Chapter 48: Chapter 48: Villain
Chapter 48: Villain
"There’s someone here! Quick! Medical team!"
A female squad member of the 4th Division ran to Yato Uchiha’s side, probing his body with a specialized Kido before drawing a sharp breath of cold air:
"A ruptured right lung, intra-abdominal bleeding, fractured sternum, torn arm ligaments, and completely depleted Reiatsu. Seated Officer, sir, you..."
"Just patch me up enough to keep me alive for now, officer," Yato smiled bitterly.
"I’m about to pass out."
"Yes, sir!" The medical officer nodded sternly. Steadying her nerves, she called over three of her comrades. The four of them cast Kaido together to suppress Yato Uchiha’s injuries.
Feeling a tingling, numbing sensation spread across his body, Yato finally regained a bit of energy.
"Let’s hope this isn’t just a dying burst of energy..."
He let out a self-deprecating chuckle and looked around.
The raging inferno that had engulfed the center of the Zaraki District was almost entirely extinguished by the Gotei 13. Members of the 3rd and 5th Divisions took turns using water-type Kido, filling the air with a thick water vapor that resembled a dense fog.
As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but ruined walls and collapsed buildings. Charred roof beams jutted out of the rubble, surrounded by an endless expanse of corpses.
Not far away, Kaien Shiba and Zaraki were similarly surrounded by 4th Division medical teams. However, their conditions were even worse than Yato’s; neither had regained consciousness yet.
One didn’t even need to think to know that the other six targeted Rukongai districts were undoubtedly in the exact same tragic state.
With things escalating to this point, it was hard to tell whether they had won or lost.
The boy sighed and closed his eyes, the earlier scene replaying in his mind.
After digging up that severed female arm, Hanzo Mochizuki had practically gone insane on the spot, losing all sense of reason.
Yato had clearly seen that after unleashing his Bankai, the Ryoka’s face had turned an ashen grey, and every inch of his skin was seeping blood. It was obvious that with Hanzo’s severely depleted soul and Reiatsu at that time, using his Bankai was incredibly fatal.
But the Ryoka’s actions made it clear that he had completely cast aside his own life. Staring up at the sky, he beat his three pairs of massive wings, charging toward the endless canopy at an unimaginable, blinding speed.
Although it wasn’t intentionally directed at him, the sheer force of those wings flapping was enough to blast Yato, who was standing nearby, a hundred meters away. It worsened his already severe injuries, leaving him unable to catch his breath for a long time.
"But... you who have been branded with the title of ’Villain,’ just where exactly were you trying to go? Hanzo Mochizuki."
"You couldn’t possibly be heading to the Soul King Palace, right? Without the Shiba Clan’s Kakaku cannon track, is it really possible to reach it with just a Soul Reaper’s Bankai?"
"Besides, you don’t even have the Oken... wait! That woman’s arm!?"
Yato Uchiha’s thoughts gradually slowed down. He knew this was a sign that the medical treatment was taking effect.
The next time he woke up, he assumed it would be in the 4th Division’s comprehensive relief station.
Eh?
Wait... I remember Captain Hikifune heavily hinting that I shouldn’t go near the 4th Division!
Yato subconsciously tried to open his eyes, only to find that he couldn’t control his eyelids no matter how hard he tried. His nerves dulled, and his heartbeat gradually slowed its rhythm.
Finally, he slipped into a chaotic, dark slumber.
...
...
"A magnificent Bankai, Hanzo Mochizuki."
The corridor was grand, flanked by towering, majestic white stone pillars. At its end was a massive floating palace perched high in the sky, guarded by four slightly smaller suspended cities. At the very top stood a bizarre cylindrical structure.
This was the Soul King Palace.
The wedge of the three realms, the foundation of all souls, the most noble and exalted place in the world!
Even powerful Captain-class Soul Reapers would have to keep their mouths shut, lower their gazes, and conceal their Reiatsu to show respect to the Soul King upon arriving here.
But at this moment, a voice continuously echoed in a booming, carefree manner, treating these rules as nothing.
"...Nine hundred and eighty-six years ago, the first time you received your Asauchi, I already knew the true name of this Zanpakuto."
"Hien Shichishurei."
"I thought to myself back then, this might just be the only Bankai in the entire Soul Society capable of flying directly to the Soul King Palace."
"As for Furofushi Saito, she already died eight hundred and fifty years ago."
"I guess you really want to know why your Captain raised her blade against the Soul King... In truth, you should be hating that King of the Quincy."
"It was he who connected Saito’s eye to the Soul King’s eyes, allowing her to see certain things... I truly never expected that Saito’s left eye, which had been blind since childhood, was actually caused by the Soul King. Not even I could see that coming!"
"As for her arm being forged into the Oken, that was because..."
"Hm? Hanzo Mochizuki, I’ve been talking all this time, why aren’t you answering?"
The speaker grunted in mild dissatisfaction and lifted his head.
He was a tall and burly man, bald, sporting incredibly thick eyebrows and a bushy beard. He wore a white, overcoat-style haori embroidered with the insignia of the Zero Division, a dark red prayer bead necklace hung around his neck, and he wore wooden geta sandals on his feet.
—It was none other than the man who named everything in the Soul Society, the leader of the Zero Division, the "Monk of the Real Name," Ichibei Hyosube!
He raised his head, looking at the blood-soaked Ryoka kneeling on the ground, and observed him for quite a while.
"Oh... I see." Ichibei Hyosube realized in a flash of sudden enlightenment:
"You’re already dead."
He feigned pity, sighing and shaking his head repeatedly:
"I originally thought I could find someone to chat with... Ah well. Consider the following words your eulogy."
"Multi-Stage Release Zanpakuto are the most peculiar type among all Zanpakuto."
"They might not be the absolute strongest, but they possess the potential for infinite evolution, and will eventually solidify... This process perfectly mirrors the powers of [Progress] and [Stagnation]!"
"Therefore, a Soul Reaper wielding a Multi-Stage Release Zanpakuto is closer to the Soul King than an ordinary soul."
"Throughout all the history of the Soul Society, those individuals who possessed a Multi-Stage Release Zanpakuto..."
"Uto Akiyama, Guren Igarashi, Furofushi Saito..." The monk who had lived for a million years paused, then continued:
"And now, Yato Uchiha. They are all incredibly precious, capable of being used as a reserve [Wedge]."
"Your Captain, Furofushi Saito, saw those things. She saw the future and had to be erased. So, maximizing her utility... isn’t a problem, right?"
Ichibei Hyosube scratched his completely hairless, bald head, laughing merrily:
"As a former Soul Reaper, you surely understand me. Doing things this way is best for everyone. Everything the Zero Division does is for the Soul King, for the Soul Society... for the Seireitei."
Thud!
Hanzo Mochizuki’s already stiff corpse collapsed onto the floor.
"It seems you got tired of listening. That’s fine too, I’ll just erase everything about you right here... Hm?"
For the first time, the Monk of the Real Name revealed a look of astonishment.
Because as Hanzo toppled over, his outer garments tore open, revealing the white inner lining underneath.
The Ryoka who had stormed the Soul King Palace using his Bankai seemed to have known his ultimate fate all along. At some unknown point, he had written a few words in blood on his white undershirt.
—FUCK THE SEIREITEI!
Ichibei Hyosube was momentarily stunned. Then, his mouth curled into a grin, baring his stark white teeth.
There was no trace of mercy, only a terrifying, malevolent malice.
Boom!
Pure blackness enveloped Hanzo Mochizuki’s corpse, crushing every inch of his flesh and bone into fine powder, erasing him from the world completely.
Ichibei Hyosube’s voice echoed throughout the vast, empty Soul King Palace.
"Truly... a villain."
☆☆☆
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