Chapter 62: A Reality Check for Renji
Narrator POV
The hours passed, and the news spread like wildfire through the divisions: Squad 11 had been defeated. Not only that… the clashes between Ikkaku Madarame and Ichigo Kurosaki, and Yumichika against another Ryoka, were also confirmed. Both had lost.
All the lieutenants of the Thirteen Divisions were gathered in an emergency meeting. One of them read the latest situation reports aloud. The atmosphere was tense, heavy with skepticism, concern… and disbelief.
—This has to be a joke… Squad 11 wiped out in just a couple of hours?—Rangiku asked, a mix of shock and irritation in her voice, one hand resting on her hip as she frowned.
Then Isane spoke, though her voice carried clear uncertainty. After all, she had been there. She had seen it with her own eyes.
—It's not a joke, Rangiku… I was there myself. I saw them all on the ground, completely defeated. One of them managed to regain consciousness and told Captain Unohana and me what happened.
All eyes immediately turned to her in silence.
—And what exactly did he say?—Nanao asked.
Isane lowered her gaze slightly, recalling the trembling face of the injured shinigami, his words broken by fear.
—He said it was… just one person.—A restrained murmur spread among the lieutenants.—That they couldn't even scratch him. That his strength, his speed, his presence… were inhuman. That his techniques were on another level… like a berserker straight out of a battlefield.
A chill ran through the room.
Some expressions hardened; others remained silent, processing what that meant. This wasn't just another enemy. The Ryoka named Akira was anything but ordinary. If he had defeated the most brutal squad of all thirteen… then the war had only just begun.
(So you really are here…) Renji thought, clenching his fists as he stared toward the door, the sunset staining the edges of the sky red.
Without anyone noticing, Renji left early. He couldn't wait any longer. He needed to find Ichigo and Akira. He needed to put an end to that human who had taken Rukia's powers… and to the other one, the one who dared to give Rukia hope when all she was supposed to accept was her punishment.
His pride, his rage, his guilt… all of it boiled inside him.
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Meanwhile, Akira moved silently through the Seireitei, wrapped in a veil of stealth. Not only did his body vanish from sight, but his spiritual energy as well—as if he had completely faded from the world. Invisible both physically and spiritually.
—It's already getting late…—he murmured as the first orange hues began to tint the sky.
He felt a dense spiritual pressure, heavy with emotion. His gaze shifted toward the towering white structure rising on the horizon: the Tower of Repentance. From there, he could clearly sense Ichigo's energy… and Renji's.
Their battle was about to begin… or perhaps, it already had.
Akira let out a soft sigh, calmly narrowing his eyes. In the blink of an eye, he vanished in a burst of speed. Climbing all those stairs posed no problem for him now—not with his current stats.
But no… not yet. He wasn't going to take Rukia from there yet. He could. He could storm the tower and take her away effortlessly, without anyone being able to stop him. But there was still something he had to do first.
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Ichigo panted heavily, leaning on his Zanpakutō. The blade trembled in his hands. Blood stained his orange hair and soaked into his torn clothes. Renji was stronger than he had imagined… and he wasn't holding back.
—Don't you get it yet?!
With a roar, Zabimaru lunged at him. The segmented blade, connected by a flexible cord, unraveled like a living whip. The six sections sliced through the air with a deadly hiss before tearing into Ichigo's shoulder, ripping through flesh and muscle with brutal force.
—If you had never existed…! If Rukia had never met you, she wouldn't be going through this!—Renji shouted, his voice a mixture of rage, pain, and frustration.
Ichigo barely managed to stay on his feet. He spat blood onto the ground and tightened his grip on Zangetsu, his eyes burning with fierce determination.
—I know…—his words were firm, even as his body trembled.—And that's why… I'm going to save her. It's not a wish… it's a promise.
—You stole her powers!—Renji's tone was filled with suppressed fury.—Can't you see it, Ichigo?! Rukia is going to die because of you! You condemned her! All of this… ALL OF THIS is your damn fault!
With a raw scream, he launched Zabimaru again, the blade stretching like a serpent toward Ichigo's face, ready for the final blow.
The attack slammed down violently, kicking up a thick cloud of dust that swallowed the battlefield.
—Ichigo!—Ganju shouted in desperation. He wanted to intervene, but he knew he didn't have the strength to face a lieutenant of the Gotei 13.
As the dust began to settle, Renji tried to retract Zabimaru—but something was wrong. He pulled harder… nothing.
—What the hell…?—he growled, confused, as the elastic cords of his zanpakutō remained taut, unresponsive.
When the dust finally cleared, the scene was revealed:
Akira stood in front of Ichigo, completely unharmed, gripping the largest segment of Zabimaru with one hand. His brow was furrowed, his gaze sharp as a blade. He had heard every word.
—You think Rukia's fate is Ichigo's fault?—he said coldly, slowly crushing the blade between his fingers.—Then you're even more of an idiot than I thought.
The metal began to crack, fissures spreading under the brutal pressure of his hand.
—I heard all your bullshit… so let me be clear: you're a damn hypocrite. You complain about Rukia's fate, yet you've done nothing to change it.
—What the hell are you talking about?!—Renji snapped, recognizing the young man who had humiliated him days earlier.
—What did you do, huh?! You're the one who dragged her back into this hell!—Akira shot back as his cursed energy began to pour out like a dark tide, making the air vibrate.—And now you dare blame Ichigo…? Using him as a scapegoat to ease your own guilt?
Akira's cursed pressure intensified—dark, heavy, overwhelming. He wouldn't allow all the blame to be dumped on Ichigo. Not while he was there.
In a blur of speed, Akira appeared in front of Renji. With monstrous force, he threw a punch that Renji barely managed to block with Zabimaru—but the blade groaned under the impact.
—You hypocrite. You're the one who brought Rukia back to this place. You didn't defend her from what they wanted to do to her—and you still aren't.—Akira said calmly, coldly.
With every blow Renji blocked, Zabimaru cracked further, mirroring the fracture of Renji's emotional armor.
Akira grabbed Renji by the throat and hurled him with devastating force into a structure on the verge of collapse. Debris rained down, causing a slight tremor. Renji coughed as he crawled out from the rubble.
He didn't even have time to catch his breath before Akira was on him again. Renji barely dodged as Akira's fist slammed into the ground, creating a massive crater. If he hadn't moved, his ribs would have been completely shattered.
The seconds felt endless as the dust settled around them. The air was thick with tension and emotions on the brink of explosion.
Akira closed the distance again, every word he spoke a painful truth Renji couldn't deny.
—You have no right to talk about Rukia when you did nothing to protect her. The only one to blame is you.
Each word echoed in Renji's ears. No matter how much he wanted to deny it… it was the truth. He had never truly done anything for Rukia. He had never really defended her. He had only watched from afar, never asking her directly whether Ichigo had truly stolen her powers.
Guilt gnawed at him from the inside. Every accusation from Akira was another reminder of his own cowardice and inaction.
—When Rukia was sentenced to death, what did you do? What did you do?! Nothing!—Akira shouted, hating men like Renji who saw everyone else's mistakes but their own.
Renji clenched his teeth, each word hitting harder than any blow he had taken. Because every word was true.
The weight of guilt and regret pressed heavier and heavier on his heart. He had failed Rukia again and again—and now he had to face the consequences of his cowardice.
Akira charged at him with inhuman speed, his fists wrapped in transparent purple energy edged with black—his cursed energy.
Renji raised Zabimaru, but the first punch shattered it even further. With every strike Akira landed, the blade fractured more and more, just like Renji's emotional defenses.
—You're just projecting your own uselessness and guilt onto Ichigo.—Akira said coldly as he continued to strike.—Say it! Say it, Renji! Admit that you can't do anything! Admit that it's also your fault for not trying to protect Rukia!
At that moment, Akira stopped holding back and unleashed a single, devastating punch.
The impact was deafening.
Renji barely reacted before Akira's fist, wrapped in cursed energy, slammed into his torso. The blow was brutal. The cruel, dry sound of multiple ribs breaking echoed through the air like a verdict. Renji spat a mouthful of blood as his body was launched like a bullet.
He crashed into the wall with such violence that the stone shattered in every direction, forming a massive, smoking crater. Cracks spread like spiderwebs, as if the wall itself felt the pain of the strike.
Renji fell among the rubble—breathless, powerless… without excuses.
(It's true…) Even his inner voice sounded broken. (I did nothing when she was sentenced… I didn't defend her… I didn't stand up to anyone. I just obeyed… I was a coward. Akira is right… I used Ichigo as a scapegoat so I wouldn't have to face myself. I'm sorry, Rukia… I'm so sorry…)
His lips trembled—not from the physical pain, but from the storm tearing him apart inside. Tears threatened to fall. For the first time, he truly saw the weight of his guilt… and it shattered his soul.
Before him, Akira stood motionless.
His fists still glowed faintly with fading cursed energy, like dying embers. His face was a mask of cold judgment. His sharp eyes held no mercy—only condemnation… and something deeper. Not hatred for Renji, but for what he represented: submission, cowardice, and tolerated injustice.
Akira said nothing. He didn't need to. His gaze said everything.
The silence was heavier than any blow.
And Renji… could only lower his head, swallowing the metallic taste of his failure.
Akira disliked injustice, and he didn't like being blamed for problems when others didn't like the outcome.
He wasn't a hero, but he couldn't stay silent either.
That was Akira.
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End of the Chapter.