Thirty-two dangerous individuals were imprisoned within the Nest of Maggots. The oldest among them was Kimura Hara, now 243 years old, who had been detained for 120 years. His crime: resisting the very existence of the noble system and attempting to dismantle it.
In Seireitei, the noble class is divided into Great Noble Houses, Upper Nobles, and Lower Nobles. Their social rank towers above that of ordinary souls, with the Great Noble clans standing at the pinnacle of authority. The head of a noble family inherits its prestige and obligations, while branch families exist to succeed should the main line falter.
Kimura had believed the nobility to be nothing but parasites—leeches that hoarded resources while offering little in return. To him, they were the true maggots of Seireitei.
But the truth was more complicated. The Onmitsukidō and 2nd Division, for example, were ruled for generations by the Shihōin Clan, one of the Four Great Noble Houses, who dedicated their lives to defending Soul Society. Even among the lower nobles, families like Suì-Fēng's Feng line produced warriors who faithfully joined the Executive Militia. In Suì-Fēng's generation alone, five of her elder brothers perished in battle for Seireitei.
The 6th Division was commanded by the Kuchiki Clan, another Great House, who had safeguarded Seireitei with centuries of service. Kyōraku Shunsui hailed from a prestigious upper noble family, Ise Nanao from a Shintō clan entrusted with sacred duties, while the Ukitake Clan, though fallen into poverty, still produced Ukitake Jūshirō, who supported all eight of his siblings despite his chronic illness.
Even the once-prestigious Shiba Clan, though stripped of their noble title after a disgrace, had still contributed greatly: Shiba Kaien served as Vice-Captain of the 13th Division, while his elder brother Shiba Isshin had once commanded the 10th Division.
By the time Renya reviewed the records, it was clear: nearly a quarter of Seireitei's captains and lieutenants were of noble blood. The noble system, flawed as it was, had indeed produced leaders who shaped Soul Society's defense.
Kimura's violent ideology, however, went too far. Before he could put his plans into motion, he was detained and thrown into the Nest.
Another case Renya read was Nagawatani Shizukawa, the youngest detainee at only 80 years old, imprisoned for two decades. His crime was acquiring information on how to destroy Sekkiseki, the Soul Society's cornerstone mineral that nullifies spiritual energy. The Senzaikyū (Shrine of Penitence) was already reserved for felons of the highest order; while Shizukawa never completed his act, merely planning it was enough to earn imprisonment.
There was also a man only 110 years old, held for twelve years. His "crime" was advocating the total annihilation of Hollows—not purification by Zanpakutō. He had even attempted small-scale "experiments," destroying Hollows completely. His ideology eerily echoed that of the Quincy. Left unchecked, such practices risked disrupting the balance of souls and destabilizing the cycle between worlds. Though he only managed to eliminate a handful of Hollows before being arrested, the danger was real.
Renya sighed as he sifted through the reports. Most of these prisoners hadn't committed outright atrocities; rather, they carried ideologies or tendencies that could one day endanger Seireitei. The Nest of Maggots served as a grim preemptive cage.
After finishing the day's review, Renya left the Underground Detention Facility.
Compared to his former role as adjutant within the 2nd Division patrol corps, being the head of the Monitoring Unit was far less burdensome. Instead of maintaining rosters and shift rotations, his duties largely consisted of inspecting the Nest in the mornings and keeping watchlists updated. Arrests were rare—sometimes only once in a decade.
This suited Renya well. It left him with more time to hone his abilities.
⸻
Outside Seireitei, Renya appeared atop Mount Rifu in the northern third district of Rukongai. It was the closest, most secluded place he had found—isolated enough to avoid prying eyes and far from civilians who might be caught in the crossfire.
Standing on the desolate peak, Renya gripped his Zanpakutō in his right hand and whispered:
"Descend… Tenrai Banrai."
The sky darkened instantly, clouds boiling overhead as lightning snaked across the heavens. With a deafening crack, a thunderbolt shot downward, striking Renya's blade. In his hand, it transformed into a compact thunder-spear, arcs of electricity dancing along its edge.
Channeling his Reiatsu into it, the weapon dispersed into raw lightning, surging through his body. From his back, twin wings of crackling thunder burst forth, glowing with power.
Renya spread the thunder wings—and vanished. In the blink of an eye, he reappeared hundreds of meters away.
This speed surpassed even advanced Shunpō, approaching the velocity of Shunko. However, maintaining it came at a steep cost.
He experimented, adjusting the wings' size, angle, and output, searching for the most efficient balance. Within minutes, the strain drained most of his Reiatsu reserves.
"Five minutes at full output," Renya calculated, steadying his breathing. "Enough to decide most battles. But the drain rivals high-level Kidō. I'll need to grow stronger to sustain this."
He compared it to Raijin Senkō—his forbidden burst technique. That one could only be used a few times before his body broke down entirely. In contrast, the thunder wings at least allowed for sustained combat, though his current level of Reiatsu—barely at the sixth tier—limited him.
To progress, he needed patience. It had taken him nearly two years to ascend from fourth-class to fifth-class Reiatsu, and another five years to reach the sixth. The seventh-class would take a decade or more. For now, this was his limit.
Renya shifted focus to another technique: Raijin Keitai—lightning shaping.
His Zanpakutō's thunder-spear dissolved into energy, coursing through his arm. With a surge of will, the lightning condensed in his hand, forming into a long staff. Sparks danced as the weapon extended, lengthening to over five feet.
Renya twirled it experimentally. It felt no different from tempered steel, though it devoured his spiritual reserves.
He gripped the thunder-staff, forcing its tip into a spearhead. The weapon hummed with power. With a sharp throw, the spear streaked through the air—
—only to detonate mid-flight with a thunderous boom.
The explosion rocked the mountaintop, gouging a crater six meters wide and a meter deep. Soil and stone blasted outward as nearby trees splintered.
Renya stood unharmed, a shield of crackling lightning guarding him. Dispelling it, he frowned at the smoldering crater.
"Not stable enough. My control over lightning isn't precise once it leaves my body. Structure collapses under its own energy. I'll need to refine the shaping."
Even so, the technique showed promise. The spear's blast consumed only a fraction of his energy—barely a tenth of his reserves—yet carried force comparable to a Hadō #63: Raikōhō.
Renya was about to reshape the spear and try again when a sharp voice cut through the air:
"Stop right there."
Renya froze, startled. He had been so focused he hadn't sensed the approach. Slowly turning, his eyes fell on a familiar figure.
The newcomer scowled, voice edged with fury.
"So you're the brat who fought Zaraki Kenpachi not long ago? Look at what you've done—wrecking my training grounds!"
_______________
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