Chapter 201: Appointing You as the Military Dog
"Fifth Division Vice-Captain, Sōsuke Aizen!"
"Here."
"I appoint you as the Vanguard Commander, and also as this Chancellor's Staff Officer."
"In case of emergencies, you are granted the authority to act first and report later!"
"...Yes."
Aizen remained expressionless, giving a slight bow.
Where is this? Who am I? What am I doing?
And who is this idiot in front of me?
Can I beat him up?
As he pondered this, Satoru nodded with satisfaction and turned to the next person.
"Sixth Division Vice-Captain, Sōjun Kuchiki!"
"Here!"
Sōjun, filled with fighting spirit, sharply raised his head and responded loudly.
"I appoint you as the Central Army Commander, and also as this Chancellor's Attendant."
"In case of emergencies, immediately retreat behind everyone else—don't be stubborn!"
"Yes!!"
Sōjun replied crisply.
Although he didn't quite understand what his good brother was spouting, having been kept as a mascot in the division for so long, he was thrilled to finally have a chance for real combat.
Truly his lifelong best friend, going so far as to pull him out despite his father's pressure.
He really... I could cry.
Satoru nodded and looked at the last one.
"Fourth Division Vice-Captain, Seinosuke Yamada!"
Seinosuke coughed lightly, puffing out his chest almost imperceptibly.
"Hmph, just a mere Satoru, putting on such airs."
"With only a handful of people, you're still creating vanguard, central, and rear armies."
"Although the rear army doesn't sound very impressive, for the sake of you guys, I'll reluctantly—"
"I appoint you as the accompanying military dog, using your keen sense of smell to scout the path!"
"?"
Seeing that Satoru didn't seem to be joking, Seinosuke grew furious.
"What kind of joke is this?! What do you mean by military dog?! And if it's already a military dog, why add 'accompanying'—isn't that redundant?!"
"Then... I appoint you as the military dog."
"That's not the point!"
Seinosuke gritted his teeth: "I'm a physician, an important person responsible for your health and well-being—show some respect!"
Hearing this, Satoru thought for two seconds.
He then nodded. "Then I shall appoint you as the camp masseur, responsible for massaging my feet daily. That should count as being in charge of health and well-being, right?"
"?"
Seinosuke grew furious and attempted to rush onto the stage.
Sōjun quickly grabbed him. "Let it go, let it go, Seinosuke..."
Satoru laughed heartily on the stage.
Watching the chaotic scene before him, Aizen silently looked up at the sky.
What kind of demons and monsters had gathered around him?
...
...
In the living world, a certain mountainous area.
Hundreds of people had gathered here.
These people ranged from old to young, men and women, with varying styles of clothing.
The only commonality was that they all wore pentagram-shaped accessories.
Everyone here was a Quincy!
The Quincy had formed a circle using cars, luggage, and other items.
Those responsible for security stood by this perimeter, maintaining the barrier set up here while holding their spirit bows, vigilant against potential Shinigami ambushes.
At the center of the crowd, an elderly man dressed in white robes was trying to persuade them.
"Everyone, please listen to this old man's advice. We are no match for the Soul Society. This stalemate brings us no benefit at all!"
"If we each take a step back, there's still a possibility for a peaceful resolution." Continuing to resist will inevitably lead to a terrible outcome!"
Upon hearing this, some Quincy showed hesitant expressions.
But soon, someone angrily shouted:
"Sōken! Stop spreading your deceptive nonsense here!"
"These Shinigami are nothing special—they just have greater numbers. Didn't you see how easily we defeated that captain earlier?"
"I know for a fact that captains are the strongest tier in the Soul Society. If a captain like Kensei was so easily defeated, the other captains can't be much better!"
"We are noble Quincy—why should we bow our heads to Shinigami?!"
These words made the Quincy nod in agreement.
In the past, when their numbers were small and they barely survived in the human world, being oppressed by Shinigami was one thing.
But now that they possessed such power, how could they just sit back and wait for death?
For a moment, various doubts arose.
"Sōken... I heard from my father that he used to hide in the Soul Society and only recently escaped."
"What? Hiding in the Soul Society? How is that possible?"
"Hah, I think it's more likely that he wasn't hiding in the Soul Society—he's already become their lapdog!"
Gradually, the gazes directed at Sōken Ishida turned hostile.
If not for the old man's exceptional strength, ranking among the top Quincy, many might have already tried to overthrow him.
In the distance, atop a small hill, Love Aikawa frowned as he looked toward the Quincy camp.
Kensei had fallen... As the captain of the Seventh Division, he naturally bore immense shame.
Normally, he should unleash his Bankai and charge into battle with the Quincy, fighting to the death.
But the weather was too cold, the enemy numbers were overwhelming, and even if he charged in, victory wasn't guaranteed—he might very well lose his life.
Moreover, that Quincy named Sōken Ishida had personally come to seek an audience, promising to persuade the other Quincy to surrender and confess their crimes.
After weighing all factors, he had restrained himself until now, refraining from action.
But... after so many days, these Quincy showed no signs of surrendering.
It seemed more and more like he had been fooled.
Aikawa felt it was time to take action.
He stood up—
"Assemble the squad members! Prepare to charge the Quincy camp with me!"
"Yes!"
Soon, the Shinigami sprang into action.
The commotion on their side naturally did not escape the notice of the Quincy.
"The Shinigami are moving!!"
"The Shinigami are coming!"
Among the crowd, Quincy after Quincy grew agitated, summoning their spirit bows.
"Damn it, I knew these Shinigami were up to no good!"
"Prepare for battle, prepare for battle!"
"Sōken, we'll be watching you closely—don't even think about betraying us at the last moment!"
Hearing this, Sōken's face showed deep sorrow.
It's over. The Quincy are finished now.
All he could think of was to protect Aikawa's life as much as possible once the battle began.
As long as no one died, the situation wouldn't be too severe...
While he was lost in thought, the Quincy had already mobilized.
Hundreds of Quincy raised their spirit bows simultaneously, gathering spirit arrows—the scene was quite shocking.
From a distance, it looked like a field of blue stars shimmering across the land!
Aikawa swallowed hard, clenching his teeth tightly.
He slowly opened his mouth, about to shout the order to charge.
Suddenly, a long chain descended from the sky!
BOOM!!!!!
With a terrifying explosion, a short sword wreathed in blue flames embedded itself in an empty patch of ground amidst the Quincy ranks.
Then, under the astonished gazes of the Quincies, a chain suddenly snapped taut, yanking a figure down from the sky—
"ZEHAHAHAHA!!!"
"Not the same group... but we meet again! Quincies!!"