"There's no need. The people on the list to be taken are basically all here," Senjumaru Shutara said, floating with her feet off the ground. At some point, she had already taken the unconscious Byakuya Kuchiki, Kenpachi Zaraki, and Kensei Muguruma from the 4th Division and placed them in the spheres held by the golden arms behind her. "The former Substitute Soul Reaper, Kugo Ginjo, is the only one left."
However, Kugo Ginjo had already been taken in by Kūkaku Shiba, so there was no need to search for him. Anyway, returning to the Soul King Palace required being launched by the Flower Crane Cannon, so it was on the way.
Of the people taken, Byakuya Kuchiki was a descendant of the five great noble families and the current head of his clan. Kenpachi Zaraki had great potential for growth in his combat power.
With Ichigo Kurosaki's ambiguous attitude and uncertain stance, it was only natural to improve the combat power of the Soul Reapers as much as possible and let the beast Kenpachi be completely unleashed.
As for Kensei Muguruma, it was just a matter of convenience. He wasn't of much use to the Zero Division, but he was a captain, and he happened to be lying in the same ward as Kenpachi and Byakuya, so they might as well take him back and save him.
As for Renji Abarai, it was quite normal that he was not chosen by the Zero Division to receive any benefits.
Rukia Kuchiki was missing, and Ichigo Kurosaki was in the World of the Living in an emo state, unable to support Soul Society in time and even at risk of wavering in his stance.
Without the status of a noble in-law brought by Rukia Kuchiki and the super-privileged status of being the best friend of the Soul King candidate, Ichigo Kurosaki, Renji Abarai, who was not even a captain yet, a mere house dog, was not worthy of being recorded on the Zero Division's list and taken to the Soul King Palace.
He was just a lieutenant. Another lieutenant, Izuru Kira, had half his body blown off and didn't get the privilege of being taken to the Soul King Palace. Without the dual halos of being Rukia's husband-to-be and the next Soul King's brother, Renji, who was completely useless as Byakuya Kuchiki's subordinate, was not worth the Zero Division's attention.
"That's not acceptable. The three in the spheres are in critical condition and cannot leave the Seireitei. You cannot take them," Retsu Unohana, as a doctor, naturally couldn't watch critically ill patients be moved around, so she spoke up to stop them.
Senjumaru Shutara glanced at Tenjiro Kirinji, signaling him to handle it, too lazy to explain herself.
"That's why we have to take them. You know very well, with your power alone, you can't make the three of them recover," Tenjiro Kirinji stepped forward and said. "You know, Retsu. At a time like this, what you need to do now is not healing, but picking up your sword again and becoming the fearsome evil woman you once were."
Unohana's face turned very ugly upon hearing this.
It wasn't that she felt offended, nor was she averse to picking up a sword and cutting people again. She was an evil woman who had devoted herself to the path of carnage, who took pleasure in fighting and killing. She had learned healing only to better enjoy the pleasure of cutting people. How could she be averse to returning to the battlefield?
But she keenly sensed that they seemed to intend to awaken Kenpachi's unconsciously sealed power in their own way, and she would have no part in it. That was the most crucial point.
In other words, the "meat" she had her eyes on was no longer available for her to eat. The "Kenpachi" successor she was most optimistic about no longer needed her careful nurturing. Both Retsu Unohana and Kenpachi Zaraki would be killing tools against the Quincy in this war.
The Zero Division had deprived Retsu Unohana of her "child custody" as a mother, taken away the "vibrator" she liked most as a woman but was always reluctant to use, and would not let her have a happy orgasm to death.
It was as if they were directly saying to her: You—are not allowed to climax!
At this moment, Retsu Unohana, with anger in her eyes, felt like drawing her sword against the Zero Division. But she understood the huge gap between them and could only endure, closing her eyes again and saying nothing.
"Why is Kugo Ginjo's name on the list?" Jushiro Ukitake clenched his fists, his face dark.
Could it be that the situation is already this dire?
Kugo Ginjo had many identities: the first Substitute Soul Reaper, a Fullbringer, and—a Soul King candidate.
"Ukitake..." Shinji Hirako looked at him in surprise.
It was the first time he had seen this usually good-natured old man with such a terrifying expression.
"Everything we do is in accordance with the will of the Soul King," Ichibē Hyōsube said with a smile, stroking his beard.
"Is the person the Soul King requested really Kugo Ginjo and not Ichigo Kurosaki? That guy, Kugo Ginjo, he hates Soul Reapers very much. Will he really be willing to cooperate with you?" Shunsui Kyōraku suddenly said meaningfully.
"What's wrong? Why are you bringing up Ichigo all of a sudden? I heard from Hiyori that the kid took a big hit and won't be able to recover for a while. And it's not really right to always trouble Ichigo with our Soul Reaper affairs, is it?" Shinji Hirako felt that something was strange, and he felt that these old geezers, who were all speaking in riddles, were up to no good.
Of course, if it was necessary to sacrifice Ichigo, Shinji Hirako wouldn't be particularly against it. Otherwise, he wouldn't have returned to Soul Society to be a Soul Reaper and a captain of the Gotei 13 again.
"That child, Ichigo Kurosaki, is in the World of the Living exploring the origins of his life. He is standing at a crossroads in his life, so he should not be disturbed by any outside interference. Everything can only be decided by himself," the Buddha-mouthed, snake-hearted Ichibē Hyōsube said with a still-憨态可掬 (endearingly silly) smile on his face.
Humans cannot exist completely independent of society. Ichigo Kurosaki would inevitably be influenced by various factors. With his naturally kind nature, even if he knew everything, he probably wouldn't want to listen to Yhwach's nonsense and would only want to protect the current world and everything he had.
And the descendants of the Shiba clan all seemed to have a strong self-sacrificing trait.
So, no matter how much Ichigo Kurosaki hesitated, for the sake of his family and friends, and so that the existing world would not collapse, he would eventually stand on the side of the Soul Reapers.
However, haste makes waste. The Monk would rather give Ichigo more time to reflect on his life and willingly make sacrifices for this world than to act too crudely and cause a backlash, ruining everything.
As for Kugo Ginjo, a ready-made Soul King candidate, it was better to bring this spare tire back first, just in case. It would be an extra layer of security.
As for whether this was really the will of the Soul King, did it matter?
As long as it wasn't explicitly forbidden by the Soul King, then everything was tacitly approved by him.
"Decided by himself? Hmph, it seems you are pinning your hopes on Ichigo Kurosaki," Mayuri Kurotsuchi said sarcastically. "It seems you are plotting something, but Kisuke Urahara seems to have lost his power as a Soul Reaper and his control over Ichigo Kurosaki. I hope he can really cooperate with you."
With that bastard Urahara around, how could Ichigo Kurosaki ever have a say in his own decisions?
Whether it was a conspiracy or an open plot, Ichigo Kurosaki would eventually be pushed to the forefront by Urahara and the people around him. That naive idiot never had a chance to choose another path from the beginning. Otherwise, Urahara would have been the first to eliminate the potential threat that was Ichigo Kurosaki.
It seems the Zero Division is treating Ichigo Kurosaki as a secret weapon against the enemy. Facing the returning Quincy, the Zero Division completely despises and ignores the Soul Reapers of the Gotei 13, but gives special attention to a human in the World of the Living. How ridiculous.
"Ara~ Isn't this Mayuri? I just went to the R&D Department while transporting the wounded. The security level of your laboratory seems to be much lower than when I was there. And your secret plan has no sense of beauty at all. You touch those filthy things all day, no wonder you stink so much," Senjumaru Shutara said with a smile, looking at Mayuri.
She and Mayuri were once members of the same research group. But later, as the group leader, she was promoted to the Zero Division, while Mayuri went to the Maggot's Nest to serve time.
As for Kisuke Urahara, whether it was the members of the Zero Division or Mayuri, they all believed from the bottom of their hearts that he would not just sink into oblivion. He would surely use various means to recover his power quickly and then push Ichigo Kurosaki to the position he was supposed to be in. So, there was no need for any extra discussion about him for now.
"You are as rude as ever, Senjumaru Shutara," Mayuri's eyes were gloomy. "Aren't you all busy with important matters? What are you still standing around here for?"
The Zero Division is full of people who look down on others. It's so infuriating.
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