Shiba Kaien suddenly clutched his head and crouched down, his face twisted in agony. What had happened? Who was he? Why was he here?
Joy, pain, satisfaction, confusion, anger, sorrow…
All manner of extreme emotions appeared on Shiba Kaien's face. His expression twisted beyond recognition, and he did not even notice the trident slipping from his hand and falling to the ground.
Rukia wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and rose to her feet. Step by step, she walked up to Shiba Kaien and asked with a smile, "Aaroniero?"
"What?"
What Rukia saw was Shiba Kaien's empty gaze. Her smile deepened. Shiba Kaien had clearly reacted to the name Aaroniero, yet he did not know why he had reacted to it.
Rukia's slash had directly erased the memories connected to the name Aaroniero. Even Aaroniero himself no longer knew who he was.
That was the terrifying nature of Rukia's Hollowfication power. In terms of combat strength, this Hollowfied state might not compare to the captains' Bankai, but completely ignoring the power of her scythe was impossible.
As long as Rukia used the scythe's power properly, any opponent fighting her would inevitably feel restricted at every turn.
Shiba Kaien's confusion did not last long. Very soon, he began to go berserk. Cero after Cero fired wildly in every direction. Countless voices filled his mind, and he had no idea what he was supposed to do.
The only thing he could do was follow a Hollow's instincts and destroy everything that could be destroyed. Yet because he possessed far too many abilities, his attacks had no clear target. Every time he attacked, another voice would interfere with where that attack should go.
Rukia calmly withdrew from in front of Shiba Kaien. This state of his was within her expectations.
From the moment she learned that Aaroniero possessed everything that had belonged to Shiba Kaien, Rukia had guessed that there had to be other powers inside Aaroniero as well. Sure enough, one slash had plunged Aaroniero completely into the abyss.
Had it been another opponent, after being hit by Rukia's technique, they might still have relied on their own firm will to recall their name.
But Aaroniero was different. He had devoured far too many Hollows. And because of his own greed, he had not digested those powers. Instead, he had preserved them all.
As a result, after Rukia cut away Aaroniero's memories, countless voices appeared inside Aaroniero's mind, completely severing any possibility of him remembering his own name.
What Rukia needed to do next was simple.
Amid the flashing beams of light, she walked as leisurely as though strolling through a courtyard. With graceful movements, she raised her scythe and swung it across Shiba Kaien's body again and again.
Rukia did not need to distinguish how many memories had appeared inside Shiba Kaien's mind. She only needed to selectively pick out Shiba Kaien's memories. As for the remaining memories that were unnecessary, she would simply cut them all away.
Slash after slash.
Under Rukia's efforts, Shiba Kaien's behavior gradually stabilized. It seemed he had already recognized the person before him.
"Rukia?"
Shiba Kaien had just been about to smile at her, but when he saw Rukia's appearance, bitterness surfaced on his face instead. He had not expected the squad member he had cared for most to have become Hollowfied.
So be it. Let her cut me down…
Shiba Kaien's reason gained the upper hand. He closed his eyes, opened his arms, and welcomed what he believed to be death. This was his final act of gentleness toward Rukia.
A trace of emotion flashed through Rukia's eyes. Even though Lieutenant Shiba had only just regained consciousness, he was still thinking of her.
This was fine too. This way, Rukia could devote herself entirely to the attack.
Her scythe moved like the wind, dancing rapidly across Shiba Kaien's body. Every slash carried away a memory that had nothing to do with Shiba Kaien.
After a long while, Rukia finally stopped, slightly drained. Forcefully activating her Hollowfication ability so many times had become difficult for her to endure. Fortunately, the memories Aaroniero had absorbed were limited, and she had finally accomplished her goal.
"Rukia, thank you," Shiba Kaien said gently.
As his mind became clearer and clearer, he had already understood exactly what Rukia had been doing.
"How do you feel, Lieutenant Shiba?" Only now did Rukia truly acknowledge Shiba Kaien's identity.
"Good… and not good." Shiba Kaien's smile was somewhat strained. "I can feel that I've completely taken control of this body. But as I am now… I'm a Hollow, aren't I?"
"Lieutenant Shiba, Hollowfication is no longer taboo in Soul Society," Rukia explained as she deactivated her Hollowfication and returned to her Shinigami appearance.
"How long… has it been?" After thinking for a moment, Shiba Kaien still voiced his doubts. "And who is that?"
Uryū had kept his bow raised and aimed at Shiba Kaien the entire time, constantly protecting Rukia's safety.
"That's my companion, Uryū Ishida. He's a Quincy." Rukia called out to Uryū, "Uryū, it's all right now. He only has Lieutenant Shiba's memories left."
"Oh? A companion, huh…" Shiba Kaien narrowed his eyes and asked teasingly, "So Rukia has reached that age too."
He clearly had not said anything outright, yet it also felt as though he had said everything.
"No! It's not what you're thinking!" Rukia hurriedly explained, her face flushed. "Lieutenant Shiba, please don't cause unnecessary trouble for Uryū!"
"All right, all right. I'm not a lieutenant anymore either. Just call me Kaien." Shiba Kaien made an apologetic gesture toward Uryū.
Uryū did not take Shiba Kaien's little joke to heart at all. At the very least, he had no intention of looking for a partner right now.
"You two talk first. Call me if anything happens." Uryū waved his hand and walked toward the door, leaving space for the two of them to speak.
Only Rukia and Shiba Kaien remained. The conversation returned to a more serious direction.
"Rukia, how is the Shiba Clan?" Shiba Kaien did not dwell on the issue of time. From his perspective, it was no different from having just died. In this limited time, he wanted to care more about the people close to him.
"Big Sister Kūkaku and Ganju moved to Rukongai. They currently live as fireworks specialists. Captain Isshin was schemed against by Aizen sixteen years ago and left Soul Society. He has now settled in the World of the Living."
"There's… no one from the Shiba Clan left in the Seireitei?"
Shiba Kaien's mood clearly sank. In the past, he and Shiba Isshin of the branch family had been the twin stars of the Shiba Clan. He had once thought the Shiba Clan would accomplish something even more remarkable than the Kuchiki and Shihōin Clans by having two captain-class Shinigami at the same time.
But from Rukia's words, he learned that the Shiba Clan's glory had been nothing more than a fleeting illusion. Rukia had not mentioned the other members of the Shiba Clan, so Shiba Kaien could guess a little of what had happened.
"Actually, there is still someone. He often moves about within the Seireitei…" Rukia said, somewhat unable to bear it.
Shiba Kaien's eyes lit up. He did not remember the Shiba Clan having any other outstanding talents. "Who is it?"
"His name is Ichigo Kurosaki. He is Senior Isshin's son. He is currently active in both the World of the Living and Soul Society as a Substitute Shinigami."
"Kurosaki? That makes sense. Facing Aizen, Uncle Isshin really should have hidden his original surname." Shiba Kaien was still essentially Aaroniero, so he understood the situation in Las Noches and Aizen's strength as well.
"Wait! Rukia, you need to leave quickly. If Aizen discovers you, things will become troublesome."
Rukia was somewhat moved. Shiba Kaien was still Shiba Kaien. Even though he was no longer a lieutenant, he was still thinking of her safety.
"Don't worry, Shiba… Senior Kaien. We came to Las Noches precisely because of Aizen…"
Rukia and Shiba Kaien sat down cross-legged. Shiba Kaien asked questions, and Rukia explained, gradually telling him the purpose of their arrival in Las Noches.
…
Returning to the moment when Tsunayoshi and the others met Shiba Kaien, after learning that Rukia had already erased Aaroniero's remaining memories, everyone truly began to regard this person as Shiba Kaien.
"Senior Kaien, Rukia should have told you about my arrangements for you, right?" Tsunayoshi asked directly.
"Yes. But resurrection and the like still sound a little too unbelievable." Shiba Kaien scratched his head as he spoke.
"There's already a successful precedent. On top of that, your spiritual body has been preserved in a more complete state. Your success rate is much higher than Lady Kuchiki's."
"Of course, you can choose to continue living as you are now. After Rukia erased those memories, you have already gained complete control over this body."
"It's just that, at your core, you are still Aaroniero. Remember not to use Aaroniero's devouring ability. Once you devour other powers, other memories may appear and compete with you for control of the body."
Tsunayoshi had no intention of forcing Shiba Kaien to choose. Were it not for his very close relationship with Ichigo's family, he would not even have considered helping Shiba Kaien revive.
Now, the choice was entirely in Shiba Kaien's hands. No matter what he chose, Tsunayoshi would respect it.
Shiba Kaien also began to think. If he maintained his current state, he would possess considerable combat strength. Rukia had also said that the Quincies might destroy Soul Society in the future. With power, he could protect his family in Soul Society.
But if he chose to be revived, he would become an infant like Hisana Kuchiki. No matter how deep his understanding of Zanpakutō was, he would not be able to gain combat strength worthy of the battlefield in a short period of time.
"Um, Kaien… Brother…" Ichigo still called him that somewhat awkwardly. "Please believe in Tsunayoshi and Urahara . Only after being revived will you truly be Shiba Kaien."
"It's not that I don't believe them. It's just…" Shiba Kaien voiced his concerns.
"To be honest, your worries are completely unnecessary. If you were one of the higher-ranked Espada, there might be something to discuss. But the Ninth Espada's strength isn't enough to earn a seat at the table."
"Putting everything else aside, even if Rukia didn't use her Hollowfication ability, and even though she still hasn't learned Bankai, defeating Aaroniero would still be easy for her," Tsunayoshi said.
Tsunayoshi had not recklessly brought Rukia to Hueco Mundo. It was precisely because he truly acknowledged that Rukia had the ability to fight Aaroniero that he had brought her along.
"So that's how it is." Shiba Kaien smiled somewhat awkwardly. "Then I'll leave it to you two, Sawada Tsunayoshi, Kisuke Urahara!"
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