Transcendent Flame

With Yamamoto

Viktor allowed his gaze to sweep the room one last time, lingering briefly on each section. Satisfied that his presence had sunk into the hearts and minds of every soul present, he finally spoke, his deep, resonant voice cutting through the heavy silence.

"Thank you all for attending this assembly,"he began, his tone steady yet commanding, resonating through the hall. His gaze swept briefly over the nobles, the captains, and the provisional Central 46. "Your presence here today is not just an acknowledgment of our shared duty, but a testament to the gravity of the times we face."

A faint murmur rippled through the crowd, quickly silenced as Yamamoto's piercing gaze returned to them.

"Our world has changed,"he continued, his tone sharpening. "Aizen Sōsuke's betrayal was not merely the act of a rogue captain. It was a calculated attack that exploited the flaws within our system—flaws we can no longer afford to ignore."

His words hung heavily in the air, their weight pressing down on the gathered assembly. Even the most stoic among the nobles shifted uneasily at the mention of Aizen.

"Three captains,"Yamamoto said, his voice growing colder, "three of the Gotei 13's trusted leaders, betrayed us. They turned their swords against Soul Society and sought to unravel the balance we have maintained for millennia. This betrayal was not the beginning of our troubles, nor will it be the end. But it was a catalyst—a reminder that complacency and stagnation have no place in the times ahead."

From his seat among the provisional Central 46, Seijūrō stiffened. His grip on his armrest tightened, his knuckles whitening as Yamamoto's words cut into the very authority he believed his group represented. The tension in his jaw was evident, and his narrowed eyes betrayed his barely restrained fury. Viktor caught the man's glare, his sharp instincts noting the simmering indignation. He chose this moment to press forward.

"Change is no longer a choice,"Viktor declared, his tone shifting from cold authority to fiery resolve. "It is a necessity. And that change must begin today."

The crowd tensed collectively, and Viktor allowed the silence to stretch for a moment, letting his words sink in before continuing. His sharp gaze flicked briefly to Seijūrō, whose patience teetered on the edge of an outburst. The man's rising frustration played perfectly into what Viktor had planned next.

"To ensure the survival and growth of the Soul Society, we must strengthen the Gotei 13—not only in power but in reach and influence. It is time to expand our ranks."

A ripple of shock coursed through the room. The captains exchanged quick, uncertain glances, while the nobles stiffened, their unease now mingled with surprise. Even Urahara's group, watching from the far side of the hall, stirred slightly. Kisuke's sharp gaze narrowed, his thoughts clearly racing.

"I am announcing the implementation of the Rukongai draft,"Yamamoto continued, his tone steady and commanding."From among the souls of the Rukongai, we will identify and train those with the potential to serve as shinigami. The Gotei 13 will grow, adding new squads to better protect the balance of our world and to ensure that no threat—internal or external—ever again brings us to the brink of destruction."

Gasps and murmurs broke out across the hall, too widespread to be stilled immediately. The captains remained silent but visibly tense. The lieutenants whispered hurriedly among themselves, their expressions ranging from confusion to cautious curiosity. The nobles, however, reacted with poorly concealed alarm. The thought of opening the Gotei 13's ranks to the common souls of the Rukongai was an affront to the traditions they held sacred.

Seijūrō could no longer contain himself. His hand slammed onto the armrest of his chair as he rose to his feet, his sharp voice cutting through the murmurs. "This is preposterous!" he spat, his face flushed with barely suppressed rage. "A Rukongai draft? Expanding the Gotei 13 beyond its current structure? And for what? To weaken the authority of the Central 46 further? To discard centuries of tradition for this… this madness?"

The room fell into a stunned silence, all eyes turning to Seijūrō. Viktor remained unmoving, his gaze locked onto the nobleman. The fire in his eyes burned cold and steady, a stark contrast to Seijūrō's visible outrage.

Urahara, standing with Yoruichi and the others, raised an eyebrow, a faint smirk playing at his lips. "Well," he murmured softly, his tone amused but wary, "there's always one, isn't there?"

Shinji folded his arms, tilting his head slightly as he muttered, "Someone forgot to check their ego at the door."

Yoruichi said nothing, her golden eyes flicking between Seijūrō and Yamamoto, watching intently as the tension reached its peak.

Seijūrō's voice rose, his frustration boiling over. "This is not your decision to make alone, Sōtaichō! The governance of Soul Society belongs to the Central 46, not the Gotei 13! Not you!"

Viktor stood unyielding, his commanding presence dominating the hall as Seijūrō's voice echoed with indignation. The nobleman's words hung in the air, stark against the silence that followed. All eyes turned to the Sōtaichō, who remained unmoving, his expression unreadable. Then, slowly and deliberately, Viktor spoke.

"Seijūrō Kasumioji,"he began, his gravelly voice carrying the weight of centuries, calm yet underpinned with the embers of a rising storm. His sharp gaze locked onto the nobleman, piercing through his bravado with a quiet intensity. "You speak of governance, of authority, and of tradition. Yet it is your inability to adapt that has brought Soul Society to this precipice."

Seijūrō flinched, but his pride forced him to hold his ground. "You claim to lead," he retorted, his voice shaking slightly, "but your actions undermine the very foundations of our society. Without the Central 46, there is no order. You—"

Viktor's eyes narrowed, and the room seemed to shift as he took a single step forward. His spiritual pressure, controlled and focused, surged like a blade honed for a single purpose, slicing through the space between them and pressing directly onto Seijūrō. It was not the overwhelming force that would flatten an entire room, but a precise, unrelenting weight that crushed down on the nobleman alone.

Seijūrō's words faltered, his throat constricting as if the very air had turned solid. He clutched the armrest of his chair, his knuckles whitening as the oppressive force bore down on him. Sweat beaded on his forehead, trickling down his temple, and his breath came in shallow, ragged gasps.

Viktor's voice grew colder, sharper, each word carrying the full weight of his presence. "You dare speak of order when the Central 46 failed to protect it. You dare invoke tradition when your inaction nearly doomed us all. Your arrogance blinds you to the truth."

The pressure intensified, precise and unyielding, coiling tighter around Seijūrō like an invisible vice. To the others in the hall, Yamamoto's spiritual pressure was palpable but distant, a subtle shift in the atmosphere that hinted at his control. Yet for Seijūrō, it was an all-encompassing force, pressing into his very being with the weight of centuries of command.

Seijūrō's knees buckled slightly, and he sank back into his seat, his earlier bravado now reduced to trembling silence. His wide eyes locked onto Viktor, filled with a mix of disbelief and growing fear. 'How is this possible? He's... no longer the man I knew.'

Viktor's tone darkened further, his words striking like hammer blows. "The Central 46 allowed Aizen to infiltrate, manipulate, and destroy it. Its failure is absolute, its authority eroded by its own ineptitude. And now you seek to cling to the ashes of what once was, hoping to reclaim power through obstinance."

The nobleman's body trembled visibly, his grip on the armrest tightening as though it were the only thing keeping him upright. His vision blurred slightly under the unrelenting force pressing down on him, his chest heaving as he struggled to draw breath. The once haughty Kasumioji head now looked small and fragile, dwarfed by Viktor's unyielding presence.

Viktor took another step forward, his haori billowing slightly, and the pressure on Seijūrō deepened further, sinking into his core. The captains and nobles looked on, uneasily aware of the exchange but unable to fully grasp its magnitude. Only those with the sharpest spiritual awareness, such as Urahara, Yoruichi, and the captains, understood that the Sōtaichō's focus was singular, his power directed entirely at Seijūrō.

"You, and those like you,"Viktor said, his voice low and dangerous, "are the reason Soul Society must change. Your obsession with titles, with tradition, has left us weak. You are relics of a past that cannot protect our future."

Seijūrō let out a choked gasp, his body shaking under the weight of the Sōtaichō's spiritual pressure. His mind raced, but his thoughts were disjointed, scattered by the sheer force pressing down on him. His earlier indignation had crumbled, leaving only the raw, gnawing fear of being utterly powerless.

Viktor straightened slightly, his presence still towering. "Effective immediately,"he declared, his voice resonating with unshakable finality, "the Central 46 is dissolved."

The announcement reverberated through the hall, but Seijūrō could barely process it. His world was reduced to the suffocating weight of Yamamoto's reiatsu, each word hammering down on him with undeniable authority.

"In its place,"Viktor continued, his tone now carrying a quieter, sharper edge, "a Judicial Committee will be established. Comprised of the captains of Squads 2, 6, and 7, it will ensure that justice is served swiftly and fairly, free from the stagnation and corruption that plagued the Central 46."

Seijūrō's head slumped slightly, his body trembling as the pressure reached its peak. His mind screamed for him to fight back, to say something—anything—but the words refused to come. He was utterly broken under the weight of Viktor's authority, his defiance crushed like ash in the wind.

Viktor allowed the silence to stretch, his gaze never leaving Seijūrō. Then, with a deliberate motion, he stepped back, releasing the targeted pressure as abruptly as it had begun. Seijūrō gasped loudly, slumping forward as though the strings holding him upright had been cut. His face was pale, his body drenched in sweat, and his eyes stared vacantly ahead, the defiance that once burned in them extinguished.

And Cut!

That'sit for this chapter folks.

AN:

Did anyone expect Viktor becoming young? No one commented for sure. It's a set up chapter as I wanted to comprehensively cover the reactions of all parties in the Soul Society. Let me know if you feel it's boring or lag, I'll try to decrease the amount of description next time. Aside from that, as I previously mentioned, big changes are coming and 2 of them are revealed. There are more to come, as Viktor had many more things planned.

Zaraki seems pumped up for this new Yamamoto lol. Yachiru is obviously excited. What do you think Ichigo, Uryu, Chad will react to this? Do you think Orihime is happy with the way things turned out? Should I cover that part or not? As per the next chapter plan, I think I will cover it. Let me know if you are interested in seeing how everything took place or not. If you don't want it, I will replace it with something else, I have a lot to write lmao.

As always, let me know in your reviews and do share your feedback and suggestions!

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