No one knew how much time had passed. Setsuna was led to a secluded courtyard.
In the courtyard, Yuka stood alone, a cold smile mixing despair and madness on her face.
"Chiaki Setsuna." Yuka's voice was hoarse.
"Aren't you wondering why we haven't made a move against you yet? Set a trap? Activate mechanisms? Or use Bakkoto-controlled powerhouses to ambush you?"
Setsuna looked at her leisurely, as if watching a boring performance.
Yuka continued, her tone carrying malicious smugness:
"Heh... Of course we know those methods are probably useless against a monster like you. So, we changed targets."
She stared fixedly at Setsuna. "While you were being led away, your attention focused on finding evidence..."
"Our hidden assassins, using specially made Bakkoto, have already quietly approached and controlled the 11th Division's soldiers you left outside."
"Including that Zaraki Kenpachi, Azashiro Soya, Aizen Sosuke, and even Shihoin Yoruichi! By now, they should all be puppets obeying only our commands!"
Setsuna felt a strong urge to laugh.
Yuka's voice rose, carrying the threat of a last desperate gamble:
"If you leave now and swear never to pursue the Kasumioji Clan again, never to mention the Bakkoto, we will release your men and lift the control."
"If you refuse, then we will both be destroyed! We'll make your subordinates kill each other here, or attack other nobles, attack the Gotei 13, and make the entire Seireitei be buried with us!"
However, facing this naked threat, Setsuna's reaction made Yuka's heart sink violently.
He merely smiled faintly. "The fish will die, but the net will not break. Do you really think those shoddily made, side-effect-ridden trash Bakkoto you developed can control my subordinates?"
"You... what did you say?" Yuka's expression changed drastically, a strong sense of unease rising in her heart.
At that moment, a gentle and clear voice came from the courtyard entrance:
"Captain, mission accomplished."
Aizen stood there, having appeared at some unknown time, his face wearing his usual composed smile.
He bowed slightly and reported: "All Kasumioji Clan's assassins and researchers who resisted or attempted to use Bakkoto for sneak attacks, totaling six hundred and thirty-seven individuals, have been subdued. Not one escaped."
"All finished and semi-finished Bakkoto products and research materials in their secret workshop have been seized."
"Caught red-handed, with conclusive evidence. They can be transferred to the Central 46, or, according to the Captain's wishes, dealt with directly?"
"Impossible!" Yuka staggered back as if struck by lightning.
She screamed in disbelief, rushing madly towards the corridor leading to the front courtyard.
When she stumbled into the front courtyard, the sight she saw plunged her into complete despair.
Lying scattered across the open space in the front courtyard were all of the Kasumioji Clan's guards and assassins.
Some were bound by Kido, others directly knocked unconscious. Weapons were strewn everywhere.
Zaraki was yawning boredly. Azashiro stood quietly. Yoruichi sat on a wall enjoying the outside view. Other soldiers were also performing their duties, guarding the prisoners and clearing the battlefield.
Their eyes were clear, their movements unrestrained. Where was there any sign of being controlled?
Zaraki noticed Yuka and grinned. "Hey, woman, those guys from your family who tried to stab me with their little knives? They couldn't take a hit at all. One punch and they were out. No fun!"
"Why..." Yuka collapsed limply to the ground, her face ashen. Her last madness and reliance were shattered into pieces by the merciless facts.
She didn't understand. The Bakkoto her clan had meticulously developed, even tested on Shinigami… why had they completely failed?
'Even if the Bakkoto couldn't deal with Chiaki Setsuna, how could they not even defeat his subordinates?'
'If the Bakkoto we had painstakingly developed was only of this caliber, then Taishi's death was nothing but a joke?'
'For the sake of a useless weapon, I had sacrificed my husband and the entire clan.'
Setsuna walked up behind her and said coldly:
"Take them all away. Seal the workshop completely. Seize all materials. Submit them to the Central 46 and see what judgment the wise sages will render."
…
Deep in the night, the underground assembly hall of the Central 46 was brightly lit, the atmosphere so solemn it nearly solidified.
Although it was the hour when all was silent, the sight of the 11th Division escorting hundreds of dejected, listless members of the Kasumioji Clan filing in...
Made all the hastily summoned wise sages and judges understand: tonight would surely be sleepless, and would be recorded in history.
In the visitors' gallery of the assembly hall, other noble representatives who had rushed over upon hearing the news were packed in.
Each had a grave expression, looking at the disheveled Kasumioji Clan's members in the hall with complex eyes. A strong sense of 'the fox mourns the death of the hare' rose in their hearts.
An upper-level noble family had been uprooted by a Captain with such brutality and lightning speed, and dragged onto the judgment platform.
This broke the thousand-year unspoken rule among the nobles that 'nobles are exempt from punishment'. It made every noble feel a chill on the backs of their necks.
It was as if the guillotine blade named 'law' was now hanging over everyone's head.
They were as silent as cicadas in winter, not even daring to breathe loudly, for fear of attracting the attention of that ferocious star.
The trial began amidst extreme tension and oppression.
As the accuser, Setsuna stood at the speaker's podium.
"Respected wise sages of the Central 46," Setsuna's voice echoed clearly in the silent assembly hall.
"I, Chiaki Setsuna, Captain of the 11th Division of the Gotei 13, hereby formally bring three charges against the Kasumioji Clan for their heinous crimes."
"First, the illegal development, production, and testing of the forbidden weapon, [Bakkoto]. According to the complete experimental records, Reiatsu charts, and lists of victims seized from the Kasumioji Clan's secret workshop..."
"To complete this research, over the past several decades, the Kasumioji Clan systematically captured, imprisoned, and brutally murdered more than a thousand spiritually aware commoners from the Rukongai, including several dozen officially registered Shinigami."
These words exploded like thunder in the assembly hall.
The listening nobles paled. They knew the Kasumioji Clan had private dealings-
But such a large-scale, systematic slaughter of commoners and even Shinigami exceeded many people's bottom line.
Among the listening Shinigami, there was a wave of suppressed anger and sorrow, especially among those originating from the Rukongai.
Setsuna continued. "Second, the Kasumioji Clan used the aforementioned forbidden weapon [Bakkoto] to maliciously manipulate and frame Kisaragi Shin'etsu, Sixth Seat of the 1st Division of the Gotei 13."
"They turned the controlled Kisaragi Shin'etsu into a madman who murdered his comrades and attacked the Captain-Commander, causing him to suffer an undeserved injustice."
"This is not only a cruel murder of a loyal Shinigami, but also a serious trampling of the honor and trust of the Gotei 13! Kisaragi Shin'etsu's reputation must be fully restored, his merits posthumously recognized, and the true culprits behind this severely punished."