"The result of the battle was quite boring. Even though he was Kenpachi, he was so weak. I killed him with a casual slash of a blade; it was disappointing."
"Seeing how weak Kenpachi was, he couldn't demonstrate my power at all, so I just decided to kill my way through in reverse order."
"So that's how it is." Kenma understood Kuchiki Kōga's thinking somewhat. "No wonder you didn't start with the Thirteenth Division, Senior, but instead started with the Eleventh Division, even going so far as to kill Kenpachi in front of more than two hundred squad members."
"In that case, it would be appropriate to address you as Kenpachi, Senior."
Kuchiki Kōga looked disdainful. "Such an evil title is not worth caring about."
"That is true." Kenma nodded in agreement. "It is merely the name of a trash executioner."
He then asked, "How did it feel to fight against so many Shinigami Captains, Senior?"
"How else could it feel? Didn't I end up losing to Yamamoto Shigokuni?"
Kuchiki Kōga thought for a moment and said in a deep voice, "As a senior, take this as advice for a junior. Among the thirteen divisions, the strongest is naturally our Captain-Commander."
"Aside from him, those veteran Captains who have served for hundreds of years—Kyōraku Shunsui and my father-in-law—cannot be underestimated. And although Captain Unohana Retsu of the Fourth Division did not make a move, she gave me a dangerous feeling; she is not as simple as she appears on the surface."
"The rest are merely mediocre."
Kenma reminded him, "What about Ukitake Jūshirō of the Thirteenth Division and Hikifune Kirio of the Twelfth Division?"
"Hmph, one is a bedridden invalid, and the other is a shut-in who only stays within her squad. Neither is worth mentioning."
Kuchiki Kōga's words made Kenma raise an eyebrow.
'Good grief. One is the Right Arm of the Soul King, and the other is a future member of Squad Zero, yet in Kuchiki Kōga's mouth, they are evaluated as "not worth mentioning".'
'I wonder what their reaction would be if they knew.'
'But seeing Kuchiki Kōga's appearance, presumably he isn't aware of their true situations. It's normal for him to have such a view.'
Kuchiki Kōga suddenly chuckled.
"Speaking of which, Kenma, among the Captains who besieged me later on, I didn't see the Captain of the Second Division, nor did I see her figure afterward."
"What? Does your heart ache for your charming new little wife?"
"Naturally," Kenma nodded and said in a deep voice. "After all, she is my beloved wife and the head of the Shihoin family. Her status is noble; she couldn't be killed by you, Senior."
"Heh, she still has use value to you, right?" Kuchiki Kōga sneered.
"You jest, Senior."
"Whether you admit it or not, it doesn't matter," Kuchiki Kōga said. "Actually, out of respect for you, I didn't plan to lay a hand on her from the beginning."
"I naturally trust you, Senior."
Hearing Kenma say this, Kuchiki Kōga shook his head gently; naturally, he didn't believe it.
Nonsense!
If Kenma really trusted him, he wouldn't have protected Shihoin Yoruichi so well.
To the point that throughout the consecutive days of the great battle, not even a shadow of her could be seen.
"Thank you for clarifying my doubts, Senior."
"Judgment is imminent. Before that, please rest well, Senior, and don't overexert yourself."
As his voice fell, Kenma left directly, not staying any longer.
With the closing of the room's door, only Kuchiki Kōga remained in the dim room.
Kuchiki Kōga turned his head to look at a patch of darkness.
"After listening for so long, how much longer do you intend to hide?"
Tap, tap, tap.
Soft footsteps rang out again.
From the darkness, a Shinigami wearing a Shihakushō walked out.
He had slightly curly brown hair and wore black-framed glasses. The flickering candlelight only illuminated half of his gentle face, leaving the other half in darkness.
"As expected of you, Senior; to think you could discover me."
"I wonder when you sensed my existence, Senior?"
"Who knows," Kuchiki Kōga did not answer directly but asked, "How much of my conversation with that brat Kenma did you hear?"
"Aizen Sōsuke."
The newly appeared Shinigami was none other than Aizen Sōsuke!
Hearing Kuchiki Kōga's question, Aizen chuckled lightly.
"From the very beginning."
"I thought so," Kuchiki Kōga asked. "Then guess, did that guy Kenma know?"
"Naturally, he knew," Aizen said. "Since he glanced at my location right after he came in."
"So, I heard the words of you two seniors from beginning to end."
Aizen pushed his glasses. The lens illuminated by the candlelight flashed with a mist-like white light.
It made it impossible to see the eyes hidden beneath.
"What interested me the most was what you said, Senior Kōga, about the fusion of the Shinigami and the Zanpakutō."
"Could I ask you to continue explaining this brand-new direction of evolution, Senior?"
Looking at Aizen with his gentle smile, Kuchiki Kōga's largely obscured face revealed a peculiar expression—a smile that was not quite a smile, yet seemed like mockery.
At first, he thought only Shihoin Kenma was deep-minded and somewhat special. Now it seemed Aizen Sōsuke was no less so.
Really, one after another, it seemed neither of his two juniors were lamps that saved oil.
Adding himself, these so-called "Three Heroes" truly lived up to the name.
As expected of the "Three Heroes" who stood out among the many Shinigami.
Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigokuni's evaluation of them as "pillars"—recalling it now was truly full of irony.
The future Seireitei would surely have enough amusement waiting for him.
His future prison life, presumably, would not be too boring.
"Sure."
"I am looking forward to your future."
...
Kenma walked out of the room and couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief.
Then he walked toward the waiting room of the underground assembly hall.
When he walked in, there was another person sitting solemnly in the waiting room.
This person was tall and large, draped in a purple robe over his clothes. Glasses perched on his gaunt cheeks, and his expression was serious and dull.
Seeing Kenma enter, this person stood up. He was even slightly taller than Kenma.
As he spoke, the mustache on his lip trembled slightly.
"Lord Shihoin Kenma, I did not expect you to be here as well."
"Long time no see, Grand Kidō Chief." Kenma nodded slightly.
This person was one of the heads of the three major organizations of the Seireitei, the Grand Kidō Chief of the Kidō Corps, the Marshal of Kidō, Tessai Tsukabishi.
After the two exchanged simple pleasantries, Tessai Tsukabishi asked, "Lord Kenma, do you know if Central 46 has any important matters for summoning us?"
Recently, power struggles within the central authority of the Seireitei had been frequent, and the Shihoin family's movements were undisguised; anyone with eyes could see it. Although the Kidō Corps wasn't very conspicuous in the Seireitei, it was still a proper established organization.
As the Grand Kidō Chief, how could Tessai Tsukabishi not see the situation clearly?
In the current Central 46, the Shihoin family's forces occupied more than half the seats; their power could be described as monstrous.
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