Chapter 12
DECISION made of NECESSITY, PAST left UNKNOWN
000
The name Kenpachi, passed to its 10th successor, Kenpachi Kiganjou, now belonged to the 11th, Kenpachi Zaraki. A void existed in the records. The 8th Kenpachi's existence? Vanished. No details, no identity. Central 46 erased everything. This wasn't just a loss of information.
Central 46 wiped out a part of Shinigami history. A powerful figure vanished. A threat to Soul Society itself. Their legacy was erased. But their effect lived on.
000
Seireitei, Central 46
The heavy doors of the Central 46 chamber creaked open, their sound reverberating ominously through the vast hall. Cold light flooded the space, illuminating a young Quincy as Kido specialists dragged him forward. He was bound tightly by powerful Bakudo and shackled with Seki-seki stones.
Surrounding him were shadowy figures, the judges of Central 46, their identities obscured behind screens displaying numbers. Among them, forty judges and six sages watched intently.
"Your power is anything but ordinary!" one sage proclaimed with a tone of arrogance.
"Are there any insurgents among the Quincy?"
"Quincy, what do you have to say for yourself?" demanded a judge, his voice sharp and commanding.
The young Quincy remained unfazed, viewing the trial as a pointless exercise.
"What a waste of time..." Ichigo remarked, his disdain evident.
"Silence!" a judge bellowed. "You insolent Quincy! You are hereby sentenced to one hundred years of imprisonment in Muken!"
The judges and sages nodded in agreement, their decision final. They believed that the harsh conditions of Muken would break him, forcing him to betray his fellow Quincy.
Soon, the young Quincy was escorted to the depths of the Underground Prison, known as Muken. To his surprise, Kurosaki Ichigo sensed another presence there, imprisoned before him. That presence was powerful, hinting at what lay ahead.
000
250 years ago, somewhere in Rukongai.
On a barren plain near Rukongai, the clash of metal echoes. Shinigami, the guardians of spirits in both the World of the Living and Soul Society, are more than protectors. They are warriors, wielding their Zanpakuto to dispatch hollows. They move with purpose, cutting down a swarm of hollows that have invaded this area.
These are the warriors of the 11th Squad, the most battle-focused of the thirteen squads. They fight with joy, relishing the thrill of danger, their confidence bolstered by their formidable leader.
Kenpachi Kuruyashiki stands among them, exuding an aura of menace. His spiritual pressure shakes the very masks of the hollows. As the 7th Kenpachi, he earned his title through a deadly duel, maintaining his dominance for centuries. Despite his fearsome reputation, he is well-liked, even beyond his squad.
Suddenly, a crack splits the sky, and a menos grande emerges. With a single sweep of his sword, Kuruyashiki dispatches it. "Not you," he mutters, sensing something more significant behind the crack.
He beckons whatever it is to come forth. White threads surge from the rift, twisting and weaving into a massive net that ensnares his sword and tugs him toward the opening.
In a brief struggle, a smaller hollow—a white spider—gets pulled out. Its spiritual pressure is heavier than the menos. This is an adjuchas, suspended in mid-air, caught in one of its own threads. Kuruyashiki dismisses it with a wave.
"Not you either. There's another behind you. It might be a Vasto lorde." The spider lunges at him, but he stabs it without hesitation. It remains unresponsive. Pity washes over him.
"You lack will, huh? I don't have time for lifeless dolls. Come out!" He tosses the spider back into the crack, knowing something lurks inside. But the rift seals shut, and he feels a moment of disappointment before rejoining the fray.
Hours later, the battle concludes, and the 11th Squad celebrates with drinks. The 4th and 8th Squads arrive to assist but leave after finding the fight over. Kuruyashiki insists they join the festivities.
His squad admires their captain's prowess. "Only Captain Kuruyashiki can take down a Menos like that!" one remarks.
"Don't forget about Captain Commander Yamamoto, or 12th Squad Captain Hikifune, or members of the Kuchiki and Shihouin clans," Kuruyashiki reminds his team.
One member replies, "But you never hear of anyone defeating a Vasto lorde like you did, Captain."
Kuruyashiki turns to Kyoraku Shunsui. "Could you take down a Vasto lorde?"
Kyoraku shrugs, "Well, it depends on compatibility. I could win against a Vasto lorde and lose to a Gillian. You never know~"
Kuruyashiki then raises an eyebrow.
"Is it okay for you all to drink like this? Yamamoto-jii might get mad if you don't report back on time. And what will Captain Unohana say if you get her soldiers drunk?" Kyoraku asked.
Kuruyashiki chuckles, calling her Retsu-neesan, and agrees that she's scarier than any Menos when angry.
They shift topics, recalling the unusual appearance of several hollows, including a Gillian, Adjuchas, and possibly a Vasto lorde.
'Are the hollows organizing and forming battle lines?' Kuruyashiki wonders. He thinks they might in the future but recalls the Vasto lorde he defeated, which shouted "Baraggan-sama!" before he cleansed it. A hollow general, he thinks. He hopes to face it again someday, though Ashido Kano, who disappeared into Hueco Mundo years ago, might beat him to it.
"Even if the hollows evolve, the Gotei 13 will improve too. In two or three hundred years, all Captains and Lieutenants could take on a Vasto lorde," Kuruyashiki states.
Kyoraku quips, "We might have to retire then."
Kuruyashiki replies, "I might already be dead by then." But he reassures them that the 11th Squad will always have a Kenpachi leading.
"Is it true the Zero Squad invited you, Captain?" a member asks quietly.
"It's true, but I turned it down. I'm not fit to protect a King from another dimension until the enemy arrives. Plus, Central 46 didn't officially order me to join," Kuruyashiki explains. As Kenpachi, he waits until someone surpasses him.
Suddenly, a young man speaks up, "Excuse me. Can I have a second of your time?" His voice is soft yet clear amid the revelry.
Though he looks like a noble, his attire is minimal. Even Kyoraku, from a noble family, doesn't recognize him.
"What do you want? A drink, maybe?" Kuruyashiki asks the young man.
A voice cuts through the air, only heard by the mysterious young man. "That's him! That's Kenpachi Kuruyashiki!"
The source, a black-haired woman in a revealing kimono, laughs boisterously. Her face is partially obscured by two broad leather straps.
The young man turns to her, irritation evident. "Don't state the obvious. Step aside."
She complies, but not without a parting shot, calling him cold and expressing a wish for his defeat.
"Kenpachi Kuruyashiki," the young man continues, "I've heard that if I kill you in front of over 200 soldiers, I'll earn the title of Kenpachi and Captain."
Kuruyashiki simply nods.
"I'd like to duel to the death right now. But I can wait until you sober up." The young man stated.
Laughter erupts from the other Shinigami. "Does he have a death wish?"
Kyoraku, along with the anxious members of the 4th Squad, remains serious. Kuruyashiki stands, his members taken aback but quickly making way.
They exchange worried glances. "He'll lose," they whisper. "He isn't even carrying a Zanpakuto."
A circle forms around the two. Kuruyashiki turns to Kyoraku. "I need you as a witness."
"There are other paths to captaincy," Kuruyashiki tells the young man.
"I'm not here for small talk," the young man replies.
The young man's tone is bold, but Kyoraku senses an underlying emotion. "Kuruyashiki, be careful," Kyoraku warns silently.
The absence of a Zanpakuto doesn't signify weakness. The leader of the Kido Corps, Tsukabishi Tessai could hold his own against a Captain using only Kido spells.
Yet, Kuruyashiki's confident grin tells Kyoraku it's futile to intervene. He's triumphed in many such duels.
"Have the requirements for the duel been met?" the young man asks.
"You can start anytime," Kuruyashiki responds.
"Then your life won't be in vain." The young man replied with indifferent tone.
In an instant, blood erupts from Kuruyashiki. It's as though a whirlwind of blades slices through him from the inside out.
No one witnesses the young man draw his Zanpakuto or cast a Kido. He hasn't moved at all. He stands there, silence hanging thick in the air. A shift happens. Kuruyashiki, once the powerful figure, is eclipsed. A stronger man rises, forged from Kuruyashiki's unfulfilled wishes.
This young warrior, now the 8th Kenpachi, carries the name Azashiro Soya.
His presence radiates strength and determination, signaling a shift in power that resonates throughout the land. A legacy is forged in blood, marking a new chapter in a blooded lineage.
000
In Hueco Mundo, the Shinigami weren't the only witnesses to the 7th Kenpachi's fall. Surveillance cameras didn't exist in the World of the Living yet, but there were bug-type hollows capable of similar observation. One particular humanoid hollow, who commanded these smaller hollows, had used them to monitor the duel.
This Vasto Lorde orchestrated the hollow attack on Soul Society just hours earlier. He planned to dissect Kuruyashiki's corpse but found new interest in the duel's outcome. He decided to rewind the recordings from his spirit bugs to analyze the fight.
An insane laugh escaped him.
His gaze shifted to a white spider-type hollow. He addressed it, "You should feel honored. I intended to kill you, but this has inspired a new experiment. You will remain my marmot, Roka Paramia." The spider lowered its head, feeling a sense of satisfaction.
It expressed gratitude to the Vasto Lorde, who would eventually transform into an Arrancar and Espada under Aizen Sousuke in the future, the Vasto lorde carries the name Syazelaporro Granz.
"Thank you very much... Szayelaporro-sama." The spider-type hollow, Roka replied with gratitude.
000
Karakura Town, present time.
"Yoruichi-san, this situation is dire! Kurosaki Ichigo has been brought to Soul Society by Ukitake Jushirou and Aizen Sousuke himself. Yoruichi-san, may I ask for your assistance?"
"Kisuke, what do you need?"
"Please, bring Kurosaki Ichigo back here. We can't predict what Aizen-san, Gotei 13, and Central 46 might do to him. His safety is our top priority. He's our only hope against Aizen."
"Understood, Kisuke. I'll do what I can."
With determination, Yoruichi transformed from her striking human form into a sleek black cat, her voice deep and commanding. She swiftly made her preparation.
Meanwhile, Urahara Kisuke carefully constructed a Senkaimon, targeting West Rukongai to reach their allies in Soul Society.
"Yoruichi-san, time is of the essence. We must act quickly to rescue Kurosaki Ichigo from their grasp." Kisuke stated.
"Will do Kisuke." Shunpoing through the Dangai, Shihouin Yoruichi left to meet Shiba Kuukaku, their ally in West Rukongai. As both men saw the Senkaimon was shut, they make a decisions.
"Tessai-san, let's prepare," Kisuke instructed, his tone calculated and resolute.
"Very well, Urahara-dono," Tessai replied, ready to assist in this critical mission.
As Yoruichi departed for Soul Society, Urahara Kisuke and Tsukabishi Tessai set to work. They meticulously arranged an extensive array of Kido spells, each crafted for a precise function.
Urahara with his calculating mind and Tsukabishi's Kido experience, they layered multiple Bakudo binding seals. This strategic layering significantly amplified the spells effectiveness, showcasing their mastery over Kido. Every detail was deliberate, designed to ensure success in their endeavor.
Countermeasures were made, backup plan was carefully made to ensure success. Urahara Kisuke devised a plan to handle Kurosaki Ichigo, anticipating the possibility of him becoming a danger after Aizen Sousuke's eventual defeat.
His analytical mind calculated various scenarios, weighing Ichigo's potential threat against the backdrop of Aizen's downfall. Urahara's approach was methodical, ensuring he was prepared for any outcome.
He understood the stakes involved and was determined to stay one thousands step ahead.
Urahara weighed his options carefully. His goal was clear: protect Soul Society and maintain the Balance. The lynchpin of this universe must remain undisturbed.
The Soul King played a critical role in this equation. It was a harsh reality, but it was the truth of the world. Urahara understood this necessity.
Every move he made would be calculated, ensuring that the delicate structure of existence would not falter.
000
In the frigid expanse, a man occupied a throne, lost in a peculiar dream. His red eyes gaze drifted into the void, reflecting a tormenting vision.
In this dream, he found himself weeping over a child, a child who was no longer alive. The weight of pain, sorrow, agony, and despair clung to him. He cried out, his voice raw and desperate, until his tears were spent and his throat felt scorched.
He begged for forgiveness from a lifeless child, one he had harmed with his own hands. The child he had failed to save haunted him.
Determined, he resolved to bring the child back to life. He made a vow to protect this child.
"I'll protect you. I need you. I love you."
The words echoed in his mind.
"I can't exist in a world without you. Stay with me…" he murmured,
"My son… I love you." The voice he envisioned spoke in desperation. Then abruptly, the dream faded.
Awakening earlier than expected, he ponder in silent. To love so deeply, as a father would, felt foreign to him. The notion of shedding tears for another was absurd.
His own children were mere instruments, stepping stones in his life. Why would he cherish anyone so profoundly that it would lead to tears?
He dismissed the thought.
It was impossible.
It would never happen.
Never.