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Chapter 329 B
🕑 Added 2025-04-25 15:03:00 +0000 UTCChapter 329
2-in-1 chapter:
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However, the imagined pain never came.
He opened his eyes with confusion.
What he saw was a black shadow passing through him without obstruction, continuing to press toward the center of the battlefield.
Looking closely, even the surrounding buildings, plants, and small animals were unaffected.
The only thing crushed by the City of Shadows was the abyssal maw summoned by Kuruyashiki Kenpachi.
The massive black walls ruthlessly pressed against the maw, crushing it into various distorted shapes, stacking them together, shrinking the space it occupied.
The maw twisted, attempting to bite into the walls, but having already been filled with Kaelith’s Yingda, it no longer had the power to devour further.
Finally, under the gaze of all the squad members, the maw was compressed smaller and smaller by the black walls, until it was reduced to fragments as the walls shrank down to a mere inch, vanishing completely.
The entire battlefield fell into brief silence.
The next second, thunderous cheers erupted through Seireitei!!
“We… we survived!!!”
“We won! We won!!”
Some of the older Shinigami, those who had experienced the era of Kuruyashiki Kenpachi, excitedly explained just how terrifying that Bankai had been.
Upon hearing about Gagaku Kairou’s abilities, everyone felt a lingering fear.
As one of the strongest Shinigami in Soul Society’s history, every time Kuruyashiki Kenpachi used this Bankai, his Zanpakutō would be sealed for a full six months.
During that period, he couldn’t use either Bankai or even Shikai.
Such an immense cost naturally came with unmatched destructive power.
Yet Kaelith… had neutralized such a terrifying Bankai with his power alone!
For a moment, everyone looked up toward the sky.
Now that Kaelith had removed his Hollowfication, Yamamoto’s wall of fire had also dissipated.
As the Shinigami saw Kaelith standing in the sky, another wave of cheers broke out.
Their chanting gradually grew unified—
“Kaelith! Kaelith! Kaelith!!”
Listening to the shouts below, Yamamoto gave a grunt.
He looked toward Kaelith.
“Boy, what exactly was that just now?”
Kaelith scratched his head.
“Sensei, have you heard of the Arrancar?”
“Arrancar?”
Yamamoto frowned slightly.
“I’ve heard the legend… that some Hollows, upon reaching the limit of their strength, can break their Hollow masks, gaining appearances similar to Shinigami. At the same time, their power exceeds its previous bounds and steps into a new stage.”
“That’s right, exactly that!”
Kaelith grinned. “My situation is similar… I reached the limits of Shinigami power, and before I knew it, I gained a Hollow mask—broke through the limits and stepped into a new phase!”
“?”
Yamamoto narrowed his eyes.
He suspected Kaelith was talking nonsense, but he had no proof.
Glancing at the fierce battle still ongoing between the Shinigami and the Convicted on the ground, Yamamoto gave him a warning look:
“Handle the mess below first. Once this is over, I’ll question you properly.”
“Got it, got it.”
Kaelith, face covered in blood, gave an innocent smile.
Yamamoto stood before the gates of Hell, unleashing blazing flames, cutting off reinforcements from the underworld.
On the ground, with Kaelith, Kyōraku Shunsui, and other elite captains leading the charge, the enemy was soon cleared out.
The original captains had all already severed their chains through various means before Kaelith stepped in to help.
That disgusting maneuver deepened Kaelith’s disgust for Hell even further.
The battle had raged from dusk into night, and from night into dawn. It wasn’t until the following afternoon that the Gotei 13 finally emerged victorious.
Amid the cheers of the squad members, Kaelith left the battlefield, heading for the Department of Technology.
He was deeply worried—he didn’t know how Sōsuke was doing.
The effects of Serum No. 9 were extremely potent; once taken, it could instantly raise one’s spiritual pressure by a small tier.
However, the cost was steep.
Once the drug wore off, the user’s physical condition would plummet, and their spiritual pressure would drop by an entire tier.
Though the realm could be regained slowly over time, the body’s capacity to absorb spiritual pressure would be permanently reduced.
Even if Sōsuke was a rare genius, training far beyond the speed of normal Shinigami, there was still a limit. Reckless self-harm could one day rob him of that gift entirely. Just thinking about how much Sōsuke had sacrificed to cover for him made Kaelith feel worse than if he had suffered the loss himself.
But before he could set out, a figure appeared beside him with a flash step.
“Sōsuke?”
Seeing Sōsuke, Kaelith couldn’t help but be surprised.
“Are you okay? Why are you here?”
Sōsuke didn’t answer, only looked at him.
“On my way here, I learned the general situation.”
“You’re impressive, Kaelith… You faced Kuruyashiki Kenpachi’s Bankai head-on alone. If they don’t give you the title of Seireitei Hero, something’s wrong.”
Kaelith scratched his head with an embarrassed smile. “You’re flattering me.”
“I was complimenting you?”
“Uh… you weren’t?”
“…”
Sōsuke took a deep breath to steady his rising blood pressure.
Kaelith quickly added:
“Don’t be mad, don’t be mad. You deserve half the credit for this. I’ll tell the old man myself that this whole thing would’ve gone to hell without your help!”
Hearing that, Sōsuke crossed his arms, eyes cold:
“First of all, saying something like that to Captain-Commander Yamamoto will only confuse him.”
“Unconditional spiritual pressure synchronization? No sane person would believe that.”
“Second, this kind of pointless merit-sharing means nothing to me. I’ve never cared about honors.”
“What I want to say is only this.”
“Next time there’s a suicidal plan like this, ask me what to do first!” With that, he turned and walked toward Yamamoto without waiting for Kaelith’s reply.
Kaelith scratched his head and followed.
There was no way Serum No. 9’s side effects were this mild—Sōsuke was definitely forcing himself to stay composed.
Even though he’d come just to scold him, Kaelith, being a kind-hearted person unlike Sōsuke, didn’t take it personally.
Finding Yamamoto Shigekuni, Sōsuke got straight to the point and handed over a document. “Captain-Commander, this is a space isolation ritual I developed based on the data from Shinchira Renzosuke.”
“Gather all Kidō experts. If we hold this ritual in Soul Society, we can sever the thin spatial connection between Hell and the Soul Society in three days.”
Yamamoto showed a look of surprise.
He hadn’t expected that in just a few days, this young man named Sōsuke would complete such a massive project.
He took the document and skimmed through it.
From his experience, the overall structure was sound. The details might still need verification by the Kidō experts, but it was already more than impressive.
“Sōsuke Aizen, with your strength and talent, why have you willingly remained a vice-captain for so many years without ever showing your true ability?”
Yamamoto couldn’t help but ask.
Hearing that, Sōsuke looked at him.
“Captain-Commander, may I ask, as a Shinigami, what is the purpose of showing one’s strength?”
Yamamoto thought for a moment and replied, “There are many reasons.”
“Showing strength earns recognition and helps one realize their value.”
“It can also raise one’s status, bring privileges, benefits, and many other conveniences.”
“Also, it provides more chances to interact with others of similar strength, which can ease the monotony of a long life.”
After listening to Yamamoto’s explanation, Sōsuke nodded.
Then he smiled faintly:
“I see. Then I truly have no need to reveal my power.”
“Because I already have all of that.”
“In terms of intellect, the only one qualified to remember me is Kisuke Urahara.”
“In terms of trust, the only one qualified to recognize me is Kaelith.”
“With recognition from those two, I have no need for anyone else’s.”
“As for status, privileges, benefits, and conveniences… I already get all of that through Kaelith. I don’t need anything from Seireitei.”
“As for interacting with others… heh.”
Aizen slightly lifted his head, revealing a mocking smile.
The people of Seireitei—were they even worthy of associating with him?
Laughable.
Seeing Aizen’s arrogant expression, Yamamoto frowned.
This man exuded a dangerous aura.
Such twisted beliefs, such conceited awareness—if left unchecked, he could become another great calamity for Soul Society. But then, something seemed to come to Yamamoto's mind. He turned his gaze to Kaelith.
Watching the brat standing nearby, grinning mischievously and enjoying the show, Yamamoto’s expression grew thoughtful.
After a pause, he said:
“Brat, back up in the sky, you said to me you were about to exhaust your spiritual pressure and die, and asked me to send you to Hell quickly—what did you mean by that?”
“!!”
“?”
Kaelith froze in shock.
Aizen frowned and glanced over.
Just as he was about to explain, Yamamoto continued:
“If I’m not mistaken… you were trying to die on purpose, fall into Hell, then sever your own chains and regain freedom—using that method to unlock your Bankai again?”
“???”
Aizen looked at Kaelith with a hint of terrifying intensity in his gaze.
Kaelith’s eyes widened. “Teacher, how can you slander me like that? What I meant was—”
Before he could finish, under Yamamoto’s stunned gaze, Aizen had already drawn his blade.
“Sorry, Captain-Commander. The barrier discussion can wait. I’ve got something more urgent to deal with.”
“Permitted.”
“Permitted? No! Not permitted!”
With Yamamoto watching, Kaelith turned and fled.
Aizen, blade in hand, pursued him like a vengeful spirit.
Trying to gamble with the power of Hell before verifying the theory?
Setting aside the risk of being reshaped into something else upon death and descent—could this bastard really guarantee he’d sever his chains before total corruption?
As he chased Kaelith, Aizen mentally opened several personal vendetta ledgers labeled with Kaelith’s name.
New grudges, old grievances—he would settle them all today!
….......................
….......
.
4th Division, critical care ward.
Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi, Love Aikawa, Muguruma Kensei, Shiba Shōta, and Ukitake Jūshirō—
Five captains from the Gotei 13 were lying there.
Alongside them were some vice-captains, like Yadōmaru Lisa, Kuchiki Sōjun, and others.
Incidentally, Yamada Seinosuke had also suffered serious injuries and, by all rights, should be here.
But he insisted that, as medical staff, he had to keep working despite his wounds.
Unohana personally treated him with emergency care, confirmed he wouldn’t die, and let him go. With so many injured captains, having everyone go lie down in the 1st Division for a meeting would have looked absurd, so this time the captain meeting was directly held in the 4th Division.
In addition to the current captains, there were some special attendees—
One of the main heroes of this incident, Aizen Sōsuke.
Three original captains—
Batsu'unsai Katori, Shihōin Chika, and Saitō Furōfushi.
Like the other severely wounded captains, Saitō Furōfushi lay in a hospital bed.
Seeing Kaelith arrive, she grinned:
“11th Division haori... Hmph, so you’re Kaelith?”
“This arm of mine... I owe it to you.”
She shook her arm. Though the wound Kaelith had torn open had already been treated and bandaged, its grisly state was still visible.
Kaelith nodded: “What? You want to thank me for saving you? No need to be so formal—just give me a back massage when you’re healed.”
“Hah…”
Saitō Furōfushi smiled wickedly.
“You little bastard, joking with me? You’ve got guts.”
Bloodlust surged behind her like a solid force.
Kaelith maintained his smile, completely unfazed.
That level of killing intent? He felt it from people like Aizen, Yamamoto, Soifon, Unohana, Kenpachi… basically every day.
From a twin-tailed pink-haired girl? He almost wanted to say, “That’s it?”
Seeing Kaelith’s expression, the girl grunted and retracted her bloodlust.
“Not bad. You really are the kind of man who could tear off my arm in that situation.”
“My name’s Saitō. Saitō Furōfushi. Remember it.”
Kaelith gave a slight nod:
“Nice to meet you. I’m Concord Infertility Clinic.”
“?”
As Saitō struggled in rage, Batsu'unsai Katori tried to hold her back, while Shihōin Chika laughed heartily in the background.
