"Didn't you learn Kaidō just for fighting?"
Aiyan was a little surprised to see that Unohana Yachiru didn't seem to want to come back to life, but after a moment's thought, he understood.
"Is it because of Seireitei's conviction and the existence of Yamamoto?"
"The current Soul Society can only tolerate a Fourth Division captain with both talent and beauty.
"There is no room for a First Generation Kenpachi, and there is no room for you — the one known as the greatest villain of all time, the real Unohana Yachiru."
Captain of the First Generation Gotei 13.
Walk, or die.
What's left is a completely different person.
Nothing else.
Just because Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni changed his career — instead of being a killer, he became the captain.
He didn't like to fight anymore; he liked to protect.
He said goodbye to killing and crime, and embraced rules and justice.
What followed was the transformation of the entire killer group.
If you don't follow the captain, I'll send you away.
If you leave with the captain, then you will transfer together.
"I really like fighting."
"But today, thousands of years later, there are fewer and fewer reasons to fight."
"You have given me the ultimate enjoyment; someone has inherited the name of Kenpachi."
The corners of Unohana's blood-stained lips raised slightly, and her weak voice showed a trace of freedom and ease:
"I had planned to fight you for three days and then die in your hands."
"It's just two days in advance.
"So be it."
Her eyelashes trembled slightly, and she slowly opened her eyes, looking at Aiyan standing so close — as if she wanted to remember this face at the end of her life.
Using her last strength to carve it into her soul.
"Do you want to be yourself?"
"I'm not referring to the First Generation Kenpachi, but to you — the one who, before joining the Gotei 13, was known as the greatest villain of all time in Soul Society."
"Do you want to enjoy fighting forever?"
"Be unrestrained, do whatever you want, and let your blade no longer be restricted by Soul Society or anyone else?"
Aiyan leaned over and picked up Unohana Yachiru.
"I knew it."
"Heroes and villains."
"Under this body called a Shinigami hero, there's a vicious heart hidden. I knew it from the first moment I saw you."
Unohana did not resist, instead snuggling into Aiyan's arms. She tried her best to turn her neck, placing her ear against Aiyan's chest, as if listening to his heartbeat.
"Why don't you expose me?"
Aiyan lifted his feet off the ground, flying into the sky toward the desert above the canyon.
"Just like you said."
"I am the most evil person in Soul Society's history — not the inextinguishable good person."
"Kenpachi can't be a good person, and evil people can't pretend to be one. It's good to see you doing things you can't do yourself."
Unohana coughed, blood soaking into Aiyan's Shihakushō.
"I'm here to help you. Just follow me."
"In that case… I'll let you be yourself."
Aiyan didn't care that his uniform was stained with blood; instead, he looked down into Unohana's eyes.
Those words were like a sledgehammer, striking her soul hard.
No one truly wants to be themselves.
Unless they've changed.
Just like Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni, who changed from killer to captain, from killing to protecting.
But what about Unohana Yachiru?
From the great villain to the First Generation Kenpachi, and then from the First Generation Kenpachi to the captain of the Fourth Division.
Throughout the entire process, apart from willingly giving up the name of Kenpachi, whether becoming the First Generation's 11th Division captain or the Fourth Division's captain — all of it was due to the power of Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni.
"Unohana, you said that beneath my body — this so-called Shinigami hero — there's a vicious heart hidden."
"How about you?"
"What is hidden under this body called Unohana Retsu? Is it the 11th Division's First Generation captain? Is it the First Generation Kenpachi? Or is it the murderous, war-loving, and kendo-obsessed Yachiru Unohana?"
After Aiyan returned to the Hueco Mundo desert with Unohana in his arms, he placed his right hand on her left breast, tearing open skin and flesh to directly expose her heart to the air.
"Ngh!"
Unohana groaned, but her face showed no pain — instead, relief.
It was as if what Aiyan had cut open wasn't just her heart, but also the layers of shackles and disguises placed on her for two thousand years.
The captain of the Fourth Division, Unohana Retsu, was cut open and torn apart.
Only the truest self remained — the great villain who had mastered all sword styles in the world, unmatched in Soul Society's history.
"Aiyan."
"Cough… Can you let me… see the real you?"
After a moment, Unohana's weak voice sounded again.
Aiyan said nothing. A red light rose from the palm of his hand that had just dug into her chest.
Kaidō · Blessing of Both Hands.
The red hands reshaped flesh.
Whether it was the opened atrium or the wounds stretching from her shoulders to the base of her legs — almost splitting her in two — they all healed rapidly under the red hands' repair.
It was as if this wasn't Kaidō's healing, but Inoue Orihime's rejection.
As her injuries mended, Unohana's paper-pale face gradually flushed, and she regained a certain amount of strength.
Yet the first thing she did wasn't to pull away from Aiyan's arms — instead, she reached up and removed the black-framed glasses resting on the bridge of his nose.
His face didn't change.
His body didn't change.
His attire didn't change.
He was still the same man.
But the moment the black-framed glasses left Aiyan's face, an angular visage met Unohana's eyes — along with a sharp edge even greater than the holy sword that had just torn apart the desert.
A vicious Sovereign who looked down on the world, holding all within his grasp.
It seemed those black-framed glasses weren't just decoration — they were a seal.
A device that restrained the truest Aiyan.
"A sword is like its wielder, and a wielder is like their sword."
"Sure enough, Zanpakutō is written by a Shinigami's soul essence."
"A Shinigami who can manifest an unprecedented Zanpakutō like light and darkness should be like this."
Unohana saw not only Aiyan's true appearance without the glasses, but also the real him.
"I don't think I've heard your answer yet."
Aiyan released her, withdrawing the red hand. Her body, previously on the verge of death, was now completely healed.
"I can't even take two of your strikes."
"Is a woman of this caliber worth taking under your wing?"
"Aiyan."
Unohana didn't answer the question.
"Unlike Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni, I will not suppress you."
"On the contrary, I will give you greater power — let you step into a higher realm."
"What I want is the Unohana Yachiru who follows me across the world, not the controllable Unohana Retsu."
At that, Aiyan's right hand glowed with blue light. Under Unohana's slightly contracting pupils, it pierced her beautiful face and sank into her soul.
The blue hand changes the soul.
In the battle at the execution grounds, he had altered the souls of Hikifune Kirio and Shutara Senjumaru, turning masked beings into Shinigami. Naturally, he could also change a Shinigami into a masked one.
"Feel it."
"This is the power to break the boundaries of Shinigami!"
...
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