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Fate In Bleach (313)
🕑 Added 2024-10-08 17:00:15 +0000 UTCChapter 313 - Ailin’s First Clash with Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto
Within the Seireitei, Jūshirō Ukitake held a unique position.
Although the Ukitake Clan was merely a lower-ranking noble family, it didn't diminish Ukitake's standing. His strength as the captain of the Thirteenth Division spoke for itself. Moreover, those who knew Ukitake's secret wouldn't dare underestimate him.
He was a vessel for a part of a “god.”
The right arm of the Soul King resided within him. It was precisely because of this that Ukitake had survived his childhood illness. However, his survival came at a cost. A severe after-effect plagued him, leaving him at peak strength for barely a month out of the year. For the remaining six months, he was practically bedridden.
While Ukitake seemed to be in good condition now, Shunsui Kyoraku feared that his friend's body wouldn't be able to withstand the intensity of their battle against Head-Captain Yamamoto. He worried that Ukitake’s illness might flare up, making him vulnerable to Yamamoto’s attacks.
“Don’t worry, Shunsui. I’m feeling quite well…”
“Cough, cough, cough…”
Before Ukitake could finish speaking, he was overcome by a coughing fit, sending a wave of anxiety through Shunsui.
Without hesitation, Shunsui ignored the flames attacking him and slashed his twin Zanpakutō, Katen Kyōkotsu towards the flames that threatened Ukitake.
“Bushogoma!”
This was one of Shunsui’s Shikai techniques—a powerful tornado that could shred anything in its path.
The whirlwind tore through the flames and dispersed them, but Shunsui was unable to dodge in time. Thus, he was struck by the remaining flames and plummeted towards the Seireitei with trailing tail of fire.
“Shunsui!”
Seeing his friend struck down, Ukitake steadied his breathing and prepared to leap down to catch him.
However, Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto didn't give him the opportunity.
The next moment, a torrent of flames surged towards Ukitake.
Facing Yamamoto’s assault, Ukitake's expression turned serious. He pointed his twin Zanpakutō, Sōgyo no Kotowari, towards the incoming flames.
Instantly, like water swirling down a drain, the flames were absorbed into Ukitake’s right Zanpakutō.
The charms adorning the hilts of his twin Zanpakutō glowed with a blue light. Yamamoto’s attack, transformed by Sōgyo no Kotowari, was now concentrated within Ukitake’s left Zanpakutō.
Swish!
With a swing of his blade, the intense heat transformed into a fiery slash that obliterated the remaining flames. Not only that, but the slash, having extinguished the flames, continued forward for a considerable distance before detonating.
BOOM!
A star-shaped explosion appeared in the sky, which was expanding rapidly as it unleashed a powerful shockwave.
Without bothering to assess the impact of his attack on Yamamoto, Ukitake turned and flew downwards.
Shunsui Kyoraku had been struck by Yamamoto’s flames. He had to check on his friend. After all, Ukitake couldn’t recall anyone surviving an attack from Yamamoto unscathed.
However, Ukitake didn't reach Shunsui in time. Because Shunsui was already being carried upwards.
“Captain… Captain Ailin?”
Ukitake was surprised to see Ailin. But as he looked at the location where Shunsui had fallen, he understood.
Their battle had unknowingly brought them above Ailin’s residence.
Shunsui who was struck down by Yamamoto, had nearly crashed into Ailin’s courtyard.
“Captain Yamamoto, and Captain Ukitake…”
Ailin flew towards them and, after tossing the injured Shunsui towards Ukitake, stood between Ukitake and Yamamoto.
“I don’t intend to interfere in your fight, but could you please take it elsewhere? You’re disturbing my peace!”
“Oh, oh, oh, apologies, Captain Ailin.”
Ailin’s words weren't pleasant. He was practically telling them to get lost.
Ukitake was a kind man. Therefore, facing Ailin’s reprimand, he immediately apologized. “Don’t worry, Captain Ailin. We’ll move our battle elsewhere!”
“Hmph!”
“Ukitake, Kyoraku, you two won’t get away that easily!”
Sadly, while Ukitake was willing to relocate, Head-Captain Yamamoto didn't accept Ailin's proposal.
While he held the upper hand in his battle against his two disciples, having displayed overwhelming strength, Yamamoto knew his own limitations.
He was powerful, but he wasn’t young! While he could still reach his peak strength, he couldn’t maintain it for long.
Moreover, both Shunsui Kyoraku and Jūshirō Ukitake were powerful fighters.
Yamamoto didn't know if he could defeat them as easily once they recovered.
“Captain Yamamoto.”
Hearing Yamamoto’s refusal, Ailin’s displeasure grew. “This is above my home. Your battle is disturbing my peace. Don’t you have any consideration for others?”
“Captain Ailin!”
Yamamoto turned his gaze to Ailin.
“As the captain of the Eleventh Division, why aren't you stopping those who are disrupting the Seireitei’s order? Why are you allowing them to run amok?”
“What are your intentions?”
“My intentions?”
“Captain Yamamoto, tell me, who are the enemies in this situation? If I’m not mistaken, all the battles within the Seireitei, besides the one at Sōkyoku Hill, are internal conflicts, aren’t they?
Even you, Captain Yamamoto, are fighting Captains Ukitake and Kyoraku, aren’t you? Tell me, are you the enemy, or are Captains Kyoraku and Ukitake the enemies? As long as you say they are enemies, I’ll kill them right now!”
Yamamoto fell silent.
While he was indeed fighting his two disciples, were Shunsui Kyoraku and Jūshirō Ukitake truly enemies of the Seireitei?
In this Ryoka invasion, besides Retsu Unohana, the captain of the Fourth Division, only Captain Ailin hadn't intervened.
What about the other captains?
He was here battling the captains of the Eighth and Thirteenth Divisions.
The captain of the Second Division was fighting the former captain of the Second Division.
The captain of the Third Division was fighting the Ryoka.
The captain of the Fifth Division was dead.
The captain of the Sixth Division had just defeated the Fourth Seat of the Eleventh Division.
The captains of the Seventh and Ninth Divisions had been defeated by the lieutenant of the Eleventh Division, Zaraki.
The captain of the Twelfth Division had suffered serious injuries in his battle against a Ryoka and was still recovering in his laboratory.
Were all these individuals fighting each other truly enemies of the Seireitei?
“Captain Yamamoto, in this situation, it’s better to wait and observe. Look, it’s precisely because of your rash actions that the Seireitei is in such a state. Currently, the only one who has remained calm is perhaps Captain Unohana.
Therefore, Captain Yamamoto, I apologize. This time, I’m siding with Captain Unohana. If you and Captains Kyoraku and Ukitake wish to continue fighting, please take it elsewhere. If you insist on fighting here, then I’ll be your new opponent!”
Ailin’s declaration stunned both Yamamoto and Ukitake. They hadn’t expected Ailin to say such a thing.
As Ailin’s gaze swept over them, Ukitake’s heart skipped a beat. Without hesitation, he used Shunpo to retreat, carrying Shunsui away.
He looked as if he feared being targeted by Ailin. And it wasn't without reason. Even with his confidence, Ukitake didn’t believe he could defeat Ailin in his current state.
Perhaps only Head-Captain Yamamoto could rival Captain Ailin.
“Roooar!”
The flames on Yamamoto’s Zanpakutō, Ryūjin Jakka, flared, raising the temperature around him considerably.
Looking up, Yamamoto seemed to be enveloped in layers of distorted space. The air around him was rippling from the intense heat of Ryūjin Jakka!
“Is Teacher about to fight Captain Ailin?”
Despite retreating a considerable distance, a sense of unease lingered in Ukitake’s heart.
In their battle against Yamamoto, both he and Shunsui had tacitly agreed to only release their Zanpakutō’s Shikai, knowing each other’s abilities and respecting their teacher.
Of course, their Shikai were stronger than most captains' Bankai.
Therefore, fighting Yamamoto in this state wouldn't pose a significant threat to them.
But if their opponent were Captain Ailin…
Would their fight destroy the entire Seireitei…?
No, would it destroy the entire Soul Society?
Ailin and Yamamoto’s spiritual pressures exploded outwards. The spiritual pressure was so powerful that it seemed as if even the air was suppressed.
Everyone who sensed these two overwhelming auras looked up in terror towards the source of the commotion.
Even Ichigo Kurosaki and Gin Ichimaru, locked in battle, stopped fighting and turned their gaze to the distant sky.
“This… This spiritual pressure…”
At the base of Sōkyoku Hill’s torii gate, Shino Madarame collapsed to the ground, her eyes filled with fear.
Under the weight of those two immense spiritual pressures, she felt like she was being crushed by mountains, unable to move. Even her soul seemed to be trembling.
She felt that if those spiritual pressures intensified any further, she would instantly lose consciousness.
Even Gin Ichimaru opened his narrowed eyes. He now had a deeper understanding of Sōsuke Aizen's strength.
In recent years, Aizen had told Gin that he had reached the limit of a Shinigami’s power. According to Aizen, only a handful of individuals in the Seireitei had achieved this level.
Captain Ailin was one.
Head-Captain Yamamoto was another.
However, Gin had never seen Aizen unleash his full power. Therefore, he didn’t know how much stronger Aizen was compared to him.
Because, as of now, Gin had also encountered a barrier. He wasn’t sure if the barrier he had encountered was the same as the one Aizen had encountered.
If it were, it would mean that he and Aizen were now at the same level.
In that case, all Gin needed to do was exploit the weakness of Kyōka Suigetsu he knew about and kill Aizen, reclaiming the Hōgyoku containing Rangiku Matsumoto’s soul fragment from him.
However, judging by the spiritual pressure emanating from Yamamoto and Ailin, Gin realized he was still far from reaching Aizen’s level.
If that were the case, then he had no choice but to continue following Aizen.
Besides everything else, following Aizen meant that his own strength would undoubtedly improve rapidly.
After all, Aizen had said that the Hōgyoku’s most basic ability was to grant the desires of those around it.
With the Hōgyoku’s help, Gin believed he could reach Aizen’s level in the shortest possible time.
Thinking of this, Gin glanced at Ichigo Kurosaki, who was still stunned, and pointed his Zanpakutō towards him.
“Shoot to kill—Shinsō!”
…
“This… This spiritual pressure…”
Ichigo Kurosaki looked at the two figures in the distant sky and practically bit his gums until they bled.
Having mastered Bankai, while he didn’t consider himself invincible, he believed he was now among the Seireitei’s strongest fighters.
After all, according to Yoruichi, those who achieved Bankai were rare even in the Soul Society.
Every Shinigami who mastered Bankai possessed the qualifications to become a captain.
If a captain position became vacant, a Shinigami who had achieved Bankai could practically be directly appointed as the new captain.
However, Ichigo’s initial arrogance had been shattered by Gin Ichimaru.
In his fight against Gin, Ichigo hadn’t gained the slightest advantage. Not only that, but throughout their battle, Ichigo had sensed that Gin hadn't even released his Zanpakutō.
And now, these two powerful spiritual pressures made it clear to Ichigo that he was still far too weak…
