CH 136: MUGEN NO SHIRO

"Captain Sosuke Aizen — I challenge you for your title!"

The cocky and prideful voice of the man still reverberated in the ears of the people present in the room.

A challenge for the title of captain. Such a thing had not happened since a little over hundred years ago when Zaraki Kenpachi challenged and killed the 10th Kenpachi, Kiganjo Kenpachi.

What disturbed them even more was the fact that Gojo had absolutely no need to go through such trouble. After all, no matter which perspective one looked at it from, he already had the title of 3rd Division Captain in the bag.

Why did he decide to challenge Aizen then?

Shunsui lowered his hat to hide his expression, his eyes reflecting his deep thoughts. Because of what Shinji told him back then, he always had doubts about Aizen. Unfortunately, Aizen was spotless and there was nothing he could do. But now…

Unohana, on the other hand, had a bitter smile visible on her face.

'So this is what you decided.'

She couldn't help but think about how he already told her that he would act a little recklessly.

Soi Fon wore a complicated expression as she looked at Gojo. She knew very well, after today — things will never be the same.

—Flashback—

"Are you crazy!? Even if you succeed, you would have broken so many rules that Gotei 13 will have no choice but to treat you as a criminal."

"Even if I am the hero who brought down a criminal?"

"Even then."

"Well…I don't really care, not like I wanted to stay longer anyway."

"But…Why?"

"Why, you ask? Simple…If there is one thing I learned when I was alive, it's that if you leave the bad guy alone, he will most likely screw you over with some secret scheme. This is how Kisuke and the others got done even though Shinji already had suspicions about Aizen."

"Kuh!"

Soi Fon groaned, unable to refute.

"This is why… Sometimes acting recklessly is the best way to deal with smart people. If he wants to play chess with me, then I will just flip the table over and do things my way."

"Okay, but what about Captain Yamamoto?"

"Him?... Hehe don't worry, I got that side covered."

—Flashback end—

Soi Fon still remembered how confident he had been, which was quite infectious. She inwardly shook her head. She only needed to do her part of the job and…

'Believe.'

Yamamoto, like everyone else, was also surprised but despite being unaware of all the undercurrents, he managed to calm down easily.

"I see. I will announce Gin as the Captain of the 3rd Division and the date of the challenge will be decided at a later date."

He was not interested in the reason that pushed him to take such a path. What he did know was that the challenges for the title of captain could not proceed without 200 shinigami from the division of the captain being challenged to serve as witnesses.

Aizen's opinion? It was irrelevant. The captain could not refuse a challenge without greatly compelling reasons.

This was the rule, and rules were made to be respected.

Things were proceeding smoothly. Gojo curled his lips further into a smile and threw another bomb.

"Why do we need to gather 200 shinigami?"

"...Don't test my patience."

Gojo was seriously beginning to get on Yamamoto's nerves. He just wanted to end this farce and go rest a little to calm his incoming wrath.

"Hehehe. I am sorry but I cannot let anyone out of this room right now."

Along with his words, a powerful spiritual pressure began to emit from his body. The pressure was so high that it dwarfed the average captains.

Yamamoto was not one to take things lying down. He was about to use his Shikai. Other Captains who were unaware of what was going on also began to take action, even Gin Ichimaru, now the Captain of 3rd Division, put his hand on his sword.

In an instant, nearly all the shinigami surrounded Gojo, ready to strike. They were so fast that it was mind-blowing, thereby blocking all ways of escape.

It should have been impossible for anyone else in this place to go unscathed. This should have been the end of a completely incomprehensible act.

But–!!

<<Rokugan.>>

Slightly raising his bandages, his jewel-like blue eyes shone and seemed to reflect the sky while he gave a victorious grin.

—No matter how powerful they were, no matter how fast they were, in the world from the perspective of the six eyes, they were all simply too slow, so slow that it was yawn-inducing.

The speed of his body would most likely never catch up to the speed of his thoughts. But that was alright. After all, right here, right now, he just needed one thought.

<<Bankai: Tengoku futago no Gyokuza>>

<<First form: Mugen no Shiro[2]>>

*FLASH*

In a flash, an intense light swallowed not only Gojo but also all the shinigami in the room as well as the Vice-Captains stationed in the adjacent room.

—---

[Seireitei]

"Hey, how do you think the summit is going?"

"I mean, I am pretty sure that Gojo will win the contest."

"Well, Vice-Captain Ichimaru is no slouch either…but you are right."

Such idle conversation could be heard all over the Seireitei as the clock ticked. Everyone was wondering who would be chosen, and some people were even placing their bets.

It was a peaceful atmosphere, much like everyday in the Seireitei, but this feeling of peace was suddenly replaced by one of suffocation and horror. As everyone looked in awe, a large black cube swallowed the entirety of the 1st Division Headquarter.

Even those who were far away from the zone belonging to the 1st division looked up at the sky with questions visible in their eyes.

The confusion was further accented by the absence of the Captains and Vice-Captains of all the Divisions. While the chain of command wasn't broken, it was hard for the 3rd seat of all the divisions to take control of the situation.

Thanks to Ikkaku and Rukia, the 11th and 13th Divisions were the first ones to calm down the unrest before rushing toward the source of unease.

But they were soon forced to stop.

The reason?

"Hello~Hello~! Everyone! Do you hear me!? Here is Satoru Gojo, your handsome and friendly commentator! Sorry to disturb you, but there is something I need to announce."

Rukia trembled, while Ikkaku muttered under his breath.

"What is that crazy bastard doing?"

The reason for their bewilderment was obvious. They were not the only ones surprised by this situation.

Be it in the Seireitei or all Rukongai, hundreds of screens could be seen floating in the sky.

This situation was not foreign to them. After all, the same screens had been used a few days ago during the Christmas event.

The face on the screen was foreign to some while known to most — Satoru Gojo.

All they could see was him leaning back on his throne, his head resting on the palm of his hand, and an otherworldly beautiful woman sitting on another throne next to him.

His bandages covered his eyes, but all of them experienced the feeling of being seen through.

They trembled, listening to the words that truly shocked them to the core.

"This…is a rebellion."

His words sounded grave and the atmosphere became heavy. People gulped as they wondered about what would happen to them, or the Rukongai.

But…

"Haha~! Just Kidding!"

Everyone froze in their tracks as they looked at the jester on the screen. Their hearts had been through a rollercoaster of emotions and some of them couldn't help but curse at the bastard in their heart.

Unfortunately for them, they rejoiced too soon. The following words shocked them once again.

"This is not a rebellion. Do not worry…"

A few screens began to change as they showed the images of the Captains and Vice-Captains dispersed in different places. From the images, one could see that the Captains also had access to the same screens as them.

In the end, three screens stood out more than the others. On them, one could see Gin Ichimaru, Kaname Tosen, and finally — Sosuke Aizen.

"This is just an execution."

His words had been said so gently, so calmly that no one could feel any killing intent in them and this, more than anything, was what brought chills to their hearts.

[1]: Twin Throne of Heaven: In

[2]: Infinite Castle. Pretty easy to see what inspired me for that technique.

(AN: This arc will be heavy in battle. Man, I believe it will be hard to top this arc once I end it.)