"Is such a grand display just to execute a few of us?"
"What a luxurious execution!"
"Something's not right. The Gotei Captains should be guarding the second floor of the execution platform, but I don't see Captain Aiyan…"
"I heard Lieutenant Aizen also became a Gotei Captain, yet I don't see him on the first or second floor either."
"Could it be that this massive gathering of Gotei 13 captains, Lieutenants, seated officers, and thousands of other members wasn't aimed at us at all, but rather prepared for Captain Aiyan and Captain Aizen?"
At this moment, although Muguruma Kensei, Yadoumaru Lisa, and the others escorted onto the execution platform had their Reiatsu and Zanpakutō sealed, their five senses were still intact.
Along the way, they naturally took in the extravagant public execution lineup and were shocked.
However, when they realized that the Sosuke brothers were nowhere to be seen on either the first or second floors of the execution platform, their expressions changed.
The purpose of the Gotei's forced assembly was not to punish them at all.
"Don't get any foolish ideas. Beautiful rescues like the one where Hikifune Kirio and Shutara Senjumaru were taken back will never happen again. After seeing these instruments of torture, you'd better think twice about risking your own hands."
"As long as you leave the range of the execution platform, or if I press this button, the devices on your bodies will immediately explode—powerful enough to kill you even without Shinigami powers. So even if Captain Aiyan returns, he won't be able to save you."
"What's more, the Soul-Shielding Membrane has been deployed. Seireitei is completely sealed off—no entry, no exit. By the time he finds out, he'll only make it in time for your soul burial ceremony."
As Muguruma Kensei and the others passed by the second floor of the execution platform, Kurotsuchi Mayuri deliberately took out a small control device, flashing it before their eyes and giving his warning, as if showing off to the other Gotei captains.
This move fell into the eyes of Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni, and it made him very satisfied.
At the very least, this former Lieutenant of Aiyan had fully committed himself to the Gotei 13, with no path of return.
In comparison, what concerned him more was Matsumoto Rangiku—who had refused the captaincy of a Gotei division before him, yet still insisted on being Aiyan's right hand.
However, recalling the preparations he had already made for this situation, Yamamoto Genryūsai felt a little more at ease.
"Team Five actually has someone like you?"
"It's a shame you ended up taking over the Twelfth Division instead of Captain Kirio."
"Such an expression… truly breathtaking."
"As expected, no matter which division it is, there will always be stains—even the Fifth Division is no exception."
Faced with Kurotsuchi Mayuri's smug expression, Yadoumaru Lisa, Kuna Mashiro, and the others were furious, but not afraid.
From the moment they decided to rescue Hikifune Kirio and Shutara Senjumaru, they had already prepared themselves to die at the hands of the Gotei 13.
What they did not expect was that Kurotsuchi Mayuri—who had once been pulled out of the Maggot's Nest by Aiyan himself and entrusted with the vital post of Lieutenant—would now reveal such a face.
The only regret they felt was for the Sōsuke brothers.
After all, given the extravagant execution formation before them, even the slowest among them could realize that the Sōsuke brothers were being targeted because of their involvement in the previous chaos at the Sōkyoku Hill.
Although they did not know exactly what had happened, they could still put the blame on themselves.
"The time has come—begin the execution."
Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni raised his head and glanced toward the Soul-Shielding Membrane over Seireitei. Seeing it intact with no signs of disturbance, the deep worry in his ancient eyes subsided somewhat.
Clang
On the third floor of the execution platform, the executioners standing behind Yadoumaru Lisa, Love Aikawa, and the others drew their execution blades.
While not as fearsome as the Sōkyoku, for death-row convicts with their Reiatsu sealed, these blades could ignite the sealed Reiatsu upon piercing the body.
This was another creation of Central 46 and Kurotsuchi Mayuri—designed to shock the Gotei 13 to its core and reaffirm the inviolable authority of the Soul Society.
"Cut!"
Yamamoto Genryūsai's gaze swept the area, his Reiatsu perception spreading outward. Finding no sign of the two individuals he least wished to see, his grip on his cane loosened slightly.
As long as the public execution proceeded smoothly, the rest would be easy to resolve, he told himself.
Clang
Upon his order, the eight executioners raised their blades high, the cold steel aimed at the backs of Sarugaki Hiyori and Kuna Mashiro.
"Captain Aiyan… thank you."
"Though it's a pity we can't see you again, it's fine."
"At least, you won't be implicated any further because of us."
Feeling the killing edge drawing near, Yadōmaru Lisa knelt on the platform, a trace of apology flashing in her eyes behind her glasses before she closed them.
She knew that even if the execution ended here, the absence of the Aiyan brothers today had already sown an irreversible rift between them and Seireitei.
Given Central 46's prejudice against them, and Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni's staunch defense of the Soul Society's laws, the day when they would inevitably face each other was certain—only the timing was uncertain.
Muguruma Kensei, Kuna Mashiro, Ōtoribashi Rōjūrō, and the others also closed their eyes, waiting calmly for the blade to fall.
Clang
Snap
Two sounds broke the air in quick succession.
The first—the thud of eight executioners collapsing onto the platform.
The second—the clatter of their blades hitting the ground.
The silent yet sudden change stunned many Shinigami who had been watching Yadōmaru Lisa and the others.
They only snapped out of it after seeing the fallen guards and scattered weapons.
"When…?"
The abruptness shocked the Gotei captains guarding the three-tiered platform.
None of them had noticed when or how the executioners were attacked.
"The ones we least wanted to see have returned."
"The thing we least wanted to happen has happened."
"I knew this would happen."
Yamamoto Genryūsai's eyes lowered slightly, as if unwilling to face what was before him—yet he quickly looked up again.
"Aiyan Sōsuke."
"Aizen Sōsuke."
"Is this your choice?"
His gaze and Reiatsu locked onto the two figures standing atop Seireitei's barrier at some unknown moment.
Upon hearing his words, Kyōraku Shunsui, Ukitake Jūshirō, and the other captains on the second floor, as well as Matsumoto Rangiku, Tōsen Kamane, and the Lieutenants on the first floor, all raised their heads to the sky.
Looking up at Aiyan and Aizen standing above the Soul Society.
"Captain Aiyan."
"And Captain Aizen."
"You still came."
Yadoumaru Lisa, Kuna Mashiro, and the others—who had just been ready to face death—found the killing blow absent. They opened their eyes, only to see the Sōsuke brothers return.
The sight filled them with relief, guilt, and hesitation.
"Seems I made it in time."
Aiyan looked down over Seireitei, his gaze sweeping over the assembled captains and Lieutenants before settling on Yamamoto Genryūsai at the top of the execution platform.
Their eyes met.
The clash between the greatest genius in a thousand years and the most powerful Shinigami in a thousand years began in that instant.
...
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