Chapter 31: You must become a Shinigami
[[This is a translation so please don't hate me for the developments. I will try to remove shitty brainrot scenes with better ones but it is from a MTL ... so please no bashing in the comments for the plot. I am just a translator after all.]]
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"Money will eventually disappear, but glory will not."
"Sōya, you have better talent than your sister, so you will definitely become a Shinigami strong enough to support everything."
"Just like our ancestors…"
She smiled gently, like the warmest sunshine in the spring breeze.
In a family filled with the stench of money, she was like a lotus growing in the mud, fresh and noble.
Although the boy from the Azashiro family couldn't be like his sister, he loved to see her smile, which was his only solace in his long life.
For him, as long as he could see his sister's smile, no matter how hard he had to work, it didn't matter.
"Well, I guess I'll try to become a Shinigami then."
"But, sister, don't become my stumbling block!"
With this stubborn thought, the boy from the Azashiro family began to study.
Hearing these stubborn words, his sister smiled gently and said:
"Sōya will definitely become a greater Shinigami than our ancestors and be a role model for the Azashiro family!"
The comforting smile was deeply engraved in the boy's heart, becoming his greatest motivation to keep getting stronger and learning, even though he couldn't even hold a bamboo sword properly at that time.
However, their peaceful life was suddenly shattered.
Several high-ranking nobles, coveting the Azashiro family's wealth, conspired to frame them, fabricating evidence that the Azashiro family was plotting to overthrow the Five Great Noble Families and the royal family.
Soon, all members of the Azashiro family were arrested.
When the verdict was delivered, the Azashiro family was thus ended, and everyone was sent to the execution ground.
In a huge pit, they had to fight for their lives against Hollows.
Here, looking up, they could see the mocking sneers of the nobles who framed the Azashiro family.
They sat in the stands, enjoying the sight of the suffering below, the intertwining of blood and corpses painting a complete hellish picture.
Because the Azashiro family had been engaged in business for many years, they had neglected the importance of strength, so even against a single execution Hollow, they couldn't win.
The boy from the Azashiro family was the last to be sent to the execution ground.
He was locked in a cell next to the pit, witnessing the horrific scene of his relatives being slaughtered, his thin body trembling uncontrollably in fear.
When only the boy and his sister were left, the execution method suddenly changed, and the siblings were sent into the pit together.
The jailers unlocked their handcuffs and shackles and handed each of them a shallow sword.
The executioner on the high platform sneered disdainfully:
"The upcoming battle will prove one thing: the Azashiro family, once revered as heroes, no longer has any strength worthy of our respect."
"This bloodline has no value to continue."
"Now, these siblings are all that's left of the Azashiro family, and even if they join forces, they can't kill a single Hollow."
"This is the evidence of the Azashiro family's decline in power!"
The boy couldn't understand what the other party was saying, but hearing these dirty nobles curse his sister, he couldn't help but feel uncontrollable anger.
It was like a blazing flame, burning fiercely.
The execution began.
A huge Hollow appeared in their sight, its eyes filled with countless blood threads, full of desire for fresh flesh and blood—
The powerful spiritual pressure fell on the small body, the boy's face covered with endless despair, trembling uncontrollably.
Just as he was overwhelmed by fear, his sister turned back and showed a familiar gentle smile:
"It's okay, Sōya."
"I will definitely let you get out of here alive."
What happened next, the boy could hardly remember.
He only remembered the blood splashing on his face, extremely hot.
The huge Hollow was covered with hideous wounds, thick blood flowing down its massive body, forming small streams on the ground.
And its ugly jaw was holding the girl's body at that moment.
The boy held the shallow sword, wanting to rush up to rescue his sister, but the fear in his heart spread throughout his body, making him unable to move.
At this moment, the dying girl looked back at him.
Her eyes showed no blame, her lips slightly curved, revealing the last gentle smile:
"Sōya, you must become a Shinigami with great power…"
With a low murmur, complex Kidō incantations followed.
The next moment.
Blazing blue flames burned fiercely on the Hollow's hideous face, devouring everything.
The boy's wail broke in his throat, unable to form a complete scream, only a hoarse, extreme cry…
Like a beast.
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"What happened next?"
Akira wanted to ask, but he thought it might be like rubbing salt into a wound.
Considering the difference in their strengths, he suppressed his urge to ask.
Shōya glanced calmly at the two beside him, seemingly seeing through someone's thoughts, and continued the story:
When the boy regained his senses.
The executioner on the high platform sneered: "The last boy of the Tsuzuri family has stopped crying and seems ready to fight!"
"Let's give him a big round of applause!"
The boy couldn't understand the meaning of these words, but the next words shattered all hope and revealed the nobles' ugliness and depravity:
"Alright, release the next Hollow into the execution ground." "The rest of the story is meaningless."
Tsuzuri Shōya interrupted their interest, urging an explanation:"Because of the special nature of my Zanpakutō, the spiritual particles disintegrated by the Soul Society that day lingered in the execution ground."
"So…"
His calm gaze fell on Akira.
"I'll do my best!"
The boy patted his chest, not daring to sound too confident.
Previously, he had performed rituals to gather the spiritual particles of those who had recently died.
To collect the spiritual particles of someone who had been dead for a hundred years and bring them back to the world was a near-impossible task.
Under the puzzled gazes of the two, Akira pulled out an offering table from his uniform sleeve, took out incense, a bell, a Gohei, and a cup filled with clear water from his chest.
Then he pulled out a clean set of priestly robes from his pants.
In a few swift moves, the student of the Spiritual Arts Academy transformed into the chief priest of the Sakahone Shrine.
The incense was lit, and the faint fragrance lingered in the execution ground. The bell rang softly, its clear sound echoing in the empty space.
"In the name of the Kisaragi Akira, I offer this ritual to the One-Eyed God, Mimihagi…"
Akira's ten fingers moved skillfully, forming countless hand seals, chanting incantations while releasing his strongest spiritual pressure at this stage.
Since he was summoning someone who had been dead for a hundred years, using a bit more spiritual pressure shouldn't be a problem, right?
With this thought, Akira completed the final step of the ritual.
The next moment.
A loud roar erupted in the execution ground, echoing to the sky!
Under two astonished gazes, a huge and sacred black shadow stood above Akira's body, distorting the surrounding spiritual particles.
The black ink continuously outlined until the darkness covered everything.
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[[This is a translation so please don't hate me for the developments. I will try to remove shitty brainrot scenes with better ones but it is from a MTL ... so please no bashing in the comments for the plot. I am just a translator after all.]]