Chapter 356: Katen Kyōkotsu
"You came really fast."
Kyouraku Shunsui glanced toward the approaching figure of Mazuru and muttered with a faint smile. The tone was light, but the weariness behind his eyes betrayed how prepared he had been for this encounter.
Mazuru’s steps were calm and steady, his expression indifferent. There was no trace of hostility or tension in his eyes, even in front of one of the oldest and most enigmatic captains of the Gotei 13.
When Ashido spotted Mazuru, his temper immediately flared. "Kyo Mazuru, you traitor!"
He clenched his fists tightly, his reiatsu surging slightly.
For Ashido, the emotions were still fresh. The betrayal stung even now.
He had once trusted Mazuru—had fought beside him, respected him as a comrade. It was Mazuru who had led him back to Soul Society from Hueco Mundo years ago. And to think that the very same man, along with Aizen Sosuke and Tousen Kaname, had orchestrated the calamity that had befallen the Seireitei... it was beyond comprehension.
"Mazuru, Aizen, Tousen ... all of you. Every one of you are traitors, one worse than the next!"
His voice cracked with fury.
Ashido was not just a warrior. He was a man who held tightly to the past. In the last major battle in Hueco Mundo more than a year ago, he’d chosen to remain in Soul Society precisely because of that emotional conflict—because of his bond with Mazuru. He had hoped there was still some part of the man worth saving.
But after seeing the outcome of that battle—after seeing even the Head-Captain defeated by Mazuru without hesitation—he was filled with nothing but regret.
’I should’ve gone’, he thought bitterly. ’Maybe things would’ve turned out differently.’