenience}
Hikone was puzzled by the eeriness of Hisagi's Bankai; yet, he did not hesitate, despite not
comprehending the reason behind the situation. But the entwining chains were tightening around him,
as if the chain itself was the blade.
Before any further preparations for the offensive could be put into operation, Hikone continued to
attack in order to break through the situation. Since no other alternative occurred to Hikone, he went
for Hisagi with everything he had.
Thinking he could obliterate Hisagi completely, Hikone shot a full-powered Cero, hoping to wipe out
Hisagi's entire body. When the light cleared, Hisagi was still alive and whole.
He then extended his Blut outside the body and tried to take over Hisagi's nerves, but it was warded off
by the chains extending out from Hisagi's finger.
If that's the case, then perhaps it would be better to destroy that enormous black orb. A sharp and a
narrow flash of a Cero was shot vertically upwards-
The sphere that was split into two immediately reformed itself as the chains pulled the two broken
hemispheres back into their former shape.
-Just like Hisagi-san's body?
-A Bankai that grants immortality...?
-No, that's not possible. Tokinada-sama also used to say that there was no such thing.
There had been no such cases in the past. Aizen was immortal and his flesh simply invulnerable.
However, that was not something that his zanpakuto bestowed upon him; it was the influence of the
Hogyoku. Even considering this Bankai boasting of unrivalled power, there always has to exist a
justifiable weakness, as if to balance the corresponding strength.
In case of 'Zangetsu', it was the violent expenditure of reiatsu. In case of 'Senbonzakura', it was the
existence of a safe zone. In case of 'Nozarashi', it was the abnormal toll on the user's body. In case of
'Katen Kyokotsu', it was the risk of getting others involved and wound-sharing. Although, in Shikai, the
weakness of 'Kyoka Suigetsu' lay in the prevention of its complete hypnosis.
Therefore, there must be some weakness in this seemingly unconquerable Bankai of 'Kazeshini'. Hikone
kept increasing his offensive tactics even more to find out the secret, but-
The chains wrapped around his neck could not be broken no matter what he tried. If he tried to leave
this place, to try to go beyond a certain distance away from Hisagi, new chains were further coiled
around his neck in layers and forcibly pulled him back underneath the 'black sun'.
"What on earth is this? This power of yours... If you possess this kind of power, then why aren't you
cutting me...?"
The smile symbolizing innocence had slipped away unawares from Hikone's face. Hikone looked
displeased; the question had involuntarily left his mouth. Hisagi answered impassively,
"No, it's not that I can't cut you. Here, see?"
In the next moment, Hisagi let go of the blades he had held in his hands; the dual blades faded away as if
seeping into the ground in the form of a shadow. Hikone was not sure what had happened, but when he
noticed it, he felt like he had been standing right on top of the shadow. A new chain was entangled
around Hikone's arm, biting into the skin with tremendous force. The surface of each chain-ring became
a fine blade and slashes through Hikone's arm. It was far different from Kenpachi's sword slash, but
nevertheless, it relentlessly cuts the same part incessantly like a chain-saw, burning off Hikone's arm in
an instant.
"Uwah....Hmm?"
But then, Hikone noticed something. The fact that the chopped-off arm had already returned to its
original state.
At first, Hikone thought that he was hallucinating, but the momentary pain felt too real to be an illusion.
It was then that Hikone realized.
Hisagi was not the only one. Hikone, too, had become just like Hisagi. His body had become
indestructible.
"No way..."
"It would have certainly been better if I could defeat my opponents with flashy Bankais like those of
Kurosaki or Captain Hitsugaya. But I am ill-suited for such things."
Hisagi continued, speaking in self-deprecation,
"After all, that's not my style in the least. I fear death myself and I fear killing others as well, especially
after I killed Captain Tosen. And as a result, this Bankai became so demanding."
It is said that the Bankai is the mirror that reflects the heart and mind of the user, drawing out their
truest self that had been sleeping inside them. Once the zanpakuto spirit and the heart of the user are
forged together, a Bankai blossoms.
So what form did Hisagi's soul arrive at?
It was another form of fear that reversed the fear he had held on to for so long.
If the Shikai of Kazeshini involves reaping and circulating the flow of lives in the world, then the Bankai
involves a chain of seals that halts the flow of life and stagnates the world. It locks everything, forbids
death, forbids life; the 'black sun' binds even the reishi flowing in the atmosphere.
Therefore, Kazeshini traps the world within a chained prison where no circulation takes place; neither
regression nor evolution. Ironically, this scenario that forces the stagnation of life, is the exact same
world in which there exists no boundary between life and death.
This resembled the very form of the world that existed before the birth of the Soul Society.
"Then... both me and you, Hisagi-san, will never die...? What does that mean, Hisagi-san?"
"Of course, it's not for eternity. If you continue to slash at me, I will die someday."
To Hisagi, who spoke these words in a light and easy tone of voice, Hikone replied, tilting his head,
"....Why do you teach me something like that? Then, I have to keep on attacking you until you die?"
Although he still did not understand the meaning behind Hisagi's words and what he was attempting to
teach Hikone to overcome, Hikone posed this query.
-The answer was quite simple.
"Yes, thereupon, I will die. But so will you."
"...?"
It was then that Hikone noticed. He had cut down Hisagi more number of times than he could count, but
because of that, his own reiatsu had decreased slightly.
"Something like that can't... Why?"
Hikone groped for his own reikaku by tearing off his arm for confirmation. When it regenerated
immediately, he received validation that the reiatsu necessary for this regeneration was supplied via the
chains. Hikone then shot a blaze of Ceros at Hisagi. As expected, Hisagi recovered immediately, but at
that moment, Hikone sensed a drop in reiatsu from his own body.
His reiatsu was building up through the chains and accumulating in the 'black sun' overhead.
Presumably, a large amount of reiatsu was stored in the sphere made out of chains, and this reiatsu was
being used to restore the injured person to their original state.
The reiatsu of all those who share lives via the chain and are connected to the 'black sun' is averaged.
In other words, as long as Hikone continues to cut down Hisagi, Hisagi's wounds would be healed by the
consumption of reiatsu of both Hikone and Hisagi. Vice-versa; the same thing would happen if it was
Hisagi who tried to cut down Hikone instead.
Hikone finally understood the essence of this Bankai. This was a system that could come into being only
if there was faith and confidence placed upon one's associates. Currently, they were both invulnerable,
but in the event that the chain of the Bankai gets broken once both of them are weakened to the
extreme, the alternative solution was close at hand. There were third parties nearby, unconnected to
the chain, such as Kenpachi and Kyoraku. Since they were by Hisagi's side, any enemy of Hisagi could be
easily defeated by his comrades, once Hisagi sacrificed himself. The enemy gets defeated without fail,
but at the cost of the life of the owner of this Bankai. But that might be a long-cherished wish of a true
Shinigami.
The fact that there were allies nearby was different from the premise of this ability, but Hikone inferred
several other things from it. First of all, Hisagi's wounds were recovering, but the wounds that had been
present before Hisagi's latest development with Kazeshini had not been cured. In other words, the
chains and the 'black sun' do not completely heal all wounds, but rather, they return the person to the
state they were in just before the activation of this ability. If that had not been the case, then the chains
could have been linked to the other injured people, like Aura; and that could have flushed out Hikone's
reiatsu and helped them recover. And with that thought, Hikone came up with a teeteringly tentative
option to overcome this situation.
"Hisagi-san, this ability... could you please lift it?"
"Do you think I will?"
"Until you get rid of it.... you will be in pain, Hisagi-san."
"....Well, yeah... So it would seem... I'm prepared."
The pain does not disappear. The agony does not go away.
If so, then there is no choice but to torture Hisagi and make him feel pain so that he is forced to lift his
Bankai. Hikone, who thought so, confronted Hisagi with a serious expression, but-
-....I have to inflict a lot of pain upon him...
-But how?
-Even when he was cut into two, he stood up, so how am I supposed to hurt him more?
Had it been Tokinada who was in this situation rather than Hikone, he would have thought of methods
of torture that would have inflicted a hundred-fold more pain than a slash, and he would have happily
carried them out. But Hikone did not know such techniques. Hikone was asked by Tokinada to simply
eliminate the enemy; just that. Hikone was incapable of thinking on his own. What was unknown to
Hikone was called 'the act of mentally tormenting the opponent'. Therefore, Hikone, now resolved,
could only go back to slashing Hisagi with every last bit of his strength.
"I'm sorry."
Saying so, Hikone cut Hisagi.
Surprisingly, Hisagi offered absolutely no resistance. If he had wanted to, he could have cut off Hikone's
arms and legs using the chains like before. He was capable of manipulating the chains with his fingertips,
but he did not. He could also seal off Hikone's movements easily, but he did not. Of course, he could
have done all that, but Hisagi did absolutely nothing.
"I'm...sorry."
Hit by Hikone's unnatural physical strength, the flesh gouges in, the ribs break, and the internal organs
get ruptured. Even though Hisagi's wounds recovered immediately, if this continued for a long time, it is
possible that this may turn into torturous pain that surpasses normal wounds.
And yet, Hisagi stood up; even after that.
-I don't understand.
-Why does this man named Hisagi Shuhei keep standing up no matter how many times I keep killing
him?
"Please forgive me."
Hikone swung his sword again, while saying these words to Hisagi. Hisagi laughed a little.
"If you are going to keep apologizing, then don't do it in the first place. Suffering is not exactly my
favourite hobby, you know."
"But... this is for Tokinada-sama's sake..."
"So then.. the fact that you're hurting me... Are you going to place the blame for that on Tokinada?"
"...Wha-?"
Hikone's arm stopped. He was obviously upset.
"You know that it's 'wrong' to hurt someone who does not resist, right?"
"That's..."
Hikone had never once questioned or scrutinized Tokinada's orders about hurting or killing someone. If
he was told to kill, he killed. If he was told to live, he lived. Good and evil were all for Tokinada to judge.
All of Tokinada's enemies must be eliminated without hesitation. But it was different now. He had to
judge what was good and what was evil all on his own. It hurt him to think that Tokinada was not here
to tell him what to do. Reluctantly, Hikone tried to ponder on the words that he had heard; thinking on
his own for the first time, but phrases like 'Is there any other easier way' kept floating within his head.
As though he could see right through Hikone's mind, Hisagi told him,
"You do have the sense of good and evil within you. When you see yourself hurting me when I'm not
even fighting back, you feel something like this, don't you: that 'I don't want to do this'?"
"....."
"Or does this mean that when you say 'for Tokinada-sama's sake', you are actually pushing away your
own sin and imposing them on him instead? To make yourself feel blameless?"
"No, I..."
Hikone's face was now pale and ashen.
There was nothing wrong in what Tokinada did, and although others called him evil, Tokinada was doing
what was right for this world.
This was Hikone's belief. Thus, Hikone could not bear the thought that 'Tokinada-sama is being called
evil because of my own actions that are wrong'.
"Why are you saying such horrible things? If that's the case, then what is it that I should do?"
"Asking others for the answer serves no purpose. This world will not always be kind to you."
"Tokinada-sama.... Tokinada-sama..."
Hikone brought out a tool for communication and spoke into it; his voice shaking, but there was no
response from Tokinada.
"No... no..."
To this child Shinigami, who looked like he was on the verge of tears, Hisagi spoke, in a tone that was
strict yet considerate,
"You are not a bad person, Hikone. You are nobody's puppet, certainly not Tokinada's. You are a person.
A person who follows what his soul tells him and who walks on his own two feet."
Then, Hisagi moved one of his fingers, controlling a part of the chain, taking out the two scythes from
within the shadow on the ground; the shadow from earlier.
"You don't wish to cut someone who isn't resisting, yes? Then let me be your opponent; someone whom
you won't feel bad about slashing."
"Eh...?"
"I have a lot to teach you. So make sure you start learning."
Although Hikone was so much more stronger than him, Hisagi said such a thing. He pointed the blade of
Kazeshini towards Hikone; whereas Hikone was confused by his words.
"Do not hold back. If I were an enemy, then I should be dead by now."
"...."
"When facing an enemy, always position yourself to be able to side-step an attack. So always take half a
step backwards."
Hisagi taught Hikone the same thing Tosen had once told him.
So as not to be confused any more, so as to reject Hisagi's words, so as to block off Hisagi's teachings
from his mind, Hikone knocked aside the blade of Kazeshini and cut Hisagi.
"Aaaaaaaaaaah! Shut up, shut up, shut up!"
And once again, Hisagi's body was restored soon after. In return, the blade of Hisagi stopped right at
Hikone's neck and penetrated through.
"Ah...."
"See? Now you're dead too. You're much stronger than me, aren't you? But you are full of openings. Do
not leave such gaps in your defence."
Hikone may have been a prodigy when it came to battle, but he lacked experience. In light of this unique
situation, in which it is possible to 'not die even if one is killed', Hisagi's high level of discipline and the
finesse in his swordplay, easily surpassed Hikone's techniques.
"Wrong... You're wrong... I grew stronger... in order to be useful to Tokinada-sama. For his sake...."
"That's not what should concern you. There are plenty of other things in life that you ought to be afraid
of and this is not one of them. Fear is the only thing that's been missing in you."
"No, no, no.... aaaaaah.... aaaaaaaaah... aaaaaaaaaah...."

Hikone looked like he was about to cry, as he tried to cast aside Hsagi's words. He kept screaming and
repeatedly hacked off Hisagi's body as if in a blind rage.
However, every time Hisagi endured the pain, he kept pointing the tip of his blade at Hikone's vital
points; throat, heart, eyes; countless number of times. This was repeated over and over again.
This battle appeared as though an adult Shinigami was training a child, as he yearned for death.
Recalling how he had cried as a child when attacked by a Hollow, Hisagi kept hammering his advice
about fear and his teachings into Hikone's head while getting slashed by Hikone over and over again.
Aura, who was stopping the fall of the aerial castle, while bearing pain, looked at the exchange, satisfied.
Hisagi Shuhei was no prophet, nor was he omnipotent and omniscient. He was no famous hero like
Kurosaki Ichigo. He was no powerhouse like Zaraki Kenpachi. He was not as wise as Urahara Kisuke. He
was no technological genius like Kurotsuchi Mayuri. He was not born into nobility like Kuchiki Byakuya.
He was no prodigy like Hitsugaya Toshiro. He was no veteran like Yamamoto Genryusai. He was not as
charming as Kyoraku Shunsui. He was not as steadfast as Komamura Sajin. He was not as wilful as
Muguruma Kensei.
But so be it.
What will always light up his path in life as he walked on it with his dignity as a 'Shinigami'; is the value
of 'justice' that Tosen Kaname had bequeathed to him.
That was who he was.
And that was enough-
Perhaps he was able to endure the repetition of death, the trauma of it all, just because he followed that
very same path of righteousness. After getting revived from more than a thousand deaths, the immense
pain, which, earlier, was only sporadic, now kept coming back, more frequently than ever-
Hikone, too, was on his knees. It seemed as though his reiatsu, as large as Kenpachi's, had finally
reached rock-bottom. That also meant that Hisagi's reiatsu was also running out at the same time.
In front of a kneeling Hikone, Hisagi stood, barely holding himself up, and gently uttered words that he
had often told himself as means of self-discipline.
"This world is not a kind place. And yet, you have to keep on living in this unkind world."
Remembering his old self and the face of the one man who had taught him how to live in such a world,
Hisagi now spun words that acted as an addendum to that sentiment, words that he had recently come
to believe in,
"*And that's exactly why you should be as kind as possible to the people around you. Come, let's do it
together."
{t/n: Although this Bankai restores Shuhei, as well as his opponent, the pain from the attack remains
fresh in their minds. This is especially more terrifying for Shuhei rather than Hikone because PTSD is
basically his middle name. Anyway, just because this is the final battle, this doesn't mean there's any
shortage of interesting reveals left in the novel. Enjoy and have a good day.}
Standing in front of Hikone, who was on the verge of losing consciousness, Hisagi glanced at Kyoraku,
“I’m going to end my Bankai, but the moment I do so, please do not hurt Hikone.”
“Come on, do I really look that heartless to you?”
Kyoraku shrugged his shoulders and replied with a serious expression.
“It’s alright. If I do such a thing, that young lady will stop halting the fall of the aerial castle.”
Something was already happening to the clouds around the castle. The clouds surrounding the castle
were beginning to disappear and the change was approaching the edge of the tower.
“Look, the transition has begun..”
Hisagi believed Kyoraku’s words and tried to cancel his Bankai, thinking that it would be best if he could
put the now-harmless and exhausted Hikone into sleep using a simple ‘Hakufuku’ for the time being.
The instant the Bankai ended and the two of them were released from the nooses around their necks,
both in a state of complete exhaustion, it happened.
Hikone’s zanpakuto, ‘Ikomikidomoe’, shone bright, an irregular shape emerged out of it and attacked
Hikone’s body.
“No...”
It all happened so quickly that everyone’s reactions were delayed. However, a single shadow protected
Hikone. The moment Ikomikidomoe tried to sink its fangs to tear off Hikone’s head, it was Aura who got
in the way. Her physical abilities were far from perfect as she was concentrating all of her reiatsu in
stopping the fall of the castle. Hikone was shoved aside and the fangs sank deep into Aura’s stomach.
“Aah...”
“Oh no!”
Hisagi, who himself was exhausted to the extreme, rushed to Aura’s aid.
Once separated from Hikone, Ikomikidomoe immediately absorbed the surrounding reishi with fierce
vigour and began swelling its body.
“I’m going to devour the rest of the fragment of the Rei-o.”
“That bastard...”
Grimmjow was glaring at Ikomikidomoe, grinding its teeth.
“However, the piece I have just eaten is enough for now.”
During its separation from Hikone, it robbed a part of the ‘Rei-o fragment’ lodged within Hikone. It’s
absorption of reishi from the atmosphere became more intense than ever as it condensed its violent
reiryoku.
“This piece of the Rei-o... hahahaha! That’s right! I remember my hunger! Oh yes!”
It appeared as though the devoured shard of the Rei-o had given it a great deal of power that weakened
the name-curse of the monk’s zanpakuto that had repainted its original name. At the same time, its
Hollow reiatsu exploded outwards, scattering the unusually dense reishi of the Kyogoku. Slaughtering
those in the Zero Division; that would be its first step towards vengeance. It opened its mouth to cry out
its true name.
“I was so desperate. I have waited for so long. My true name is-“
“Oi!”
“?”
‘Ikomikidomoe’ turned around to see a demonic figure leap high up into the air. A gigantic zanpakuto
was clutched in his hand, a blade bigger than his body. ‘Nozarashi’.
“That takes a lot of time and effort, pal!”
A tremendous blow came crashing down.
In the end, ‘Ikomikidomoe’ lost its chance to utter its true name forever. The only thing left behind after
Nozarashi had shelved off its body was the piece of the Rei-o which had lost most of its power. It had
reverted to its sword-form; a dull blade.
“Sorry, but what was your name again?”
Kenpachi looked down at the fallen zanpakuto, in its weather-beaten state and grimaced.
“Is ‘small fry’ a good enough name for you?”
-------------------------------
“Hey Aura, hang on! We’ll help you!”
Hisagi spoke urgently as he and Nanao lay Aura on the ground and Nanao tried to use Kaido on her. But
Aura slightly shook her head and stood up, clutching her wound with one hand.
“I don’t need it... Give the treatment to Hikone...”
She was holding on to Hikone with her other arm. Hikone, who had lost almost all of his reiatsu, slowly
opened his eyes weakly, looking confused. He spoke vaguely,
“Aura...san?”
“It’s alright. Hikone, go to sleep now.”
As this ‘subject of the next generation Rei-o’ breathed out, Nanao sensed a mother’s tone in Aura’s
words. Leaving Hikone in Nanao’s custody, Aura looked up at the sky again.
“Hey, what are you about to do?”
Seeing Hisagi’s perplexed expression, Aura smiled a little,
“You’ll see.”
The transition had already advanced to a point where not even a moment of respite was allowed. Then,
Urahara’s voice echoed again through the loudspeaker outside the castle.
“Sorry to have kept you waiting!”
The next moment, a huge Garganta opened up below the castle in the sky. Everyone watched as the
black rift got enlarged, displaying the great void within. This Garganta was even larger than the one
opened by Hooleer and its horde of Menos Grande. Aura seemed to know all about this scheme.
“Yes, President Vorarlberna was the one to come up with this possibility. This was the largest size that
Urahara-san could muster.”
Watching Urahara, a Shinigami, opening an unbelievably large Garganta, the Arrancars looked visibly
surprised. Neliel exhaled out,
“I see... They’re going to use the Garganta as a dumping ground. In this situation, I suppose it can’t be
helped.”
Aura used the ‘soul’ of the particles in the atmosphere to leap up towards the sky.
“Hey... what’re you...”
Hisagi realized that her survival was no longer possible given the magnitude of her injury. He knew that
she would commit suicide as she would use up her remaining strength to make the castle fall into the
Garganta. At the same time, he also understood that it was pointless to say anything further. Hisagi then
looked at Hikone, but Aura shook her head.
“This hand of mine was able to cradle this child for the first time. That’s enough for me.”
“Okay. If you say so, then you should do what you think is right.”
“Well then Hisagi-san, you be fine too.”
Aura’s smile no longer seemed mechanical or contrived. Hisagi did not ask for the reason.
But Hikone slowly stretched out his hand and reached out.
“Wait... wait...”
Aura smiled sincerely and affectionately at Hikone.
“Please wait...”
The words uttered by Hikone were brief but they were more than enough for Aura.
“Ah...”
Hikone tried to say something, but Aura had already turned to mist and had disappeared. Hikone had
earlier thought that Aura could no longer turn her body into fog, but by transforming her body into mist,
she wanted to convey to Hikone that she was alive and well.
The castle also changed its form at a wave of Aura’s hands and fell into the crack of the Garganta. They
were both gone, forever.
At the same time, the spatial transition became complete. The clouds floating in the Kyogoku had all
disappeared. Hikone’s outstretched hand became limp. He spoke sadly as he witnessed the
disappearance,
“I was not able to fulfil the role that Tokinada-sama had entrusted me with.”
“Yes... I suppose you could say that...”
It was meant to be a monologue, but Hisagi stood by Hikone, humouring and respecting the child’s
thoughts.
“I tried to kill Aura-san... It’s true that it was for Tokinada-sama’s sake, but... now I no longer will say ‘for
Tokinada-sama’s sake’... Not anymore...”
“I see.”
However, Hisagi noticed that there flickered a shadow of doubt in Hikone’s eyes.
-But Hikone will be alright. He will find his answer.
Hisagi thought so because Hikone was no longer pushing away the blame for his own actions on
Tokinada. For a while, Hikone was silent. Then he looked at Hisagi and asked him clearly,
“Why... why did Aura-san do something like that to save me?”
Hisagi felt like it was not his place to answer such a question. Yet he dared to venture an answer instead
of evading the issue.
“Don’t dwell on it too much, Hikone. She did it because she wanted to. So it’s fine. Don’t worry.”
“....’Wanted to’...? Simply that? There was no other reason...?”
Perhaps it was because a part of the ‘Rei-o fragment’ was taken away by Ikomikidomoe, but Hikone’s
residual reiatsu was now similar to that of Hisagi. Hikone could not move his body anymore, but he still
would not stop asking Hisagi questions.
“I heard that Aura-san was like my own mother...?”
Hisagi heard those words and nodded, convinced of the reasons behind Aura’s actions.
“I see. Then that was all the reason she needed...? I see...”
Hikone fell silent for a while. Then he spoke again, using words following his own mind, disregarding
Tokinada’s will.
“Can I... call her ‘mother’... instead of ‘Aura-san’? Rather... am I qualified for something like that after
everything I did...?”
Hikone’s voice trailed away. Hisagi looked at Hikone and told him,
“Since you don’t know the answer to that, I’ll be there to teach you, from here on out.”
Hisagi, whose entire body was covered in wounds, now flashed a warm, wide and beautiful smile
towards Hikone, trying very hard not to give in to his injuries, so as not to show any weakness in front of
the child.
“Besides... you’re just a kid. A kid who has been spoiled by his mother. A little kid like you shouldn’t be
talking about difficult things like ‘reasons’ or ‘qualifications’.”
--------------
Soul Society; The Great House of Tsunayashiro; The main residential building:-
“Hahaha.... Hahahahaha! Well, I must say... Living long does have its occasional benefits...”
Tokinada had set up one of the miniature Tenkai Kecchu to swap out these coordinates within the
Tsunayashiro estate with the castle in the Kyogoku as a means of escape.
However, Tokinada was grievously injured, the wounds deep. He dragged his feet slowly and made his
way towards the back of the house, blood dripping everywhere.
“Well, it was a good experience, I guess. Once cornered, even a horde of mice will gnaw at the tiger. I
suppose I could remain in hiding for a while... that is until my wounds are healed....”
Tokinada went on speaking in soliloquy as he placed his hand on the sliding door of the room. He slid
open the door-
As he did so, he felt a slight sense of incongruity. The air in the room was a little different from usual.
Despite its serious injuries, a chill ran through his entire body.
“...?”
The problem was; there was already someone present in the room.
Be it a retainer or a guest, or even an assassin, one could not easily enter this area. There were a great
many layers of barriers placed around this area that nobody could breach, other than the Tsunayashiro
family members. But, if it were a Captain-level Shinigami, it may be possible to violate the barriers.
“...Is it the 9th generation Head of the Fon family...? Or, is it Kuchiki Byakuya...?”
The one inside the room had not spoken a single word.
Tokinada recalled the skirmish with the Head of the Onmitsukido half a day ago. His chances of survival
against the zanpakuto of a Captain after his severe blood loss were very slim. But even so, Tokinada
found this entire situation extremely interesting. He laughed out loud.
-How very amusing.
-My, my. If I can’t savour my enjoyment to its fullest, then I might not get another opportunity to
experience this kind of entertainment.
Tokinda neither tried to escape, nor did he try to hide himself. He simply walked in.
“Who is it? Don’t you think it’s a little disrespectful to enter the House of Tsunayashiro uninvited?”
Then, from the very back of the room, there was a reply amidst the darkness; the speaker was sitting
atop the seat of the family Head.
“Oh, forgive my rudeness.”
“It’s you...”
“There was not a single soul around, so I mistook it for a vacant house.”
“Kurotsuchi Mayuri, huh..”
Tokinada spoke wryly to this newcomer,
“You were the one who sent Kyoraku’s group to the Kyogoku, I believe? What I don’t get is how you
came to be in such a remote place when you’re supposed to be controlling the portal.”
“Yes, I left it to my body double. So I am here now. Anyway, that’s besides the point.”
“I don’t think you came here on Kyoraku’s orders. Did you come here to capture here? Or did you come
here to ask the Head of one of the Four Great Noble Families for funding in your research?”
“Given your present condition, I wouldn’t dream of asking you for a favour. Even if you were in perfect
condition, I still wouldn’t be interested in such a thing.”
Mayuri replied to Tokinada’s question.
“What really piques my interest is the experiment titled ‘Creation of the Rei-o’ that was being conducted
by the House of Tsunayashiro, leader of the Four Great Noble Houses. At the moment, the group that
entered the Kyogoku are about to come out as the barriers have been removed. And very soon, the data
from the surveillance bugs installed within my corpse unit will come into my hands...”
Mayuri went on speaking to Tokinada, waving his head and sighing irritably,
“You are an amateur, Tsunayashiro Tokinada. In addition to the raw materials left here, if you had
entrusted me with this plan of yours right from the beginning, I could have at least dramatically
improved the calibre of the vessel of the Rei-o and this new Rei-o of yours would have reached a greater
degree of perfection.”
“Haha! But that wouldn’t exactly be a complete realization of my own wish.”
“So it appears as though the greatest hindrance to the enhancement of the degree of perfection of the
Rei-o’s vessel is Tsunayashiro Tokinada himself. If I had been in charge, would you have been the first
one to eliminate the vessel with your own hands? Anyway, as I understand it, if you had left everything
to me for the sake of the great cause, it would have been difficult for you to come up with an excuse to
be entertained.”
Mayuri’s tone was curiously strange. His unusual choice of words made Tokinada smile wryly as he
endured the pain of his wounds.
“Haha... That was harsh. But Hikone wasn’t created for the sake of any great cause.”
The phrase ‘great cause’ uttered by Mayuri made Tokinada laugh scathingly. Mayuri narrowed his eyes.
“There is no purpose behind the creation of the Rei-o other than pleasure. If you look at all the
information present in our secret archive, I wonder if you would understand how sinful the Soul Society
is? This world is shaped entirely by betrayal and malice. This is a world where the descendants of the
sinners are just as wretched, reaping the benefits from their ancestors. There is no need for a great
cause in this disgusting world. This world decays in pleasure and drowns in sinful lust!”
“I beg to differ. Refusing to change the world because of past sins is just being lazy.”
“You and Urahara Kisuke... you scientists are all the same. You keep talking about a great number of
things that will turn the world around and so you create new things. No matter what kind of lofty ideals
you lot preach, you too are simply drowning in the lust for knowledge. And that makes you slaves to the
attraction provided by this world’s pleasures.”
When Urahara Kisuke’s name came out of Tokinada’s mouth, Mayuri bristled slightly, then shook his
head looking at Tokinada pityingly,
“My, my! Being told off by someone with such a shallow perspective on scientists gives me great
displeasure. You sound like a kid throwing a tantrum.”
“Oh! I’m not denying it! It is synonymous to the crawling insects we see in front of us, creeping around,
wandering about, looking to satisfy their worldly pleasures! There is no difference between you and me;
we trample on this group of bugs dancing together because we just happen to be stronger! So you are
right indeed, Mayuri!”
Even on the verge of death, Tokinada kept on laughing madly, throwing up blood with every word he
spoke.
“So what do you want to do to me? You want me to work with you? You want to kill me? Or turn me
into an experimental subject and lock me up in a pod and make me suffer forever? Whatever option you
choose, just remember one thing... The man you see in front of you is nothing but a product of the
karma of Soul Society itself!”
Tokinada knew that Mayuri never cared for the authority of the aristocracy. Also, without Enrakyoten, it
was impossible to gain the upper hand. Nevertheless, Tokinada prioritized his own pleasure. Instead of
answering Tokinada’s question, Mayuri opened his mouth and spoke in a drawling voice,
“I don’t know what you’re talking about; I only came here to observe the end results of your research.
Anyway, I apologize for the intrusion.”
Mayuri turned away, looking bored.
“Incidentally, I’d have locked the door if I were you.”
“...?”
Tokinada did not understand Mayuri’s words and frowned. The next moment, a shock ran through
Tokinada’s back.
“...What...?”
He felt something cold and metallic piercing his body. There was no time to feel pain.
“Ugh...ugh...”
Tokinada looked down and noticed a blade sticking out of his abdomen. When he saw the sword, he
immediately understood. It was not even a Shikai, just an Asauchi. Mayuri, who was in front of him, had
not even moved one step. Instead, Mayuri was skimming through Tokinada’s bookshelf, running his
fingers through the spines of the books, no longer interested in what was going on within the room.
“Impossible... who...is... there...?”
Tokinada turned around to see a girl dressed in black. She was still quite young.
“...? Who are you...?”
For an instant, he thought it was Soi Fon, from the height, but he was wrong. The girl wore the same
kind of clothes worn by the assassins that Tokinada himself had employed to kill the elders of the House
of Tsunayashiro and later had them killed in order to throw suspicion off himself.
“I see. You were hired. I’m right, aren’t I?”

Just when Tokinada was thinking that it was quite an ironic end for him, he heard an unexpected
question.
“Hired...? What... What are you saying?”
Her voice trembled. She did not even know the basics behind gripping a blade. Just by looking at her, it
was easy enough to guess that she was almost a novice, far from being a skilled assassin.
“Everyone’s..... enemy...! Tsunayashiro Tokinada...! You...! Everyone in the family...!”
Her eyes were swimming with tears. Tokinada was stunned for a moment; then he coughed out a lot of
blood and asked,
“Enemy... of your parents...?”
“Y-yes! You are.... everyone’s....”
Her eyes were brimming with emotions. Assassins don’t shed tears, thought Tokinada. Assassins are
supposed to throw away all emotions including attachments towards family, as they are considered to
be hindrances. This girl, whose name he did not know, was immature and very different from the
assassins that Tokinada had known in the past.
“You stabbed me... because of something like that...!?”
“Did you just say.... ‘because of something like that’....?”
The girl in the black garb snarled at those words; her eyes shot wide open as she plunged her blade
through Tokinada’s back, over and over again, screaming.
Mayuri, uninterested in the tragedy unfolding right before him, kept on turning the pages of the book he
was calmly perusing. The only two sounds heard within this room were those of crinkling parchment and
swords beings thrust into flesh.
How long has this continued?
The assassin who repeatedly stabbed Tokinada with an Asauchi, was now breathing heavily. But
Tokinada remained standing.
“So this is... how it ends...?”
“Uah... uh....”
The female assassin’s face now displayed an expression of horror that replaced her earlier look of
hatred. She was now shaking violently with fear.
Toknada’s body was bent forwards, but he slowly straightened himself, in front of his trembling ‘enemy’.
There was a sound of something bursting forth from Tokinada’s body and he vomited out a torrent of
blood which would not cease.
Death.
It was clear that death was what swiftly approached Tsunayashiro Tokinada. However, Tokinada could
have used his remaining strength to shoot a Kido and that would have easily killed this immature
assassin.
But Tokinada’s eyes were no longer fixated on the assassin.
Tokinada took one last action. But his final action was not to scream out; was not to wring out the last of
his strength to kill the assassin; was not to cry out in pain; was not to fear imminent death; was not to
utter words of repentance towards his dead wife and the dead Tosen Kaname; was not to express
indignation over those who had looked down upon him; was not to entrust his final words to Mayuri.
It was something entirely different-

“.....Haha... Hahahaha....”
It was simply contemptuous laughter. Just scorn.
“Hahahahahaha! Hahahahahahahahahaha! I see... I am... I am going to die! Here, in this way! Killed, not
by Tosen, who bore such a powerful and long-standing grudge towards me, but because of the petty
vengeance of some small fry, and by a kid, too, no less! So this is how retribution finally catches up to
the Soul Society’s Great House of Tsunayashiro, and I get to witness karmic retribution in action at close
quarters as my life draws to an end! Hahahahahaha!”
“Uu...ah...”
The assassin continued to whimper as Tokinada kept on laughing in disdain; coughing up more and more
blood.
“....”
Mayuri looked up from his book silently as he listened to Tsunayashiro Tokinada’s final words.
“Serves you right, serves you right.... Kyoraku Shunsui!”
The Head of the leading family amongst the Four Great Noble Houses, who was pouring out his life into
oblivion, kept on laughing scornfully at the people he had known in his life, while he convulsively
spluttered out blood.
“My life is ending here, Kyoraku! You couldn’t reach me! Sorry to burst your bubble, but this nameless
little girl got to me first! You lost the chance to arrest me, Kyoraku! Such a shame, isn’t it? You didn’t
even get to put me on trial in the end!”
Although his face was losing its colour from the constant loss of blood, his voice was full of vitality.
Although, he should have lost his ability to speak because of his extreme degree of pain, Tokinada went
on yelling loudly and mirthfully, addressing people who were not even present there, his eyes focussed
far away, as if he could see each of those people standing there, invisible, in the room.
“Well, Tosen! Does this frustrate you? That I am dying without even an ounce of regret over what I did
to you? Well, Hisagi Shuhei! Are you furious at me after hearing what I just said? And what about you,
Ginjo? And Aura? Did Hikone already kill you? Even if you did survive somehow, you can’t touch my
soul! Not one of you can!”
“.....”
The assassin stood frozen to the spot, unable to understand what Tokinada was shouting about. The girl
watched, horrified, as Tokinada went on shrieking with laughter, dragging himself slowly towards a
certain direction where no one was present-
“And what about you... Ukitake...? You always tried to find some good in me... didn’t you? But I will die
here... without anything ever having changed.... within me...”
Spouting forth more blood than ever before, Tokinada stopped short and collapsed against the wall, as if
he had broken down.
Who was it that he saw-
“Well... Kakyo... I am..... a star....”
When Tokinada said that, his eyes became calm for a moment, with a glimpse of emotion in them, as if
those words spelled his salvation. He distorted his lips to form a final smile, and then became still.
“Quite a child-like assassin...huh...”
After having glanced at the young assassin who would not stop trembling, Kurotsuchi Mayuri slowly
walked away and left the Tsunayashiro estate.
“I see. So it was the karma of the Soul Society that brought about his death. That would have been
enough to satisfy him, I suppose.”
It would have been possible for Mayuri to re-animate Tokinada like he did with his own corpse unit and
with Kira Izuru, but he did not even try it. It was impossible to tell whether it was because that action
would not have been favourable to Mayuri, or whether it was because Mayuri felt some sort of emotion
for Tokinada.
Mayuri did not look back at Tokinada’s dead body; he ignored the assassin who had just killed the Head
of the House of Tsunayashiro; he simply left the spot where ‘everything and everyone of interest’ no
longer held any value. After a while, the girl, too, ran away, frightened. What remained was a mangled
corpse in a blood-splattered room.
In the end, Tsunayashiro Tokinada ended his life without bequeathing a single word to Hikone until the
last moment. Whether Tokinada had intended to, or whether he had really forgotten... that remained
unknown.
As Head of the leading family of the Great Nobles, it was very discourteous of him.
But despite all that, Hikone’s soul did persist within Tokinada, till the very end.
-----------------------
{t/n: That line about the ‘star’; it was in reply to Kakyo’s words just before she died. She had told
Tokinada “You have not seen the stars yet”, followed by “I’m sorry, I could not sweep away your
clouds”. Kakyo loved the stars and that’s why she wanted to sweep away the clouds covering them. It’s
all metaphorical, but I have to say, I simply loved Tokinada’s insane laughter and dying words to several
people. Seriously, Tokinada gets a standing ovation from me for being such a delightfully entertaining
villain till his last breath. Oh, and Mayuri, in his own, warped way, had a teensiest shred of respect
towards Tokinada’s creation of Hikone because it was Mayuri’s dream to create life from oblivion. I think
that’s why he respected Tokinada’s death and let him remain dead. Now we are left with a flashback
scene and the final chapter, which is very long}
Muken:-
In this prison, no colour is allowed to exist.
An infinite darkness stretches out in all directions atop a jet-black floor, allowing no light to penetrate
through the multi-fold barrier.
This was a prison located deep underground. A hell for the blind; reserved for those who deserved
death, but who could not be killed and were instead sealed for various reasons.
The unemotional voice of a man echoes in this prison where stillness is usually supposed to dominate.
"The flow....has changed a bit."
Aizen Sosuke.
The sinner who continues to spend a very long time in this absolute darkness with a rare amount of
sentience, now confirms the disappearance of one soul.
Aizen, whose body was mostly restrained, sensed that the soul had vanished; the soul of the man with
whom he shared a destined relationship; the man who was his confidant.
But Aizen did not let any emotions show on his face.
It revived within the depths of his consciousness-
The memory of a certain promise that he had exchanged with his confidant.
Past:-
"Is there something that you wish for, Kaname? I would like to extend my gratitude towards you for
being my greatest loyalist. So if there is something that you want, just name it."
Within Aizen's mind, this memory arose.
He had asked his confidant Tosen Kaname this question a long time ago.
"By your leave... yes.... there is indeed something. Just one."
"Oh?"
Interested to know what kind of personal desire this man in front of him sought, Aizen waited curiously
to hear those words-
However-
The words that tumbled out of Tosen's mouth were far from what one might consider a 'reward'.
"My wish is.... A precept against sin."
"...."
Encouraged by his listener's silence, Tosen pressed on.
"Should there come a time when I change... should there come a time when I begin to accept the world
of the Shinigami... rather... should there come a time when this world without evolution begins to
provide me with something like peace of mind... At that time, I would like you to erase my existence
from this world... leaving behind no fragments."
The words sounded strange, so Aizen asked again, in order to confirm the other party's intention,
"Surely, Kaname... should there ever come a time when you need to halt your progress... the Shinigami
lot will forgive you. However, I do not think you will accept that forgiveness, will you?"
"If there is one thing that is absolute, then it is you, Aizen-sama. But... You, who taught me what justice
is, and you, who instructed me on how the world ought to operate, are also a part of the world that I
detest."
"I see. So the root of the very justice that drives you, is a double-edged sword that can also destroy your
justice at the same time."
Kakyo.
Yes, that was the name of the woman who was Kaname's best friend, recalled Aizen. Tosen continued to
speak.
"If I were to accept the world of the Shinigami, then it will be a denial of my own justice. Should such a
time ever come, what I will have done, will no longer be justice. It will just be murder."
Clenching his fists in remembrance of a cruel past, Tosen let his next words out with difficulty.
"That would mean... the defilement of Kakyo's death and her way of life. Since I am standing here,
already betraying her wishes; going against my own justice would be equivalent to murdering her
twice."
"But if she were alive today, would she have forgiven you?"
"...Yes. She would have. That's why, I want you to have mercy and make me disappear from this world
before I degenerate into the non-existent goodness that she saw in this world."
"Mercy... you say?"
"If my justice turns out to be false, then I must never be forgiven! I want you to crush and destroy every
last bit of my soul before my heart gets filled with false salvation. That's my one and only wish."
Tosen uttered a wish that was not in accordance with his justice, but according to his feelings.
Aizen, who respected Tosen's resolution, questioned him once again in order to see whether Tosen
really grasped the depth and meaning behind his own desire. Anticipating the answer, Aizen asked,
".....If I stand atop the heavens and create a new world.... what will you do then?"
"That new world is a world where someone like me, who is forever trapped by vengeance, must never
exist. Therefore, once you stand atop the heavens, Aizen-sama, I must commit suicide for the purpose of
complete purification of that world."
"So then... whatever happens... I will inevitably end up losing my only confidant."
"....Forgive me. Please forget what I just said."
Tosen realized that Aizen, too, was trapped by emotions.
Aizen spoke to Tosen, who looked like he repented his choice of words,
"It's fine. Those were words that came out of your true heart."
"It is my immaturity that still makes me unable to cast off the justice that my friend Kakyo sang praises
about."
"No, it's not. Knowing one's own weaknesses becomes the foundation for climbing to greater heights."
Aizen looked down at the incomplete Hogyoku held in his hands, and spoke softly; a fearless smile
playing upon his lips.
"Sometimes, fear is also necessary for evolution."
And so, Aizen spoke to his close subordinate with absolute firmness. Approaching Tosen, Aizen made a
promise to him.
"I swear to you, Kaname. Before you suffer from the forgiveness of the Shinigami, I will make sure to
erase all traces of your existence."
The darkness of the Muken seemed to waver ever so slightly.

"Kaname.... the one who still follows the footsteps that you left behind, seems to be making interesting
progress as he continues to walk down that path."
What Aizen embraced in his chest once the memories from the past swept away from him,
whether the fragments of memory roused his heart,
that was never meant to be understood by anyone-
The recollections from the past that seamlessly flowed by, seemed to merely melt away into the endless
darkness.
"Even if, in the end, his corpse will be stepped across-"
"I still pleasurably look forward to the moment when his progress will irradiate my way."
{t/n: the part where Aizen senses the disappearance of a soul is meant to be taken metaphorically. Aizen
had promised to remove Tosen's soul once he came close to finding peace. With Shuhei coming to terms
with himself over Tosen's motives and with Tokinada's death, technically, if Tosen were alive, his soul
would find peace. With both those events accomplished, Tosen's soul finally completely vanished from
the world. Also, this segment tells us how close Aizen and Tosen were. The word 'confidant' is used
repeatedly with respect to their relationship. And I found it very touching that Aizen chose to use the
phrase 'fear is necessary for evolution' just after learning that Tosen would die once Aizen finally
reached his goal. It's like he sensed what fear could be like once he heard Tosen's wish. The Hogyoku is
supposed to grant wishes, so Aizen wished upon it, using his fear of losing his only confidant as a
pedestal. And the last words in the Muken were meant to be Aizen's tribute to Shuhei. After this comes
the long last chapter}
The final chapter

Kyogoku:-
While Urahara was busy opening the escape route out of the Kyogoku, Hisagi stood facing Kyoraku.
Nanao had administered first aid to Hikone and Hikone was now unconscious.
"You astonished me, Shuhei-kun. I had no idea that you had a Bankai."
At Kyoraku's compliment, Hisagi's mental strain and his thread of tension seemed to break away.
Hisagi's eyes swam with embarrassment.
"No, sir.... I mean... I... uh... well... Today was my first time using it..."
"Eh? Really? Wait a second! What about materialization and submission of the spirit?"
"It seems as though that part was accomplished before I even noticed it..."
On the verge of using it, Hisagi had looked like he had known exactly how to wield it; and he
apologetically informed Kyoraku that his problem all along had been the fact that he had never fully
grasped the essence of 'Kazeshini' in the past.
"So it was a spontaneous performance then...? Well... I'm glad that you stopped Captain Zaraki from
killing that child. If you hadn't, that girl wouldn't have helped prevent the collapse of Karakura Town."
Kyoraku recalls Hisagi's Bankai and considers its abilities.
"While I was watching, I had this distinct impression that your Bankai represents the extreme and
perfect form of a Bakudo-type zanpakuto; a culmination of all of your morals and teachings
encompassed by a prison. It appears to be most difficult to use."
Then, Hirako, who was standing next to them, piped up, shrugging his shoulders.
"It's better than my Bankai. At least, you get to choose whom you wrap those chains around. But the
negative side is that you end up being a sacrifice, Shuhei, once your and your opponent's reiatsu run
out."
"Yes.. If I have no ally at all, then it all ends with both of us taking each other out simultaneously."
"I understand that feeling."
Kyoraku, whose Bankai also had an element of pain, thought about the suffering that Hisagi would have
to face in the future. But then he clapped his hands together. He spoke to Hisagi, who seemed more
concerned about Hikone's condition, as it was similar to his own. The sentence Kyoraku told Hisagi was
something he had meant to say in advance.
"This means... You are now officially an eligible candidate for the position of a Captain. Isn't that a great
thing, Shuhei-kun?"
In order to become a Captain of the Gotei 13, it is said that the usage of a Bankai is an absolutely
necessary criterion. Currently, there were a few divisions, including the 13th division, in which the seat
of Captain was vacant.
Hisagi is going to become the Captain of one of those divisions-
"I don't know, sir... For now, would you please let me remain as just the editor-in-chief of the Seireitei
Communications?"
"Hmm... Well, there's still the matter of dealing with Tokinada's situation. Also, I don't know what my
position will be from now on, or what lies in store for the future of the Gotei. So we need more people
like you who can use Bankai. Is that okay?"
"Yes, sir.. Thank you very much."
"....Shuhei-kun... So you choose the pen over the sword."
Hisagi realized that those words contain several different meanings. Looking at the sleeping Hikone,
Hisagi told Kyoraku,
"I've decided to show Hikone this wide world. Not just Hikone. I would like to expand the world of the
readers as well and broaden their insights... for those who cannot step foot outside the Rukongai or the
Seireitei."
"That's fine and everything, but... don't you think it's better to let sleeping dogs lie?"
"....As I expected, the influence of Tokinada's word is much too widespread..."
Kyoraku dared not utter his own suspicions to Hisagi. However, Hisagi fixed his piercing gaze upon
Kyoraku; his eyes flashing with resolve, as if he had made up his mind to do something. He addressed
Kyoraku,
"Captain Commander Kyoraku. If, for the sake of this world, you judge it to be right to keep the truth
hidden for ages to come, then... please kill me before you leave this place."
"The truth doesn't always save the world. You know that, right?"
"Yes. So I'm not talking about the present. For my part, I will keep on investigating undercover, no
matter how many years it takes; be it ten, twenty or even thirty. Merely swallowing Tokinada's story is a
disqualification to the job of a journalist."
When he heard those words, Kyoraku placed a hand on Hisagi's shoulder with a soft smile.
"Then be careful, okay? If you intend to step into Soul Society's murky history, then you'll come across
many enemies. Even amongst the Kuchiki and Shihoin families, there will be a lot of hostility from the
relatives of the main house."
Glancing at the surrounding Shinigami, the Arrancars, the Fullbringers and the Quincies, Kyoraku went
on,
"If you're going to fight against the law of this world, you need to make more allies. Like Ichigo-kun."
"Like Kurosaki, you say...?"
"As you said, it's the opposite of the current time. So you have me as your friend, even if there is no one
else."
Kyoraku mused for a moment, then presented a certain duration of time.
"Yes... There is still a possibility that Yhwach's remains may be floating somewhere in the world. It's not
too late to make sure it doesn't do anything bad."
After saying that, he reworded it a little, in light of the history narrated by Tokinada.
"No... Perhaps it's not exactly accurate to use the word 'bad'."
"If such a time ever comes, then I will once again pick up arms as a Shinigami and fight on your side.
However, if there were things I could do before that, then I would like to explore that route as much as
possible."
It was probably not a war with the Quincy that was foremost behind Hisagi's words, but rather the
circumstances of Tosen Kaname. Kyoraku, who was aware of how much Tosen meant to Hisagi, dared
not say anything further.
After that, they watched as Urahara removed the barriers. Once a certain number of barriers were
cancelled, Kyoraku's denreishinki rang out.
It was a communication from Lieutenant Okikiba. For a while, a very grave conversation ensued.
Kyoraku disconnected the device and spoke to the Shinigami around him; his expression complex and
confused.
"..... Tokinada has been found."
A ripple of tension ran through everyone.
"It's unknown who did it.. but he's dead."
Shiba Residence; Rukongai; some hours later:-

After returning to the Shiba mansion from the Kyogoku, most of the members of the alliance dispersed.
Hisagi had carried Hikone to the Pharmaceuticals Institute and had entrusted Yamada Seinosuke with
Hikone's medical treatment. The rest of the Shinigami, the Arrancars and the Quincies had returned to
their respective places.
Meanwhile, Ginjo and his friends, who had nowhere else to return to and who were freeloading with
the Shibas, were drinking sake with Ganju and Kukaku.
"Jeez... what the hell? If it was such a big deal, then why didn't you take me there too? With my skills, I'd
have given that bastard Tokinada a piece of my mind!"
"You talk too much."
"What did you say, jerk?"
"Please calm down. The best medicine to appease anger is to surrender at times."
"Oh, oh?"
While Giriko tried to soothe Ganju from the murmurs of a boy playing a video game, Ginjo interrupted
them and asked,
"Hey, Yukio. You'll be returning to the World of the Living soon, won't you?"
"Yeah... with Urahara Kisuke. It's a bother, but it looks like Aura left me to deal with her religious group
since she was planning to disappear from this world."
"It's going to be tough for someone as young as you to handle a huge religious organization, Mr
President."
"No, I'll be fine. By the way, is there anything that you'd like me to convey to Riruka and Jackie?"
Yukio peeled his eyes off his console and looked at Ginjo. Ginjo shrugged his shoulders.
"Not really. As long as they're in good health and doing well for themselves, they don't need to hear
from me."
"I see. Fine. Then that's what I'll tell them."
"And as usual, you can't really behave like a cute kid, can you, Yukio?"
Rolling his eyes at Ginjo, Yukio called out to Tsukishima.
"You remember Shishigawara? That guy often visits your grave, did you know that?"
Tsukishima raised his eyebrows and answered as he closed his book.
"I have a grave erected in my name? That's surprising... Well, anyway... I hope he forgets about me and
finds a decent hobby for himself... like reading books."
"Shishigawara... I remember that annoying brat."
"...."
"Don't make that face, Tsukishima. Don't worry, I won't ask anyone 'to kill him' anymore."
Ginjo added with a wry smile. He then tried to ask Yukio about the present state of the world but-
"May I have a moment please?"
Kyoraku, who had left earlier, now showed his face again, at the end of the day.
"What, you're still here?"
"Ah... I have a few things to say."
"Looks like the Captain Commander has a lot of free time on his hands."
"No, no, I'm very busy. I've been going here and there all day. I'll be visiting the higher-ups, so I don't
have much time. I don't want to keep Nanao-chan waiting outside for too long."
"What's going on?"
Ginjo looked somewhat suspicious. Kyoraku conveyed the message,
"Firstly, I'll say this to you as well, Kukaku-chan and Ganju-kun. This time, we'll appeal for your free entry
and exit in and out of the Seireitei. This goes for everyone in the Rukongai too."
"I'm not interested."
Ginjo answered at once. Kyoraku brought something out of his pocket.
"Here, Ginjo-kun, take this. I just picked it up on my way here."
"What's this?"
It was a book. Apparently, it was serialized because there was a 1 written beside the title.
"It's an adventure story that Ukitake wrote. I think you'd find it enjoyable."
".... 'Sogyo no Okotowari!' This title sounds exactly like that of a cheesy romance drama."
{t/n: As we all know, Ukitake's zanpakuto is called Sogyo no Kotowari, which means 'law of the twin
fishes'. But the name of the story he wrote is 'Sogyo no Okotowari' which means 'Rejection of the twin
fishes'. The protagonist's name is Sogyo}
Tsukishima spoke up.
"Oh, that. I've already read all the volumes."
Ginjo didn't know how to react. His jaw dropped.
"Please tell me you're kidding. Seriously. When it comes to books, you don't really pick and choose,
huh..."
"It's a children's tale, but it's fun to read. The final scene in which Sogyo saves the shrine maiden, is
really good. Don't you think that the author's personality permeates into that scene?"
Evidently, to those in the know, it was based on the relationship between the author Ukitake and Ginjo.
Kyoraku then cut to the chase after thanking Tsukishima.
"About Ukitake... Do you still harbour ill feelings towards him?"
"I already gave my answer, didn't I? Regardless of whatever Tokinada said, it doesn't change the fact
that I was once an enemy of Ukitake and the Shinigami. Do whatever you want with me. I don't care
anymore."
Then, Kyoraku tightened his expression and opened his mouth.
"Ukitake always used to tell me and Yama-jii.... to overlook your sins."
"Hmph. You want me to be grateful? Is that what you want to hear? A 'thank you'? How many times
must I say it? My action of turning into your enemy does not get erased despite my regrets."
"That's not what I mean."
Kyoraku cut Ginjo off mid-sentence.
"I'm not talking about past sins. I'm talking about..... the time Ukitake slashed at you."
"..... What?"
"Ukitake was prepared to be slain by you, when you attacked. But of course, as Captain, he had to
protect his squad members, so I don't think non-resistance was an option. So if you still bear a grudge,
then the blame is all ours."
Kyoraku continued to speak while adjusting his straw hat.

"I think it's naive of me to say this but perhaps now is a good time. It's true that Ukitake made the
decision to monitor you and later decided to label you as the enemy. I can't overturn that fact."
As he spoke about irrefutable facts, Kyoraku's mind conjured up a memory of his old friend's face.
“This may sound like I'm making excuses... But even though those events were set into motion by the
House of Tsunayashiro and Ukitake was caught up in the momentum, it always weighed heavily upon his
heart. I have seen for myself how much he continued to regret all of it his entire life. I just wanted you to
know that."
"...."
"Ah.... Forgive me... I was being selfish. Sorry for bothering you."
Kyoraku turned to leave, but Ginjo called him back, holding up a cup of sake.
".... Maybe, if it becomes easy for us to go in and out of the Seireitei, I might pay a visit after all."
"Ah... I hope to see you in the near future."
"But if I visit the Seireitei, would I even be welcome there?"
"That depends upon the purpose of your visit. What would you like to do in the Seireitei?"
Kyoraku appeared to be relieved as he waited for Ginjo's reply. After a few moments of silence, Ginjo
asked him; in order to finally let go of his past and walk along a new path.
"Could you perhaps tell me the location of Ukitake's grave?"
Kukaku was now alone; holding aloft a cup of sake.

".... Heh. Is Soul Society finally beginning to usher in major changes?"
Kukaku, who had inherited the will of the Shiba family, offered the cup to someone who was not present
there.
"I think you would have liked these changes in this world too... Big Brother Kaien."
{t/n: The thing with Ukitake and Ginjo went like this, in case the narrative is confusing: Tsunayashiro
family wanted to collect the Reio fragments -> Wanted Ginjo + his friends to be watched and tracked
down -> Badge was loaded with the tracking device by Tokinada -> Ukitake initially opposed this idea ->
Tokinada's influence made him surrender -> Ukitake creates the rule for the sub Shinigami to possess
the badge and gives it to Ginjo, but feels guilty about monitoring him -> Tokinada omits to tell Ukitake
why exactly the badge was monitoring Ginjo -> Ukitake keeps hoping that Ginjo would forgive him ->
Tsunayashiro family sends assassin after Ginjo and his friends -> they are killed and Ginjo kills the
assassin Shinigami in anger -> Tokinada feeds Ukitake with lies, but Ukitake doesn't believe, so Tokinada
shows him data from the Visuals dept -> Ukitake believes and deems Ginjo to be a threat -> sends squad
members -> Ginjo kills them in a fit of rage -> Ukitake tries to protect them from Ginjo and a fight ensues
between the two -> Ukitake regrets it forever.}
Treatment Room; Pharmaceuticals Institute of the aristocrats; a few hours later:-

"Hikone has survived."
Hearing Yamada Seinosuke's verdict after the operation, Hisagi smiled in relief.
"Thank you so much."
"Don't go thanking me. Look at yourself. Your wounds are much more serious. What a reckless way of
using a zanpakuto! Your Saketsu and Hakusui are in very bad shape."
"...Sorry."
"Well, get healed, then. It's not my job to treat anyone except the aristocrats, but I'll make an exception
in your case. I'll just consider your treatment to be something like a hobby in my free time."
As Seinosuke deftly set to work on healing Hisagi using Kaido; Hisagi looked at Seinosuke and asked
meekly,
"Um... about Tsunayashiro Tokinada..."
"He was brought here, but soon, the Kin'in Noble Assembly produced documents with their official seal
upon them, and had his body retrieved."
Seinosuke spoke, his face clouding over a little.
"Anyway, there wasn't much that I could do. No matter what methods I use, I can't possibly resuscitate
the dead. In any case, that zanpakuto he was using, had considerably shaved off his very soul. Even if
someone were to revive him using zombification, he wouldn't have had a proper personality."
"...I see."
Hisagi clenched his fists in regret as he heard Seinosuke's words.
"Hikone will wake up soon, but if we are not tactful while conveying the news to him, he might even kill
himself."
"...!"
"His very life-support, Tokinada, is now dead. For Hikone, he might even find happiness in suicide, once
that knowledge comes to light. Even if we made him believe that he has to continue living, for someone
who wishes for death, wouldn't that be against his will? Of course, I would not want him to die, but if it's
against his will, I'd suggest that giving up is our best option."
Seinosuke shrugged, but Hisagi shook his head with a smile.
"Hikone will be fine. He has a new life support."
Seinosuke stared at Hisagi and then pondered for a while and spoke,
"I see.. Then I'll leave it to you to tell him the news. I won't say anything to him right now. You can tell
him when you think that the time is right."
At first glance, Seinosuke's words seemed irresponsible, but when Hisagi looked into his eyes, he
understood. A mutual unspoken comprehension passed between the two men.
Communicating face-to-face with Hikone on my own is most likely the best option to ensure that Hikone
lives, thought Hisagi.
"It has often been said that I am heartless and that I have an unpleasant personality. Sentimentality
doesn't suit me, truth be told. Hanataro's the nice one. The qualities that I lack, Hanataro has them."
Seinosuke laughed as if in great amusement, beguiling the mean smile playing around his lips, and
spoke,
"If controlling life is your job as a Shinigami, then giving meaning to life should also be right up your
alley, isn't that correct, Reaper?"
{t/n: I find Seinosuke to be a very interesting character, you know.. yeah, sure, his personality is
questionable, but he's quite a guy when it comes to a patient's well-being}
Department of Research and Development:-

"Why couldn't you lot have secured that individual known as Hikone before he was whisked off to the
Pharmaceuticals Institute from the Kyogoku, from right under your very noses? Do I have to instruct you
on every little thing? Honestly, what use is my Corpse Unit if they can't function the way I want them
to?"
As Mayuri went on muttering sourly, Cirucci complained,
"If we try to operate on our own, you've made it so that an electric shock automatically runs through
our body... Aaaaaaaaah!?"
"I see that you've finally grasped the situation. I've modified your bodies in this manner so that
neurotransmission is accelerated. This allows your and my work to be oh so much more efficient and
effective."
"Your methods are ridiculous, to say the least....Aaaaaaaaaah!"
Dordonii let out a prolonged screech, after which the current stopped. Mayuri seemed satisfied with the
data collected by his Corpse Unit on Tokinada and Hikone.
"Well, for now, you've done what you were instructed to do. As a reward, let's increase your free time
per day to 2700 seconds. Be grateful."
Luppi sighed, tired; while fixing Mayuri with a careful eye as the former had just turned around to his
work.
"Oh well... When I become free someday, I'll show Grimmjow then."
"You're still hung up on that, aren't you?"
"Grimmjow struck a deal with the Captain Commander here, right? To not let any Shinigami interfere
with his battle against Kurosaki Ichigo, wasn't it? But since I'm not a Shinigami, I could always interfere
and kill them both..."
"Oi, wait, wait! If you killed that orange-haired Nino, it'll be a problem for me!"
Chuhlhourne looked indulgently at Luppi's and Dordonii's dispute and laughed.
"Fufu... Rivalry is a beautiful thing. For example; in terms of strength, Halibel-sama and Neliel-sama are
twice that of mine, but in terms of beauty, I am one step ahead of them. This exquisite balance is what
makes me stronger overall! And thus, I shine beautifully!"
Najahkoop shook his head sadly as he witnessed the situation from a short distance away.
"And now I'm the only Quincy left behind, stuck forever with you, all alone..."
Mayuri, who heard these complaints, said,
"I had to publicly release the others. But naturally, they haven't really escaped. There's still a choker
around their necks. You lot, on the other hand, are going to have to fill in for them."
The others started voicing their grievances against Mayuri once more. Luppi raised his voice, crying out,
"Why US?"
"There's no need to worry. You are already dead. Therefore, death from overwork is out of the question.
What, you still have a problem?"
{t/n: And once again, Mayuri displays his utter lack of basic human ethics. Just let them die peacefully or
else just let them go, Mayuri. Never thought I'd say this, but I feel really bad for NaNaNa and Luppi. I
mean, he let the female Quincies go, so why not everyone else..}
A certain place in the World of the Living:-

While the members of the Corpse Unit expressed their lamentations within the Soul Society, another
voice was heard within this world.
"Oh, good grief! To think that the two of you were caught while I was not around! As I thought; without
a level-headed leader like me, you guys are useless!"
With her skin colour the same as before, but with eyes that looked strangely alive; Bambietta Basterbine
proclaims such a thing in a bright and sonorous tone.
"Hey.... what.... that's..."
As Candice looked at Giselle with wide eyes, the zombie Quincy averted her eyes and spat out an
explanation.
"Well... um.. That Tokinada guy was killed quite spectacularly, right? That helped in the healing process.
Think of it as an overwhelming supply of blood, see?"
{t/n: This is actually quite a hilarious twist. The insane amount of blood shed by Tokinada was actually
used to heal Bambi}
While it was true that Candice and Meninas had been liberated from the Corpse Unit, their bodies,
however, were imbued with tracking bacteria. Not only that, but it seems like a sort of communication
device was also attached. Perhaps there were other devices as well that were meant to control them.
Although it was not clear when or how those devices would be forcibly used upon them, Liltotto judged
that the outcome was favourably better than the expected result, since they were left with free will for
the time being.
"Oh, someday, we'll have a chance to disable them. For now, let's just be grateful to have atleast
survived."
The girls were not dressed in their Quincy uniforms, but in plain clothes. They had currently taken up
residence in a coffee shop in a certain country. Bambietta's ominous, zombie-like skin colour
occasionally caught people's eye, but otherwise, they managed to blend in with the rest of the
townspeople as ordinary young women.
Bambietta, whose brain functions had been temporarily restored and whose spirits were rather high,
spoke with her usual inability to read the atmosphere,
"Let's see... I remember fighting that doggy... Only... he wasn't a doggy anymore. What happened after
that...? Uh.... my head hurts... Well, anyway, you say that His Majesty is gone now. So I have no choice
but to take over! As the next Queen, I propose we blow up and conquer the countries around here for
now."
It appeared as though a part of her brain still functioned like that of a zombie; Bambietta's memory and
movements were often awry.
"What's with this terrible odour you have? It's such a bother. If that's how it is, then you're not going to
start killing all the handsome men again, will you?"
{t/n: the 'terrible odour' is because Bambi is still a re-animated corpse}
"Shh.. I think it'll be really bad if you make her upset..."
"I suppose it can't be helped. Afterwards, at a suitable time, I'll hit her hard to decrease the amount of
blood."
"But if you do that, won't she go back to what she used to be like?"
True to her word, Giselle smoothly carried out the action exactly as she had spoken of earlier; in the
blink of an eye. The colour of vitality left Bambietta's face just like the setting sun.
"Eh? I.... eh? Um.... cake... sheep... delicious..."
Watching Bambietta act like a child, the Quincies exchanged glances. Then they let out a sigh.
Holding a half-eaten cake in her hand, Liltotto spoke as if in soliloquy,
"Well... we don't even know what to do with ourselves, huh..."
"Want to go to Hueco Mundo, again?"
Liltotto shook her head at Giselle's words.
"Aside from the Hollows, it's too troublesome to always be at odds with the Arrancars.
Also, there hardly any decent food in Hueco Mundo...."
{t/n: I don't know if I should feel bad about Bambi's fate or if I should be glad that Giselle saved a
country or two from getting blown up. This segment about the Quincies was interesting to me :) }
Hueco Mundo:-
As she looked at the enormous 'castle'; more than half of which had sunken into the sand, Aura realized
that she was lying on the soft and cold sand. This is probably somewhere in Hueco Mundo.
But why am I in Hueco Mundo?
Having considered such a thing, Aura confirmed that she was conscious. There is no memory after the
Aerial Castle was dropped into the Garganta.
I thought I would have to continue traversing the infinite black cavity as it is, until I die, but for some
reason, here I am, lying on the sand.
That's fine, though. I did what I had to do.
This time, the girl realized, she had failed everything. Next time, perhaps, an attachment may be born.
However, there were no lingering regrets.
Rather than growing up all alone, Hikone's world would probably expand a lot more if he lived among
those Shinigami. In any case, she had no strength left to stand up.
I'm sure I'll become a part of the sand here; as my blood and soul are drained away from my wounds.
But Aura noticed that there was no pain. She tried to slowly raise herself.
Why is the wound closed?
Aura was puzzled; but then the voice of a young woman was heard from the side.
"Oh... Are you awake now?"
A woman stood there, with a very gentle look upon her face; a look Aura could not imagine being
present upon the face of an Arrancar. A fine thread stretches out from her hand and the injuries present
on the flank of the body are sewn together delicately; even the blood vessels and nerves are connected.
Another voice was heard from a little farther away.
"Oh, she can get up now? As expected of you, Roca-chan! You're just as good as I remember..."
"You're that lady... You were in the Kyogoku..."
"Oh, right, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Neliel. Halibel is over there."
Aura turned to look and her eyes met those of another female Arrancar who had been leaning against
the rubble. She had been watching Aura for a while, but now she looked away, facing towards the
damaged castle, as if she had lost interest.
"She's just shy. Halibel is basically very kind to children and children, too, love her. She's very popular
among them."
To be precise, those 'children', who were beyond Halibel's line of sight, were Arrancars as well. Within
the wreckage of the castle, a group of child-like Arrancars, connected to one another, were skipping
around here and there, playing hide-and-seek and shooting Ceros and Balas.
"That castle you brought here with you; has become a playground for the children designated as
Arrancar No. 102... That structure is not like the one here in Hueco Mundo; but it'll get covered in sand
before long, and become a part of Hueco Mundo."
"Why... am I here?"
"I brought you here. I couldn't just leave you there in the Garganta like that, could I?"
Aura's eyes widened at Neliel's words.
"So you.... saved me?"

"Ah... one-half."
"Half?"
"You may not have been aware of this... but, you, as a human being of the World of the Living..."
Aura did not need to hear the rest.
As a human being, she had died inside the Garganta.
"The canopy of your soul had greatly been dissipated and battered. I called in Roca-chan and had her
treat you in hurry. The air here is quite dense in reishi and that will help you recover your abilities
quickly, okay?"
"Why go that far?"
"Eh? Because, if I had left it alone, the soul chunk would have disappeared."
Neliel's tone of speech was gentle; very different from the time when she had fought against
Ikomikidomoe. Listening to her words, Aura's eyes became round once again. She had not expected such
an honest courtesy from an Arrancar.
Seeing Aura's state of confusion, Neliel thought to herself: "Is she hungry?"
Then, latching on to a completely wrong inference, Neliel pulled Aura aside and took her to the building
nearby.
"Pesche! Dondochakka! Let's all eat together with her! I'm inviting Halibel and Roca-chan too, okay?"
Aura; before she could get an opportunity to protest; was forced to sit on a chair in front of the
Arrancar, who had already begun preparing a meal.
"It's... this is..."
"It's the monitor lizard; a snow-grass dish that is unique to Hueco Mundo's culinary. Rest assured; this
does not comprise of human souls."
{t/n: I had to use the term 'monitor lizard' because the Japanese word here is 'otokage'. And although I
had no idea what 'snow-grass' meant, it turned out to be some kind of dense, perennial grass}
Cooking, huh?
In front of the food made up of colours she had never seen before, memories of her childhood began to
revive within Aura's brain.
She recalled the rotten ingredients that she had spat out of her mouth before walking out of her glass
cage forever.
Remembering all that, Aura brought the food offered by Neliel close to her mouth. Contrary to her
imagination, the rich and colourful taste melts and spreads across her taste buds.
"....It's so.... delicious."
Aura, who was earlier embarrassed to express her thoughts, now smiled innocently like a small child.
As Aura proceeded with the meal, Neliel asked her about her future.
"What would you like to do after this? If you want to properly rest in peace, then I could introduce you
to Ichigo."
"No... I have nowhere else to go. Also, there lies a qualification for the performance of Konso."
"Is that so? Then, would you like to rest here until you find something that you'd like to do? Tell you
what, I'm not very familiar with the cuisine from the World of the Living. If it suits you, why don't you
help me cook here?"
While Neliel suggested this, thinking that it was a good idea, a thought swelled up within Aura's mind.
-I thought I would never see Hikone again....
-I... What should I do, I wonder...
Since the vessel known as the body has been lost, there was no point in returning to the World of the
Living and continuing to lead the religious organization. All of that was left in the hands of Yukio; he
would just get confused if she appeared. Aura, who was at a loss as to what she ought to do, was once
again addressed by Neliel,
"Hey, so how about it? Do you like cooking? I think I'd like to try your cooking too!"
Making the ones from this land eat the food from the World of the Living.
Those words sounded innocent but absurd, yet they provided Aura with an idea.
Someday, progressive Shinigami, such as that journalist Hisagi, may spread word about the Soul Society
and expand its horizons-
Perhaps then, Hikone might visit this land again.
If that's the case, then will Hikone eat the meal cooked by me?
Perhaps, someday, the ones from this land may have the courage and permission to enter Soul Society
from here.
It might have been a tiny sliver of hope, it might have been a tiny reason, but Aura's spirits rose.
-I might meet Hikone again.
Tears rolled down her face as she gulped down the dishes prepared by Neliel.
"What's wrong? Were you hungry enough to cry?"
"No, Neliel-san. I was just so overwhelmed by the taste of the dessert that you made!"
"It was that unpalatable, huh, that it made you cry?"
"No, ma'am... It was wonderful!"
Continuing to eat leisurely, Aura addressed Neliel's earlier question.
"I really love cooking..."
There was only thought born in Aura's mind.
A pure wish to someday have Hikone eat the food cooked by her.
-Just like my father always cooked for me when I was little.
"I'll eat heartily too... surely from now on... I will also cook..."
Neliel noticed that the girl was laughing through her tears.
And so, Aura decided to live quietly in one corner of Hueco Mundo; whilst interacting with Neliel every
so often. She dreamt that one day, the smile that she had displayed just now, would float on Hikone's
face as well.
"Where's the enemy? Wait, you're not the enemy. I noticed all the commotion and now, I'm stumped,
to be honest."
Grimmjow, who was bored, had strolled over, and was watching Aura being familiar with Neliel from
atop a roof tile across the desert. Halibel, who had finished eating along with Neliel, now appeared
behind Grimmjow and said,
"How about you come down here and join us?"
"No thanks. I'm not interested in over-familiarity."
As he answered brusquely, Grimmjow felt a burning sensation pass right through his Hollow hole. He
had finally fought against an arch-nemesis after a long time, but the battle with Tokinada that had
followed soon after, was an united front, which was much too far from Grimmjow's liking. He was
dissatisfied.
"That bastard Luppi! Just you wait, I'm coming for you!"
Grimmjow laughed mercilessly, clearly etching the image of his hated enemy within his mind, so that he
would never forget. Not just Luppi, but there was another man whom Grimmjow often thought about. A
face with bright orange hair; another nemesis of Grimmjow's.
"But it's weird... All that uproar, and there was no sign of him... Wait, don't tell me... that bastard
Kurosaki... is enjoying peace like a moron!"
The following day; Soul Society:-

"Dear peace.... indeed... yes, yes, yes... you're a fine person, aren't you..."
Watching Hirako buying and immediately wolfing down senbei while muttering something unintelligible,
Hinamori Momo tilted her head and asked a question.
{t/n: Here, Shinji says 'heiwa-cchi', so I translated it as 'dear peace'. 'Senbei'=rice crackers}
"Um... So, in the end, what exactly happened yesterday in the Rukongai?"
"Ah... This and that, y'know."
" 'This and that'.... Did you safely succeed in repelling the enemy?"
" 'This and that' means 'this and that'. Set your mind at ease for the time being, Momo. It's no more
clear and frank than the boundary between white and black."
The chain of incidents that had taken place the day before were basically treated as 'highly classified
information'. In terms of circumstances, perhaps it would be alright to give some details to Hinamori,
making small allowances for her, but to Hirako, moderation was too troublesome, so he decided to
remain vague and non-committal on the subject.
"Hmmmm...."
Leaving Hinamori with a question mark floating atop her head, Hirako tried to listen to jazz, using a
music playback feature installed within the denreishinki held in his hand-
There was a loud yell from behind as soon as he tried to put on his ear-phones.
"Oi, baldy Shinji!"
Turning his head, Hirako saw Sarugaki Hiyori, who was supposed to be in the World of the Living,
standing there.
"Eh, Hiyori? What're you doin' here? Come to think of it, didn't you start working part-time somewhere
in the World of the Living? What brought this on all of a sudden, huh?"
Countering Hirako's complaining tone, Hiyori kicks him up his shins and he cries out in agony.
"What the hell? Is this how you greet someone you haven't seen in such a long time?"
"Well? You told Lieutenant Hisagi to 'have a good laugh at Hiyori's expense on my behalf', didn't you?
Therefore... that guy... was diligently thorough with his banter! How about I make you pay for that
instead, huh?"
"Oh, did he carry it out conscientiously and earnestly? Just how honest and sincere is that guy, anyway?"
Hirako's wise-crack about Hisagi was lost upon the man in question, since the target of the quip himself
was not present there. Hiyori, who had been bristling in indignation, now burst into laughter as she
opened her mouth.
".... Pfff... Hehehe! In other words, that guy really took even stupid sort of orders to heart! Wait, why am
I laughing? Oi, baldy Shinji, come back here!"
"Hey, wait, wait!"
"I wish they'd pipe down."

Meanwhile, Kenpachi had noticed Hinamori trying to desperately break up Hirako's and Hiyori's scuffle.
He turned to Yumichika and Madarame who were behind him and asked them,
"Oi, where'd Hisagi go off to?"
"Lieutenant Hisagi is currently in the World of the Living."
"Oh, right, he went to Urahara-san's, to continue his chat from earlier."
Hearing Yumichika's and Madarame's replies, Kenpachi clicked his tongue in annoyance.
"...Tch! Can't be helped, I guess. That Bankai of his caused my interest in him to spring out. I wanted to
test my slicing and cutting abilities on him. But I can do it tomorrow, though."
As Kenpachi turned his back on them, continuing to murmur such things, Madarame and Yumichika
exchanged significant glances.
"Well, this was bound to happen. I knew that the Captain would be interested in him."
"Hisagi-kun.... It seems... after your return, from now on, you'll be facing difficult days ahead..."
And now, as they imagined the future of Hisagi, who was in the World of the Living at present, the two
of them clasped their hands together in prayer for Hisagi within their hearts.
Urahara Shoten:-
"Yes, and with that, I've concluded my interview. Once again, I thank you for your time."
Pitifully unaware that he was about to be drowned by the rough days, Hisagi completed his interview
and was about to return to the Soul Society. After all, the special issue featuring the inauguration of
Tokinada was scrapped, and so the original plan to revive the Seireitei Communications was now in full
swing. In the process, it was decided that the first article of the revival project would be titled 'The
Seven Great Wonders of the Urahara Shoten'. Hence, this interview with Urahara.
The barrier around Karakura Town had been lifted and those who had been manipulated by Aura had
their memories clouded over. It seemed like things had been well-handled. The religious sect will
probably be in disarray due to the demise of Aura, but it was likely that Yukio would managed to rein
them in.
"Thank you for everything, Hisagi-san. Yesterday was tough for you, I expect, maybe even today too. Are
you sure you're okay, now? And your wounds? Have they healed?"
To Urahara's question, Hisagi responded with a little victory sign with one arm.
"Yes. When I took Hikone to the Pharmaceuticals Institute, the Director examined me too, and I'm all
better now."
"Ah, nothing less from Seinosuke-san. Did you find out why he was allied to Tsunayashiro Tokinada?"
"Yes. Apparently, there was a written appeal from the aristocracy. I didn't like to pry any more than
that."
While he said this, Hisagi's mind was swirling with complex thoughts. He recalled what Tokinada had
told him back then and looked straight at Urahara's face.
-How do I define this person in front of me? Should I call him a 'good' person or a 'bad' person?
What emerged from the multitude of complexities within Hisagi's mind was one single answer.
-Why did Urahara Kisuke strive to push beyond the limits of the soul's canopy and enhance its strength
when he created the object known as the Hogyoku?
Did he not wish to create those who would have the same soul strength as that of the Rei-o?
It could be that every Shinigami had the potential to break through their limits and achieve the same
power as the Rei-o and that Urahara had hoped to create a world where everybody would pool in their
enhanced strength and work together in harmony in order to support the very foundation of this world
little by little.
Most likely - according to Hisagi's own interpretation with regards to Urahara, or rather, according to
what he chose to believe in - Urahara wanted to liberate the Rei-o and his actions were meant to be an
eternal eulogy to the Rei-o.
And so, Hisagi smiled warmly and remarked with heart-felt respect,
"A little off-topic, but you know, Urahara-san.... In my eyes, you truly are incredible."
"What brought this on, all of a sudden? Don't think flattery will cause me to postpone your loan
repayment on the guitar."
"Yes, yes, I'll pay you on time.... I think. But I was being serious there, you know..."
Hisagi's self-confidence about the about the payment began to waver.
Two Shinigami had appeared at the entrance to the Urahara Shoten; Madarame Shino and Yuki
Ryunosuke. They called out to Hisagi excitedly,
"Lieutenant Hisagi....! You did it, you saved so many people! As expected of someone of your calibre!"
"Ah.... no.. I didn't do much-"
"That strange wall is gone now! With this, we can ride the train!"
"Train, huh?"
To the two Shinigami who had come to greet him, Hisagi gave them both a thumbs-up, as if to say 'now
is your turn to protect this town'.
Noticing the two youngsters staring at Hisagi with awe-struck expressions, Urahara gave Hisagi a teasing
little smile as the Senkaimon swallowed up Hisagi's figure, making his silhouette glow bright red.
A little after Hisagi left, Yoruichi appeared, taking on the form of a black cat, strolling over towards
Urahara's feet while speaking with the voice of a man.
"Was it really okay? To leave Hisagi Shuhei to his own devices?"
"You mean 'to just let him go', huh?"
"He is a journalist, isn't he? I think he might have stepped in just a little too deep into matters
concerning the esteemed Lord. In my opinion, surely, it is necessary to seal his lips."
"Sealing his lips is rather a disturbing thought. This isn't like you, Yoruichi-san."
In reply to Urahara's astonished remark, the black cat leapt atop a shelf of the store in an elegant
manner and continued speaking,
"Look, I'm not talking about killing him like Tokinada. It would be best if you erased his memories, even
rewriting his memories will do."
{t/n: Now we know who arranged for Tokinada's unceremonious assassination}
"That mechanism acts only on the physical state of mortal flesh. So it's effective only on humans from
the World of the Living."
"We need to remove him. If it's about the Lord, you will be able to tamper with his memories as a
Shinigami, won't you?"
Urahara exhaled a little at Yoruichi's idea to try an alternative.
".....Hisagi-san is probably under the impression that I created the Hogyoku for the sake of the Rei-o."
"Well, he's not entirely wrong, is he?"
"He's wrong. He's completely wrong. The sequence is reversed."
Urahara's words contained a bit of regret blended in with slight self-indulgence, as he looked back upon
his past.
"I just wanted to create something new. My objective was to fling open a secondary new door. I merely
used the Rei-o as an excuse and a key to open that door.... All I did was live according to my lust. In that
sense, my origins are no different from those of Kurotsuchi-san, driven by the insatiable appetite for
research at the expense of plenty."
"Kisuke, I think..."
"Hiyori-san somewhat saw through me, though. Well, so Hisagi-san's neutral position.... not exactly
neutral, but I think I'm going to entrust matters to someone who stands firm as a Shinigami."
Urahara's expression softened as he spoke about Hisagi.
"Should a time come when I become known as a villain, then it might be better to leave behind sprouts
who will punish me for my sin. If it's Hisagi-san, who judged Tosen-san for the man he was and yet
continued down his laid-out path, then I think I'd be glad. Of course, I wouldn't mind if it were Kurosaki-
san or Kuchiki-san either."
Yoruichi jumped down on Urahara's shoulders and raised her voice in protest and scratched his ear.
"Well, when did you come up with such cheesy lines?"
"No, no, it's because you started saying those things, Yoruichi-san. Not fair."
Urahara said with a laugh as Yoruichi's tail drooped.
"....That hubris of yours... I know just how to rectify it."
"Ah... Yes, if I ever cross the line, you'll always be there to kick me, won't you?"
"Don't flatter yourself. Just a kick? Oh no. I'll twist your neck instead."
"That's harsh."
Having returned to his usual self, Urahara put on his hat, grabbed his cane and asked Yoruichi to
accompany him.
"Let's go. Kurosaki-san and the others might be in trouble."
Ichigo and his friends were in a tricky situation in a certain spiritual area in western Japan. The crisis had
not yet become an emergency, but if it was orchestrated by Tokinada, there was a high possibility of
danger.
In anticipation of that, Urahara closed the store, and for the past couple of days, he was planning to
open the 'Urahara Shoten West Japan Branch' in western Japan for a few days.
"Honestly... We're busy here. Ichigo will do fine without us, right?"
Jinta, who was piling up floats and beach umbrellas, asked Tessai.
"A candy shop is supposed to be for children, after all."
Urahara was already opening the front door to walk outside.
"I think Kurosaki-san is a little too old to be called a child."
Ururu answered. Urahara thought to himself, I will open a new door again, today.
Clutching fear and hope, they walked into the world beyond the door, a world they had yet to see.
Can't Fear Your Own World III (final translation)
Soul Society; 10 years later:-

"How admirable..."
It was the day of the inauguration ceremony of Kuchiki Rukia, who was to become the new Captain of
the 13th Division. On that day; while running along the street heading towards the 1st Division barracks,
Hitsugaya Toshiro, the Captain of the 10th Division, noticed the scene at the training site and cleared his
throat.
"To become a Captain, I guess such a great spirit is necessary... I wish a certain someone would learn
something from that."
Matsumoto Rangiku, his lieutenant, who was running beside her Captain, laughed and looked towards a
different direction.
"Eh? Who could you possibly mean? Is it Shuhei?"
In response to her irresponsible remark, the two people who had been rushing forward diagonally much
ahead of them, spun around.
"Who else could it be? I hope you're listening, Shuhei."
"Wha-? I cannot possibly ignore such a comment, Rangiku-san!"
Hearing Muguruma Kensei's words, his Lieutenant, Hisagi Shuhei chimed in indignantly.
"Your Captain also agrees with me."
Hisagi replied to her wise-cracks with rising indignation while pointing at himself,
"Let me tell you that I've already mastered Bankai!"
-Yes, that's right, Shuhei. I know that for a fact.
Muguruma told himself but not to the others.
Hitsugaya and Matsumoto screwed up their faces and both of them said at once,
"I've never seen it."
"Neither have I."
"Aren't you just bragging?"
Rumours that Hisagi had acquired Bankai had certainly been widely circulated all over the Seireitei. It
was Kenpachi who was primarily responsible for this, since he had tried chasing after Hisagi for a while,
hoping to spar with him; so of course, the rest of the Shinigami would notice.
But fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, nobody was sure when exactly he had acquired it. The
incident at the Kyogoku was still kept a secret, so it remained a mystery to everyone.
Muguruma decided to play along with Hitsugaya and Matsumoto.
"Don't worry. Even I haven't seen it!"
"Please don't side with them, Captain! You were watching!"
Hisagi desperately appealed, his eyes becoming teary.
"But... But... I can't help it! I've never had a chance to use it since then!"
As Hisagi continued arguing with Muguruma and Matsumoto, Hitsugaya's face broke into a cheerful
smile and he ended up addressing Hisagi on the subject of his Bankai.
"....Well, it's a good thing that you didn't get an opportunity to use it over the past 10 years."
Looking back on events that had occurred a decade ago, including the war with the Quincies, this was
cause for celebration.
"This means that for the past ten years, peace has been maintained."
Hitsugaya and Matsumoto were with Kurosaki Ichigo, along with Abarai and the Kuchiki siblings during
the incident at the Kyogoku, so they were unaware of the circumstances. However, Hitsugaya was a
sharp one.
At first glance, Hisagi had looked the same as he always did, but Hitsugaya sensed that something had
definitely changed within Hisagi; he was no longer the same man he used to be ten years ago.
Hitsugaya speculated that this change had resulted in the usage of the Bankai in question.
Hisagi, on the other hand, upon hearing the phrase 'ten years' from Hitsugaya, recalled the memory of
one single Shinigami.
One year ago; West Rukongai; District 64; 'Sabitsura':-

Originally a village situated deep within the mountains; it used to be an area under the jurisdiction of
the 11th Division. However, in recent times, the members of the 11th Division neglected it; the rest of
the residents of the neighbouring districts of the Rukongai dare not approach it either.
Ten years ago, at the onset of the war, all of its residents were wiped out by the 12th Division as an
emergency measure to restore the equilibrium of souls. Although that fact itself is classified; it was a
district where no new residents were assigned. It was a completely deserted village.
One single charcoal hut stood near the deepest of mountains where signs of life were sparse.
In front of the hut stood Shuhei and spoke to the presence inside it.
"Yo!"
The owner of the presence within heard Hisagi Shuhei's voice and ran out. It was Ubuginu Hikone
welcoming Hisagi with the same innocent smile that he remembered.
"Ah.... You've come, Hisagi-san!"
Once the 'adjustments' to his composition were completed at the Pharmaceuticals Institute, Hikone had
become able to live alone in one corner of the Rukongai where people barely passed through.
It was Hisagi's wish to have Hikone enrolled at the Shino Reijutsuin so that he could pursue the way of
the Shinigami.
However, it was too early to think that an existence like Hikone's would not be faced with decisive
hostility from others. That is why, it was much too soon to have Hikone venture out into the Seireitei.
The incident itself was hushed up; but the crime still remained open to suspicion. It was highly possible
that not only the Gotei, but the aristocracy as well would refuse to accept and acknowledge Hikone's
existence.
Just because the tides were changing at a snail's pace, that in no way meant that people's motives were
getting mellowed.
Most importantly, it was Hikone himself who chose to leave the Seireitei; of his own free will.
-"Hisagi-san, I understand now."
-"Thanks to you Hisagi-san, and also Kyoraku-san as well as Seinosuke-san's brother, Hanataro-san; I see
everything now."
-"I understand the kind of person Tokinada-sama was."

-"But I could never hate Tokinada-sama. I just couldn't."
-"Because it was certainly Tokinada-sama who gave me a reason to live."
-"Because, back then; it surely gave me happiness."
-"But I realize that a Shinigami like him should not have been allowed to exist within the Seireitei."
-"Please let me try living alone, Hisagi-san. I want to see if I can."
-"Yes... I know that it'll be very scary."
-"..... But 'fear is a necessary element in order to be alive'. You taught me that, Hisagi-san!"
These were the kind of conversations that Hisagi and Hikone had shared over the years. Hisagi had
noticed that over the years, slowly, very slowly, a hint of anxiety and fear had begun to blend in and
flicker alongside Hikone's innocent smile.
Hisagi posed him a query.
"Did you find your own answer? About what you want to do in your own future?"
"Yes! I would... like to become strong."
Deprived of Ikomikidomoe and having lost most of his reiatsu, Hikone was now a being with reiatsu just
above a menial Shinigami. Ikomikidomoe had been returned to the Zero Division; its power greatly
reduced.
"So... what do you plan on doing in the future?"
Hikone looked at Hisagi, attempting to answer his question,
"I would... like to go... looking for Aura-san... My mother.."
Hisagi felt uneasy at that statement. But he saw that Hikone was clearly willing. It was unknown whether
Aura was alive. She was most certainly not in the Soul Society; her soul had never passed into the
Rukongai.
It was very difficult for Hikone to step out of the Soul Society because he had lost Ikomikidomoe; which
was capable of opening a Garganta. Furthermore, Hikone was not permitted to use the official
Senkaimon utilized by the Shinigami.
However; realizing that Hikone had decided on his own reason for living as a Shinigami; Hisagi chose to
believe that Hikone would have a bright future ahead of him as Hisagi would see to it that Hikone
became a proper Shinigami.
"Alright. I'll help you in every way possible."
Respecting the memories of the departed souls, like that of Tosen and Kanizawa, and gripping the fear
of losing those memories within one's heart-this was what Hisagi had taught Hikone after all.
"I, too, in my own way, will try to 'seek the path of least bloodshed'."
{t/n: This last line of Shuhei's; is a callback to Tosen's parting words as he left the Soul Society}
While reminiscing about his interactions with Hikone, Hisagi renewed his determination to never waste
these times of peace.
Hisagi continued performing his duties as the editor-in-chief of the Seireitei Communications, clutching
on to the belief that the future of all Shinigami as well as Hikone's would someday become bright.
As Hisagi and the others raced towards Rukia's inauguration, Matsumoto interrupted Hisagi's pensive
reminesces.
"Oi, Shuhei... Come to think of it.. you've been visiting the Rukongai very frequently over the past
decade. What's all that about?"
"Hmm, what? Oh, right... Well... it's to do with my work. I have a few... uh... acquaintances there. My
contacts have increased."
Hisagi not only interacted with Hikone, but was also on friendly terms with Ginjo's group. Hisagi secretly
expanded his network and continued his undercover investigation on the heinous activities of the House
of Tsunayashiro.
After Tokinada's death, several facts turned hazy and vague, but it was Hisagi's job to research and delve
deeper; so as to let the facts come to light.
Thus, Hisagi kept up a relentless rebellion against the worse side of the aristocracy; especially against
the House of Tsunayashiro; by means of 'journalism' as his weapon.
"Pfft. Never cared much about 'journalism' myself. I'd say it is about as troublesome as taking care of a
kid in the Rukongai. That kid might've looked a bit like Shuhei."
In response to Hisagi's vague and distracted reply, Muguruma piped up slyly; carefully choosing his
words so that only Hisagi would grasp the meaning.
"A kid?"
Matsumoto became curious.
"Oh, it's troublesome alright. That kid I took care of in the past wouldn't stop wailing even after I saved
him from being attacked. Even now, I still take care of that kid. He hasn't matured at all."
Matsumoto became more and more interested.
"Um... let's see... A kid who looks like Shuhei..."
Matsumoto went on thinking.
Hisagi turned to Muguruma and protested,
"Wasn't that because your face was too scary, Captain?"
{t/n: Kensei is talking about that time when he saved a crybaby Shuhei from a Hollow a century ago}
Ignoring Hisagi's complaints, Matsumoto suddenly clapped her hands together as if she had had a great
revelation.
"I got it! A hidden kid!"
"No, no! Wrong! How on earth did you come to such a nonsensical conclusion from a conversation like
that?"
They had now entered the first Division barracks. Muguruma, who heard Matsumoto's statement,
pretended to be immensely amazed and went on with the gag.
"Ah! So that's the answer! Of course, of course, it all makes sense!"
"Captaaaain! Will you please just give it a rest with all the teasing and stop siding with those two over
there? Honestly... I'm tired of being bullied..."
They could continue with their light-hearted banter only because peace could be achieved and woven.
I am a Shinigami.
A being who governs life and death;
Who continues to tread the gap between life and death.
Fear of death: fear of life;

Fear is worn as a garb.
However, those of us who are known as 'Shinigami',
Are forbidden to fear our own world;
The world we hold.
Because this is a world that we, the 'Shinigami' created.
This is the world that came before the fear of the past;
The world that remains as the fear of the present;
And the world that needs to be overcome as the fear that lies along the path to the future.
{t/n: this is the first character-poem that is typical of Bleach to appear at the end of a book rather than
at the beginning. As you can see; the words are being spoken by Shuhei, of course}
And so,
the wind circumnavigates around the world once again.
{t/n: this final line is a callback to the time when Shuhei and Kazeshini met in their inner world just
before achieving Bankai. There, it was stated that the 'wind stopped flowing around the world'}
The end.

CAN'T FEAR YOUR OWN WORLD III Translated by Shadowliepard & Scheneizel

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CFYOW Volume 3 Part 1

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"You have merely not seen the stars."

Or, he was certain he had captured it.

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Tokinada revealed everything the night after their wedding ceremony.

And so, Tokinada—

With no hesitation, cut Kakyou down together with his opponent.

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"I could not… wipe away your clouds…"

And there, she closed her eyes.

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"Wouldn't that be a secret technique?"

"No desire to hide, huh? So, they're prepared to face us?"

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"Did something happen?"

"Looks like you're late, Kyouraku."

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As Tokinada spoke cheerfully, Kyouraku shook his head.

"Going against history? Oh my. Can't anything be seen that way?"

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"Hm, the one closest in disposition would be Luppi-dono, perhaps?"

"About right. He and that guy would probably be good friends."

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"...The transfer of shinigami powers, huh?"

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And in the next moment, his blade gleamed at Tokinada's feet.

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Aura smiled softly at Ginjou. "I'm not underestimating you."

Aura returned Ginjou's question with a slightly more serious expression.

"Do you still desire revenge against the shinigami?"

"...That's none of your business. Did Yukio tell you?"

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"What does that mean?"

"I am grateful to you for giving my father hope."

"...So what, because I'm a shinigami, I have to join you?"

As Ginjou voiced his natural suspicions, Aura answered.

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"Ah!" A small sound came from the boy's mouth.

"Quite a hastily made ally, eh?"

Book of the End.

Tsukishima's sword had pierced Ginjou's stomach from behind.

Before he could ask him what he was doing—

—Ginjou's past had been rewritten in an instant by Tsukishima's bookmark.

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Can't Fear Your Own World III (pages 54-69; translated)

Hikone went on,

-Listen to me. I finally understand what is missing in you.

Can't Fear Your Own World III (pages 70-94; translated)

The Palace Courtyard directly underneath the aerial castle:-

Can't Fear Your Own World III (pages 95-107; translated)

"Well said, young Arrancar..."

"Ah... So you have come?"

Can't Fear Your Own World III (pages 107-135; translated)

The Throne Room:-

"Don't you think Ubuginu Hikone is like that?"

The sky above the Palace Courtyard:-

Liltotto noticed Giselle looking greedily at Hikone.

"It's ugly to stab someone from behind. We aren't like you."