The Shinigami guards turned their attention to the sole remaining noble, the young girl with golden hair, Rurichiyo Kasumiōji, the current head of the Kasumiōji clan.
"Well, well," she apoke with a slight tremble but filled with indignation.
"What are you staring at? I am Rurichiyo Kasumiōji, head of the Kasumiōji clan. I'm not like those… those… imbeciles." She gestured towards the crater Byakuya had created. "We are true nobles! Don't lump me in with them."
She had been disgusted by the nobles' blatant attempts to manipulate Yamamoto. Their casual disregard for the lives of others had chilled her to the bone. She had feared, for a moment, that she would be the next victim, if she hadn't so vehemently distanced herself from them.
Ichigo wasn't there to protect her now, and she doubted Enryū and Kenryū, her retainers, would be enough.
…
"A noble?"
Soi Fon looked up at the sky and the praises of her subordinates rang hollow in her ears.
They didn't understand the true weight of her inaction. While she hadn't participated in the council, hadn't actively contributed to the nobles' downfall, one of the victims had been an elder of her own Bee clan. He had been among those who had plotted to destabilize the Seireitei and his schemes were no less insidious than those of the other nobles.
And it wasn't just the Bee clan. Elders from the Shihōin, Kuchiki, Ōmaeda, Kyōraku, and Ukitake clans had also been present. Only the Tsunayashiro clan, with its sole surviving member, had been absent.
The realization chilled her. She had known the council's purpose. She had refused to participate. But she hadn't realized that someone from her own clan would defy her, would attend in secret.
It was then that she understood the nobles' survival strategy: playing both sides, hedging their bets.
Whether the Gotei 13 consolidated its power or the nobles regained their influence, they would emerge unscathed, perhaps even stronger. The lives, the safety, the well-being of others were… irrelevant.
This was the true nature of the nobility.
…
"What… what happened here?" Shusuke Amagai stared at the carnage within the council chamber, the big pit on the ground full of blood. The sheer volume suggested dozens of casualties.
"Captain Amagai," Rukia nodded at him. "You received their distress call, I presume? You're too late. They're all dead."
Amagai was taken aback. He hadn't come in response to a distress call. But then, he spotted the young girl with golden hair standing near the edge of the crater.
"Who's that?"
"A survivor, of sorts. Princess Kasumiōji. She was attacked before the council began. If not for the Substitute Shinigami, she would be dead as well."
"The Kasumiōji heiress?" Amagai's expression changed. "What about the assassins?"
"Most were apprehended by the Second Division. A few escaped. The Substitute Shinigami is pursuing them."
"She might still be in danger here. I'll take her somewhere safe."
"Very well, Captain Amagai."
After a brief exchange with the Shinigami guarding Rurichiyo, Amagai approached her, scooping her up unceremoniously. "Excuse me, Princess." He then vanished, leaving Rukia and Soi Fon staring after him, puzzled.
"Didn't he come in response to a distress call?"
"Then why…?"
His actions were strange, but they dismissed their concerns. They had witnessed Amagai's efforts to restore the Third Division's reputation. They couldn't imagine him doing anything… untoward. They remained at the scene and waited for Byakuya's return.
…
Swoosh!
Amagai carried Rurichiyo towards the First Division barracks. She struggled in his grasp. "Where are you taking me?"
"Be quiet. If you speak again, I'll kill you." He had no time for games. He moved swiftly towards the Seireitei.
Seeing his urgency, the First Division guards didn't question him. They assumed he had important business with Yamamoto.
He entered Yamamoto's office and tossed Rurichiyo onto the floor.
"Captain-Commander Yamamoto, I recently discovered that the Kasumiōji family is conducting Bakkōtō experiments on Shinigami."
"The Kasumiōji family? Bakkōtō?" Yamamoto's eyes snapped open.
Those two names were inextricably linked to the death of his disciple, Shinetsu Kisaragi, and the subsequent annihilation of his family.
He hadn't anticipated hearing those names again. He had sensed Rukia's actions during the noble purge, but he had chosen to turn a blind eye, allowing her to cleanse the Seireitei of its corruption. He hadn't realized the nobles' cruelty extended even to their own kind.
"An opportunity!"
Amagai noticed Yamamoto's momentary lapse in concentration.
Therefore…
"Bankai – Raika Goen Kaku!"
Boom!
A powerful spiritual pressure burst out from Amagai and his Zanpakutō transformed into a massive, red-hot blade, emitting scorching heat.
"Gōen Ryūga!"
He slammed his blade into the ground. Pillars of fire erupted that encircled Yamamoto.
Boom! Boom!
"Hmph!"
With a cold snort, Yamamoto opened his eyes. Standing up, his cane turned into wood chips that flew away, revealing the purple hilt of Ryūjin Jakka.
"All things in creation, turn to ash!"
"Ryūjin Jakka!"
BOOM!
A wave of scorching reiatsu erupted that suppressed Amagai's flames. Even in its Shikai state, Ryūjin Jakka's power surpassed Raika Goen Kaku.
"This… isn't good," Amagai thought. 'My attack actually had no effect on Captain Yamamoto?'
In the exploding flames, Captain Yamamoto instantly appeared in front of Amagai and slashed at him with a sword.
Boom!
Amagai crashed through several walls and landed in the courtyard.
"Oof!"
Blood sprayed from his mouth. He had been severely injured by a single blow. The "Strongest Shinigami" was indeed a force to be reckoned with.
"Who are you? Why are you attacking me?"
Holding the burning Ryujin Jakka, Captain Yamamoto walked out of the captain's room and asked Shusuke Amagai.
"Hehe, Who am I?"
With a snare, Amagai wiped the blood from his mouth. He staggered to his feet. He had prepared for this. He took a deep breath and infused his reiatsu into his Zanpakutō's tsuba.
The next moment, a tendril with an eye at its tip emerged from the tsuba of his weapon. This tendril pierced Shusuke Amagai's arm, greedily devouring his spiritual pressure like a living creature.
"Aaaaaaargh!"
The rapid drain of his reiatsu forced a scream from Amagai's lips as layers of black tendrils spread across his arm.
In the original Bleach timeline, without Ailin's intervention, Amagai's Bakkōtō would have absorbed the cores of other Bakkōtō, each brimming with stolen reiatsu. This would have allowed him to wield its power without such a significant personal cost.
However, due to Ailin's guidance, Amagai hadn't needed to rely on the Bakkōtō for strength. He had only acquired this particular Bakkōtō after returning to the Soul Society, obtaining it from the Kasumiōji family.
Shinetsu Kisaragi, Amagai's father, had been controlled by this very Bakkōtō after it had consumed too much of his spiritual pressure.
But Amagai was far stronger than his father had been two centuries ago.
Thus, after sacrificing a substantial amount of reiatsu, Amagai's left hand transformed into a green, fanged maw.
A green reishi blade emerged from the maw. Amagai plunged this blade into the ground.
Instantly, green ripples spread outwards from the point of impact.
Captain-Commander Yamamoto's Ryūjin Jakka's flames, upon contact with these green ripples, were instantly extinguished.
"What… what did you do?" Yamamoto asked upon discovering that his connection to his Zanpakutō was severed.
"This is the power of the Bakkōtō, Captain-Commander Yamamoto."
Amagai raised his transformed hand. "As long as it's released, it can negate a Shinigami's Zanpakutō abilities. Except for my own, of course."
He pointed his blade at Yamamoto.
"You killed my father, Shinetsu Kisaragi, two centuries ago. You even had his family murdered. But you didn't kill me. I was… out that night. I've been training, waiting for this moment, for my chance to avenge him."
"Shinetsu Kisaragi? You're his son?" Yamamoto studied Amagai's face. "Yes, I see it now. You're older than he was, but you have his eyes. I didn't know he had any surviving children."
"Surprise. Now, die!"
"Raien Dan!"
Boom!
He swung his blade and launched a massive fireball. The fireball struck Yamamoto and exploded violently.
When the smoke cleared, Yamamoto stood with his uniform scorched black.
"Go to hell!"
Seeing his attack connect, Amagai was a little confused. His earlier attack was just a feint, but he didn't expect Captain Yamamoto to not even dodge and was hit by him.
But this was even better!
At that moment, Shusuke Amagai held his Zanpakutō in both hands and rushed towards Captain Yamamoto, and slashed with the sword.
BOOM!
However, Yamamoto caught the blade with his bare hand.
"Child, your tantrums are tiresome."
Boom!
He punched Amagai in the gut so hard that he spat blood and fell to his knees, coughing continuously.