Night falls.
Makoto arrived at the home of Robin and Hokage Konan.
As soon as he pushed open the door, he was greeted by the fresh fragrance of shampoo and body wash, which filled the entire living room.
Hancock was the one who opened the door to welcome him.
She was always so eager and full of enthusiasm when facing Makoto, wanting to win his favor.
Tonight, she was dressed in a red qipao, accentuating her tall and alluring figure.
She knew that Makoto loved seeing her in such attire, so most of her wardrobe consisted of qipaos.
She was also wearing high heels as she stood in the living room.
"Your Majesty." Hancock's face was adorned with a bright smile as she eagerly reached out to embrace Makoto, expressing her joy.
The warm and fragrant atmosphere helped Makoto shed the fatigue of the day.
Robin and Nami, who were in the living room, also bowed respectfully to Makoto.
In a small group, as long as one person was well-mannered, they could influence the others to be the same.
Makoto's lips curled into a slight smile.
Wrapping one arm around Hancock's waist, he reached back to close the door and then walked further into the living room.
The sound of running water echoed from the bathroom—someone was still showering.
Since Robin, Nami, and Hancock were all present, the one in the bathroom could only be Hokage Konan.
Makoto remarked, "She hasn't come out yet?"
Robin lowered her head and said, "Apologies, Your Majesty. It's my fault for not reminding her to prepare in advance."
As they spoke, the sound of water suddenly stopped.
Before long, a figure emerged from the bathroom.
Hokage Konan was dressed in a nightgown.
Upon noticing the people in the living room, she seemed a little uneasy, her gaze flickering as she tucked a damp strand of hair behind her ear.
..............
Once a God who governed the cycle of reincarnation, he had, for some unknown reason, fallen into depravity and become a demon that devoured everything.
Few people pondered over this mystery, as they were far more concerned with the current state of the Soul Society.
Originally, after traversing the Dangai, they had arrived here and learned about the fate of the Soul Society from Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto.
Now, having met Kyoraku Shunsui, they finally heard the full account of everything that had transpired—including the emperor's sinister plot.
"He intends to take full control of the Soul Society," Yamamoto said with a frown.
After the first rebellion in the Soul Society, the emperor of the living world became its so-called savior.
If he were to "rescue" it once more, it would be all too easy for him to take over the now leaderless Seireitei.
Ichibe Hyosube pondered for a moment before saying, "We must find a way to escape from here. If we can return to the Soul Society, that would be ideal."
This dark void was completely empty, and it was only thanks to their extraordinary abilities that they had managed to endure for so long.
However, they had already tried countless methods to escape, yet even the coordinates of the Dangai had been lost upon arriving here.
There were those among them who wielded the power of space, as demonstrated by the Senkaimon that connected the Soul Society to the living world.
However, their abilities were far from reaching the level where they could open a portal with a mere wave of the hand, as Makoto could.
"Unless someone from the Soul Society finds us and opens a gateway linking this place," Urahara Kisuke suddenly suggested.
To the others, this seemed like nothing more than a faint glimmer of hope.
Even if someone in the Soul Society possessed the ability to do so, how would they even realize that these people were trapped here?
Yamamoto's disappearance had been orchestrated by the emperor of the living world, making it appear as though he had been slain by a monstrous version of Kuchiki Byakuya.
Not even the autopsy had revealed any inconsistencies.
Now that Kyoraku had gone missing, the scenario would likely repeat itself.
With Seireitei backed into a corner, its only option would be to seek aid from the Empire of the living world once again.
And thus, the true mastermind—the emperor—would once more be hailed as the savior of the Soul Society.
..............
A night passed.
Makoto was awakened by a subordinate's report, informing him that an envoy from the Soul Society had arrived and was currently waiting in the front hall of the palace.
Outside, the sky was just beginning to brighten.
Last night, he had spent a long time at Robin and Hokage Konan's place, only to be caught by Mikoto and Kushina when he returned.
As a result, he hadn't gotten much sleep.
Stretching lazily, he got up and dressed.
At this hour, even Neji—who was usually an early riser—had yet to stir.
Once dressed, Makoto made his way to the front hall.
It was still too early; even Samui hadn't arrived yet.
The visitor was a familiar face—Unohana Retsu.
She had also been the one to come seeking aid last time.
"Coming so early—what's the matter, Captain Unohana?"
Makoto sat lazily in the main seat, gazing at Unohana, who stood before him.
"My deepest apologies for disturbing Your Majesty's rest at this hour."
Unohana first bowed in apology before continuing with a solemn expression, "I humbly request Your Majesty's aid for the Soul Society once more."
Makoto raised an eyebrow in apparent surprise. "What happened to the Soul Society?"
Unohana explained, "Another rebellion has erupted, just like last time. Head Captain Kyoraku has suddenly gone missing."
Makoto feigned shock. "Head Captain Kyoraku…?"
Unohana continued, "Lieutenant Ise Nanao is still unconscious. They were attending a noble banquet together, but every guest at the banquet mysteriously turned into a monster… We are currently investigating Head Captain Kyoraku's whereabouts."
Given the circumstances, many suspected that Kyoraku had met the same fate as Head Captain Yamamoto, having already been killed.
However, since there was no body this time, Unohana was reluctant to jump to conclusions.
With the Gotei 13 once again left without a Head Captain, she had no choice but to turn to the Emperor of the living world for help—hoping that, just like last time, he would extend his hand to aid the Soul Society.
Makoto sat there in thought and asked, "Has there been any progress in the investigation of the previous rebellion?"
Unohana replied, "Head Captain Kyoraku was the one overseeing the investigation, but now that he has gone missing and his lieutenant remains unconscious… We questioned the members of the First Division, and there has been some progress. It appears to be related to… the living world."
"Oh?" Makoto raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"If that's the case, why didn't you come to me earlier? If it concerns the living world, I would've been able to help."
Unohana felt a sense of helplessness.
This connection to the living world had only just come to light, and now this incident had occurred.
Moreover, since it was related to the living world…
Her thoughts wavered, but she maintained her composure and said, "Before we had the chance to discuss it with Your Majesty, this unfortunate event took place."
She had come to the living world to seek the emperor's aid because there was simply no other option.
Kyoraku's disappearance had left the Shinigami of Seireitei without a proper leader.
Although she was the most senior among them and had demonstrated her strength during the previous interworld conference, her authority still did not compare to Kyoraku.
Among the captains, the only one who could have matched him in influence had been Captain Ukitake—who had disappeared even earlier.
"Can you share the details of your investigation with me?" Makoto inquired.
"If it involves the living world, I can also send people to look into it directly."
At this moment, Unohana was hoping that the emperor would hurry to the Soul Society with her and suppress the rebellion first.
However, she could only follow the emperor's lead, so she immediately relayed the intelligence gathered from the members of the First Division.
The Shinigami's investigation had led them to the pirates of the vast ocean.
Although Makoto had established the Maritime Guild, conflicts between various forces still arose in the depths of the sea.
Where there was conflict, there were casualties; where there were souls of the deceased, Shinigami naturally appeared.
By chance, the Shinigami had witnessed a battle involving a Zoan-type Devil Fruit user.
To their shock, his transformation bore an uncanny resemblance to the monstrous entities they had recently fought in the Soul Society.
Makoto knew the Shinigami had reached this stage in their investigation—otherwise, he wouldn't have initiated the next step in his plan.
However, based on Unohana's report, they had yet to obtain any concrete information before their trail was cut off.
Unohana's explanation was brief.
Once she finished, Makoto sat in thought for a moment before picking up a communication device and directly dialing the Water Mist City in the Province of Water.
At this early hour, most people were still asleep, except for a few night shift personnel who had yet to change shifts.
Makoto waited for a response from Hyuga Kiyomi, the head of the Water Province's Ninja Guild branch, while Unohana had no choice but to wait alongside him.
She faintly sensed that, unlike last time, the emperor did not seem as eager to assist the Soul Society.
She had already witnessed the overwhelming power of the emperor—quelling the rebellion in the Soul Society would be as effortless as lifting a finger for him.
However, what he chose to do or not to do was not something she could question.
A sense of unease crept into Unohana's heart.
This time, something felt different from before.
The emperor of the living world had always proclaimed himself a friend of the Soul Society.
His previous actions had even given her the illusion that he truly cared for their world.
In the end, it all came down to interests and positions.
"Captain Unohana, there's no need to be anxious. It's better to uncover the root of this matter first; otherwise, it will just be like last time—treating the symptoms but not the cause," the emperor reassured her.
"Your Majesty is right," Unohana could only agree, though in her heart, she thought that Seireitei had already become a battlefield, with people dying every moment.
The immediate crisis had to be dealt with first.
Outside, the misty sky gradually brightened as the sun rose. Makoto leaned back in his chair, finding a comfortable position, and closed his eyes to rest.
Samui then arrived.
Seeing Makoto and Unohana on the first floor of the pavilion, she was slightly surprised but immediately bowed to Makoto.
"Your Majesty."
"Hmm." Makoto responded calmly.
"Your Majesty is here quite early today," Samui remarked.
"There are matters to attend to," Makoto said before yawning.
"Massage my shoulders. I didn't sleep well last night."
Samui glanced at the resting emperor, then moved behind him and began massaging his shoulders.
Her movements were skilled and gentle—this was something she had done many times before, and it came naturally to her.
However, ever since Hokage Tsunade, Hancock, and Kaguya had entered the emperor's inner circle, she had fewer opportunities to do this.
The familiar fragrance of his close aide made Makoto feel even more relaxed.
Across from him, Unohana watched the scene with an unchanged expression, but her mind was filled with countless thoughts.
Would this emperor of the living world still help the Soul Society?
What exactly did he want?
Even if the Soul Society survived this ordeal, the outcome would be worse than last time.
Previously, with Yamamoto, the Soul Society had the strength to stand on equal footing with the living world.
But now, even Kyoraku had gone missing.
Could it be that this emperor had developed some new ideas because of this…?
And the matter Kyoraku had been investigating—was connected to the living world.
If she dared to think boldly, Unohana realized that she could easily view the emperor before her as a scheming conspirator with ulterior motives.
"Your Majesty, would you like to have a light meal?"
"Alright."
Samui went to the lounge on the second floor.
Now that they were alone in the room, Unohana hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"Your Majesty… while uncovering the root cause of the turmoil is important, right now, countless monsters are rampaging through the Soul Society. We Shinigami have suffered heavy casualties. Could Your Majesty help us first—"
Before she could finish, the communication device on the table suddenly rang, interrupting her.
Makoto picked it up and placed it to his ear.
Seeing this, Unohana had no choice but to fall silent.
She couldn't make out the voice on the other end, nor could she read anything from the emperor's expression.
After a moment, Makoto put the device down.
"Your Majesty." Unohana fixed her gaze on him.
But Makoto simply curled his lips into a smile.
"Let's go—to the Soul Society."
"..."
Hearing those words, Unohana finally breathed a sigh of relief.
She hoped that all her earlier concerns were just overthinking.
At that moment, Samui returned, carrying a tray with some snacks and tea.
Makoto casually picked up a piece of pastry, popped it into his mouth, and then, without hesitation, sliced open a spatial gate and stepped through.
—
Above the Soul Society, Makoto and Unohana stood high in the sky.
The scene below was nearly identical to the last time.
Makoto didn't act immediately.
Instead, he turned to Unohana and asked,
"This time as well—these monsters were all once noblemen of Seireitei, weren't they?"
Unohana was momentarily stunned before she gave a slight nod.
Makoto continued, "If they are all killed, then what will the future of the Soul Society and Seireitei look like?"
"..."
Unohana suddenly felt a chill run down her spine.
One riot last time.
Another riot this time.
Seireitei had lost not only two Head Captains and a great number of Shinigami…
But also the nobility!
Between these two incidents, nearly the entire upper echelon of Seireitei had been wiped out!
If they were all slaughtered once more, what would become of Seireitei's future?
Without a Head Captain… without nobles to govern… how would the Gotei 13 continue to function?
A terrible realization struck Unohana, and she abruptly turned her head to look at the man beside her.
Just like last time, this emperor of the living world was about to become the Soul Society's savior once again!
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