Restricted Death

Chapter 225 Your Highness
The daytime noise is deafening, and the shadows of the trees are horizontal and slanted.

The room was enveloped in an extreme silence.

Aizen remained silent for a long time after hearing what Shin had just said. His gaze was fixed on Shin, and his glasses occasionally reflected a cold glint in the shadows against the backlight—a faint light leaked out as his thoughts raced.

"Da~"
A very soft sound, the sound of Aizen's fingers gently tapping the table, was now crystal clear.

"Shin-kun, are you saying that the Quincy have actually been hiding all along, waiting for an opportunity to rise again?" He finally spoke, his voice unusually calm, even with a deliberately slowed gentleness, carefully choosing each word and repeating Shin's astonishing statement, each word carrying the weight of inquiry.

"That's right," the letter replied affirmatively.

"How did you arrive at this conclusion, Shin-kun?" Aizen pressed, glancing at the books on the table. "Based on these documents and the prophecy in that Holy Emperor's Hymn?"

Shin shook his head and said, "I already said, I've had contact with Quincy."

Aizen's eyebrows twitched upwards very slightly, so slightly as to be almost imperceptible: "So that's what those Quincy you came into contact with told you themselves?"

Shin didn't explain further, but just gave a self-deprecating laugh: "Captain Aizen, so you really don't believe me."

Aizen looked helpless and smiled, "Shin-kun, it's no wonder I'm suspicious. What you said is just too absurd. Besides, since you've come to this conclusion, you should report it directly to the Captain-Commander."

Shin's silence lasted only a brief moment, but that brief pause held a deeper meaning. He raised his eyes, meeting Aizen's probing gaze directly, and threw back a question: "If everything I've said is true, what will Captain Aizen do?"

Aizen pondered, "Naturally, we should leave this matter to the Captain-Commander for a decision. This matter is of great importance, and the Thirteenth Division and the Central Forty-Six should jointly discuss and decide on a strategy."

Upon hearing Aizen's standard, safe, and official answer, Shin did not immediately refute it. A subtle, enigmatic smile played on his lips.

"Give it to the Captain-General..." Xin repeated softly, his fingers unconsciously stroking the pages of the document spread out in front of him, which exuded an old and slightly musty smell. The rough texture of the paper scraped against his fingertips, leaving a rough feeling of time.

"That's right, Captain Aizen's idea is indeed appropriate."

"..."

Aizen remained silent. His answer was nothing more than the most ordinary and commonplace one, but seeing Shin's expression, he only said that what he said was right, but it seemed that he did not intend to do so.

To be honest, he couldn't quite figure out Xin's motives and purpose. Putting aside how credible Xin's claims were, Xin's current actions made Aizen feel more uncertain than ever before. A strange sense of interest and vigilance quietly grew in Aizen's heart.

Just as Aizen was pondering and quickly weighing the various possibilities of Shin's actions, Shin suddenly stood up without warning and said to Aizen, "Captain Aizen, you're busy."

His farewell was brief and concise. He quickly gathered up the few key books scattered on the table, without any intention of lingering or further explanation. He then turned and pushed open the heavy door of the archives, his figure disappearing swiftly into the shadows of the corridor.

Aizen remained seated alone, his brows slightly furrowed. The look of confusion on his face hadn't dissipated; instead, it had deepened and lingered for a long time. For the first time, a genuine and inexplicable bewilderment clearly surfaced beneath his usually impeccable, gentle, and composed mask.

Silence descended upon the archives once more, leaving only the lingering echoes of conversation and the invisible tension of the power struggle.

In the barracks of the 8th Division, Shin saw Ise Nanao again.

"Has Captain Tachikawa found the information he was looking for?"

"I suppose so," Xin said with a faint smile. "I did do something extraordinary."

Ise Nanao tilted her head in confusion.

The letter continued, "Perhaps no one will understand what I did."

"..."

Ise Nanao thought to herself: Captain Tachikawa said something really strange, he seems a bit crazy...

#
In the present world, in Karakura Town, inside the Ishida residence.

Kyoraku Shunsui and Ukitake Jushiro got up from the sofa and said to Ishida Sogen, "Excuse me, let's stop here for now."

Ishida Sogen didn't speak, but silently stood up, his back straight like a taut string.

Kyoraku Shunsui seemed oblivious to the other's silence, continuing with his amiable demeanor: "Perhaps today's scene has caused some misunderstanding. It's true that we have no ill intentions towards you, of course, this is based on the premise that you behave yourselves. More than 200 years ago, during that war, we also tried to negotiate peacefully with you, but unfortunately..."

If the person standing in front of him were Shin, who was more than two hundred years ago, Ishida Sogen would definitely have a good argument with him. He knew and was certain that Shin truly meant no harm.

But these two captains had personally experienced the war more than two hundred years ago, and their hands were stained with the blood of countless Quincy.

He lowered his eyelids, avoiding the other person's gaze, his facial muscles stiff and tense, offering only silent support. Any words would be superfluous at this moment, perhaps even appearing weak.

After their conversation, Kyoraku and Ukitake took their leave and departed from the mansion.

Ishida Sogen followed him out, still able to feel the spiritual pressure of the Shinigami surrounding him.

Kyoraku Shunsui and Ukitake Jushiro, along with several Shinigami, flew directly into the sky and left the area. However, two spiritual pressure fluctuations remained around them.

Surveillance...

Ishida Muneaki frowned. The two captains had come here in person and asked a bunch of questions about the letter. Although their attitude wasn't exactly hostile, it was definitely an interrogation.

What did Shin do in Soul Society, and what's happening to him now?

Recalling the risky and unknown agreement he had made with Shin in secret not long ago, Ishida Sogen felt a strange worry rising in his heart, a worry so heavy that it made his chest feel a little tight.

Perhaps... he was afraid that if the letter were exposed, it would eventually implicate him and his family? He tried to convince himself of this, suppressing that more complex and entangled emotion deep in his heart.

With a jumble of thoughts, Ishida Sogen walked back to the mansion with even heavier steps than when he arrived.

However, the moment his feet touched the entrance hall, his gaze fell upon what lay ahead, and he felt as if he had been pierced by the coldest ice pick, instantly freezing on the spot! The color drained from his face in an instant, and his body trembled uncontrollably as an immense, instinctive fear gripped him.

Above the duplex mansion, at the top of the stairs, a figure stood silently, like a ghost.

He was a tall, handsome blond youth with distinctly Western features. He wore a pure white, fitted overcoat, and a Western-style longsword hung at his waist. One of his hands rested on Ishida Ryūgen's small shoulder, and his gaze, as cold as ice, indifferently looked down at Ishida Sōgen.

Not only this one, but behind the railing of a higher attic, there was another man, also dressed in a pure white coat and with a similar style of clothing. His purplish-red mohawk hairstyle was as eye-catching as a burning flame, and his expression revealed undisguised arrogance and domineering.

Ishida Sogen's pupils contracted sharply due to extreme shock and fear. Looking at the two figures before him, who seemed to have emerged from the deepest nightmare of the Quincy, his eyes were filled with disbelief and horror.

“Dad…” Ishida Ryugen, his shoulders being pressed by the blond youth, called out timidly, his voice filled with childlike fear and grievance. “You have a fine son.” The blond youth finally spoke, his voice as cold as his eyes, devoid of any human emotion, like metal rubbing against metal.

"Ishida."

Ishida Sogen's body trembled violently, as if lashed by an invisible whip. Almost reflexively, he lunged forward, but abruptly stopped just before reaching the top of the stairs.

Immediately afterward, overwhelmed by boundless fear and a heavy sense of oppression, he slowly and heavily knelt down on one knee toward the blond youth on the stairs!

He lowered his head, his face filled with barely concealed fear, and spoke in a trembling voice.

"Your Highness...it's been a long time."

The blond youth's face remained expressionless, not even his eyelashes trembled: "Ah, it's been a long time, Ishida. Have you fallen so low as to associate with death?"

"no!"

Ishida Munen immediately looked up and hurriedly denied it.

"How could I possibly conspire with Death?!"

"Tch!" The tall, arrogant man next to him spoke impatiently, "Why bother arguing with this guy? Haven't Kyoraku Shunsui and Ukitake Jushiro already said that he's the one who leaked our information to Tachikawa Shin? We've been exposed. For a traitor like that, just kill him!"

As he spoke, he glanced at Ishida Ryugen again: "Since you think this child is good, you can take him with you, Hugo."

Upon hearing this, Ishida Munen was somewhat alarmed: "Your Highness, I... I did not reveal any information about us."

"Us?" the blond youth asked calmly.

Ishida Sogen's forehead was covered in cold sweat, and he lowered his head again: "I did not reveal any information to Death. You must have misunderstood."

The blond youth asked, "If that's the case, how did Tachikawa Shin learn that His Majesty was about to wake up, and how did he inform the other captains of the Gotei 13?"

Upon hearing this, Ishida Sogen was immediately stunned.

Has the letter already revealed the Quincy's existence within Soul Society?
He paused for a moment, then said, "I don't know, but I really didn't say anything to him... That Tachikawa Shin does know a lot about the Quincy, and he believes in the Holy Emperor's Hymn. I don't know why he would do that..."

He swallowed hard, his mind racing, and said, "He does want to know something from me, probably how to enter the Empire, but he doesn't have the key."

After saying that, he took out a pendant from his pocket and showed it to the other person.

The blond youth lightly raised one hand, and the pendant flew up and landed in his hand. He glanced at the pendant, as if to confirm it.

Ishida Muneaki gritted his teeth and said, "Your Highness, I have not betrayed His Majesty."

On the other side, a young man with an eye-catching hairstyle leaped down from the attic, hands in his pockets, and kicked Ishida Sogen in the face. He then bent down, grabbed Ishida Sogen's hair, and sneered, "How dare you say such a thing?"

"father!"

Seeing this, Ryugen Ishida cried out in alarm, but was held down by the blond youth and unable to leave.

"Bazby."

"what?"

"Let him go."

"..."

Although unwilling, the young man called Bazzby let go of his hand and took a step back, glaring angrily at Ishida Sogen.

At this moment, Ishida Sogen stood up and wiped the marks on his face from where he had been kicked. He glanced at Bazby, which enraged the latter.

"You bastard, you're not happy about it?!"

“Bazby!” the blond youth called out again.

"..."

Ishida Muneaki looked up at the blond youth and said, "A Quincy can never betray His Majesty. You know that."

Bazzby angrily demanded, "Then how are you going to explain the matter of Tachikawa Shin?"

“That’s his own skill,” Ishida Sogen said slowly. “From the first time he approached me, it was as if he knew a lot of things. He subtly probed me, so I was definitely not the one who leaked the information. If Your Highness has any doubts, you should consider whether there is a traitor by your side.”

The blond youth did not express any opinion on Ishida Sogen's self-justification. He simply put away the pendant in his hand and said to Bazzby below, "Let's go."

Bazzby was stunned, somewhat incredulous: "You're just letting him go like that?"

The blond youth said, "It's already been exposed. Killing him won't help. However, the enemy doesn't have the key, so they can't enter the Empire. Besides, he was once a member of the Sternritter. Only His Majesty can decide his life or death."

Bazzby retorted, "Hugo, you can also make decisions on behalf of His Majesty."

But as soon as he finished speaking, he felt an incredibly terrifying pressure come over him, making him suffocate for several seconds.

A moment later, the feeling vanished just as quickly.

Bazzby began to breathe heavily.

The blond youth remained expressionless and silent, his hand still resting on Ishida Ryugen's shoulder. Suddenly, the dark shadow on the ground rose up, engulfing him and Ishida Ryugen, and vanished.

Seeing his son being taken away, Ishida Sogen reached out, but knowing he was powerless to fight back, he could only watch helplessly as his son disappeared from the spot.

Bazzby glared fiercely at Ishida Sogen before being swallowed up and disappearing by his own shadow.

"Dragon String..."

Ishida Sogen muttered something to himself and slumped weakly to the ground.

(End of this chapter)