Chapter Eighty-Seven: Wild Dog, Roar, Contact
An extra page, as an apology...
...
“Caw... caw...”
The Bankai shattered, scattering into a sky full of gleaming stars, incomparably beautiful beneath the sunlight.
“Hah... hah...”
Blood streamed from every part of his body—arms, chest, cheeks, neck, even from his eyes—soaking him entirely in crimson, and staining the earth beneath him as well.
“You said... you swore an oath?”
Byakuya looked coldly at the vice-captain before him, who had boasted of rescuing Rukia only to be beaten so wretchedly by his Bankai.
“To whom did you swear it?”
No matter who it was, if anyone accepted such a worthless, laughable oath, he would make sure to eliminate them as well.
“It’s not to anyone...”
He struggled to lift his blood-soaked knees from the ground, but his heavy body made even that simplest of acts unbearably difficult.
“It’s only to myself—...”
Suddenly, the image of that orange-haired, spiky-headed youth appeared in his mind—the one who’d been knocked down again and again by his Zanpakuto, yet always stood back up, never yielding.
If it were you, you’d rise again, no matter how many times you were struck down...
He tightened his grip on his sword, his disheveled hair covering most of the tattoo on his forehead.
If it were you, you’d never give up so easily—not even when facing an opponent so impossible to surpass...
Impossible to surpass?
No, that dream, that goal...
Even if it could only be reached...
He suddenly raised his head, staring intently at the man standing only a few steps away.
I’ll touch it too, and show you!
“By my soul, I swear!!”
Forcing his battered body upright, he thrust the blade he’d pieced together once more at that proud figure, without a hint of hesitation.
“!”
The fierce counterattack from that wounded figure caught Byakuya off guard. As the blade drew ever closer, his eyes narrowed.
You still refuse to give up?
If you let go of that sword, you might survive.
If you stop standing, you could wait for rescue.
So why...
“Swish!”
Byakuya’s blade swung with blinding speed, launching his counter.
Why are you still so stubborn?
...
“Clang!”
“Crack...”
The blade touched the silver-white scarf on Byakuya’s body, the emblem of his status, but could not pierce its thin fabric—the edge had already been broken, powerless to wound.
...
The shattered sword lodged itself at Byakuya’s feet, broken in the final instant by his own hand.
“Splurt!”
A spray of blood burst from behind Renji, painting the ground around him a ghastly hue.
“Crack... crack...”
As his blood poured forth, the sword in Renji’s grip began to crumble—blade, guard, even the hilt—fragmenting under Byakuya’s strike.
...
Byakuya watched Renji silently, uttering not a word.
He didn’t even chastise this humble man for staining his silver-white scarf and his body with filthy blood.
Humble?
Is that so...
“...Damn it.”
He didn’t look up at Byakuya; even by touch alone, he knew that blow hadn’t harmed him in the least.
In the end, no matter how hard he tried, the gap was still insurmountable. This was his limit...
He fell, vision blurring, even his breath growing labored.
So this is... the feeling of death...
...
Lifting his hand, Byakuya grasped the silver-white scarf around his neck—the symbol that had accompanied him for years, never leaving him since becoming captain—and tossed it upon the fallen challenger before him.
“Well done.”
The white scarf fluttered down, finally resting gently over Renji’s body, as if laying a tribute upon a fallen warrior.
“Your fangs...”
Without wiping the blood from his face, Byakuya looked at his vice-captain for the first time with true recognition.
A vice-captain is to assist the captain.
Every squad with a captain must have one: someone who gives their all when the captain is present, and shoulders every burden in the captain’s absence—such an important existence.
Yet I never looked at him directly...
As head of the Kuchiki clan, I possess a status to shame anyone, and a power to make any tremble—a flawless existence.
So to me—
A vice-captain is only an accessory.
Whether absent or present, it makes no difference to me; they could never become my strength—too insignificant.
Though only one rank apart, it’s a chasm that can never be crossed.
...
And yet...
Was it he who, for the first time, forced me to one knee, who drew so near as no one ever had?
A stray dog, after all...
“You truly have touched me.”
And are capable of such a magnificent roar?
No longer looking at the now-unconscious Renji, Byakuya turned toward the Hill of Double Punishment. There, his sister awaited the coming of death.
Yet, even if there is a path, it does not mean it’s smooth and easy.
“Tap.”
Byakuya had only walked a short distance before halting—he wasn’t the only one standing in his way.
...
He looked up at the rooftop nearby; though no one was visible, Byakuya’s gaze remained fixed there.
“As expected of young Byakuya, I hid myself well, but you still noticed.”
A lazy voice sounded, and soon a figure draped in a white haori slinked into view, finally coming to stand within Byakuya’s sight.
“With all that commotion, I thought you’d be a bit more restrained.”
Byakuya showed no surprise at the man’s appearance, not even when he vanished from the rooftop to appear a short distance in front of him—Byakuya’s gaze followed every move.
“Mr. Sasakibe.”
“If I knew restraint, I wouldn’t have started in the first place.”
With a bright smile, Chōjirō stood directly in Byakuya’s path.
“That has nothing to do with me—”
Byakuya’s gaze cooled, but he had no intention of fighting this man; he still preferred to reason first.
His purpose here?
No point in asking—if he’s barred my way, he can’t possibly be an ally.
“If possible, may I pass? Mr. Sasakibe, the execution will begin soon.”
“My, how cold. I even mentored you a bit when you were young. Words like that wound me.”
Feigning distress, Chōjirō showed no sign of moving aside.
“I’m pressed for time. If you wish to reminisce, come to the Kuchiki estate after the execution.”
His reiatsu began to stir restlessly. No matter his respect, this was not the time to yield.
But clearly, the man before him had no intention of backing down.
“If we wait until then, what’s the fun in that, is there, young Byakuya?”