Chapter 420

2-in-1 chapter:

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“Friend?”

“I am an Arrancar. Arrancar have no use for such ridiculous—ow!”

Before he could finish, a shadowy hand appeared from nowhere and smacked him on the head.

“A mere prisoner dares refer to himself as ‘I, the Sovereign,’ in my presence?”

“Damn you, Kaelith, don’t push it too far!”

“I’ll forward that line to Sōsuke later.”

“…Just a figure of speech. I’m not the kind of monarch to be petty.”

After caving instantly, Baraggan raised his Zanpakutō.

“Decay into nothing, Yijisiji Ba!!”

(Note: If you forgot this is Ikikishikihā: The Hollow who defeated young Yamamoto and later stormed into the Royal Palace. The monk erased its name and sealed it. It is now called Yijisiji Ba. Yijisiji was also the other King besides Baraggan.)

As his spiritual pressure surged into the blade, a powerful burst of energy exploded outward.

As the two watched, a figure appeared atop a sand dune.

It was a large white Hollow, more than five meters tall, resembling an upright giant catfish with long, sharp claws on both arms.

Seeing the familiar figure before him, Baraggan clicked his tongue and shook his head.

“It’s been thousands of years. I never thought I’d see this idiot again.”

“Who… who has awakened the sovereign?!”

The giant catfish opened its massive mouth and roared.

But before it could finish speaking, Baraggan swung his hand through the air.

A condensed wave of spiritual pressure slammed into the back of Yijisiji Ba's head, smashing him into the dune below.

“A mere prisoner dares call himself sovereign before me?”

After coldly mocking Yijisiji Bai, Baraggan’s mood visibly improved.

As expected, happiness is built on the suffering of others.

Having just awakened and been attacked, Yijisiji Ba was instantly enraged.

But when he sensed the familiar fluctuations of spiritual power in the air, he suddenly froze.

“This power…”

He raised his head and looked at the muscular old man before him.

“You’re… Baraggan?”

“This form—is this…”

Baraggan grinned, his wrinkled old face revealing a smug smile.

“That’s right. This is the power of the Arrancar.”

“You fool—could you ever achieve this?”

Seeing Baraggan laughing so wildly, Yijisiji Ba was both surprised and even more enraged.

He raised one of his giant claws and swung it fiercely at Baraggan!

Smack!!

To his shock, the muscular old man before him simply raised one hand and caught the enormous claw that was larger than his entire body.

Feeling the power coursing through the claw, Baraggan clicked his tongue again.

“Too weak.”

“Compared to three thousand years ago, you’re nothing more than a worm wallowing in the mud.”

“Originally, I—cough, we had some expectations for you. We thought if you still retained your old strength, I might give you the chance to become his mount.”

“But now, that’s clearly unnecessary.”

Hearing Baraggan’s undisguised contempt, Yijisiji Ba roared and swung his other hand down.

As the massive claw descended like divine retribution, Baraggan’s expression didn’t change.

He spoke calmly:

“Rot away—Skeletal Emperor.”

A flash of black light passed. In an instant, his muscular form transformed into a stark white skeleton.

Black mist billowed out from his body.

Yijisiji Ba’s descending arm touched the mist, and instantly turned to ash, with the decay spreading rapidly up his limb.

Watching Yijisiji Ba roar in pain, Baraggan’s soul-fire eyes showed no joy or sorrow.

Once a king of Hueco Mundo who stood equal with him, now reduced to a nameless failure.

The only thing he could offer was preserving his former rival’s dignity—letting him die by his old adversary’s hand.

Otherwise, if he ended up in Aizen’s hands, he might not even be allowed to die…

Just as that thought passed, a flash of sword light cut through the air, and Yijisiji Ba’s massive arm fell to the ground.

Kaelith held his sheathed blade and smiled.

“If you don’t want him, I’ll take him back.”

“As a specimen bound by the laws of the world, I’m sure Sōsuke will find him quite useful.”

Hearing this, Baraggan silently looked up at the sky.

He’d done his part. All he could do now was hope his former rival wouldn’t suffer too much.

Canceling his Resurrección, he nodded to the side.

A Hollow wearing the white uniform of Las Noches and a goat-skull mask appeared beside him, knelt on one knee, and offered a dossier.

Baraggan reached out and took it.

“This is the roster for the exchange project. I—I’ve already arranged it.”

“Oh, thank you, thank you. Much appreciated.”

Kaelith’s eyes lit up as he accepted the USB drive from Baraggan.

The Hueco Mundo–Soul Society Exchange Project was a joint initiative by him and Aizen, with participation from Yamamoto and Baraggan. It was an experimental program.

Each side—Soul Society and Hueco Mundo—would send two groups: one of promising new talent, and one of veteran warriors, to participate in exchange battles.

The main purpose was to put pressure on both sides fighters, now living in peacetime.

Shinigami and Arrancar both had extremely long lifespans. Without regular pressure, there was little hope of them growing stronger on their own.

Originally, Soul Society would never have accepted a collaboration with the Hollows.

But as the spiritual particle integration from Hueco Mundo progressed steadily, more and more people began to realize that the Arrancar were capable of stable emotions and rational thought—that they could be communicated with normally.

Moreover, during the Hell War, the Arrancar helped defend the districts of the Rukongai.

During the Clon War, they had even taken the initiative to protect Shinigami on the field.

With every act of self-proven integrity, Soul Society’s views on the Arrancar gradually shifted.

This collaboration was the seed of trust finally sprouting.

Seeing how happy Kaelith was, Baraggan remained silent.

At first, having Las Noches taken from him, and losing his title as King of Hueco Mundo, had made him furious. Even if he chose to bow on the surface, deep down he held resentment toward Kaelith and Aizen.

But over time, he came to understand.

Hueco Mundo, under this man’s leadership, could truly change for the better.

This guy—clearly a Shinigami—was probably the first person in the world who could genuinely connect with the Hollows.

Without Kaelith, that man named Aizen would never have truly regarded them as “his own.” And would have treated them as nothing but disposable lab rats.

As for the rest of Soul Society? Not even worth considering.

Now, more than regaining his old throne, Baraggan hoped this man would keep going—without dying.

If Kaelith were lost, both Soul Society and Hueco Mundo would likely revert to what they once were.

He’d had enough of the long, decaying eternity.

In the life that remained, he wanted to try witnessing something new.

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Before winter arrived, Yamamoto Genryūsai officially stepped down.

No longer the Captain of Squad One, no longer the Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13—his only role now was principal of the Shin’ō Academy.

For just a moment, Yamamoto’s heart felt complicated.

A thousand years of duty, a thousand years walking on thin ice, a thousand years of bearing the weight.

At last… he could let go.

Before all the captains, Sasakibe stepped behind him and removed the white haori marked with the number “one.”

On the other side, the new Squad One lieutenant, Rangiku Matsumoto, approached Kaelith with an unusually serious expression, holding a new haori and placing it over his shoulders.

As the man donned the haori, a warm look entered Yamamoto’s eyes.

He had imagined this scene countless times.

Originally, he’d even prepared himself for the possibility that he wouldn’t live to see it.

The feeling was strong—like on some other timeline, this had truly happened.

If those events had been destined to occur, then the one who changed it all had to be this man standing before him.

Life is a series of choices.

Two hundred years ago, accepting that foolish disciple had undoubtedly been one of the best choices he’d ever made.

Yamamoto turned around, ready to leave the stage to the younger generation.

But just then, he heard Kaelith’s voice behind him:

“Everyone, I’m about to issue my first order as Captain-Commander!”

Yamamoto’s face darkened.

This was bad.

Sure enough, before he could turn around, Kaelith declared:

“Given the current situation, Seireitei urgently needs more manpower.”

“With powerful enemies surrounding us and new policies being implemented, the Soul Society is facing a turbulent time!”

“Therefore, I hereby reappoint Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni as Captain-Commander’s Secretary, to assist in handling all major affairs!”

Yamamoto’s eyes widened. He looked at Kaelith like he’d just watched Komamura’s dog get hit by a car.

Kaelith met his gaze—and smiled like a classic villain.

Didn’t expect that, did you, old man?

The advice Aizen had given him back then could also be interpreted in the opposite way.

If Kaelith had rejected Yamamoto’s appointment, the old man could have kept exploiting him as “Acting Captain-Commander.”

So, if he flipped the script and became the real Captain-Commander—

Then he could use that authority to assign Yamamoto a position and make him work!

Perfect.

As Kaelith grinned triumphantly, Yamamoto was livid.

Before he could speak, Kaelith continued:

“Next, the second order as Captain-Commander!”

What, there’s a second one?

Yamamoto froze.

Kaelith said:

“Starting today, all female members of the Gotei 13 will have their Shihakushō—wait, crap! Assassin!!”

Before he could finish, he leapt on the spot.

Ryūjin Jakka slashed horizontally through where he had just stood.

Yamamoto struck in fury, chasing after Kaelith with blade swinging.

“Rebellion! Rebellion! The former Captain-Commander refuses to relinquish power—he's trying to assassinate him in public!”

“Protect the Commander! Protect him!”

Kaelith ran for his life around the pillar.

Watching this heartwarming scene, the captains all smiled warmly.

For now, let’s set aside the bloody matter of a master and disciple trying to kill each other.

On this day, Kaelith officially took office as the Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13.

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With Kaelith and his advisory team formally taking over the First Division, various reforms began to roll out at a terrifying pace.

In the real world, reformers often face too many concerns—

Pushback from vested interests, the difficulty of implementing policies, the challenge of maintaining public stability…

But none of that was a problem for Kaelith and his group.

The reason was simple.

On one hand, it was Kaelith’s strength.

As a Transcendent, his power had already surpassed that of any captain in history.

On the other hand, it was Kaelith’s age.

When Yamamoto founded the Gotei 13 and took the position of Captain-Commander, he was nearly two thousand years old.

Even so, he held that position for a thousand years.

Compared to him, Kaelith, who was just over two hundred, could theoretically sit in the role of Captain-Commander for an unimaginable length of time.

And considering his strength had already surpassed Yamamoto’s, there was no doubt his lifespan would be even longer.

With such a solid foundation, the results of the reforms would be secured for thousands of years. There was no concern that everything would disappear once the person in charge died.

With this kind of backing, those responsible for each area of progress could move forward without holding anything back.

On the third day after Kaelith became Captain-Commander, a massive pillar slammed down into the Shiba family estate in Seireitei.

Shiba Kaien and Shiba Isshin, startled, rushed to the scene with their people.

What they saw was the entire Zero Division—all five members—standing there together.

The sight left them speechless.

Especially Isshin.

As an early member of Kaelith’s faction, he knew some unpleasant details.

The Zero Division… they weren’t here to cause trouble, were they?

He furrowed his brow slightly, and his fingers quietly moved to press on his forearm.

There, Aizen had implanted a special Kido spell—by injecting spiritual energy into it, it could transmit his position.

But before he could activate it, the bald monk at the front grinned:

“Yo, little brats of the Shiba family!”

“Where’s Kaelith?”

“Tell him we’ve come to congratulate him on becoming Captain-Commander!”

At those words, Isshin’s eyes widened.

The arrival of the full Zero Division shocked all of Seireitei!

No one had expected that the Zero Division, which never paid attention to Seireitei, would descend in full just to congratulate Kaelith.

Even when the Gotei 13 was first founded, the Zero Division hadn’t made such a formal appearance.

What’s more, after formally congratulating Kaelith, the five of them even stayed for half a day, hosting a banquet in the First Division’s cafeteria and drinking merrily with Kaelith and the others.

There was no doubt—their arrival wasn’t due to any tradition or formal etiquette.

Considering that Kaelith had spent several years living in the Royal Realm, the noble clans began to realize—

This man’s backing might be even stronger than they had imagined. Strong to a terrifying degree.

From that point forward, even those who had refused to accept it could no longer deny the truth:

The era named Yamamoto Genryūsai was over.

A new era named Yurei had begun.

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