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Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump—
Footsteps continuously approached, neither neat nor uniform, but the combined sound of countless people's footsteps still brought a terrifying sense of oppression to all the Twelfth Division Squad Members present.
If it were just the large number of people, that would be one thing.
But these people in front of them, aside from those clearly civilians from various districts behind them, all exuded a powerful Reiatsu fluctuation.
Especially the four figures at the very front, without exception…
All possessed Vice-Captain-level Reiatsu, and simply standing there made the Shinigami present tremble in their spirit bodies.
Two of these four were Nishijin Ori and Himura; the remaining two figures, one fat and one thin, were the former great villains of Rukongai North, now called Kintai and Gintai by Ishikawa. Their duties were similar to those of Kin'en and Gin'en of the Shiba, where anything requiring extra hands was given to them.
Originally, Ishikawa had tasked them with managing the Wan Shi Wu Tavern branches in the north and south respectively, but unable to stay idle, they had handed over the branch affairs to their subordinates and had become Nishijin Ori's hangers-on, following him to fight everywhere.
Behind the four was a group led by Oyama, whose Reiatsu ranged from Low Level Seated Officer to high-level Seated Officer. There were even more people equivalent to Gotei 13 Squad Members.
And finally, protected at the rear by everyone, were ordinary Rukongai residents who had come from nearby districts. These people were not summoned by Ishikawa; rather, after hearing from Ganju's younger brother that Ishikawa was in trouble, they had spontaneously gathered here… and people were still continuously arriving from afar on the outskirts.
Ishikawa's mouth couldn't help but twitch as he looked at the dense crowd behind him.
He swore to heaven that initially, he had only asked Ganju's younger brother to return to West 38th District early, to have the residents hide elsewhere, and then, after the villains gathered in West 38th District, to leave some young people who had good relations with him, protected by the villains, to support him.
But as a result…
Except for a few people with mobility issues, almost everyone from West 38th District had gathered here, and even residents from several surrounding districts had rushed over after hearing the news.
"Oh my?"
Unlike the panic of the Twelfth Division Squad Members, Kurotsuchi Mayuri didn't even glance around. Instead, he looked at the tavern with interest.
Following his gaze, people continuously emerged from the tavern.
In the blink of an eye, hundreds of people had already exited the tavern, a number far exceeding what a single tavern could hold.
And this number was still increasing.
Without exception, all these people were villains from the east, south, and north areas, using the transfer stakes Ishikawa had placed in various districts.
Ishikawa did not prohibit the use of the transfer stakes; instead, he placed them directly in the backyard of the Everything Store, allowing anyone in the tavern who wanted to use them to do so. Thus, villains from other areas often used the transfer stakes to come to the Wan Shi Wu Tavern for drinks.
"Hahaha, has Ishikawa-sama finally decided to attack Seireitei?"
"Be careful, don't let a single one escape."
"Kill them all~!"
"…"
Unlike Nishijin Ori and others who had received the news, the crowd pouring out of the tavern was all excited.
Ishikawa's brow furrowed slightly as he looked at these people.
Because these people were not called by him…
However, it wasn't hard to guess how they got the news.
It was likely that the customers in the tavern, upon noticing something amiss, immediately spread the word throughout Rukongai.
Compared to the increasing number of villains, the Twelfth Division Squad Members seemed somewhat helpless.
Everyone gathered together, protecting Kurotsuchi Mayuri and Nemu Kurotsuchi in the center, while the surrounding villains, with sinister grins, continuously licked the blades in their hands, their eyes filled with excitement, eagerness, and strong killing intent as they looked at the Twelfth Division Squad Members.
It wasn't that they had any personal grudges against the Shinigami, but rather…
They were simply too pent up!
As those who had been following Nishijin Ori to fight throughout Rukongai, they hadn't experienced combat for a long time since conquering Eastern Rukongai.
Furthermore, Ishikawa had repeatedly warned them not to cause trouble by leaving the higher-numbered districts.
This meant they could only engage in duels with former comrades in the higher-numbered districts, and neither Ishikawa nor Nishijin Ori had any interest in stopping them.
Ishikawa didn't care because he had never intended to rule Rukongai, nor was he interested in managing it; Nishijin Ori was even more straightforward—although he used the slogan of expanding territory for Ishikawa, in reality, he simply wanted to find people to fight, so he naturally wouldn't manage anything.
And compared to accepting orderly management, the people in the higher-numbered districts clearly preferred the current state of disorder, otherwise, they wouldn't have needed to go to the higher-numbered districts.
This led to the higher-numbered districts being unified, but besides most of the great villains being dead, there was actually no difference from before.
The only difference was…
Ishikawa became the only great villain in the higher-numbered districts. Other than him, even Nishijin Ori no longer held that title.
Even though Ishikawa repeatedly emphasized that he wasn't a great villain, it was completely useless.
"Do you think these people alone…"
Kurotsuchi Mayuri slowly raised his head, looking at Ishikawa leaning on the second floor, and said with icy eyes, "Can stop a Captain of the Gotei 13?"
"Naturally, it's impossible."
Ishikawa shook his head. No matter how many people were present, if Kurotsuchi Mayuri wanted to, he could easily kill them all, even Nishijin Ori was no exception.
In fact…
He wouldn't even need to lift a finger; the poisonous mist released by his Bankai Zanpakuto alone could fatally poison all the villains, including Nishijin Ori, leading to their deaths.
That's why Ishikawa gathered the ordinary residents of the 38th District, to restrict Kurotsuchi Mayuri from using such methods.
"But for you personally, it is still possible."
If other Captains truly wanted to kill, they wouldn't consider the consequences. However, generally speaking, they are unwilling to indiscriminately slaughter the innocent, as they are not insane murderers.
Kurotsuchi Mayuri, however, was the complete opposite; he had no aversion to indiscriminate slaughter. It wouldn't be wrong to call him an insane murderer, but…
While being crazier than anyone, he was also more clear-headed than anyone.
He clearly understood the consequences of such a large number of civilian deaths.
It wasn't out of fear of being punished by the Central 46 or concern for his reputation, but rather… the potential impact on the world itself if he killed them.
This method could only restrain Kurotsuchi Mayuri; other Captains, if truly provoked, could potentially kill everyone present without leaving a single survivor.
Leaving aside the Captains with gentle and kind dispositions.
In a similar situation, Soi Fon would absolutely not consider the so-called consequences, but would unhesitatingly blast everyone into the sky with a single attack, simultaneously flattening West 38th District.
To her, any factor obstructing the Onmitsukidō, no matter who they were, must be eliminated; because this was the duty of the Onmitsukidō, which is why Ishikawa would say she was the most suitable person to become the Onmitsukidō Commander.
In terms of ruthless methods and insidious personality, Kurotsuchi Mayuri surpassed her, but Kurotsuchi Mayuri had far more things to consider than she did.
Kurotsuchi Mayuri did not speak, but looked deeply at Ishikawa, then suddenly bared his teeth: "How is that guy Urahara Kisuke doing?"
"Huh?"
Ishikawa asked with a confused expression, "Captain Mayuri, the Urahara Kisuke you mentioned is…"
"Hmph~"
Kurotsuchi Mayuri snorted and turned to walk outside.
"Let's go, Nemu. Since he wants to keep that Quincy, let him have him. Anyway, I'm getting a bit tired of researching Quincy."
And in the direction he walked, the villains, one by one, inexplicably froze in place; their faces still held sinister grins, but their eyes revealed horror and confusion, like wooden puppets.
Seeing this, a solemn expression flashed in Ishikawa's eyes.
If not absolutely necessary, he did not want to fight Kurotsuchi Mayuri.
If it were a situation where they didn't understand each other and had to respond hastily, Ishikawa wouldn't fear him.
But this guy…
He was simply too insidious.
From Ishikawa's memory, given Kurotsuchi Mayuri's personality, he would only engage in battle without preparation after careful observation, when he determined that the opponent could absolutely not pose a threat to him.
As for enemies he deemed a threat, Kurotsuchi Mayuri would always prepare in advance before battle; and before that, he would use his subordinates, or even his enemies, to gather intelligence and research methods to counter them.
His direct appearance before him was enough to show that he was fully prepared!
Thinking of this, Ishikawa couldn't help but glance at the tavern wall, then at the Twelfth Division Squad Members whose spiritual bodies were clearly abnormal, and his eye twitched involuntarily.
Ishikawa was still unsure what had been done to the wall.
But the abnormality in those Squad Members was not difficult for him to discern with his research into spiritual bodies; their spiritual bodies had all been modified in some way, and the modified spiritual bodies should have a function to detonate the spiritual power within them, turning these Squad Members into true human bombs.
And the poison that made those villains seem like puppets...
How many things did this guy carry on him?
Seeing Kurotsuchi Mayuri leave with his people, those who were not poisoned all turned their gaze to Ishikawa on the second floor, their eyes full of anticipation, hoping that Ishikawa would allow them to go forward and fight.
However, to their disappointment...
Ishikawa directly shook his head at their gazes: "Go back to where you came from."
"Ah? Wait, Ishikawa-sama, I came all the way from the east."
"We rushed here like crazy after receiving the news..."
"We should at least kill a few Shinigami to liven things up, right?"
"Exactly, exactly!"
"..."
"I didn't ask you to come!"
Ishikawa glared at these people in annoyance, then ignored them and turned to thank the ordinary residents of Rukongai one by one.
Unlike those villains, these residents came to help Ishikawa entirely on their own initiative, although many of them... were dragged there by their daughters, wives, or mothers, but there were still many who simply came to help him, hoping that their numbers would prevent the Shinigami from attacking Ishikawa.
Many of them didn't even know the reason for the incident, only hearing that the Shinigami of Seireitei wanted to harm Ishikawa.
By the time the residents of Rukongai had all been sent off, it was already nearing evening, and during that time, just as Ishikawa had expected...
Ōmaeda came on behalf of the Onmitsukidō, bringing a secret order from the Central 46. The secret order contained many things, but it could generally be summarized into a few points:
Warning Ishikawa not to massively gather villains from numbered districts, so as not to affect the stability of Rukongai;
Warning Ishikawa not to arbitrarily assemble Rukongai residents, so as not to affect the stability of Rukongai;
And demanding that Ishikawa quell the incident and not cause too much impact, so as not to affect the stability of Rukongai;
There were also various other warnings. The warnings on the secret order, rather than being concerned about the stability of 'Rukongai', were more about fearing the impact on the stability of Seireitei.
For a long time, Rukongai had not been taken seriously by the Central 46, even viewing all Rukongai residents as commoners.
But they had forgotten that at the beginning of the Gotei 13's establishment, the greatest threat faced by the Shinigami was not Hollows or Quincies, but Rukongai.
For this, Captain-Commander Yamamoto personally led the newly formed Gotei 13 in a bloody slaughter throughout Rukongai.
Bearing the name of protection, performing the act of slaughter!
Anyone who could possibly threaten Seireitei was either brought under their command or entirely killed.
And after him, the first Zaraki also carried out a long period of slaughter in Rukongai, with mountains of corpses.
This continued until the entire Rukongai no longer possessed any power that could threaten Seireitei, and then through continuous recruitment and division, the power of Rukongai was further weakened.
To this day, the power of Rukongai is completely unable to threaten Seireitei, and the existence of the lower-numbered districts is actually just a somewhat bloody talent training ground for Seireitei; many members of the Eleventh Division came from this area.
However, this incident made them turn their attention to Rukongai once again. Although it was still far from threatening Seireitei, the power gathered here today because of Ishikawa was already a considerable force.
However, times are different now.
The Gotei 13, having developed to its current state, has become the maintainers of order, and while accepting their commands, they have also become their restraint, preventing them from wantonly slaughtering Rukongai as they once did.
After all...
The vast majority of the Gotei 13 are composed of commoners from Rukongai, and even some Captains are no exception.
If it were just the lower-numbered districts, it would be fine, but Ishikawa showed them today his influence throughout Rukongai, and compared to those extremely powerful villains, this point made them even more wary.
Therefore, throughout the warnings, there were no words like 'prohibit', simply warnings, and a demand for him to report to the Central 46 afterward.
And from these prohibitions, they clearly knew what had happened here and did not need a report at all.
In fact, what they wanted was not a report...
But to see Ishikawa's attitude!
To decide how to deal with Ishikawa based on that.
And while warning him, they also asked Ishikawa to monitor Ishida Soken, and if he showed any signs of harming Seireitei, Ishikawa would be held accountable; this also subtly expressed that no one would plot against Ishida Soken again, provided Ishida Soken showed no signs of harming Seireitei.
Ishikawa naturally agreed to this without hesitation and replied in a respectful tone.
Anyway, they wouldn't move against him for now, and soon they wouldn't even be alive to move against him.
As for the rest...
Full-scale surveillance of him?
Maintaining extreme vigilance over Rukongai, thereby constantly monitoring Rukongai's movements?
Without exception, these were all things Ishikawa wanted to see.
...
Returning to the tavern, Nishijin Ori and the others were sitting at the central table, drinking.
Most of the other villains had already left, while the remaining ones were scattered throughout the tavern, discussing what had happened today.
"Ishikawa-sama, why didn't you let us keep them today?"
Seeing Ishikawa return, Oyama said, "I've wanted to deal with those arrogant guys for a long time. As long as you can hold off that pervert, we can definitely kill every single one of them!"
"Drink your drink."
Ishikawa replied ungraciously, then sat down next to everyone: "Do you really think you're that strong? If those Rukongai residents hadn't come to help, all of you..."
"Every single one of you would have died here."
"Strictly speaking..."
Ishikawa paused, then continued: "If necessary, he could slaughter even those commoners without hesitation."
"How is that possible?"
Oyama pouted: "If he really did that, what would be the difference between him and us? What right would he have to be a Shinigami who prides himself on 'justice'?"
"Whether he's a villain, I'm not sure."
Ishikawa shook his head: "But if you say he's not qualified to be a Shinigami, then no Shinigami in the entire Gotei 13 is qualified to be a Shinigami."
"Shinigami are never saviors representing justice, but balancers who maintain balance. Kurotsuchi Mayuri can be said to be the most dedicated Shinigami among the vast number of balancers!"
"Even the current Commander Yamamoto might not be as clear as he is about what the true responsibility of a Shinigami is."
After Ishikawa finished speaking, a strange look flashed in his eyes.
Because...
Kurotsuchi Mayuri truly came to kill him today.
But in the end, he gave up that goal because he saw the transfer stake that Urahara Kisuke gave him.
Although he rejected Urahara Kisuke in every way, he believed that Urahara Kisuke would not endanger the balance, and thus he believed in himself, who was connected to Urahara Kisuke.
Ishikawa was unsure what he had grasped, but his killing intent towards him indeed disappeared only after seeing the transfer stake.
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