Chapter 44: Chapter 44: The Eve of Scarlet
Chapter 44: The Eve of Scarlet
Kaien Shiba let out a ferocious roar, a fierce light flashing in his eyes as he decided to go all out for one last, reckless strike.
The trident named "Nejibana" spun, forming a hurricane-like circle.
At a certain moment, he leapt into the air and smashed the massive halberd downward, throwing his entire body into a brutal clash—a desperate move meant to trade injuries for a life!
Zaraki laughed maniacally, thrusting his Zanpakuto straight toward Kaien’s abdomen. Facing a massive halberd strike powerful enough to shatter a building, he showed zero intention of dodging.
In the nick of time, Yato Uchiha used Shunpo to flash-step right below Kaien. Guided by his crimson eyes, he swung Akame to accurately tap the very tip of Zaraki’s blade, deflecting it to the side.
The savage glint in Zaraki’s eyes burned even brighter. Unexpectedly riding the momentum, he relaxed his fingers and dropped his Zanpakuto. He immediately lunged forward, his hands shooting out—one high, one low—grabbing Kaien and Yato by their faces and violently slamming them into the ground!
Both Kaien and Yato were outstanding graduates of the Shin’o Academy and possessed an exceptionally high mastery of Hakuda. Subconsciously, they launched a fierce counterattack, driving savage knee strikes and elbow thrusts into Zaraki’s body.
"Blargh!"
All three men spat out mouthfuls of blood almost simultaneously, swaying unsteadily before collapsing.
Yet, in the very next second, Zaraki propped himself back up with a sinister grin. Using his foot, he flicked his fallen Zanpakuto right back into his hand. Completely ignoring his severe injuries, he prepared to hack at them once again.
Seeing this, even someone as resilient as Kaien Shiba couldn’t help but draw a sharp breath of cold air.
A few minutes ago, upon seeing Yato Uchiha gradually falling into a disadvantage, Kaien knew he had to intervene and fight alongside him.
However, what he hadn’t expected was that, despite fighting two against one, Zaraki didn’t retreat in the slightest. Instead, he fought more fiercely and recklessly the longer the battle went on, completely suppressing both him and Yato.
What the hell is going on... This guy’s strength, reaction speed, and Reiatsu... how are they getting more and more absurd?
Kaien clicked his tongue silently. Staring at the charging Zaraki, he gritted his teeth, preparing to unleash a high-level Kido spell.
To his shock, however, Zaraki’s ferocious slash landed instead on a massive boulder by the side of the road.
Boom!
The boulder was pulverized by Zaraki’s Zanpakuto, showering down as countless pieces of rubble.
Zaraki frowned, shooting a look full of pure hostility toward Yato Uchiha.
"Is this your damn trick?"
Yato was panting heavily. Within his eyes, the six-pointed star pattern of the Mangekyo Sharingan was slowly spinning.
"Let’s end it here, Zaraki."
The beast-like man let out a mocking sneer, as if he had just heard the greatest joke in the world.
"Our blood hasn’t run dry yet, kid."
"Don’t worry, you’ll have plenty of chances to bleed. Come with me, to..."
"Too much damn talking!"
Zaraki roared, swinging his blade violently—only for it to cleave into a nearby tree.
"Ken-chan," Yachiru Kusajishi giggled, resting her head in her hands as her laughter drifted over from a distance. "Where are you even trying to cut?"
"Idiot Yachiru!" Zaraki bellowed in frustration. "This brat is using cheap tricks!"
"I don’t want to fight anymore. As Soul Reapers, Kaien-senpai and I have to return to guard the mountain." Yato stood up unsteadily. "So? How about my proposal? Want to come along? I promise you... today was just an appetizer."
Zaraki scoffed coldly. Against a Soul Reaper with illusion-type abilities, if the opponent didn’t want to continue fighting, he really had no way to force them.
He stood there gripping his sword, feeling the warm blood trailing down his skin and the lingering, unsatisfied lust for slaughter deep within his core. It took a long moment before he muttered a single sentence:
"How’s... the taste?"
Yato Uchiha narrowed his eyes. Carefully recalling the overwhelming oppressive aura that Hanzo Mochizuki had emitted, he enunciated every word:
"An unprecedentedly magnificent feast."
...
The Ryoka leaned lazily against a tree trunk, letting the misty rain wash over his body.
The rain in the Soul Society was, as always, piercingly cold.
"Sensei." From behind, a pale-faced young man stepped forward. "Everyone we captured is inside. What’s next?"
Hanzo Mochizuki made a sharp, downward slashing motion with his hand.
"Yes, Sensei."
The young man retreated. Soon, muffled groans of suppressed agony drifted into Hanzo’s ears.
Inside the cave, the incapacitated Soul Reapers were being slaughtered one by one.
Blood stained the tops of Hanzo’s shoes, trickling through the grooves in the rocky floor to pool beneath his feet.
The Reiatsu of a Kido spell began to boil around the Ryoka. Not long after, Hanzo halted his movements.
"This method works, it just requires killing a lot of people..." he murmured softly, patting his disciple’s shoulder. "Head to Hueco Mundo. Go into hiding."
"But, Sensei..."
"That’s an order." Hanzo’s tone wasn’t stern; instead, it carried a fatherly warmth. "Remember everything I’ve done for Captain Saito, and live on carrying that memory."
"...Yes."
The young man bowed deeply and respectfully, then limped away.
—The injuries Yato Uchiha had inflicted upon him had not completely healed.
Watching his disciple’s retreating back, Hanzo Mochizuki remained silent for a long time.
Suddenly, he flopped onto his back, hitting the ground with a dull thud, letting the blood and rainwater soak his entire body.
Only by doing this could his lost, bewildered soul find a fleeting moment of cooling relief.
"That guy named Yato Uchiha... he possesses a Multi-Stage Release type Zanpakuto."
He muttered those words to himself, a profound sadness washing over his expression.
It seems, Captain... you really are gone.
Lieutenant Kirio Hikifune, you lied to me.
You once told me that Captain Saito was convicted of the ultimate treason of "Attempted Regicide," sentenced to seven thousand four hundred years of imprisonment, suffering endlessly in Muken.
Was it a white lie? Hah, Lieutenant, you’ve always been a worrier.
If so, is there any meaning left in what I’m about to do?
Rescue the Captain?
—But she’s been dead for many years. Even if I were to carve a bloody path into Muken, I’d only find a pile of withered bones.
Seek justice and clear the Captain’s name?
—But while the Seireitei erased the history of the founding Captains, they never actually smeared them. Furthermore, Captain Saito really did raise her blade against the Soul King back then. She admitted it herself while fleeing to Hueco Mundo. That is an indisputable fact; it cannot be argued.
So it’s completely meaningless. Even if I manage to find the so-called Oken...
Besides, what exactly is the Oken anyway?
If I find it, will it truly reveal the truth of what happened back then?
But even if I learn the truth, what good would it do? Captain Saito is dead. Right and wrong were set in stone a long time ago.
Lying motionless in the downpour, Hanzo Mochizuki felt freezing cold to his very core.
However, the more desperate and sorrowful he became, the more the flames within his heart surged and grew. It flared wildly until it shattered all reason, igniting his entire soul.
"Everyone has forgotten you... Captain." He stared blankly into the sky, the hideous, intersecting scars on his face seemingly softening. "But I will make them realize that there is still someone willing to draw their blade for you. Even if it changes nothing... even if it spells my certain death."
Just like that, bathed in the freezing rain, he fell into a deep slumber on the eve of the great battle.
For the first time in hundreds of years, Hanzo Mochizuki dreamt.
In his dream, he seemed to return to that summer—the days when the Gotei 13 was newly formed.
"Can you still stand up? Brat, if you can, then fall in line behind me."
The one-eyed young woman wearing twin-tails smiled, a reckless, wicked aura bleeding through her grin:
"Big sis is taking you out to kill some people."
☆☆☆
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