Chapter 26

Boom!

The explosion of blue Reiatsu shot flames tens of meters into the sky.

The surrounding area was completely reduced to ruins.

As a Quincy technique, Heilig Pfeil possessed immense destructive power.

"I gave you a chance, Shinigami."

Looking at the explosion before him, Ishida Ryūsen spoke calmly.

He had no doubt about the Shinigami's fate, his own strength made that certain.

As a pure-blooded Quincy, his power even surpassed Kurosaki Masaki's!

Ishida Ryūsen had absolute confidence.

Even if a captain-level Shinigami appeared, they wouldn't stand a chance against him.

But then.

Whoosh!

A gust of wind blew past.

Ishida Ryūsen, who had turned to leave, suddenly stopped.

His head snapped around, eyes behind his glasses widening in disbelief.

Standing in the smoke and debris, Kuchiki Shinji was completely unharmed!

Not only that, but the Heilig Pfeil seemed to have stopped midair, frozen just half a meter in front of him, unable to advance any further.

"Impossible!"

Ishida Ryūsen shouted in shock.

"There's nothing impossible about it."

Shinji took a step forward.

"You simply lack the vision to comprehend it."

With each step he took, the Heilig Pfeil disintegrated before him.

Crash!

As if colliding with an untouchable force, the Quincy technique crumbled into dust.

Ishida Ryūsen stood frozen, eyes filled with disbelief.

"Who do you think you're looking down on?"

Shinji's voice was cold.

Then, he vanished.

"Where?! Where is he?!"

Ishida Ryūsen's sharp eyes darted around frantically.

His enhanced perception, boosted by Blut Vene, should have been enough to follow Shinji's movements.

But, he couldn't see!

Not even a shadow!

Nothing.

Even with Blut Vene activated, giving him superhuman reaction speed, Ishida Ryūsen couldn't track Shinji's movements.

Could it be… this Shinigami was faster than a captain-level opponent?

"What the hell are you,"

Before he could finish, an overwhelming force struck his chest.

His eyes widened.

His body curled up like a shrimp as he was sent flying, crashing through the walls of a nearby shopping mall.

But it wasn't over.

Boom!

Shinji was already in front of him, grabbing his head and slamming it into the ground.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The vein-like patterns of Blut Vene flared brightly, reinforcing his body.

Yet,

In less than ten seconds, they shattered.

The static blood armor that no ordinary captain could breach, was broken.

"You've got to be kidding me!"

Ishida Ryūsen spat out blood.

Suppressing the dizziness in his head, he stared at the Shinigami standing over him with cold, indifferent eyes.

Kuchiki Shinji.

A wave of fear ran through Ishida Ryūsen's body.

This wasn't possible.

Blut Vene should have been impenetrable.

Even Adjuchas-class Arrancars couldn't break through it.

Even captain-level Shinigami shouldn't have been able to destroy it so easily.

But, Kuchiki Shinji did.

Did that mean… this guy's Reiatsu surpassed a captain's?!

"A fool is fearless, and the louder they are, the weaker they are."

Shinji stared at Ishida Ryūsen indifferently.

Then, without another word, he turned and walked away.

"You're… not going to kill me?"

Ishida Ryūsen coughed, struggling to get up.

He had been prepared to bear the consequences of attacking a Shinigami.

Attacking a Shinigami was a serious crime.

That's why he had to kill Shinji.

If Shinji died, no one would know what happened.

Everything he did was for Masaki.

Because of jealousy. Because of possessiveness.

In his eyes, even though Masaki never acknowledged their engagement, she was still his fiancée.

But Shinji, he was the one Masaki was drawn to.

Shinji was a thorn in his side.

A thorn that had to be removed.

But now,

"Ishida Ryūsen," Shinji spoke without turning around.

"Kurosaki Masaki is special. She's an interesting girl."

"Her life should be decided by herself."

"Not by you. Not by your Quincy family."

"No one has the right to decide another person's fate."

"That's the height of selfishness."

His voice faded as he walked away.

Ishida Ryūsen, lying in the wreckage of the shopping mall, suddenly shouted:

"Kuchiki Shinji! Masaki… she likes you!"

Silence.

Then, he let out a wry smile.

Standing up as Blut Vene repaired his injuries, Ishida Ryūsen pushed up his glasses.

A hint of relief flickered in his eyes.

"Kuchiki Shinji…"

"You really are an interesting guy, different from other Shinigami."

"No wonder Masaki fell for you, even choosing to oppose our clan for you."

"It seems I lost."

He shook his head, smiling bitterly.

Looking up at the sky, he took a deep breath.

Without the burden of jealousy, he felt… lighter.

"Still… there's a lot left to do."

"The Quincy and the Shinigami will never coexist so easily."

His gaze sharpened.

"Don't disappoint Masaki's heart, Kuchiki Shinji."

---

"Have you heard? Shiba Isshin, the captain of the 10th Division and head of the Shiba family, has disappeared in the World of the Living."

"Really? Someone that important just disappeared?"

"I heard rumors that a powerful Menos Grande appeared in Karakura Town, and it happened right after Captain Shiba fought it."

Two days later.

Seireitei, Soul Society.

Shinigami whispered among themselves, gossiping about the shocking news spreading through the ranks.

Lately, speculation and rumors about Shiba Isshin's disappearance had intensified.

Meanwhile, in the Captain's Chamber.

"That concludes everything that happened in the World of the Living."

Shinji spoke slowly, looking ahead.

Sitting before him was an old man with a long white beard, his eyes sharp and piercing.

Yamamoto Genryūsai.

The strongest Shinigami in the Soul Society for over a thousand years.

Seated around him were all the captains, except for the missing Shiba Isshin.

Even Jūshirō Ukitake, who often skipped captain meetings due to illness, was present today.

At this moment, all the top combat forces of the Gotei 13 were gathered in this small room.

"Kuchiki Shinji, do you have anything to add regarding Shiba Isshin's disappearance?"

Yamamoto's deep, aged voice filled the chamber.

"No. What I've said is everything."

Shinji shook his head, his expression calm.

Tell them the whole truth?

What a joke.

Admit that White had killed Isshin and expose his own power?

Was he insane?

If he did that, he'd never be able to slack off again!

Instead, Shinji had cleverly credited Shiba Isshin with the victory against White while placing some of the responsibility for his disappearance on himself.

What? You think something sounds off?

Then go ahead and bring Shiba Isshin here to confirm, you idiots!

Shinji was the only eyewitness to the battle. His word was law!

As for exposing Aizen's crimes right here and now?

That would be suicide.

Everyone present had already fallen under Kyōka Suigetsu's hypnosis.

If he dared to point at Aizen and call him the mastermind, would Yamamoto even realize what was happening before he vaporized him with Ryūjin Jakka? [T/N: Bro's Already Stronger Than Both and Still He Yapps]

"Understood. Then, Kuchiki Shinji, you are dismissed for now. We will decide your punishment later."

Yamamoto's sharp gaze lingered on him before giving the order.

"Yes, Captain-Commander."

Finally! The punishment was coming!

Shinji cheered internally.

This was what he had been waiting for all along!

He had caused the disappearance of the Shiba family head, one of the Four Noble Families.

He had caused the loss of a captain-level combatant in Soul Society.

Even with the protection of the Kuchiki family, there was no way he could escape punishment.

Maybe he'd get reassigned to a minor logistics division, or sent to some remote district as a lowly Shinigami patrolman.

That was the perfect scenario!

Soul Society was terrifying!

Aizen was lurking right within the Gotei 13, waiting for an opportunity.

And hidden in the shadows was the Wandenreich, a secret Quincy empire plotting to destroy the world.

This place was a death trap!

All Shinji wanted was a peaceful, easygoing life.

As he left the chamber, he waited eagerly for the final verdict.

A while later...

One by one, the captains exited the meeting room, wearing strange expressions.

"Shinji! If you had this level of strength, why didn't you show it earlier?"

Zaraki Kenpachi strode up to him with a grin.

"Huh?"

Shinji blinked, confused.

What was he talking about?

"Heh, we'll be sparring often from now on."

Zaraki clapped him hard on the shoulder, his eyes gleaming with excitement, before walking off.

"???"

Shinji stood frozen.

What the hell was going on?

"What an extraordinary young man. To have reached such a level at this age… cough, cough, cough…"

Jūshirō Ukitake stepped up, giving him a complicated look, before suddenly coughing up blood.

"???"

Shinji was completely lost.

Could someone just explain what was happening?!

"Shinji-kun, you are quite the interesting one. I look forward to… getting to know you better."

Unohana Retsu smiled warmly.

But that smile… sent chills down Shinji's spine.

Terrifying.

Wasn't this the woman who used to toy with Shiba Isshin, Kyōraku Shunsui, and Jūshirō Ukitake like puppets?

Shinji shuddered.

"No… Seriously, can someone just explain in simple terms?"

He was beyond confused at this point.

"It's simple, Shinji. You've been promoted."

A relaxed voice interrupted.

Kyōraku Shunsui, wearing his signature floral-patterned haori, approached with a grin.

"…Promoted?"

Shinji's eye twitched.

Wait, wait, wait, HOW DID THIS TURN INTO A PROMOTION?!

Look him in the eye.

WHO WERE THEY TRYING TO FOOL?!

Among the Four Noble Families, the head of the Shiba family had "disappeared" because of him.

Seireitei had "lost" a captain because of him.

By all logic, this was a crime punishable by execution!

At best, exile!

And now they were telling him he had been promoted?!

"Come on, what's with that look? You don't believe me?"

Kyōraku laughed, pointing over his shoulder at the captain's chamber.

"This was unanimously decided by all captains, you know? You think we're just messing with you?"

"…Then, where did I get promoted to?"

Shinji asked cautiously, bracing for impact.

"Isn't the 10th Division missing a captain?"

Kyōraku smiled.

"A captain's position is too important to remain vacant. So, Old Man Yamamoto just appointed you as the new 'temporary' Captain of the 10th Division."

"Two captains from the same noble family, what an unprecedented honor!"

He patted Shinji's shoulder playfully.

"Eh?"

"Shinji? Kuchiki Shinji? Are you okay?"

Kyōraku waved a hand in front of his face.

Because,

Kuchiki Shinji had fainted on the spot.