— — — — — —
"What are you trying to say?"
Rukia stared at the man in front of her, a vague sense of dread creeping into her chest.
Her instincts screamed at her not to listen to what was coming next. And yet... another voice deep inside urged her to hear him out.
The conflict between those feelings made her heart race.
At that moment, Ryo gave a faint, mocking smile and said, "A noble commits a crime, and without even asking why, the Central 46 sentences them to death. Are those the so-called wise ones? Is that really justice?"
"..." Rukia opened her mouth to argue—but the words wouldn't come.
She didn't want to agree with him.
She'd been forcing herself not to think that way.
Technically, giving her powers to a human was a serious offense. But the punishment... it shouldn't have been thissevere.
Especially not for someone like her—a member of the Kuchiki Clan, one of the Four Great Noble Houses. That should've given her some leverage.
That was one of the reasons she didn't hesitate to give Ichigo her powers back then—because she believed it wasn't something she'd be executed for.
And yet, she was dragged back to the Soul Society—by Byakuya himself—and scheduled for execution in a matter of days.
How could any of that make sense?
Ryo, watching her silence, chuckled softly.
"So you have thought about it."
Rukia lowered her gaze, her voice filled with quiet resignation.
"...It must've been the Kuchiki Clan. After all, I'm just the adopted daughter. Maybe... that's how Byakuya sees me too."
She'd long suspected the clan never truly accepted her.
So once she broke the rules, those old men who filled the Central 46—many of whom had ties to the Kuchiki family—probably didn't waste a second throwing her under the bus.
Maybe even Byakuya, her adoptive brother, felt the same way.
"...You've got it all wrong."
Ryo cut in without hesitation.
"You probably don't know this, but Byakuya's late wife—Hisana Kuchiki—was your real sister. And he swore at her grave that he'd protect you."
"Do you really think a man like that would break a promise?"
Rukia froze, completely stunned.
Hisana... was my sister?
And Byakuya—the one who always looked at her with that icy, unreadable face—had sworn to protect her at her sister's grave?
Was this some kind of joke?
Ryo, clearly not the type to care about dropping shocking truths, just laughed.
"Did you seriously think a no-name orphan could catch the attention of the head of the Kuchiki Clan and get adopted without a reason?"
Rukia's eyes widened slightly.
Now that he said it… it did seem odd.
She'd barely scraped her way into becoming a Shinigami—no impressive talent, no standout ability.
So why did the Kuchiki Clan take her in during her academy days?
Why had the elders only grumbled a bit instead of outright rejecting her?
If her sister had been the wife of the clan head, then it all made sense.
Even if she was just a relative, taking her in as an adopted daughter wouldn't raise too many eyebrows. The elders might complain, but at most it'd just be grumbling. Feeding one more person wasn't going to break the Kuchiki household.
But if that were true, then… why was she sentenced to death?
Byakuya had promised to protect her. The elders might not love her, but they wouldn't want the family name dragged through the mud. No way those old noble-loving fossils in Central 46 would happily let a Kuchiki be executed for a petty crime.
So why? Why was the Central 46 so determined to have her executed?
"...You starting to see it now?"
Ryo watched the shifting emotions on Rukia's face and gave her a faint smirk.
"Want to know why Central 46 is so dead set on this?"
Rukia lifted her head and looked at him, her gaze sharp and searching.
Ryo grinned. "Because the Soul Society is rotten to its core."
Rukia's pupils contracted slightly.
Ryo's tone shifted—more like he was musing to himself.
"From the very beginning, the Soul Society was built on a lie."
"Out of all the worlds, it's the smallest. And the only way to 'enter' it is through the soul burials performed by Shinigami."
"But once a soul enters, something strange happens. Even though they're technically already dead, they start to weaken. Slowly. Until they eventually fade out of existence."
"Only those who can manipulate spiritual particles, Reishi—those with Reiatsu—can survive long term."
"You get it now?"
Rukia's face had gone pale again, her eyes filled with fear.
"What… what are you saying I should understand?"
Ryo smiled again, a little too casually. "The Soul Society eats people."
A chill shot down Rukia's spine.
Memories flooded back—of the people in her Rukongai District who vanished in flashes of light.
Suddenly, it all clicked.
It made sense.
Ordinary residents of the Rukon District couldn't manipulate spiritual energy. That's why they kept weakening. That's why they eventually disappeared—absorbed by the Soul Society itself.
But those who could manipulate Reishi could survive—even if it meant eating dirt. Because everything in the Soul Society, even the dirt, was made of reishi. As long as you could absorb it, you could survive.
So then... were the Shinigami really sending souls to the Soul Society out of compassion?
Or were they just… feeding it?
That realization hit Rukia like a ton of bricks.
She snapped her head up, glaring at Ryo.
"Who the hell are you? And what do you want? All this stuff about the Soul Society—what does it have to do with me?"
"Does it really have nothing to do with you?" Ryo asked back, raising an eyebrow.
Rukia fell silent, her expression growing heavier.
Then Ryo gave a small smile and said softly: "Your existence—or rather, something inside you—is the key to destroying this rotten world."
"...What?"
Rukia was stunned.
And then, without warning, Ryo reached out and placed his hand gently on her head, pressing down on the spot where her hair spiked up.
His tone was calm, matter-of-fact: "That thing inside you—it's already merged with your soul. In some ways, your will affects its will. When your emotions spike, so does its energy."
As he spoke, his hand phased into her head—like passing through air.
In that moment, using the divine power granted by his Divinity, Ryo touched it.
He made contact with the Hōgyoku.
[Ding—!]
[You've come into contact with a Special Item: Hōgyoku.]
[Item data has been recorded by the Dimensional Forum.]
[As a token of appreciation for your efforts, the Forum has gifted you the "Hōgyoku: Perfect Version".]
Ryo, who had initially planned to see if he could remove it, paused mid-action.
.
.
.