Yamano Yarō collapsed directly to his knees, the bloodlines at his ankles continuously draining his life force. Despite this, he showed no signs of panic. His eyes darted around quickly, clearly searching for a flaw in Asano Kiyoshi's stance—a chance to counterattack.
Kiyoshi noticed these subtle movements and knew this guy wasn't ready to give up. Without hesitation, he raised his hand and cast two Bakudō spells:
"Self-destruct, black dog of Rondanini! Leap once and burn completely! Sever your own throat—Bakudō #9: Geki!Bakudō #1: Sai."
The two consecutive spells completely immobilized Yamano Yarō on the ground. Even then, Kiyoshi remained cautious. He swung his Zanpakutō and cut off both of Yamano's arms. Only when the blood-soaked blade reverted to its sealed form did he slowly approach the restrained man and speak:
"I want to ask you a few questions. If you answer well, I might consider giving you a quick death."
Looking at Kiyoshi's cold expression, Yamano Yarō realized he had no way out. He tried to read something—anything—from Kiyoshi's eyes. But ultimately, he found nothing in that icy gaze.
"First question: Aside from you, how many fugitives with combat strength are in this area?"
Yamano merely glanced at Kiyoshi, then lowered his head and stayed silent.
Seeing this, Kiyoshi said nothing either. Sparks of lightning flickered between his fingers as he chanted:
"Hadō #4: Byakurai."
Byakurai was typically a piercing lightning attack, but Kiyoshi had discovered that by controlling the flow of spirit particles and altering their arrangement, the spell could be turned into a concentrated electrical shock instead—though this required immense precision and greatly reduced its power. Very few would even bother trying.
The crackle of electricity sounded like excited snakes as the spell hit Yamano Yarō. The smell of burning flesh and a foul stench wafted through the air. Watching his victim's skin start to melt from the shock, Kiyoshi continued:
"Second question: Are the recent soul disappearances in this area connected to you or your group? Or do you have any leads?"
Still, Yamano said nothing. Bloodshot eyes stared silently at Kiyoshi with stubborn defiance.
Kiyoshi frowned slightly and dislocated Yamano's jaw to prevent him from biting his tongue and killing himself. Then, without a word, he summoned silver lightning in his palm, preparing to administer another jolt of "therapy."
But before the strike landed, Yamano seemed to break under the pressure. He writhed in pain and began making muffled sounds, trying to speak. His dislocated jaw rendered his words unintelligible.
Kiyoshi shook his head with a sigh. "Could've saved yourself some pain."
He reattached Yamano's jaw and asked:
"I already have data on everyone in your group. I'm only confirming if the fugitives are gathered here. Beyond that, you have no value. Don't think you can leverage your life—I'll lose nothing by killing you."
Yamano finally realized the true depth of his predicament. He shifted tactics immediately, transforming from defiant tough guy to weeping victim. Once able to speak again, he tearfully pleaded:
"Sir, if I tell you everything—our layout, our people—could you let me live? I haven't done anything truly evil! I graduated from the Shin'ō Spirit Academy and served as a private soldier to a noble household. But I couldn't stand the nobles' vile behavior anymore. I couldn't keep doing things worse than animals do! So I ran... I didn't expect to be branded a fugitive!"
He bit the dirt with his teeth, dragging himself to Kiyoshi's feet with a pitiful look, head raised desperately:
"Sir, you must understand! A powerless commoner like me, once caught by the Punishment Force, won't get a chance to explain! I'll be returned to my house and judged. If they won't take me back, I'll be thrown into Maggot's Nest! I had no choice! I swear on my soul—I've never done anything wrong!"
By now, Yamano Yarō was weeping uncontrollably, crawling toward Kiyoshi like a worm, begging for mercy.
Kiyoshi watched the groveling man coldly and recalled the "watch" data about Yamano Yarō.
Yamano didn't know that the 12th Division had long since developed something called "monitoring bacteria," tiny surveillance organisms planted around virtually all noble houses with Captain Yamamoto's tacit approval. Everything Yamano ever did was recorded.
The watch revealed Yamano had killed a fellow noble's private soldier over a loot dispute. It also listed:
23 murders of innocent Rukongai residents
142 incidents of theft
14 cases of sexual assault
By modern legal standards, this man deserved to be executed with a Gatling gun.
Still, Kiyoshi had an idea. Watching the crying man, he said calmly:
"If what you said is true, then you're quite pitiful. How about this—if you can guarantee everything you're about to say is accurate, I'll let you go. How about that?"
A glimmer of wild hope lit up Yamano's tear-streaked face.
"Sir, I swear on my life! Everything I say will be true!"
Seeing the excitement on Yamano's face, Kiyoshi nodded slightly, then said with an oddly calm voice:
"But in your current state, it'll be hard for you to come with me. Oh... right. I've thought of a good solution.It might hurt a bit, though—bear with it."
T/N: For up to 20 chapters ahead on all my translations, become a p@tron at [email protected]/LordHipposApostle
Also check out my other fics