Page 175

"cheers!"

The clinking of sake glasses echoed in the izakaya, accompanied by laughter and sighs, as the discussion about the downfall of the Tsunayo family continued.

And such scenes are constantly unfolding in every corner of Seireitei.

Central Room 46, the meeting hall.

This hall, which normally symbolizes the highest judicial authority in Soul Society, is now shrouded in an unprecedented atmosphere of anxiety and gloom.

The great sage, seated in the main seat, rubbed his temples, his aged face etched with weariness and helplessness.

A thick stack of reports lay before him, a complete investigation report on the Tsunayo family incident.

Every page of text seems to be a silent indictment of the Central 46th Bureau's dereliction of duty and recklessness.

"How could things have come to this..." a judge murmured, a hint of helplessness in his voice.

"We shouldn't have believed the Tsunayo family's story so easily in the first place."

"What's the point of saying all this now?" another judge scoffed, his tone clearly showing dissatisfaction and frustration.

"When the Tsunayo family submitted those so-called 'evidence' claiming that Ginjo Kūgo was a dangerous element, we didn't even have time to fully verify it before hastily issuing an arrest warrant."

Later, Jushiro Ukitake raised objections and requested a reinvestigation, but we not only refused to accept his request, but also warned him on the grounds of 'obstructing official business'..."

"The most critical thing is that we even tried to stop Captain Ukitake's investigation," the Great Sage said slowly, his voice hoarse and heavy.

“If we had allowed him to investigate further, we might have discovered the Tsunayo family’s conspiracy much earlier, and things wouldn’t have deteriorated to this point.”

Silence fell over the hall once again.

After a long silence, a relatively young sage couldn't help but speak:

“The outside world’s evaluation of us is now very bad. Incompetent and corrupt, these words have become synonymous with our Central 46th Bureau.”

Even worse, some have begun to publicly question the fairness of our verdict.

These words were like sharp thorns, piercing the hearts of every sage and judge present.

They knew better than anyone that the authority of the Central 46th Bureau was based on the impartiality and indisputability of its judgments.

This time, their recklessness and mistakes have created serious cracks in this edifice of authority.

“Moreover…” the young sage paused, then added cautiously, “this incident is also related to that Yanagawa.”

The moment the name was uttered, the atmosphere in the entire hall instantly became even more somber.

A strange expression appeared on the face of everyone present.

For years, anything they heard about Yanagawa was never good news for Central 46.

Ever since Liu Chuan first crossed paths with their Central 46th Bureau, he has repeatedly clashed with them and overturned their judgments on numerous occasions.

Every time Liuchuan appears, it means that the 46th Chamber loses face.

This guy seems to be their natural nemesis, Room 46.

The great sage sighed deeply, slowly stood up, his gaze sweeping over everyone present, his voice tinged with helplessness:

"Now that things have come to this, there's no point in blaming ourselves or complaining. The only thing we can do now is to try our best to quell the unrest and restore the prestige of the Central 46th Bureau."

He paused, then continued, "Immediately issue a statement acknowledging our misjudgment in the Tsunayo family incident, apologizing to Ginjo Kūgo and related personnel, and announcing the withdrawal of the previous arrest warrant."

Chapter 262 Starlight in the Night Sky

Meanwhile, on a small hillside on the edge of the Rukongai residential area, the autumn scenery unfolds like a meticulously painted scroll in the afterglow of the setting sun.

The hillside was covered with golden fallen leaves, which made a soft rustling sound when stepped on, as if the earth was whispering.

Several tall ginkgo trees stand atop the hill, their branches intertwined, their golden leaves swaying gently in the breeze. Occasionally, a few leaves twirl and drift down, like butterflies in flight.

The air was filled with the fragrance of earth and the unique scent of fallen leaves, and a few birdsongs drifted from afar, crisp and melodious.

The afterglow of the setting sun dyed the entire hillside a warm orange-red, and the clouds on the horizon were outlined with golden contours by the evening glow.

In this tranquil autumn setting, a simple tombstone stands quietly on a corner of the hillside, with a name engraved on it in delicate handwriting—Ge Kuang.

Captain Tosen Kaname of the Ninth Division sat quietly in front of the tombstone.

His tightly closed eyes were directed towards the tombstone, his face expressionless, yet his silence held a thousand unspoken words.

He was wearing a Shinigami uniform, but not a captain's haori, as if he had come here as an ordinary friend, rather than as the captain of the Gotei 13.

This is where Ge Kuang is buried, and also where the two first met.

That was many years ago. Back then, Tosen was just a blind resident of Rukongai, groping his way forward in the dark, not knowing what light was or where the future lay.

And Ge Kuang, that gentle, upright, and righteous woman, was like a ray of light shining into his dark world.

She never discriminated against him because of his disability; instead, she patiently accompanied him and shared everything she saw with him.

From then on, the two often sat together at night to look at the stars. To be precise, it was Kagura who looked at the stars, and Tosen who listened to her describe them.

Ge Kuang loves the night sky because she once said that the night sky reflects the vast world.

Those twinkling stars are like every person who strives to live a good life; though small, they still shine their own light in the darkness.

But dark clouds often try to obscure the stars that twinkle with their faint light, just as evil and injustice in the world always try to stifle beautiful things.

Therefore, Ge Kuang's dream is to become the one who dispels the dark clouds.

She wants to protect every starlight, so that those faint lights can shine freely and not be swallowed by the darkness.

For Dongxian, who had never seen the light, Kakwang was the ray of light that illuminated his dark life.

Her voice, her smile, her ideals—everything about her made him feel the warmth and beauty of this world.

He began to believe that justice could triumph over evil and that light could dispel darkness.

However, what awaited them in the end was the news of Ge Kuang's death.

On that day, Tosen's world was plunged into darkness once again, a darkness even deeper than blindness.

He realized one thing: simply having a sense of justice is not enough to create peace.

Those who harbor malice will not lay down their weapons because of your kindness, and those who trample on others will not repent because of your tolerance.

He needs power. If justice isn't enough, then he will become justice himself and make all the evil forces in the world vanish.

From that day on, Tosen inherited Kagura's dream. He became a Shinigami, joined the Gotei 13, and rose through the ranks to become the captain of the 9th Division.

He pursues justice in his own way and eradicates evil using his own methods.

Now, he has received news that the murderer of Kagaku, Tsunayoshi Tokinada, has been personally killed by Yanagawa, and the Tsunayoshi family is about to be destroyed.

That once arrogant and ambitious man who wantonly trampled on the lives of others has finally met his just deserts.

Tosen remained silent.

He simply sat quietly in front of the tombstone, head bowed, his forever closed eyes facing the direction of the tombstone.

As the autumn wind blew, a few golden ginkgo leaves drifted down onto his shoulder and then gently slid off.

His lips moved slightly, but no sound came out. He was silently telling all this, as if telling the woman who lay there in eternal rest: Your revenge has been taken.

I will continue to protect your dreams.

As the sun slowly sank below the horizon, the afterglow of the sunset faded, replaced by a deep night.

The first star began to twinkle in the sky, as if Ge Kuang's smile, transcending time and space, was still watching over him.

Just as Tosen was about to immerse himself in silent remembrance and consolation, a series of unhurried footsteps came from the foot of the hill.

The footsteps were light and unhurried, as if the person was not in a hurry but taking a leisurely stroll.

The autumn leaves rustled underfoot, accompanied by a slightly teasing chuckle.

"Oh dear, I knew you'd be here."

The newcomer was none other than Gin Ichimaru, the captain of the Third Division. He still had his eyes narrowed, and a smile that seemed to never change on his lips.

He walked casually and relaxed, as if he were just passing by and saying hello. He walked slowly to Dongxian Yao's side, and without any ceremony, sat down on the grass next to him and looked up at the sky that was gradually darkening.

"The scenery here is really nice; it's definitely a great place to relax."

Gin Ichimaru's tone carried a hint of teasing.

Without turning her head, Tosen simply said, "You came all the way to a place like this, surely not just to admire the scenery?"

"Hahaha, you saw through me." Gin Ichimaru chuckled, reaching out to pluck a ginkgo leaf that had fallen onto his shoulder, twirling it between his fingertips.

"After all, Tsunayoshiro Tokinada is dead, killed by that Yanagawa, and the Tsunayoshiro family is completely finished."

Tōsen didn't respond, and Gin Ichimaru, unconcerned by his silence, continued, "Captain Aizen has given the order; the time is ripe. It's time to head to Hueco Mundo."

Tosen Kaname paused slightly, remained silent for a moment, then slowly stood up and brushed the grass clippings and fallen leaves off his clothes.

He didn't ask any further questions or say anything more, simply replying, "...Understood."

He turned around, facing the direction of the tombstone, and bowed slightly, as if saying his final goodbye.

Then he started walking down the hillside.

Gin Ichimaru remained seated, watching Tosen's departing figure. His perpetually squinty eyes slowly opened, and he muttered to himself:

"Speaking of which, we're actually quite similar... one who walks into darkness for the sake of justice, and the other who pretends to smile for the sake of revenge."

He stretched, stood up, and slowly walked down the hillside.

Chapter 263 Barragán's Surrender

Deep within Hueco Mundo, in the heart of Las Noches Palace, King Barragan of Hueco Mundo sat upon his bone throne, wearing a golden crown inlaid with jewels.

He watched the low-level Hollows fighting each other below with utter boredom, a cruel smile appearing on his lips. This was one of the few forms of entertainment he had been having lately.

Everything changed from that day fifteen years ago.

On that day, a female Arrancar named Nellyel, accompanied by a powerful Shinigami, stormed into Las Noches.

In that battle, most of his capable subordinates were wiped out by those two guys. Even after fifteen years, that humiliation was still branded into his heart, and every time he thought of it, he would feel a surge of anger that made him grit his teeth.

Over the years, he has gradually recruited many subordinates. Although none of them are particularly outstanding, their numbers are enough for him to regain that sense of supreme dominance.

He is the King of Hueco Mundo, the absolute ruler of this desolate world, and no one can challenge his authority.