Because the reishi pressure emitted by the Menos Grande was too strong, all their reishi-constructed communication devices were destroyed.
They hadn't heard any sound from the other side at all.
Although they knew help would arrive, they never expected such a scene.
—The Menos Grande was instantly killed!
This level of strength... must be at least Vice-Captain level or higher! For Kiyone Kotetsu, this was truly overwhelming.
The gap in status was like a star compared to the sun...
To be saved by such a person would be a proud story to tell once they returned to Soul Society.
"Tenth Division, Tsugikuni Yoriichi," Tsugikuni Yoriichi said slowly.
Kiyone Kotetsu nodded, her eyes gradually brightening.
Just then, she saw the Captain's haori fluttering in the wind behind Shiba Isshin, further solidifying her inner guess.
Facing Tsugikuni Yoriichi, she tentatively asked, "Senior, you... must be a Vice-Captain, right?"
"..."
"No..." Tsugikuni Yoriichi didn't finish his sentence.
Shiba Isshin stepped forward, coughed lightly twice, and interrupted:
"Hey, hey, hey, don't ignore me! I'm a Captain, after all."
"Seriously, how did you manage to steal all the glory in the end, kid?"
He looked at Yoriichi, a hint of emotion mixed with his joking tone, "If I had known, I would have gone myself."
"Using your ability here is such a waste. Speaking of which... exposing it so casually, should be fine, right?"
"Do you want me to handle it for you?"
"...No need."
Yoriichi gently shook his head; he understood the meaning behind Shiba Isshin's words.
However, "A clear conscience fears no knock on the door."
The essence of judgment is to adjudicate the karma accumulated by a being throughout its life.
Stepping on an ant is karma, and killing a person is also karma.
The weight of karma differs, and the pull of hell will increase or decrease depending on the situation.
It seems to have a singular effect, but it is not his only ability.
"Is that so?" Shiba Isshin rubbed his chin.
Estimating that Tsugikuni Yoriichi wasn't the kind of misanthropic person, he then put his worries aside.
He was mainly afraid that Tsugikuni Yoriichi would use the ability of this sword to indiscriminately reap the lives of Shinigami or Hollows.
An overly extreme personality is not suitable for positions above Seat Officer.
Some people might even be imprisoned to prevent them from disrupting the order of Seireitei.
Over the past thousand years, no fewer than a hundred Shinigami have experienced such things.
"Um..."
Seeing the two of them silent and the atmosphere somewhat awkward, Kiyone Kotetsu tentatively spoke:
"Seniors, if I may interject, what should we do next?"
"Do we need to erase the memories of the surrounding humans?"
"No need to erase them," Shiba Isshin replied, nodding to Kiyone Kotetsu.
"Your job is merely to protect the order of the Human World."
"Do not interfere with anything in the Human World unless there is clear damage caused."
"Like the earthquake caused by that Menos Grande today, you can erase human memories, but you cannot erase the event itself."
"If they wake up and find they've forgotten about it, it will surely cause a significant disturbance, which is not conducive to the Shinigami's concealment..."
"Besides, there's nothing to hide about an earthquake."
"You can go back now," Shiba Isshin observed the group.
"When you return, remember to tell your Captain about this and have him be careful."
"A Menos Grande appearing in the Human World is incredibly rare. I also need to go back and report this to the Captain-Commander."
"If there are no objections, let's part ways."
"You there, come over."
He called the Tenth Division members mixed in with the Thirteenth Division, then turned and led everyone away.
...
"Tsugikuni Yoriichi..."
"Is he a Vice-Captain or a Seat Officer after all?"
Kiyone Kotetsu watched their receding figures, feeling a bit upset that she hadn't gotten the answer she wanted.
That Tenth Division Captain, really, why did he have to leave so quickly? Doesn't he know the situation in Seireitei is very grim right now?
The male-female ratio is severely imbalanced, with some Division Shinigami clamouring to transfer to the Fourth Division.
Because that's the medical Division, and the male-female ratio there is 3:7, far exceeding the 8:2 of other Divisions.
Although she was still young this year, she understood the importance of planning.
She didn't want to end up like her sister, over a hundred years old without even a partner.
"I'll just have to inquire slowly."
"Perhaps Captain Ukitake knows."
"Oh, these two are hard to choose between."
Both men were excellent catches, but the power of choice often doesn't belong to the weaker party, so her ideas were destined to fall through.
However, the current Kiyone Kotetsu was unaware, still thinking that if Captain Ukitake didn't know, she would ask her sister.
Her sister, under the command of the most popular Captain Retsu Unohana, should know a lot about Seireitei.
Casually adjusting her white gloves, Kiyone Kotetsu entered the Dangai with the other Shinigami.
Soon after, she returned to the Thirteenth Division and reported the incident in full to her Captain, Jūshirō Ukitake.
Jūshirō Ukitake was a young-looking man with white hair, long hair draped over his shoulders, and gentle eyes like spring water.
His body seemed somewhat frail; he was currently lying in a pavilion, coughing softly.
A cup of tea sat beside him, already cooled by the wind.
Listening to Kiyone Kotetsu recount the events in the Human World, he slowly propped himself up, his voice as calm as possible:
"You've truly worked hard, Kiyone. I'm very relieved that you were able to return safely."
"Regarding this matter, I will report it to the Captain-Commander later."
"Although you were the ones rescued, the credit for discovering the Menos Grande will not be small..."
"It's no trouble," Kiyone Kotetsu said softly, "This is what we should do."
"However, Captain, never mind the credit. When I encountered the Menos Grande, I was only thinking of protecting myself."
"This goes against the duty of a Shinigami... I should rightfully be punished."
"No," Jūshirō Ukitake slowly shook his head.
"Self-preservation is a human instinct; you don't need to feel guilty."
"Everyone feels fear. It's enough to do your utmost."
"The fact that you didn't run away means you are a qualified Shinigami... Kiyone, I'm proud of you."
Kiyone Kotetsu's expression shifted slightly.
Then.
She heard again.
"As for the person you mentioned, I should know him. If I'm not mistaken, he's probably the Third Seat of the Tenth Division."
"I don't know about his abilities, but his strength is outstanding. He just enrolled this year, passed the professional exam, and graduated successfully in two months."
"He had Third Grade reishi upon enrollment."
"A standard Captain-level prodigy, even stronger than I was back then. The teachers seem to admire him greatly."
"Third Grade?" Kiyone Kotetsu's eyes widened suddenly. This was somewhat unbelievable! She had never seen, no, she had never even heard of such a thing.
The strongest Shinigami from her cohort only had Seventh Grade reishi upon enrollment.
Years passed, and now he was the Seventh Seat of the Eighth Division.
It seemed like a high position.
But the actual difference...
Was unimaginable.