As the soft skin was sliced open by the blade, scalding, boiling blood sprayed from the severed neck.
A few drops splashed onto the pale, slightly chubby face of Kanameida Sōsuke. He gently wiped them off with his sleeve, keeping a composed smile. Then, stepping outside the room, he called for another guard to bring Kanameida Kotsurō to him, and ordered the steward to dispose of the headless corpse.
While the steward bustled about cleaning up, the two men inside sat calmly in their seats, sipping premium tea harvested from noble courtyards. But anyone could feel the suffocating tension thickening the air, as though it might freeze into solid ice.
As the steward stepped outside, carrying the severed head, he ran into Kotsurō, who had been hastily summoned. A flicker of pity—and condescension—flashed in the steward's eyes.
Kotsurō had been born into a distant branch family. His father had died young, and his mother was gravely ill, in desperate need of money.
Coincidentally, Kotsurō had recently awakened a rare zanpakutō. It was thanks to that weapon that his mother was able to afford proper treatment in a hospital. But the price was steep: he had to retrieve something from the Great Spirit Book Corridor. If he failed, the day of his failure would also be the day his mother succumbed to her illness and passed into the underworld.
Not that the steward cared. His only task was to dispose of the corpse and then stand silently outside, waiting to be called again.
Kotsurō caught the look in the steward's eyes. A grim expression crossed his face. Gritting his teeth, he took several deep breaths before entering the room, calming his emotions as best he could.
Then he gently knocked on the door.
A warm voice replied from inside—it was the head of the family, Kanameida Sōsuke.
"Kotsurō? Come in."
Kotsurō entered a brightly lit room that, despite its light, gave off not a shred of warmth.
Elsewhere, Asano Kiyoshi lay on his bed, silently reflecting on the events of the day.
Every action he had taken had been deliberate.
He had accepted Ikkaku's challenge intentionally—and had revealed his Shikai on purpose.
On the surface, he'd done so out of respect for Ikkaku and the battle itself. But in truth, it was also to showcase his strength to the elder figures of the Soul Society.
His reasoning was simple: he needed to accelerate his growth.
The current year was 2050 of the Soul Society calendar. The main plot of the original story wouldn't begin until 2109—just 59 years away. In that time, he had to raise his power to an absurd level if he hoped to survive the Thousand-Year Blood War and Aizen's betrayal arc, let alone protect what he cared about.
His strength already met the graduation standards of the Shin'ō Spirit Academy. Staying there any longer wouldn't help him improve. Especially now that he had unlocked the Path of Yomi, which allowed him to absorb fragments of power from those he killed—his road to growth was destined to be paved with blood and bones.
By showing off his current power, he wanted to instill caution and hesitation within the Kanameida family, forcing them to accelerate their own plans and pressure Kotsurō to graduate early.
As a reader of the original story, he already knew the Twelfth Division had surveillance devices scattered all throughout the Seireitei. During his training with Old Man Yama (Yamamoto Genryūsai), he had learned the timing of captain meetings—and guessed that Aizen and the others would likely leak his information to the Kanameida clan.
In fact, even if Aizen hadn't made that move, the Kanameida family would likely still have acquired the data. After all, they controlled the Great Spirit Book Corridor, which supposedly held data on all of Soul Society, Hueco Mundo, and the Human World. There was no way they wouldn't have access to his records.
And even if they somehow ignored him, considering him too weak to bother with, his little display had also given Yamamoto enough political capital to back him more fully in future clashes with the nobility.
Furthermore, he hadn't revealed any of his trump cards in the battle—no Hollowfication bonuses, no advanced Shikai abilities, no particle-erasing strikes via the Gate of Hell. He was keeping those in reserve, just in case Kotsurō unleashed some hidden power of his own.
In short, no matter how things played out tonight, he would not lose.
Exhaling softly, Asano Kiyoshi closed his eyes and drifted into a deep sleep.
Moonlight gleamed against the head captain's long beard, giving it the appearance of white frost.
Kuchiki Byakuya stood before Yamamoto, his expression hesitant but respectful.
"Head Captain," he began, "forgive my bluntness, but I don't believe that Captain Kurotsuchi's lockdown will be enough to keep Asano Kiyoshi's battle footage from spreading... after all—"
He trailed off, but the implication was clear.
Yamamoto gave a faint smile. This young scion of the Kuchiki clan was thoughtful, but still too green compared to his grandfather. How could something so obvious escape the notice of the head captain?
Still, Yamamoto chose to accept Byakuya's concern with grace. "Captain Kuchiki, of course I knew from the start that this footage would spread. In fact, Asano Kiyoshi was holding back in that battle. As his teacher, I know this better than anyone. I'm certain that he deliberately revealed his Shikai in front of all the captains. Most likely, he wants to accelerate his own growth, and by doing so, force the Kanameida family to speed up their plans as well."
Byakuya's eyes widened slightly in surprise, but he quickly recovered. Looking up at the old lion before him, he respectfully bowed his head.
"Then may I ask, Head Captain, why you gave those orders to Captain Kurotsuchi in front of us?"
Yamamoto smiled again, approving of Byakuya's humble and inquisitive manner. This, he thought, is how a true noble should behave—adaptable, modest, teachable.
"I gave those orders to send a message," Yamamoto explained. "I wanted all of you to know that this matter is something I care deeply about. And if something I care about is ruined... then I'll have every reason I need to start cutting away certain things. For example... the hidden hands that the noble families have extended into the Gotei 13."
As he spoke those final words, a killing intent nearly tangible in the air surged from the old captain's body.
Only then did Byakuya truly understand—this old man wasn't just the strongest Shinigami of the past millennium. He also possessed political cunning worthy of his immense power.
T/N: For up to 20 chapters ahead on all my translations, become a p@tron at [email protected]/LordHipposApostle
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