Thousands of years ago
(?'s POV)
The air crackled with the suppressed power of the Gotei 13, a line of defiance that was, to his superior mind, admirable in its futility.
Yamamoto's rage filtered through the air like an inferno. His staff were his Zanpakuto was being held held tightly until his knuckles became white
He eyed the rest of the captains of the Gotei 13, knowing each and every one of their abilities. They were powerful pieces, but he had calculated their every move.
All except for one
His gaze was drawn past them, to the man who stood as the unshakable cornerstone of their defense. In the middle of them
He stood slightly apart, a picture of utter calm.
Platinum hair, crimson eyes hidden behind glasses, his hand resting on the hilt of a sheathed Zanpakuto
Kenpachi Akira. The Fourth Kenpachi. The Captain that has been in the Gotei 13 for hundreds of years, received challenge after challenge for his title and position. All beaten by his blade.
The Unbeatable Kenpachi.
A title spoken with profound, unwavering respect. A man so powerful his presence itself gave him weight, and that was without releasing his Reiatsu.
Aizen instantly knew that he was his most powerful adversary in the fight. Little is known about his abilites, little is known about his power.
Yet everyone in the Gotei 13, knew that no matter what happened, Kenpachi Akira would deal with any problem that threatened the Gotei 13.
That's why he has his second alias, "The Court's Blade"
Yet for that same reason, is that Kenpachi Akira's presence has more weight now, he is usually under orders of the Gotei 13 of not acting
From what he had managed to gather from the Great Spirit Book Gallery, every tale of his actions caused massacres all around the Soul Society.
And Central 46 seeing that he couldn't be allowed to move freely, issued an order
"For Kenpachi Akira to act, it first have to be approved by Central 46 directly"
He saw the creasing of the brows on Yamamoto's face. The old man already knew what was going to happen, why they were brought there. Why they brought the Kenpachi here
A thrill of anticipation coursed through Aizen
Perfect.
They had placed all their faith in this one pillar. To shatter it would break their spirits utterly
He descended, the Hōgyoku's power a symphony within his chest, integrating into his soul. Feeding him an unearthly amount of power
A triumphant smile graced his lips. With the Hōgyoku's power, nothing would stand on his way, not even the "Unbeatable Kenpachi"
This would show them the futility of their resistance, and cement his divinity on their minds
"You brought Kenpachi Akira here, in hopes of stopping me" Aizen began, his voice echoing with amusement, his gaze fixed on the Kenpachi. "A quite logical action. Yet futile. To crush your champion will be the final proof of my power. I should thank you for ordering him to step forward. It saves me the trouble"
He was waiting for the legendary power to reveal itself so he could dismantle it. He would probe his superiority by defeating their most valuable asset
The Kenpachi didn't tense. He passively stared at him, his red-eyes not showing a bit of emotion
Then, he simply turned his head a fraction, his crimson eyes shifting from Aizen to the old man who commanded the Gotei 13.
His voice was a low and calm, yet the authority behind his words could not be ignored
"Yamamoto-dono" Kenpachi Akira said. "Has it been authorized?"
Kenpachi Akira probably already knew the answer, but in a manner of cordiality, he asked.
Genryūsai Yamamoto did not hesitate. His voice, gravelly and thick with the weight of the position he held, boomed out
"By the decree of Central 46, Article 1-A, lethal force is hereby authorized."
The words hung in the air, the words that everyone has been expecting him to say
"Kenpachi Akira, you are authorized to move"
With a few words, he has released the beast
The reaction from the Gotei 13 was a unified, sharp intake of breath, a wave of immense relief and grim finality.
For them, the battle was as good as over.
Aizen's smile froze, then faltered
Something was wrong. He had a strange feeling that something was very wrong. The Hōgyoku in his chest thumbed with a warning, trying to tell him something.
Kenpachi Akira's gaze returned to Aizen. The expression in his eyes changed
Then, a cold feeling coursed through Aizen, he didn't felt Reiatsu, or any sort of change. But those crimson orbs stared right at him
A weight landed on Aizen's shoulders. Beside him, he saw Tousen and Gin's forehead feel with sweat.
Kenpachi Akira moved forward, a hand grabbing the hilt of his Zanpakuto
"You caused many headaches to the Gotei 13, unluckily for you Aizen, you managed to make them send me"
Aizen blink, and Kenpachi Akira disappeared. It shouldn't have been possible, since Aizen's speed is unmatched in all Soul Society, not even the Flash Goddess could match his speed.
Yet when he extended his senses, and Kenpachi Akira was behind him.
Aizen's eyes, perceiving on a level beyond any other, widened in a microsecond of pure, primal shock.
His mind, capable of devising the most devious plans and schemes, froze for a second.
He moved to turn, but then his body stopped
It all happened in just in a matter of seconds.
First, He saw the Kenpachi's hand tense on the hilt. And then he wasn't there, now he is standing right behind him
Then, it came.
There was no flash of light. No roar of energy. Only sound. A single, clean, definitive shink
It was the sound of a blade moving at extreme velocity
Aizen's vision tilted.
The world spun. He managed to see the faces of the captains, those he had betrayed. Their expressions of solemn acknowledgment. Like they were mourning him, pitying him
He saw his own body, still standing, the Hōgyoku's light flickering and dying on his chest.
'What....just happened?' The thought was a final, pathetic spark. 'Did I...just lose?'
The Hōgyoku's power surged in a desperate, futile attempt to rewrite his fate
It failed.
His head landed on the cracked earth with a soft, final thud. A second later, a couple more of wet thuds fell right beside him.
Then, he saw the bodies of his Arrancar falling to the ground as well, dissolving into nothingness
His eyes, facing upward, saw Kenpachi Akira looking down at him.
The Kenpachi's crimson eyes held no triumpth. Winning against him didn't even register in his eyes
Kenpachi Akira let out a soft sigh, the sound echoing in the sudden, absolute silence.
"A nuisance, that was all you amounted to, Aizen" he muttered, the words stabbing right into Aizen's ears
Then, he turned his back. He walked away, sheathing his Zanpakuto with a quiet click.
Sōsuke Aizen, a being who sought to reshape creation, to occupy the throne of that lynchpin of creation, could only watch the soles of his killer's sandals walk away
The last thing his mind could thing, was what went wrong. What mistake did he make?
He training since he was young, his talent surparssing everyone in the Gotei 13. Reaching a level in centuries that other would reach after a millenia fo training.
And yet, he is now laying on the ground, his final thoughts circling around how easily he was defeated.
How Kenpachi Akira proved how his titles were well earned.
He had never been anything but a nuisance for the Kenpachi. And now, he was nothing at all.
------------------------
(Hiratsuka Shizuka's POV)
A silence followed after drinking a little bit more, was not awkward in any way
It was… nice
She didn't ask much after that, but she got to feel happy that her interest might (Big MIGHT) go somewhere in the future
The ice in her glass gave a soft clink as she set it down, the sound strangely loud in the intimate space between them
Akira's gaze had drifted away from her, back to his tea cup, but not dismissing her entirely.
She at least manage to get conversation out of the stoic teacher, and that is much more than other could say
The owner drifted over, a silent question in his raised eyebrows
Shizuka shook her head minutely; no more whiskey.
Akira gave a slight shake of his head as well when the owner glanced at his half-full cup of tea.
"So" Shizuka said, her voice softer than she intended. She traced the rim of her glass with a finger. "The quiet life. Does it include accepting invitations from persistent colleagues more often?"
She was pushing again. She knew it. But the moment had made her brave, or foolish, or both.
He didn't look at her, but that same, almost-smile from before touched his lips. It was a little less ghostly this time. A little more real.
"It all depends on the state of the company" He replied, his tone dry but not unkind. He finally lifted his tea cup and took a slow, deliberate sip. "Based on the quality of the conversation and the lack of unnecessary noise, preferentially a more private place"
With that he turned his eyes to the side, signalling the bar with his eyes.
Ah, he doesn't like bars, got it. Now she knows that next time she mustn't take him to a bar.
Which actually make the list of places she wanted to bring him to go down like 80%. Still, there is a lot of places she had planned for a date.
Of course, all hypotheticals. Places she read online and thought to herself "It would be nice if a guy brought me here"
Not that everyone ever fucking did
Shizuka couldn't help a small growl that escaped her before calming down "I'll have to try to invite you to a less noisy place, Yoshioka-san"
"The place isn't the problem, Hiratsuka-sensei" He said, and this time he did look at her. "It is just that, as you can see, I tend to attract attention to myself more often than not, and that brings a sort of, unwanted situations that are far beyond my control"
She turned and saw a handful of women looking intensely at Akira. One of them was with a man, so seemingly a couple. And the man had a frown as he saw his partner stare to Akira
Oh, she gets it know, she has seen situation like that in movies and manga. Men so insecure of themselves that when another more handsome appears and steal the attention of the girls, they lash out and look for trouble
"Can't blame them" Shizuka said "Right beside you most men would feel insecure"
Akira turned to her raising an eyebrow
'Shit, was that too bold?!'
"I could say the same for you, most men would be jealous of me having a company such as you, Hiratsuka-sensei"
It was the closest thing to a compliment she could imagine him giving, and it sent a warm flush through her.
This was… nice.
He was an enigma
Intensely private? yes.
Mysteriosly attractive? Yes as well.
Did that rock off her mind trying to piece him together? Of fucking course it did
But he was also just a colleague, one she has known for about 4 months
A handsome, intriguing, mysterious colleague who she doesn't know jack-shit about.
Who knows? He could be wanted in an African country as a warlord and War Criminal
Should she use her family connections to dig around and see what she can find?
No. She won't, that would be too rude. He has been nothing but amicable and cordial
The bar's light turned on. The evening had deepened outside the windows.
Akira looked at the window, something catched his attention, placed his cup down with a final-sounding click. "The hour has grown late, Hiratsuka-sensei," He stated, though it didn't feel like a dismissal "We have papers to grade by Monday"
She laughed again, she has heard ones like that before, but most times they were just to run away and left her with the check, ghosting her from then on "Don't remind me. Essay questions are my personal version of hell"
A faint glimmer of what might have been understanding, or shared suffering, flickered in his eyes. "Indeed"
He reached for his pocket, pulling out a couple of bills
"Hey, I said I would invite you" Shizuka stated, stopping him from pulling a couple of Yen notes
"Yes, you said that, but it would be discourteous for you to pay by yourself, at the very least, let me pay my part"
"Haa, okay then" She sighed
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
They walked out of bar into the cool night air
The walk back was as silent as the walk there, but it felt different for her.
She had made the first step, out of a dozen
The distance between the two was closer than it was before, not quite as she expected or wished, but she can't rush things like these, it was just a first date (At least is a Date for her).
It wasn't what she wanted, but it she'll take it
They reached a point where they would separate
He stopped and gave her a small, formal bow.
"Thank you for the company, Hiratsuka-sensei" He said, nodded at her
"Thank you for the accepting, Yoshioka-san" She replied, smiling. It felt like the end of a perfectly normal, if unusually pleasant, evening between coworkers.
She would change coworkers title in the future
He turned to leave.
"Yoshioka-san" she called out.
He paused, half-turning back to her, a question in his raised eyebrow
"Try to get some rest," She said, her breath forming a small cloud in the night air. "Those essays won't grade themselves."
For a heartbeat, he was perfectly still.
Then, he gave a single, slow nod, the streetlight catching the faintest hint of something in his expression, she couldn't quite get it, but it wasn't bad
"I will try" He said.
And then he was gone, walking away with that quiet, purposeful stride of his.
Shizuka stood on the street corner for a moment longer, watching him go.
It was a start. And for now, that was more than enough.
She left with a final thought
'Damn, he also has a nice ass'
Well, she nows what she will be doing later
------------------------
(?'s POV)
The moon hung over Soubu High, painting the empty streets in silver. Perfect. A grin spread across his face. His first night in his new world. His new life.
The [Gamer's Mind] skill kept him calm, but honestly, he didn't need it. The thrill was too real. This was it.
His isekai moment. No more grinding through a soul-crushing job.
Here, with his knowledge of tropes and his system, he was a god. The stats, the skills, the girls… it was all a game waiting for him to start.
He leaned against the cold metal of the school gate, pulling up his interface. The blue holographic screen glowed in the darkness, a personal window to his power.
Name: Li Wei
Level: 1
Title: The Heaven-Defying Reborn
VIT: 10 - (Health, Stamina, Resilience) (Still weak)
STR: 10 - (Physical Power, Lift Capacity) (Frail Mortal)
AGI: 10 - (Speed, Reflexes, Coordination) (Slower than a turtle)
INT: 15 - (Intelligence, Memory, Mental Processing) (A true Genius!)
CHR: 20 - (Charisma, Persuasion, Social Attraction) (Destined for greatness!)
Magnificent, he thought. Absolutely magnificent.
So what if his body was still weak? That high INT would let him find clever ways to power-level. And that phenomenal CHR stat?
The world would practically throw itself at his feet, protecting him until he grew stronger. He was already planning his ascent.
Would he walk the path of a mighty cultivator in this modern world? Or perhaps become a legendary businessman with a harem of beautiful heroines? The possibilities, calculated by his superior intellect, were endless.
A flicker. A static glitch marred the edge of the screen for a nanosecond. He blinked. A temporary bug. This inferior system just needs to stabilize. His high INT assured him it was nothing to worry about
He focused back on his plans. He'd find the main cast tomorrow. For now, he'd just bask in the—
A voice spoke from directly behind him. Calm. Quiet. And so close it felt like it bypassed his ears and formed inside his mind. "You're loitering."
Li Wei jumped, his heart seizing. He spun around, an arrogant retort on his lips. Who dares to interrupt this young master's—
The words turned to ash in his mouth.
His [Gamer's Mind] skill didn't just keep him calm. It shattered.
WARNING! WARNING!
CRITICAL SYSTEM ERROR!
<<
<<
The blue screen flashed crimson, glitching violently, pixels screaming and dying.
Status windows popped open and collapsed uncontrollably, a cascade of digital failure.
The neat descriptions beside his stats dissolved into chaotic error messages.
NAME: #NULL!
LEVEL: #DIV/0!
TITLE: ERROR_ENTITY
VIT: #NULL! - <<
STR: #NULL! - <<
AGI: #NULL! - <<
INT: #NULL! - <<
CHR: #NULL! - <<
And in the center of the visual and mental storm, was him.
A young adult, by the look of it.
Platinum hair almost glowing under the moon. Glasses covering his crimson-red eyes. A normal person in all purpose, except for maybe his handsome appearance.
But that's where any sense of normalcy was incinerated by the system's panic.
He wasn't doing anything. He was just… looking. And his eyes.
Deep, like a bottomless abyss.
Li Wei's glitching [Observe] skill spat out a single, terrifying line before it crashed completely.
<<
<<
His newfound arrogance, his heaven-defying confidence, his entire understanding of reality as his personal stage—evaporated.
His high INT was useless, providing no analysis, no strategy.
His phenomenal CHR was a joke, generating no charm, no favor.
His AGI was too low to let him run, his STR too pathetic to fight.
The system was his golden finger, his proof of destiny. And it was having a full-blown meltdown because of him.
This wasn't a character he recognized
And his stats turned incoherent, and it all started by this man's presence.
"I—I was just appreciating the night—" he stammered, his voice a pathetic warble, his high CHR utterly failing him. The system alarm was a silent scream in his head.
The man didn't react to his panic. Didn't seem to notice his glitching, flickering interface.
Those deep, weary eyes simply looked through him. He wasn't even annoyed. Li Wei was just a momentary distraction. Irrelevant.
The man walked past.
Relief, cold and dizzying, washed over Li Wei. He was being ignored. Dismissed. His heart began to slow.
The system's alarms faded to a dull, terrified thrum. He was safe. He was—
The man stopped.
He didn't turn around. He simply came to a halt a few paces away, his back to the terrified young man.
"To think..." The man murmured, his voice so low it was almost inaudible, yet it carried with the weight and a hint of something more "Someone like you would dare to get into my reality and try to change it to his desires"
Li Wei's blood ran cold. He knew. He could see it. He could see everything!
Before a single coherent thought could form, before he could even think to beg for mercy, the man acted
It wasn't a movement that could be tracked. One moment he was standing still. The next, he was simply facing Li Wei, having moved without a single action being done
Of more likely, moving so fast not even his mind could register it
His crimson eyes were no longer bored.
They were focused with an intensity that felt like being physically pierced. In that gaze, Li Wei saw his own end, his own life flash on his eyes
The man's hand moved. A casual, almost dismissive flick of his wrist, as if swatting a fly.
Li Wei's [Gamer's Mind] shattered completely. The last thing he heard was not a sound, but the silent, final shink and then his body losing all feeling
There was no pain. No impact. There was only just moment where he was standing, and the next one he couldn't feel even the air
The last thing he saw before fully fading away was the glitching system crashing into incoherent texts
------------------------
(Third Person POV)
Yoshioka Akira stood alone under the moonlight. Staring into the remains of what could have been an Isekai protagonist, or more specifically, a transmigrator, seeing the hints of Chinese ancestry on the boy
But still, every time he purges one of these...interlopers, they leave a hint of themselves into the world
The act of the reincarnator's insertion, however brief, had tugged on the threads of fate surrounding this place, threatening to rewrite the futures of countless individuals connected to this school and to this world
A clumsy, arrogant rewrite he would not permit.
He lifted his head, his crimson eyes seeing far beyond the physical world.
To him, the night air was not empty. It was woven with countless shimmering, invisible lines
The threads of destiny, of cause and effect, of potential futures.
One of these lines, connected to the space where the transmigrator had briefly existed, was frayed, glowing with a sickly, unstable light.
It was already trying to latch onto other fates, to force a new fates where that boy was the protagonist.
Influencing many other characters, changing their inhibitions and personality to match the desires of the ideals of the boy
Akira extended a hand into the empty air.
His fingers closed slightly. They did not close on nothing. They closed on the frayed, glowing line of fate itself, a strand only he could perceive.
He could feel the potential futures trying to branch from it
The forced meetings, the altered relationships, the stolen moments.
A vulgar rewrite.
With the patience of a master weaver mending a torn tapestry, he gently pulled on the thread.
The unstable light flared for a moment, resisting, then went dark and still under his touch. With a final, subtle pluck, he severed the frayed line entirely.
The corrupted thread dissolved into motes of intangible light that faded into nothing.
The tapestry of fate settled back into its proper pattern. The damage had been contained, the anomaly corrected.
Akira lowered his hand. He let out a soft, weary sigh, then stared out into the night sky
Another nuisance dealt with.
"This is the third one, curious" He stated
He turned and walked away from Soubu High, his form melting into the shadows, leaving behind a night that was once again peaceful