Deep within the Seireitei lay an area whose architecture was solemn, towering, and lined with cold stone, as if it had been built from giant rocks and silence itself.
The light here seemed colder than elsewhere, and the air was heavy, permeated with an invisible pressure that made one subconsciously want to hold their breath.
This was where the highest legislative and judicial body of the Soul Society—Central 46—was located.
Passing through several heavily guarded checkpoints and corridors saturated with dense spiritual pressure, Yanagawa and Shiba Isshin were led to an ante-chamber after declaring their identities.
There were no seats, no tea.
Only the two of them stood alone in the center of the vast hall, while on the high platform ahead, several figures were lined up like a tribunal.
These were not the entirety of Central 46, but several Sages representing the will of the Council of Sages.
They looked down upon the two who had entered, their gazes like cold probes, repeatedly scanning them, especially the eye-catching Zero Division haori worn by Yanagawa.
There was little of the reverence due to the Zero Division in their eyes.
Instead, there was scrutiny, evaluation, and a trace of undisguised displeasure.
“Zero Division Reserve Member, Yanagawa.
Tenth Division Captain, Shiba Isshin.”
The elderly Sage in the center, with silver-white hair and a face as rigid as stone, spoke slowly.
His voice was dry and carried the detachment of one who had held a high position for a long time.
“I wonder, what is the reason for your visit at this time?”
The words seemed to follow protocol, but the coldness in his tone was unmistakable.
Clearly, these Sages were quite impatient with Yanagawa, this young man who had suddenly appeared bearing the title of the Zero Division and was interfering in matters they already controlled.
Shiba Isshin raised an eyebrow and was about to speak, but Yanagawa had already taken half a step forward, slightly lifting his head to meet those condescending gazes.
His voice was calm and clear, echoing through the vast, oppressive hall.
“Naturally, I am here to personally see the two key parties involved, Tōshirō Hitsugaya and Kusaka Sojiro.
May I ask where the two are currently being detained?
And what is their condition?”
His request was reasonable and went straight to the heart of the matter.
Since it was made in the name of both the Zero Division and the Captain-Commander, it should theoretically have been impossible to refuse.
However, on the high platform, several Sages exchanged tacit glances.
On the left, a ruddy-faced Sage with sharp eyes and a goatee snorted coldly before speaking.
His tone carried unquestionable dogmatism.
“To meet the parties involved?
Yanagawa…
Your Excellency.
You are new here.
Perhaps you do not understand the circumstances.”
“This matter is unprecedented and has seriously violated the fundamental laws of the Soul Society.
It is a grave anomaly and a hidden danger.
To maintain the stability of the Seireitei and the purity of the Zanpakutō system, we have deliberated for days and drafted a secure disposal plan.”
He paused, his gaze sweeping over Yanagawa with a haughty expression of it doesn’t hurt to tell you the truth, as though announcing an established fact.
“Tōshirō Hitsugaya and Kusaka Sojiro bear the same Hyōrinmaru, which is not permitted by the rules.”
“To eliminate this anomaly, the only feasible method is to have the two engage in a fair duel.
The winner will prove their qualification to possess Hyōrinmaru and may survive.”
“The loser…
their very existence is an error and should be obliterated.”
Making the two duel.
The winner lived, the loser died.
Clearly, before Yanagawa had intervened, Central 46 had already reached a private consensus, viewing this as the only “correct” way to resolve the matter.
In their eyes, Yanagawa’s arrival and request were undoubtedly a challenge to their authority and an obstacle to their established plan.
Shiba Isshin’s fists clenched instantly upon hearing this.
A flash of anger crossed his eyes, but he forcibly suppressed it, though his expression became extremely ugly.
He looked at Yanagawa with concern, wondering how this new Zero Division member would react.
Yanagawa listened quietly, his face completely expressionless, as though he were hearing nothing more than an ordinary report.
Only after the goateed Sage finished speaking did Yanagawa slowly reply, his voice still steady.
“Was this resolution determined unilaterally by Central 46?”
“Naturally!” the goateed Sage declared proudly.
“Our deliberation is the final verdict!”
“Has it been reported to the Captain-Commander and acknowledged by the Soul King Palace?” Yanagawa continued, his tone flat.
“This…” The goateed Sage hesitated before saying stubbornly, “Handling anomalies is the duty of Central 46!”
The corner of Yanagawa’s mouth moved ever so slightly, as though in a cold sneer.
“Which law of the Soul Society stipulates that two Shinigami who possess the same Zanpakutō, despite both being without fault, must determine their survival through a life-and-death duel?”
“You—!”
The goateed Sage was left speechless, his face turning even redder.
The so-called “resolution” was merely an internal decision based on their narrow understanding of the rules and their desire to maintain their own authority.
There was no written law supporting it.
Humiliated, he stepped forward abruptly, pointed at Yanagawa, and raised his voice, filled with indignation.
“Young man!
How dare you question the resolution of Central 46 here!
So what if you are a Zero Division Reserve Member?
Do not think you can order people around here simply because you belong to the Zero Division!”
“The stability of the Soul Society and the purity of the Zanpakutō system are more important than anything!
Withdraw immediately and obey our orders, otherwise—”
His words came to an abrupt stop.
Because at the very moment the final threatening word was about to leave his mouth—
Boom!
A massive, pure spiritual pressure erupted without warning, centered on Yanagawa.
The spiritual pressure did not spread indiscriminately.
Instead, it was precisely focused upon the goateed Sage who had spoken so rudely.
“Ugh—ah—!”
The Sage’s shouting and anger instantly froze, twisting into expressions of overwhelming horror and agony.
He let out a muffled groan before collapsing to the ground like a puddle of mud, curling into himself and trembling violently.
He could not even lift his head, let alone stand.
Only hoarse wheezing sounds escaped his mouth as his face turned paper-white, while beads of sweat the size of beans instantly covered his forehead.
The entire ante-chamber fell into deathly silence.
The arrogance and impatience on the faces of the other Sages had vanished, replaced by unparalleled shock and fear.
They had all felt that spiritual pressure.
This was clearly…
Captain-level.
No, not even ordinary Captain-level spiritual pressure.
This seemingly young Shinigami actually possessed such terrifying spiritual pressure?
Shiba Isshin stood behind Yanagawa, his eyes wide and his mouth slightly open.
He had known Yanagawa wasn’t ordinary.
After all, there had to be a reason the Zero Division favored him.
But to directly and overwhelmingly suppress a Sage of Central 46 through spiritual pressure alone…
This style was completely different from the lazy fellow he had imagined lounging around at the Kidō Corps.
Yet, inexplicably, a feeling of exhilaration surged from the bottom of his heart, almost making him want to cheer.
He had long found these old fossils—who looked down on others, treated human life like grass, and constantly hid behind “the greater good” and “the rules”—to be utterly detestable.
Unfortunately, restrained by his position as a Captain and the dignity of the nobility, he had always been forced to endure it.
Now, seeing Yanagawa answer them in such a direct and decisive manner, he felt the long-suppressed frustration in his chest dissipate with immense satisfaction.
“As expected of someone favored by the Zero Division…”
Shiba Isshin silently praised him.
As he looked at Yanagawa’s back, besides the admiration and desire to cooperate he already had, there was now an additional trace of excitement.
Working alongside someone like this certainly wouldn’t be boring.
Yanagawa slowly withdrew the suffocating spiritual pressure, and the stagnant air within the hall finally seemed to flow again.
He behaved as though he had merely done something insignificant.
His breathing had not become even slightly uneven.
He did not spare the paralyzed Sage lying on the floor like a dead dog a single glance.
Instead, his calm gaze swept across the remaining Sages on the platform, whose faces were pale and whose bodies trembled slightly.
His voice remained steady, but now carried unquestionable coldness.
“Now, can you take me to see Tōshirō Hitsugaya and Kusaka Sojiro?”
“Or…”
He tilted his head slightly, his gaze falling upon the paralyzed Sage.
His tone was so calm that it chilled everyone present.
“Does anyone else wish to continue this discussion?”
The high platform fell completely silent.
The remaining Sages exchanged glances, seeing nothing but fear and helplessness in one another’s eyes.
The authority of the Zero Division prevented them from suppressing him through status.
And this overwhelming display of power, combined with the young man’s straightforward—even brutal—way of handling matters, had completely shattered all of their usual tactics of relying on seniority and manipulating the rules.
“Lead…
lead the way.”
The oldest Sage in the center spoke in a dry voice to the guards standing frozen in the corner before turning back to Yanagawa.
His posture had finally lowered, and there was even a barely perceptible tremor in his voice.
“Your Excellency Yanagawa…
please…
come with me.”
Yanagawa said nothing more and stepped forward.
Shiba Isshin quickly followed behind him.
As he passed the paralyzed Sage, he deliberately “accidentally” nudged him with his foot, earning a suppressed groan of pain.
That only improved Shiba Isshin’s mood even further.