Chapter 58: Ahead of Us, No Foe Can Stand
Fifth Division, Captain's office.
"Yo."
As Takeru pushed the door open, Ichigo was already sprawled on the sofa, lazily raising a hand in greeting.
"Brother Kurosaki, it has been a month, has it not?"
"…At most, it has been a week."
Ichigo let his hand drop, completely speechless.
"But you really do look like you have changed more than in a month."
Takeru sat down on the sofa opposite him and poured himself a glass of water from the kettle on the table.
"Thanks to your advice, the other me and I got along surprisingly well. I cleared it in just one day. I did not even know old man Zangetsu could make that kind of face."
Ichigo grimaced at the memory.
"But it was hell afterwards. I was trained until my bones felt like they were breaking."
"That cannot be helped."
Takeru took a sip of water.
"Because Bankai transforms your power in such an exaggerated way, most people need more than ten years before they can use it properly in battle. You compressed decades of effort into a few days. You really should be thanking your Zanpakuto."
"Same to you. Did you not also master Bankai? You have been running off to the Second Division lately to find that cold faced woman and spar with her."
"No. I have not used my Bankai against anyone yet."
"What?"
Ichigo froze.
"Then what are you doing in the Second Division?"
"Honing my Hakuda and Shunpo, and improving the completeness of my techniques. I recently figured out a new move, but it demands extremely high physical ability, and the success rate depends heavily on luck. It is not something I can just toss out in a real fight. So I am wondering if there is a way to raise its trigger rate until I can use it whenever I choose."
Black Flash.
The amount of destructive amplification it produced was downright terrifying.
It was like a genius's flash of inspiration made into a physical phenomenon, like a perfect result appearing by chance in a particle collision experiment.
The probability of it activating was extremely low.
Strictly speaking, even if he tried deliberately, he might not succeed once in ten thousand attempts.
Luck occupied an enormous share.
If the destructive force was truly amplified to that degree, the burden on the soul would also be unimaginably heavy.
At the moment, Takeru was doing two things at once.
On one side, he used the buff called [Physical Growth +1000 percent] to strengthen his body and raise the limit of what he could endure.
On the other side, he was trying to strip away the element of luck as much as possible, so that he could manifest Black Flash through his own will in battle.
After testing it privately over and over, he had reached a conclusion.
The first part was progressing smoothly.
As for the second part, as long as he cultivated the "feel" for it, the chance of activation would sharply increase.
Improving that "feel" involved two approaches.
One was to awaken an instinct in battle, to rely on intuitive insight to seize that fleeting, almost mystical moment.
The other was to raise his fundamental mastery of Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Shunpo, and Kido, with special focus on Hakuda and Kido.
If he reached a profound level of understanding, then naturally he could hear thunder in stillness and turn decay into wonder, just like a true grandmaster.
Fortunately, these two methods were not in conflict and could be pursued together.
Because of that, Takeru had real confidence that he could eventually use Black Flash in live combat.
Everything was proceeding slowly but solidly, exactly as he had planned.
It was incomparably superior to relying on pure luck like at the beginning.
And besides that…
"In an emergency, it is not like I have no way to cheat."
Takeru thought to himself.
He liked having a card up his sleeve, no matter what he was doing.
After Seven Flash came Only Flash.
After Only Flash came Shikai.
After Shikai came a second Shikai.
Once everyone became familiar with those, he would need fresh trump cards.
He was not as greedy and self eating as Kisuke Urahara.
Opportunities in battle were fleeting and ever changing.
As long as he had one decisive move, and as long as that move killed the enemy, that was enough.
The same went for Black Flash, a technique that appeared to have extremely strict conditions on when it could be used.
Push came to shove, Takeru still had special methods to force it into actual combat.
For example, he could rely on the Bankai he had just mastered.
But "special" was still special.
If he did not first resolve those drawbacks he had just mentioned, then using it would be no better than drinking poison to quench thirst. In the end it would harm his own growth.
"A new technique… it is not another ridiculous move like Only Flash, is it?"
To be honest, Ichigo still did not understand how the guy in front of him kept coming up with these weird yet terrifying techniques.
If they were just derived skills like double chanting or added incantations, that would be one thing.
But Seven Flash and Only Flash, and even Transparent Dragon Scales, were all unique and distinct secret arts.
And now, this close friend of his, who had also mastered Bankai and was already stronger, was saying he had created another new move.
It was impossible to imagine that it would be anything simple.
Ichigo had a vague hunch.
This new move would probably surpass Seven Flash, and might even be stronger than Only Flash.
So when Takeru waved a hand and said, "It is just a simple application of Kido Reiatsu," Ichigo did not believe even a single comma.
Still.
"If you are pouring so much time into that, what about Bankai? You do not need to get used to it?"
"Oh, I do not need to train that."
"… "
To Ichigo, Takeru's attitude sounded like, "Do I really need practice to do something as simple as eating or drinking?"
It was so matter of fact that for a moment he did not even know how to respond.
After all…
He had pushed himself to the brink of death to obtain his Bankai.
He had honestly felt like his bones would shatter.
Meanwhile, the guy sitting in front of him ran to the Second Division every day to practice some secret arts with girls.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
At that moment, the office door opened again.
Aizen walked in with Hinamori Momo at his side.
"Teacher."
"Teacher."
Takeru and Ichigo both rose and greeted him.
"Since everyone is here, let us begin."
Aizen moved behind his desk and glanced at the darkened sky outside the window.
His voice was quiet.
"I trust you already know that Kisuke Urahara, Yoruichi Shihōin, and your acquaintance from the World of the Living, the Substitute Shinigami Inoue Orihime, appeared outside the White Gate not long ago, just as expected."
"Although there is much about Urahara that is suspicious, from the perspective of objective, our stance is almost identical. We both want to help Kuchiki Rukia escape this ordeal."
"Because of my proposal, the Captain Commander deployed several Captains in advance to drive them away from Seireitei. If I am not mistaken, they will use Shiba Kukaku's cannon to invade Seireitei from the sky."
"I will not be wrong on this. There is only that one route available."
"The reason we forced them onto that path is that, on the surface, we can use them to disturb the stable order from within. Otherwise, if the Captains hold to their assigned sectors while Kuchiki Rukia is confined in the underground great prison of the First Division, with the Captain Commander himself guarding her, there would be no suitable opening to rescue her before the execution."
"Teacher."
Takeru cut in.
"Even if Urahara's group directly infiltrates the central area of Seireitei, as long as the Captain Commander does not move, then even if the other Divisions fall into some disorder, we still will not have a proper solution."
"Exactly, which is why we must find a way to distract the Captains before the execution begins."
Aizen smiled and turned his gaze to the obedient girl standing beside him.
"Urahara's group will inevitably draw some attention. At the same time, we will plant seeds of suspicion among the other Captains."
"It is not a particularly brilliant scheme, but if we set it in motion during these two days leading up to the execution, it will be exceedingly difficult to uncover the truth amid the growing confusion."
"Our goal is to ensure that the number of Captains present on the day of the execution does not exceed half. That will indirectly weaken the defense, which in turn will raise the probability of a successful rescue. Achieving this goal, however, will require Hinamori's sacrifice."
Even though she wanted to help her Captain, Hinamori could not bring herself to smile.
Aizen's plan was to forge a suicide note in her name, then stage a scene in which she discovered Gin Ichimaru's conspiracy and was killed by him.
That would direct the fury of her childhood friend, Toshiro Hitsugaya, toward Gin.
In this way, two Captains would be unable to fully focus on the current invasion of ryoka. At the same time, more of Gin's crimes would be dragged into the light.
It was equivalent to letting Toshiro gather evidence for them, and on the day of the execution, no matter what Gin intended to do, Toshiro would become an obstacle or even smash those plans apart.
It really was killing two birds with one stone.
"But how are we supposed to fake it? I do not think we can deceive Retsu Unohana."
Ichigo looked a little worried.
"There is no need to worry. My Zanpakuto, Kyoka Suigetsu, is a Kido type Zanpakuto. Its ability is Complete Hypnosis. As the name implies, it can completely manipulate the enemy's five senses and make it impossible for them to distinguish truth from illusion."
Aizen's hand rested gently on the hilt at his waist.
"What? Captain Aizen's Zanpakuto is not water type? And is its ability not to use mist reflections to make enemies kill each other?"
Hinamori was visibly shaken.
"I am sorry, Hinamori. The reason I declared it that way is that I believe this ability is too dangerous, and it easily invites suspicion, just like how the Eleventh Division is biased against Kido type Zanpakuto. As a Captain, I do not wish to lose everyone's trust over it."
"But now, I can no longer cling to that concern. Takeru and Kurosaki kun have trained so hard these days that I cannot keep hiding it from them. That would be unfair."
Aizen's expression was grave.
Hinamori shrank back under that pressure. Her lips moved, but she could not form any sound.
"Teacher, we will keep it secret. Once we walk out of this room, your Zanpakuto is still a water type, and mine is still a flash type."
"Takeru is right, we will keep it secret… wait, what type did you say you are again?"
Ignoring Ichigo's aside, Takeru pledged firmly,
"In truth, even if it is exposed, it does not matter. Teacher's character is noble and has already taken root in everyone's hearts. Compared to Ichimaru Gin, who clearly does not look like a decent person, anyone would naturally believe that Teacher is in the right."
"If anyone suspects you are outwardly honest but secretly scheming just because your Zanpakuto is illusion type, that only proves they are too shallow."
"Because life is overflowing with lies and falsehoods. Only by seeing through them can someone become a true sage."
"A teacher with this kind of power is precisely a sage who pursues the truth and yearns for what is real."
"Takeru is right. Teacher has taught us so much. If anyone dares to call what you say nonsense, I will beat them until they cannot talk anymore."
Ichigo voiced his agreement with complete sincerity.
"Captain Aizen, I will always support you too."
Hinamori, emboldened by their words, no longer cared about the nature of his Zanpakuto's ability.
"Everyone…"
Aizen looked deeply moved.
He gently adjusted his glasses, and a strange light flashed behind the lenses.
"As you have seen, there are only three members in Urahara's group. After Hinamori's staged death, we too have only three members. Compared to the behemoth that is the Gotei Thirteen, we are like ants. But there is no need to fear and no need to waver. Just follow the plan and advance and retreat with one heart."
"Before us, there are no enemies."
In that moment, the three of them looked at one another and smiled.
A quiet, fearless pressure radiated from their bodies.
That feeling wrapped Hinamori like a warm cloak.
Because she could not imagine any opponent who could defeat these three.
…
The next day.
First Division, Captains meeting room.
All Captains and Vice Captains had been summoned.
"…Given that the enemy is the former head of the Research and Development Institute and may have unfathomable methods at his disposal, each Division will raise its alert state, strictly follow wartime standards, report any irregularities to this old man at once, and collate all intelligence to be sent to the Twelfth Division so that Captain Kurotsuchi can be informed. We must not allow any opening to be exploited."
Yamamoto Genryusai struck his staff heavily against the floor, bringing the meeting to an end.
"That is all. Dismissed."
Toshiro frowned, clearly still weighed down by his thoughts, and turned to leave.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Aizen and Gin passing each other. The two exchanged a few words.
At this distance, he could hear them clearly.
"Are you satisfied now?" Aizen.
"What are you talking about all of a sudden, Captain Aizen?" Gin.
"In any case, you are not to take a single step toward the Fifth Division. Hinamori is innocent." Aizen.
"Oh, am I really that unwelcome? Whether she is innocent or not has nothing to do with me. How her fate turns out is clearly in your hands, Captain Aizen. But it seems that saying so now is already too late. That child has no room left for regret." Gin.
The moment he heard Hinamori's name, Toshiro's heart lurched.
He watched Gin walk away, then quickly sped up to catch Aizen in the corridor.
"Ai…"
Just as he called out, a terrified scream split the air.
"?!"
"!?"
"That direction… the Vice Captain's office? Damn it."
A sense of impending disaster crashed over Toshiro.
He and Aizen, who had also heard the commotion, rushed toward the source at full speed.
"What happened?"
They rounded the corner to find Isane collapsed on the floor, her face drained of all color, her mouth working soundlessly.
Toshiro demanded an explanation while his eyes swept the surroundings with razor sharp focus.
Then he looked up.
On the Great Eastern Wall, a figure was pinned high above them.
Her chest had been pierced by her own Zanpakuto and nailed into the smooth stone.
Her pupils were unfocused, her skin bloodless and stiff.
Blood had spilled down the rock behind her, flowed along her body, and dried long before it reached the ground.
The girl hanging there could only be described as a corpse, like a piece of dried, cured meat.
Yet through those vacant eyes she seemed to look down on the gathered Captains and Vice Captains, silently asking why they had not saved her.
The sight was chilling.
"This is… the Fifth Division's… Hinamori Momo?"
Suì Fēng could not keep from gasping.
Retsu Unohana stepped forward on instinct to check on her, but a blast of Reiatsu slammed into her.
It was icy cold, yet erupted like a volcano.
It wordlessly declared that no one was allowed to approach.
If anyone tried, he would kill them all.
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