Seireitei, shopping district.
The shopping district was even livelier at night than during the day.
Drinking at an izakaya was one of the few forms of recreation for Shinigami.
Lately, the topic of discussion in the bars was the 'Shinken Taiketsu'.
"Tomorrow is the showdown between Sajin Komamura and Sōsuke Aizen. I'm really looking forward to it!"
A flushed Marenoshin Ōmaeda drank his sake heartily.
"Sigh..."
At the same table, Jirō Obana was also slightly drunk, but his mood was completely different.
Before the match between Sajin and Lisa, he had wanted to ask Shinji Hirako who was stronger.
But Shinji didn't know either.
Afterward, on his way to place a bet, he ran into his friend Marenoshin and bet on Lisa to win along with him.
The result was self-evident.
"Why are you still sighing!" Marenoshin filled both their cups. "If you're in a bad mood, just drink more!"
"A whole year's work down the drain!" Jirō Obana picked up his cup, downed it in one gulp, and sighed. "The young people these days are amazing... I feel like both Sajin and Aizen are qualified to be lieutenants."
"Tell me about it. If only I had been in Professor Katori's class back then... maybe I would have had a chance to become his disciple."
Marenoshin also lamented.
The Katori-style of swordsmanship was just too enviable.
The two drank cup after cup, and before they knew it, it was late at night.
They were both getting drowsy.
Jirō Obana noticed that there were almost no other customers left in the izakaya.
He didn't mind. He and Marenoshin weren't planning on going back tonight.
They were going to drink until morning and then go straight to the Academy to watch the finals.
However, when he saw another customer in the bar, his drunken eyes cleared slightly.
"Look... who is that?"
Jirō Obana suddenly grabbed Marenoshin's hand as he was pouring sake.
"What are you doing!"
Caught off guard, Marenoshin spilled his drink.
"Hic—" Jirō Obana hiccuped and whispered to his friend, gesturing to the outer seats. "Look over there!"
"What... you've set your sights on another lady?" Marenoshin knew his friend, who called himself the 'Saint of Seireitei Love' but had never once succeeded in a pursuit, quite well. This situation probably meant he had a new target.
Marenoshin looked in the direction Jirō was pointing.
The next moment, his pupils contracted.
"Tokinada... Tsunayashiro?!"
Marenoshin's drunkenness dissipated considerably.
He was seeing Tokinada Tsunayashiro, who had died in the Dangai some time ago!
"Right? That's him, isn't it!"
Jirō Obana tugged on Marenoshin's sleeve and whispered.
"Well... maybe it's just a brother who looks a lot like him... the Tsunayashiro family has quite a few members in this generation..."
Marenoshin hesitated.
"This is beyond 'looks a lot like'!"
Jirō Obana rubbed his eyes, making sure he wasn't seeing things.
That person looked exactly like Tokinada Tsunayashiro!
Marenoshin also knew he was talking nonsense.
Only twin brothers could look that similar.
When he was at the Academy, Tokinada had been his homeroom teacher, so he knew very well that he didn't have a twin.
But he couldn't explain why Tokinada was here right now.
"Isn't he dead!"
Marenoshin began to wonder if he was already drunk and dreaming.
At that moment, a person entered from outside.
The cuffs of this person's clothes bore the Tsunayashiro family crest.
"Lord Tokinada, the family head is waiting for you. Please come with me!"
The person said.
"Hmph~ Then let's go back."
Tokinada Tsunayashiro stood up and followed the person out of the izakaya.
After a moment of stunned silence, Marenoshin and Jirō said in unison:
"It really is Tokinada Tsunayashiro!"
The person who had come in later was a member of the Tsunayashiro clan. He had just confirmed Tokinada's identity for them.
"But he's dead!"
Marenoshin scratched his head, feeling an itch. It was like his brain was about to grow.
"Could it be... he faked his death?!"
Jirō Obana stroked his chin, letting his imagination run wild.
"Let's follow them and see!"
Marenoshin pulled Jirō up and headed outside.
The owner of the izakaya didn't stop them, silently adding the bill to the Ōmaeda family's tab.
On the other side.
'Tokinada Tsunayashiro' followed the 'clan member' to the gate of the Tsunayashiro estate.
"Professor, someone is following us."
"Pay them no mind. We were just missing a few 'spectators'. How can our carefully arranged play be without an 'audience', Sōsuke!"
Standing in front of the Tsunayashiro gate were none other than Katori Sora and Sōsuke Aizen!
Aizen had taken the opportunity during the semi-finals to release Kyōka Suigetsu. Now, most of the people in the noble district were under its hypnotic effect.
Even those who hadn't become Shinigami but lived in the noble and commercial districts were invited to this competition.
Therefore, Sora knew which people hadn't come to watch.
There weren't many. Yesterday, he had used his shadow ability in conjunction with Aizen to hypnotize the remaining few.
Tonight, they were going to eliminate the hidden threat of the Tsunayashiro clan.
Sora had eliminated Akito and Tokinada Tsunayashiro, leaving no possibility for reconciliation.
The Tsunayashiro clan would not let it go. They were now like a venomous snake lurking nearby, ready to strike whenever they found an opportunity.
He himself was not afraid of them, but he had many disciples in the Soul Society. The Tsunayashiro clan held considerable power and might frame them at any time.
If he didn't eliminate them soon, they might take advantage of a moment when he wasn't paying attention to harm the people of the Katori dojo.
The trouble Kakyō faced in the Kidō Corps was their doing.
If Sora hadn't had a good relationship with Hachigen Ushōda, and Yoruichi Shihōin hadn't helped, Kakyō would have been sent to Hueco Mundo.
For a rookie Shinigami to go to Hueco Mundo, even without others making things difficult, the casualty rate was very high.
Katori Sora and Sōsuke Aizen entered the estate through the main gate.
Several guards looked at 'Tokinada Tsunayashiro' cautiously.
Although they had been notified in advance, they were still shocked to see this person who was supposed to be dead.
Some of them had even seen Tokinada's body with their own eyes!
But at that time, all they saw was the lower half of his body, which had been burned to a crisp.
"Lord Tokinada, the family head is waiting for you in the main hall!"
A guard said.
"I've just informed them that Tokinada has returned from Hell."
"They must be very curious about how he managed to come back to the Three Realms."
"They probably don't believe my identity yet. The family head has already sent someone to fetch the sword. I'll go get it first."
The guards were completely unaware of the conversation between Sora and Aizen.
Sora followed a guard to the main hall.
Aizen went in another direction; he had to retrieve something.
Two people were lying on the roof of the main hall.
Marenoshin Ōmaeda and Jirō Obana had followed 'Tokinada' here.
Marenoshin was a member of the Onmitsukidō, and he had a cloak in his spiritual particle pocket that could hide their Spiritual Pressure.
"This cloak is too big..."
Jirō Obana tightened the cloak around him. It was Marenoshin's spare, and it felt a bit too loose.
"Be quiet! We're done for if they find us!"
Marenoshin warned in a low voice.
He had a faint feeling that they might have stumbled upon a big secret.
The Tsunayashiro family head and all the key clan members were in the main hall.
In their eyes, Katori Sora currently had the appearance of Tokinada Tsunayashiro.
And this 'Tokinada' had some new chain-like tattoos and a bone ring behind his head.
"Tokinada, why did you enter Hell? And how did you return?"
Someone asked.
No one immediately believed this 'Tokinada'.
Normally, when most residents of the Soul Society die, their spiritual particles return to the Soul Society, and they are reincarnated in the World of the Living.
Only powerhouses with captain-level Spiritual Pressure could break this rule. Their particles would not return, but instead would be reborn in Hell.
In their memory, Tokinada did not have captain-level strength.
Therefore, he shouldn't have been able to go to Hell after he died.
"You have the Lord of Hell to thank for that. It was he who gave me the chance to return here."
Sora chuckled.
"The Lord of Hell?"
The Tsunayashiro family head's expression changed slightly.
As the head of the clan, he knew a few things about the ancient era.
His mind raced, quickly filling in many blanks.
"He must have had conditions for letting you return, right?"
He asked calmly.
The Lord of Hell wouldn't help Tokinada for no reason.
"Of course, but that has nothing to do with you. It seems you don't quite trust my identity..." Sora chuckled. "No matter, you will soon dispel your doubts."
"Of course. If you aren't the real Tokinada, you won't be able to fool us!"
The family head snorted coldly.
He had already sent someone to get the item that could verify Tokinada's identity.
At that moment, Aizen Sōsuke entered from outside.
"Lord Tokinada, please verify your identity."
The item Aizen presented was a sword.
It was the ancestral Zanpakutō of the Tsunayashiro family—Enrakyōten!
'Enrakyōten' concealed an incredibly powerful force.
But using it came at a terrible price.
It would devour the soul of its wielder.
Without the Tsunayashiro bloodline, anyone who used its power would be quickly consumed.
Having the bloodline would only delay this process.
Even so, the Tsunayashiro clan rarely used it because the damage it caused was irreversible.
Neither Kaidō nor any healing-type Zanpakutō could repair it.
Everyone watched as 'Tokinada Tsunayashiro' drew 'Enrakyōten'.
"Drink the four seas, occupy the ends of the earth, all creation, overwrite and excise—Enrakyōten!"
'Tokinada' recited its release command.
Everyone in the hall and on the roof stared at him, observing his reaction.
After a moment, 'Tokinada' showed no discomfort.
"It really is Lord Tokinada!"
Aizen exclaimed in shock.
In everyone's eyes, he was the clan member the family head had sent to get the sword.
In reality, 'Enrakyōten' was still in his hand.
He had found the release command in the Tsunayashiro family's records the day before.
"You really are Tokinada!"
The family head's expression was complicated. For a moment, he didn't know how to face this resurrected clan member.
If it were just a matter of faking his death, it would be one thing. But Tokinada's current state was clearly not normal. He could be controlled by the 'Lord of Hell' at any moment.
This was a huge hidden danger for the Tsunayashiro clan.
The family head had no intention of aligning his family with the unknown 'Lord of Hell' for now.
"Of course I am Tokinada Tsunayashiro," Sora chuckled.
"Why have you returned?" the family head asked.
"This return was not easy, but my main objective has been achieved."
Everyone saw—
'Tokinada Tsunayashiro' caressed 'Enrakyōten', a slight smile on his lips.
"Your objective was 'Enrakyōten'?!"
The family head's face changed.
He quickly realized that the purpose of 'Tokinada's' return was the sword in his hand.
More accurately, it was the objective of the 'Lord of Hell' behind him!
"Did the Lord of Hell send you to get 'Enrakyōten'?" the family head demanded. "What does he want with it?"
At the same time, a faint glimmer of Kidō flashed in his hand, and the guards who had been waiting outside instantly flooded into the hall.
They surrounded 'Tokinada', ready to attack.
On the roof, Marenoshin Ōmaeda and Jirō Obana's hearts were pounding.
They looked at each other, both seeing the fear in the other's eyes.
'They're going to fight!'
'Will we get caught in the crossfire? Should we run?'
'We have the invisibility cloaks hiding our forms and Spiritual Pressure, they won't find us!'
'I want to keep watching... let's stay a bit longer...'
The two communicated with glances and gestures, their long friendship allowing for a perfect understanding.
The 'Lord of Hell' that Tokinada mentioned had piqued their curiosity. A great secret was unfolding before them, and they didn't want to leave just yet.
"What do you think... you all should know better than anyone. Back then... the ancestors used this very sword to cut down the Soul King, piece by piece!"
'Tokinada Tsunayashiro' raised 'Enrakyōten'. "This is a divine instrument, stained with the blood of a god!"
Flames suddenly erupted from the blade of 'Enrakyōten'.
"All things in the universe, turn to ash. Ryūjin Jakka!"
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Alright guys, here come the regular chapters! A big thank you to everyone for your support and to Monester for the kind words. Don't forget, we're just 2 people away on Patreon for the story to take a big leap in chapters. There are already 100 and counting, and more will be uploaded once those 2 spots are filled.
https://www.patreon.com/c/LEYI396