Bleach: I Can't Get an Amen
Episode 13 - Factory
We did not wish to become gods.
We were merely curious to see how many shards of iron the weight of a soul could be reduced to.
The black stains splattered across our white coats, we covered in the name of pride.
The fragments of shattered spirits, we cast into the furnace of progress.
"..."
Azuma Shohei's eyes finally fluttered open.
It seemed he had lost consciousness right there on the dirt ground.
"...Are you awake?"
The first thing he saw was Kisuke Urahara looking down at him, hiding his mouth behind a fan.
"Ugh, argh... How much time..."
Kisuke checked his wristwatch.
"About three hours have passed. It's quite remarkable. To take a hit like that from Yoruichi-san and not have your back snap instantly... Fortunately, you've fully recovered with just the treatment provided here. Would you say you're unusual for a low-ranking seated officer? Or perhaps..."
"...Pardon?"
Shohei asked again, as if he hadn't heard clearly.
"Ahaha, it's nothing. Just saying you're quite unique, Azuma-san. Can you stand?"
With a surge of effort, Shohei managed to push himself up.
His head was dizzy, but for some reason, his body felt capable of moving.
"Follow me. I've succeeded in identifying what that fragment is."
"Really? Truly...?"
Kisuke gestured for him to follow.
Nodding, Shohei slowly trailed behind him.
Led into a room, he saw the black fragment floating in the center of the space. Kon was also there.
"Hey, Kisuke! I told you I have to do the nursing!!"
The moment Kon saw Kisuke, he shouted as if lodging a formal complaint.
"Whoa, whoa, that won't do. You still have to play the role of the navigator."
"You didn't even keep your promise! I hate Soul Reapers who break their word the most!"
"Wait a second, come here again."
Kisuke leaned down to Kon's ear and whispered something.
"Really...? You'll keep it?"
"Of course. Despite how I look, I'm a man of my word."
"...Fine! Let's hurry up and tell him so we can go on the rescue!"
Kon bounced out of the room, looking excited.
Shohei couldn't understand what had been said at all.
Well, he hadn't been able to hear it in the first place...
"Ahem, shall we begin the explanation? To be honest, not many people would know about this fragment. The list of those who might... would likely only include myself, Mayuri-san, Hiyori-san, Soya-san, Yoruichi-san, Marenoshin Omaeda-san, and the now-deceased Captain Commander Yamamoto. That is how old this fragment is, and how few people remember it."
"...What? Then it's really that ancient..."
Kisuke nodded.
"This is a fragment related to Hollows. However, it doesn't just contain the pure souls of Hollows. It's a shard embedded with technology designed to split souls into incredibly fine pieces."
"What? How is that..."
"It was one of the very first research projects conducted by our Research and Development Institute. It started with the intent of utilizing Hollow souls. It was research linked to the Mod-Souls as well... but unfortunately, due to certain circumstances, the entire project was scrapped and the materials destroyed."
"Ah..."
"It was a project carried out by only the four highest-ranking members of the RDI at the time."
"...Then it might be easy to narrow down the culprit."
"Indeed. Back then, the top officials were myself, Hiyori-san, Mayuri-san, and one other person. There's no way Hiyori-san or Mayuri-san would do this, which means..."
"The remaining person..."
"...They were a Soul Reaper I truly wanted to see again, but I suppose this is how we were destined to meet."
"Is it possible to get... a more detailed explanation of this person you suspect?"
"Knowing they were a colleague from the RDI is enough for now. You can learn the rest after everything is over."
"...I see..."
Shohei simply accepted the words.
"Regardless, based on the analysis of this fragment, to defeat the enemies you couldn't fully kill before, you must remove these shards from their bodies. Furthermore, the spiritual pressures of Ren-san and Sora-san are mixed into the frequency of this fragment. I've input the data into Kon-san, just like last time. You should follow him."
"Th-then, what about you, Kisuke-san..."
"I will join you shortly with Yoruichi-san. Azuma-san, please take on the role of reaching Ren-san and Sora-san before it's too late."
Shohei gave a light nod.
"Then I'll head out first."
"Ah, and Azuma-san... keep that ring on even when you're fighting."
"Ah, yes... Excuse me then."
Just as he offered a parting greeting and turned to leave, he caught sight of Yoruichi.
Shohei's expression stiffened for a moment before softening again.
"Azuma."
Yoruichi called his name gently.
"...Yes, Captain."
Though she wasn't the current Captain, he used the title out of respect for his predecessor.
Regardless of his personal feelings, she was undeniably a great person.
"Ensure you succeed. Like a true member of the Stealth Force. I may be softer than that girl, but a member of the Stealth Force is expected to succeed regardless."
"...Yes..."
"And... make sure you become someone she can rely on."
"Yes... Wait, what?"
Startled by the last remark, he snapped his head up.
His cheeks flushed red.
He quickly shook his head to dispel the heat.
Being someone she could rely on didn't necessarily have to mean that.
Yoruichi's tone didn't necessarily imply it either.
"..."
Still... looking at Yoruichi, his heart felt strange.
It felt as though she trusted him in a different sense, yet Shohei's feelings toward her remained complicated.
Perhaps because of those emotions, Shohei could only bow his head.
"Um... that..."
Shohei spoke up cautiously.
"Hm? Do you have something to say?"
"...Would it be alright if... I received training directly from you, Yoruichi-sama... later on?"
Yoruichi let out a small chuckle and lightly flicked his forehead with her finger.
"If you return alive, then of course."
Shohei bowed deeply in gratitude.
"Thank you, Captain. Truly."
"...Now, get going."
"...Yes."
After another bow, he stepped outside.
His jealousy toward Yoruichi hadn't vanished completely.
However, he felt as though it had subsided to some degree.
"Hey! Why are you so slow! we have to go!"
"Ah, yes..."
After being scolded by Kon, Shohei began moving quickly toward the coordinates Kisuke had provided.
With Kisuke's touch, Kon's navigation performance was on a completely different level.
"..."
The destination was not far from where he had rescued Mia.
As they drew closer, the bizarre sounds he had heard back then grew louder.
"...!"
Shohei soon realized what those sounds were.
"Kon-san, wait... Can you draw their aggro for a bit?"
"Wh-what?"
He whispered into Kon's ear and then slipped into a side passage.
At that moment, the iron giant that had threatened Mia appeared before Kon... not just one, but two.
"Uh... uh..."
Kon was speechless at the sight of the two giants.
Then, he turned around and began running like a madman.
"Gwaaaaah!! Azuma, where did you go!!"
It was at the moment Kon screamed at the top of his lungs while sprinting away.
The sound of a giant's neck being severed echoed from behind.
"...Wh-what?"
Kon looked back.
Shohei had just sliced through the neck of one giant with his Zanpakuto released.
The other giant's movements were significantly slowed, as if it had been hit by water droplets.
It appeared he had approached while silencing his movements using the power of Deep Rain.
However, if he stopped there, the giants would simply revive.
Shohei immediately leaped up again, severed the other giant's neck, crushed the heart area with his sword, and then reached in to pull out the fragment, shattering it to pieces.
The power source died completely, and the giants lost all semblance of life.
He dealt with the fragment of the other fallen giant in the same manner.
"...That was quite a shock, wasn't it?"
Shohei looked at Kon with a forced smile.
"Of course it was a shock!!"
Kon yelled back.
"Anyway... so this is the place Kisuke-san guided us to."
He looked toward the spot indicated by Kisuke's coordinates. Then, he slowly began to walk toward it.
"...Damn... this is scary..."
Kon muttered to himself.
The two eventually arrived before a massive iron door.
He slowly pushed the door open.
Inside was a factory where enormous gears were endlessly interlocking and turning.
"Wh-what is this? When did they build something like this in the World of the Living... More importantly, the Seireitei didn't notice this...?"
Shohei scanned the surroundings in bewilderment.
"...!"
Then, he discovered rows of glass tubes lined up before him.
Inside them, he could see the unconscious forms of Soul Reapers.
Soul Reapers who had been listed as missing for a long time, local district Soul Reapers who had recently vanished... and the figures of Ren and Sora were there as well.
"Ren... Sora...!"
He was about to rush toward them.
"So you finally came."
Behind Shohei, a man had appeared, holding a pocket watch and adjusting it to the sound of the ticking second hand.
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