Jin Kariya stood before the assembled Bount with his arms spread wide as if to embrace the world. Then he spoke with conviction, "My friends, I will lead you to the Soul Society. We will take back everything that is rightfully ours!"
"Hold on, Kariya. Just because we've accepted you as our leader doesn't mean we're blindly following you to our deaths."
The person who spoke was a woman with flowing green hair, wearing vibrant silk cheongsam.
She stepped forward. Her tone left no doubt about her lack of respect for Kariya.
This was Yoshi, one of the few remaining female Bount besides Yoshino Sōma.
Unlike Yoshino, who had always sustained herself by discreetly absorbing the residual spiritual energy of the deceased, Yoshi had no such qualms. She had frequently devoured the souls of the living, drastically increasing both her lifespan and the power of her Doll.
While Yoshi had killed Hollows that threatened her, the memory of the Shinigami's brutal extermination of the Quincy was still fresh in her mind. She, like the other eight surviving Bount, had witnessed that slaughter.
Though they had grown stronger since then, the gulf between their power and the might of the Soul Society remained vast. The idea of assaulting the Seireitei was sheer madness.
"Indeed, Kariya."
A man with a neatly trimmed brown goatee and a tailored suit added his voice to the dissent.
"We Bount are still too young compared to the Shinigami. Give us a thousand years, and we might surpass them, but now…"
This was Ryō Utagawa, another Bount who often challenged Kariya's pronouncements. He had always believed himself more fit to lead, but Kariya's instrumental role in securing their Dolls had cemented his authority.
Unless Utagawa could offer a similar boon, he knew the others would never follow him. Still, his ambition simmered, fueling his desire to undermine Kariya's leadership.
The other Bount watched intently, waiting for Kariya's response. Their existence had been a constant struggle, a life lived in the shadows, shunned by humans and hunted by Shinigami.
They yearned for recognition, for respect, but without the power to command it, their pleas were those of ants beneath the boots of giants.
Two centuries of clandestine development had only brought them to the level of ordinary Shinigami. Even Kariya, the strongest among them, was likely only on par with the seated officers who had once hunted them.
Kariya acknowledged their concerns. "You're right. Attacking the Soul Society with our current strength is a fool's errand. But do you think I'd make such a blatant mistake?" He raised his voice. "Come forth!"
A buzzing sound filled the air as swarms of fist-sized insects emerged from every corner of the ruined warehouse, encircling the Bount. The Bount reacted instantly, their Dolls materialized in their hands, ready to defend against this unexpected threat.
"Kariya, what is the meaning of this?" one demanded.
Kariya said with a smile, "My friends, these are the key to our ascension, the means to shorten our thousand-year journey. I offer them to you freely, so that you may gain the power to stand beside me and conquer the Soul Society!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
At Kariya's command, the insects dropped the glass vials they carried. The warehouse erupted in a dazzling display of spiritual energy.
Countless motes of light, freed from their glass prisons, rained down like fireworks, transforming the space into an ocean of souls.
The Bount, including Kariya, became swirling vortexes, drawing in the surrounding spiritual energy.
"Such… potent soul energy…"
Murmurs of awe and delight rippled through the group as they reveled in the sudden influx of power.
For two centuries, they had lived in fear of discovery, cautiously siphoning small amounts of soul energy to avoid attracting the attention of the Soul Society. They had never experienced such abundance.
One Bount, however, resisted the intoxicating power. Sōma Yoshino, the first Bount, a clone created by Ran'Tao using her own soul as a template, felt a growing unease.
Unlike the others, Yoshino possessed a strong sense of empathy for humans. She sustained herself primarily by absorbing the residual spiritual energy of the deceased, and even when attacked, she only absorbed enough to defend herself, never killing.
Though momentarily tempted by the sheer volume of soul energy, she quickly regained control and stopped absorbing it.
With a hesitant glance at her companions, lost in their power-fueled frenzy, Yoshino turned and slipped away. Her desires differed drastically from theirs. Some of the Bount noticed her departure, but they dismissed it with a sneer. The fewer who shared the bounty, the more power they would gain.
Ten minutes later, the Bount emerged from their soul-fueled revelry, their power multiplied several times over.
Kariya asked, surveying his empowered followers. "Well? With this power, do you still doubt my plan?"
"Kariya, as long as you provide the souls, I'll follow you anywhere, even to the Seireitei!"
Another added, "Indeed. Tell us, Kariya, when do we begin?"
The surge in power had inflated their confidence, making them eager to unleash it on the Soul Society.
"Patience. While our power has grown, our knowledge of the Soul Society remains limited. I recently received a report. A group of humans from the World of the Living infiltrated the Seireitei, wreaked havoc, and returned safely. It's said their strongest member even defeated a captain-level Shinigami. I will share their details with you. Use them to test your newfound strength. If they prove to be no match for you, it will confirm that we have surpassed the Shinigami. If not, we will need more souls to further enhance our power. Do you agree?"
one said, "Of course, Kariya. You've thought of everything."
"Indeed," another added. "It's wise to gauge the gap between us and the Shinigami before launching an attack. Frankly, Kariya, I'd question your judgment if you hadn't."
The Bount dispersed, leaving only the imposing Gō Koga and a teenager with spiky yellow hair named Mabashi.
Mabashi knelt on the floor, shaking with an unsettling, almost hysterical laughter.
Gō recognized the signs. He had seen it before in a younger Bount he had mentored. Overwhelmed by the sudden influx of power, the boy had lost control, his soul devoured by his Doll.
Mabashi was on the same path, seduced by the power he couldn't control. He had forgotten a crucial truth: it was the Doll that controlled the power, not the Bount. To forget this was to invite destruction.
Gō Koga approached Mabashi and struck him hard on the head, knocking him to the ground. "Boy, great power demands a strong will. If you lack the discipline to control it, it will consume you. Take care of yourself."
With that, Gō Koga turned and left Mabashi to contemplate his words.
Gō Koga was an anomaly among the Bount. While the others reveled in the raw power of their Dolls, Gō Koga focused on honing his own strength, wielding his Doll, Dalk, as an extension of himself, a weapon rather than a partner.
Perhaps this was why Dalk, unlike the other Dolls, treated Gō with respect.
All beings, even Dolls, bowed to superior strength. Gō was the only Bount who truly mastered his power.
The lives of the other Bount were inextricably linked to their Dolls. If the Doll died, so did the Bount. But when Gō's Doll was destroyed, he remained unharmed, even wielding its remnants as a weapon. His strength of will was unmatched. He was perhaps the only one among them qualified to offer Mabashi guidance.
…
Having reported the Bount's movements to the Soul Society, Ailin dismissed them from his thoughts.
Without Aizen's involvement, they posed no real threat. He had only reported them out of courtesy, a gesture he wouldn't have extended if not for Aizen's potential influence.
Still, the Bount incident gave him pause. He remembered the various crises that had plagued the Soul Society between Aizen's defection and his eventual defeat: the Bount rebellion, the lost souls, the missing Royal Seal, the Hollow that erased memories of Rukia…
These incidents had kept the Soul Society occupied, diverting their attention from Aizen. Without these distractions, Ailin suspected Yamamoto might have led an assault on Hueco Mundo.
Of course, such an attack was unlikely without a counter to Kyōka Suigetsu.
Still, it was possible that these incidents weren't entirely unrelated to Aizen.
Aizen would do anything to avoid interruptions during his fusion with the Hōgyoku. Creating chaos in the Soul Society was the perfect way to buy time.
The Bount, along with the Espada, would be more than enough to keep the Gotei 13 occupied.
The Espada, from the beginning, weren't meant to fight the captains directly, but to serve as a delaying tactic. And they had succeeded, allowing Aizen to complete his fusion.
Only then had the Espada served their true purpose. But even then, they had proved to be no match for the Gotei 13 captains.
Ailin shook his head, pushing thoughts of Aizen aside.
He was on vacation. Enjoyment was his priority. If problems arose, he would deal with them later.
Everything was in preparation for the battle six months from now. What surprises would a fully Hogyoku-fused Aizen bring? A smile of anticipation touched Ailin's lips.
Suddenly, Ailin who was shopping with Haruko, paused.
He sensed a spatial distortion. Here?