The Inquisitor froze. His lips parted slightly, but no words came. Around him, his retainers glanced at one another in confusion, clearly out of their depth. They hadn't even heard of Squad Zero—just like Aizen in his early days as Vice-Captain of Squad Five.

"Don't just stand there like a stunned goldfish," Araki said with a dry chuckle. "Tell me—what's the proper charge for a Squad Zero member assaulting the Inquisitor of the Central Forty-Six?"

The Inquisitor paled. His mouth opened, closed, then opened again. Sweat trickled down his temples as he tried to formulate a response. His mind raced. The situation had already spiraled far beyond what either he or the shadowy nobles behind him had anticipated.

No one had expected Genryūsai's disciple—dispatched to the Soul King Palace on a ceremonial visit—to return not as a mere visitor, but as a royal agent of Squad Zero.

"Swish! Swish!"

Before the Inquisitor could utter a syllable, one of his more... proactive retainers—nicknamed Conspicuous Bag for the enormous scroll satchel he wore—stepped forward dramatically, a fat legal codex in hand.

"Fear not, Your Excellency!" the retainer said with puffed pride, furiously flipping pages. "I shall find the appropriate punishment for this vile Squad Zero aggressor who dared lay hands upon the honorable Inquisitor!"

The Inquisitor's expression darkened instantly. Rage flared behind his eyes.

You moron...!

He clenched his fists.

Even if you've never heard of Squad Zero, can't you read the room?! That man is Squad Zero. And you want to punish him? You're going to get us all killed…

Worse still, this idiot was his retainer—his responsibility. And now he was dragging the Inquisitor's reputation straight into the abyss.

"Damn it!" the Inquisitor cursed inwardly.

He now regretted ever cultivating such yes-men. His retainers had grown so used to his unchecked dominance that they no longer possessed the instinct for self-preservation.

Worse, they still didn't understand.

Squad Zero wasn't a mere military squad. They were the Soul King's black blade, dispatched only when matters transcended Soul Society's capacity to contain.

Squad Zero killed what the Gotei could not.

They erased threats the Central Forty-Six dared not name.

They executed first and reported later—with the Soul King's personal blessing.

"Wow," Araki mused, watching the spectacle with faint amusement. "Never seen anyone actually carry a legal code. You must really love the law."

"Well, since it's out, go ahead. Read it carefully—I'm dying to see the judgment."

The retainer straightened proudly.

"Just you wait! No one offends the Central Forty-Six and gets away with it!"

The Inquisitor's last nerve snapped. He glared at the retainer, blinking furiously as he tried to signal him to shut up—his eyes practically swollen from the effort. But the fool continued spouting nonsense.

With a snarl, the Inquisitor raised a foot and kicked the idiot to the ground.

"Oof!"

The retainer landed with a thud, momentarily stunned.

"Your Excellency!" he protested. "Please, I was just—"

"You dare shout about punishing Squad Zero? You blind fool!" the Inquisitor roared. "They are the royal secret service! They represent the Soul King's will! Do you plan to judge the Soul King too?! OUT! GET OUT!"

His voice shook with fury—and thinly veiled terror.

But within his rant, he had done what he never dared to before—he openly named Araki's status before all.

"Royal… secret service?"

The retainers collectively paled. Codices hit the floor.

Thud!

They dropped to their knees and pressed their foreheads against the ground.

"I was blind! I offended the elders of Squad Zero! Please spare my foolish life!"

Araki said nothing.

He didn't have to.

These pawns—scattered, groveling, pitiful—would all be abandoned the moment the nobles decided Araki was worth appeasing. They were already as good as discarded.

And he knew it.

The scapegoats ignored him and claimed that Squad Zero was perfectly normal, or that their mission was simply to provoke Araki, so they didn't bother with his identity. Fortunately, these people knew what a "royal spy" was...

Of course, it was more likely due to what their master had just said. After the Judge's "angry scolding" of these retainers, the scapegoat retainers knelt on the ground and begged Araki for mercy.

"Hehe…"

Araki simply chuckled. These scapegoats' pleas were fake; the real surrender had come from the Inquisitor himself. These retainers were merely tools reflecting the Inquisitor's mood.

"Get up! Don't kneel! This man isn't worth kneeling for!"

Araki ignored the small fry chosen as scapegoats by the Inquisitor. Instead, he helped the 11th Division soldier—who had been targeted—to his feet.

"Hmm…"

The 11th Division soldier was still bewildered. Everything was happening so fast. Their captain had inexplicably become a major figure in Division Zero, and he hadn't quite adjusted yet.

"Thank you, Captain Araki!"

Before the 11th Division soldier could fully rise, the kneeling noble retainers began to get up as well, smiling as they did.

"Keep going."

Araki glanced at them, and immediately released his spiritual pressure to pin them back down.

"Let's continue, let's continue!"

These scapegoat retainers, unmoved by words alone, submitted completely. They treated Araki with the same deference they had shown the Inquisitor. Even with Araki's powerful perception, he realized—somewhat surprised—that these people were obeying him from the bottom of their hearts. Then he realized something else...

These people weren't loyal to any individual in Soul Society, but to power itself. Araki had no intention of dealing with them. When the Inquisitor held power, they flattered him and abused their positions. Now that he had fallen, they were the first to turn on him. They probably had nine different ways to kill him already...

The real problem lay with the Inquisitor—and the rotten system itself.

"This is a brave soldier of our Gotei 11th Division! A hero who fought against the Quincies during Yhwach's invasion!"

Araki patted the soldier on the shoulder and introduced him proudly. When the soldier looked a little embarrassed, Araki turned to the Inquisitor.

"As for why he stopped you earlier..."

"That's because I ordered him to stop anyone who 'trespassed' into our 11th Division barracks! I also gave him the right to kill any trespassers."

"I came to the 11th Division on the direct orders of His Majesty the Soul King, to discuss a mission personally assigned to me, with Captain Unohana and Vice-Captain Saitō."

"Why? Does Your Lordship, the Inquisitor, also want to hear what His Majesty the Soul King told me?!"

Araki repeatedly emphasized the phrase "His Majesty the Soul King."

"I dare not! How could I dare to overhear the confidential mission His Majesty has entrusted to you, Your Excellency?"

The Inquisitor waved his hands repeatedly in panic.

"I see you're quite bold!" Araki pressed. "You say you dare not, yet you still want to punish my men?"

"I dare not punish… there was no crime in the first place, so how could I dare punish them?"

The Inquisitor kept waving his hands frantically.

"Excellent. If that's the case, then lead the way."

Araki, satisfied with the answer, continued speaking.

"Lead the way? Lead what way?"

The Inquisitor blinked, confused.

"Think carefully—what exactly brought you here to see me?"

Seeing the Inquisitor's puzzled expression, Araki narrowed his eyes slightly, leaned in, and whispered into his ear.

"This…"

The Inquisitor's eyes widened as understanding dawned. A smile slowly bloomed across his aged face like a chrysanthemum in spring.

"I understand! I understand!"

He nodded quickly, admiration swelling in his chest.

It turned out Araki had already guessed the Judge's reason for coming. He had also anticipated that the noble factions would first try to test him—then try to win him over...

So Araki had deliberately orchestrated this entire drama. Not only did it defuse their threat to him, it also humiliated them, taught them a lesson, and asserted his authority.

"This guy isn't some reckless dog like they say—he's a hungry wolf! One that devours people without leaving any bones behind! Our noble tactic of 'giving a stick, then a date' won't work on him. I hope that lord knows what he's doing… or he'll end up inviting a wolf into the house."

The Judge thought this bitterly.

Right now, the Central Forty-Six and the noble families were in a crisis. In front of them stood Genryūsai, the "tiger" who had descended the mountain waving the Gotei's banner—and behind them now stood Araki Kenpachi, the "hungry wolf" bearing the name of Squad Zero.

"Then, please~"

The Inquisitor, though uneasy, had no choice but to proceed—this was his mission, after all.

"Your Excellency the Inquisitor, please go first."

Araki smiled, nodded, and gently stroked the Zanpakutō at his waist.

"Time to see blood."

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