Bleach [129-130]

Chapter 129: Retrieving the Soul King Fragments; Jigokuchō from the Tsunayashiro Ancestor

Outside, the desperate Fullbringers only felt the Shinigami controlling them suddenly let go.

Then, another Shinigami walked in.

"I knew they'd make a move."

After Yoshio entered, he looked around the room and asked softly, "Are you all okay?"

"You are…?"

Ginjō Kūgo stared at the suddenly appearing Yoshio. He didn't know what had happened, but he was certain this man had saved them.

The more he looked, the more familiar Yoshio seemed.

Suddenly, he remembered the Lieutenant he'd seen once a year ago.

Lying weakly on the ground, he said, "The Lieutenant from the Fifth Division?"

"Mm." Yoshio nodded. "Just call me Yoshio. I've trapped them, but this place might not be safe anymore. You should find somewhere else."

"What exactly happened? You Shinigami…"

"Don't lump all of us Shinigami together." Yoshio's tone turned cold. "This should be the work of the Tsunayashiro Clan. They don't represent the Shinigami—or at best, they represent only a part of them."

Yoshio walked up to a Tsunayashiro Clan member.

He found a tracker-like device on the man and crushed it with a little force.

The next moment, he cast a healing wave on Ginjō Kūgo. As golden light entered Ginjō's body, his condition rapidly improved.

"You…"

Ginjō gave Yoshio a complicated look. He didn't understand.

Why had Shinigami come to kill him before, and now a Shinigami had come to save him?

"What the hell are you playing at?!"

The Fullbringers who had been suppressed earlier were also freed. They were relieved to still be alive—earlier, they'd felt endless malice from the Shinigami.

Especially the leading Shinigami—he seemed to treat them like objects. Just his gaze had sent chills down their spines.

Now another Shinigami had suddenly appeared and killed all the previous Shinigami. What on earth was going on?

"Even if I wanted to explain, this isn't the place. Let's move. Do you have a safehouse?"

Ginjō's expression changed. He was still holding the shinigami substitute badge and was about to throw it away!

Because the man earlier had said it was used to monitor him!

"No need." Yoshio said. "I sealed it the moment I showed up, so you don't have to worry about eavesdropping or tracking."

"Then let's go somewhere else to talk." Ginjō said darkly. "I want to know what happened."

"The Shinigami have been monitoring me, and even if you sealed it, they'll notice something's off when it suddenly goes silent."

"It's not safe here. Let's go."

"Ginjō Kūgo! What the hell are you people doing?!"

The Fullbringers were furious and panicked; they had truly felt their lives threatened.

At the same time, they hated their own abilities even more.

They believed this was all happening because they had certain powers. If not for them, they'd just be ordinary people living plain but happy lives.

Yoshio sneered at their thoughts.

Ridiculous. In a world like this, how lucky it is to have power—yet they don't want it.

Kurosaki Ichigo's next-door neighbors would be green with envy!

Ichigo is smart. He understands how important power is. Unlike those vain, shallow posers, when he lost his power he said nothing, but deep down, he always longed to regain it as soon as possible.

Yoshio remembered that when he used to read manga, there were always people who hated having power, or hated living too long, or hated being immortal…

As for that mindset, he thought they were just spoiled.

Give them a couple of slaps and see if they still play crazy!

Of course, Yoshio figured they were posturing—but that was just his personal view. He didn't value such thoughts; perhaps they really had attained some enlightened state?

Respect others' destinies, let go of the urge to help, avoid self-harm.

As for Yoshio, after removing the soul king fragments from their souls, he would no longer have any interaction with them.

He wondered whether, after they lost their powers, they might be stomped to death by a passing Menos Grande.

The thought contained a trace of malice.

However, for now, he still had to play the hero.

Ginjō led everyone to another location. It was a normal residence, maybe sixty or seventy square meters.

It was cramped for dozens of people, but fortunately the next-door neighbor wasn't home, so they spread into the adjacent apartment.

The elderly and children went to the other rooms. The core Fullbringers gathered around Yoshio, with Ginjō present. They were ready to hear what Yoshio had to say.

With about ten people surrounding him, Yoshio's expression didn't change. He said lightly, "These people were Shinigami, yes—but there were more Tsunayashiro Clan members among them."

"Tsunayashiro Clan?" Ginjō asked. "What's that? Are they Captains among the Shinigami?"

Ginjō had been a Substitute Shinigami, but he seldom appeared in the Soul Society, so naturally he didn't know much about Seireitei's political structure.

Yoshio had to explain the Five Great Noble Families of Soul Society.

After explaining, he added, "The Tsunayashiro Clan used to be the head of the Five Great Noble Families—the most respected nobles in Soul Society. Therefore, they also have strong influence over the Gotei 13."

"Even the Captain-Commander can be ordered by them."

Of course, not directly. They had to follow procedures.

The Tsunayashiro Clan could order Central 46 to order the Captain-Commander. That was the chain.

"What?!" Ginjō was shocked. "There are such figures among the Shinigami?"

"That's right." Yoshio nodded. "The Tsunayashiro Clan is arrogant and overbearing even in Seireitei. They look down on everyone, even the Captains of the Gotei 13."

"But why would these people want to kill us?" Ginjō was puzzled.

He seemed much better now.

He had been stabbed in the hakusui—a virtual incurable wound for Shinigami. However, Yoshio's healing wave was more effective than the usual Kaido.

Even with such a serious injury, Yoshio had a way to bring him back.

"The Kamado Family is a subordinate branch of the Tsunayashiro Clan. In fact, over ten years ago I received a mission from the Tsunayashiro Clan."

Yoshio said, "They sent me to the Human World to gather information on 'Fullbringers.' I even met you back then, Tenshiyo Agata."

Yoshio looked at a middle-aged man.

Tenshiyo Agata froze, surprised the conversation had turned to him.

"Me?"

"That was more than a decade ago." Yoshio said. "At the time I didn't know why the Tsunayashiro Clan wanted me to investigate you humans."

"So I didn't think much of it."

"Until last year, after Ginjō entered the Soul Society and became a Substitute Shinigami, I learned from a friend that the Tsunayashiro Clan seemed very interested in you. So I've been secretly watching their movements."

"Today I noticed some Shinigami from the Tsunayashiro Clan sneak into the Human World without authorization. I knew they were finally making a move, so I followed them."

"You're bold." Ginjō said coldly. "Didn't you say the Tsunayashiro Clan have great power in Soul Society? You're opposing them."

"Maybe. But as long as they don't know it was me, it's fine." Yoshio said. "I just don't want to see them dump the blame on Captain Ukitake."

"Ukitake…" Ginjō's eyes darkened. He clenched his fists, as if to crush the shinigami substitute badge.

He hurled it away—throwing the badge directly!

"How could I not hate you?!" Ginjō said coldly. "You've been playing me from the start!"

To him, whether the Tsunayashiro Clan wanted to kill or use him, the harm was far less than what the shinigami substitute badge had done!

He had never expected the seemingly gentle and courteous Jūshirō Ukitake had intended to use him all along!

The badge he gave him was to monitor and analyze him from the beginning!

Who could put up with that?!

If Ginjō could laugh it off, he'd be a god!

"For the record, I didn't know in advance about the substitute badge." Yoshio's primary goal was to keep his hands clean, insulated, and cut off from blame.

"I don't know Captain Ukitake's intent in giving you the badge, but I trust his character."

"You're a Lieutenant in the Gotei 13—of course you'd trust him!"

"Fine, I won't argue about Captain Ukitake." Yoshio said. "I'll ask you one thing: what do you plan to do next?"

"Enough!"

Before Ginjō could speak, the Fullbringers couldn't hold back and said in unison, "We don't care about the Tsunayashiro Clan, or Captain Ukitake, or Shinigami or Fullbringers. We just want Ginjō to take our powers away!"

Ginjō's face darkened. He moved his lips and said, "I'm sorry. I… I've lost my Shinigami powers. I'm afraid I can no longer help you transfer your powers."

"What?!" The Fullbringers were shocked and furious. "Why?! Didn't you say you'd help us get rid of our abilities?!"

Ginjō went pale, and Yoshio glanced at his wound, saying, "Nothing to be done. Ginjō's wound is in the 'hakusui,' one of a Shinigami's vital points where spiritual power is produced."

"Without the hakusui, a Shinigami's spiritual power dissipates. Fortunately, his Saketsu wasn't damaged—otherwise his power would drain even faster and maybe endanger his life."

Although Yoshio had staunched the bleeding, he wouldn't let Ginjō keep his Shinigami power.

If he still had it, he'd still be a Substitute Shinigami and could absorb the Fullbringers' power. Then why would Yoshio be here?

So when healing, Yoshio deliberately didn't heal the hakusui fully until Ginjō's power was nearly gone, and only then completed the repair.

And…

If Ginjō still had power, he might be less cooperative.

Yoshio glanced at Ginjō and fell into thought.

He hadn't expected their goodwill toward him to hit eighty just for saving their lives. To collect soul king fragments from them, he'd have to play along for a while.

Of course…

There were other ways.

"You… want to give up your superpowers?" Yoshio asked, puzzled.

"Of course," a female Fullbringer said. "We're human, not Shinigami. Humans should live human lives!"

"I've always wondered why you humans have these powers," Yoshio said suddenly. "More than ten years ago, when I came to the Human World on a mission, I wondered why humans could control reishi."

"All things have reishi and souls, but human souls are bound by kishi, so theoretically, awakening such powerful abilities shouldn't be possible."

"Given the Tsunayashiro Clan's behavior, I think there's something in the depths of your souls causing the anomaly—and the Tsunayashiro Clan are trying to take it back."

"What is it?"

"I don't know—but if you trust me, I can take a look."

Yoshio had thought saying this would cause dissatisfaction or suspicion. After all, a group had just targeted them, and though Yoshio saved them, he immediately proposed the same goal…

That would naturally make people suspect his presence was part of a conspiracy.

But…

They seemed at their wits' end. As long as they could rid themselves of Fullbring, they didn't care about anything else.

Ginjō sensed something off, but the Fullbringers had no objections—some even begged Yoshio for help.

Yoshio thought for a moment and said, "I'll try. What about you?"

He directed the latter half at Ginjō.

Ginjō looked grim and said coldly, "I won't accept help from Shinigami—or from you, Yoshio. I don't know your purpose, but I'll take revenge on the Shinigami."

"If you want to stop me, kill me now."

"…Why?" Yoshio was silent a moment, then spoke.

"?" Ginjō frowned. "Didn't you hear me? I said I'll take revenge on the Shinigami! Especially Jūshirō Ukitake!"

His hatred for Ukitake—who "betrayed his trust"—was even stronger than for the Tsunayashiro Clan.

"Is that a reason for me to kill you?" Yoshio sighed. "Forget it. This is indeed the Shinigami's fault. I don't know what Captain Ukitake was thinking, and I won't defend him."

"So I won't clean up his mess. This is the consequence of those arrogant fools. You're a pitiful victim—why should I kill you?"

Ginjō was moved. He knew he shouldn't shift his hatred for Ukitake and the Tsunayashiro Clan onto other Shinigami—especially not onto Yoshio.

Although he still found Yoshio's demeanor a bit odd, he had indeed saved him and the Fullbringers.

Also, after saying all this, Yoshio didn't kill him and even gave him leverage.

Although Yoshio had already taken care of all the Shinigami before leaving the villa, Ginjō remained there. As long as he claimed the person who saved them was Yoshio, given the Tsunayashiro Clan's power in Seireitei, Yoshio's situation could become very tricky.

He knew Yoshio did this deliberately to make him believe.

He would work to restore his power and verify Yoshio's claims.

What Yoshio said was easy to check, especially the rumors about the Tsunayashiro Clan. If they were really that terrifying, he wouldn't even need to enter Seireitei; he could find information in the Rukongai.

"I'm leaving." Ginjō knew that since the Fullbringers had started seeking Yoshio's help, there was no point in him staying.

He needed a quiet place to reflect on everything and then…

Regain his power!

He could also awaken Fullbring and use it to restore his Shinigami powers, but he wouldn't show up easily. Instead, he would gather strength in secret until the time was right to take revenge on Jūshirō Ukitake.

Under everyone's gaze, Ginjō rose from the sofa and left the house.

Before leaving, he suddenly said to Yoshio, "If you want to find me, look for me at Nagahara."

With that, he pushed the door open and left.

Yoshio said nothing, silently watching Ginjō disappear.

"All right, that guy's gone. How are you going to take away our abilities?" the female Fullbringer asked directly.

"Let's find another place," Yoshio said. "This doesn't feel safe. Does anyone have a larger house?"

"Come to my place," Tenshiyo Agata said heavily. "It's just me and my daughter. There's enough space; we can hide there."

"And I've been out a long time. I have to check on my daughter."

"Fine."

Yoshio agreed, and no one objected.

They left and went to Tenshiyo Agata's home.

…

There, Yoshio saw Agata's daughter, Aura Michibane.

Aura was a little girl, locked in a cage-like space by Agata.

Yoshio frowned. "Is this how you treat your daughter?"

Agata burst out, "What do you know?! She's a Fullbringer too! Until she becomes a normal person again, I'll never let her walk the same path as me!"

"No one thinks that way; you're exaggerating," Yoshio said coolly.

These people not only disliked their powers—they hated them!

Very good. If they all felt that way, it would be easier to extract the soul king fragments.

He glanced at Aura. As with other characters who'd appeared, her Souls Ability was different from other Fullbringers.

Her Souls Ability was "Foundation Master."

"Foundation Master: raise Hakuda and Kidō to the same level as Aizen Sōsuke."

What kind of master?

Does "Aizen level" mean the current cap of Shinigami, or as Aizen grows stronger in the future, does the cap rise with him?

That's like cheating.

So when Aizen later merges with the Hōgyoku and becomes stronger, would Kidō and Hakuda skyrocket as well?

Great ability—I want it too!

Aura appears in later official novels. She is also a Fullbringer, and the soul king fragment in her body is a complete component, much larger than ordinary fragments.

She is the Soul King's "Saketsu."

The Saketsu, like the Hakusui, is one of a Shinigami's key points.

Hakusui generates spiritual power; the Saketsu drives it—it can be said to be a very important part of the Soul King.

As such a special organ, her Fullbringer ability can be seen as a reishi thruster. She has no special abilities herself; all she does is push basic Fullbringer abilities to the limit.

Moreover, Yoshio noticed Aura had a very high initial favorability toward him.

Though it was their first meeting, Aura's favorability was an astonishing 45.

He had just saved a bunch of Fullbringers, but none of them had a favorability of 45!

Must be the innocence of a child.

Thinking this, Yoshio's gaze softened when he looked at Aura.

He didn't know if her Souls Ability would change after he removed the soul king fragments from her.

No—he had to retrieve her Soul King Saketsu last, and only after her favorability rose above eighty.

Yoshio withdrew his gaze. "I need to examine your souls. Who wants to go first?"

"I will, since this is my house," Tenshiyo Agata said.

Yoshio nodded. Under the Fullbringers' watch, he had him lie on the bed.

He placed his hand on Agata's head and performed a reishi scan.

Actually…

Extracting the soul king fragments shouldn't be too hard—at least easier than extracting the Hōgyoku.

Aizen extracted soul king fragments himself, but when extracting the Hōgyoku he relied on the Sōkyoku and Kisuke Urahara's techniques.

Yoshio hadn't mastered those methods yet, but he felt that with a subject he could attempt multiple times on, removing soul king fragments shouldn't be a problem.

Seeing that Yoshio was about to experiment on Agata, Aura spoke up. "Uncle, what are you going to do to my father?"

"Aura, don't be afraid. Soon we'll be able to appear outside as normal people. You won't be trapped in this darkness anymore!"

A spark of curiosity flashed in Aura's eyes. Having been confined for years, she was full of curiosity about the outside world.

But whenever she showed curiosity, Agata scolded her harshly, and bit by bit, her curiosity—along with all her other emotions—had dulled.

Until Yoshio appeared…

Yoshio brought her hope.

Could she go out?

Aura was a little confused, and her long-suppressed emotions burst forth.

As long as big brother allowed it, could she go outside?

When one has stayed too long in darkness, even a faint light is seen as a lifeline.

And Yoshio's appearance was like a beam of light in the dark—a light that could free her from this home that was like a prison.

"I could try Kidō."

Yoshio frowned slightly and said tentatively, "But I haven't done this before, so let's try another subject first."

"Then I'll go!" the woman from earlier stepped forward again. "Even if you lose control and kill me, so be it. Life or death, I don't care."

Her words dripped with world-weariness. Yoshio really couldn't understand why someone would hate their own powers so much.

Forget it. Not my problem.

Since someone volunteered, Yoshio decided to test on her first.

Yoshio was also a Kidō master.

Among the four basics—Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Shunpo, and Kido—he excelled at Shunpo, then Kidō.

But his Shunpo was markedly superior. He had learned it from Aizen, and his technique was exquisitely elegant.

He thought for a moment, then activated All-rounder, distributing his Shunpo mastery evenly among the other three skills.

With All-rounder boosted, his Kidō rose to another level.

Beyond the Kidō he'd trained through the system, he had read many books about Kidō. That's how he had raised Ise Nanao's favorability to 80 back then.

Ise Nanao liked reading, so Yoshio learned to read like her; as a researcher, he'd read a lot of books.

Most importantly, he had read ancient Kidō incantations and forbidden techniques obtained from the Tsunayashiro Clan, so designing a small Kidō spell was not hard for him.

Yoshio analyzed the woman Fullbringer's reiatsu and soul structure and began identifying the soul king fragment's location.

He wasn't sure if it was always in the same place, but this woman's fragment was in her lower abdomen, so he put a hand on her stomach.

Her skin felt smooth, but Yoshio's heart remained calm.

Shinigami and humans are reproductively isolated!

Random thoughts flickered through his mind, then a green light appeared in his hand.

From that green light, fine threads spread and cloaked both of his hands in a thin green film.

Seeing the glow, the woman tensed.

Yoshio took a breath, and the hand pressed on her belly sank slowly into her body.

Her pupils dilated at once, as if her consciousness were collapsing; her features twisted, eyes rolled back, foam at her mouth!

Yoshio ignored it, reaching deeper into her body.

He closed his eyes, feeling carefully for the soul king fragment.

Suddenly, Yoshio's right hand jerked upward!

Between his thumb and forefinger he pinched a small shard shimmering with crystalline light!

At that moment, the woman fainted on the spot!

The surrounding Fullbringers were stunned, exclaiming, "What is…?"

"Why… did that come out of her body?"

"So this is the source of our Fullbring?"

Yoshio raised the fragment to his eyes. As he gazed at the gorgeous radiance, a strange color appeared in his own eyes.

Good stuff!

"This is it."

Facing their questions, Yoshio said in a low voice, "I think this is it."

"Damn… this is what turned us into monsters!"

"Did it work?!" Tenshiyo Agata was excited. "If you remove that thing, can we become normal?"

"Likely." Yoshio glanced at the woman and said, "But I'm not sure about side effects. Let's wait and see if she has any issues when she wakes."

"If she does, I'll revise the Kidō."

At that, the crowd quieted.

Right—while the source seemed removed, the woman was unconscious.

What if something went wrong?

They all wanted to lose their powers, but not everyone was as death-defying as that woman.

But no one knew how long she'd be out.

Agata's house was large and had a front yard, so there was enough space for the crowd to gather.

Yoshio watched the Fullbringers exchanging looks and whispering, then focused on Aura Michibane.

There wasn't much emotion in her eyes, but he sensed curiosity beneath her calm gaze.

Pocketing the fragment, Yoshio went to Aura. "Are you afraid?"

Aura watched him come and squat in front of her.

She shook her head.

Yoshio frowned again; Aura was still bound by chains.

He couldn't help telling Agata, "Child abuse—you know that's a crime, right?"

"My daughter is mine—I'll handle her how I want! You Shinigami, stay out of it. Just take that thing out of us!" Agata said impatiently.

"In the end, you Shinigami understand nothing! You don't know how others look at us. What's wrong with not wanting my daughter to face those stares?"

"Heh…" Yoshio chuckled softly and didn't respond. He never argued with fools.

He directly crushed the cuffs Agata had put on, freeing Aura.

Aura looked confused, not knowing what had happened.

"It's nothing. You're free now." Yoshio patted her head and ruffled her hair.

Ever since meeting Hitsugaya, Yoshio liked mussing people's hair; it had become a seated officer's habit.

"What if she never wakes up?" another impatient Fullbringer shouted.

"If she doesn't, I'll refine the technique and find the next subject," Yoshio said coolly.

He didn't think it would fail—after all, the Tsunayashiro Clan's ancient texts described similar methods; with his superb Kidō, small tweaks would suffice.

He hadn't acted sooner because he wanted more time with Aura to quickly raise her favorability to the max and gain the "Foundation Master" ability permanently.

That woman had lost her Souls Ability after he removed her soul king fragment.

He worried Aura might experience the same—so he had to save extracting the Soul King Saketsu for last.

Aura's favorability rose quickly. Yoshio felt she was a bit like Hitsugaya; if it increased, it rose fast.

Just like now—Yoshio had already temporarily obtained the Foundation Master ability.

Except…

Even at the end, it hadn't reached eighty.

Three hours later, the woman woke. After confirming she was fine, Yoshio began extracting the next soul king fragment.

The next was Tenshiyo Agata. He'd tried to have Yoshio extract Aura's first, but Yoshio refused.

His reason was that he didn't yet understand the technique's side effects on children; their souls were too fragile. He'd only consider it after perfecting the Kidō.

After extracting Agata's fragment, Yoshio didn't wait for him to wake—he started on the next person while Agata was still out.

But there were too many people and Yoshio's stamina was limited.

So that day he extracted only ten fragments.

"Dawn is near."

Yoshio looked out the window. "I know many of you haven't had your sources extracted, but I must return to the Soul Society."

"Something must have happened with the Tsunayashiro Clan. If I'm absent, it'll arouse suspicion."

"If you still want your power sources removed, meet at the same place tonight."

The Fullbringers were anxious; they urgently wanted their sources removed, but Yoshio didn't listen—he left the house straight away.

Extracting ten fragments in a row required precise Kidō control and a lot of mental work—it was a test for Yoshio.

But the gains were satisfying—ten fragments!

…

Yoshio happily returned to the Gotei 13. At daybreak, he went to the Fifth Division and immediately heard that several Shinigami and an important Tsunayashiro member were missing.

Yoshio had dealt with them and left no traces, so no one would connect it to him.

He wasn't worried; he was already thinking about harvesting more fragments that night.

But accidents are, by definition, unforeseen. When he arrived at the Fifth Division, he received a message.

"…"

A Jigokuchō landed on his hand, rested for a moment, then flew off.

Yoshio's gaze grew solemn.

Jigokuchō are tools Shinigami use to communicate—but few today know how they're bred.

In fact, if you think carefully, the name Jigokuchō comes from "hell," so of course they're connected to it.

This Jigokuchō brought neither a Gotei 13 command nor a Central 46 order, but…

The Tsunayashiro Clan!

Strictly speaking, it was the Tsunayashiro Clan Ancestor's words.

This Jigokuchō had flown out of Hell!

["Yoshio, I'm not interested in what you're doing, but I won't stand by and watch you completely destroy the Tsunayashiro Clan."]

["Tonight, I'll be waiting for you at the Tsunayashiro Clan estate."]

There was no signature, but Yoshio instinctively felt it was from the Tsunayashiro Ancestor!

This ancestor was from a very distant past!

He should have had special powers before the Three Realms were established. Was he still alive?

No—he must be dead, but based on the message, he had fallen into Hell.

Indeed, anyone with reiatsu at level three or above falls into Hell after death. The Tsunayashiro Ancestor was undoubtedly that level, so it made sense.

However, with Yamamoto and Aizen now in the Human World, their reiatsu should suppress Hell's gate, and the reishi between the Three Realms and Hell should still be balanced. How did the Ancestor convey his will?

Forget it—strictly speaking, the establishment of the Hell also had something to do with them. Maybe they left back doors.

He recalled that in the official novels, Shunsui seemed to believe that the monk wanted to turn Kurosaki Ichigo into the Soul King as the Five Great Noble Families' ancestors intended.

In other words, they indeed had ways to intervene in the Three Realms?

At least they could still send messages via Jigokuchō?

Yoshio shook his head. He didn't fully understand, but he'd know more tonight.

It was just a meeting with the Tsunayashiro Ancestor. Since he invited him, it would be rude not to go.

Yoshio decided to go alone tonight.

Speaking of which, the Three Realms are a giant sieve.

Aizen has surveillance functions, Mayuri Kurotsuchi has surveillance, the Tsunayashiro Clan has surveillance, the monk has surveillance, Yhwach has surveillance…

Hell has surveillance too!

Hell's wardens possess foresight; they can know what happens in the Three Realms from within Hell. If they paid attention, they could probably see what Yoshio was doing.

However, his safehouse was absolutely secure; no one could peek at the truth, so they should only know about himself.

They shouldn't know his two clones were related.

From now on, any meetings or actions with his clones must be inside the safehouse.

Chapter 130: Cooperation with the Ancients of Hell, Preparing to Go to the Wandenreich with Starrk

It was already late at night.

"Terrible weather."

Yoshio looked up.

No moon, no stars—the sky seemed draped in black, the world sunk in deep darkness.

It had rained yesterday; today was stifling hot by day, but at night the temperature dropped suddenly, as if foretelling something to happen.

Yoshio gathered himself and headed for the Tsunayashiro estate.

His home wasn't in the Sixth District, so getting there took some walking.

Along the way, he even saw Shinigami on patrol; even at midnight, there were night-shift patrols everywhere.

Most Shinigami in Seireitei knew Yoshio, which saved trouble.

His footsteps echoed in the still night. In the cool breeze, Yoshio finally reached the Tsunayashiro gate.

How did the current Tsunayashiro Clan compare to the past?

They had once built a resplendent estate, even surpassing the Kuchiki.

But now, though still lavish and trying to prove they weren't in decline, they'd lost their ancient charm and become vulgar.

As Yoshio approached, the gate opened automatically.

"Pretty smart," Yoshio thought as he walked in.

There should have been many guards and servants, but they were all gone; he slipped in silently.

He looked around; the Tsunayashiro estate felt lifeless.

He remembered that after Angra's move, there were only four left—one of them a newborn.

Now one more had been killed, leaving only two adults and a little girl.

Naturally, nothing like their peak.

Yoshio followed a special path and entered a room.

It wasn't grand—by noble standards, it was even plain. Most striking were the mysterious runes, densely covering the walls, either radiating from the center or converging into it.

At the center was a man, his body also covered in dense sigils.

"You must be… the Tsunayashiro Clan Ancestor, right?"

Most people would be scared witless by the sight, but Yoshio had been in this world for years; he'd seen everything. This little scene wouldn't faze him.

The man didn't open his mouth, but a voice spoke from it.

"Yoshio Kamado, how does it feel to be with Aizen?"

He knew Yoshio served Aizen—meaning not only that he was the Fifth Division Lieutenant, but that he had betrayed the Soul Society with Aizen.

Playing dumb would only waste time, so Yoshio answered directly, "Not bad. You then—what do you want with me? You don't look like you can manifest for long."

"I like your temperament," the man said blandly. "You did destroy most of the people in the clan."

Yoshio's heart stirred; he probed, "Come on, I only killed two Tsunayashiro members—and one was a traitor."

The man said, "That Tōsen Kaname—wasn't that Tenshintai made by your hand?"

Yoshio relaxed. This old man truly didn't know about his clones; he was attributing the imaginary body's deeds to him.

Yoshio said a bit helplessly, "Then blame Kisuke Urahara. He created the Tenshintai."

"I'm not here to accuse you, nor do I need to. As long as one member of the Tsunayashiro Clan lives, my will continues."

The man said blandly, "A million years is enough to destroy anything, let alone these useless descendants."

"Then what do you want from me…?" Yoshio asked cautiously.

"You have potential. Interested in serving me?" the Ancestor said. "After you descend to Hell, I can arrange for you to become a Yama."

Yoshio wanted to laugh. What a ridiculous grand promise. He'd be crazy to follow him. Yama? Sounds better than it is.

I won't die!

Of course, to someone like the Tsunayashiro Ancestor, even if he died tens of thousands of years later, he'd still die. The Three Realms had existed at least a million years; he'd existed longer.

Thousands of years, tens of thousands—nothing to him.

In his eyes, all Shinigami eventually die, and their final destination is Hell.

Knowing such a grand promise wouldn't sway him, the Ancestor added, "Do you want Soul King's power?"

"Sort of." Yoshio was absentminded. He felt tonight's meeting with the old man wouldn't yield much.

These things could be seen from his Souls Ability alone.

"Feast of Betrayal: designate an area and cause the lives within to rebel."

In other words, if he used it in the First Division captain's office, he'd happily witness Yamamoto 1v12.

Er, no.

It should be Yamamoto 1v9, Aizen 1v2.

Because subordinates would betray their own superiors. Considering Ichimaru Gin's particularity—he hadn't truly acknowledged Aizen as his superior—he might be immune.

What a sinister ability—fitting for the Tsunayashiro Ancestor.

Tsk. If your Souls Ability were even remotely obtainable, I'd almost accept.

Yoshio thought.

It was powerful but unobtainable. The Ancestor had lived countless years; winning his favor would be harder than winning a living Aizen's.

However, as one who monitored the Three Realms, the Ancestor said, "You think the Tsunayashiro Clan lasted so long without collecting Soul King's power?"

"I know—wasn't a chunk taken by that Menos Grande?" Yoshio picked his ear, bored. "That Hollow is Kisuke Urahara's accomplice now."

"That's only a part," the Ancestor said. "Help me with something, and I'll give you more soul king fragments."

"Oh?" Yoshio finally felt interest. He could receive fragments?

Now I'm awake.

"What do you want me to do?"

In his impression, the Tsunayashiro Clan barely had plot—just a boss in the novels—hard to see what arrangements the Ancestor had in the Three Realms.

"I'll contact you when the time comes," the Ancestor didn't state his goal.

Yoshio frowned. "It can't be easy to contact me like this, right? This Tsunayashiro member probably won't survive."

"He'll fall into Hell," the Ancestor said. "Sharp observation."

"If I remember right, your clan doesn't have many left. Old man, if you eat one every time you call, you might exterminate your own clan."

"Use your Bankai," the Ancestor said blandly. "Your Bankai is part of Hell itself. Transform this body into a tool inside the Lonely Hell; it will be our medium for future contact."

Yoshio was surprised—his Bankai had such a function?

Was Lonely Hell truly related to Hell?

He rubbed his chin. "You must be very interested in Lonely Hell's power?"

The Ancestor smiled faintly. "As payment for this invitation, and also for the next task, I'll tell you a source of Soul King's power."

He spoke a location.

Then, with arrogance, he added, "Within the Three Realms, I know the locations of all the organs stripped from Soul King."

"If we cooperate, I could even make you the new Soul King."

"Let's not," Yoshio waved. "We both know what Soul King is, and I can't bear all of its power. Still, I accept the cooperation. Contact me next time when there's something."

With that, Yoshio drew his Zanpakutō.

He performed Shikai first.

Once a Shinigami masters Bankai, they can use it without the Shikai command.

The field of Lonely Hell enveloped the Tsunayashiro Ancestor—but Yoshio realized the Ancestor had already left.

Come to think of it, Lonely Hell wouldn't affect the old man; he was already in Hell and had lived a million years—already a Lonely Hell.

The remaining shell was just a medium.

Even so, Yoshio believed contacting him wasn't easy.

Perhaps only when Aizen's and Yhwach's reiatsu disappeared, the pressure on Hell's gate vanished, and the reishi between the Three Realms and Hell fell out of balance, would the Ancestor's power appear.

He thought, then invoked Bankai again.

The Tsunayashiro member's body transformed into a Jigokuchō in Yoshio's hand. This was his transmigration device and the method for the Ancestor to contact him.

This Jigokuchō wasn't a living creature but more like a sculpture. Yoshio considered and kept the sculpture in hand.

"Not bad—this would look cool as a ring." He put away the Jigokuchō sculpture and quickly left the estate.

He had to check whether the location the Ancestor mentioned truly held a soul king fragment.

Following the coordinates, Yoshio reached the 77th district of West Rukongai.

The distance wasn't short; by the time Yoshio arrived, dawn was near.

He came to a cave mouth. Wind breathed from within like a beast sleeping inside.

Yoshio entered and saw a huge…

Well, how to put it…

Demon beast?

It looked a bit like a dog, but far too large, sprawled in the cave, seemingly asleep.

If the dog hadn't been white, Yoshio might have suspected it was Komamura Sajin's great-grandfather.

Of course, it wasn't a werewolf.

Werewolves are beasts, but full organisms; this thing was, in nature, more like a Hollow.

"Rest."

Seeing no reaction even as he approached, Yoshio smiled. The next moment, blood splattered throughout the cave.

"…"

Yoshio walked out holding a shard the size of a fist.

This was nothing like the fingernail-sized fragments from before.

Of course, a fragment's power isn't decided entirely by its size.

But a chunk this big was equivalent to a dozen or more earlier fragments.

Yoshio pocketed it.

To be honest, he didn't plan to devour too much soul king fragment power.

They were a convenient cheat, but couldn't be swallowed endlessly.

Like Yhwach: after he opened his eyes and conquered the Soul King Palace, he picked up a huge mass of Soul King's power from the Soul King.

But even with his power then, he couldn't control so much. After absorbing for a long time, he had to let the rest dissipate.

If Yhwach's soul couldn't bear that much, how could others?

Yoshio's soul should be fine.

Because he had "Star Chaser," meaning his soul had no limit and could infinitely break upward.

But he was Shinigami…

For Shinigami, directly using Soul King's power is very difficult.

Hollows can easily devour fragments for strength because they're natural enemies.

Quincy can also use them relatively easily because they are direct descendants of the Soul King. In fantasy terms, Quincy would be "creator gods."

But Shinigami… their status is awkward.

Though their power originates from Soul King, it's more like a system created by the Five Great Noble Families.

Compared to others, Shinigami are indeed the weaker race in the Three Realms.

Quincy and Hollows existed millions of years before the Three Realms opened—they naturally possess various powers.

Even without learning Spirit Weapon or Hirenkyaku, Quincy are born with the potential to manipulate shadows and blood.

Hollows' skills are mostly innate—Sonido, Cero, Super High-Speed Regeneration—most require no learning.

Shinigami…

Do they have any innate abilities?

Shinigami must learn everything after birth; in innate talent they lag behind Quincy and Hollows.

But Shinigami could say: So what if you're amazing? We're the ones running the Three Realms now.

Their capacity to learn is undeniable: from nothing, learning, creating, and evolving from weak to strong.

Yoshio felt he was a pure Shinigami.

His learning ability was the Shinigami racial talent!

Off topic, but Yoshio thought of this because, as a Shinigami, it was hard for him to use the fragment's power.

If Shinigami could use soul king fragments well, why wouldn't the Tsunayashiro Clan use them on themselves?

To use them, Shinigami must pay a price.

For example, Jūshirō Ukitake.

Though he borrowed Soul King's right arm and survived, he became sickly, coughing blood in battle. Only useful against Captain-Commander Yamamoto; against others he often had to withdraw midway.

And borrowing the right arm required "sacrificing everything but the eyes"!

Because this fragment was handed to him by the Tsunayashiro Ancestor, Yoshio worried about traps, so he decided not to give it to his clone.

This was a good chance to study the essence of soul king fragment power.

In fact, once he permanently obtained Jūshirō Ukitake's favorability and the "Host" ability, he could lodge the fragment in his own soul.

He just felt it was a bit low—not that the fragments were bad, but he believed he could create something better.

With dawn approaching, Yoshio sped up to reach Seireitei and the Fifth Division before clock-out.

He made it at the last moment.

He had meant to return to the Fullbringers last night to extract more fragments, but the Ancestor's interference delayed him. He wondered if they were still waiting.

No matter—he'd go tonight.

…

Returning to the Fifth Division, before he entered his office, he saw Hinamori reporting in Aizen's office.

Yoshio went in and listened.

"Ginjō Kūgo is missing?"

Yoshio feigned shock.

Aizen glanced at him, meaningfully. "Yes. As a Substitute Shinigami, vanishing without a word reflects poorly."

"Captain Ukitake trusted him so much," Yoshio said viciously. "Humans really can't be trusted!"

"This is bad—will Captain Ukitake step down over this?" Hinamori worried. "Will it affect Hitsugaya after he becomes Captain?"

"No," Yoshio said confidently. "I understand Captain Ukitake. He won't resign easily."

"He'll feel it's his mistake and at least wait for the uproar to pass."

If Ukitake stepped down now, how would his Souls Ability change?

"True." Hinamori nodded.

"Hinamori, you can go. I have something to discuss with Yoshio-kun," Aizen said.

"Okay." Hinamori nodded obediently—she always obeyed Aizen unconditionally.

After she left, Yoshio sat where she'd stood—a chair Hinamori hadn't used—and took a seat.

Aizen said with interest, "You're collecting soul king fragments?"

Yoshio hadn't told Aizen he went to the Human World to extract them from the Fullbringers, but Aizen likely already knew.

He had no intention of hiding it. "More or less. You told me to study the Hōgyoku. After going back and studying your Hōgyoku data, I found that to manufacture one, soul king fragments are excellent materials."

Aizen nodded. "Exactly. After creating the Hōgyoku, I fed it hundreds of Shinigami and Rukongai souls, but it remained unsatisfied."

"Not until I put a soul king fragment into it did the eternally insatiable Hōgyoku finally react."

He smiled.

"Later, as I continued adding fragments, the Hōgyoku reached its current state—but… it's still not perfect."

Yoshio nodded. "The Hōgyoku is a miracle—truly worthy of you and Mr. Urahara. A tool this wondrous—only the two of you could make one in the Three Realms."

Aizen smiled. "I believe you'll be the third."

"You flatter me."

"Even if I do, it would only be imitating your data," Yoshio said modestly.

"Carry on. Black should appear shortly."

"Yes."

Yoshio nodded and left the captain's office.

He was quite interested in Black's Souls Ability as a candidate for Soul King. Last time, she hadn't fully formed, so she had no ability yet.

But once fully formed, she definitely would have one.

He only hoped it wouldn't be like the Fullbringers' soul king fragment style—boring.

Back in his office, Yoshio flopped onto his desk for a nap.

…

Evening came in a blink.

Awake now, Yoshio put down the Kidō book, stood, and stretched.

Seireitei didn't react much to Ginjō Kūgo's disappearance—more like anger at being played.

Like a big family acknowledging a beggar as one of their own, then the beggar refused to cooperate.

It was like a stinging slap in the face—how to save face after that?

But ultimately, he was just a pauper, so they only sent part of the Shinigami to search for him, then left it.

Yoshio took the chance to accept the assignment, giving him a pretext to stay longer in the Human World.

Time to go.

Yoshio's Human World avatar went first to Agata's house.

As soon as he arrived, he was surrounded.

"Why didn't you come last night?! We were so worried!"

Many Fullbringers hurried up to him, anxious. "Are you okay?"

Yoshio shook his head and explained, "Yesterday, the Soul Society needed to handle Ginjō Kūgo—he's a Substitute Shinigami. The Tsunayashiro Clan's deeds… the Shinigami knew nothing. From their perspective, Ginjō just vanished."

"So we had to consider what to do, and we were in meetings all night. I had no time to come."

Packed with lies—but acceptable to the Fullbringers.

With that settled, the next step was retrieving the fragments.

Since the ten extractions yesterday had no issues, everyone was excited and eager to be first today.

Of the ten from yesterday, except Agata, the rest had left.

They likely couldn't wait to shed the "Fullbringer" label and the "Fullbringers' world."

If not for Agata's daughter Aura still having her source intact, he would've ordered them out already.

His impatient eyes showed how badly he wanted to take his daughter back to human society.

Yoshio didn't mind—he had decided Aura's fragment would be last.

No matter how urgent he was, it was useless.

Since they didn't wait three hours to observe, Yoshio started extracting again.

But only five people. Counting Aura, there were still ten left.

After all, carefully extracting fragments from fragile souls was demanding, and Yoshio wasn't a machine; the technique was newly developed and he wasn't fully practiced.

Thus, amid the delight of fifteen, the anxious fidgeting of nine, and one person's ignorance, he ended the night's journey of digging into souls.

"Don't worry—I should be able to extract the remaining nine tonight," Yoshio said.

"I have a Human World assignment, so I'll be here for a while—you don't need to worry about me not showing."

At that, the others finally relaxed.

Agata then asked, "Nine? What about Aura?!"

"Aura's case is special. Like I said, she's a child—her soul is fragile. The previous method may not work, so I need to improve the spell."

"…" Agata clutched his head, eyes bloodshot, and stormed out.

"Your dad is really…"

Watching him leave, Yoshio shook his head. "He seems to think I'm wronging him."

"Big brother, after the surgery, can I go outside?"

Aura tugged at Yoshio's trouser leg, asking innocently.

Yoshio smiled softly. "Yes—you'll soon experience the outside world."

He felt it was a great improvement that she called him "big brother" instead of "uncle."

"Thank you, big brother."

Her voice was still cool, but warmer than two days ago.

Yoshio needed rest, and he would also meet Gotei 13 Shinigami coming to investigate Ginjō, so he started chatting with Aura.

He told her what the outside world was like: skyscrapers, planes and ships, even Ultraman fighting monsters.

Yes, Ultraman was under watch out there now.

Listening, a longing appeared in Aura's eyes.

Her favorability soared naturally.

Once Yoshio removed her fragments, it would reach eighty.

However, Yoshio worried that removing them would also remove her Souls Ability.

Then what use would the eighty be?!

So until her favorability reached eighty, Yoshio would never remove the Soul King Saketsu!

After chatting a while, Yoshio left Agata's house and went to the rendezvous.

In Naruki City, Yoshio met the Shinigami tracking Ginjō.

"You again, Hitsugaya. Ah, Hisagi, you're here too."

Most were Thirteenth Division; besides them, the Ninth sent only Hisagi Shūhei.

"This was Thirteenth's job; you two being here is what's strange," Hitsugaya said coolly. "And why so early?"

"Couldn't sleep, so I came early," Yoshio yawned. "You, Hisagi?"

"Captain Tōsen thinks the Substitute's disappearance is good news, so he sent me," Hisagi said honestly.

"Yeah, it's big news, all right."

A black vein popped on Hitsugaya's forehead. He looked at Yoshio and couldn't help saying, "It always feels like nothing good happens when you're involved. You're not slacking off in the Human World, are you?"

"Am I that kind of person?!" Yoshio said self-righteously. "I've met Ginjō once—I'm interested."

"Okay, let's go. If we find him, don't act rashly. If he became n Substitute, he must have tricks."

He didn't think they'd find Ginjō. Ginjō had a few Fullbringers who didn't want to lose their powers, and he had lost his reiatsu—just an ordinary man now. How could Shinigami use Substitute-tracking methods to find him?

Ginjō was a bit lucky.

After meeting the Shinigami, Yoshio slipped back to Agata's to keep raising Aura's favorability.

His goal was to get it to eighty within two days.

"Foundation Master" was too tempting—or rather, this upwardly tethered ability was very strong.

…

Time flew, and Yoshio extracted the remaining nine, bringing his total to thirty-four.

Thirty-four fragments was a lot, and the complete organ—the Soul King Saketsu—hadn't been extracted yet.

He didn't want to eat the Saketsu as mere power—it was a rare complete organ, best studied.

With the Fullbringers gone, Agata's house had only Yoshio and Aura by day.

Agata wasn't keen on Yoshio—and having lost his power source, his spiritual sense faded. In a day or two, he could barely see Yoshio.

He might one day be stepped on by a passing Hollow and never know how he died.

So Agata hadn't bothered Yoshio; he didn't even know Yoshio often appeared in his home by day. He would only come each night and urge Yoshio to extract Aura's source.

He couldn't see Yoshio, so he asked Aura if he was there, then spoke.

Yoshio took his time raising the girl's favorability. For someone who'd barely seen the world, it was easy.

In less than a week, he raised it to eighty.

He successfully and permanently obtained the "Foundation Master" ability.

Then Yoshio decided to remove the Soul King Saketsu from Aura.

As she lay on the bed waiting quietly, she suddenly asked, "Big brother, after the surgery, will I be like my dad—and never see you again?"

"…" Yoshio was silent for a moment. "No, perhaps there'll be another chance. The future is infinite—we'll meet again."

When you die, you can see me in the Soul Society—but that might be decades away.

Aura smiled happily and closed her eyes.

Yoshio had already located the Saketsu; with over twenty precedents, he moved quickly and steadily—he removed it before Aura felt pain.

She opened her eyes and smiled at Yoshio.

The next moment, she saw his figure fading.

"Big brother…"

Aura's voice was weak.

Yoshio smiled but said nothing until he was about to vanish. "See you later."

"See you later."

Aura smiled back.

Then she could no longer see him.

Yoshio looked at the spiritual power in his hand, put it away, glanced at the completely depowered Aura, shook his head, and left.

Perhaps they would never meet again.

At this point, there was no need to remain in the Human World.

Yoshio found Hitsugaya and Hisagi to discuss returning. The others also felt the chances of finding Ginjō were small, and so many powerful Shinigami couldn't stay in the Human World indefinitely, so they withdrew.

By the time Yoshio returned to the Soul Society, it was dark. He went straight home, activated the safehouse, and changed the interior scene.

Then Angra arrived through a Garganta.

With minds in sync, no words were needed. Yoshio handed over the thirty-four fragments he'd collected.

Next, Angra would seek a chance to head to the Wandenreich.

The Garganta opened again; Angra returned to Hueco Mundo.

This time, he had a plan—he wouldn't go alone.

Solo was good for secrecy, but if discovered, escape would be harder.

So he needed someone to draw fire.

That person needed great strength and high speed.

Few candidates in Hueco Mundo fit—and considering he had to be with Angra, there was really only one.

Starrk!

Yes—Angra decided to take Starrk to the Wandenreich!

Then Starrk would draw the attention while he slipped off to meet Baelz and pass the fragments to him.

Thinking this, Angra appeared before Starrk.

After so many years, Las Noches' lockdown had long been lifted, so Arrancar could appear in Hueco Mundo.

Starrk rarely showed himself, but with Yoshio in the know, finding him was easy.

As Starrk emerged, Angra arrived.

Starrk had looked for Angra for a time, but after learning Angra was with Kisuke Urahara, he gave up—or lost enthusiasm.

Unexpectedly, the one he couldn't find and had almost given up on approached him.

Starrk wasn't nervous; though their stances differed, he sensed no hostility from Angra.

"You're Kisuke Urahara's man?"

He already knew from Yoshio, but asked anyway.

"More or less," Angra said calmly.

On meeting again, there was no longing or nervousness—just simple talk.

"I'm here to ask for your help," Angra said directly.

"Do we have a basis for cooperation?" Starrk frowned.

He was interested in a self-evolved Arrancar like Angra, but that didn't mean he'd cooperate.

Now that other Hollows included Szayelaporro and Ulquiorra, and the Hōgyoku had disappeared to make Arrancar, his interest in Angra had waned.

"Of course. This has nothing to do with Kisuke Urahara or Aizen. You can even ask Aizen first—if he agrees, come back to me."

That startled Starrk. "What is it?"

"Quincy," Angra said. "I want to enter the Quincy territory. My strength alone may be insufficient, so I need your help!"