"That's... Kurotsuchi Mayuri, Captain of the 12th Division?"
Shocked voices rippled through the captains.
Hadn't he been cut down? By Kuchiki Shinji's Zanpakutō, no less. His body was torn apart, and he'd unleashed a final desperate attack before
And all of it had unfolded before Kyoraku Shunsui's very eyes.
Jūshirō Ukitake narrowed his gaze at the man standing before them.
He then glanced toward his senior.
"...How can this be? Are you really Kurotsuchi Mayuri?"
Kyoraku Shunsui, still seated on the ground, slowly rose, adjusting his iconic bamboo hat as his eyes sharpened.
He didn't need to rely on guesswork, he'd seen it clearly.
Kurotsuchi Mayuri had been struck by Kuchiki Shinji's blade, its pressure alone enough to collapse a soul.
And that final bolt of lightning... It had pierced Mayuri's chest, right in front of him.
He saw it.
He'd even arranged for Mayuri's broken body to be sent away himself.
There was no doubt.
Mayuri's spiritual pressure was gone.
His breath... had vanished.
He had died.
So what was this... standing before them now?
"...Are you his twin brother? Nirvana Mayuri?" Shunsui scratched his head, half-joking, half-serious.
Kurotsuchi Mayuri: "..."
"You people are seriously getting on my nerves!"
Veins bulged on his temple, and his painted face twitched with barely contained rage.
"First that idiot Kuchiki Shinji, now you too, Kyoraku Shunsui! Who the hell is Nirvana Mayuri?! I am Kurotsuchi Mayuri-sama, THE world-renowned scientist and genius of the Soul Society!"
He hurled a bottle with a violent flick of his wrist.
"Catch."
Kyoraku caught the bottle, tilted it toward the light, and instantly regretted it.
Inside was a thick, purple, mucus-like liquid that shimmered ominously.
"...Is it just me, or does this stuff look way too... alive?"
His scalp tingled.
Around him, the other captains had all received similar bottles, each wearing an expression that ranged from unsettled to downright horrified.
"Let me be very clear," Mayuri sneered. "I'd advise you all not to say anything else that makes me want to poison you to death. Unlike you, I don't need a Zanpakutō to kill people."
Then, he turned and shot a glance at Kuchiki Shinji.
"Now then... as for you, Captain Kuchiki Shinji, yes, that day, your slash did indeed kill me."
He paused, then smiled sinisterly.
"But I despise dying."
"So I modified my body. Even if my internal organs were destroyed, I wouldn't die immediately."
"And besides... I had already prepared a full set of cloned organs."
"When Nemu brought my body back, I simply patched myself together with the spare parts... and reconstructed myself."
He stabbed his Zanpakutō into the ground with a dramatic flourish.
"And while I was recuperating, I wasn't sitting around doing nothing."
"First I had to heal, obviously."
"Then I had to repair my Zanpakutō, your cut severed it completely. That took time."
"And just recently, I crossed paths with Captain Shinji again."
A tic formed at the edge of Mayuri's mouth.
He had simply been bored.
He'd gone to look at Kuchiki Shinji out of curiosity.
Big mistake.
Within moments, he found himself on death's door again, his life completely at Shinji's mercy.
But… it wasn't entirely for nothing.
He had gained something.
Not only Shinji's trust… But valuable research material on a Vasto Lorde-class Arrancar.
If Shinji's relationship with that Menos Grande continued… Mayuri stood to gain access to unparalleled research subjects.
So in the grand scheme of things, being nearly cut to pieces again?
A small price to pay.
"You ran into Shinji... again?" Kyoraku mused, shaking the purple bottle lightly. "So what's this stuff?"
"You're finally asking the right question," Mayuri said, sneering again.
He raised a brow and lowered his voice.
"That, dear captain, is a potion developed by request of Kuchiki Shinji."
"I call it the 'Zanpakutō Reversion Agent.'"
"When applied to a materialized Zanpakutō spirit, it suppresses their activity and gradually forces them to revert into sword form."
"Defeat them, kill them, knock them out, however you choose. Once they're subdued, sprinkle this... and poof, back into the blade they go."
"I invested significant effort into this creation."
He smirked as he cast a sideways glance at Shinji.
This was a calculated move, Shinji had requested the potion. Mayuri had delivered.
And now? Now he had leverage.
After all, the Soul Society was descending into chaos thanks to the Zanpakutō Rebellion.
Captains everywhere were losing control.
46 Court was in shambles.
So now...
Enter Kurotsuchi Mayuri, bearing the solution.
Perfect timing.
Perfect redemption.
This would absolve him of his past sins, reinstate him as head of the 12th Division and the Research Bureau, and put him firmly back where he belonged, at the top.
Everything was falling into place.
"Can it be mass-produced?" Kyoraku asked, eyeing the liquid again with visible concern.
"Yes, though the formula is complicated," Mayuri replied, sheathing his sword.
"Production is already underway at the Bureau."
His role here was done.
Now, it was up to Kuchiki Shinji.
Off to the side, Mayuri glanced at the raging battlefield.
"Nice one, Captain Zaraki! Cut him again, harder this time!"
"Go go go! Chop him into spiritual pulp!"
Mayuri: "..."
This shouting cheerleader couldn't be the same Kuchiki Shinji who'd nearly killed him days ago... right?
Something felt off.
Maybe Shinji just wasn't feeling threatened anymore?
Still, Mayuri made a mental note to analyze exactly what he'd done to get on Shinji's bad side last time.
Just in case.
The battle raged on.
Zaraki Kenpachi, ever the monster, had completely overwhelmed Kuchiki Kyouhe's materialized Zanpakutō spirit.
It was a one-sided slaughter.
Right then
Swish.
Matsumoto Rangiku landed beside Shinji in a flash step, eyes filled with suspicion.
"...What's with that look?" Shinji asked, puzzled.
Why was everyone acting so strange?
Rangiku narrowed her eyes.
"You're not... Kuchiki Shinji, are you?"
Shinji: "???"
The captains turned to look.
Their gazes... uneasy.
Wait, did they think he was an imposter?!
Was this Kyōka Suigetsu again? Or some other Zanpakutō's illusion?
Before he could react
Rangiku drew her sword.
"...Drop the act. I, can see through your disguise!"
Shinji: "...Wait, what!?"
"Don't move!" she barked.
"You, where did you hide my lazy, wine-drinking captain?! This diligent guy standing in front of me, he's not my Captain Shinji!"
A stunned silence.
Shinji, completely bewildered:
"...Are you kidding me right now?"
"Have you lost your mind again? I am your captain!"
He leaned closer, sniffed.
"...And you're not drunk?"
Rangiku's eyes narrowed further.
"Exactly. That proves it."
"The real Kuchiki Shinji would never act so responsible!"
"This one's a fake!"
Shinji ".."
Matsumoto Rangiku: Co-Author Edition
"...So this is really how you see me, huh?"
Matsumoto Rangiku crossed her arms, her cheeks puffed with exasperation. Her eyes narrowed accusingly at Shinji, who instinctively took a step back.
And at that exact moment
Thud.
"Pffft—HAHAHAHAHA!"
Kyoraku Shunsui could no longer hold it in. The 8th Division Captain had collapsed to the ground, laughing so hard he began to physically cramp.
He pounded the ground with his fist, bang bang bang, each strike leaving small, crumbling holes.
Tears welled up in his eyes.
"Shinji...! Oh, Shinji, I really have to hand it to you! You and your vice-captain are an absolutely perfect pair!"
Shinji: "..."
Still laughing?
You really don't want to live, huh?
His face darkened as he turned away and walked silently to the edge of the battlefield.
Then, without warning
BOOM.
He returned, carrying an entire section of a wall, and slammed it down with an earth-shaking thud.
Right on top of Kyoraku Shunsui.
He dusted off his hands, deadpan.
"...Now, where were we?"
The captains around them froze mid-snicker, their smiles vanishing.
That tone... Did he just bury a fellow captain for real?
"...Ah, I just remembered I have some urgent business."
"Yeah, now that I've got this potion, I'll go recover my Zanpakutō."
"I'll go too. Don't wait for me!"
One by one, they vanished in Shunpo, clutching their bottles from Mayuri like it was their last lifeline.
Shinji glared at their afterimages.
"...Cowards."
He turned back
And flinched.
Right behind him stood Matsumoto Rangiku, eyes burning with resentful energy.
"...What's with that terrifying stare?" Shinji muttered, backing up a step. "You're giving me the chills."
"Captain Shinji," Rangiku said sternly, stepping closer. "Don't you get it yet?"
"Whether it's a man or a woman... if they're emotionally neglected for too long, big trouble is bound to happen!"
Shinji: "???"
Wait a minute, what are you implying?
What does "unsatisfied" mean in this context?
You're making me sound like you now!
"...Don't play dumb with me!" Rangiku snapped. "You run off every day to look cool, leaving me to rot in the 10th Division alone. You don't check in, you don't even look my way, do you know how lonely I've been?!"
Shinji: "..."
So you just wanted to spend more time with me?
Then could you not make it sound so ambiguous?!
He gave her a sideways glance but kept his gaze respectfully forward.
Still… that domineering aura…
Yujie types are dangerous.
"Well, well... I feel like I just overheard something pretty incredible."
From beneath the collapsed wall, a very battered Kyoraku Shunsui poked his head out.
Two pairs of scarlet eyes turned to him in unison.
"...What do you want?"
"H-Hey, I'm Kyoraku Shunsui, Captain of Squad 8! Maybe think this through before hitting me again?"
"Wait, wait, wait, let's talk about this. Not the face, okay?"
Kyoraku Shunsui was defeated.
Badly.
Shinji and Rangiku's mixed doubles attack had left him with a black eye, a bruised jaw, and what looked like a boot print on his back.
Meanwhile...
Elsewhere on the battlefield, Zaraki Kenpachi had completely overpowered Kuchiki Hibiki's materialized Zanpakutō.
And at last
Byakuya Kuchiki arrived.
The elegant and terrifying captain stood silently, his presence like a glacier.
He raised a single hand
Thump.
Countless branch-like ropes shot out, wrapping around Kōga Kuchiki, binding him tightly as they crawled upward, sealing him segment by segment.
They reached his chest... then his shoulders...
Kōga struggled, veins bulging in his neck, and glared at the two Kuchiki captains standing before him, Byakuya and Shinji.
"You damned nobles..."
"I spit on you... curse you... despise you."
"You have the strength to change everything, yet you turn your back and pretend you don't see."
His voice was hoarse with hatred, roaring the last sentence with clenched teeth.
Shinji stepped forward, his voice calm.
"Before you say all that... maybe look at yourself first."
"Aren't you a Shinigami, too?"
"You were born in the Soul Society. You lived because of it. And you broke it."
Shinji paused.
"You didn't get here because of anyone else."
"You ended up like this because you weren't strong enough."
Kōga Kuchiki's revenge... Was it truly unjust?
Perhaps not.
He was the favored son-in-law of the Kuchiki clan, hand-picked by Captain-Commander Yamamoto himself.
Destined to be the head of the Kuchiki family. Future captain of Squad Six.
But fear and jealousy from others conspired against him.
He was branded a traitor.
Even so
If he had just remained silent, even said nothing, the Kuchiki clan and Yamamoto Genryūsai would have swept everything clean.
But Kōga let his hatred fester.
He broke out of prison. Killed those who wronged him. Sought vengeance with his own hands.
Even then, it wasn't beyond redemption.
The Kuchiki name could still protect him.
But he didn't stop. Didn't surrender.
Every step deeper into his anger was another step away from salvation.
Because of his own insecurity, he thought everyone looked down on him.
And so
He lashed out at everyone.
Shinji sat cross-legged before the nearly sealed Kōga, voice steady.
"You worry too much about what others think."
"Live for yourself. Not for their gaze."
"They might glance at you for a moment, but it's just that. A moment."
"If someone watches you longer... it's because they care, or they hate you."
The seal crept toward Kōga's throat.
Shinji looked him dead in the eyes.
"If you get out again someday… try not to be so extreme."
"And when you've finished your sentence, maybe we'll grab a drink."
Kōga said nothing.
But he didn't look away.
"...Sorry to intrude on this touching Kuchiki family moment," said a bruised Kyoraku Shunsui, stepping forward again.
His face was a mess, his smile gone.
He held his bamboo hat at his chest and asked, solemnly:
"But I need to ask one last thing. Before the seal finishes."
He looked directly into Hibiki's fading eyes.
"...Kōga Kuchiki. If you can."
"Tell me, who was it that helped you break your seal?"