On the desolate outskirts of the Rukongai, in a wilderness with thin Reishi, the night wind wailed.
The air was thick with the heavy smell of blood and the lingering, chaotic remnants of Reiatsu that had not yet fully dissipated.
Several bodies, dressed in the uniforms of the Central 46's directly affiliated Corps of Punishment, lay scattered on the ground. Their wounds were gruesome, clearly indicating they had been killed in an extremely short time by exceptionally sharp attacks.
Koga stood among the bodies, the Zanpakuto, Muramasa, in his hand slightly lowered, the blade humming.
It seemed to crave more blood and souls, yet also seemed to silently lament the turmoil and pain within its master's heart.
Koga's handsome face was stained with a few drops of blood not his own, yet his eyes were hollow and lost, staring at the blurred outline of the Seireitei in the distance.
"Why... why has it come to this? What did I do wrong? Abiding by my duty, training diligently, carrying out missions, upholding the honor of the Kuchiki Clan..."
"I have always done this. Is abiding by my duty also a crime?"
Boundless injustice, the sting of betrayal, and despair for the future gnawed at his heart like venomous snakes.
Muramasa's evil and strange whispers became clearer in his mind, tempting him to release more resentment and cut down all obstacles.
Just as his mind was at its most unsettled, a slightly amused voice sounded not far behind him:
"Lost? In pain? Feel that this world is utterly unreasonable and unjust to you?"
Koga spun around sharply, holding Muramasa before him.
'Who was it? To have approached this silently, to this distance?'
Under the moonlight, a middle-aged man dressed in a Shihakusho with a haori bearing the Tsunayashiro Clan crest stood there leisurely.
His features were refined, a faint, barely perceptible smile at the corner of his mouth.
"Who are you?" Koga demanded sharply, alarm bells ringing in his heart. He knew this man was no ordinary Shinigami.
"Pardon my rudeness." The man nodded slightly, his posture elegant. "I am Tsunayashiro Tokiomi, unworthily holding the position of Third Seat of the Tsunayashiro Clan. At the same time..."
He paused, his smile widening. "I am also one of the masterminds behind framing you and driving you to this state."
"What? It was you!" Koga's pupils suddenly contracted. Boundless rage instantly washed away his confusion!
Muramasa emitted an excited hum, its dark purple evil light surging.
He almost rushed forward recklessly to tear the culprit who had destroyed everything limb from limb.
"Calm down, young man." Tokiomi spoke as if he hadn't noticed the demonic blade thirsting for his blood, his tone still composed.
"Anger solves nothing. Besides, don't you want to know... why I did it?"
"Why?" Koga forced these words out through gritted teeth.
"Very simple." Tokiomi spread his hands, as if stating an obvious fact. "I was never targeting you, Kuchiki Koga."
"My real target is the Kuchiki Clan, that seemingly old-fashioned and conservative, yet still entrenched in positions of power, behemoth."
Koga ground his teeth. "You shouldn't have dragged me into this. I'll take you back to prove my innocence!"
"Prove your innocence?" Tokiomi seemed to have heard a huge joke. He pointed at the bodies of the Corps of Punishment on the ground, his tone dripping with mockery.
"Look around you. Look at yourself. Do you think you still have any innocence left to prove?"
Koga fell silent, 'Could I truly turn back now?'
Tokiomi took a step forward, his voice full of arrogance:
"Even if you captured me and handed me over to the Central 46, and I repeated what I just said verbatim in front of all the wise sages and judges, no one would dare convict me."
"Evidence? Motive? Those things are pathetically laughable in the face of the surname, 'Tsunayashiro'."
"Aren't you wondering? You are also a member of the Kuchiki Clan, supposed to be as noble as I am. Why did those lowly commoners dare to treat you like that?"
Tokiomi whispered like a demon: "This is of course because Kuchiki Ginrei never truly considered you one of his own. You are just an adopted son-in-law!"
"Think about it. His son, Kuchiki Sojun, is clearly frail and unfit for combat, yet Kuchiki Ginrei still made his son a Lieutenant."
Koga's body began to tremble slightly. "Stop talking!"
Tokiomi, however, paid him no heed. "This is of course because, from the very beginning, Kuchiki Ginrei intended for you to be a shadow for his son."
"'The future of the Kuchiki Clan'? Just an adopted son-in-law. If he truly valued you, how could the Shinigami guarding you have dared to bully you when you were imprisoned?"
"I told you to stop talking!" Koga shouted in anger, swinging Muramasa at Tokiomi. The blade light was sharp, but only cut through empty air.
Tokiomi's figure easily avoided it like a ghost, his smile unchanged.
"What's wrong? Don't even have the courage to face the truth? Haven't you long ago considered inviting Chiaki Setsuna, only to be stopped by Kuchiki Ginrei?"
Koga was startled. "You even know about that?"
Tokiomi continued, "Heh, let me tell you why he stopped you."
"Because Chiaki Setsuna's talent is too strong, and his personality is too assertive. He's not as easy to manipulate as you are. If you had recruited him into the 6th Division, Kuchiki Sojun could never have suppressed him!"
Koga felt somewhat dazed, 'Yes, compared to that junior Chiaki Setsuna, who had displayed monstrous aptitude shortly after enrolling and now even dared to clash with the Captain-Commander, what were my own meager talents and achievements?'
'In Father-in-law's heart, we probably weren't even worthy of comparison, were we?'
"No!" Koga suddenly shook his head violently, forcing a sliver of clarity from the vortex of self-denial. He stared intently at Tokiomi.
"What you're saying is wrong! When Captain Chiaki was at the Shin'o Academy, although he performed excellently, he fundamentally did not display the assertive side he has now. You are reasoning backwards from the result. You are deliberately misleading me!"
Tokiomi raised an eyebrow, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. "That's not important. What matters is that we can help you."
"As long as you are willing to become one of us, I can not only immediately mobilize the power of the Tsunayashiro Clan to help you clear all your injustices and let you return to the Seireitei in glory..."
"I can also help you assassinate Kuchiki Sojun, making you the next head of the Kuchiki Clan. Think about it. That old man has already abandoned you. Isn't this the perfect opportunity to get revenge on him and prove yourself?"
"Take away everything he cherishes. Make him watch helplessly as you, Kuchiki Koga, achieve unprecedented success in the very place where he failed and betrayed you!"
"Get revenge on Ginrei-sama?" Koga murmured, repeating the words, fierce struggle visible in his eyes.
His disappointment and resentment towards Ginrei were real, but...
"No!" Koga shook his head violently, his gaze becoming sharp again. "I do hate him. I do want him to know that abandoning me was his biggest mistake! But this has nothing to do with Sojun. He never harmed me."
"And I will never follow the arrangements of an enemy who framed me and drove me into a corner, to walk a path that defiles my soul and turns me into something as filthy as you!"
He gripped Muramasa tightly, the blade humming. "I will rely on my own strength to seek revenge. Even if the road ahead is hell, I will charge through it with my own will!"