Chapter 401

2-in-1 chapter:  

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“From today onward, treat Ichigo just as you would treat me—and the rest of the family!”

“Except for matters directly handled by the family head, all assets and resources... as long as Ichigo needs them, give them to him!”

At those words, Ichigo was stunned.

“Hey, hey, Kaien, what are you talking about?!”

“I’m not…”

“Cough, cough—setting, setting... You want to save Captain Kaelith, don’t you? This is just the basic setup for your character!”

Kaien quickly whispered a reminder.

Though Ichigo was a bit conflicted, he could only shut his mouth.

The rest of the Shiba clan looked visibly confused.

Good grief, wasn’t this basically appointing him as the next heir?

The way everyone looked at Ichigo began to shift.

Could it be… the mistress had never borne a child, so Lord Kaien had one with someone else outside?

It sounded plausible, but for Kaien to do that… it just didn’t feel right…

Under the guidance of the few remaining Shiba household servants, Ichigo was taken to bathe and eat a good meal.

Soaking in the clan’s large bath, Ichigo suddenly started questioning his life choices.

Why had he come to the Soul Society again?

Was this some kind of sugar-coated offensive?

Was this another form of attack from the enemy?... If so it was working!

Shiba Kaien—utterly terrifying!

Elsewhere, in the bedroom, Kaien stood frozen in fear before the woman waiting for him inside.

“Hehe… Lord Kaien, I heard you brought a child back from outside…”

“Is it because I’ve never borne children… that I’ve disappointed you…”

“I’m okay with it. If you want to name another as the head wife, I can…”

Before she could finish, Kaien dropped to his knees in a perfect sliding kneel without hesitation.

“Do! My feelings for you have never changed!”

“That child is not mine!”

“?”

Staring at him in confusion, Shiba Do watched as Kaien grinned and leaned in to whisper.

Her surprised expression slowly returned.

“Uncle Isshin?”

“Yeah, the moment I saw that kid, I just knew!”

After hearing Ichigo’s background, Shiba Do wasted no time scolding Kaien and quickly began preparations.

As his cousin’s wife, she couldn’t afford to lose propriety.

The Shiba household bustled with rare excitement.

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“Where’s Ichigo—cough, I mean, where’s the ryoka now?”

Kaelith sat lazily in the First Division’s large fur-lined chair, asking leisurely.

“Reporting to Lord Kaelith—the ryoka vanished after fighting Lieutenant Zaraki and hasn’t reappeared since.”

“Based on analysis, the ryoka may currently be hiding in the mountains of East Rukongai…”

“Or… might have already left the Soul Society.”

“?”

Kaelith frowned in confusion.

How could that be?

He was currently imprisoned by order of the Central 46 and could be executed at any moment!

How could Ichigo be so relaxed?

Utterly outrageous!

*Smack!!*

Kaelith slapped the desk and stood up.

“Notify the Kidō Corps—prepare Sōkyoku!”

“?”

Soifon gave him a confused look.

Ukitake Jūshirō asked in surprise:

“Kaelith, why are you preparing the Sōkyoku? It’s just a ryoka incursion—this isn’t necessary, is it?”

Kaelith snorted coldly:

“A mere ryoka isn’t worthy of the Sōkyoku!”

“Then who is it for?”

“It’s for executing me!”

“?”

The room fell silent.

Ukitake and Kyōraku exchanged glances.

Had their junior finally gone insane?

Though hard to understand, the authority of the acting Captain-Commander was absolute.

At the summit of Seireitei, on the Sōkyoku Hill, the massive gate-shaped execution device began emitting fire-attributed Reishi under the Kidō Corps control.

The red glow lit up the evening sky like a scarlet haze.

And with that, an announcement was issued—

**Kaelith, Captain of the Eleventh Division, is to be executed at Sōkyoku Hill for committing grave crimes.**

Upon hearing this, all divisions fell into confusion.

The reason was simple.

The one who issued this order was… the acting Captain-Commander himself!

So this was a case of "I sentence myself to death"!?

Holding the order in his hands, Hirako Shinji could only laugh in disbelief.

Still, no matter how absurd, orders from the acting Captain-Commander had to be obeyed.

To ensure the execution went smoothly, all divisions began deploying forces to the area around Sōkyoku Hill, forming a tight and precise defense.

For the past century, under Yamamoto’s leadership, Seireitei had been preparing for covert Quincy threats.

As a result, even this sudden deployment unfolded in an orderly manner under each captain’s command.

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Shiba Household.

Upon hearing the news Kaien brought back, Ichigo shot to his feet.

“No way—I have to go now!”

“If I wait any longer, those guys really will kill Kaelith!”

He was about to use Shunpo when Kaien quickly grabbed him:

“Wait, Ichigo, don’t rush… Captain Kaelith is indeed sentenced to execution at Sōkyoku Hill, but they haven’t moved him there yet… Even if you go, you won’t find him.”

“I can’t just sit here and do nothing!”

Ichigo shook off Kaien’s hand.

He didn’t understand—this guy was also Kaelith’s friend, so how could he act so indifferent, like he wasn’t worried at all?

Even if it failed, he wasn’t going to waste time here anymore!

Kaien scratched his head.

He was just about to say something when a voice suddenly rang out:

“Kurosaki Ichigo, do you desire power?”

Upon hearing the voice, Kaien turned in surprise.

There, standing silently in the courtyard, was a man with one eye wrapped in a black bandage.

He instinctively called out the name:

“Vice-Captain Aizen…”

“You’re… you’ve been to my house!”

Ichigo’s eyes widened: “My dad respects you a lot. He said you’re a very important person!”

Seeing Aizen brought an unexpected sense of reassurance.

Ichigo hurried over to him.

Noticing the Shihakushō and the vice-captain badge on Aizen’s sleeve, he asked in surprise:

“So you’re a Soul Society vice-captain… No wonder I felt you were strong when we first met.”

Aizen smiled faintly.

“Your father and I are good friends.”

“Kaelith is also my friend.”

“He’s been sentenced by the Central 46—I can’t accept that.”

“But… I’m just a scientist. I don’t possess overwhelming power like them.”

“So, Kurosaki Ichigo, I hope you can become our hope. For Kaelith’s sake—will you wield your power?”

Ichigo nodded without hesitation:

“Of course—that’s exactly why I came here!”

Kaien nearly laughed out loud.

Aizen Sōsuke, without power? That was rich…

He opened his mouth to say something.

But before he could speak, Aizen calmly looked at him.

The cold gaze behind the glasses made Kaien swallow his words instinctively.

Seeing Kaien shut up, Aizen nodded in satisfaction.

“Kurosaki Ichigo, Kaelith’s execution is scheduled for three days from now.”

“In these three days, I will train you.”

“After this training, you’ll gain strength far beyond what you have now… but the process will be extremely dangerous.”

“In the worst case, you may lose your life.”

“Are you prepared?”

Ichigo gave a low chuckle:

“Preparedness—something I had already steeled myself for the moment I came here!”

Shiba Kaien: “……”

From the angle Ichigo couldn’t see, he clearly witnessed Aizen reveal the sinister, triumphant grin of a villain who had achieved his scheme.

He really wanted to warn his cousin not to fall into the devil’s trap.

But…

Sorry, cousin—even I don’t have the guts to defy Aizen Sōsuke.

Watching Ichigo being led away by Aizen, Shiba Kaien slumped into his chair, sobbing uncontrollably.

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Aizen brought Ichigo to a secret training base.

After erecting a spiritual pressure isolation barrier, he took out a large humanoid board.

Seeing it, Ichigo raised his eyebrows:

“A Jinzen Dummy? You have one too, Mr. Aizen?”

“Hm?”

Aizen looked at him curiously.

“You’ve used it before?”

“Yeah.”

Ichigo nodded with a smile. “I used it to train Bankai. Mr. Kaelith let me use one.”

Aizen was silent for two seconds:

“You already know Bankai?”

“Yes. I was planning to use it during my fight with Kenpachi, but since he doesn’t even have Shikai, pulling out Bankai would’ve felt unfair… so I didn’t use it.”

Hearing that, Aizen felt a mix of emotions.

He already knew the kid was a prodigy, but seeing it firsthand constantly shattered his expectations.

After a few seconds of thought, he simply pressed a hand to his chest.

A light began to glow there.

Since Ichigo had already achieved Bankai… he might as well go straight to Hollowfication.

If you’re going to play—play big!

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*Dun dun dong!*

*Dun dun dong!*

Seireitei, Sōkyoku Hill—an air of solemnity hung heavy.

Three massive chairs stood before the giant execution platform.

Kyōraku Shunsui, Ukitake Jūshirō, and Unohana Retsu sat on them.

Kyōraku chewed on a bamboo stick, his straw hat tilted, floral haori draped over him, arms crossed as he watched with interest.

Ukitake sat upright, motionless like a meditating monk.

Unohana rested one hand on her knee, raising the other to wave gently at the squad members watching below with a smile.

On both sides of the execution platform, captains stood with serious expressions.

Vice-captains and seated officers gathered with their subordinates, surrounding the hill so tightly that not even a droplet of water could pass.

And on the execution platform, Kaelith was strung up high, bound like an Ultra Brother caught by aliens.

Nearby, Kido Corps members blew into massive ox-horn instruments, casting a chill across the hill.

Hitsugaya stood among the crowd, on full alert.

As acting captain of Squad 6, he had access to intelligence far beyond a regular officer.

According to the reports, this execution was a lure—for an extremely dangerous ryoka.

This ryoka possessed immense power and could potentially cause a major disaster.

If such a person did descend upon Sōkyoku Hill, he would not hesitate to do what a member of the Gotei 13 must do!

Zaraki Kenpachi rested his Zanpakutō on his shoulder, eagerly awaiting Ichigo Kurosaki’s arrival.

In the First Division barracks, a figure quietly approached.

Yamamoto had suppressed his reiatsu, hiding in the distance with a puzzled expression.

Early that morning, he’d heard a commotion from Sōkyoku Hill.

At the time, he’d thought it was just the underlings messing around.

But now he saw—it wasn’t them. It was the unruly brats leading the charge!

What the hell was going on? The acting Captain-Commander was tied up, and no one had any objections?

Where was the authority? The discipline?

What exactly was this supposed to be?

As the old man watched in confusion, Rangiku Matsumoto arrived at the base of the execution platform.

She looked up enthusiastically at Kaelith above.

Seeing Kaelith nod, she cleared her throat and amplified her voice with Kido:

“Everyone!”

“The Gotei 13! First Annual Kaelith Execution Ceremony… now officially begins!!”

“…?”

Yamamoto’s vision went dark.

**First** annual?! Are they planning a **second** one too?!

Just as he was about to step in and shut down this farce, a sudden disturbance erupted nearby.

He turned to look.

A long spatial rift stretched open before the crowd.

With a bone-grinding screech, the rift split wide, revealing a deep, pitch-black void.

**Garganta!**

Seeing this, the Shinigami gasped in shock.

A Garganta usually heralded the arrival of a powerful Hollow.

Why would one appear here?!

Suddenly, someone shouted:

“Ryoka! It’s the ryoka!!”

What!!

All eyes turned to the Garganta.

A cloaked boy slowly emerged.

He held a long, cleaver-like blade and wore a calm expression.

Seeing Ichigo Kurosaki, the crowd cried out:

“It’s him! That ryoka brat!”

“He fought Captain Zaraki to a draw!”

“What?! He fought Captain Zaraki?! Then we’re screwed for sure!”

“Fall back, fall back!!”

Then, another figure stepped out from the Garganta.

And this time, the Shinigami were even more stunned.

That was…

“Shiba Kaien!”

“The Shiba clan head?!”

“Why is he with the ryoka?!”

“Lord Shiba! Have you betrayed us?!”

Amid the chaos, Shiba Kaien walked up beside Ichigo and grinned at the crowd:

“Heh, sorry folks. This time, I’m standing with Ichigo!”

Many Shinigami showed clear signs of fear.

Although Kaien was only a third seat, that was due to Squad 13’s unusual structure—the two vice-captains were weaklings who mainly took care of Ukitake Jūshirō’s daily needs.

In reality, Kaien’s strength ranked among the top vice-captains.

If Ukitake died from illness, Kaien would easily qualify as the next captain.

And that was just his strength—more importantly, he was head of one of the Five Great Noble Clans.

Who among them dared to raise a blade against that?

In an instant, many Shinigami—especially from Squad 6—began retreating instinctively.

Seeing this, Kaelith, still bound to the execution platform, roared with fury:

“Bastards! This is Sōkyoku Hill! A sacred execution ground!”

“Anyone who tries to break in is an enemy of the Gotei 13!”

“Even a noble isn’t above Soul Society’s laws!”

“No one retreats! Block them! No matter who it is—no one interferes with this execution!”

At Kaelith’s shout, the Shinigami reignited their resolve:

“OOOH!!!”

“Follow Captain Kaelith’s orders!!”

“Protect the execution platform!!”

Seeing the crowd fired up, Yamamoto took a deep breath.

The man about to be executed was rallying his subordinates to fight off the ryoka.

The subordinates were shouting joyfully, helping to carry out their leader’s execution.

He no longer had words to describe this scene.

Among the crowd, a 9th Division member shouted:

“Don’t be scared! It’s just two of them—we’ve got thousands! The advantage is ours!”

The words had barely left his mouth when, before everyone’s eyes, one figure after another began emerging from behind Ichigo, through the Garganta.

Starrk. Baraggan. Harribel. Grimmjow...