"You guys are just too easy to fool."
The moment Seiya spoke these words, there wasn't a trace of hesitation. It was as if he was purging everything buried inside.
He continued in a flat tone:
"Hiding one's identity is important…"
"But in practice, it's not all that difficult."
"All you have to do is act kind. Be a little gentle with people."
"And then…"
"You'll be like fish on a hook."
"Fighting over each other to rise to the bait…"
"Begging to be played with."
As those words fell, Seiya raised his right hand. Reiryoku surged from within him.
With a single violent swing down toward the ground, an ear-splitting boom echoed. A deep, jagged trench split the ruins of Seireitei even further.
An act of total disregard.
Of utter defiance.
His way of declaring—without ambiguity—his stance and identity.
"In light of our past, I'll overlook your offenses."
"But if you keep following me… I can't promise what will happen."
"So this is where it ends, you arrogant Shinigami."
The Fifth Division members around him froze.
As if they couldn't hear—or refused to believe—what he had just said.
Some even instinctively took a few steps back.
"N-No… this can't be right…"
Someone whispered.
"If it's the Captain Arima we know…"
Would he really say something like that?
A creeping unfamiliarity pierced straight through their hearts like a dagger.
They weren't a disorganized mob—but the weight of truth was laid bare before them.
The Gotei 13's name. Seiya's own admission.
Every fact pointed to the same conclusion.
Seiya had betrayed the Gotei 13.
Silence took hold, spreading fast, as Seiya turned his back.
He wore a slightly tattered shihakushō, Zanpakutō in hand, back to the crowd.
No need for further words.
Just sensing the air was enough to grasp the situation.
—This is fine.
—Let it end like this.
—That way, I can say goodbye with a clean cut.
Truth be told… Seiya wasn't as skilled as Aizen Sōsuke.
The bonds formed over years had sunk deep into the flesh and blood.
If he turned back, he might say something… weak.
So this was better.
If they stayed linked to him, the reformed Central 46 wouldn't hesitate to crush them as "remnants."
Better to cut it off now.
What happens afterward is out of his hands.
He had arranged the whole path in his heart—only departure remained.
But just then, in the moment he drifted into thought…
A figure leapt the chasm and rushed toward him.
That invisible wall in everyone's minds shattered, as someone broke through.
Smack!
His empty left hand was grabbed.
"Wait!"
A voice, trembling with sobs—how many times had he heard it now?
"Wait, Captain Arima…"
Seiya sighed. His expression turned pained. He stopped, half-turning.
He saw Hinamori Momo, eyes brimming with tears, tugging on his left hand like a child yanking a rope in tug-of-war.
Half-crouched, leaning back, her form looked almost silly.
But her posture screamed of total desperation.
"Don't go… don't go…"
"Let go."
"No…"
Normally, she'd have obeyed by now.
But now, she clenched tighter, her teeth grinding, throwing every ounce of her strength into her grip.
"Captain Arima wouldn't do this. You must have your reasons!"
She wouldn't listen.
"What will you do, then?"
"I'll carry the burden with you! We'll find the truth together! I won't run… you taught me that!"
"I don't recall teaching you to be this stubborn…"
She shook her head stubbornly, as if denying every word that suggested otherwise.
Seeing this, a faint flicker of emotion stirred in Seiya's eyes.
Come to think of it…
This is who she always was.
She only believed in what she believed.
She didn't trust others' opinions. Even if it meant bleeding out—she'd crash headfirst into the wall.
That was why she met such a tragic fate in the original story.
"'Carry the burden together,' huh? That's easy to say…"
Seiya let out a soft chuckle.
"What sort of resolve do you have, thinking you can share the weight of my mission?"
"…"
Momo couldn't argue. She bowed her head, avoiding his gaze.
That stubbornness…
That refusal to stop even when bloodied…
That's who she was.
So now, she declared with full conviction:
"But Captain Arima is the person I admire most…"
The one I long for, look up to, wish to become.
Absolutely…
Absolutely…
Absolutely… "Would never be someone evil!!!"
A small body.
But her cry shook the earth.
Seiya's gaze dropped. He turned to face her.
"Honestly…"
"You don't know the first thing about who I really am."
"You don't understand a bit of what I've done."
Blind loyalty, with no understanding—was that really what she wanted?
If this was just admiration…
Then this is where it should end.
After all…
"Admiration is the furthest distance from understanding."
"I… was always one of them. So everything you've seen, heard, believed…"
"It was all just an act. A lie. If you really want to follow me…"
Right.
Then grow stronger.
'See you, Hinamori.'
Before she could react…
Seiya's spirit pressure exploded outward.
An invisible force struck her chest like a sledgehammer, her mouth opening wordlessly, knees buckling—
She collapsed.
The sheer difference in spiritual power between souls causes overwhelming pressure.
Even in the original story (Ise Nanao couldn't breathe under Yamamoto's pressure), this was shown.
Though among the First Rank, Seiya's strength still made suppressing a mere lieutenant trivial.
"…"
Seiya caught her limp body, face unchanging.
Then—
Two figures arrived, flashing into place nearby.
Hitsugaya Tōshirō crouched low, brow furrowed, his hand behind him, gripping his Zanpakutō.
Tense. Poised to strike.
Given his connection to Hinamori, his emotions were clear.
"I didn't do anything to her. Just take her and go."
Seiya had little relationship with the famed "future warrior," so he offered no further words.
His attention instead turned—
To Byakuya Kuchiki.
Calmly adjusting himself, Seiya smiled the same way he used to, addressing the man before him.
"You're looking a little rough… was this round of Ryoka that troublesome?"
"Walking around so disheveled will hurt your reputation. Didn't your grandfather tell you that?"
"Or have you already forgotten everything he taught you?"
Byakuya's cold expression didn't change—but his teeth clenched tight.
"Seiya…"
He enunciated every syllable.
And with it—burning rage.
"Don't dirty your mouth with my grandfather's name."
His chest heaved, breath short.
He had promised himself: no emotion, no hesitation, no weakness toward a traitor.
But that promise had shattered.
The pain in his chest, unbearable.
All the help the Kuchiki family had received from Seiya—now felt like a stain on his pride.
Deep breath.
He raised his right hand.
His Zanpakutō returned to its sealed state.
He held it flat before him—blade pointing at Seiya.
"Today, I will cut you down."
"With your blood…"
"I will wash away this disgrace."
Seiya's face remained calm—but in his heart, he sighed in relief.
Good.
Byakuya might be stubborn, but he was stubborn in his own way.
That saved a lot of trouble.
Letting out an amused, helpless smile, Seiya tilted his head slightly.
"So that's it, huh? You want to end this here and now…"
The response came from Hitsugaya, still tense, still low-voiced.
"Isn't that obvious?"
Surrounded. Out of power.
Even with three allies and the threat of Kyōka Suigetsu…
As Byakuya said—
"There's no place left in Soul Society for you."
That was also why the others hadn't attacked yet.
With victory nearly assured, they'd rather drain his will and energy first.
A smart strategy.
—Must be Kyōraku Shunsui's handiwork.
Seiya nodded slightly, still smiling.
"Well said."
From a tactical standpoint—flawless.
But—
"Our goal… was never Soul Society."
As his words fell—
Above their heads, a sharp hum echoed.
Three black rifts split the sky open.
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Powerstones?
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