"Soul King, why did you revive me?"
The Monk slumped unceremoniously on the ground, utterly lacking his former dignity.
As for showing respect toward the Soul King, he had little interest in that anymore.
Whatever.
Tsuna's final punch had contained the all-embracing power of the Sky Flame. The Monk, whose body had been annihilated by that punch, should have had no possibility of resurrection.
Unless the Soul King personally intervened.
Now, thanks to the Soul King's summons, the Monk had regained his life.
But he felt no excitement whatsoever.
The Soul King had deliberately given him such a frail body.
There was obviously another purpose behind it.
The Soul King's cold gaze swept over the Monk.
The Monk immediately straightened himself like a mouse that had spotted a cat.
It was pure instinct.
If the Monk had been capable of tampering with the Soul King's body when the Soul King had chosen to destroy himself, how could someone who had devoured so many pieces of the Soul King possibly be free of contamination?
Leaving a brand deep within the Monk's body that would obey his commands was child's play for the Soul King.
After experiencing this, the Monk no longer dared to show any disrespect.
The fear came from the depths of his soul.
He could only kneel respectfully and listen to the Soul King's instructions.
The Soul King's intentions were transmitted directly into the Monk's mind through Reiatsu.
Only then did the Monk understand what the Soul King wanted.
The Soul King Palace had been completely destroyed in the battle.
Someone was needed to repair it.
At the same time, the management of the world's names also required someone.
All of these responsibilities were being handed over to the Monk.
On the surface, this sounded almost identical to the duties the Monk had performed in the past.
In reality, however, he possessed virtually no authority anymore.
Especially after seeing Ichimonji, now barely as thick as a finger, the Monk had already accepted his fate as a mere tool.
Ichimonji retained only its ability to record names in books.
Abilities such as erasing names or bestowing names were completely gone.
The Monk could only learn a name and then record it in the book.
That was all.
A pure tool.
In this way, there was virtually no difference between the Monk and the other tools serving as the Soul King's blades and shields.
The only thing special about him was his unique appearance.
Though, admittedly, it wasn't particularly attractive.
"Wasn't I always your servant?"
The Monk gave a disdainful laugh.
"And now you want me to become your servant all over again? Is this my punishment for blaspheming against you, Soul King?"
He was willing to accept defeat at Tsuna's hands.
What he could never accept was his own master personally intervening on the enemy's behalf.
Regardless of right or wrong, how was he supposed to accept such punishment from the Soul King?
However, this wasn't something the Monk could simply refuse.
His eyes suddenly turned completely white.
He mechanically walked outside the curtain.
He was going to begin his work.
Meanwhile, the Monk's consciousness remained inside his body, watching himself move like a walking corpse.
Is this the Soul King's punishment?
And isn't this just another form of the Soul King's seal?
The Soul King did not look at the Monk again.
The Monk would remain his servant until the day he finally disappeared from this world.
Seireitei
A huge crowd of Shinigami returned to the Seireitei amid a bustling commotion.
Most of them had no idea why the evacuation had been necessary.
Then they looked up.
Several enormous holes had appeared in the sky.
Every complaint immediately vanished.
Good thing we evacuated.
Who could possibly have created that many holes in the sky? Captain-Commander Yamamoto?
In the minds of ordinary Shinigami, Yamamoto was still the Captain-Commander.
Kyōraku had no time to explain the situation to them.
After assigning every Shinigami except those responsible for routine patrols to the western side of the Seireitei to assist Kisuke Urahara with reconstruction, Kyōraku was the last person to arrive at the First Division.
"Everyone is present."
"Now, we will begin the transfer-of-command ceremony for the Gotei 13 Captain-Commander."
Kyōraku hadn't even had time to head toward his familiar position when the doors slammed shut.
Immediately afterward, Yamamoto announced the beginning of the ceremony.
"Wait, Sensei is really starting the handover this casually?"
Kyōraku was utterly bewildered.
The whole thing looked suspiciously like a deliberate plan to keep him from escaping.
"What?"
Yamamoto's questioning voice carried a hint of irritation.
"Were you expecting to hold some grand ceremony here in the Seireitei?"
"Of course not..."
"Hmph."
"The current Seireitei doesn't have the energy to indulge in unnecessary theatrics."
Yamamoto waved his hand.
"But none of the actual formalities have been omitted."
"All currently active Captain-class Shinigami of the Gotei 13 are present. The members of Squad Zero are also here as witnesses."
"Your ceremony has more than enough dignity."
Indeed, the gathering consisted of more than just Captains.
Shinigami such as Renji, who did not wear a Captain's haori but had nevertheless mastered Bankai, stood behind their respective divisions.
The three members of Squad Zero who had remained in the Seireitei—Senjumaru, Kirinji, and Hikifune—were also present.
With the Monk now repairing the Soul King Palace, they had managed to recover enough strength to stand without embarrassing themselves.
Naturally, none of the three objected to Yamamoto's arrangement.
The Kakaku Cannon had apparently exploded after Sōkaku Shiba's shot backfired, leaving them unable to return to the Soul King Palace.
They could only patiently wait for either the cannon to be repaired or for Urahara's new elevator to be completed.
Their return to the Soul King Palace was still far off.
They weren't particularly eager to go back anyway.
Kyōraku was somewhat speechless.
Admittedly, Yamamoto's ceremony looked rather simple.
But all the necessary prestige was present.
Everyone standing here was a core member of the Seireitei.
With their recognition, Kyōraku taking the position of Captain-Commander was entirely natural.
"Come out."
Yamamoto lightly tapped his cane.
Genjirō Sasakibe entered from a side room carrying a tray.
Resting upon it was the new Captain-Commander's haori Yamamoto had prepared for Kyōraku.
"Do I have to invite you over myself?"
At that point, Kyōraku had no choice.
He put aside his usual carefree demeanor and walked before Yamamoto.
Yamamoto pulled off his old haori in one motion and handed it to Sasakibe.
Then he took the new haori from Genjirō and solemnly draped it over Kyōraku's shoulders.
"All right."
"From today onward, you are the Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13."
"Do what you must."
Yamamoto patted Kyōraku on the shoulder and left with Sasakibe.
From that moment onward, the transfer of power within the Seireitei had officially ushered in a new era.
Scattered applause broke out around the room.
Amid the applause of the Captains, Kyōraku stepped into the position of Captain-Commander.
He wasted no time with pleasantries.
He immediately announced his plans.
"Now, I will announce the Seireitei's arrangements for the future."
"First: Former Captain-Commander Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto will be appointed Headmaster of the Shin'ō Academy of Spiritual Arts, where he will be responsible for the training and education of its students."
"Second: The responsibilities of the Gotei 13 will be redefined."
"The Gotei 13 will no longer exist solely to protect the Soul Society. Its responsibility will be to safeguard the stability of all Three Realms."
"Third: We will establish a special institution known as the Tribunal."
"It will be responsible for overseeing the judgment of serious incidents throughout the Three Realms."
"For the time being, it will be jointly administered by the Shinigami Love Aikawa, the Human Kūgo Ginjō, and the Arrancar Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck."
"Fourth: We will restructure the relationship between the Seireitei and the Soul King Palace."
"The two sides will hold equal standing."
"The Soul King Palace will assist the Shinigami of the Seireitei in increasing their strength, while the Seireitei will likewise do everything in its power to protect the security of the Soul King Palace."
"Fifth: Training methods for Beyond Bankai will be made fully available."
"Every Shinigami who has mastered Bankai must strive toward Beyond Bankai."
"The Captains of each division will be responsible for teaching the corresponding training methods."
"Sixth: Effective immediately, the Seireitei will enter a state of full military readiness."
"Except for personnel engaged in reconstruction, all Shinigami must carry their Zanpakutō at all times."
"The authorization level for Zanpakutō releases will be raised to Beyond Bankai."
"Seventh—"
One order after another was issued from Kyōraku's mouth.
Some were policies he had planned long ago.
Others had been communicated to him by Yamamoto only moments earlier.
Yamamoto had left special information on Ichigo's Substitute Shinigami Badge for Kyōraku.
Through that information, Kyōraku had learned the Soul King's attitude toward them.
He immediately adjusted the Seireitei's approach to its relationship with the Soul King Palace.
The three members of Squad Zero remained silent throughout.
The principal figures responsible for issuing orders within Squad Zero were the Monk and Ōetsu Nimaiya, and neither was present.
The three of them could only tacitly accept Kyōraku's arrangements.
On a personal level, they felt a much stronger attachment to the Seireitei.
Moreover, after the Monk's betrayal had directly stripped them of their power, their loyalty toward him had begun to fracture.
Naturally, none of them felt any desire to speak on behalf of Squad Zero.
Speaking of Ōetsu—
Far away in the Soul King Palace, the Monk, having accepted his current status, suddenly regained control of his body.
Now he understood.
Whether he wanted to or not, he had to serve the Soul King Palace.
Otherwise, his consciousness would remain imprisoned inside this body forever.
The Monk actually possessed a surprisingly healthy mentality.
Since he couldn't resist, he quickly accepted reality and regained control over his body.
He looked around at the still-chaotic Soul King Palace.
The tedious work seemed endless.
Fortunately, he had a way to improve the situation.
Using the Soul King's power connected to the core of the Squad Zero barracks, the Monk called out the name of Ōetsu Nimaiya.
Ōetsu's form was reconstructed before the Monk.
However, he too appeared thin and withered, far weaker than before.
"Monk? What happened to you?"
Ōetsu looked around in surprise.
"Wait... the Soul King Palace got robbed again?"
The word again made the Monk's heart ache.
He handed Ōetsu a shovel.
"Here. Take this."
"Help me repair the Soul King Palace."
"Why bother with all that?"
Ōetsu refused without hesitation.
"I'll just communicate with the Soul King's power and summon the girls to come help us. Wouldn't that be much more enjoyable?"
Ōetsu hurriedly tried to channel the power.
Then he discovered that his body was basically a sieve.
However much Soul King power entered his body, an equivalent amount immediately leaked back out.
"Stop wasting your energy."
The Monk gave him a tired look.
"Accept the work the Soul King has assigned you, swordsmith."
From the moment he had been able to summon Ōetsu, the Monk already knew that the Soul King's treatment of him and Ōetsu was essentially the same.
From now on, Ōetsu could only be a tool for providing Zanpakutō to Shinigami.
The title of God of Blades was gone forever.
"Swordsmith?"
Ōetsu savored the word for a moment.
The Monk hadn't called him that in countless years.
Perhaps the last time had been when they had first met.
"Wait."
Ōetsu hurried after him.
"If I'm the swordsmith, what are you?"
"Me?"
The Monk sighed.
"I'm just a record keeper..."
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 70+ chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/Sagamaster789