"The time is about right. Let the trial begin."
Sitting in the chief seat, Kuchiki Ginrei withdrew his gaze. To avoid any further incidents, he directly announced the start of the trial.
He had asked Kasumioji to step in and probe things for a very simple reason.
From the moment Rosse chose to stand with the Shiba clan, he was no longer a purely neutral captain.
If the other party were just an ordinary captain, Kuchiki Byakuya would naturally have dealt with it. There would have been no need for him to personally arrange a test.
But once someone sided with the nobles, that became a real threat to Central 46.
Now was the moment when the Kuchiki family was closest to reaching the very top. Even these old relics would stake their lives if it meant fighting for the family's future.
Any factor that might cause all their efforts to fail at the final step had to be made absolutely clear.
And the result of this probe had given him exactly the feedback he wanted.
Rosse could not be allowed to live.
Rosse, of course, had no idea about Kuchiki Ginrei's inner thoughts. He was just lazily leaning against the wall, watching the small council chamber with a gaze that was almost appreciative, as if enjoying a stage play.
It had to be said, today's cast was truly unprecedented.
Aside from the three members of Squad Zero hidden in the shadows, both Commander Yamamoto and Aizen were also present, all concealed within the darkness of this tiny Central 46 chamber.
Rosse even found it a little funny.
If he suddenly acted on a whim today and decided not to let the Hueco Mundo Palace make an appearance, then wouldn't these hunters who had exhausted themselves laying a net of heaven and earth become the most ridiculous clowns in this one man show?
Still, to keep this carefully prepared feast from going cold, out of sheer kindness he decided to accompany these lovable actors and play this grand drama all the way to its final act.
At that moment, the spotlight came down.
Under the gaze of all eyes, the heroine of today's play, Sui Feng, was escorted by the Ninth Division captain Tosen Kaname to the very center of the chamber, to the seat where Central 46 judged criminals.
Watching Tosen Kaname escort Sui Feng in, even Rosse could not help but admire Aizen's nerve.
Although the three Squad Zero members had already unknowingly fallen under the illusion of Kyoka Suigetsu he released, to still appear so openly before Central 46 wearing Tosen Kaname's face required quite a bit of courage.
"Honored wise men, Captain Rosse, Captain Kyoraku, the criminal Sui Feng has been brought in!"
Aizen, disguised as Tosen Kaname, finished his report in an official, by the book tone. He casually shoved Sui Feng, whose spiritual pressure had been sealed, toward the judgment platform. Then, with a single shunpo, he silently appeared beside Rosse and Kyoraku.
He gave a slight nod. That stiffness characteristic of Tosen Kaname was imitated to perfection.
But at this moment, no one was paying attention to a mere escort officer.
All gazes, all pressure, surged like a tide toward the lone figure standing helplessly at the center of the judgment platform.
"Sui Feng of Feng Family! Do you acknowledge your crimes?"
A stern voice of judgment slammed down like a judge's block.
"Crimes? What crimes did I commit?"
Though she was clearly the prisoner on trial, her presence felt as if it reversed the situation, placing the forty six so called wise men into the defendant's seat instead.
The pride and backbone that came from her very being kept her from wavering in the slightest under this immense pressure.
Because the scene before her was just too familiar.
So familiar that it felt as though a hundred years of time had been nothing more than a single cycle.
Back then, it was here. In the same place. That man wearing a hat stood with his head lowered, accepting the same absurd interrogation.
And she stood hidden in the shadows of the gallery, watching, waiting.
Then, just as the verdict was about to be announced, the woman she regarded as a god appeared.
With an unparalleled presence, she rescued him, and from beginning to end, she did not spare Sui Feng a single glance.
After that, they never met again.
The cold smile at the corner of Sui Feng's mouth gained a trace of self mocking bitterness.
She always left so decisively, so freely, like a gust of wind that never lingered for anyone.
'No... perhaps she simply never lingered for me.'
'That woman would probably never know that after she turned away so cleanly, the mess she left behind became an unbearably heavy shackle for those who remained.'
"Attempted assassination of a noble, assault on a noble household, resisting arrest, releasing Bankai within Seireitei without cause..."
Kuchiki Ginrei's voice was indifferent as he recited Sui Feng's crimes one by one.
"Heh! You'll even cover for the dogs of Hueco Mundo now?", Sui Feng crossed her arms, a sneer on her face.
Her gaze skipped over the crowd of ridiculous noble clowns and locked directly onto Rosse in the audience.
She would not forget that it was this man who stopped her, preventing her from obtaining the information she wanted.
And in the end, she had even been targeted by the Hueco Mundo Palace, turned into this ghostly thing that was neither quite Shinigami nor quite Hollow.
"A dog of Hueco Mundo? Do you have any evidence for that?", Judge Kasumioji asked impatiently. Though his voice sounded calm, anyone could hear the deliberate targeting of Rosse.
If he really managed to dig up some evidence, he would probably be judging Rosse at the same time.
"The Shiba clan and Rosse are in collusion with Yoruichi Shihoin. Isn't that enough to prove he's a dog of Hueco Mundo?", Sui Feng sneered coldly.
"Knowing Yoruichi Shihoin does not mean being connected to Hueco Mundo. Head of the Feng clan, I urge you to watch your words and uphold the dignity befitting a noble," Judge Kyoraku the Third spoke softly, immediately taking Rosse's side.
There was no helping it. The clan head had already spoken earlier. At this point, they had to protect him to the bitter end.
Sometimes, evidence was not what mattered most. What mattered more was one's stance.
"Heh! How ironic. Then a hundred years ago, on what grounds did you claim that Kisuke Urahara and Yoruichi Shihoin were in collusion with Hueco Mundo?", Sui Feng let out a mocking laugh.
"Because Kisuke Urahara conducted Hollowfication experiments that caused several captains to Hollowfy. If Captain Sui Feng has relevant evidence, you may file an appeal after the trial. Right now is the time for your judgment," Kuchiki Ginrei could tell at a glance that Sui Feng had no real substance. If this kind of baseless pestering could bring down a senior captain, then Central 46 would have been invincible long ago.
With Kuchiki Ginrei's words, the overall tone of the trial was set.
The forty six wise men began focusing their fire on Sui Feng, attacking her from all sides. From morality to character, from noble upbringing to basic rules of conduct, they launched a comprehensive condemnation.
No matter how Sui Feng responded, someone could always twist her words from some devious angle. Forget the other spectators, even Sui Feng herself was almost starting to feel like she was an unforgivable villain.
"Tsk! Tsk! Leaving everything else aside, these old geezers really are sharp tongued," Watching from the side with widened eyes, Rosse clicked his tongue in amazement.
'Brains full of scheming aside, these old fossils really do have some impressive verbal skills.'
The kind that could talk the living into the dead, and the dead back into the living.
If victory were decided by words alone, every one of these old things would be a king.
But unfortunately, in this world, what ultimately decided right and wrong was never words, but solid, undeniable strength.
The real show was about to begin.
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