Chereads / BLEACH: The Dusk In Red / Chapter 72 - Can You Hear Me?

Chapter 72 - Can You Hear Me?

One of the Vasto Lordes managed to sneak up into the colosseum. Once it did though, it was immediately met by both instructors Mugen and Ryu. They hadn't fought a hollow in a long time, so that itch they had for battle was about to be satisfied.

Ryu threw a powerful kick at it, which launched it out of the colosseum, all the way back to the ground. Mugen then flash-stepped behind it as he drew his Zanpakutō.

In the single instance he drew his sword, a flurry of stabs pierced several holes in it's body. Before it could die, it released a blast of Reiatsu which forced him to retreat.

The second its output dropped however, Ryu flash stepped in front of him for the kill.

"Zetten!"

With a single chopping motion, the hollows head was decapitated.

"I'd like to go kill more but... we need to stay here and protect those kids. For now lets just keep doing our jobs."

Despite normally being the brash one, Ryu had a level head. Mugen's attention on the other-hand, was focused elsewhere. Apart from Shunsui, he was the only one that had noticed the Grandmasters disappearance. It made him worried.

-- A several years ago

It hadn't been that long after Instructor Mugen lost his eye to Kenpachi. The wound he had was still fresh, however his drive to teach anymore had almost disappeared.

Other teachers of the Zanjutsu department, were gossiping about this.

"Did you hear? Zanjutsu class for the 4th years is being delayed again."

"Again? This is the eighth time this month! I know what happened was embarrassing, but someone needs to do something about this."

The truth was, they were all too scared to talk to him. All except one at least. Yamada who was just another Zanjutsu instructor at the time, had finally had enough of this. 

"Wait! Think about this Yamada! If we wait a little longer, then the grandmaster will have no choice but sack him!"

She did not care.

Despite the opinions of everyone else, she stormed her way up to his office and broke down his door with a heavy kick. Instructor Mugen was sitting behind his desk, looking through his window and up to the sun, all while his Zanpakutō was gathering dust.

"Why are you idling by!? You know you have a job to do right!??"

Mugen didn't even bother to turn his chair around. The shock he had received from Kenpachi, had frozen him in place.

"MUGEN!"

She forcefully turned his chair around to face him, and was surprised to see that the wound was much worse than she initially thought. It wasn't just a simple cut, but half his face was disfigured.

"I've realized something, Yamada. We can raise as much fodder as we want, but those with real talent don't need a guide. They walk their own path without the help of anyone, and everyone else will fade into obscurity. What's the point in teaching the weak to fight, when there is always going to be a higher power who does better?"

She grabbed Mugen by the collar and then started to pick him up as she shouted at him in the face.

"So what!? It doesn't mean that its all for nothing! It doesn't matter if they'll never become captains, it doesn't matter if they die in some random battle field, all that matters is that they tried!"

"So your saying they should be comfortable being useless? Garbage and trash get in the way, so they're tossed aside."

The second he said that, Yamada head butted him in the nose.

"ITS OUR JOB TO MAKE THEM STRONGER YOU IDIOT! THE ONES WILLING TO CHANGE, THE ONES THAT WANT TO FIGHT! THOSE ARE THE ONES THAT WE ARE SUPPOSED TO TEACH!"

It wasn't just the sudden injury, but that declaration suddenly changed him. The injury he received from Kenpachi made him forget why he became a teacher, but now that passion of his had been reignited.

He grabbed his Zanpakutō and immediately made his way to the cafeteria. The second he entered, the entire room become focused on him.

"ZANJUTSU CLASS 4! GET BACK TO THE TRAINING HALL, I'M GONNA SMASH EVERYTHING YOU'VE MISSIED INTO THIS NEXT HOUR!"

-Present day

The moment the colosseum crash landed back into Seireitei, Rose guided Shingetsu Azaemon, the central 46 member, into the insides of the colosseum where it was safe. At least where it should've been.

"Don't worry sir, your with a captain of the Gotei 13. As long as your with me, you will be safe."

Shingetsu thought otherwise. He knew how badly he got his ass kicked after reading the official reports from 8 years ago.

The ground beneath them began to shake wildly as something clawed its way towards them. The ground Infront of them ripped open as a Vasto Lorde emerged.

"I couldn't sense it? No- it has no Spiritual Pressure!"

He immedialty released the Shikai state of his Zanpakutō, which transformed into an elongated golden whip with a diamond spike at the end. It rushed towards the hollow before forcing it back into the hole it crawled out off.

It certainty wasn't dead.

"You! I'm going to need you to run away."

Shingetsu had already disappeared while he released Shikai. He was a massive coward, so the second he saw the hollow he dipped.

This was good thing anyway, as Rose did not want him to get caught up in the fight.

Shingetsu was running down a hallway, however despite trying to retrace his steps, he was lost.

"DAMMIT! I SHOULD'VE BROUGHT ONE OF THOSE STEALTH FORCE PEOPLE WITH ME!"

As he ran, he eventually came upon a suspiciously modern door. Above it was a sign in green that said, 'emergency exit'.

Despite how suspicious it was, Shingetsu was too desperate to leave to care about such things.

The central 46 is the judicial force of the Soul Society which is compromised of the 40 wisest men around and 6 judges. After the invasion of the Ryoka a couple years ago, Sōsuke Aizen killed them all, however they were replaced shortly after. The central 46 of today is compromised of not just whatever wise men the Shinigami could find, but also the direct successors of those 46, with Shingetsu being one of them.

Despite being the son of a former member, he was incredibly stubborn and brash unlike his father. And now the consequences of the bad choices he had made thus far, would finally take effect.

The second he opened the door, the colosseum shook which caused him to fall through. The opened door led to the outside unsurprisingly. But the issue was the gap from where he was to the ground.

As he fell, he screamed for help, but no one would come as he eventually crashed into the ground. Although he had a passable amount of Spiritual pressure, his use of it was.... questionable?

The impact broke his left leg preventing him from walking properly, and he had a minor concussion as blood dripped from his head. But the vibrations of captains fighting in the distance made the adrenaline in his body act quickly.

He grabbed a nearby long stick as he used it as a walking stick to pick himself back up.

"That place! If I can just get back to that place... I'll be safe!"

The place he was referring to was the Seijōtōkyorin, the living quarters of the central 46. In times of invasions like this, it would become an impenetrable fortress which not even the Quincy could break into.

Despite how much of a coward he was, his determination was quite admirable, but now that ends here.

He was only able to get away by a couple meters, before encountering two very unlikely people. They both wore black cloaks and hoods which covered their face and body, but most importantly their Spiritual Pressures.

"You two! Come help me this instance! I demand it as a central 46 member!"

The two just looked at him blankly. They were thinking about how to handle this but one of them finally came forward.

"YOU TOOK YOUR TIME! HURRY UP AND GET ME OUT OF HE-"

A blue laser of lightning pierced through his right shoulder, pushing him to the ground as blood poured out from it. The central 46 member screamed from the pain, all while demanding the identity of the two.

The one who fired the Kido spell came forward, while also taking off his hood.

Shingetsu recognized him as one of the participants from the Tekken Event.

"You! You're!! But why!??"