"Yoruichi, it seems you really despise that Major."
The two of them walked down the corridor.
Recalling Yoruichi's cold demeanor when facing the Major, Ren looked at his wife, who still looked somber, and sighed.
"You didn't say a single word the entire time."
"I don't recall you having such a quiet personality."
"Of course," Yoruichi said indignantly. "Anyone would feel disgusted by a warmonger who has completely cast aside his humanity."
She turned to her husband, her voice filled with confusion.
"But what about you? Why did you think to invite him? What were you thinking?"
"If a madman like that is brought to the Soul Society, he'll turn the place upside down. London's current tragedy might very well be the Seireitei's future."
"Yoruichi, I simply admire his unwavering will."
Ren thought back to what he knew of the Major, his voice carrying a peculiar weight.
"Anyone with such firm conviction is worthy of respect."
"Regardless of whether the path that will seeks to follow is good or evil, one cannot deny the value of such determination."
"But someone like that fat man slaughtered so many innocents," Yoruichi countered. "What is there to respect about such an evil will?"
"It's not that he didn't have it from the start; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to cause so many deaths."
"The Major is indeed an irredeemable villain," Ren said. "So I am only acknowledging his resolve to see his goals through at any cost."
Yoruichi's expression finally softened slightly upon hearing this.
"Then what was that about him encountering war in the Soul Society?"
"Just a bit of recruitment talk."
During their conversation, they reached their destination.
Inside a laboratory deep within the airship, raging flames were already roaring.
A wave of heat rushed toward them.
Inside the room were two corpses.
A youth leaned in the corner, a cigarette that hadn't finished burning still gripped in his hand.
Another had been crushed by falling steel, reduced to a mangled mess of flesh and blood.
Yoruichi looked at the youth's corpse and recognized him immediately—he was the butler who had fought Alucard.
Ren waved his hand over the two bodies. Their souls, which had been suppressed by Kido, were released from their flesh and floated above the corpses.
"Ah, it hurts, it hurts... wait, it doesn't hurt anymore."
"I am... a soul?"
The two souls regained their senses. Seeing their translucent forms, they immediately understood their current state.
They also noticed the other soul in the room and the two unfamiliar figures.
Yoruichi scanned the two souls. She didn't recognize the tall, thin man wearing strange glasses and moved her gaze past him.
Her eyes settled on the soul that had emerged from the young butler.
Unlike the adult man she had seen before or the boy he was when he died, this soul looked like a spirited old man.
"You're the butler from earlier, aren't you?" Yoruichi asked. "Why does your soul look like this?"
Walter glanced at the Doctor, then at the man and woman who had appeared out of nowhere. He remained remarkably composed.
"Shouldn't you introduce yourselves before asking questions?"
Ren spoke up. "We are Soul Reapers from another world. We've come to ask if you'd like to join us."
"Another world!"
"Soul Reapers!"
Shocked expressions appeared on both souls. After examining Ren closely, a look of wonder flashed in their eyes.
Looking at their own ethereal states, they couldn't help but believe Ren's words.
The tall, thin Doctor adjusted his glasses. "If I go to another world with you, what will happen to me? Will I be subjected to torture or punishment?"
"No," Ren replied. "You're simply moving to a different afterlife to continue your existence."
"Of course, if you have the aptitude, you can still eat and drink like a living person."
Seeing Ren's solemn expression, the Doctor bit his lip. "You don't look like the lying type... but I have one more question. What about the Major?"
"I invited him, but he refused," Ren said.
"I see..."
The Doctor fell silent for a moment. Coming to his senses, he immediately declared his choice.
"I agree. I'm willing to go with you."
Walter couldn't help but sneer in disdain at this.
The Doctor glared back. If a Soul Reaper weren't standing right there, he likely would have started a shouting match.
Yoruichi turned to Walter. "You still haven't answered me. Why do you look like this? It's so different from your physical body."
Walter placed his hand over his heart and gave a polite bow. "I was originally an old man of this age. My youthful appearance was the result of the modification surgery performed on me by that fellow over there."
Yoruichi looked at the Doctor in surprise. She hadn't expected anyone in this world to be capable of such a thing.
"And you?" Ren asked. "Are you willing to come?"
Hesitation flashed across Walter's face. "Before I answer, I also have a question."
"Ask."
"If I go to your world, can I ever come back to visit?" Walter added, "Not frequently, just once in a while would be enough."
"Is it because of the master you betrayed?" Yoruichi guessed.
She had watched the entire battle between Walter and Alucard, including the complicated relationship between Walter and Integra.
Walter's expression turned complex. He didn't speak, but he nodded, confirming her suspicion.
"I'll allow it," Ren said.
97
"You have my deepest gratitude."
Walter bowed low, his head bowed.
"Since you were a butler in life—" Ren mused for a moment, then said, "You shall continue to serve as a butler for my family in the Soul Society."
The Shihoin family was large enough that one more butler was hardly a burden.
He looked at Yoruichi. "What do you think of this arrangement, Yoruichi?"
Yoruichi waved a hand dismissively. "I don't mind. You decide."
"Yes."
Once Walter accepted the role, the Doctor hurriedly asked, "What about me? I believe my research skills are quite excellent. Is there a suitable position for me?"
Since he was going to a new world, finding a job to secure his future was his top priority.
"I have other plans for you."
With that, Ren drew the Zanpakuto at his waist and finalized the contract with the two souls.
As the fire in the room intensified, Ren and Yoruichi led the souls out of the airship's interior.
Seeing Ren deactivate the Kido covering the city and draw his Zanpakuto to open a gateway, Yoruichi asked, "Mister Serious, what about that thorny priest? You're not taking him?"
"He is a religious zealot. His soul belongs to his god, and he yearns for Hell. He would never accept my invitation," Ren explained.
There was no need to even ask; the answer was obvious.
Ren didn't waste any more breath on it.
He swung his blade at the empty air.
To the shock of the two souls, a rift was instantly torn into the space before them.
"Let's go. Back to the Soul Society."
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]