Hell Butterfly. That was the name of the little creature resting on Kōe's hand. The chime of a wind bell from earlier had come from it, though Kōe was the only one present who could hear it, indicating that this Hell Butterfly was looking specifically for him.
In the Soul Society, Hell Butterflies served as messengers for Shinigami to pass along information. At the same time, they acted as guides, leading the souls of the deceased from the living world to the Soul Society after a Shinigami performed Konso. They were one of a Shinigami's most vital tools.
This particular one had obviously come from the Seireitei. Kōe had no doubts about that; after all, within the Plains of Slaughter, messages were mostly relayed via smoke signals and Kidō. A slow-moving Hell Butterfly was far from the optimal choice.
And who in the Seireitei would be sending him a message? It wasn't hard to narrow down. Although many people had told him to keep in touch, the only ones who would actually contact him right now were Old Man Yama, or the duo of Yoruichi and Urahara.
Old Man Yama had stated he wouldn't initiate contact for a hundred and fifty years. As for the progress of his mission, that was entirely up to Kōe to manage. Therefore, this Hell Butterfly was almost certainly a token of concern from Yoruichi and Urahara.
The voice carried by the Hell Butterfly echoed in his mind. That familiar tone—it really was Yoruichi. At least she had some conscience!
"Dead-eyes! What the hell goes through your head all day?!" There was no expected care or comforting; there was only Yoruichi's furious scolding. "Are you covered in thorns? No, is your mouth full of thorns?! Can't you keep that garbage mouth of yours shut?!"
"Holy crap!" Kōe couldn't help but curse out loud. Getting chewed out right off the bat was completely different from what he had imagined!
As for why Yoruichi was yelling at him, Kōe knew perfectly well. His actions at the temporary encampment had definitely reached the Seireitei.
Normally in these situations, the Shinigami in the Plains of Slaughter would just send a brief summary of events back to the Seireitei. But looking at it now, the other party hadn't just reported the incident; they had relayed every single word he said verbatim. What was this, a toddler tattling to the teacher?
The so-called temporary encampment was the same one Uesawa had taken him to when Kōe first entered the Plains of Slaughter. As for what happened, it was just a farce from back then.
At the time, there was a guy mocking him. Although he had announced his name, Kōe had already forgotten what it was, only remembering that he was the 5th Seat of Squad 5. The reason for his trash talk, aside from looking down on Kōe, was his desire to stand up for Shikaon Susumu.
One person talking trash wasn't really a big deal. Having experienced all sorts of pressure from superiors in his past life, Kōe naturally didn't care much about it. But when the others present found out he was Shihouin Kōe, and learned of his exploits in the Seireitei, they began a collective crusade against him. That was when the situation changed.
The problem still lay with that 5th Seat. The power of the collective seemed to give him an inexplicable surge of courage, making him increasingly pushy. Spitting in Kōe's face as he spoke was one thing, but he kept jabbing his finger fiercely at Kōe's forehead, almost poking him right in the eye!
At that point, Kōe had no intention of holding back. Adhering to the principle that a gentleman uses his words and not his fists, he fired back a few insults at the 5th Seat to express his feelings. However, his trash talk was a bit too potent. He launched an indiscriminate area-of-effect attack, outright stating that Squad 5 was a garbage collection agency, filling their ranks with nothing but trash, truly living up to the title of the Seireitei's premier waste disposal center.
"Sympathizing with garbage like Shikaon Susumu, is that just a case of trash recognizing trash?" Having gotten carried away with his rant, Kōe ended his venting with a veiled sneer. And it was this exact sentence that made things go sideways.
If the first part only flamed Squad 5, the latter sentence managed to offend every other squad except Squad 1 and Squad 2. Well, maybe Squad 11 was excluded too, since Uesawa and Yamagata were too busy agonizing over whether they were too weak or if the rookie was just too strong to have any time to sympathize with Shikaon Susumu.
In short, the sheer power and blast radius of that verbal nuke far exceeded Kōe's expectations. His original intent was solely to target that 5th Seat, but at that moment, no one was willing to listen to his explanation. Or rather, he didn't even get the chance to explain.
That 5th Seat immediately swung a slap right at him, claiming Kōe didn't know how to respect his seniors and that he was going to teach him a lesson on behalf of the Head Captain.
To this, Kōe could only scoff. Setting aside whether this guy even had the qualifications to discipline him on Old Man Yama's behalf, if that slap had actually landed, Old Man Yama would probably beat Kōe to death once he found out, or order him to commit seppuku! Kōe felt the latter was far more likely.
So, naturally, the slap never connected. Kōe simply grabbed the man's hand and twisted it, accidentally failing to pull his strength and snapping the guy's arm in the process. That should have been the end of it, but the 5th Seat wasn't deterred in the slightest. He made a move to draw his Zanpakutō, looking as if he wanted to cleave Kōe in two.
Seeing the opponent trying to draw his blade, Kōe was a step faster. He swept the man's legs out from under him, grabbed his head, and smashed it straight into the ground, leaving a crater. The 5th Seat promptly passed out, and the temporary encampment gained yet another new patient.
Once the fight broke out, there was no turning back. That crowd wasn't about to engage in self-reflection; they just relentlessly slapped labels on Kōe—terrible personality, disrespectful to seniors, a bully relying on his backing, and so on—before kicking him out of the temporary encampment.
Even as he was being driven out, Kōe was baffled. A bully relying on his backing? Didn't I just purely subdue him with martial prowess? Did they actually think the reason they couldn't beat him was because they were afraid of the Head Captain? It was a miracle they had survived this long with that kind of mindset!
But regardless, he was the one kicked out of the camp, and his reputation was completely ruined. However, Kōe didn't really care about such things. He was essentially acting out on imperial orders this time. Once the mission was over and the truth came to light, wouldn't his reputation just bounce right back?
The events at the temporary encampment spread across the Plains of Slaughter at an astonishing speed—all four sectors! At the same time, the news reached the Seireitei and subsequently spread throughout the entire Soul Society.
Over the years, Kōe had been ignored by passing Shinigami more than once while fighting Hollows. Even Shinigami who rushed over after hearing the commotion would immediately turn around and leave, as if the two sides existed in completely different dimensions.
Even when seeking medical treatment in the Rukongai, the stationed Shinigami refused to offer any help. He had no choice but to find places run by commoners to recover on his own. He wasn't exactly a rat crossing the street with everyone shouting to beat him, but he was treated like a filth-covered beggar that no one wanted to approach. That was Kōe's current situation.
However, Yoruichi's next words made him realize that his words hadn't just been relayed verbatim; the rumors circulating in the Seireitei contained far more than what he had actually said! Things like, "I am the crown prince of the Seireitei," and "It's a miracle that trash like you could even become Shinigami," and so on. Hearing it made him want to slap himself.
No wonder those people ignored him. So that was why!
Kōe was speechless. That guy really just made things up on the spot, didn't he? The level of artistic embellishment was way too exaggerated! He had previously thought the people who turned and walked away were being too petty, but thinking about it now, the fact that they hadn't teamed up with the Hollows to beat him up showed incredible restraint and was truly commendable!
According to Yoruichi's account, many people in the Seireitei now felt that Shihouin Kōe's temperament made him unfit to be a Shinigami. If he was allowed to continue roaming free, he would inevitably become a major threat to the Seireitei in the future!
People visited the Head Captain's quarters in Squad 1 almost every day. At first, Old Man Yama would meet with a couple of them, but eventually, his ears grew calluses from hearing the exact same complaints, so he stopped seeing anyone altogether.
Although he didn't state it explicitly, Old Man Yama's actions had already made his stance clear. Or rather, people assumed that Kōe's expressed attitude was actually Yamamoto's attitude.
If Shihouin Kōe was the crown prince, then what kind of existence did that make Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni? Everyone could guess, but no one dared to say it out loud.
"The atmosphere in the Seireitei is incredibly oppressive right now. It started with you, and now everyone is second-guessing Old Man Yama's intentions. It's making everyone paranoid."
At this point, Yoruichi's tone was filled with melancholy. Kōe even detected a hint of anxiety, though he wasn't sure if it was just his imagination.
"My father, and the old man from the Kuchiki clan, and..." Yoruichi listed a few names absentmindedly before shouting as if she had had enough, "Can't you just come back for a bit and explain yourself properly?! Tell them you just have a garbage mouth and don't have any ulterior motives! No, wait, you actually hit someone too! This is so annoying!!!"
Listening to Yoruichi's wails echoing in his mind, Kōe couldn't help but smile bitterly. 'Is she afraid that in the worst-case scenario, we'll end up crossing blades? Can't she have a little faith in me?'
"Forget it, you'd better not come back right now. Let Old Man Yama clean up this mess himself!"
After a moment of silence, Yoruichi's voice returned to his mind. "As for you, take a good hard look at your own stupidity! Do you have any idea what kind of opportunity you just lost because of this? The Soul King Palace! The Soul King Palace! You could have come with us, but now, you can just rot in the Rukongai!"
The Soul King Palace was the residence of the Soul King, the creator of the Soul Society. Legend had it that it floated high above the Seireitei, while others claimed it existed in a separate, independent dimension. But no matter where it was, it was a sacred place in the hearts of all Shinigami.
As a sacred ground, the Soul King Palace wasn't a place a Shinigami could just visit on a whim. Generally speaking, only those promoted to Squad 0 earned the right to enter. The only other possibility was a private summons from the Soul King, which was primarily aimed at the genius Shinigami within the Seireitei.
That being said, the geniuses who received private summons were usually the heirs of the Five Great Noble Clans, and only those who were absolute prodigies among them would be called upon.
But judging by Yoruichi's words, he had originally been on the list of invitees this time. He hadn't expected that. Still, it was whatever. It wasn't like he hadn't seen the Soul King Palace in his past life.
"Even though I can't see your face right now, I bet you're gnashing your teeth in absolute regret! Hahaha!"
He wasn't exactly gnashing his teeth, but Kōe was genuinely full of regret right now! That was the Soul King Palace! Sure, he had seen it in his past life, but he had never been there in person! He wanted to go. He really wanted to go! Unfortunately, that ship had sailed.
At this moment, Kōe had somewhat forgotten that he hadn't come to the Plains of Slaughter as a punishment.
In reality, Yamamoto had been the one to decline the Soul King's private summons on his behalf. The reason, naturally, was that Kōe needed to execute his mission; he was an indispensable part of the Head Captain's grand future plan. So, regardless of whether that incident had happened or not, he wouldn't have been able to go to the Soul King Palace anyway.
"I'm not sure how long Urahara and I will be staying at the Soul King Palace this time. We might not even be back by the time you return to the Seireitei, so there's no need to write us back!"
Kōe patted his chest to smooth out his breathing. 'I can't stoop to the level of a child. I am a man destined for great things. Destined for great things.'
"Oh right, Urahara is here too. Do you have anything you want to say to him?" Yoruichi's voice faded from his mind for a moment, replaced by Urahara's cheerful tone. "Not much to say, really. Kōe, make sure you rehabilitate well and turn over a new leaf!"
Great. They hadn't learned anything else from him, but they sure picked up his modern slang perfectly. Still, the phrase was actually quite fitting for him right now.
The problem was, Kōe suspected these two idiots didn't even understand what "turn over a new leaf" actually meant! Well, he had himself to blame for that. After all, his explanation back then was that it meant training hard to completely reinvent one's strength!
Before Kōe's face could darken entirely, Yoruichi's voice returned. "You hear that? Rehabilitate well and turn over a new leaf! Since you're already out there, don't just slack off in the Rukongai. Take some initiative and go temper yourself in the Plains of Slaughter!"
Kōe's mouth twitched uncontrollably. Just how pathetic was he in their eyes?! Why did they think garrisoning the Rukongai was a vacation? Was their supposed mutual trust completely gone?
"But you should be careful too. Don't accidentally get hammered to death by a Hollow. Even though we're going to the Soul King Palace to train and our strength will definitely skyrocket, don't worry, we won't abandon you! Even if you can't become a Captain, I can still save the Lieutenant seat of Squad 2 for you! Don't feel too much pressure!"
He had actually felt a little touched for a second, but who knew she would follow it up with such mockery? This was... this was just going too far! Kōe didn't even listen to the rest of her farewell before shaking the Hell Butterfly off his hand.
"So what if you're going to the Soul King Palace?!"
Okay, it was actually a big deal. Especially for people like Yoruichi and Urahara; they would definitely gain a lot from going to the Soul King Palace.
But even if they went to the Soul King Palace, it didn't guarantee they would surpass him, right? Kōe was baffled. Did those two really not realize how massive the gap between them was?
Thinking about it more carefully, Kōe realized that Yoruichi and Urahara genuinely might not know, considering the grand theatrical performance he had put on during the graduation ceremony.
But that wasn't the main issue. The main issue was, why did they think he would get hammered to death by a Hollow? He had literally just beaten eleven of them to death!
At this point, Kōe's thoughts were completely derailed. Between the regret of missing out on the Soul King Palace and the indignation of being looked down upon by his best friends, he desperately needed an outlet. He wanted to fight ten more Hollows just to show those two idiots exactly who needed to be careful!
Perhaps the heavens heard his inner plea. At that moment, a sharp whistle echoed from the distance as a green orb of light, trailing a long tail, slowly climbed into the far eastern sky.
A Shinigami distress signal. It was the first time he had seen one in all these years. The corners of Kōe's mouth curled up as he vanished from his spot. Under the setting sun, a black silhouette flickered across the plains, streaking straight toward the east at an astonishing speed.
Speak of the devil and he shall appear. Kōe couldn't help but feel a surge of dark satisfaction. 'No, it's more like: Your order of Hollows has arrived!'
'Coach, I want to fight ten more! No, twenty!'
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