If I can’t kill Aiyan... then I’ll kill his brother!

"What? Captain-Commander!"

"You're saying you're expelling me from the Gotei 13?"

"Imprisoning me in the Maggot's Nest?"

Kuchiki Kōga trembled all over, his face frozen in utter disbelief.

What had he done wrong?

He had bled for Seireitei, built over ten thousand soul homes in the Human World.

And this was the return he got? Not even allowed to remain a seated officer—stripped of the very title of Shinigami?

While on the other side, there was that man—Aiyan.

A Squad with two captains.

His older brother used him as a stepping stone.

His younger brother took his title.

"Fine."

"When you realize your mistake and show remorse..."

"This old man will let you out."

Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni spoke each word slowly, his tone filled with unquestionable authority.

"Hahahahaha..."

"First, you appoint a Shinigami with no rank, no achievements, as the Captain of Squad 5. Then, you make another who's also without merit the Lieutenant of Squad 1."

"Meanwhile, those of us with skill, contribution, and standing—you treat us as worthless, and then you shamelessly say the Gotei 13 values merit and morality over status?"

"You say I, Kuchiki Kōga, am beneath Aiyan? Beneath Aizen?"

Just as several members of the Onmitsukidō approached him to begin the arrest, he raised his head.

And suddenly, the overwhelming Reiatsu of a captain-level Shinigami erupted from him.

"Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni... you're getting old."

"The Gotei 13 is finished."

"And you want to pass judgment on me? What a joke. In all of Seireitei, no one is qualified to judge me. Not even the Captain-Commander."

His roars, heavy with hatred, jealousy, and fury, burst out along with a violent Reiatsu storm that spread in all directions like a spiraling vortex.

Even the lieutenants, just feeling the shockwave of his power, turned pale.

Because this Reiatsu had already surpassed most of the current captains in the room.

If measured in Reiatsu units, it was easily over Level 20 Ran Reiatsu.

"Kuchiki Kōga, do you know what you're saying?"

"Surrender now, and you may yet receive a lighter sentence."

"If you still refuse to repent, then don't blame me for stripping you of the Kuchiki name and expelling you from the family."

Kuchiki Ginrei stepped forward, his face grim with anger.

And of all those present, he was the most shocked.

Because after today's incident, the Kuchiki clan would no doubt be implicated.

But what angered him the most was that he had invested so much in Kuchiki Kōga. And before he even had a chance to see the return on that investment—the foundation was already collapsing.

Yes.

In Kuchiki Ginrei's eyes, this courtroom outburst had already marked the end for Kōga.

Seireitei was not governed by the Kuchiki family. Central 46 was not owned by the Kuchiki family.

"Expel me from the Kuchiki family? Strip my name?"

"Hahahaha... did you, Kuchiki Ginrei, ever even treat me as your son-in-law?"

"You disapproved of me in every possible way! And just now, in this meeting, you didn't say a single word to defend me. All you did was scold and threaten!"

"Kuchiki? That name—take it! I don't need it!"

"From this moment on, there is only Kōga in Soul Society. Not Kuchiki Kōga."

Kōga spread his arms wide, and with a single shout, ripped the Kuchiki surname—dreamed of by so many in Soul Society—off his name, flinging it to the side.

And before anyone could react, he ground it beneath his feet.

This act made Kuchiki Ginrei, who valued the Kuchiki name more than life itself, furious to the core.

"Fine! So be it!"

"Then don't blame this old man for discarding all past ties."

"You're no longer a Kuchiki. You're no longer my family. And certainly no longer my son-in-law."

"And since you dared disgrace the Kuchiki name in front of the entire Gotei 13, I, Kuchiki Ginrei, will personally deliver justice!"

With that, he reached for his Zanpakutō.

"You?"

"Do you forget who built the reputation of the Kuchiki family over the past fifty years?"

"You haven't seen true power. Let me show you what Muramasa truly is!"

A flicker of disdain passed through Kōga's eyes.

"Bankai—Mukōjōchu Muramasa."

As Muramasa's Bankai name was called, Kōga's already overwhelming Reiatsu skyrocketed.

In that moment—

All Lieutenants had no choice but to retreat behind their squad captains, unable to withstand the spiritual pressure.

But even the captains—

They could block the Reiatsu, but they could not stop what came next

Kuchiki Kōga's omnidirectional Bankai had already been activated.

"All captains and lieutenants—fall back!"

Yamamoto Genryūsai immediately issued the order.

Against ordinary enemies, even a squad of lieutenants might overwhelm them.

But against Kōga? Numbers were meaningless.

"Too late!"

Kōga grinned menacingly, arrogance oozing from every pore.

Just as expected—

The Zanpakutō of the captains began to unsheathe themselves.

Then they began to materialize.

And then they activated Shikai.

Turning against their own masters.

Only a few captains remained unaffected.

Yamamoto Genryūsai.

And Aiyan Sōsuke.

"Damn it!"

"This guy's Bankai... he can control this many captains' Zanpakutō at once?!"

"This is insane."

Caught off guard, captains like Muguruma Kensei and Ōtoribashi Rōjūrō were injured immediately.

With their Zanpakutō under Muramasa's control, their Shikai and Bankai abilities were unusable.

Facing attacks from their own swords, only a handful of captains survived unscathed—

Unohana Retsu. Kuchiki Ginrei. Shiba Isshin. Shutara Senjumaru. Kyoraku Shunsui.

Even Jūshirō Ukitake, because of his frail body, was wounded by his own Zanpakutō.

Such was the overwhelming might of the full-powered Muramasa and Kōga combination.

"Aiyan Sōsuke..."

"Why is he unaffected by Muramasa?"

"Could it be that controlling so many Zanpakutō at once reduced Muramasa's effectiveness?"

Kōga originally wanted to savor the chaos—watching captains struggle against their own Zanpakutō—but from the corner of his eye, he suddenly noticed something that chilled him:

Aiyan's Zanpakutō hadn't reacted at all.

It hadn't even released spiritual pressure—let alone been affected by Muramasa.

This made Kōga hesitate, but as he recalled the humiliation he suffered earlier, fury surged once more.

"If I can't kill Aiyan... then I'll kill his brother!"

His eyes turned with murderous intent to Aizen.

"Muramasa, ignore the others. I want Aiyan to watch his brother die—helpless to stop it."

Hearing this command, Muramasa—also filled with resentment after being beaten by Aiyan—immediately responded.

"This is bad!"

"My Kyōka Suigetsu... it's out of control!"

Among the lieutenants who had already withdrawn, Aizen's expression shifted dramatically.

Before he could react—

Kyōka Suigetsu, now fully materialized, stepped forward and stabbed him directly in the chest.

"Lieutenant Aizen has been attacked!"

"This is terrible!"

"Captain Aiyan must not lose control!"

As Aizen collapsed, blood spilling across the meeting hall, every lieutenant's expression turned pale.

They all knew—

If Aizen died...

The consequences would be unthinkable.

After all...

Hirako Shinji had merely crossed Aizen once—

And lost everything overnight.

"Aizen!"