Chapter 404

2-in-1 chapter:  

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After regaining his health, the first thing Kaelith did was check on Aizen and Kurosaki Ichigo.

After confirming both were fine, he went around visiting each of the Shinigami who had been to Sōkyoku Hill that day, making sure none of them had any lingering aftereffects. Only then did he cheerfully head to the First Division.

Under Yamamoto's disapproving gaze, Kaelith grinned:

“Sensei, how was that round of training? Don’t you think I deserve a reward from time to time?”

Yamamoto replied flatly:

“Before asking for rewards, you'd better explain something to me first.”

The old man fixed Kaelith with a sharp gaze:

“Brat, what’s the deal between you and the Arrancar from Hueco Mundo?”

Kaelith paused slightly at that.

“Eh? Didn't I already tell you, Sensei?”

“?”

Yamamoto furrowed his brows.

For a moment, he wondered if his memory had gone faulty.

But immediately, he came to a firm conclusion.

If there’s a contradiction between his memory and Kaelith’s, it must be Kaelith who’s mistaken!

Seeing that Yamamoto insisted on hearing the answer, Kaelith stroked his chin, thinking for a few seconds.

Then he gave a bright smile:

“I’m the King of Hueco Mundo!”

“?”

Yamamoto’s eyes widened.

As he watched in shock, Kaelith pulled out wine and snacks from his shadow space, set them on the table, and poured drinks for both of them while recounting all the events that had occurred in Hueco Mundo.

When Yamamoto heard that Las Noches was now his idiot disciple’s property, and that all the Menos had already submitted, he began to wonder if he was dreaming.

But thinking it over, considering Kaelith's rate of growth, the timeline he described, and combining that with the comparable strength of Aizen Sōsuke, they really did have enough power to seize control of Hueco Mundo.

For a while, Yamamoto felt conflicted.

This disciple he'd raised as a fool had, unbeknownst to him, already accomplished so many major feats.

Looking at it this way, it seemed he, the teacher, was the one who’d been kept in the dark.

The old man picked up the wine bowl and took a sip, smacking his lips.

Just then, he felt a hand grip his shoulder.

Kaelith stood behind Yamamoto, massaging his shoulders with just the right amount of pressure.

“Don’t worry, Sensei.”

“Whether it's Hueco Mundo or Soul Society... the world will only grow better from now on.”

“Seireitei no longer needs to rely solely on you.”

“Even though Uncle Kyōraku is unreliable, with me, Ukitake-senpai, Sōsuke, and the rest of the Gotei 13, we definitely won’t let you down.”

“Mm.”

Yamamoto gave a quiet response.

“And Hueco Mundo—I’ll make it into a realm of order too. A place where rational, peace-seeking Hollows who don’t want to harm others can find a home.”

“Mm.”

“The people of Rukongai will live better lives too—no longer trapped in daily despair…”

“Mm.”

Kaelith spoke softly behind him, while Yamamoto listened in silence.

Gradually, the old man stopped responding.

Kaelith looked down.

At some point, Yamamoto had closed his eyes.

He froze briefly and reached his hand toward Yamamoto’s nose to check.

But before he could even touch him, Yamamoto spoke:

“Go back to Shin’ō Academy and make up the classes you skipped.”

“When you return, catch up on all the New Year greetings I’ve missed over the years in my study.”

“If you’re done, get lost already.”

Hearing this, Kaelith chuckled.

After covering Yamamoto with a blanket, he happily left the study.

Watching the back of his idiot disciple, Yamamoto yawned.

He placed Ryūjin Jakka beside him, its heat gently radiating, and closed his eyes once more.

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*BOOM!!!*

Silver lightning split the sky.

Dense raindrops hammered the ground, kicking up murky mist.

Stepping through the rippling puddles, Tōsen Kaname entered an ancient garden.

Though blind, he walked forward without hesitation.

Suddenly, several figures appeared around him in Shunpo.

They were fully wrapped in black cloth, revealing only their eyes.

Without saying a word or asking his identity, they all drew short blades and charged from multiple directions—

Shhk!!

Blood splattered.

Seven figures simultaneously knelt beside Tōsen.

Then, with blood gushing, they collapsed to the ground.

Blood spread through the rain-filled puddles.

Lightning tore through the night sky, illuminating the garden.

At Tōsen’s feet, it looked as if a massive crimson flower had bloomed.

Having eliminated the guards, he entered the house.

Inside, a single oil lamp burned.

A man in a green-striped kimono sat calmly in a chair, looking at him.

“Hm… I was wondering who’d show up.”

“Isn’t this Kakyō’s good friend?”

“Could it be you heard about my miserable situation and came here just to laugh at me?”

“If so, then you’re really quite a dull person.”

“Oh… or perhaps, you didn’t come to mock me?”

“Maybe you came to quietly kill me—to avenge Kakyō?”

“Haha, taking this long to seek revenge… that’s amusing. Is that all Kakyō meant to you?”

Facing the man in the room, Tōsen’s expression remained calm.

A hundred years ago, such provocations might’ve driven him into a rage, but now…

Toward Tsunayashiro Tokinada, he no longer felt anything.

If he had to describe this man in one word, the answer would be immediate—

Pathetic.

A man twisted by emotion, stumbling through the dark, only to find deeper madness within every step.

His thinking had long since rotted from the core.

Originally, Tōsen had lost all interest in him.

But now, this man had found yet another way to dig his own grave.

Under Tokinada’s gaze, Tōsen slowly spoke:

“Tsunayashiro Tokinada.”

“Aura Michibane —that name should ring a bell.”

At those words, a flicker of surprise passed through Tokinada’s eyes.

But right after, he scoffed.

“Some ‘Aura’—‘Ulala’—never heard of them.”

Tōsen ignored the remark and drew his Zanpakutō.

Seeing this, Tokinada’s expression shifted.

“Tōsen Kaname, what do you think you’re doing?”

“You intend to strike a noble like me?!”

Gripping Suzumushi, Tōsen replied:

“Is Aura Michibane not enough for you to admit what you’ve done?”

“Then how about Ginjo Kūgo? That name—you know it, don’t you.”

Hearing that, Tokinada’s face darkened.

He understood now—Kaelith and his faction had uncovered everything.

Fullbringer Ginjo Kūgo had built a group in the Human World, gathering other Fullbringers to support and protect each other.

Once Tokinada learned of this, he sent a Fullbringer named Aura Michibane on a mission.

Her task was simple.

Gain Ginjo’s trust, infiltrate the Fullbringer group, wait for the right moment, kill every Fullbringer except Ginjo, and use a secret method to steal their powers.

But Ginjo disappeared not long after Aura infiltrated the Human World.

Soon after, all the other Fullbringers—including Aura—also vanished.

Tokinada had wondered what had gone wrong.

Now it was clear—they had all likely fallen into Kaelith’s hands.

Staring at the blind swordsman before him, Tokinada narrowed his eyes and smiled.

“Fine. Since you’ve come this far, I won’t hide it.”

“Tōsen, do you know why I sent Aura to collect Fullbringer powers?”

Facing Tōsen’s silent “gaze,” he stood up and spread his arms wide:

“Fullbringers… Quincies… Shinigami… Hollows!”

“As long as I gather the powers of these four, I can create a new ‘Soul King’ that obeys only me!”

“At that point, everything in this world will be mine!”

“Tōsen, you must miss Kakyō, don’t you?”

“Join me. Once I control this power, I’ll bring Kakyō back to life!”

“You two will be reunited once again!”

As he spoke, his expression twisted strangely, as if another thought occurred to him.

“Of course… you could take it even further…”

“Once I possess the Soul King’s power, wives, families—those things will be meaningless.”

“If you wish, you could even marry Kakyō!”

“For you, isn’t that the dream you’ve chased countless times in your sleep?”

“All you need to do is join me, help me achieve greatness, and I’ll grant you that legitimacy!”

“I’ll divorce Kakyō, make her free. Then you can—”

Before he could finish, Tokinada suddenly saw everything around him turn blood-red.

The next instant, the world vanished from his sight.

He raised his hand, taking a step forward.

That single motion triggered something in his body—as if a switch had been flipped, he began collapsing layer by layer, reduced to chunks of flesh and bone that splattered across the ground.

His eyes, the first part sliced off, rolled a few times before coming to a stop at Tōsen’s feet.

Tōsen stared at them in silence for a long time.

Then he lifted his head.

A few seconds later, he let out a sigh.

*Kakyō… even at the end, this man proved himself unworthy of your salvation.*

Having eliminated Tokinada, he walked out of the room.

Aizen had issued a standing order: *Any secret research related to the Soul King is a direct threat to Lord Kaelith. If discovered, eliminate on the spot.*

Of course, Tōsen understood that anyone could’ve done this task.

Aizen had sent him for a reason—to let him personally destroy the man who had haunted his memories and dreams with nightmares and pain.

From behind the rain, Aizen stepped into view.

Seeing Tōsen standing quietly, he gave a slight smile.

“Tōsen—how did it feel to kill your enemy with your own hands?”

Tōsen gently shook his head.

“It’s already in the past.”

At that, Aizen looked at him quietly for a moment.

Then he nodded.

“Good.”

“In that case, I can entrust the next task to you without concern.”

Upon hearing there was work to be done, Tōsen immediately listened attentively.

As the rain poured down, Aizen raised a hand, pulling up a virtual screen and began to explain the plan in detail…

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The recent Disaster may have stirred huge waves in Seireitei, but for most non-combat personnel, it didn’t change much.

The nobles still indulged in their pleasures—eating, drinking, gambling, smoking, drinking, and perming their hair with their filth.

The commoners still lived like machines, enjoying the scraps passed down after the nobility took their share.

But on this day, a bomb was dropped into the quiet waters of daily life.

Seireitei, Clear Tower Forest—Central 46 meeting hall.

Today was the Central 46’s routine session.

The sages gathered to discuss Soul Society’s development and handle various affairs.

That was the official reason.

In reality, it was about dividing up interests and planning for their own benefit.

It was supposed to be just another ordinary meeting.

But after everyone sat down, something felt off.

None of the three great noble houses—Kuchiki, Shihōin, or Shiba—had sent representatives.

The elder from the Tsunayashiro clan immediately sensed something was wrong.

He stood up, intending to leave.

But just then, a swarm of Shinigami rushed in from all directions, surrounding the hall.

Amid the crowd, a figure slowly walked forward, stopping at the center.

Under everyone’s gaze, Tōsen Kaname unfolded a document:

“By order of Acting Captain-Commander and Eleventh Division Captain, Lord Kaelith:”

“Effective immediately, the Central 46 is disbanded. Its authority will be temporarily assumed by the Transitional Committee.”

“The Council of Sages is dissolved. All ‘Sage’ titles within Seireitei are revoked.”

“All nobles are to return to their respective territories. All external activities are suspended until further notice.”

The moment those words left his mouth, nearly every sage stood up.

“What did you say?!”

“The authority of the Central 46 is absolute! You have no right to revoke it!”

“The Gotei 13 is subordinate to the Central 46—you can’t make such a decision!”

Facing their outrage, Tōsen replied calmly:

“If you object to the decision, you may send a representative to the First Division for negotiations.”

“Lord Kaelith, Lord Kuchiki Ginrei, Lady Yoruichi Shihōin, and Lord Kaien Shiba of the Temporary Crisis Response Unit are ready to receive you at any time.”

With that, he closed the document and turned to leave.

The sages tried to follow and protest further, but were blocked by the Shinigami Tōsen had brought.

These Shinigami from the Eleventh Division grinned at them with hostility:

“Gentlemen, you heard Fourth Seat Tōsen—let’s follow procedure. It would be best...for both of us.”

Under the sage’s despairing eyes, a power structure that had lasted for a thousand years collapsed in an instant.

Only then did they realize—the man they had always regarded as a nuisance, who though powerful, often challenged them—Yamamoto Shigekuni, had in fact been protecting them all along.

Now, without Yamamoto’s deference and submission to the Central 46, all their noble titles had become meaningless jokes.

Kaelith, a man of overwhelming strength, had simply walked in and taken everything from them—and they couldn’t even lift a finger in protest.

Of course… ever since the insurrection, Kaelith’s reformist faction had been targeting the traditional nobles with brutal precision.

And during the clone Captain's Rebellion, that pressure had reached its peak.

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