Clang.
With a single cut, Aiyan returned his Zanpakutō into its sheath.
It was as if he was telling the world—
Kuchiki Kōga.
Muramasa.
This pair that once made the entire Gotei 13 uneasy, that even made Central 46 tremble in fear, was worth only one strike from him. No more.
Pata—
As the towering dust slowly settled, a vast and bottomless ravine split across the execution grounds, carved open by that single swing.
The Sōkyoku Hill—now divided into two halves.
"Kō…ga…
A hoarse voice, barely audible over the wind, escaped into the air.
Muramasa, his body torn nearly in two from shoulder to waist, was lying at the very edge of the chasm, bleeding out in silence.
And right behind him, Kuchiki Kōga knelt on one knee.
A savage, gaping wound ran diagonally from his neck to his abdomen, blood gushing endlessly from the deep slash.
It was clear—if Muramasa hadn't shielded him with his own body, the blade would've sliced straight through his skull.
Even if he survived by sheer luck, the injury was unquestionably fatal.
Unless Unohana Retsu arrived immediately.
Or unless Inoue Orihime had been born centuries earlier.
Otherwise—
It was a death sentence.
"Alive?"
Aiyan looked down calmly.
"Tsk… I intended to split you in two. Seems the cut was a little shallow after all."
"Kōga-kun… you're really making this difficult for me. I promised to kill you properly—and yet you insist on surviving."
His words were plain, but his right hand rose slowly. Reiatsu gathered like a rising tide—calm, vast, and suffocating.
"You… you can't kill me!"
Kōga's voice suddenly cracked, urgent and fearful. He believed Aiyan was about to draw his blade again—and panic set in.
He hadn't become Captain-Commander yet.
Hadn't ruled over the Soul Society.
And now he was to die a traitor—reduced to a stepping stone beneath the feet of the Sōsuke brothers?
Unacceptable.
"That's funny."
"Why can't I kill you?"
Aiyan raised an eyebrow, amused.
"Didn't you loudly proclaim before Genryūsai Yamamoto that you'd capture me alive and bring me back to Seireitei?"
"Was that not a 'Kyōka Suigetsu illusion' as well?"
"If you kill me now, aren't you breaking your own word?"
Scrambling for a lifeline, Kōga rattled off anything that might save him.
"And you know full well why Kuchiki Ginrei made me his son-in-law!"
"If you kill me now, it means you're going against the Kuchiki Clan's plan."
"That's the head of the Four Noble Houses we're talking about. Their reach… far beyond your imagination."
"Keep me alive—I'll take the blame for all this, bear every sin, even serve beneath you."
"You've seen Muramasa's power—he may not threaten you, but against the other captains, he's a nightmare."
His voice, once proud, now begged—full of shame and desperation.
But he was right about one thing.
The Sōsuke brothers would never bend their knees to anyone—not Yamamoto, not Central 46, not even the Soul King.
"I appreciate your concern for the two of us," Aiyan said with a chuckle. "But don't worry."
"Even after you die—your name, 'Kuchiki Kōga', will live on."
"Someone else will assume your identity. He'll carry your legacy… until the name 'Kōga' no longer serves any purpose."
As he spoke, a dark figure slowly emerged from the woods in the distance.
"You… you're Kaname Tōsen!"
Even in his wounded state, Kōga recognized the figure instantly.
A fellow student of the Spiritual Arts Academy—he knew every name, especially someone who'd once crossed the Four Noble Houses.
That blind man, Kaname Tōsen.
"Lord Aiyan. Lord Aizen."
Tōsen ignored Kōga's gaze entirely, bowing respectfully before the two brothers.
"So that's it…"
"Kyōka Suigetsu's Hypnosis requires a visual ceremony."
"But Tōsen is blind."
"No matter how powerful the illusion… he can't see it."
"So, he was your hidden card all along. Either to be disposed of, or to serve your cause."
Kōga's heart sank in realization.
And with that… everything clicked into place.
Aiyan didn't just plan to kill him.
He planned to replace him.
And Kyōka Suigetsu's illusion would make sure no one noticed.
Even his death had already been accounted for.
He remembered now. That passing comment from Aiyan.
'Kuchiki Ginrei once sent someone to assassinate us.'
The next target… is Kuchiki Ginrei.
Then the entire Kuchiki Clan.
No— Kōga thought with rising dread, their ambitions don't end with Kuchiki. They want far more.
"Don't underestimate Ginrei," he shouted hoarsely. "And don't underestimate the Kuchiki Clan."
"Do you know how they surpassed the Tsunayashiro Clan to become the head noble house?"
"Kill me and you'll regret it!"
"You'll help us, won't you?"
Aiyan now stood right in front of him, his expression kind… but distant.
"Yes… yes, I'll help you!"
"Whether it's dealing with Ginrei or the entire Kuchiki family!"
Kōga's voice trembled. He thought Aiyan had changed his mind.
He was overjoyed.
And in his heart, he swore revenge.
He would never forget this humiliation.
"Really?"
"Then do me one last favor."
Aiyan's voice was gentle.
Almost too gentle.
"Anything. I'll do it."
"As long as I live—!"
Shhk—
A clean sound of flesh pierced by steel.
Kōga's eyes widened in disbelief.
He slowly looked down.
A Zanpakutō blade—Aiyan's blade—was buried in his chest, directly through his heart.
"Why…?"
Blood spilled from his lips as he looked up at Aiyan in horror.
"Didn't you say you'd help me?"
"This is the help I need."
"You promised, didn't you? Don't tell me you're going back on your word now."
With a casual flick, Aiyan pulled his blade from Kōga's chest.
The blood dripped like crimson tears—yet the sword remained clean, polished, and unblemished.
"Aiyan… you…"
Kōga's bloodshot eyes blazed with fury, hate, disbelief—
But his words never finished.
The light in his eyes faded into ash.
And with that, Kuchiki Kōga, traitor and puppet of a noble house, died beneath Aiyan's blade.
Silently.