"Naraku, 6th Seat! Arbitrarily killing a noble is an offense that will be judged by Central 46!"
Soifon called out in a panic, hurrying to stop him.
"Who said they were nobles?"
«Naraku Sora» bared his teeth in a grin, pointing at the man shouting the loudest. "Would a noble think from the perspective of a Menos Grande?"
"In my eyes, they are nothing more than Menos wearing the skin of aristocrats."
As he spoke, he had already reached the noble. Sora's expression turned into a chillingly "kind" smile, his teeth bared like a predator's.
"Damned Menos... to think you'd dare disguise yourself as an innocent noble. I'll personally—"
Staring at the face that had suddenly appeared before him, the noble felt the residual heat of burned «Reiatsu» washing over him. The blistering waves of air caused his expression to twist in terror.
He was merely an ordinary member of the «Yokota family». He possessed no extraordinary spiritual talent, nor did he have a resilient will. Despite living for hundreds of years, he barely possessed an 18th-class spiritual power and had mastered only a handful of low-level «Kido».
Faced with this sudden, overwhelming pressure, «Yokota Kiichi» nearly fell to his knees. However, the pride of his station forced him to steady his body. He glared at the youth with an arrogant, thunderous voice.
"A mere soldier of the Gotei 13 dares to raise a hand against us? Your career as a Soul Reaper ends today!"
"I will report everything that happened here to Central 46 and have Captain-Commander Yamamoto handle this personally."
"You brat... just wait to face the «Sokyoku»!"
Hearing these words—devoid of even a hint of submission—Naraku Sora almost laughed out of pure spite.
The term "nest-tyrant" was personified perfectly by the man before him.
When facing the Menos Grande, they had cried out "Lord Messenger," casting aside their noble pride to worship and flatter the beast. Yet, when speaking to the Soul Reaper who had slain that very beast, they resumed their high-and-mighty posture, as if they still stood above the institutions of the Seireitei.
*How can the Soul Society function when commanded by such vermin?*
Seeing the increasingly cold light in Sora's eyes, Yokota Kiichi, no matter how foolish, realized the gravity of the situation. The brat in front of him wasn't just talking; he truly intended to kill them.
In this boy's eyes, there was no longer a distinction between high and low birth. Even a prestigious noble was nothing more than a corpse that happened to still be breathing.
"Wait, I can—"
Yokota Kiichi scrambled to speak, desperate to prove he was a noble and not the "Menos" Sora claimed him to be.
However, at that moment, several Reiatsu fluctuations erupted from outside the manor. The lead signature was particularly heavy, surging forward like a collapsing dam.
The Seireitei's reinforcements had arrived.
Yokota Kiichi sensed this, and his terrified expression instantly reverted to his usual arrogance. In his mind, other Soul Reapers would not be as unprincipled as the brat before him. They wouldn't dare commit the ultimate taboo of striking a noble.
Moreover, there was a faint, familiar scent to this Reiatsu. With *that* lord present, he was safe.
"Ha! You're finished!"
Yokota Kiichi laughed triumphantly, shouting, "Your crimes will be recorded! Central 46 will see justice done, and what awaits you is—"
Before he could finish, the smile on his face froze. A head, still wearing that arrogant expression, tumbled through the air. It rolled through the muddy blood, finally coming to a rest with wide, bewildered eyes staring up at the clear blue sky.
"I've had enough of these formalities."
Naraku Sora stood with his blade drawn, exhaling softly. Reflected in the spray of blood, his face appeared as sharp and lethal as the edge of a sword.
The manor fell into a deathly silence.
The remaining nobles stared at the head in the bloodstain, their eyes no longer filled with bravado, but with an irrepressible, trembling cowardice.
Right then, the lead Soul Reaper entered the courtyard.
Upon entering, the group was stunned by the sight. Beneath the shattered Kido barrier, the ground was a ruin of scorched earth and jagged fissures. A searing, burnt wind hung over every corner like a thin white mist.
Residual flames crackled on broken stones, charred soil, and scorched flesh, slowly incinerating what little remained. The entire estate looked as if it had been struck by a natural disaster.
The Soul Reapers stood frozen in shock until a noble's voice broke the silence: "Captain Takeda, you must protect us first!"
The crowd snapped back to reality.
The man addressed as «Captain Takeda» raised his narrow eyes. His cold gaze swept across the area before settling on Naraku Sora and Soifon, his expression shifting into one of grim understanding.
Upon seeing this man, many of the nobles regained their confidence. They scrambled toward him, terrified that if they were too slow, they would end up like Yokota Kiichi.
As that severed head hit the ground, they finally realized that the youth who had fought the Menos Grande head-on did not care about noble titles—and he certainly would not protect their lives.
Now, their only savior was the late-arriving Captain of the «9th Division: Takeda Goki».
"Trespassing into a private noble estate and the slaughter of innocent nobility... Boy, you have violated Articles 37 and 64 of the Soul Society Legal Code."
"Surrender peacefully, or I shall handle this myself."
The man's face remained expressionless. His hawk-like eyes locked onto Naraku Sora, who stood by the charred crater. A heavy, oppressive Reiatsu began to swirl around him, and the tension in the air became stifling.
Naraku Sora frowned.
Even a simpleton like Nishikawa would understand that something was wrong here.
This 9th Division Captain was a total stranger—someone who had never appeared in the original story. Based on his attitude, the man was clearly aligned with the nobility.
Naraku Sora smirked, his tone indifferent.
"Captain Takeda, we were ordered to investigate abnormalities within the Yokota estate."
"Just moments ago, these nobles were sacrificing civilian souls to collaborate with a Menos Grande. Look—the Menos's corpse is still warm."
"To take their word and move to protect them immediately... you wouldn't happen to be in league with them, would you?"
Hearing this, Takeda Goki shook his head, a hint of pity appearing in his eyes.
"I see no sacrifice, and I see no Menos. I only see the cold reality of a noble's slaughter. As members of the Gotei 13, protecting the nobility is our fundamental mission."
"Since you insist on resisting, I have no choice but to take you down myself."
As the words fell, a pillar of brilliant Reiatsu erupted from his body, piercing the sky. A terrifying pressure, far exceeding Naraku Sora's current level, instantly swept across the entire manor.