"No matter what you say, I am guilty!"
Kuchiki Kōga spoke up, interrupting Kenma before he could finish.
"I was defeated, and that is my greatest sin!"
"In this world, winning and losing determine everything. The winner takes all, and the loser bears all the sins; that is the natural order."
"If I had won, then Yamamoto Shigokuni and Father would be the sinners bound to this chair today, awaiting judgment. But the reality is that I was defeated—defeated by Yamamoto Shigokuni and Father!"
"Then everything about me is an indefensible sin!"
Although he said this, his tone revealed a faint, intense unwillingness to accept it.
Kenma fell silent, a trace of complexity squeezing between his brows.
"Even now, you still address Captain Kuchiki as Father, Senior?"
"No matter what, he showed me kindness after all."
As Kuchiki Kōga spoke, the gaze he directed at Kenma revealed a sense of calm.
"Just like you, who took away my Zanpakutō, preventing me from using Bankai and leading to this outcome."
"That being said, after thinking things over during my days in the seal, I have sobered up a lot. Even if I had used Bankai, I estimate I would have been defeated by Yamamoto Shigokuni sooner or later."
"Thinking of it that way, I don't feel as much resentment toward you."
Not as much resentment, which meant there was still some hatred in his heart.
Kenma understood Kuchiki Kōga's feelings toward him, but he still wanted to ask personally.
"That's a pity. I had originally thought about saving you, Senior."
"With my current abilities, I could release you unknowingly, as long as you agreed to work for me."
"But looking at your current attitude, Senior..."
"Heh... I knew you didn't come here purely to see me," Kuchiki Kōga sneered.
Regarding Kenma's request, he had vaguely guessed during their conversation just now that this would be coming next.
Otherwise, Kenma wouldn't have dwelled on the question of whether he was guilty.
"Let me be your subordinate?"
"Forget about that kind of thing. I'm not such a sore loser!"
The defeat had made the proud and arrogant Kuchiki Kōga feel that he had lost all the glory of his life.
Even if the opponent was that Yamamoto Shigokuni, a loss was a loss; there was absolutely no such thing as an honorable defeat!
He was already frustrated in his heart; asking him to discard his dignity and act as someone else's beast of burden?
He could not do such a thing, no matter what!
He knew Kenma's words came from good intentions, but he simply could not accept it.
He would absolutely not live beneath another person!
Rather than endure such humiliation, it would be better to die and be done with it.
Hearing Kuchiki Kōga's blunt refusal, Kenma sighed inwardly, having long expected this.
Although he felt it a pity to lose Kuchiki Kōga's talent, seeing him like this, he didn't try to persuade him further.
Instead, he asked the question that had been puzzling him these past few days.
"Senior, I clearly took away your Muramasa and even sealed it. How were you able to use the abilities of your Zanpakutō?"
"I hope you can explain this to satisfy the doubts of a junior."
"..." Kuchiki Kōga was silent for a moment before suddenly smiling. "For the sake of my cute junior coming to visit, consider it a senior's benefit. There's no harm in telling you."
"Thank you, Senior." Kenma listened attentively.
Kuchiki Kōga's voice rang out in the quiet room.
"It is actually very simple. A Zanpakutō is a phenomenon where a Shinigami projects their essence into an Asauchi to awaken a brand new soul, which then manifests in reality through the Asauchi."
"Whether it is Shikai or Bankai, no matter how the form and ability of the Zanpakutō change, its root comes from the Shinigami themselves. It is an existence that is one with the Shinigami's heart and body."
"In the end, it is the Shinigami's own power; appearing in the form of a Zanpakutō is simply more convenient and allows a large number of Shinigami to master it smoothly."
"Since that is the case, after cultivating to a certain realm, a Shinigami can display their abilities without relying on the Zanpakutō."
"My Muramasa is very special, allowing me to have a relatively easier time cultivating and exploring this aspect."
Seeing Kenma deep in thought, Kuchiki Kōga paused for a moment before continuing:
"With my current realm, I can only use Shikai after leaving the Zanpakutō. Bankai is still some distance away."
"According to my speculation, if one cultivates to a profound enough realm, the two split souls of the Shinigami and the Zanpakutō will fuse once again. At that time, the one who completes it will step into a higher dimension."
Kenma suddenly raised his head, an incredible expression on his face.
Seeing him like this, Kuchiki Kōga couldn't help but chuckle.
"However, such a realm is quite distant, and it is only my personal speculation. I cannot verify its authenticity."
"Looking at the entire history of Soul Society, since the birth of Zanpakutō, no one has completed this step yet. Perhaps it is simply my whimsical thinking."
Kenma nodded slightly, suppressing the surprise in his heart. Although Kuchiki Kōga wasn't certain of his own guess, Kenma believed it without a doubt.
Such a fusion setting was a common plot point in shōnen manga.
Just like Kami and Piccolo in Dragon Ball, who were originally an ordinary Namekian; they separated into two, and after fusing again, Piccolo's combat power surged, soared, and exploded, allowing him to go directly fight Cell!
Moreover, he had seen such examples with his own eyes.
In the original story, during the final battle between Ichigo and Aizen, both of them achieved the evolutionary fusion of Shinigami and Zanpakutō.
During the Thousand-Year Blood War, Aizen was the same; he could still use the abilities of Kyōka Suigetsu without a Zanpakutō.
With such precedents, how could Kenma not believe it?
"You are truly open, Senior, to actually share such a high-level secret."
"I am looking forward to your future."
Kuchiki Kōga looked at Kenma in front of him. He had seen early on that this junior of his was not someone to be trifled with and would cause big trouble sooner or later.
Telling him all the insights he had gained over the years now was naturally because he wanted to see how far the other party could go.
It could be considered the last bit of amusement left in his tragic life, which he could now see to the end.
Kenma heard the unspoken meaning in Kuchiki Kōga's words.
"I believe I won't let you down, Senior."
As his voice fell, Kenma turned around, intending to leave.
Just after taking a step, he suddenly stopped and turned his head to look at Kuchiki Kōga.
"Senior, I have one last doubt. I wonder if you can inform me."
"Let's hear it."
"Senior, you challenged those Captains one by one in reverse order. I assume it was to demonstrate your power."
"Correct." Kuchiki Kōga nodded.
"I thought that to establish a new order, I first needed to let the many Shinigami and nobles of the Seireitei feel my power, understand the gap in strength, and submit to me."
"So, I first chose Kenpachi of the Eleventh Division, who is known as the strongest."
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