Chapter 280
2-in-1chapter:
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“Hrah!!”
Under Azashiro Kenpachi’s astonished gaze, Kaelith dashed right up and unleashed a fierce punch.
Boom!!
Kaelith’s fist instantly tore through Azashiro Kenpachi’s body. Azashiro’s feet lifted off the ground slightly as he arched backward. Then, with a light crackle, he dissolved into motes of reishi, vanishing into thin air.
“Oh…?”
Kaelith glanced at his own hand, still recalling the sensation of striking Azashiro’s flesh. From the impact feedback, he really had hit sothing that felt like a human body. But on closer thought, sothing was off—his opponent’s muscle density felt too weak, like an elderly man on the brink of collapse. The bones, the skin toughness, none of it resembled a normal person. More like a crude imitation.
“I see… So kind of clone technique, maybe.”
Crossing his arms, Kaelith analyzed the situation. That mont had looked a lot like an illusion, but after countless sparring sessions with Aizen, Kaelith had developed a particular “intuition” about illusions. Even without focusing too hard, a single glance would tell him if what he saw was real or illusory. He had caused Aizen no end of headaches by countering illusions that way.
Not far away, Azashiro Kenpachi’s body reford. A puzzled furrow creased his brow; after a few seconds, he abruptly turned to the side.
“Be silent!!”
“…?”
Kaelith cocked his head. Was this guy losing his mind after centuries in the Muken?
Azashiro turned back to him.
“Kaelith Yurei, your strength surpasses my expectations. If it’s you, I can accept that you truly are fit to be the Eleventh Division Captain. But that alone isn’t enough.”
Azashiro gently placed a hand over his chest.
“To inherit the na ‘Kenpachi,’ you must defeat the previous Kenpachi. Gōsuke never defeated , so taking him down doesn’t make you Kenpachi by default. You, as a swordsman, should understand what that ans.”
Kaelith, arms still folded, shook his head.
“I don’t get it at all.”
He was already quite satisfied with his own na, which happened to match a certain distinguished teacher in certain ways. The idea of calling himself ‘Kaelith Kenpachi’ struck him as jarringly off, which was why, despite leading the Eleventh Division for so long, he never bothered claiming that title.
He was about to say more, but suddenly sensed another presence beside Azashiro Kenpachi. Narrowing his eyes, he asked, “Is there soone else standing by you?”
Azashiro was plainly surprised.
For two hundred years now, since he first unleashed Bankai, his Zanpakutō had stayed materialized by his side—yet only he could see it. This was the first ti anyone else had picked up on its presence.
Next to him stood a woman in a kimono with black straps across her face. She exclaid excitedly, “Shōya, this guy actually noticed . That’s amazing! See how big the gap is between you and him?”
“…?”
Azashiro gave her a sidelong glance. Kaelith had only felt her presence once, and she was this thrilled. anwhile, he saw her every single day, and she never seed so happy. Annoyed but not surprised—he already knew how unreliable his Zanpakutō could be.
He turned to Kaelith.
“What you’re sensing is my Zanpakutō. In fact, until now, you’re the first person to ever notice her. Kaelith Yurei… you are indeed extraordinary. But your actions are steering the Seireitei in the wrong direction.”
A faint lift of Kaelith’s eyebrow: so this man, locked away in the Muken, might actually know sothing of his plans? Azashiro Kenpachi went on:
“A Shinigami’s duty is to maintain the balance of the three worlds, to guide departed souls and slay Hollows. In its purest sense, a Shinigami should be like a cold, unfeeling gatekeeper, fixated on that job alone. Originally, the Seireitei never approached perfection, but it did more or less follow that principle—until you appeared and disrupted everything.”
His voice grew heavier. “The starkest change, no doubt, is in Genryūsai-dono. In the past, he firmly upheld the rules. Even when reluctant, he always treated orders as absolute. Yet through contact with you, he’s clearly allowed emotion he shouldn’t have. That sentint has begun clouding his judgnt and shaking his actions. In the Tsunayashiro affair, he went so far as to clash with the Central 46 and threaten them by force. How can he still deserve the Captain-Commander’s seat?”
Kaelith rely narrowed his eyes, a faint curve of amusent at his lips, but said nothing. Azashiro pressed on:
“Besides the Captain-Commander, other Captains have also been affected. In the past, the squads rarely socialized; each simply perford its role. Aside from Kyōraku, no one cared to hang around other Divisions. Now, because of you, there’s far more interaction between them—Captains growing friendly with each other and squads forming ties they shouldn’t. This will weaken everyone’s respect for orders. Kaelith Yurei, your wanton ways will soday bring disaster upon the Soul Society.”
He paused for a beat. “That said, you haven’t done only wrong. Without you, the Quincy infiltration wouldn’t have been discovered, and once they gained enough montum under Yhwach’s revival, the Seireitei would’ve been dood. Had the Seireitei taken crippling losses from a Quincy ambush, the entire three-world balance might have collapsed…”
As Azashiro Kenpachi spoke on, Kaelith simply nodded.
“Got it. I understand perfectly.”
“Hmm?” Azashiro broke off, prepared to listen.
Kaelith cracked a grin.
“You’re just a complete lunatic with paranoid delusions—a ‘spiritual capitalist.’ You want your organization strictly bound by rules—no friendships among employees, no talk of salaries, no office romance. You’re more extre than any compliance departnt.”
He gave a sarcastic snort. “Face it: you were a Captain working for the Central 46. Yet your head is filled with what’s best for your higher-ups and for the ‘company’s’ convenience. For a toady like you, it’s odd they locked you up. The Soul Society’s a weird place indeed. If anything, you seem like the ideal stooge they’d want to promote.”
Kaelith scratched his chin. “So tell again—why’d they lock you up? Right, you planned to transform all the commoners into weapons, storm Hueco Mundo, and crush the Hollows? That’s why you were imprisoned?”
Azashiro Kenpachi shook his head.
“I never intended to flatter the Central 46. I simply believed that plan best fit the Shinigami’s role. Back then, yes, my intent was precisely as you’ve said. But over these many years in the Muken, I’ve realized my mistake and devised a new plan.”
Kaelith brightened. “Oh? Let’s hear it.”
“For a long ti, I pondered why the Zero Division—why the Soul King—denounced my project. Eventually, I figured it out. Hollows arise from humanity’s negative emotions. As long as humans exist, new Hollows will keep appearing. Even if I marched an army into Hueco Mundo and slaughtered every Hollow, more would just spawn anew. So nothing would be solved, and countless souls would die uselessly. It was indeed flawed.”
Kaelith couldn’t help a little laugh. “Let guess: now you’re thinking of wiping out all humanity so new Hollows won’t ever appear?”
Though outwardly polite, Azashiro was evidently a dyed-in-the-wool chūnibyō. Perhaps a middle-aged variant, but still…
Azashiro Kenpachi shook his head. “Although that’s a workable idea, it would destroy the balance of the three worlds. Killing every human ans the World of the Living loses the anchor of souls, which leads to its self-destruction. My plan is far more stable—less violent.”
He raised a hand and tapped his forehead under Kaelith’s intrigued gaze.
“In the World of the Living, there’s a procedure called a frontal lobotomy. Removing the frontal lobe robs humans of most of their desires. Without desires, there’d be no negative impulses to spawn Hollows. If every human underwent that surgery, we could eliminate the root cause of all Hollows. Hueco Mundo would be cleansed and beco unnecessary. We’d have only the World of the Living and the Soul Society, maintaining a clean cycle.”
He sighed. “Unfortunately, even after a hundred years, I haven’t co up with a swift way to lobotomize all humankind. That’s the greatest obstacle.”
Even Kaelith’s strong nerves were rattled. Silently severing the frontal lobes of all humans to prevent Hollow births…? It was sothing straight out of a surreal nightmare.
He let out a low chuckle. “I originally thought you a bit twisted in your logic. Now I see you’re no re scher; you’re just outright insane.”
Kaelith gave a brief shrug. “I can’t say if humans need lobotomizing, but as for you, Azashiro Kenpachi, your frontal lobe absolutely needs to go.”
On the final word, Kaelith’s eyes snapped wide.
*Rimbo: Hengyoku.*
A shadowy swordsman coalesced at Azashiro’s side, hacking into him. As before, Azashiro’s body shattered and drifted away like scattered reishi.
“I told you—attacking is useless. I’m rged with the entire Seireitei. Unless you can destroy the Seireitei itself, you’ll never defeat . Instead of pointless fighting, we’d do better to have a conversation.”
Azashiro’s voice coolly resounded, “Kaelith Yurei, from my thorough observations, you’re clearly soone who values personal bonds with friends, teachers, and family—yet you give little thought to anyone else. If it doesn’t concern you, you’re indifferent. Wouldn’t that an my plan causes you no conflict? The humans of the World of the Living are ants to you, so why bother battling for their sake? With your resources and skills, you could even help succeed. I’d relinquish all credit, letting you take full glory. Eradicating every Hollow once and for all—such an achievent might earn you a seat in the Royal Guard or beyond. Why not consider it seriously?”
He paused. anwhile, Kaelith stretched out a finger, tasting the reishi that floated in the air. After a few seconds, Kaelith nodded.
“Alright. I see what’s happening.”
“See what?”
“That all this chatter is just you stalling.”
Azashiro Kenpachi shook his head. “I’m telling the truth. I sincerely want to cooperate—”
“Enough with that idiotic plan. Dwelling on it too long will lower my rank among the top strategists in the Soul Society.” Kaelith let out a mocking grunt. “One thing was bugging : for soone who once casually murdered an Eleventh Division Captain to seize the Kenpachi title, you’re talking an awful lot now. You never showed hesitation or kindness before, so why the attempt at persuasion? Then I realized the reason right after I felt how your reishi scattered and reford.
“Azashiro Kenpachi… Your Zanpakutō powers may still function in here, but I’d wager they’ve been heavily suppressed by the Muken. When I shattered your body, all that reishi dissolved into the surroundings, sure—but that sa portion of reishi was forced to coalesce back into the new body. Clearly, you can’t call upon all the reishi spread throughout the Seireitei at once, can you? Not quickly, at least.”
A grim smirk lit Kaelith’s face.
“So if I keep destroying the part of you trapped in this prison, eventually I can erase the real ‘you’ from existence. The stray reishi you scattered across the Seireitei will revert to ownerless bits, gradually absorbed by walls, floors, plants—whatever. You’ll beco fertilizer. Far more eco-friendly than most Captains, who can’t return to the cycle and must be tossed into Hell. In your case, you subdivided your soul so thoroughly it can rejoin nature once you’re gone. That’s the only reason you’ve avoided detection all this ti.”
With that, he tossed aside his Captain’s haori and yanked open the top of his Shihakushō, baring his upper body.
Boom—
A surge of brilliant blue flas erupted across his shoulders and back!
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