Unbeknownst to Ailin, as he sparred with Soi Fon, Sōsuke Aizen dealt him a subtle blow.
Only when he sensed that Soi Fon's reiatsu was nearly depleted and she could barely maintain Mugen Shunko did Ailin finally tear through the tornadoes surrounding her, pointing his right index finger at her waist.
"Bakudō #61: Rikujōkōrō!"
Golden light shot from Ailin's fingertip, splitting into six beams that instantly flew towards Soi Fon. The beams transformed into six luminous panels, sealing her within a cage of light.
With her remaining reiatsu, Soi Fon couldn't break free from Ailin's Rikujōkōrō and remained suspended in the air.
"Hadō #4: Byakurai!"
Boom!
Another bolt of lightning erupted from Ailin's finger, passing by Soi Fon's ear, singeing a few strands of hair.
"You lose, Captain Soi Fon."
"Yes, I concede."
Upon hearing Soi Fon's admission of defeat, Ailin dispelled the Rikujōkōrō, and they both approached Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto.
"Captain-Commander, regarding Acting Captain Soi Fon's Captain Proficiency Test, I believe she possesses the strength to serve as the Captain of the 2nd Division."
"Indeed."
Following Ailin's acknowledgment of Soi Fon, Shunsui Kyōraku immediately spoke up, "Although Captain Soi Fon hasn't displayed her Bankai, the state she just demonstrated is in no way inferior to Bankai..."
"Yes, that's true." Aizen smiled and said, "In just half a year, Captain Soi Fon has improved so much under Captain Ailin's guidance. I wonder if I would have the honor of becoming the next person to be educated by Captain Ailin?"
"Hahaha, Captain Aizen, Captain Soi Fon's current strength is primarily due to her own efforts. I merely offered some guidance. Please don't overestimate me and overlook Captain Soi Fon's own talent and hard work over the past six months." Ailin shook his head, not accepting Aizen's praise.
Indeed, Soi Fon's talent was undeniable, considering she managed to develop Shunko on her own based on the fragmented notes left by Yoruichi.
"As for Captain Aizen, if you have the time, I wouldn't mind exchanging cultivation insights with you so we can all improve together. It just so happens that sometimes I find Captain Aizen's presence quite peculiar. If I could interact with you for an extended period, I would be most grateful."
"Oh? Captain Ailin finds me peculiar?" Aizen asked curiously, "May I ask what you find strange about me?"
"No, it's just that sometimes when I encounter Captain Aizen, you feel like two different people. I suppose it might be because we're not very familiar, and I'm misinterpreting things."
"Hahaha, Captain Ailin's perception is truly sharp..." Aizen smiled and said, "However, I can't recall encountering Captain Ailin at any such time."
"Perhaps you didn't see me then."
In the end, Aizen and Ailin didn't continue the topic of Aizen wanting to learn from Ailin for a while.
Aizen, who had a vague understanding of some of Ailin's strength, genuinely wanted to seek his guidance.
However, he was unwilling to expose any weaknesses before Ailin due to his inquiries. He wasn't ready to completely break away from the Soul Society just yet.
With Ailin, Shunsui Kyōraku, and Aizen's endorsements, the other captains didn't say anything further, simply nodding slightly.
After witnessing the battle, they all agreed that Soi Fon possessed captain-level strength.
"Very well, with the unanimous approval of Captain Ailin, Captain Kyōraku, and Captain Aizen, Acting Captain Soi Fon is deemed qualified to serve as a captain. From this moment forward, Soi Fon will assume the position of Captain of the 2nd Division."
"Yes, Captain-Commander.” Soi Fon bowed respectfully to Yamamoto. At this moment, her heart finally found peace.
Lady Yoruichi, did you see that? I've kept the 2nd Division safe for you...
***
Three years after Soi Fon successfully succeeded as the Captain of the 2nd Division, Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto personally nominated Sajin Komamura to become the Captain of the 7th Division. With that, all the captain positions within the Thirteen Court Guard Squads were filled.
Each division, led by their respective captains, fulfilled their duties and maintained the peace and stability of the Seireitei.
The Soul Society returned to its former tranquility. It was as if the turmoil from four years ago had never happened.
Apart from those who truly cared about the missing individuals occasionally reminiscing about Shinji Hirako and the others, hardly anyone talked about the incident anymore.
It was as if the matter had been intentionally erased, and people were deliberately forgetting about them.
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
On this day, Ailin had good luck and drew an SSR card in Unlimited Blade Works. Feeling enthusiastic, he took out a chessboard, wanting to have another match with Haruko.
Unfortunately, Ailin seemed to have forgotten that luck was luck, and strength was strength. Even with his exceptional luck today, he was easily suppressed by Haruko's absolute skill.
Sitting cross-legged before the table, Ailin held a black chess piece between his index and middle fingers, frowning as he scanned the board with a serious gaze.
Alas, no matter how he looked at it, Haruko had completely surrounded his black chess pieces in all four corners of the board. The "ko" he had created had been resolved, and within a few more moves, his last "eye" would be blocked, causing him to lose a large area.
In contrast to Ailin, Haruko calmly savored the aroma of her tea, her casual glance instantly discerning Ailin's next dozen moves. No matter how he struggled, she would eventually capture all his pieces on the board.
"Damn it, I thought today was my lucky day, but I can't even win with the luck of an SSR?" Ailin thought to himself, resigned. It seemed Haruko's Go skills had improved again.
Just as Ailin was about to resign, a flash of black caught his eye. He looked up and saw a black Hell Butterfly flying towards him.
Ailin's expression turned serious. He placed chess piece in his hand randomly on the board and said to Haruko, "Haruko, it seems I have something to attend to. Let's pause this game here and resume when I return."
With that, Ailin placed his hand on the table, ready to get up.
However, as he rose, his foot "accidentally" bumped the table. The board shook, and the pieces scattered into disarray, completely disrupting their previous positions.
"Haha, haha, that was an accident."
Ailin chuckled awkwardly and walked towards the courtyard under Haruko's disapproving gaze.
He extended his right hand. The Hell Butterfly landed on his index finger and transmitted its information to him.
To Ailin's surprise, it wasn't Captain-Commander Yamamoto who was looking for him this time, but 13th Division Captain Jūshirō Ukitake.
"Haruko, Captain Ukitake of the 13th Division has something for me. I'll go and see what's going on."
"Alright, be careful." Haruko responded while tidying up the scattered pieces on the board.
Over the years, although Haruko didn't have a clear understanding of Ailin's true strength, she knew from the members of the Women's Shinigami Association that within the Seireitei, apart from Captain-Commander Yamamoto, all the other captains seemed to believe they were inferior to Captain Ailin.
It was important to note that the members of the Women's Shinigami Association comprised most of the female Shinigami in the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. Although most of these female Shinigami weren't particularly strong, they had many admirers within their respective divisions.
Therefore, their intelligence gathering capabilities were, in some aspects, even superior to the intelligence units of the 2nd and 8th Divisions.
Knowing Ailin's approximate strength, Haruko no longer worried every time he went on a mission, fearing that he might encounter misfortune.
On the contrary, her admiration for him soared to new heights. She believed that even Captain-Commander Yamamoto wouldn't be a match for Ailin. Because Ailin had told her so and Ailin had never lied to her.
***
"How strange, why is Captain Ukitake looking for me?"
After leaving the Kuchiki Manor, Ailin used Shunpo to head towards the 13th Division's barracks. At the same time, he tried to recall his interactions with Jūshirō Ukitake.
Since Ailin and Shunsui Kyōraku were close friends, they often met up at izakayas for drinks and had invited Ukitake along several times.
However, during their drinking sessions, they mostly chatted about recent events or gossip they had heard, never discussing work-related matters.
For Ukitake to contact him using a Hell Butterfly, something related to Ailin must have happened on Ukitake's end.
The 13th Division was the purification force. Most of its Shinigami were stationed in various corners of the World of the Living to guide the souls of the deceased and purify Hollows that crossed over from Hueco Mundo to prey on humans.
But Ailin couldn't recall anything in the World of the Living that concerned him.
Could it be that Kisuke Urahara and his group had contacted Ukitake and wanted to discuss something with him?
Although Urahara, Yoruichi Shihōin, and the others had defected from Soul Society, Ailin knew they still maintained contact with the Seireitei.
Ailin was ninety percent certain that the person they were in contact with was 13th Division Captain Jūshirō Ukitake. This could be inferred from Rukia Kuchiki's situation decades later.
As a seated officer of the 13th Division, Rukia knew of Kisuke Urahara's existence and that he could be used to contact the Soul Society and purchase items from there...
Perhaps all 13th Division members stationed in the World of the Living knew about the existence of the "Urahara Shop."
Ailin was fast, and before he could fully sort out his thoughts, he had already arrived before Jūshirō Ukitake.
Swoosh!
The sound of wind breaking reached Ukitake's ears as Ailin appeared beside him.
"Captain Ailin."
Upon seeing Ailin, a short-haired girl and a middle-aged man with a beard standing beside Ukitake immediately bowed respectfully.
As the Captain of the 11th Division, although Ailin rarely appeared in public, legends about him still circulated throughout the Thirteen Court Guard Squads.
It was said that Captain Ailin excelled at guiding others in their cultivation. If one were fortunate enough to be noticed by him and receive his guidance, their strength would undoubtedly experience a significant boost.
2nd Division Captain Soi Fon received half a year of guidance from Captain Ailin and successfully passed the Captain Proficiency Test.
6th Division Captain Byakuya Kuchiki received three months of instruction from Captain Ailin in his youth, transforming from an elite Shinigami into a vice-captain level powerhouse.
Five years later, after receiving three days of guidance from Captain Ailin, he successfully mastered Bankai and became the Captain of the 6th Division.
3rd Division Captain Gin Ichimaru was taken in as a disciple by Captain Ailin after graduating from the Shin'ō Academy and passed the Captain Proficiency Test after the previous 3rd Division Captain met with misfortune.
"Hello." Ailin smiled and nodded to the two individuals. He was also very familiar with them.
The two "treasures" of the 13th Division: Kiyone Kotetsu and Sentaro Kotsubaki.
Kiyone was the younger sister of 4th Division Vice-Captain Isane Kotetsu, while Sentaro became Rukia Kuchiki's vice-captain after the Thousand-Year Blood War.
Ailin then turned to Ukitake and asked, "Captain Ukitake, did you call me here for something?"
"Well, Captain Ailin, do you remember Kugo Ginjo?"
"Kugo Ginjo?" Hearing Ukitake's mention of this name, Ailin’s memory was jogged. "Yes, of course I remember. I recall you once asked me to go to the living world to teach him for a while. Why, did something happen with him?"
"Yes." Ukitake nodded gravely and said to Ailin, "Captain Ailin, as you know, the Substitute Shinigami Badge I gave to Kugo Ginjo was meant to monitor him."
"Yes, I remember.” AIlin nodded.
Back then, when the Soul Society discovered that Kugo Ginjo possessed Shinigami powers, Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto had proposed executing him for "stealing Shinigami powers."
However, the proposal was ultimately rejected due to Ailin's opposition.
After discussions among the captains, they unanimously agreed to absorb Kugo Ginjo as a non-staff Shinigami and issue him a Substitute Shinigami Badge, acknowledging his rights and responsibilities as equivalent to those of a Shinigami.
To demonstrate the Soul Society's sincerity, Ailin was sent to the World of the Living to instruct Kugo Ginjo.
Of course, with Yamamoto's reminder, Ailin focused on teaching Kugo how to use his Zanpakutō abilities, imparting the cultivation methods for both Shikai and Bankai. As for the other four Shinigami arts, he only briefly touched upon them.