The corner of Komamura's mouth twitched slightly, 'It was one thing for Yoruichi to mistake me for a dog, but even my own kind thought I am a Dogman? Did I really look that much like a dog?'
"Not a Dogman, it's Wolfman... no, it's human-wolf!" Komamura corrected emphatically.
He looked at the old Wolfman. "I am Komamura Sajin, come from the East to pursue the traces of my ancestors."
The old Wolfman was quite surprised. "The East?"
Komamura nodded. "The Wolfman Clan to which I belong is regarded as 'outcasts' in the East, as descendants of 'sinners'. Legend says that our ancestors, due to crimes committed during life, fell into the Animal Realm but failed to completely die, eventually their souls fell into the Soul Society, forming beings like us."
His voice carried suppressed excitement. "But I do not believe it. I want to find the truth, to find the traces of my ancestors, to find the origin of our 'curse'. Old sir, do you know what crime our ancestors committed? What kind of curse did they suffer to become like this?"
The old Wolfman was silent.
He lowered his head, looking at his own deformed, fur-covered hands, at the scars left by years of battle on those hands. Finally, he let out a long sigh.
"Crime?" His voice was hoarse, as if laughing, as if crying. "How could our ancestors have committed a crime? Our ancestors were heroes who slew 'Dragons'. In the distant past, in the era when Dragons still ravaged the land and devoured humans, it was our ancestors who stood up. They fought against the Dragons, they battled the Dragons, they built defenses with their own flesh and blood, protecting countless human villages."
"But they killed too many Dragons. Their own souls were eroded by the Dragons' resentment, polluted by the Dragons' curse. Ultimately, they themselves turned into 'evil dragons'… no, not 'dragons', but something more pitiful than 'dragons'… half-human, half-beast beastmen."
Komamura was very excited. "That means we are not guilty, and the blood flowing in our veins is not the blood of sin!"
The old Wolfman, however, sighed. "Our ancestors were heroes, but we may not be innocent. We do not possess the strong will of our ancestors, we cannot restrain the instincts of the Wolfmen. In any moment of emotional loss of control, we will 'berserk'."
"In the berserk state, we lose our senses, we kill, we become violent, we become true 'monsters'. That is why we are rejected by human society, hunted by the Church, tied to burning stakes, burned alive like real 'demons'."
At this moment, Arthur walked over.
He sighed softly. "If this is what you wish to know, I can tell you, what he says is indeed true. The dark creatures on the European continent are all descendants of heroes. Their ancestors once fought to protect humans, once paid a great price."
He paused, adding, "But time changes everything. Heroes die, their descendants fall, their will weakens. When these 'hero descendants' cannot control their own power, cannot integrate into human society, Reverse London faced a difficult choice: eliminate them, or expel them."
"We chose the latter. We expelled them to the European continent, hoping they could find their own way to survive on this broader, more chaotic land. Only we didn't expect that after coming to this land, they would be hunted by the Church again."
Regarding Reverse London's choice, Setsuna was not at all surprised. Given Britain's 'great lack of virtue', merely expelling these dark creatures was already quite humane.
In fact, Setsuna did not hesitate to speculate with the utmost malice that the reason Reverse London did not choose to eliminate them was likely to let these dark creatures wreak havoc on the European continent.
Arthur's explanation was like a cold tide, washing away the cognition dam Komamura had built all along.
Komamura murmured to himself, "That means... our clan was actually contaminated by the power of Hollows?"
Setsuna pondered inwardly, 'It seemed that because the Western Branch Office did not have Zanpakuto, did not have the purifying power of Zanpakuto, when they slew 'Dragons', they were also contaminated by the power of the Dragons.'
Under normal circumstances, a Zanpakuto destroyed in its Bankai form cannot be repaired.
Yet Komamura was the only one whose Zanpakuto, destroyed in its Bankai form, could still be repaired.
The explanation given in the original work was that Komamura had an extremely strong connection with his own Zanpakuto, so after Komamura received treatment, his own Zanpakuto would also restore to its original state.
But in Setsuna's view, the reason Komamura had such an extremely strong connection with his own Zanpakuto might be because his Zanpakuto was actually the 'Hollow power' within him.
Perhaps even Komamura himself had never realized the true nature of that power.
Aizen's mind was also greatly shaken. He thought to himself, "So, the boundary between Shinigami and Hollows... can be broken? Komamura's Shinigami power was contaminated by Hollows, but what if one actively merges the power of Shinigami and Hollows?"
He felt he had discovered a path no one had ever walked before.
Setsuna looked back at Komamura. "3rd Seat Komamura, it seems you won't need to wear the mask in the future."
Komamura abruptly looked up.
"Regardless of whether the blood you carry is sin or glory." Setsuna walked up to him and lightly patted his shoulder. "The path ahead should be walked by you yourself. A mask can cover the face, but it cannot cover the soul. Do you want to continue hiding behind the hood, living in the inferiority of being a 'sinner's descendant', or do you want to raise your head, and as a 'hero's descendant', redefine the meaning of Wolfman?"
Komamura looked at Setsuna. Those calm eyes seemed to contain endless strength.
"Thank you, Captain Chiaki. I understand!" Komamura forcefully threw the hood in his hand away. "I am me. Komamura Sajin of the Wolfman Clan!"
The young Wolfman jumped excitedly. "So cool! The dogman big brother is so cool!"
"It's human-wolf!" Komamura corrected helplessly, but the corners of his mouth involuntarily curled into a small arc.
He turned and bowed deeply to Arthur. "Investigator Arthur, I'll trouble you to settle these two compatriots. They need treatment, they need shelter, they need a place where they can live."
Arthur nodded slightly. "I will arrange it. Reverse London also has secret strongholds in France."
"I'm deeply grateful." Komamura bowed again.
Arthur smiled. "You all, despite the hardships, have come from thousands of miles away to help us eliminate the evil dragon. It is I who should be expressing gratitude."
Setsuna naturally caught the implication in his words. This was urging them to get on with the real business.
Setsuna smiled. "Don't worry. That evil dragon won't escape."