Bleach: My Zanpakutō Is the Entire Underworld

On the high platform, crimson flower petals blanketed the entire space — yet no matter how thick their fragrance, it couldn't mask the gut-wrenching stench of blood that pierced the soul.

At this point, Tsunayashiro Kojiro had completely lost consciousness, but his body still stood upright — his arm still swinging that final slash toward Asano Kiyoshi!

In the stands, that mother — her arms torn to ribbons — screamed herself hoarse. The falling petals made the scene both eerie and heartbreakingly beautiful.

Asano Kiyoshi stared at Kojiro — unconscious yet still fighting. He saw that short blade still coming at him, saw the mother's cries that cut through the summer air like a cuckoo's lament.

That raw, blood-curdling cry made Kiyoshi's heart quake over and over.

His resolve wavered. The hand that gripped his sword slowed. He looked to the Head Captain, to Captain Kyōraku, to Captain Ukitake, to everyone — but found no answer in their eyes.

His arm froze in mid-swing. He no longer knew if he should win. Doubt seeped in about the righteousness of his actions.

But when his eyes fell again on Kojiro, Kiyoshi understood — neither of them was in the wrong. When people stand on different sides, justice and evil are drowned together in muddy water.

Kojiro bore the weight of a mother's love and sacrifice.Kiyoshi bore the debt of the Head Captain's teaching and trust.Between you and me, battle needs no other reason. What we carry — that is reason enough to fight.

Kiyoshi felt genuine respect for Kojiro as a person. But here and now, he had to break him with his own hands.

He looked at the boy before him, barely standing, and gave him an apologetic smile. He raised his sword for the final blow — a strike at Kojiro's ankle, to end it.

But just then — a pure white haori appeared between them. A noble, icy voice echoed out:

"That's enough. Both of you are exceptional graduates. There's no need for either to fall here."

At that instant, pink cherry blossoms bloomed out of nowhere, mingling with the crimson petals — creating a magnificent, surreal festival above the summer festival square.

A pale hand stretched out, blocking the blades the two boys swung at each other.

Only then did Kiyoshi see who it was. The pure white captain's haori bore three characters: Squad Six. And the elegant, regal man wearing it — Kuchiki Byakuya.

Seeing Byakuya, Kiyoshi couldn't help but smile. He knew: when Kuchiki Byakuya stepped in, the match's outcome was decided. And truthfully, he no longer wished to land that final killing blow. He did not want to be the one to destroy a mother's last hope — to see this pitiful mother and son become disposable pawns in the cruel game of power.

Byakuya's arrival ended this farce once and for all.

Kiyoshi also understood this wasn't just Byakuya acting on his own. Otherwise, with the Head Captain's power, no one — not even a single mosquito — would have been able to move on this field without permission. Byakuya appearing here meant the Head Captain had silently agreed.

And it made sense. First: in duels between early graduates, it was extremely rare for deaths to occur. If someone died, the killer — even as the strongest — would carry that stain forever, losing countless opportunities they would have otherwise deserved.

Especially since Kojiro's identity was unique. He was a child of one of the Five Great Noble Clans — albeit a distant branch — but that purest noble bloodline meant that if Kiyoshi were to kill him right here in a duel, almost all the noble houses would see him as a threat. It would guarantee that, before he ever rose to his full strength, Kiyoshi would already face the bitter malice of the Soul Society's highest echelons.

Worse — if Kojiro died by Kiyoshi's hand, the Tsunayashiro Clan would have all they needed to condemn him.No matter what excuses anyone made — that it was just a spar gone wrong — it wouldn't matter. They wouldn't care how many bowls of rice you ate; they'd only care whether you'd cut open your belly for them to see.In this world, those who frame you often understand your innocence better than you do yourself.

One single conviction — and they'd have endless ways to kill Kiyoshi. Even if Yamamoto fought to protect him, it would cost him dearly — and Kiyoshi might lose his right to enter the Grand Spirit Book Archive altogether. To the Tsunayashiro Clan, that would make Kojiro's death "worth it."

But the Head Captain was no fool. He understood all this, yet could not step in himself — he needed to maintain the impartiality of his position. So who was the best to intervene?

Undoubtedly, Kuchiki Byakuya — the bridge between the Gotei 13 and the highest aristocracy.Byakuya's action saved the nobles' face while protecting Kiyoshi's future.And the Head Captain knew Byakuya well — for all his icy elegance, the young head of the Kuchiki Clan had a heart that flared up at injustice. He would have little sympathy for the Tsunayashiro's behind-the-scenes cruelty.

And so, just as Yamamoto expected, Byakuya blocked both boys' blades, looked at their wounds, and let his cold voice ring out across the square:

"Class of 2050 — Asano Kiyoshi is first rank. He earns the right to enter the Grand Spirit Book Archive."

In that moment, the swirling pink petals of Byakuya's Senbonzakura wrapped around Kojiro, easing some of his wounds.

At the same time, Kiyoshi willingly suppressed the spiritual damage that his domain would have inflicted — though he couldn't erase it all, not yet able to fully control his power. He managed to remove several mortal wounds at least.

When the Head Captain himself draped the newly tailored Shihakushō that Ukitake had prepared over Kiyoshi's shoulders, the bloody duel before the summer festival came to an end.

In the shadows, Tsunayashiro Sōsuke's plump, pale face twisted into an unsettling smile. He sipped his tea and turned to the old man beside him, who looked equally grim.

"It's time to start the backup plan, don't you think? Ah... no matter how many times we do this, it still gets the blood pumping."

The old man coughed twice, glaring at the twisted smile beside him. He shook his head slightly, then gave his cold order:

"It must be done at once. Bring out that Zanpakutō our clan has worshipped for generations.No matter the cost — we must have that thing."

In the sweltering summer heat, the air around them felt icy and stifling — a chill more bone-deep than any moonlight over Hueco Mundo.

T/N: For up to 20 chapters ahead on all my translations, become a p@tron at [email protected]/LordHipposApostle

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