章 240: Annihilation

"Captain Ailin, among those you've captured, I've spotted some familiar markings. Unless I'm mistaken, they belong to the Kyoraku Clan's assassins."

The speaker was Shunsui Kyoraku. Ailin was momentarily stunned. What was going on? Why were both Soi Fon and Shunsui hesitant to let him handle this?

"Soi Fon, Kyoraku, I need an explanation." His voice was icy, his gaze fixed on them with chilling intensity.

A man who couldn't even defend those he cared about, who allowed them to be bullied without seeking retribution, was a pathetic excuse for a man. Ailin had reached a level of power where he wouldn't tolerate such injustice, not from a few measly nobles, not even from the "Monk Who Calls the Real Name," Ichibei Hyosube. If anyone dared to harm those under his protection, they would face his wrath.

Sensing Ailin's simmering rage, Shunsui and Soi Fon realized they had to tread carefully. If they didn't appease him, they might become collateral damage.

"I've also spotted some of the Shihōin Clan's assassins…" Soi Fon added.

"What?" Ailin's gaze shifted to the assassins dangling helplessly from his Chains of Heaven. He hadn't noticed any distinguishing features, but if both Shunsui and Soi Fon had recognized their respective clan's markings, it must be true.

That someone from the Kyoraku Clan, an upper-class noble family, aspired to ascend further, to become one of the five great noble clans, wasn't surprising to Ailin.

The question was, why was the Shihōin Clan involved? They were already one of the five great noble clans.

No, it wasn't just the Shihōin Clan…

Ailin's eyes narrowed. The founders of the five great noble clans had been followers of the Soul King. After the Soul King had vanquished the ancient Hollow King, they had sought to use his "Almighty" power to separate life and death. However, after the creation of the world, the other four founders, led by the Tsunayashiro Clan's progenitor, had betrayed the Soul King, sealing him within a crystal and transforming him into the "linchpin" that stabilized the world.

For a million years, the Shiba Clan had fought to expose the sins of the five founders, seeking to bring them to justice.

Sadly, they had underestimated the depths of human depravity. Without the Soul King, the remaining four clans had become the true rulers of the Soul Society. They would never acknowledge their "stain," their betrayal.

Thus, the Shiba Clan, in their quest for truth and justice, had been targeted, ostracized, and persecuted for a million years.

Ailin had no doubt that if Byakuya Kuchiki had been present, he would have recognized the Kuchiki Clan's assassins among the captured individuals.

Perhaps, for the other four clans, a nonexistent Shiba Clan was the best Shiba Clan.

As for creating a new great noble family… It was a foolish dream. Without a million years of history, without the treasures inherited from the Soul King, the title of "great noble clan" was meaningless.

The Tsunayashiro Clan with its "Enrakyōten," the Shihōin Clan with its "Heavenly Bestowed Battle Array," the Kuchiki Clan with its "Noble Leadership," the Shiba Clan with its "Fireworks Cannon…"

Understanding the depths of their corruption, Ailin felt a growing empathy for Sōsuke Aizen's actions. Before leaving the Soul Society, Aizen had slaughtered the entire Central 46.

Yamamoto had established the Gotei 13, forcibly wresting control of the military from the nobles and cultivating Shinigami whose strength rivaled, even surpassed, that of their noble counterparts. This had forced the nobles to accept shared governance of the Seireitei with Yamamoto.

Aizen, however, had used his overwhelming power, his radical ideology, and his audacious actions to expose the nobles' hypocrisy, ripping away their final veil of respectability.

After all, the Central 46, the noble council that supposedly shared governance of the Seireitei with the Gotei 13, had been completely eradicated by Aizen.

This act had shown those Shinigami born in Rukongai, the commoners of their world, that the so-called "nobles" were nothing special. With enough strength, their lives could be taken just as easily as anyone else's.

This realization had ignited a spark of defiance within the commoners' hearts.

In the short term, it wouldn't have much of an impact.

But once the strength of these commoner Shinigami reached a certain level, it would undoubtedly lead to a massive upheaval within the Seireitei, a revolution that would shake their world to its core.

"Soi Fon, Kyoraku… I believe you are both innocent in this matter. But I expect a satisfactory explanation from you both. Otherwise, I'll pay a visit to the Shihōin and Kyoraku Clans myself."

With those words, Ailin dispelled his spatial ripples before them.

"Sigh…" Shunsui let out a tired sigh. What a mess! He had been enjoying himself in Rukongai precisely because he didn't want to get caught in the crossfire between Aizen and Ailin. His priority was to buy time, allowing himself to grow stronger so he could protect the Seireitei from their machinations.

But in the end, Soi Fon and Ailin, following the trail of that Hollow, had stumbled upon the nobles' attack on the Shiba Clan, dragging him back into their conflict.

"Don't worry, Captain Ailin. I'll ensure you receive a satisfactory explanation."

"I hope so."

Ailin, satisfied with Shunsui's pledge, didn't pressure them further.

"However, I'll leave the others to you. Since they've attacked my disciple, none of them are going back."

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

Golden spatial ripples materialized in the air, followed by over twenty golden blades that shot towards the captured assassins.

Boom!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The blades transformed into streaks of golden lightning, striking down the assassins.

"Ahhhh!"

"Aaargh!"

Screams pierced the night, then silence fell. Under Ailin's merciless assault, the assassins perished.

"This…"

Soi Fon and Shunsui remained silent, stunned by the display. Ailin, ignoring their reactions, lifted Rukia by the back of her collar.

"Teacher, I can fly myself," she protested, looking up at him.

"Shut up."

"You think I want to carry you?" Ailin scoffed, carrying her towards the Seireitei. "Rukia, it was your lucky day that we, the three captains, were investigating the Hollow you had slain. Otherwise, you think you could have survived?"

Rukia pursed her lips, choosing silence over argument. She knew that against those assassins, she had used her full strength. She had initially slain seven of them by exploiting their unfamiliarity with her Zanpakutō's ability. But later, facing the remaining six, who fought with coordinated precision, she had been forced to rely solely on "Data Kendo" for defense, barely managing to stay alive while gathering information on their fighting styles.

Kaien, facing seven assassins with seated officer-level spiritual pressure, had also been in a precarious situation. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been unable to save Miyako.

Koganehiko, Shiroganehiko, Kukaku, and Ganju… they wouldn't have lasted more than three minutes.

Three assassins had been targeting the Shiba Clan's retainers, while four had focused their assault on Kukaku and Ganju.

If those seven assassins had joined the fray, neither Kaien nor Rukia could have held out for long.

Seeing Rukia's understanding, Ailin didn't say anything further. He believed this incident would be a valuable lesson, driving home the importance of strength.

A gentle nudge was all she needed.

…

At the Shiba estate, having comforted his siblings, Kaien decided to bury Miyako as a member of the Shiba Clan. While she had been a spy sent by their enemies, their years together had forged a genuine bond between them.

Moreover, if Miyako hadn't confessed to him that night, he might never have known that the Shiba Clan was once again being targeted.

Therefore, Kaien didn't blame Miyako.

This wasn't the first time the Shiba Clan had been targeted.

He blamed himself for failing to achieve Bankai, for not possessing captain-level strength despite years of training.

Miyako had explicitly stated that those plotting against them lacked a captain among their ranks.

After all, what captain would willingly be subservient to another?

Only strength could reason with strength.

A captain-level Shinigami, simply by releasing their spiritual pressure, could force even weaker vice-captains to retreat at least three kilometers to avoid being overwhelmed.

Such power couldn't be controlled by mere nobles.

Miyako's recent insistence on sparring with Rukia was to pressure him, to force him to break through under the relentless onslaught of her "Data Kendo" and achieve captain-level strength.

To buy time for his breakthrough, Miyako had even schemed to bring Rukia to the Shiba estate, hoping to deter their enemies.

However, perhaps it was Miyako's actions that had pushed them to act, convinced that they couldn't afford to wait any longer. If Kaien achieved Bankai, their plans would be thwarted.

Unbeknownst to them, as everyone departed, a figure materialized in a secluded clearing near the Shiba estate.

Bakudō #26 - Kyokkō!

The man's hair was half green, half white.

It was Kageroza Inaba of the 12th Division and the director of Dangai research.

As the Seireitei's foremost expert on the Dangai, the dimensional void between worlds, Inaba was well-versed in the nobles' use of Senkaimon to travel between realms.

Through his surveillance of the assassins, Inaba had discovered their target and immediately used a Senkaimon to reach the Shiba estate.