"We think the flower on the cliff is beautiful because our feet stop at the cliff's edge. We do not fear it, because we, like the flower, have not stepped out into the void."
The moon in the water, the flower in the mirror—who can truly distinguish the real from the fake? And why insist on making a clear distinction?
Just like humans are merely apes draped in gorgeous clothing. Gods are merely humans skilled at disguise.
Seireitei.
Shin'o Academy.
A certain calligraphy teacher responsible for teaching "Calligraphy," a man who "part-timed" as the Captain of the 5th Division of the Gotei 13, took advantage of another graduating class of freshmen to thoughtfully display his Zanpakuto to everyone. In passing, he silently conducted a "hypnosis test" on them all... Then, smiling as he bid everyone farewell, he strode back to the 5th Division barracks.
Finding his desk, he spread out a pristine white sheet of paper, dipped his brush in ink, and wrote a large character for "Quiet" in the blank space.
This "Quiet" character lacked the expected sharp, vigorous strokes; instead, it leaned toward a soft, elegant beauty, much like the man himself... highly favored and esteemed by the students.
"Captain Aizen is so nice and handsome. He's also gentle and considerate, knowing how to take care of everyone's feelings. He truly is a perfect man..."
Infatuated female students had more than once uttered such "lovestruck nonsense" behind his back, and even dared to boldly shoot him "starry-eyed" glances right to his face. To this, Aizen would always respond gently.
It was as if he always wore this same face, never revealing any undignified negative emotions other than "gentleness"—such as "anger," "mockery," "jealousy," or even... the slightest hint of "sorrow."
But today, pushing open the door and approaching Aizen's side, watching him continuously wield his brush to write one "Quiet" character after another on the blank paper, was Gin Ichimaru. Formerly the Lieutenant of the 5th Division who had assisted Aizen, he was now officially serving as the Captain of the 3rd Division. With his hands tucked into his wide sleeves, he cast a squinting glance at Aizen and said, "How rare. I haven't seen you write the character for 'Quiet' in a hundred years. Let me guess..."
"Your heart,"
"Is in turmoil..."
The man who likened himself to "a snake, with cold skin and no emotions, simply searching for prey to swallow whole," concluded in his Kyoto dialect.
Aizen's long brown hair draped down his back, appearing slightly more untamed compared to Gin Ichimaru's smooth, light purple short hair. He remained silent, merely continuing to write the character for "Quiet," occasionally pushing up the black-framed glasses resting on the bridge of his nose to keep them from slipping. His ear twitched, allowing Gin Ichimaru to pinch his chin and continue on his own, "Hmm... There aren't many things that can throw our Captain Aizen's heart into turmoil..."
"Let me think."
At a certain moment, Gin Ichimaru paused, then said abruptly, "Does it have something to do with the Captain-Commander?"
As his words fell, Aizen's brush paused. This immediately caused Gin Ichimaru's narrow eyes to squint as he said knowingly, "Everyone is saying that the Captain-Commander's recent state has been very off. It seems... there really is a problem with him."
"Gin," Aizen dragged his brush, pulling the final horizontal stroke of the "Quiet" character out excessively long, ruining its overall aesthetic.
This time, the Captain of the 5th Division, who always presented himself as a "gentle pushover," pushed up his black-framed glasses, abruptly raised his head, and glanced at Gin Ichimaru. "Do not speak recklessly of the Captain-Commander."
Gin Ichimaru's light purple short hair swayed slightly as he tucked his right hand back into his sleeve, saying seemingly unintentionally, "I'm just curious. Aren't you curious?"
In the ensuing silence, Aizen swapped out for a new sheet of paper and continued writing the character for "Quiet." Without raising his head, he said, "You know better than I do where the 3rd Division barracks are."
"The door is right behind you."
"I won't see you out..."
Gin Ichimaru: "..."
His narrow eyes squinted.
After a moment of silence, he slowly turned and left.
Creak. The office door opened and closed. A faint greeting could be heard from outside. Then... with her hair tied up in a bun, wearing a standard Shihakusho, and bearing the 5th Division Lieutenant badge on her left shoulder... the current Lieutenant of the 5th Division, Momo Hinamori, walked in. Carrying a basket of peaches in her arms, she had just greeted Gin Ichimaru. She pushed the door open, entered, and quietly placed the peaches on a corner of the desk.
"Captain, have a peach."
"The peaches are sweet." The petite girl, who looked entirely like a little loli, blinked her large brown eyes and spoke adorably.
Aizen, who had just fallen into displeasure due to Gin Ichimaru's "probing," finally revealed a trace of a smile on his handsome face. He smiled at Momo Hinamori and said, "Leave them there. I will eat them."
Momo Hinamori nodded eagerly. Taking another look, she leaned over the edge of the desk and saw Aizen writing one "Quiet" character after another on the blank paper. She blurted out, "Huh, Captain, you haven't written this character in a long time."
"Has it been a long time?" Aizen stopped his brush.
"A very long time. Let me calculate..." Momo Hinamori actually started counting seriously on her fingers.
Beside her, Aizen simply watched her with a smile. A moment later, he heard her say, "It's been a whole hundred years."
Aizen calmly placed his brush on the pen rest and looked out through the window frame. The Seireitei sat beneath the afterglow just as it always did. A ripple of emotion surfaced in his eyes as he recalled this very day a hundred years ago. It was also...
The day he used hundreds of souls possessing Shinigami powers to create the incomplete Hogyoku.
It was also the day he laid his hands on the young Rangiku Matsumoto, subsequently inviting the wolf into the fold, and meeting Gin Ichimaru.
Moreover, it was the day he... wholeheartedly desired to surpass the limits of a Shinigami, firmly and confidently believing... that he could achieve it.
Aizen stared blankly out the window, motionless for a time...
Crunch. Momo Hinamori took a bite of a peach, stretched out her fair hand, and waved it in front of him. She asked curiously, "Hey, Captain, what are you thinking about? You're so spaced out..."
The young Shinigami, as Toshiro's childhood friend, clearly still retained her childishness and was truly... a bit too lively...
She ate the peach bite by bite, her cheeks bulging like a hamster's... This brought Aizen back to his senses. He couldn't help but rub her small head, answering ambiguously, as if sighing, "Yes, what am I thinking about?"
'And why is my heart in turmoil?'
Gin was right... The man turned his head to gaze deep into the Seireitei, toward the location of the 1st Division barracks. With a profound look in his eyes, he murmured in his heart, 'It's all because of you... Captain-Commander!'
'How could someone like you, who has stood as immovable as a mountain for over two thousand years, suddenly space out? And suddenly lose focus?'
'Or is there something, some event, happening behind my back that I am unaware of, drawing your attention, or perhaps...'
Aizen's eyes suddenly narrowed. '...some... person?!'
Crunch. Another peach went into Momo Hinamori's stomach.
Feeling the warmth coming from the top of her head, the little loli shyly stuffed a peach into Aizen's hand as well, stammering, "Cap... Captain, you eat one too."
Aizen: "Alright."
He took the peach and took a light bite. It was crisp and sweet.
His thoughts drifted far away, not pulled back by the delicious peach. Instead, like the wind of spiritual pressure blowing across the entire Seireitei, they hovered outside, fixated squarely on the location of the 1st Division barracks.
Unable to fly back for a long, long time...
Whoosh. The wind blew, blowing out of the Seireitei into a cloudless sky.
Blowing into the Demon Slayer world, where the night was deep.
Midnight.
The Demon Slayer world.
An old man and a young boy stood high in the sky, their backs to the moonlight. Without the illumination of Nen light, the two immediately turned into two inconspicuous black dots on the horizon, disappearing from the sight of the people in the Demon Slayer world...
"The... the sun has disappeared... The great Sun God has returned to his divine kingdom. May you bless my son, my wife, my father and mother with good health and smooth sailing in all things..."
"And me."
"Me too."
"Same here."
"Namu Amida Butsu, praise the sun..."
Worship, prayers, and the devotion of the masses continued to provide an endless stream of [Faith Power], echoing in Roy's ears alongside system prompts.
Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni, leaning on Ryujin Jakka in his hand, merely cast a casual glance downward. His spiritual pressure blew across the earth along with the gentle breeze, and he instantly noticed... every man, woman, and child. They were all living people... living people worshipping the boy, deeply grateful to him...
So, could this also be called "Kyoka Suigetsu"?
Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni turned his head and looked deeply at the boy, saying, "The eyes of the people are sharp, their devout worship is real, and the trembling of their souls is visible to the naked eye. Therefore,"
"Boy, do not think that because I am old, you can bully... my failing eyesight..."
Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni's gray beard was carefully braided, hanging down almost to his toes.
A casual glance from his old eyes carried an imposing aura without anger... Gripping the walking stick that concealed Ryujin Jakka, he quietly watched Roy.
Roy calmly glanced at his status panel.
And with lightning speed, he continued to rapidly climb higher into the sky...
A shallow arc formed at the corner of his mouth. He relaxed his hands behind his back, and a strand of his fiery red hair, which had been swept back, immediately fell forward, sliding down to the tip of his nose.
"You must be joking, Captain-Commander."
"With your experience and insight, how would I dare try to fool you?" The boy shrugged and said, "Earlier, I merely did a little something for them. It's nothing worth mentioning..."
According to the original development of the Demon Slayer world, even without his intervention, within the next two or three years, the Demon Slayer Corps, with Tanjiro's addition, would be able to kill Muzan, eradicate the demons, and return peaceful nights to the world.
"No, whether it is small or great is not for you to decide." Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni's heavily scarred old face silently spoke of the past. His gaze seeped through the slits of his eyes, sweeping over the faces below—whether it was Kyojuro Rengoku, Ubuyashiki Kagaya, Gyomei Himejima, or every ordinary person prostrating on the ground in the vast world. He said quietly, "It is for them to decide."
Roy was left speechless.
At this moment, he offered no further rebuttal.
He accepted it openly and with a grateful heart...
"This is also what I hoped for," the boy said, his fiery red hair swept back. With the bright moon behind him, he looked down from high above, overlooking the earth. "I just hoped to bring them even a sliver of hope. That is enough."
Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni nodded in acknowledgment. "It seems that this place, much like the World of the Living, has experienced... suffering."
In the World of the Living, there were Hollows... fallen spirits unwilling to fade away, opening [Black Cavity] to wreak havoc on the human world.
In the Demon Slayer world, there were demons, rampaging through the night and feeding on humans.
However, that was all in the past... Past events had vanished like smoke and clouds, no longer needing to be mentioned.
Roy reigned in his thoughts and turned his head to glance at Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni. His gaze focused heavily on the walking stick the old man was leaning on... All things in the universe turn to ashes; Ryujin Jakka was something he had to watch out for.
"It is called Ryujin Jakka." Noticing Roy's gaze, Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni raised the walking stick horizontally and gently stroked its shaft, as if caressing a lover, his voice deep and resonant.
Roy's eyes followed the rhythm of his fingertips. He took a deep breath and said, "I know."
Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni's gray eyebrows twitched. "I did not know that you knew."
Roy: "I know that you didn't know that I knew."
Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni:
Visibly, his forehead tightened, and a cross-shaped vein suddenly popped out, just like the long cross-shaped scar running across his cheek, looking exceptionally ferocious!
The old man glared dangerously. "Boy! In two thousand years, you are the first person who has dared to speak to me like this!"
"What about the others?"
"They are all dead!"
Having lived for over two thousand years, he had fought for over two thousand years. The Captain-Commander who had carved his way through slaughter truly lived up to his name.
Roy fell silent.
The boy faced Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni directly, feeling the explosive, volcano-like power contained within his withered body, and said honestly, "If I said I didn't mean it, would you believe me?"
"Since I am here, whether I believe it or not is irrelevant." Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni's gray beard swayed in the wind as he spoke calmly. "Draw your sword... A blade that embodies the blazing sun should not be hidden. It should be upright and honorable, shining brilliantly in all directions."
Boom! Suddenly, an overbearing, scorching, and unreasonable spiritual pressure tore through the darkness, shattered the moonlight, and roared toward Roy.
Rustle... Wood splinters flew... Ryujin Jakka, hidden within the walking stick, saw the moonlight. Revealing its true form in a single move, it was instantly gripped in Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni's hand, the tip of the blade pointing straight at Roy's face.
Combined with the spiritual pressure, it instantly made Roy feel as if his senses were plunging straight into the Avici Hell. Even his breathing... became rapid!
Draw the sword! Draw the sword! Draw the sword!
"Since the Captain-Commander requests it, it is exactly what I wish for!"
Suddenly, the sound of a "sword cry" rang out!
Clang!
A blazing sun pierced the heavens.
Amidst its trembling, [Solar Eclipse] was conjured by Roy. In one second, it turned red; in two seconds, it ignited; in three seconds, it erupted with raging flames.
As Roy opened all the Aura Nodes across his body, he explosively unleashed [Ren] to resist the impact of Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni's spiritual pressure.
At this midnight hour, a sudden change occurred!
The night sky was instantly illuminated once again. Only... this time, there was no longer just one sun in the sky, but... two!
One based on "Nen," and the other relying on "Spiritual Pressure."
In an instant, the moon hanging behind the two of them was completely outshone!
Rustle. The men, women, elderly, and children who had just gotten up from the ground to return to their normal lives—because Roy had actively retracted his Nen after absorbing the Spider Lily, restoring the night—were either pulling up their blankets to go back to sleep, putting on clothes to prepare for morning chores, or draping on coats to tuck their children in. In that split second,
They were struck by the intense light shining in from outside their windows!
People froze in shock, then scrambled frantically out of their houses, looking up at the sky.
Every single one of them was instantly dumbfounded, completely bewildered!
"T-Two suns?!"
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