Chapter 385: The Council
Boom!!!
Silver lightning split the sky.
Dense raindrops slammed heavily onto the ground, splashing up murky mist.
Stepping through the rippling puddles, Kaname Tōsen walked into a quaint garden.
Though he couldn't see, he moved forward without hesitation.
Suddenly, several figures appeared around him using Flash Step.
These people were entirely wrapped in black cloth, with only their eyes exposed.
Facing Tōsen, they remained silent, not even asking for his identity.
Together, they drew short blades and charged at Tōsen from different directions, thrusting their blades forward—
Squelch!!!
Blood sprayed.
Seven figures knelt around Tōsen simultaneously.
Then, with spurting blood, they collapsed to the ground.
Blood spread through the rainwater pooling on the ground.
Lightning flashed across the night sky, illuminating the garden.
Beneath Tōsen's feet, it seemed as though a massive, vivid red flower had bloomed.
After dealing with the guards, he entered a mansion.
Inside the room, an oil lamp flickered.
A man wearing a green-striped kimono sat in a chair, calmly looking at him.
"Hmm… I wondered who had come."
"Isn't this Kakei's good friend?"
"Have you come here to mock me after hearing about my miserable circumstances?"
"If so, then you're truly a boring individual."
"Oh... or perhaps you're not here to mock me?"
"Did you come to secretly kill me to avenge Kakei?"
"Haha, taking this long to seek revenge is quite amusing. Could it be that your feelings for Kakei only run this shallow?"
"Looking" at the man in the room, Tōsen's expression remained calm.
A hundred years ago, these provocations might have made him lose his temper and erupt in rage.
But now...
He no longer felt the same way about Tsunayashiro Tokinada as he once did.
If he had to summarize this man in one word, he could answer without hesitation—
Pitiful.
A man with twisted emotions, desperately groping in the dark, yet only obtaining more distortion through his distorted search.
His mind was already terminally ill.
Originally, he had lost interest in this man.
Unexpectedly, this fellow had found new ways to bring about his own demise.
Under Tsunayashiro Tokinada's gaze, he slowly spoke:
"Tsunayashiro Tokinada."
"The name Michibane Aura—you should remember it, shouldn't you?"
Upon hearing this, a flicker of surprise passed through Tsunayashiro Tokinada's eyes.
But immediately after, he sneered:
"What Aura, Uraura—I've never heard of them."
Tōsen ignored him and simply drew his Zanpakutō.
Seeing Tōsen's action, Tsunayashiro Tokinada's expression changed:
"Kaname Tōsen, what do you think you're doing?"
"Are you planning to attack me, a noble?"
Holding Suzumushi in his hand, Kaname Tōsen spoke:
"Is one Michibane Aura not enough for you to admit what you've done?"
"Then, the name Kūgo Ginjō—you should know it, right?"
Hearing this, Tsunayashiro Tokinada's face darkened.
He knew that Satoru's faction had completely uncovered his plans.
The Fullbringer Kūgo Ginjō had established an organization in the Living World, gathering all the Fullbringers he could find to help each other.
Upon learning this, Tsunayashiro Tokinada dispatched a Fullbringer named Michibane Aura.
The task he gave her was simple.
Gain Kūgo Ginjō's trust, infiltrate the Fullbringers, find the right moment to kill all the Fullbringers except Ginjō, and use a secret method to take their powers.
Unexpectedly, shortly after Michibane Aura infiltrated the Living World, Kūgo Ginjō disappeared.
Not long after, the other Fullbringers, including Michibane Aura, also vanished without a trace.
Originally, Tsunayashiro Tokinada had been puzzled about what happened.
Now it seemed these people had likely fallen into Satoru's hands...
Looking at the blind swordsman before him, he narrowed his eyes and smiled:
"Fine, since we've come this far, I won't hide it anymore."
"Tōsen, do you know why I sent Aura to collect the powers of the Fullbringers?"
Under Tōsen's "gaze," he stood up and spread his arms:
"Fullbringers... Quincy... Shinigami... Hollows!"
"As long as I gather these four powers, I can create a 'Soul King' that obeys only me!"
"At that time, everything in this world will become my possession!"
"Tōsen, you must miss Kakei very much, don't you?"
"Join me, and after I master this power, I shall resurrect Kakei!"
"Then, you two friends can be reunited once more!"
As he spoke, a somewhat eerie smile crept onto his face, as if struck by a sudden thought.
"Of course, you could even take it a step further..."
"Once I gain control over the Soul King's power, things like wives and family will become mere trivialities."
"If you wish, you could marry Kakei!"
"For you, this must be the ending you've dreamed of countless times, the one you've longed for but could never attain!"
"As long as you join me and help me achieve our great cause, I can grant you this legitimacy!"
"I will divorce Kakei, freeing her from our bond. Then, you can..."
Before he could finish, Tsunayashiro Tokinada suddenly found the world before him turning crimson.
In the next instant, everything vanished from his sight.
He raised his hand and took a step forward.
With that movement, his entire body seemed to trigger some switch, beginning to crumble layer by layer, transforming into large, segmented pieces of bone-in flesh that scattered messily across the ground.
His eyes, cleanly sliced open by the first cut, rolled a few times on the ground before coming to a stop at Tōsen's feet.
Staring at these eyes, Tōsen remained silent for a long while.
He lifted his head.
A few seconds later, he let out a sigh.
Kakei... in the end, this man was never worth your efforts to save.
After eliminating Tsunayashiro Tokinada, he exited the room.
Mr. Aizen had given orders: any secret research related to the Soul King posed a threat to Lord Mikami and must be eliminated on sight.
Of course, he understood that this task could have been assigned to anyone.
The reason Mr. Aizen had sent him was precisely so he could personally rid himself of this man who had brought him countless nightmares and painful memories.
Through the curtain of rain, Aizen's figure gradually emerged.
Noticing Tōsen standing silently there, he curled the corner of his mouth.
"Kaname, how does it feel to personally kill your enemy?"
Tōsen shook his head gently.
"It's all in the past now."
Hearing this, Aizen studied him quietly for a moment.
Then, he nodded.
"Good."
"In that case, I can confidently entrust the next phase of work to you."
Upon hearing there was work to be done, Kaname Tōsen listened attentively without hesitation.
Amid the pouring rain, Aizen raised his hand and pulled up a virtual screen, beginning to elaborate on his plans in detail...
...
…
Although the Ryoka invasion incident had stirred up quite a commotion in the Seireitei, for most non-combat personnel, it hadn't really made much of a difference.
The nobles continued their daily routines of indulgence—eating, drinking, merrymaking, gambling, smoking, drinking, and perming their hair.
The commoners still lived their machine-like lives, "enjoying" the blessings of having seventy percent of their earnings taken by the nobles.
But on this day, a massive bombshell was dropped into their otherwise placid, pond-like existence.
In the meeting hall of the Central 46, within the Seijōtōkyorin.
Today marked the regular assembly of the Central 46.
The wise men gathered here to discuss the development of the Soul Society and the handling of various tasks.
Of course, that was merely the nominal agenda.
In reality, it was just a discussion and planning session for the distribution of interests.
Originally, it should have been a perfectly ordinary meeting.
But as everyone took their seats, they began to sense that something was amiss.
The Kuchiki, Shiba, and Shihōin families had not sent any representatives.
The elder dispatched by the Tsunayashiro Clan instantly realized what was happening.
He stood up, preparing to leave.
But at that very moment, large numbers of Shinigami suddenly swarmed in from all directions, heavily surrounding the assembly hall.
From the crowd, a figure slowly walked forward and stood at the center of the venue:
Under everyone's gaze, Kaname Tōsen unfurled a document:
"By order of Acting Captain-Commander, Eleventh Division Captain, Lord Satoru Mikami:"
"Effective immediately, Central 46 is hereby dissolved. Its authority will be temporarily assumed by the Transitional Committee."
"The Council of Wise Men is dissolved! All 'Sage' titles within Seireitei are revoked!"
"All noble families must return to their respective clan territories and suspend all external activities, awaiting further notification!"
As these words were spoken, nearly all the sages of Central 46 rose to their feet.
"What did you say?!"
"The authority of Central 46 is supreme! By what right do you strip us of it?!"
"The Gotei 13 is a subordinate organization of Central 46! You have no authority to make such decisions!"
"Looking" at the furious elders, Tōsen calmly stated:
"Those who disagree with this decision may send representatives to the First Division for negotiations."
"A temporary issue resolution team composed of Lord Satoru, Lord Ginrei Kuchiki, Lord Yoruichi Shihōin, and Lord Shiba Kaien awaits your arrival at any time."
Having said this, he rolled up the document and turned to leave.
The sages hurriedly tried to follow, wanting to continue their protests, but were blocked by the Shinigami Tōsen had brought with him.
These Shinigami from the Eleventh Division grinned ferociously at the sages:
"Everyone, you've all heard Fourth Seat Tōsen's words. Follow the rules!"
Under the despairing gazes of the sages, the supreme power structure that had lasted for a thousand years collapsed in an instant.
Only then did they suddenly realize that Yamamoto Shigekuni - whom they had always viewed as troublesome, though powerful, and who frequently defied them - had actually been protecting them all along.
Without Yamamoto Shigekuni, who had always been tolerant and obedient toward Central 46, their noble status had become a complete joke.
When a powerful figure like Satoru directly took their positions and seized everything they had, they discovered they possessed no capacity to resist whatsoever.
Indeed... as early as the rebel uprising, the reformist faction led by Satoru had been relentlessly targeting traditional nobles like them.
During the Gigai incident, this targeting had reached its extreme.
A large number of hardliners among the traditional nobles were branded as modified souls in disguise and vanished without a trace.
Along with them, the ronin and thugs they had cultivated also disappeared without a trace.
By now, Satoru had finally stopped pretending and bared his fangs, yet they couldn't even muster a decent resistance.
Realizing this, the nobles, with deep despair, returned to their clan territories as instructed by Satoru and secluded themselves behind closed doors.
Those nobles who attempted to secretly gather under the cover of night to discuss countermeasures fell silent by the next day.
After several such incidents, the nobles completely abandoned resistance.
Originally, they had hoped that with the sudden dissolution of the entire Central 46, the people Satoru sent would be unable to handle such a massive volume of official duties.
They believed that eventually, some of them would have to be invited back as advisors to regain power.
However, reality plunged them into despair once again.
Led by Aizen, with Tōshirō, Shinji Hirako, Jūshirō Ukitake, and Kisuke Urahara as support, the official duties processing team not only handled tasks faster but also better than they ever had.
Under their operation, the efficiency of the Seireitei's work not only didn't decline but improved significantly—by more than just a little.
Just as everyone thought Satoru had purged the Central 46 to install his own people and establish a new political system, an even more shocking development occurred.
The Transition Committee dispatched a large number of Shinigami to the Rukongai.
Their mission there was simple.
To select regional representatives from each district.
East, West, North, and South, each with eighty districts, totaling three hundred and twenty.
Depending on the population of each district, two to five representatives were to be elected to form the Seireitei Grand Council.
The representatives chosen from each district had to be individuals genuinely committed to regional development and capable of serving their areas.
If local tyrants or scoundrels forced others to elect them for personal gain, the consequences would be dire.
As for how to determine this?
Satoru and Aizen had been preparing for this since taking over the Central 46.
Using a portion of the elite Kidō Corps as a foundation, Satoru established a special unit.
The Psyche Assault Team.
Their mission was straightforward—first, to master several Kidō techniques jointly developed by Aizen and Kisuke Urahara.
These Kidō techniques were designed to probe the human heart.
Although they were ineffective against those with profound Reiatsu, they were more than sufficient for the souls in the Rukongai.
Kaname Tōsen was appointed as the leader of the Psyche Assault Team.
As the man within the Mikami Group who best understood the suffering of the common people and the despair and tragedy brought by class divisions, he was the undeniable choice for this position.
Soon, under Kaname Tōsen's efforts, representatives were selected from each district.
However, a new problem arose.
The Soul Society was vast, with one hundred and sixty districts from south to north and west to east.
If the council were to convene frequently, the first thirty districts would be manageable, but the last fifty would be excessively burdensome.
Upon hearing Kaname Tōsen's report of this issue, Aizen pondered thoughtfully.
If representatives from the latter districts were to reside permanently in the first thirty districts, the purpose of electing them would be lost.
Yet, building roads wasn't something that could be resolved quickly.
It seemed this would have to be treated as a long-term task, mobilizing manpower to strive for road construction within three years.
As for these three years, well...
As he pondered, Satoru let out a soft chuckle.
"Leave this matter to me!"