There was an absolute silence in the Court.
The Inquisitors, together, looked at Kai and Black as the pair of Contestant and Item looked back at them.
Between the two groups, the name of a Deep One… one of the strongest Deep Ones from the largest and equally strong Bubble… lingered like stale air.
Darth Vader's breathing maintained its rhythm.
Sousuke Aizen tapped the arm of his chair contemplatively and calmly.
Dracula stroked his long, black beard, his monstrous gaze planted dead on Kai.
It didn't feel that throwing Zelretch's name in the Trial had changed anything. Not at a glance. But their silence, in itself, meant something. It suggested that whatever questions they had prepared to ask Kai before now needed to be thought over.
The Banished One.
The Father of Jewel Magecraft.
Two of the most ridiculous figures from opposite ends of the cosmos.
Slowly, Aizen let his smile return as if he had never lost it, the tapping of his fingers stopping simultaneously.
"Well played, Son of Storm," the Inquisitor from the Bleach Bubble praised. "Who doesn't know of the deep animosity between your father and Zelretch? Who doesn't know of the tale when The Banished One destroyed Zelretch's… monsters, singlehandedly ruining the Deep One's most-treasured plans? Who doesn't know how the Storm Pirates had released Angra Mainyu, bringing a Pillar Fate Timeline to a near end, just for a girl… a girl who had interested Zelretch as well?
"Who doesn't know all that… And, now. Now you claim that Zelretch stole your magical creature and left you… alive? After all that? Did He not know your relationship with The Banished One?"
Kai maintained a stoic expression, using Calm, while Black tried his utmost not to let his face reflect his emotions as well.
Sadly, the Inquisitors were masters of the game when it came to emotions.
"He didn't know himself," Vader said flatly, looking at Black. "It's possible that the Father of Jewel Magecraft hadn't figured out the true relationship Red and The Banished One shared."
Dracula nodded.
"Even then," he said, talking to his colleagues, "it's impossible for Zelretch not to have found out that there is some relationship between Red and The Banished One. The question is — why did He let Red live even after that?
"No matter how small or insignificant a relation a Contestant shared with the Storm Pirates, it has always been enough for Him to destroy the said Contestant right away. Even less needs to be said when Red not only shares a relation, but is the blood of the Storm Pirates' Captain Himself."
Kai and Black stood silently in their place, letting the Inquisitors talk it out among themselves.
He had come here to throw a name and sow a doubt.
The questions and conversations bouncing between the Inquisitors had been the exact questions and conversations he had hoped to occur after kicking Selene under the bus.
It was especially so with Zelretch in the picture.
If it had just been about throwing a Deep One's name into the mix, then Kai was perhaps the only Contestant who could throw several Deep Ones' names, even without prior consultation with Them.
The Drowned God.
The Lord of Light, R'hllor.
Several Deaths who had shown interest in him in the Pirates of the Caribbean Bubble, including Death the Artificer.
In fact, not only Deep Ones, but he could even take the name of an Old One.
Kai was a high-ranking Priest of the Temple of Many-Faced God, Byagoona.
Not only was he one of the Faceless Men, but he had also received the Old One's guidance… personally.
It was nigh impossible that the Inquisitors didn't know about it.
So, most probably, they had also expected him to use Byagoona's name, and must have prepared to prevent that scenario from playing out beforehand.
Instead, despite all these… options, Kai took the one name that none of the Inquisitors had even remotely imagined hearing.
Zelretch of the Fate Bubble.
And the reason behind Kai's choice was exactly as the Inquisitors mentioned.
Because, if the Father of Jewel Magecraft left Kai alive, knowing that he shared a relationship with The Banished One, then the little matter of a Contestant breaking a tradition became the HUGE matter of two old rivals coming together; a matter that could, and would, affect the overall picture of the Cosmos, on both the Multiverse and the Primordial Tower's sides.
And, hidden in all this, was another reason — the minuscule matter of Zelretch stealing the Three-Headed Devourer, Kai's Magical Creature.
In any other scenario, this claim would have become the biggest joke.
In this scenario, the claim became highly likely to have occurred, given how petty Zelretch was. In fact, He would have found it amusing, given His past with The Banished One, if They had reconciled.
So, yes.
Sousuke's well played were the most appropriate words to describe Kai's hand.
The Inquisitors also knew that he might just be buying time or trying to dodge the blame. But, with Zelretch and The Banished One's involvement, it became impossible for them to just ignore Kai's claim, no matter how unlikely.
Slowly, the Inquisitors let their discussions die and faced the defendant.
"Just because a Deep One is involved," Vader said brusquely, "it does not absolve you of the accusations. Like most Deep Ones, Zelretch is a signatory of the Great Old Contract, and is Karma-bound to answer to the Inquisition. We will know the truth from Him, and the Magical Creature, if it's indeed the killer, as you claim. Till then, this Inquisition is adjourned. You will be required to present yourself as and when demanded."
Kai and Black bowed, smiling.
They were just about to leave when Aizen called out.
"Meanwhile," the Inquisitor said slyly, "you are forbidden to leave the Harry Potter Bubble."
Kai looked up, not bothering to hide his frown as he thought of Shinobu. "I must…"
"There is no must about it," Vader said, intervening. "Under the rules of Inquisition, even Deep Ones must bend. And so will you."
Kai's mouth flattened into a thin line as he nodded, leaving the hall.
And the moment he left, Aizen again began tapping the arm of the chair, the smile on his face becoming a grin.