"Stand back, all of you."
—Bakudo #86: Thousand Brilliant Spires!—
In the fleeting moment while everyone was stunned, countless shimmering crystals erupted from the four battlefields on the ground.
"What?!"
"Damn it... Kido?!"
Giriko, Jackie, Yukio, and Shishigawara were instantly snared. They struggled frantically, but the binding spell—resembling a dense forest of frost pillars—refused to budge.
"Ho... you've certainly improved your skills, Toshiro."
Hearing Isshin's admiration, Ichigo Kurosaki, who was still held by Ginjo's chains, snapped his head up. He heard the caster's voice and felt the familiar spiritual pressures filling the air. Several silhouettes were floating in the night sky above.
"...!"
Seeing those faces, Ichigo called out their names instinctively.
"Toshiro! Renji! Ikkaku!"
"Kenpachi!"
"Even Byakuya...!"
He could never forget them. These were the Soul Reapers of the Gotei 13 who had fought the Arrancar army by his side and saved the lives of him and his friends.
But there was one more surprise.
"Snnnfffff... What is this...? I only took a breath of the local air, yet I can't stop crying...! Why does the World of the Living have to be so nostalgic?!"
"...Huh? You... Shinji?!"
For reasons Ichigo couldn't fathom, the bob-cut man from the Visoreds—the one who had overseen his Hollowfication training—was there too. Perhaps his half-crying state about "the good old days" was explained by the Captain's robe he now wore over his black robes.
In the midst of the shock and confusion, Toshiro, who had been scanning the area with a sharp gaze, began to release an intense spiritual pressure.
"...Alright—let's do this!"
"Yeah! Let's show 'em what for! Don't anyone screw this up!"
"I need no reminders from you, Shinji."
Responding to the young genius's signal were Shinji Hirako and the long-haired aristocrat, Byakuya Kuchiki. The three shifted their positions with god-speed Flash Steps.
However, the person at the center of their focus was not an enemy.
"! Hey, what are you guys—"
"Be quiet, Kurosaki. Just stay still for a second."
Toshiro and the others surrounded Ichigo himself. Facing the Substitute Soul Reaper bound in chains, the three began a synchronized chant.
"Align the four phenomena, pervade the dual hexagrams. The seven-pillared enclosure. The twenty-eight gates. I call upon the magpie at the shores of the silver river."
—The Star-Woven Key!—
Accompanying a massive surge of spiritual pressure, a mysterious, glowing key appeared. It was a massive, warped object with horizontal teeth spreading out like a fan. Ichigo felt a strange sense of déjà vu looking at it.
But the spell continued.
"The shell of the tortoise. The white scroll that records the hex. The Star-Mother's Key!"
"The tally of the serpent's body. The reflection of the beast's visage. The Star-Lord's Key!"
Shinji and Byakuya each manifested a new key on Ichigo's left and right. The combined spiritual pressure radiating from the three objects was large enough to cause a shiver of dread.
"The brilliant lock of the elucidating blade. The maiden of the celestial robe, the spirit-seal, and the heavenly shuttle."
Following the incantation, the glowing keys, crackling with lightning, closed in on Ichigo simultaneously.
And finally...
"The interlocking fangs acknowledge the Royal Vessel—"
—Anti-Kido Counter: Fang-Lock Seal Unbinding!—
With Ichigo Kurosaki at the center, the three keys clicked together into one.
+++
—Click—
"!? ...So that's how it is...!"
The first to notice the change was Kugo Ginjo, the man controlling the chains. Immediately following his shock, the chains of light wrapped around Ichigo fell away, clattering uselessly to the ground.
"The unbinding is a success."
"! My power... it's back...!"
Free at last, Ichigo checked his condition and frantically looked toward the dissolved chains.
"Relax, Kurosaki. That Hinamori's artificial soul is safe."
Toshiro's voice reached him from behind.
"Anti-Kido Counter. It works by striking the target with an equivalent spell that has the spiritual pressure, formula, and incantation direction inverted, neutralizing it. In other words, it's a Kido designed only to cancel out the sealing spell placed on you. Logically, it cannot harm Hinamori's soul inhabiting the object."
"...I see... thank goodness..."
Ichigo breathed a sigh of relief at the white-haired Captain's explanation. Ginjo's spiritual pressure hadn't changed either, so the explanation held true.
"..."
"...Toshiro?"
Feeling a gaze, Ichigo turned to see the boy staring at him with a look that suggested he was holding something back. It wasn't the look of someone happy to see a friend.
Toshiro pouted his lips in annoyance and murmured quietly after a moment.
"...You two seem pretty close."
"?"
Before Ichigo could ask for clarification, the boy turned away with a huff and walked off. Ichigo was left scratching his head, unable to get a word out of him.
"—It's been a while, Ichigo."
A new voice entered the awkward atmosphere. It was the red-haired man he knew well, with the bald spear-wielder standing a few paces behind him.
"Renji. Ikkaku."
"Ichigo..."
Renji Abarai and Ikkaku Madarame looked troubled, as if they were hesitating to say something.
But before they could reveal what was on their minds, new footsteps broke the silence.
"Byakuya."
Standing there was the sharp, beautiful aristocrat, Byakuya Kuchiki. His silent rebuke made his Lieutenant choke on his words.
"Captain Kuchiki, I..."
"Wait, Renji. We will speak of that later."
"...Yes, sir."
After a moment's hesitation, Renji reluctantly stepped back. Ichigo watched the Soul Reapers with a sense of unease, given the heavy atmosphere.
However, Byakuya's first words were entirely unexpected.
"Ichigo Kurosaki. There is someone who wishes to speak with you."
Ichigo blinked in surprise. He couldn't think of anyone who would require such a formal introduction from the head of one of the Four Great Noble Houses.
"Eh...?"
"If you have no objections... the numerous dangers she braved to come here should serve as a sufficient price for your time."
"She is someone whose position does not easily allow her to set foot in the World of the Living," Byakuya explained, glancing behind him and stepping to Ichigo's left to clear the path.
Standing there was... a young girl.
She had a refined, traditional presence. She wore a high-collared white robe similar to those worn by the Captains. Her hair was tied atop her head with a crown-like ornament. The dignified posture of Renji and the other officers surrounding her as guards made her noble status clear.
Yet, when she spoke, her voice was as hesitant as her appearance suggested.
"...I am honored to meet you, Ichigo Kurosaki, the second Substitute Soul Reaper. I am Nayura Amakado, twenty-fifth head of the Amakado house and a member of the Council of Forty-Six Sages."
Ichigo stared at the child, mesmerized. Even Isshin, watching from a distance, was fixated on her.
The position Nayura claimed was one that governed the absolute laws of the Soul Reapers. She held a seat among the highest authorities ruling the Seireitei.
Stating that she had insisted on accompanying Lord Byakuya, she spoke to Ichigo with a somber expression.
"Lord Kurosaki, I believe you have heard no small amount of our ill repute."
"Ill repute...?"
"Indeed. We are the ones who ordered the execution of Lady Rukia of the Kuchiki house—the woman you saved. We are the ones who used you as a vanguard in the war against Sosuke Aizen... and for these past seventeen months, we are the ones who forced you to live as a mere human. The responsibility for every pain that has tormented you... lies with us."
Nayura's speech began as a blunt confession of the corruption and decay within the Seireitei's upper echelons.
As the former Chief Librarian of the Great Spirit Book Gallery, which recorded the long history of the Soul Society, Nayura was rich in knowledge. However, she explained that it was only after inspecting the barracks and the Rukongai alongside noble-born Soul Reapers like Shunsui Kyoraku and Izuru Kira that she learned the ugly truth of the Council.
"After Aizen's imprisonment, many opinions were voiced that your Soul Reaper powers should be restored. ...But at the time, I rejected those proposals."
"..."
"The laws of the Soul Society exist to protect all humans and souls. I chose to uphold those moldy laws created in ancient times and gave my seal. I did so without even confirming if that was truly your wish—the wish of our hero..."
Nayura, like the others, was a newly appointed sage who had taken office after Aizen's massacre of the Council. Consequently, she had been forced to rely on past precedents for most decisions. To regain the authority shaken by the massacre, she had prioritized the letter of the law over the spirit of justice, resulting in many injustices against the man who had brought Aizen down.
She deeply regretted this. She stood before Ichigo not just as someone bearing the responsibility for turning a blind eye to the Gotei 13's current unauthorized action, but—even if unofficially—as a representative of the Central 46.
"Lord Ichigo Kurosaki. I, Nayura Amakado, offer my sincerest and deepest apologies for involving you so deeply in our internal affairs... and for our behavior, which treated your kindness with such base ingratitude."
The young girl then bowed her head low.
"...I intend to reform the Central 46's corrupt traditions, which take their cues from heavenly law. There are several sages among my peers who share this view. If we can work together to sweep away the foul winds of absolute rule that plague the nobility... the Soul Society can be changed."
"...!"
"The past cannot be undone; our sins will never vanish. As a small measure of atonement, I swear here and now to dedicate my life to the reformation of the Central 46."
Still bowing, her voice grew stronger.
"And when our reformation is achieved, before all else..."
—I shall return to you, Lord Kurosaki, to offer my formal apology and report.—
With that, Nayura Amakado fell silent.
A long silence dominated the scene. The Soul Reapers, Ichigo's human friends, and the Fullbringers of XCUTION were all quiet. Even Kenpachi Zaraki, who had been grinning while sizing up strong opponents, wore a look of surprise.
Everyone was captivated by her dream—what Nayura herself called a "naive child's ideal"—born from having witnessed so much evil at such a young age.
Ichigo looked at the apologetic girl.
Her small fists were clenched tight. Her slender shoulders were tense. He couldn't possibly know the weight of the resolve behind her declaration.
But Ichigo Kurosaki was not so small-minded that he couldn't acknowledge the brave heart of a girl younger than his own sisters.
"...Raise your head."
Ichigo chuckled at the flinching Nayura and gently patted her head.
"Thanks, kid. You've worked really hard for someone so small."
"...!"
"It helps. If you do that, then maybe... Renji and the others won't have to look so miserable anymore."
Leaving those words, the youth offered a smile to the Soul Reapers standing behind Nayura.
"Ichigo..."
Watching the tough guys tearing up made Ichigo chuckle, and he made an exaggerated gesture of being weirded out.
"Geez, enough! Who are you guys?! You've been moping around this whole time! It's depressing and totally gross!"
"G-Gross?! We... we owe you so much...!"
"That's what I mean by 'depressing'!"
He let out a sigh at their lingering tension. Staring at the ground, Ichigo exhaled the heat built up in his lungs.
"...To be honest, I've been pretty down lately myself. The badge, and all those things I thought were 'weird'... it all hit me at once..."
He couldn't lie and say he had no complaints.
"But Rukia came. Mr. Urahara worked hard to find a way to get my power back. And Renji and the others... you all gave me your power."
And above all...
"You guys came to help me, even if it meant breaking orders."
For Ichigo, that was enough.
"I've fought with you all for the things we care about—both as enemies and as allies. I knew exactly what kind of people you were back then."
"...!"
"When I saved Rukia and you guys acknowledged it, I realized... the Gotei 13... you guys are my comrades."
He had understood the organizational shackles the Gotei 13 faced since the incident with the Kuchiki siblings. Looking at Renji and the others now, he could see the deep internal struggle they had gone through. It would be uncool to keep complaining about things they couldn't control.
Seeing Renji chuckle and mutter, "You really are something...", Ichigo smiled, knowing no more words were needed.
"No, I still want to apologize...! I'm sorry, truly!"
"I told you it's fine, didn't I? Honestly, you're throwing me off my game..."
The weight in Ichigo's chest finally vanished, thanks to the Soul Reapers' earnestness. With clear eyes, he turned back to face one man.
"—So, that's how it is, Ginjo!"
He leveled his gaze at his formidable opponent, Kugo Ginjo, who had so skillfully tried to coax him into abandoning the Gotei 13.
"I've heard a lot from you and these guys, and I still can't say much about the Soul Society itself. And obviously, I don't think I'll be friends with that 'Central Whatever' until this kid, Nayura, changes it."
Perhaps "coaxed" was too harsh a word. Ginjo hadn't been lying, and his overflowing hatred and sorrow had truly resonated with Ichigo.
"But even if you hate everything about the Soul Society... to me, not everything about them is bad."
Yes. If there was one difference between him and Ginjo...
"So, sorry. Long before I met you..."
—I swore to my very soul... that I would trust my comrades!—
...it was the presence of friends he could trust.
"...I see."
Ginjo murmured, acknowledging the bond between Ichigo and the Soul Reapers surrounding him from a distance.
"That's a shame."
"—?!"
In the next instant, the man released an explosive burst of spiritual pressure from his entire body.
"...To be honest, I knew it would end up like this from the start."
A massive torrent of power made the air tremble. At its center, Kugo Ginjo stood with his head bowed, speaking with an eerie tone.
"I just... needed confirmation. No, I had to burn the image of something 'real' into my eyes to satisfy myself. I had to see the difference between us."
These were his honest feelings. Saying goodbye to his lingering regrets, Ginjo opened his eyes.
And then.
"TSUKISHIMAAAA!!"
The man's roar called out the name of his last remaining ally.
"How long are you going to play around?! Steel yourself! Say your prayers! I've already thrown away everything I don't need!!"
"! No... CHAD!!"
Ichigo instinctively searched for the surrounding spiritual pressures.
But there was nothing. The spiritual pressure of his best friend, who had volunteered for a duel with their most terrifying enemy, had vanished with unnatural suddenness.
"—So that is your answer?"
Suddenly, a man appeared before the panicked Ichigo.
It was Shukuro Tsukishima, looking ragged from the intense combat.
"What happened? You look like you had a tough time. Did you underestimate a 'weakling' like Giriko did with Inoue?"
"Don't be stupid, Ginjo. You were so busy chatting with your 'toy' Ichigo that I had to handle everything else myself."
One negotiating, one operating in the shadows. Despite their insults, the two smiled at each other with total confidence. It was a smile that showed a bond so strong no one could come between them, yet it was also a distant, hollow smile of resignation.
"...Thanks to that, I've made up my mind. You're the one who saved my life, so I'll stay with you until the very end."
"Hah! Don't talk such nonsense! The 'end' is never going to come!"
And so, the two Fullbringers who had founded XCUTION crossed their blades and their spiritual pressures...
...and leveled them at the hated Soul Reapers.
"Because there isn't an enemy in the world that we can't defeat together!"
+++
(...Hah. 'Tough love,' huh?)
In the mental world of the blue skyscrapers, a single white-clad youth stood alone. His voice, filled with malice, sounded quite amused.
"You use some pretty soft words for someone like you, 'Zangetsu.'"
"..."
"Are you really that worried? About him finding out what that person is planning?"
The "white" youth's words hit the mark, but the other resident offered no response. Finding this amusing, the youth cast a searching glance at the man clad in the opposing color.
"Or is it that you feel something for that masked lady who vanished? ...Hehe, I get it. You two have similar circumstances, after all."
Whatever the hidden truth was, it was a fact. The silent man in black finally frowned at the "white" youth's mockery.
"...You seem to be in a very good mood, White. Is your freedom that pleasing to you?"
"Hey, don't get mad. I actually sympathize with you guys, you know? Both my 'Mother' and the ■■■■■■■ a thousand years from now are supposedly horrific monsters with no trace of their former selves!"
The youth burst into laughter, unable to contain himself. The man glared at him sharply.
"Ah, I can't wait! I wonder how big a battlefield she's going to prepare for us...! I can't stop drooling just thinking about it!"
After he finished laughing, he turned to leave for the forest of skyscrapers. With a wicked grin, he left one final remark.
"Hang in there, 'Zangetsu.' This is where it really starts. If Ichigo is going to survive the hell that's coming... your cooperation is going to be essential."
The man who was left behind slowly looked up at the sky alone. The dark cloak fluttering in the wind spoke for his inner thoughts.
"...Can you hear me, you poor, nameless doll?"
The man threw the question into the distance, as if to comfort the ill-fated friend he had spent over a decade with.
No, it's fine if you can't hear me. My words—the words of one who could do nothing for that masked girl but offer a kind lie to the innocent child, Ichigo—are likely not worth reaching your ears.
"...Then at least, as a comrade. I have one message for you to take back with you."
Our voices. The proof of our resolve.
—Tell her, 'Do not be mistaken.'—
The man glared intensely into the void. So that it would be seen. So that it would be heard.
By the lovely, arrogant observer who surely stood beyond it...
"Reader. You are not the one who will guide Ichigo. The one who will show that child the right path is..."
***
10 Advanced Chapters Available on my Patreon!
https://patreon.com/Well_being