Help! I am bound to Aizen!

Chapter 289

2-in-1 chapter:

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Ascending to a higher realm by piercing the void—

Back in his original world, Kaelith used to hate that phrase when reading web novels.

Whenever a protagonist “ascended,” it usually meant the story’s power system was out of date, and the author, unable to continue properly, forced a new, higher world into the plot. Nine times out of ten, that was a sign to drop the book.

But who would have thought that after crossing into this world, Kaelith himself would one day “ascend”?

Was it now the era where gods walked everywhere, and “divine rank” was nothing special?

He gave a weird laugh from the shadows on half his face, sending a chill down Shinji’s spine.

This guy…he’s not planning to stir up trouble in the Royal Palace, right? I’d like to live a few more years, thank you…

As Shinji fretted, the Tenchū-Ren came to a thunderous stop. Its door opened to reveal the scene outside.

The first thing that drew the eye was a colossal column floating in midair, like a mighty stake impaled into the sky itself. Simply looking at it conveyed an ancient, dignified aura. Below it, four equally floating circular platforms—each roughly the size of a small town—drifted in the air. Under that, an expansive open platform also hung in midair, looking like an arena or something similar.

Kaelith got the sense the Royal Palace had some kind of obsession with floating architecture. Finally, on the lowest level, there was solid ground, lined with orderly houses. Spirits dressed in yukata or traditional robes walked the streets, chatting and going about their day.

“Wait, so they actually have a residential district here?” Kaelith muttered, surprised. “I figured it’d just be the few Zero Squad members, stuck here guarding the Soul King in lonely misery.”

Senjumaru stiffened. She was just about to teach him a lesson when another voice spoke:

“Hmph. Kid, there’s plenty you haven’t imagined yet.”

They’d barely stepped out of the Tenchū-Ren when they saw a man with a slick pompadour, a long wooden paddle slung over his shoulder, swaggering toward them. His stride looked carefree, but somehow he crossed the distance in a single instant, appearing right in front of them.

Next second, he flickered to Kaelith’s back, stretching his neck around to peer at Kaelith’s face in curiosity.

“So…you’re that new disciple Yamamoto took in, huh? Hmm. Can’t say you look all that special. Your name is…”

He trailed off abruptly, baffled. Kaelith, who’d just been standing there, had vanished from his sight and reappeared behind him!

“Interesting,” Tenjirō murmured, grinning as he lunged once more.

Kaelith charged without hesitation. In flashes of Shunpo, they flickered around each other again and again, swapping positions so fast they ended up dashing right out of the plaza, heading toward the residential district in a blink.

Shinji watched them vanish into the distance, wanting to bury his face in his hands.

“What a pair of idiots… What are they doing?”

Just before Kaelith and Tenjirō reached the cluster of houses, a figure intercepted them with a pulse of spiritual pressure. The shockwave smacked them upward, then sent them flying back faster than before. Spinning a few times in midair, they each managed to steady themselves before slamming head-first into the ground, landing without too much disgrace.

Tenjirō turned to stare at Kaelith, astonished. This kid could actually match his speed?!

Back when he became a Royal Guard, people had called him “Thunderbolt,” unstoppable in terms of raw speed. Even Shihōin’s best footwork was no match for him in a pure sprint. And now, this rookie who hadn’t even been a Shinigami for a hundred years was matching him stride for stride?

He mentally reviewed Kaelith’s technique. The foundation definitely came from the standard Shunpo taught at the Academy, yet many tiny details were modified. Tiny as they were, stacking them up had produced a qualitative change. On top of that, some bits of Shihōin skills were blended in, and there was even a hint of the Hollow’s Sonído. Countless Shinigami had tried to learn Sonído, Tenjirō among them, but everyone had failed. Yet apparently this brat had at least gleaned something from it…

Then there was that final flip through the air. The kid’s recovery had been perfect, like he’d been knocked sky-high countless times and learned exactly how to land. Tenjirō almost laughed at the absurd mental image of someone literally getting tossed into the air over and over.

Meanwhile, Kaelith looked ahead at the figure that had flung them back. Approaching now was a woman of striking beauty with long black hair adorned with gold, draped in a white robe. Most notable of all were the six white, skeletal arms extended behind her. Glaring coldly at Kaelith, she spoke:

“You’re a lower-world Shinigami, standing before me, a Royal Guard member. Why haven’t you knelt in respect?”

As she spoke, crushing spiritual pressure erupted around them, making the air thick as glue. Every breath felt like choking on sticky lumps, and the vibrating reishi in the atmosphere scraped their skin like tiny knives. Shinji broke into a cold sweat—of everyone present, he had the lowest spiritual power. Though not outright crushed, he was definitely under strain.

Kaelith scratched his head under the woman’s icy stare.

“Lady Haori-Spirit, what are you talking about? You’re older than the hills—maybe your mind’s starting to slip.”

Her face twitched at once. Furious, she turned a betrayed gaze on Kirio.

Kirio grinned innocently. “Captain, this has nothing to do with me. I never showed him your real form. But he’s always had freakishly sharp intuition. Even if you disguised your voice, I doubt you’d fool him.”

Unconvinced, the woman turned back to Kaelith. “Brat, how did you recognize me? I always descend in the form of a haori, never my actual body. You shouldn’t be so certain it’s me at first glance.”

She’d even changed her tone of voice, hoping not to be recognized. How had this upstart guessed so easily?

Kaelith blinked, then slapped a palm against his forehead as though suddenly realizing something.

“Oh, so that weird posturing just now was because you thought I didn’t know who you were? Hah, so naive…way too naive!”

Folding his arms, he looked smugly skyward.

“When you come down in the form of a haori, you aren’t literally just a floating garment. You manifest a transparent body ‘wearing’ that clothing. Having seen it a few times, I could infer your body’s outline from the contours of the cloth in contact. Thus, in my mind, I knew your figure.”

Shutara stared, stunned. “So, all that time…your mind was…”

“Precisely. Every time I ran into you in that floating haori state, I mentally pictured the body inside! Sure, it wasn’t until today I bothered to fill in your facial details, but your figure? Been there, done that. In my eyes, no matter how you alter your appearance, you might as well be naked!” He burst out laughing.

Her blood pressure spiked. With a wave of her six skeletal arms, she lunged for him.

“Perfect timing!” Kaelith crowed. “Let’s finish that fight we started!”

He tossed aside his captain’s haori and leaped to meet her. Shinji could only stare, the corner of his eye twitching.

Great…they’d only just arrived, and he’d already brawled with two Zero Squad members. Was this really supposed to be an escort mission instead of a total fiasco?

Within seconds, Kaelith and Shutara exchanged over a dozen blows. Fists, arms, and blasts pounded the air in a dizzying barrage.

In midair, Kaelith braced himself, luminous sparks darting across his skin as he compressed his reishi to the extreme. Shutara’s six arms, reminiscent of a multi-limbed deity, each held a deadly Kido. Enhanced by her terrifying spiritual power, they smashed into his defenses near-simultaneously, almost like a sixfold strike.

Kaelith felt a stab of pain jolt through his bones, which only heightened his excitement. As expected of the Royal Guard—even a clothier packed a terrifying punch. Twisting his torso, he slammed a right hook into one of Shutara’s arms before she could withdraw it.

Crack!

Her eyes widened in shock. He’d actually snapped one of her skeletal limbs. This kid…he was even stronger than she had predicted. Shutara had only intended to show him how formidable a body enhanced by the Soul King could be, to warn him against reckless ambitions. She never expected Kaelith’s physical strength to match hers so closely.

Just who was putting pressure on whom?

Seeing an opening, Kaelith pressed in for a follow-up. Laughing coldly, Shutara decided to get serious. She hadn’t wanted to reveal too much, but if he was going to keep pushing, she’d show him exactly why she was in the Royal Guard.

Controlling four of her arms to counter and parry, she freed up a fifth for something more devious: a simple embroidery needle, trailing the faintest thread of spiritual silk behind it. She aimed the tip at Kaelith’s uniform, using her ability—“Supreme Garment”—to silently re-stitch the target’s clothing, transforming it into her own “Heavenly Fabric.” Once done, she’d have complete dominion over his uniform. She could constrict him, or fill it with spikes like an iron maiden.

That’d be enough to teach him a well-placed lesson—no need to go overboard.

Smiling to herself, she imagined Kaelith shrieking as his outfit ripped apart mid-battle, leaving him flailing. But the instant her needle neared its mark, he abruptly leaped backward, putting distance between them.

Shutara blinked, thrown off. Kaelith merely grinned.

“Nice moves, Auntie Haori. Even though you’re just a tailor, you pack a punch. In that case, I’ll get serious too!”

He let out a loud shout, grasping his uniform collar in both hands and yanking it apart. The top half of his Shihakushō tore open, baring his muscular torso.

Shutara’s eye twitched. Usually, “getting serious” meant unveiling some technique, not…stripping.

With a burst of speed, Kaelith re-engaged. Shutara scowled. Could he at least keep some decency? She braced herself, blocking every blow while busily reworking the discarded half of his uniform. That chunk of cloth was now wholly under her control—time for payback.

But as she prepared to manipulate it, Kaelith suddenly frowned and glanced down at his remaining clothes.

“This uniform… Ugh, feels so annoying. I don’t want it anymore.”

He gave a swift tug, ripping away exactly the spot she’d painstakingly stitched together. Then he simply tossed it aside.

Shutara gaped. All the weaving she’d just done, gone in one yank… Did he do that on purpose, or was it sheer coincidence? It was impossible to tell. She felt a faint headache. How was it that every time she set him up, he dodged the bullet in the most bizarre ways?

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