Chapter 135: The Peak of Shinigami, Reii First Class.
"This is... too much!"
By the time Orihime arrived after hearing the news, the sky had already gone completely dark.
She climbed up from the Technical Development Bureau's [Underground Shelter], and her heart trembled at what awaited her.
Seireitei, blanketed by night, looked like a graveyard compared to before. Not a single building was intact at a glance. Only broken walls and debris remained.
Flickering blue reishi flames burned across the ruins like ghost fire.
Some bodies had already been carried away.
Even so, the blood stained walls and shattered floor tiles were still horrifying. Combined with how Seireitei looked as if it had been ripped apart by a massive natural disaster, it was enough to understand how brutal the war had been.
"Orihime!"
The shout startled her. Orihime turned and spotted a young girl.
"Hachihara san... you joined the battle too?"
"Well, staying at the Spirit Arts Academy meant defending against the invading Quincy anyway. Coming out to fight isn't really different. So Rindo and I pestered the Headmaster until he finally let us out."
Hachihara said it like it was nothing.
"Ah..."
A drop of cold sweat slid down Orihime's temple.
If you called them rule abiding, they dared to charge the front lines while still students. If you called them rule breaking, they at least asked permission first.
"Let's go!"
"Wait, where are we going?"
"Where else? First Division. Didn't Takeru tell you to come repair the barracks?"
"No... I rushed over as soon as I heard the ceasefire. Takeru kun didn't say anything, but I thought he'd want me to help treat the wounded like before."
"That's probably part of it, but Rindo and I are temporary workers for Ninth Division right now. Takeru gave me a task. I'm responsible for escorting you to First Division to repair the barracks."
Hachihara patted the white armband on her arm.
The "Four" referred to Takeru.
The "Nine" represented Ninth Division.
It meant "Ninth Division External Personnel, Specially Authorized by Shimiya Takeru."
Temporary workers, but it was basically the same kind of field duty Takeru and Ichigo used to do as students.
"I see. Then let's head out quickly!"
Orihime stared at the armband with open envy.
Setting aside that Takeru himself once wore one, the work sounded genuinely interesting to her.
They talked as they walked, swapping what had happened on their ends.
When Orihime described how members of the Sternritter had gone to Hueco Mundo to capture her only to be wiped out, Hachihara patted her own chest like she had narrowly survived, praising Takeru's brilliance with full sincerity.
"Actually, I wanted to come help as soon as I won my fight, but I didn't dare move without Takeru kun's permission. I was scared I might disrupt his plans."
Orihime looked at the Squad Members doing emergency rescue among the ruins. Guilt twisted in her chest.
Everyone had been hurt, and she had done nothing. She had only watched.
"Orihime, you were right not to come."
Hachihara's expression turned rare and serious.
"The enemy wasn't defeated. They were forced to retreat because of time limits."
"I heard from Takeru that those Quincy weren't all killed by us. Most of them died because their power was taken by Yhwach, the King of the Quincy."
"That means they're concentrating many lives into a few hands. I'm afraid they didn't even spare the souls of the dead."
"If they hadn't retreated, who knows what would have happened if the fight kept going, but Seireitei definitely wouldn't have been saved."
"And Yhwach sending people to capture you proves you have some unknown value in their eyes. If you appeared on the main battlefield, the uncertainty would've been even worse."
"Not only might Seireitei have fallen, something even more terrifying could have happened."
Hachihara's voice softened. Her mood visibly sank.
Orihime didn't know what to say. She didn't want her sadness to drag others down, so she quickly changed the topic.
"By the way, Hachihara san, there's something I've been wondering. What's happening at Sokyoku Hill? I think I felt Takeru kun's spiritual pressure up there."
"He's holding a Division Funeral Ceremony."
Orihime's expression tightened instantly. The name alone felt heavy enough to make breathing hard.
"A a Division Funeral Ceremony...?"
Hachihara was about to explain when a voice cut in.
"Hey! You two!"
"Big Sis?"
"Kukaku san?"
Orihime and Hachihara turned at once.
Kukaku stood dozens of meters away on a pile of rubble that looked like collapsed walls and shattered halls fused together.
"What are you two wandering around for?"
She jumped down and walked over.
"It's like this..."
Hachihara explained quickly.
Kukaku nodded as she understood, and Orihime said, "Kukaku san, let me treat your injuries."
"No need. It's a minor scratch. Don't waste your spiritual power."
"Besides, there aren't many people who can still work right now. Some are still buried under there waiting for rescue. If we dig them out, they might still be saved."
"With Fourth Division medicine, the Technical Development Bureau's flesh replenishing agents, and a complete logistics base, it's hard to die as long as you're still breathing."
"My little injury doesn't even matter. It doesn't slow me down."
Bandages wrapped several parts of Kukaku's body.
Either they were tied without fully stopping the bleeding, or she had kept moving and reopened the wounds, because the white cloth was stained deep red.
Even so, like most Shinigami, she was still working disaster relief.
Beside the rubble, a massive figure no smaller than the pile itself was digging through the ruins with frantic strength, pulling survivors out while relying on spiritual pressure detection.
Jidanbo, one of the four gatekeepers.
"Oh, right."
Kukaku looked at Orihime.
"You're going to First Division, so you'll see Takeru later. Take this and give it to him."
She pulled a denreishinki from behind her waist and handed it over.
"This is...?"
"A relic from Hisagi Shuhei's reigai. I checked it. It's a new device, and it recorded some observations from the war."
"Honestly, acting like a war correspondent while fighting. I've never seen such a weird guy."
"..."
"..."
Orihime and Hachihara exchanged a look, completely unable to match that image with the solemn Hisagi they knew.
The denreishinki's casing was cracked. The inside was probably damaged too, because the screen was still on.
The moment Orihime took it, she could see densely packed "reports," and some even had photos attached.
It drew both their attention at once.
[8:00 AM. I secretly gathered personnel and am on standby. Even knowing I am only a fake, they are still willing to cooperate with me. I know this is Captain Shimiya's influence and has nothing to do with me, but I am still deeply encouraged.]
[4:00 PM. The enemy invaded Seireitei, dropping into First Division Barracks. All divisions are officially deploying. Because Ninth Division's treatment far exceeds that of other divisions, almost everyone is a combatant. Half of our personnel have been deployed, making our numbers comparable to Eleventh Division.]
A photo was attached. A group of Squad Members clustered at the barracks gate, bold and aggressive as they marched out.
[4:15 PM. Everyone has assembled.]
At the end of that short sentence was a scene captured from someone's perspective.
In the sky were Quincy silhouettes.
On the ground, several figures stood with their backs to a sea of fire and ruins.
Takeru led them, with Mochizuki, Koga, and others beside him.
"When did he take this? I didn't notice at all!"
Hachihara, who had been with Ninth Division at the time, looked completely stunned.
Orihime stared at Takeru in the photo.
Even though she hadn't been there, she could feel the murderous intent spilling out of the image. The black haired youth at the front looked like a different person, more ferocious than the Quincy themselves.
And yet Orihime didn't fear him.
She only felt a sadness she couldn't name.
She sniffled and scrolled down.
Another short line appeared, urgent enough to feel like it was written mid sprint.
[4:16 PM. The battle has officially begun!]
A third image followed.
It showed Takeru using Susanoo's roar to blast open the atmosphere and scatter the Sternritter. The warped air and blurred silhouettes made it feel violently alive.
Further down were battle notes Hachihara might not even have known.
Reports from multiple divisions.
Individual powerhouses.
Even Kukaku was mentioned.
It recorded that Kukaku, her younger brother, and the four gatekeepers had charged the front lines multiple times, smashing the strongholds the Soldat were trying to build.
It boosted morale early and became a major factor in the later fighting.
"Don't believe his nonsense."
Kukaku had seen these too. Seeing the girls' admiration, she waved her hand immediately.
"I only dared act like that because I relied on Takeru's Kido. Otherwise, as an outsider who isn't even a Shinigami, I would've run away without hesitation."
Orihime and Hachihara didn't reply. They kept reading.
They wanted to know what else reigai Hisagi had recorded.
Only two entries remained.
[4:50 PM. A fierce battle broke out in Shino Ward. That is where Captain Shimiya and Yhwach are located. There had been no movement before this for unknown reasons.]
[4:55 PM. Captain Shimiya's spiritual pressure is weakening rapidly. The communication squad is calling for help. I am heading to the scene immediately. Encountered an anomaly on the way. A giant halo has appeared. I...]
A photo was attached.
The halo of [The Antithesis] ringed the sky above Seireitei.
And then the text ended.
Abruptly.
Orihime and Hachihara fell silent.
The broken record and the cracked screen matched Kukaku's words perfectly. A relic.
"I dug that guy's body out myself."
Kukaku's expression darkened.
"His torso was shot through. The hole was clean, like a Hollow did it. A few other reigai died the same way."
"I heard Vice Captain Sasakibe was defeated and captured by a Quincy using firearms. It was almost certainly that bastard."
"Damn it!"
Kukaku's voice sharpened.
"Using a bow is one thing. Using a gun? That had to be a sneak attack. If I ever run into him, I'll dismantle his gun!"
"Give it a rest."
Hachihara cut in bluntly.
"That guy is a close confidant kept at Yhwach's side. Even if you became a Captain right now, you wouldn't beat him."
Hachihara wilted for a heartbeat, then puffed her chest out again.
"If I can't beat him, there's always Takeru. Once Takeru knocks him down, I'll dismantle the gun then!"
"..."
Kukaku stared at her, speechless.
At that moment, a loud wail rose nearby.
It wasn't Orihime.
She was sad, but she wasn't about to wail in public.
Still, seeing a survivor who had just been dug out break down like that made Orihime's eyes sting too.
"Alright, stop crying."
A Seventh Division Lieutenant, a middle aged man, tried to calm the survivor.
"I know you were about to suffocate under there, but you're alive now. Save your strength. When you recover, come drink at Seventh Division. Let it all out then."
"What do you know!"
The survivor didn't accept it at all.
"We... we were about to reach the underground sewers! One step away!"
"Then some rocks fell from nowhere and blocked the path. All five wounded died. Everyone else died too. I'm the only one left!"
He sobbed like he didn't even feel his crushed limbs.
The grief wasn't physical.
It was guilt, failure, and the weight of being the only one breathing.
"Are you from the field hospital side..."
The Lieutenant understood at once.
Fourth Division field hospitals had been set up at the edges of the battlefield.
Non combat personnel from each division were organized into Reserve Units and Logistics Units.
The latter transported the wounded and supplies.
This boy's transport squad had been wiped out mid mission.
Wounded who might have lived.
Comrades who had been moving them.
All gone.
That kind of result made it hard not to question everything, hate your own weakness, and curse fate.
The boy cried until he fainted.
They carried him away on a stretcher.
"...Maybe we shouldn't have saved him."
A younger subordinate beside the Lieutenant forced out a bleak smile.
"Living like that is too painful. Even watching it hurts. It feels like I did something pointless."
The next second, the middle aged Lieutenant grabbed him by the collar and yanked him up.
"Painful? Don't make me laugh!"
He pointed toward Sokyoku Hill.
"Open your eyes and look!"
The young Squad Member flinched, then followed the direction.
That flickering bonfire on the hilltop.
He swallowed without knowing why.
"Casualty numbers aren't even out yet, and Captain Shimiya is already holding the funeral."
"Who do you think that's for? And who do you think it's meant for?"
"So many died. Seireitei is like this. The Captains are all absent."
"And yet we didn't lose. Gotei 13 didn't collapse."
"Who do you think is standing at the front holding it all up!"
"If saving someone is wrong, then Captain Shimiya would be the biggest fool and sinner in the world!"
"You can complain to my face, but if you dare say living is worse than dying, I won't let it slide."
"That is an insult to Captain Shimiya and to every fallen comrade."
"No matter how hard it is, you live. You only earn the right to die after you've repaid your debts and fulfilled your duty."
"You, me, that crybaby just now. None of us are exceptions."
"Otherwise, why do you think he didn't kill himself? Because he knows he's living while carrying everyone's hopes."
"It's the same for us!"
The young Squad Member stopped speaking.
He only stared at the fire on Sokyoku Hill.
Kukaku, Orihime, and Hachihara were staring too.
Then Kukaku spoke, her voice heavy.
"When I first met him, I knew he was destined to become someone big."
"But I still underestimated him."
"He's done better than I expected. Maybe even better than the Captain Commander expected."
"With the Captain Commander away, Seireitei's security didn't collapse. When the front line changed, he didn't lose composure."
"He saw the crisis hidden beneath Seireitei, held under pressure, and pushed the enemy back."
"Right now, casualties are heavy, everything is a mess, and the blood of war has cooled into coldness and negative emotions."
"At a time like this, a funeral should be even heavier. It should crush people."
"But because the one lighting that bonfire is him, it becomes different."
"I don't know what others feel, but I'm moved."
"It feels like he isn't only mourning the dead. It feels like he's letting them look at everyone one last time."
"And anyone who sees that fire will remember who died, remember how they fought, remember how cruel war is, and remember they're still alive."
"So no one wants to look pathetic."
"Not when they know Shimiya is standing right there."
"Even if so many were sacrificed, nobody fears sacrifice, and nobody loses hope."
Kukaku's expression grew complex.
She spoke bluntly in front of Orihime and Hachihara.
"He's the only Captain right now, so it's natural to treat him like the pillar."
"But at this point, to everyone here, he isn't just a fallback."
"He's the spiritual pillar."
"Anyone else can fall. He cannot."
"Anyone else can die. He cannot."
"Even letting people see a sigh, even showing a sliver of unease, is unacceptable."
"I doubt even the Captain Commander had this kind of headache when he was young."
"I don't know how a kid who's been dead less than a year can hold this weight."
"No family background can endure that kind of tempering."
I can only say he truly is the strongest prodigy in Soul Society in a million years.
"To witness all this alive, and to fight under someone like him, is luck."
"What is there to be dissatisfied with?"
"What reason is there to shrink back?"
Orihime and Hachihara kept staring at the bonfire.
A lighthouse in winter.
A signal telling everyone to return.
It was strange.
The survivors didn't look "hopeful." Their faces weren't bright.
What held them up was something harsher.
The courage of the man lighting the fire.
Sending off the dead.
Picking up what they left behind.
His courage became everyone's confidence.
His will became everyone's reason to move.
...
Sokyoku Hill.
Without realizing it, the fire had become Seireitei's spiritual pillar.
The black haired youth stood before the flames, silently watching them leap.
Only the crackle of burning wood broke the stillness.
A few members of the Kido Corps and the Onmitsukido had retreated far back to keep watch, standing like stakes in the ground.
Takeru didn't even have time to change out of his damaged shihakusho. His haori was gone, lost somewhere.
Mourning in this state was improper.
But compared to the fact that no bodies were being cremated on the bonfire, it almost felt orderly.
A Division Funeral Ceremony was not for everyone.
An ordinary Squad Member did not warrant a grand cremation at Sokyoku Hill.
This ceremony was not for one person.
It mourned all the dead worthy of remembrance.
Shinigami, and those who were not.
For example, the reigai.
Unlike Konso, the reigai created by Kageroza were modified souls. Even if they were Captain level, they would not struggle and fall into Hell through Konso.
They would simply dissolve into pure reishi and return to the world.
It was hard to say whether that was mercy or cruelty.
Kageroza could create more, but they would not have the memories of this war.
They would become another "someone else" who merely shared the same face.
...
Takeru closed his eyes.
He had never promised them anything.
They had never demanded anything from him.
Once they understood the situation, they volunteered to fight.
Just like the originals would.
Only "like."
There were differences.
The biggest difference was that the reigai never believed they would survive. From the start, they fought as if their only goal was to kill a few more enemies before disappearing.
Even if a one in ten thousand chance existed, they would still choose death at the end.
That was the fate waiting for them.
"If Kurosaki were here... he'd probably scold me and refuse to let this happen."
Takeru let out a long breath. It wasn't quite a sigh, but it carried a weight that had been piling up in his chest for too long.
Then he opened his eyes.
Bright.
Steady.
Eyes that could give others confidence.
At the same time, ink wash words appeared before him, after a long absence.
[After a thousand years, catastrophe has returned.]
[However, due to your ultimate personal ability, the King of the Quincy, who plotted for a millennium, failed to conquer this city and nearly suffered total annihilation. The machine soul is greatly pleased.]
[You have overturned everyone's perceptions and become a legend in everyone's hearts. But you know a living legend cannot hear people's praises.]
[Therefore, you must continue to fight until the enemy is eliminated.]
[The firelight mourning the dead will illuminate the path forward for the victors.]
[Bathed in the firelight, you have received the blessings of the spirits of all your fallen comrades. Carry their legacy and power toward a more distant future.]
[You have inherited all spiritual power left behind by the departed souls until the moment of their death.]
Boom!
Spiritual pressure surged.
Silver blue light dyed even the firelight that color.
Across Seireitei, it was as if a second moon had risen above Sokyoku Hill, shining against the crescent moon hanging in the real sky.
Takeru felt an invisible force pour into him from the atmosphere.
Not only did it refill the spiritual power he hadn't fully recovered, returning him to peak condition, it pushed his soul forward, bit by bit, toward that boundary he had already nearly reached.
Then it forced him across.
How many had died?
How much spiritual power had they left behind at the moment of death?
No one could count it yet.
But Takeru knew one thing with absolute clarity.
His Reii had surpassed the limit of Second Class.
He had stepped onto the summit that only a handful of Shinigami had ever reached.
First Class Reii.