Chapter 78: No Light, No Savior, But There Is Us
"This… isn't this what you once wanted to do, but couldn't?"
"…"
Suì-Fēng's mouth slightly parted, and she froze as if electrocuted.
Shimiya Takeru spoke as he strolled forward.
"I just said… you seemed very angry. That might sound like a meaningless statement, but actually, from my perspective, you shouldn't be angry."
"Because you resent Yoruichi for wanting to save someone without bringing you along, you resent her for being self-important, for ignoring your wishes, and for not giving you a chance to fight alongside her."
"And I understand your pain, I feel the torment in your heart… so when I encountered a similar situation, I made a resolute choice. Otherwise, I would have become you… the person you hate the most, the former you."
"In this situation, you seem to have no reason to be angry. Instead, you should be happy for me."
Shimiya Takeru's words were truly ingenious.
Each sentence deeply touched Suì-Fēng's soul.
Every step he took forward seemed to tread on her will, making her will waver precariously.
"No… no! It shouldn't be like this… I am a Captain of the Gotei 13. I have no reason to be happy for a traitor, and I never thought of having you make up for any regrets for me!"
Suì-Fēng bit her lip, forcing herself to calm down.
"You… I was almost fooled by you! You're still so eloquent! But to try and win my understanding, or even guilt, with such an argument is a bit too naive. I told you… no criminal can lie in front of me!"
Hearing this, Shimiya Takeru stopped.
"A so-called lie is something that will never come true."
"Conversely, something that has already come true is called the truth."
"Now I stand before you."
"If you think I am lying, equivocating, and confusing right and wrong, then strike… use your Bankai to crush the criminal before you who attempts to deceive you."
"?!"
"Shimiya!"
Yoruichi hadn't expected the situation to take such a sharp turn.
She was about to intervene, but Shimiya Takeru lightly flicked his sword guard, and the Kido thread that shot out intercepted her.
The Kido thread cut through the ground, leaving a very clear mark.
It seemed to form an invisible barrier, making it difficult for Yoruichi to advance an inch.
"The true purpose of a criminal's lies is mostly to survive, so they wouldn't foolishly stand here and let you slaughter them."
"In other words…"
Shimiya Takeru looked at Suì-Fēng, his attitude extremely serious.
"When I stand here and let you slaughter me, it means I have no need to lie, because it would be a useless act, completely incapable of saving my life."
"So, make your move."
"I will let you know… who the true criminal is… what truly harms the Soul Society, and what is… the already realized, indestructible truth!"
"Shimiya…! Reverse psychology won't work on me!"
Suì-Fēng gritted her teeth, her trembling pupils betraying her inner turmoil.
"Of course, I know that very well… Ever since that night at the izakaya, I understood that you are actually very delicate and sensitive, and also very prone to extremes… So, to gain your trust, a more extreme method is needed."
Shimiya Takeru's lips slowly curved into a rather chilling smile. He pointed a finger at Suì-Fēng, uttering a spell that neither of the two present had ever heard before.
"Crucio…"
Although they hadn't heard it, the surging spiritual pressure and the fatal sense of crisis were not fake.
Her incredibly honed instincts, at this moment, went against Suì-Fēng's true intentions.
Her body moved naturally, accompanied by acrid smoke.
A golden missile flew out with a roar.
"It's over…!"
For a moment, Suì-Fēng's mind went blank.
She only reacted when she heard Yoruichi's startled cry.
"Get out of the way!"
"Shimiya?!"
The missile's flight speed wasn't particularly fast for someone skilled in Shunpo.
However, Yoruichi and Suì-Fēng didn't see Shimiya Takeru make any evasive movements.
Half of the spell he had been uttering was swallowed back.
In the very end, they only saw his lips move slightly.
It seemed he had said something.
But it was neither discernible nor clearly heard.
There was only a massive roar.
Dazzling, blinding light bloomed.
Endless explosions and impacts struck like a natural disaster, instantly filling the streets and alleys within the city.
Buildings for several kilometers around were enveloped in pure high temperature and heat, and one could easily imagine the tragic scene of everything within being utterly destroyed.
The sudden, thunderous commotion was no less impactful than the release of the Sōkyoku.
And the Palace of Penitence happened to be adjacent to Sōkyoku Hill.
This meant it was as if a nuclear bomb had been dropped right in the center of Seireitei.
Although there was no mushroom cloud, the city was almost leveled.
In the vast plaza of District One, Yoruichi suddenly appeared with Suì-Fēng.
At this moment, the two captains were covered in dust, not only from the previous battle but also from the dust and debris they picked up while escaping the explosion. The large areas of skin exposed by Shunko showed some burns.
"Let go!"
As soon as they landed, Suì-Fēng wildly shook off Yoruichi's hand and rushed towards the explosion site, but after only two steps, she felt light-footed and stumbled to the ground.
Yoruichi was, after all, a former superior and a renowned powerhouse. Even without her Zanpakuto, she could rival Captain-level experts, and pushing her to the brink was no easy feat.
Moreover, she had used her Bankai.
That was a special move that could only be used once every three days.
It was perfectly normal for her to be exhausted.
"Calm down, Suì-Fēng, this isn't your fault."
Yoruichi approached with a solemn expression, knelt down, and lightly patted her shoulder.
"Of course this isn't my fault! It's your and Urahara's fault!"
The fallen Suì-Fēng resented her own powerlessness and unleashed her anger on Yoruichi.
But this was not an unreasonable outburst.
"If Urahara hadn't created the Hōgyoku, if you hadn't saved Urahara a hundred years ago… this outcome would not have been possible!"
"And even if that were the case, with your Shunpo, you absolutely should have made it in time! But you chose to save me… to save an enemy who almost killed you, instead of a comrade on the same front… Yoruichi, do you really like abandoning your supporters so much?"
This bloody accusation made Yoruichi's emotions exceptionally complex.
"I can't refute that… This might be the Shihōin Clan family's way. For our comrades… no matter what decisions they make, we mostly choose to support them… I am like this, and the former Shihōin Clan family heads were also like this, which is why we never quite got along with the 'good' children, always appearing unconventional to others."
"I'm not interested in hearing about your ancestral eccentricities right now… Get out, before I regain my strength and kill you! This time, don't expect anyone to come and save you again!"
Suì-Fēng glared at Yoruichi with cold eyes full of hatred.
The latter sighed and stood up.
"Suì-Fēng, I'm not saying these things to make you forgive me, but I hope you can understand something."
"Understand what?"
"People who can get along with unconventional individuals generally have very tenacious vitality; otherwise, they would have been ostracized and suppressed by those around them until they couldn't survive."
"?"
Suì-Fēng sharply turned her head to look forward, her face filled with disbelief.
Not because she had heard the hidden meaning, but because she felt a familiar spiritual pressure.
Above the ruins of the leveled city, a sea of fire spread and rose, with thick smoke everywhere. Logically, there should have been no living space, but within the crimson flames, there was a spiritual pressure even more scorching than the flames themselves, vibrant like the midday sun.
Boom!
The sea of fire was forcibly parted.
A silver-and-black figure stepped out of this disaster-stricken area with firm and powerful strides.
His feet trod on broken stones and charred ground.
In contrast, the figure himself was so out of place.
A pitch-black cloak, like solidified night, fluttered.
Bright silver, thin armor uniformly covered his hands, feet, and main torso, not appearing heavy or cumbersome at all, but instead filled with the sharp edge of a blade.
Rather than a knight, he was a fighter.
Rather than a fighter, he was the embodiment of struggle.
Pitter-patter.
At some unknown point, dark clouds had gathered in the sky.
A fine, continuous rain began to fall.
If this was the world intervening to extinguish the unnatural blaze in the city.
Then Shimiya Takeru's appearance extinguished Suì-Fēng's rage at reality.
Even though her hair was wet, and she couldn't distinguish between raindrops and other liquids welling in her eyes.
Suì-Fēng still refused to blink, even widening her eyes to stare intently at the strange figure walking towards her.
"Shimiya…?"
"Ah, it's me…"
A calm, metallic voice emanated from within the armor, not from the head.
It gave the impression that he had become one with this armament.
Rather than simply wearing it.
"Captain Suì-Fēng, do you remember the question that once troubled me?"
"…"
Although Suì-Fēng was unbelievably shocked, this was actually when her mind was clearest, as she needed to discern whether she was experiencing a hallucination.
His words stirred up not-so-distant memories.
"A question? The most terrifying thing to date? You said you've already resolved it? So, this form is your… Bankai?"
"Although we agreed to discuss it next time we drink, the current scene isn't bad either…"
Shimiya Takeru extended his right hand, catching the rainwater while looking up at the scorching sun temporarily obscured by the dark clouds.
"When I was five, someone told me there was no light in this world."
"At that time, I didn't understand anything, only felt a slight disappointment. But when I grew up and recognized reality, I realized how truly terrifying that fact was."
"So, if you ask me what I've feared most to date… it is undoubtedly… the fact that there is no light in this world, and no savior to protect everything!"
Bang!
He clenched his fist abruptly.