Chapter Sixty-Two: The Outcome

The defeat of Yhwach marked a temporary end to the feud between the Quincy and the Soul Reapers. Although Shigekuni Yamamoto ultimately allowed Yhwach to escape, at least this conflict had reached its conclusion.

Without their leader, the Quincies fell apart, and were swiftly eradicated with little loss to the Soul Society. At this point, the story could almost be said to have ended.

Yet, why—

Shigekuni Yamamoto stared blankly at the scene before him.

The cracked earth, ruined buildings, streets that should have been lively now silent and devoid of life, not a single soul in sight. Dried rivers, withered grass and trees, rubble piled into mountains...

Everything signified that the once-prosperous Soul Society was no more.

The laughter and joy that once belonged here had been replaced only by tears or utter silence.

It was only when Yamamoto assumed all this devastation was caused by the Quincies that he suddenly realized: the disaster brought by the Quincies paled in comparison to the destruction he and the other Soul Reapers had wrought.

What did that mean?

With vacant eyes, Yamamoto gazed at everything before him.

He had poured all his strength into protecting the Soul Society, safeguarding everything here—so why?

Why was it that he himself had destroyed this place with his own hands?

Victory was achieved, yet nothing had been protected... nothing at all...

Am I... a demon?

Yamamoto sank to his knees, unable to grip his sword any longer.

The ground, dried from lack of water, was strewn with stones that scraped his knees, drawing blood, yet he seemed not to notice, letting his blood seep into the earth and mix with the rain.

The power he possessed—was it truly so terrifying?

The overwhelming force of his Bankai, strong enough to destroy the world in an instant, had only brought disaster in his hands.

He had brought calamity upon what he sought to protect...

What was the point?

Yamamoto felt his throat parched, but had no desire for water.

In truth, his heart was so desolate now that he could no longer even feel thirst. The world in his eyes was gray—utterly lifeless.

A color that even excluded himself...

Ah, yes.

He had painted the world with this hue by his own hand; now, he must atone for such a mistake, must he not?

Tears—never something he allowed himself—were now sliding from the corners of his eyes.

How could he ever make amends for such loss?

The gray world turned pitch black.

In the end, he heard someone calling his name.

Was it just an illusion?

How could anyone care for a man guilty of such grave sins?

With a self-mocking smile, Yamamoto lost consciousness...

.........................................

"Kirinji-sama, how is the situation?"

Kazuyoshi Anba looked at Chōjiro and Kirinji as they stepped out of Yamamoto's chambers, voicing his inquiry.

"..." Kirinji shook his head. "His body suffered no serious injuries. The reason for his unconsciousness, I'm afraid..."

"It's his mind... isn't it?"

Kazuyoshi Anba furrowed his brow. The Soul Society had suffered heavy losses—every district beyond the fiftieth had been affected to varying degrees, and even those within were not spared.

Especially the Seireitei. Although Motonobu Yasuda arrived in time to defeat Muhammad, more than half of the Seireitei was destroyed; the situation was dire.

Moreover, the tens of thousands of ordinary souls who once belonged to the Western Rukongai had, due to this battle—or more accurately, due to the Bankai unleashed by Yamamoto, Haruichi Dihara, and the unreserved efforts of the other captains—left only about twenty thousand souls remaining in all of Western Rukongai.

A drop in the bucket; the few thousand casualties caused by the Quincies were insignificant in comparison.

"In any case, with the Head Captain unconscious, I think you should act as the interim Head Captain," Kirinji said, shifting the wooden stick in his mouth and casting a glance at Chōjiro—his meaning clear: this troublesome duty belonged to you.

"I refuse, Kirinji. I have no interest in being captain. Find someone else," Chōjiro replied without hesitation.

"Ah? Don't say that! With me, Unohana, and Anba supporting you, it's absolutely no problem," said the broad-shouldered man, clearly misunderstanding Chōjiro's intent.

"That's not the issue..." Chōjiro's lips twitched. If not for wanting to make a good impression in front of Unohana, he'd have punched him already.

Whether he could land the blow was another matter.

"If you're looking for an interim, aren't you the perfect candidate, Kirinji?"

"Me? Ah... no, I've got other matters to attend to," Kirinji replied after a brief silence.

"?"

"Forget it, we'll discuss it at the captain's meeting," Kirinji sighed, smoothing his hair and falling silent.

"The captain's meeting? Who will preside?"

Normally, the captain's meeting was convened by the current Head Captain—a mandatory gathering of all captains, the highest council of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. But with Yamamoto bedridden, who had the authority to summon all the captains?

Soon enough, Chōjiro realized the Seireitei still had such a person, whom he'd recently met...

"Therefore, under these circumstances, I will act as interim chair for this captain's meeting," Motonobu Yasuda said, clearing his throat and surveying the nine remaining captains.

"Normally, we would first report on the battle, but before that, there's an announcement to make."

"???"

Reporting the battle statistics after a conflict was common practice—what could possibly take precedence over such a matter?

"It's about the departure of Kirinji Tenshirō, Captain of Squad Eight."

"!!!"

Departure?

Everyone knew that the Thirteen Court Guard Squads had no official 'resignation' policy; to mention a captain leaving in front of all those aware of the matter—what could it mean?

"More accurately, it's a 'promotion.'"

"!!!"

This surprised everyone even more.

Among the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, the position of captain was considered the highest rank for any ordinary Soul Reaper—even the Head Captain was simply a particular type of captain. Moreover, to become Head Captain required no 'promotion' in name.

So what kind of promotion was this?

No explanation was needed; everyone present, including Chōjiro, understood perfectly what 'promotion' meant.

'So, it's finally happening?'

Chōjiro thought to himself.

"In fact, those people have already arrived. In that case, let's move directly to the main topic," Motonobu Yasuda said, sensing two spiritual pressures outside the door and narrowing his eyes.

"Regarding the promotion of Kirinji Tenshirō, Captain of Squad Eight, to the Royal Guard."