"In other words… is Keiyashiki dead?"
The Shinigami watching from a distance couldn't help but feel a heaviness in his chest. As a former member of the 11th Division and once a comrade of Keiyashiki, he was well-acquainted with the brutal succession tradition of the Kenpachi title: one must defeat the reigning Kenpachi in battle to inherit the title.
Now, seeing the figure standing in the distance wearing the tattered haori with the unmistakable "十一"—eleven—emblazoned on the back, he knew what it meant.
"Did… he kill him?" the Shinigami muttered to himself.
He couldn't make out the new Kenpachi's face clearly due to the heavy shadows in the Forest of Menos. But that haori left no room for doubt: the one who now bore the title was none other than Gosuke Shigure.
The battle between Gosuke Shigure and Tsunayashiro Tokinada ignited without warning.
Tsunayashiro Tokinada executed Shunpo, closing the distance while swinging his Zanpakutō in rapid succession. A twisted grin curled his lips as he sneered, "Fascinating, truly fascinating. I expected Kuchiki or maybe Shihōin to come for me… But to think it would be you, Kenpachi."
"Why would you risk your life for the nobles?"
"You're a commoner! Their squabbles have nothing to do with you."
Despite the venom in his words, Tokinada's movements were swift, each attack aimed with lethal precision. Gosuke Shigure met his assault head-on, his blade emitting a crushing wave of sword pressure that repelled Tokinada's strikes with overwhelming force.
In reply, Shigure spoke calmly, his voice like thunder in the gloom: "You're right. I am a commoner. So I'm not here to defend the nobility. Their rise and fall has nothing to do with me."
His eyes narrowed. "But the justice sought by the common people must never be trampled by the likes of you."
Tsunayashiro Tokinada blinked, surprised by the response.
Gosuke Shigure parried another strike and muttered four words:
"The blind man."
Tokinada's expression shifted.
He remembered.
Kaname Tōsen.
A blind commoner who had once come to the Seireitei seeking justice. Tokinada had humiliated him for daring to challenge the status quo, dismissing his cries for help as the noise of an insect. Had Kyōraku Shunsui not intervened that day, Tokinada would have silenced Tōsen permanently.
Even later, when Central 46 began investigating Tokinada and his own family began considering him expendable, he had viewed it as mere political maneuvering—aristocratic games. Never once had he considered the blind man to be a true threat.
"He was nothing," Tokinada spat. "Just a powerless fool without even Shinigami talent. And yet you—Kenpachi—stand up for him? Ridiculous."
He launched another sword-pressure attack, only for it to be effortlessly broken apart by Shigure's counter-pressure.
Despite having once studied under Yamamoto-Genryūsai alongside Shunsui and Ukitake, Tokinada had never attained their mastery in Zanjutsu. His swordsmanship was refined—but not legendary.
Shigure's sheer presence made that gap undeniable.
Tokinada's confusion deepened.
"How can someone so powerful… defend someone so weak?"
Gosuke Shigure offered no further explanation.
He didn't need to.
In truth, what he'd said about justice was only a surface-level excuse. His reasons ran deeper. The true catalyst wasn't Tōsen—it was the lingering karma of his own past.
Though he now lived as Gosuke Shigure, he had once borne another name: Tsunayashiro Shusui.
After his reincarnation, he tried to sever all ties with that former life. But when he discovered that Shutara Senjumaru—the woman from his past—was still in the Soul Society, he faltered. He had lied to her, hidden the truth. It took her departure to the Royal Palace for him to realize he couldn't truly sever his past.
Rebirth for a Shinigami wasn't like for a human. Humans had short lives and clean ends. But Shinigami, with their prolonged lifespans, carried their karma across centuries.
This wasn't a new life.
It was a continuation.
The slaughter of the Tsunayashiro family by Tokinada had caught him off guard. Initially, Shigure planned to let that family's karma unravel on its own. But Tokinada had made that impossible. His crimes forced Shigure to act.
There could be no peace until that thread was severed.
No redemption.
No forgetting.
With a silent exhale, Shigure let loose a storm of intersecting sword pressure.
Tokinada's defenses shattered under the weight of his spiritual power. His body was hurled backward, crashing through the air like a broken doll.
He was strong—but not strong enough.
The chapter closed in silence, save for the echo of Shigure's blade cutting through the sins of the past.