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Fate In Bleach (292)
🕑 Added 2024-09-14 17:00:09 +0000 UTCChapter 292 - Wreak Havoc
Beads of cold sweat trickled down Ikkaku Madarame’s forehead. While Captain Ailin rarely involved himself in the Eleventh Division’s affairs, leaving most matters to Vice-Captain Zaraki, those who had served in the division for over a decade, especially those who had witnessed the battles between Ailin and Zaraki, knew better than to treat Ailin as a mere figurehead.
Zaraki had repeatedly challenged Ailin, and each time, he had been utterly defeated.
The Eleventh Division was, after all, the wildest division in the Gotei 13. Strength reigned supreme.
The strongest was the leader, and everyone willingly followed their commands.
While most Shinigami in the Eleventh admired Zaraki and yearned to fight alongside him because he embodied their passion for battle, they followed Ailin's lead when he was present.
It was the Eleventh Division’s ironclad rule:
Respect for strength!
"Don’t move. You’re still injured."
Ailin placed his hand on Ikkaku’s shoulder, pushing him back down.
“Captain Ailin, I apologize. I failed,” Ikkaku was ashamed.
Encountering one’s captain after a victory and encountering them after a defeat were two entirely different experiences.
Victory was a source of pride. Defeat, however, was a stain on their honor.
“Ikkaku, there’s no shame in defeat. What matters is that you get back up and learn from it.” Ailin offered words of comfort.
“Besides, I saw your battle. If you had fought with your full strength from the start, that Ryoka wouldn’t have stood a chance. You weren't trying to kill him, were you? You were training him.”
“Captain Ailin, how did you know?”
It was true. While fighting Ichigo, Ikkaku had been testing him, pushing him to his limits.
During their first encounter in the World of the Living, Ikkaku had noticed Ichigo’s potential, his incredible instincts. In battle, as long as he wasn’t defeated, Ichigo would constantly evolve.
Why were some individuals stronger than others despite possessing the same level of spiritual pressure? It was a matter of instinct.
Those with strong combat instincts could amplify their spiritual pressure, achieving effects beyond their limitations. Those with weak instincts, however, couldn't even fully utilize their own power.
Ichigo, clearly, was the type who could exceed his limitations. Furthermore, Ikkaku had noticed something amiss in the Seireitei’s response to the Ryoka invasion.
Logically, they should have acted swiftly to apprehend the invaders. But the Central 46, instead, had convened an emergency meeting, seemingly intent on punishing Shino Madarame.
It was irrational.
Ikkaku had battled Ichigo as part of his duty as the Fourth Seat of the Eleventh Division.
However, if the Central 46’s judgment exceeded his limits, he would become Shino’s “big brother” and fight against the Seireitei.
In that case, Ichigo Kurosaki might be his greatest ally.
What he hadn't anticipated was his own defeat.
Of course, as Ailin had noted, he hadn’t fought with his full strength from the start. When he had achieved Bankai, his spiritual pressure hadn't reached true captain level. Therefore, his Ryumon Hōzukimaru had been sluggish, requiring time to awaken its full power.
But decades of training had allowed him to overcome that weakness. Now, he could unleash his Bankai’s full power the moment he activated it.
Against that power, Ichigo wouldn’t have stood a chance.
However, this had been Ikkaku’s closest victory.
With Quincy Zangetsu loosening his grip, allowing Ichigo access to greater power, Ichigo’s strength had surpassed Ikkaku’s.
Their final clash had been a no-holds-barred attack. In the end, Ichigo’s Getsuga Tenshō had defeated Ikkaku.
Ailin clapped Ikkaku on the shoulder.
“Ikkaku, you are a member of the Eleventh Division. Do what you believe is right. Even if your actions turn the Seireitei upside down, I’ll stand behind you.
So, take this opportunity… and wreak havoc. Show those who think they’re above the law that their time is over.”
Still lying on the ground, Ikkaku looked up at Ailin. It seemed his figure was eclipsing the sun. He suddenly remembered an incident over two decades ago when some nobles had been implicated in a massacre that involved Ailin’s disciple.
From what Captain Ailin said, was he planning to have Rukia take action against the nobles at this time?
…
“Ichigo’s… spiritual pressure… has vanished?”
As Ichigo lost consciousness, Chad, Uryu Ishida, and Orihime Inoue, scattered throughout the Seireitei in a panic.
They had accompanied Ichigo to the Soul Society to rescue Shino Madarame, who had been imprisoned because of him.
But now, Ichigo’s spiritual pressure was gone. What did it mean?
They were all momentarily lost.
Chad, after standing motionless for several minutes, took a deep breath and began running towards the Palace of Penitence.
“Ichigo…”
He had only run a short distance when he was forced to stop.
A man in a pink floral haori, sat before him with his Zanpakutō across his lap. Countless flower petals rained down from the sky around him.
If those petals had surrounded a beautiful woman, it would have been a scene worthy of a painting.
Sadly, the figure at the center of those petals was merely a weary-looking man with a scruffy beard.
As Chad approached, the man looked up and said something, seemingly angering a young woman with glasses, who promptly dumped the remaining petals from her basket.
“My, my…”
After appeasing Nanao Ise, Shunsui Kyōraku turned his attention to the Ryoka standing before him.
“He’s strong!”
A single glance from Kyōraku made Chad's heart pound. The spiritual pressure radiating from this man was the most potent he had ever encountered.
‘He must be a captain,’ Chad thought.
Before they entered the Seireitei, Yoruichi Shihōin had informed them that the strongest fighters in the Soul Society were the thirteen captains of the Gotei 13.
If this man wasn’t a captain, then they were truly nothing more than a joke.
“Young man, the spiritual pressure that just vanished, it belonged to your strongest companion, didn't it?” Kyōraku spoke as he looked at Chad with his sleepy eyes. “He has already been defeated. Why continue resisting? Surrender now, and you might suffer fewer injuries.”
“Sorry,” Chad said, refusing to comply. His actions spoke louder than words.
“Devil’s Right Arm!”
Black and red markings appeared on his right arm, resembling mechanical armor.
“The spiritual pressure that vanished did indeed belong to Ichigo. However, I don’t believe he’s dead. Furthermore…”
Chad paused.
“We haven't rescued Miss Madarame yet. I can’t stop now.”
“Ah, so your goal is to rescue the young lady.” Realization dawning on him.
Less than three years remained before the Quincy prophecy was fulfilled.
When those Ryoka breached the Shakonmaku, he had sensed the presence of a Quincy among them. He had assumed it was an advance scout, sent to gather information on the Seireitei to prepare for their future attack.
After all, the prophecy claimed that Yhwach would conquer the world in nine days.
Kyōraku didn’t yet know that “conquering the world” wasn’t limited to the Soul Society. But even if it were, he couldn't imagine how the Quincy could achieve that in nine days.
To defeat the Gotei 13, they would need to be intimately familiar with the captains' abilities, their strengths and weaknesses. They would then deploy Quincy who countered those abilities.
Otherwise, with Head-Captain Yamamoto, Captain Ailin, Zaraki, himself, Ukitake, and Unohana, how could the Gotei 13 possibly fall in nine days?
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Remy
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