Chapter 58: The Skull-Flower Cannon?
Narrator POV
— I like your new tail, Yoruichi… it looks… square, —Akira commented with an amused expression as he pointed at the cat's oddly shaped tail.
— That's true… what happened to it? It looks like one of those flexible toothbrushes, —Ichigo tilted his head, examining the strange pattern.
Uryū and Chad glanced at each other, barely holding back laughter.
— And what's wrong with that?! —Yoruichi snapped with feline fury, spinning around toward Ichigo with a glare that could have frozen hell itself.
— N-no! Not at all! I mean, it actually looks cool—very original! —Ichigo replied, stepping back nervously as he noticed Yoruichi's eyes starting to water.
— My tail… my pride and joy… ruined, —she muttered dramatically, lowering her head as if the end of the world had just been announced.
— Ichigo, my advice: never mention it again. You're the one who left it like that, —Uryū whispered as quietly as possible, trying not to let Yoruichi hear.
— Alright, alright… spill the gossip, Uryū, —Akira said with a mischievous grin, leaning in with curiosity. —What exactly happened?
— Well… —Uryū adjusted his glasses solemnly— you weren't here, but after Ichigo finished his training, he collapsed and fell asleep. And at some point… he started grabbing Yoruichi's tail like it was a rope… or a cable… or, I don't know, spaghetti. By the time we managed to free it, it looked like that—twisted like overcooked noodles.
Akira: …Hahahaha, no way.
Ichigo: I don't remember doing that…
— And I am NOT a toy for your sleepy hands! —Yoruichi shouted through frustrated tears, while everyone else struggled to keep from laughing.
— Alright, enough fooling around! The time is almost here… the time to launch your asses straight into the Seireitei! —Kūkaku exclaimed excitedly as she checked the controls of the massive Skull-Flower Cannon, clearly enjoying the idea of blasting them into the air. —By the way… where's Ganju?
— I'm here! Heroes always arrive at the last moment! —he shouted, bursting out from behind a wall as if merely being mentioned had summoned him.
Akira: Then the heroes must still be on their way… because I don't see any here.
— What did you say?! I'm right here! —Ganju pointed at himself with both hands, as if his presence were absolutely essential.
— That's exactly why he said it, —Ichigo added without even looking at him.
Ganju scowled deeply, offended. He marched up to Ichigo until they were face to face and grabbed him firmly by the Shinigami uniform.
— My brother was killed by Shinigami… —he said suddenly, his voice hard and trembling. The tension in the air shifted instantly.
Uryū, Chad, and Orihime looked at him in surprise. Even Akira watched silently, not interrupting.
— Ganju! —Kūkaku jumped to her feet, ready to strike him, having forbidden him from bringing this up in front of others.
— Shut up and listen, sister! —he shouted, cutting her off. Kūkaku froze, stunned. Ganju had never raised his voice at her before—much less spoken to her like that. —My brother… even though he was from Rukongai… passed the Shinigami Academy on his first try. His Reiatsu was sixth-class, which meant he had the potential to become a lieutenant… or even a captain! He finished six years of academy training in just two. He joined the squads… and became a lieutenant in less than five years! —He clenched his fists, his voice shaking with rage and grief. —And then he was murdered by his own comrades! By the very Shinigami he trusted!
Silence fell over everyone. The words were heavy. Orihime lowered her gaze, Uryū frowned, and Chad simply closed his eyes in respect.
Akira said nothing. But inside… he understood. He knew all too well that even in Soul Society, envy, ego, and corruption were as alive as in the human world. And that often… the good ones suffered the most.
Akira let out a deep sigh.
He knew that in this place, death, hunger, and war were everyday realities. There were areas where only the strongest survived, regions where blood was as common as dust in the air. And corruption… existed here too. Mayuri Kurotsuchi was the greatest example.
Akira didn't believe for a second that the other captains were unaware of how twisted that man was. Of course they knew. They knew what he did. Experiments on living beings. On souls. Torture. Pain. And yet… they let him be.
Why?
Because he was useful. Because his results were worth more than the lives he destroyed.
So they turned a blind eye. Washed their hands of it and looked away. That hypocrisy was what enraged Akira the most. Execute Rukia just for helping Ichigo? For breaking a rule written in dried blood?
Meanwhile, Mayuri experimented on innocent souls… and remained free. Why? Because he was useful.
That disgusted Akira. It boiled inside him. That was exactly why he wanted to be strong… so no one could use him. So no one could tell him what to do. To be free. To have peace. And above all, to prevent injustices like the one Rukia was about to suffer.
Injustice made his blood boil. Punish someone for an act of compassion? And forgive a monster because it's convenient? It revolted him to his core.
As he stood there in silence, listening to the conversation between Ichigo and Ganju, Akira couldn't help but grit his teeth. This world… was far harsher than he remembered.
— (It's true… I'm no longer watching this through a screen. This isn't fiction anymore. I'm here… experiencing firsthand how cruel this world really is…) —he thought as the gentle breeze of dawn stirred his hair and dark coat, as if even the wind were trying to comfort him amid his growing, silent anger.
The soft breeze brushed against his face, fluttering his hair and the edge of his coat. He said nothing. He didn't need to. But inside, a resolve hardened with every passing second. He would not allow this story to end with another unjust death. Not while he could do something to stop it.
.
.
.
Minutes later…
The air grew heavy, as if the world itself were holding its breath. Everyone stood atop the strange spiritual core prepared by Kūkaku Shiba while final adjustments were made to the platform. The tension was palpable.
— Alright, get ready. It's started, —Yoruichi warned firmly, her feline voice filled with seriousness. —Focus your Reiryoku into the spiritual core!
Kūkaku's voice boomed from the top of the launch system, each word infused with spiritual power and a nearly ceremonial tone.
— "Copper colored by the ambitious desires of thirty-six degrees…"
Yoruichi took advantage of the moment to address everyone—especially one person in particular.
— Listen carefully. Once inside the Seireitei, do not separate under any circumstances. Understood? Remember our main objective: rescue Rukia. We're not here to start a war. —She turned her gaze directly toward Akira, eyes narrowed. —And you… —her tone lowered, almost a warning— listen to me this time, please. If you run into a captain… run if you can. Do not underestimate high-level Shinigami. Don't forget why we came.
Akira crossed his arms with a crooked smile, staring toward the horizon as if Yoruichi's words were nothing more than the wind.
— I won't promise anything, —he muttered dismissively. —If any of them come looking for me, I won't stay still. I'll hunt them.
Yoruichi frowned. She knew she couldn't change him, but at least she had tried.
From the platform, Kūkaku's voice rose even louder, each word now laden with spiritual energy.
— "Seventy-two walls of legend… thirty pairs of horns… the right claw of a monkey captures a star…"
As she spoke, a surge of energy erupted. Kūkaku removed the bandages covering her right arm. As she raised it, blazing flames wrapped around her fist, spinning like a ravenous miniature sun.
— "Surrounded by the twenty-five wheels of the sun… let the count flow into the river of blood!"
With a roar of power, she slammed her fist into the ground. The flames surged forward violently, like a maddened serpent.
— SKULL-FLOWER CANNON!! SECOND METHOD: CAGAZAKI!!
With a deafening explosion, the platform shook, and in a blinding flash of spiritual light, the projectile was fired.
Inside the sphere launched by the cannon, everyone felt the brutal acceleration as they were hurled straight toward the heart of the Seireitei—carrying hope, fear… and the beginning of a silent war.
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.
.
Mid-flight…
The hum of spiritual air vibrated around them as the sphere tore through the sky with unstoppable force. The land below vanished rapidly, becoming a blurred memory beneath their feet.
— Huh? That's it? I thought it'd be… I don't know, more explosive, —Ichigo commented, peering downward, slightly disappointed by how calm everything seemed from up high.
— Don't get cocky, blockhead. That was just the first phase, —Ganju grumbled as he reached inside his clothing and pulled out a long scroll covered in inscriptions. —Phase two of the Skull-Flower Cannon starts now, so shut up and let me concentrate so I can guide the trajectory.
He turned toward the others, his face serious for the first time since they departed.
— Listen up, everyone! The first thing you must do is equalize your Reiryoku levels. The spiritual energy feeding the core must be perfectly balanced—if it's not, we'll destabilize mid-flight! Synchronize yourselves. Now!
The four glanced at each other briefly and nodded. Uryū, Chad, Orihime, and Ichigo began channeling their spiritual energy, closing their eyes as they tried to match levels. It wasn't easy.
Ichigo, as always, stood out.
Uryū: Ichigo, don't be an idiot! Lower it or you'll overload the core!
— Okay, okay! It's not my fault I've got more spiritual energy than you, four-eyes, —Ichigo replied with a cocky grin, trying to reduce the flow.
The core trembled slightly until, little by little, the energies of the four aligned. An invisible dance of spiritual power synchronized as the projectile maintained its course.
Akira watched in silence.
He didn't comment. He didn't intervene. This time, it wasn't his moment. Not yet. But the instant he set foot inside the Seireitei…
He would be the one with the most to do.
And he knew it.
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End of Chapter.