Fate in Bleach: Unlimited Blade Works!-Chapter 470: Sōya Azashiro’s Change

Ailin naturally understood the Captain-Commander's intention in having him and Jūshirō Ukitake escort Aizen.

After all, although Ailin's battle against the Reigai captains hadn't lasted long, the destruction inflicted upon the Seireitei was significant.

Seeing the damaged Seireitei, the Captain-Commander hadn't directly accused Ailin but instead sent him away under the pretext of escorting Aizen, showing Yamamoto had no desire for confrontation.

Of course, once Yamamoto learned the reason for the Seireitei's destruction—that Ailin had been defending it from the Reigai—he would be even less inclined to target him.

Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto held the Seireitei in high regard. He had single-handedly established the Gotei Thirteen to protect it and was willing to sacrifice his own life for its protection.

But Yamamoto wasn't one driven by greed for power; he hoped anyone who could benefit and protect the Seireitei would grow stronger.

As long as Ailin showed no intention of harming the Seireitei, the Captain-Commander actually wished for him to become even more powerful. Just like in the recent battle against Aizen from Hueco Mundo; if Captain Ailin hadn't turned the tide, the Gotei Thirteen would have truly been finished this time.

…

Ailin walked ahead, with Jūshirō Ukitake behind. The cross-shaped wooden restraint sealing Aizen hung suspended between them, held by a yellow cord of light.

Rumble...

A heavy iron door opened.

If the Sekkiseki stone used in Seireitei's buildings had a spirit particle insulation capability of 1, significantly negating or weakening a Shinigami's destructive power within, then the material used to construct the prison "Muken" had an insulation capability of one hundred.

Even captain-level powerhouses battling within the Muken wouldn't affect the Seireitei outside in the slightest.

The Muken was reserved solely for criminals of immense power. Before Aizen, the only one Ailin knew of imprisoned there was the previous Kenpachi, Sōya Azashiro.

Like Sōsuke Aizen, Sōya Azashiro possessed abilities capable of overthrowing the Seireitei. Azashiro had even once considered transforming all the residents of Rukongai into soul weapons to wipe out Hueco Mundo entirely. It was only after coming into contact with the Soul King's will and learning the necessity of Hueco Mundo's existence that Azashiro turned himself in to the Captain-Commander and was sentenced to imprisonment in the Muken.

After Ailin and Jūshirō Ukitake entered the Muken, the great door shut behind them, plunging the prison into absolute darkness, extinguishing the last vestiges of light.

Fortunately, neither Ailin nor Ukitake were ordinary captain-level Shinigami. Faint spiritual pressure glowed in their eyes, allowing them to see in the dark.

Tap, tap, tap, tap...

In the silent darkness, footsteps echoed.

"Who's there?"

Ukitake called out sharply, paced his hand on the hilt of his Zanpakutō and looked ahead.

This was the Muken. Everyone inside should have been sealed before being imprisoned. Apart from escorts like himself and Ailin, no one else should have been present. Yet now, they heard footsteps. Had some heinous criminal broken free from their seals?

With this thought, Ukitake glanced at Ailin. With Captain Ailin present, Ukitake didn't think anyone could actually break out of the Muken. But, to Ukitake's surprise, Captain Ailin wore a faint smile. Could it be that Captain Ailin knew this criminal?

Under Ukitake's puzzled gaze, a young man with long black hair slowly came into view.

"You—you are Sōya Azashiro, the Eighth Kenpachi?"

Seeing him, realization dawned on Jūshirō Ukitake. Sōya Azashiro had served as captain of Squad Eleven for a relatively short time. As a lower noble, Ukitake had heard something of the Azashiro family's misfortune. Of course, this couldn't compare to the knowledge Shunsui Kyoraku possessed as a high-ranking noble, though Kyoraku hadn't shared the details with Ukitake.

However, from the Commander-in-Chief of the Onmitsukidō, Yoruichi Shihōin, Ukitake had heard the Azashiro family's fate described as "the most tragic, most unimaginably ghastly scene."

Fortunately, during that disaster, Azashiro's Zanpakutō had awakened, allowing him to survive and subsequently slaughter the nobles who coveted the Azashiro clan's assets.

However, after this upheaval, the Azashiro family dwindled to just Sōya Azashiro himself. Despite being a noble, aside from his inherent bearing, everything about him, from clothes to possessions, was as cheap as a commoner's. Yet, even so, none of the nobles aware of what happened that day dared underestimate him.

Later, Sōya Azashiro entered the Shin'ō Academy, graduated with exceptional achievements, skipping grades, and eventually joined Squad Eleven of the Gotei Thirteen.

At that time, the captain of Squad Eleven was Kuruyashiki Kenpachi, a powerhouse second only to Captain-Commander Yamamoto in the Gotei Thirteen back then.

As for the extent of Kuruyashiki's power, the restrictions placed upon him by Central 46 were telling. In the million-year history of the Seireitei, Kuruyashiki was the only one for whom Central 46 had established a specific prohibition: he was forbidden from releasing his Bankai within the Seireitei! It was even rumored that Squad Zero had made an exception and invited Kuruyashiki, but he had refused.

Sōya Azashiro served under Kuruyashiki for a century. Feeling his strength had greatly improved, Azashiro challenged Kuruyashiki.

In that battle, Azashiro exploited Kuruyashiki's unfamiliarity with his abilities, manipulating the latter's internal spiritual pressure to dispel his defenses before employing a mutually destructive technique that ravaged Kuruyashiki's internal organs. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Kuruyashiki hadn't used his Bankai in that fight, partly due to the prohibition against using it within the Seireitei, and partly because its range was simply too vast; releasing it would have undoubtedly killed his surrounding squad members as well.

Afterward, Kuruyashiki bestowed the name "Kenpachi" upon Sōya Azashiro, making him the Eighth Kenpachi of Squad Eleven.

However, Azashiro didn't hold the captaincy for long before being imprisoned in the Muken. This paved the way for Ailin to later succeed him as captain of Squad Eleven, becoming the Ninth Kenpachi.

"It's been a long time, Azashiro."

Seeing Sōya Azashiro, a smile touched Ailin's lips. As Azashiro drew closer, Ailin's smile widened. "It seems you took my words from back then to heart."

The Sōya Azashiro standing before Ailin now was considerably more robust than he had been over a century ago. Even Jūshirō Ukitake could see the change.

Back when Azashiro was captain of Squad Eleven, the two of them had looked like a pair of sickly young masters. Now, Ukitake had aged from a sickly young master into a sickly middle-aged uncle, while Azashiro, over the past hundred-plus years, had transformed into a sturdy young man.

"Hmph!" Azashiro snorted. "Kenpachi Ailin, I merely returned to normal training."

Over a hundred years ago, Ailin had inherited the captaincy of Squad Eleven. Although everyone in Squad Eleven, and indeed the entire Gotei Thirteen, knew Ailin hadn't become captain by defeating the previous Kenpachi due to his immense strength, no one felt Captain Ailin unworthy of the "Kenpachi" title.

Furthermore, after Ailin took over, Azashiro had once left the Muken to engage Ailin in the traditional "Kenpachi" battle. Due to the disparity in strength, Azashiro was defeated but suffered no fatal injuries.

Decades ago, Baishin, fused with his Zanpakutō, had invaded the Seireitei and was slain by Ailin within the Muken. But before that, Baishin had indeed managed to injure Azashiro. It was after that battle that Ailin pointed out the weakness of Azashiro's Zanpakutō.

Later, Koga bluntly stated that if Azashiro didn't cease training while in his Bankai state, all his current power was merely a castle in the air, a fleeting illusion. Against an enemy skilled in absorbing and controlling spirit particles, like a Quincy, Azashiro would likely be weaker than a vice-captain.

Azashiro's Zanpakutō, Urozakuro, was very powerful, especially in Bankai, capable of granting him near "invincibility" over time. However, Urozakuro had a significant weakness: once Bankai was released, Azashiro could no longer train his physical body, leaving its durability comparable to that of ordinary Shinigami. If he canceled his Bankai, his strength plummeted drastically.

Perhaps moved by Ailin's words, or perhaps having learned something through the Soul King's will, Azashiro had indeed followed Ailin's advice after Baishin's death. He released his Bankai and trained in the Muken for several decades.

Judging by Azashiro's current spiritual pressure alone, even without using Bankai, his strength had reached the captain level. Once he used Bankai, he could gain control over a larger area in a shorter time.

Previously, Azashiro needed nearly a century after releasing Bankai to fully merge with the space of the Soul Society. Now, perhaps only ten years in Bankai state would suffice.

"You came to the Muken this time to deliver Sōsuke Aizen, didn't you?"

Before Azashiro relinquished his Bankai state, he had been completely fused with the space of the Soul Society. It could be said that nothing happening within the Soul Society could escape his notice, naturally including Sōsuke Aizen's actions.

However, after releasing his Bankai and detaching from the Soul Society's space, he lost this near-omniscient ability. With Ailin present, Azashiro hadn't expected Aizen to cause much trouble. It seemed his assumption was correct.

Slowly reaching towards the sealed wooden restraint behind Ailin and Ukitake, Azashiro murmured, "Bankai—"

Hearing this, Ukitake tensed. What was Azashiro planning?

"Release!"

Ssshh... Ssshh...

Just as Azashiro finished speaking, the sound of tearing cloth came from the wooden restraint sealing Sōsuke Aizen.

Then, the form of the restraint began to change before Ailin's and Jūshirō Ukitake's eyes. Azashiro had just broken Aizen's seal!

The lower part of the restraint swelled, while the upper cross-shaped section slowly morphed into the shape of a human torso.

However, this human torso was bound by countless black sealing cloths, connected to the wooden restraint below. It appeared as if the human figure and the restraint were one single entity.

Ssshh... Ssshh...

The sound of tearing came from the black sealing cloths wrapped around Sōsuke Aizen. After a few breaths, the cloths covering Aizen's left eye and lips disintegrated. Slightly opening his eye, Aizen surveyed his surroundings.

"This is... the Muken? For someone like me, perhaps only this place in the entire Soul Society can contain my existence. However, Captain Ailin, is it truly alright to release the seal on one of my eyes and my mouth?"

Though sealed, Aizen's tone and expression seemed unchanged, as if his current predicament was entirely expected. No, perhaps this situation was even better than he had anticipated. In Aizen's view, although the one who released the seal wasn't Captain Ailin, it wouldn't have happened without Captain Ailin's tacit approval.

"It doesn't matter," Ailin replied, shaking his head. "Honestly, for me, it makes no difference whether Azashiro partially released your seals or completely removed them. I only require that you both remain quietly within the Muken. Should you decide you no longer wish to stay here and attempt to leave for the outside world, then I would be quite happy to send you both to Hell."

Although Ailin's words carried no particular emotion, this utterly ordinary tone sent a chill through the hearts of both Sōsuke Aizen and Sōya Azashiro.

It signified that Captain Ailin, from beginning to end, had never truly considered either of them a significant concern. If they genuinely tried to leave the Muken, Captain Ailin would absolutely not hesitate for even a moment before killing them.

"Azashiro, since you're here, I'll entrust Aizen to you to take him deeper inside."

Handing the light cord binding the restraint to Azashiro, Ailin addressed Ukitake, "Captain Ukitake, let's go."