Chapter 81: Let Us Fight With All We Have
Iba also took his leave.
Only Komamura remained, guarding the injured Tōsen Kaname, continuing his unfinished battle with Orihime.
"Let's begin, ryoka girl… Let this old man see if your abilities can break my Bankai!"
Komamura roared, controlling his Myo-o to attack.
"Hoo…"
Orihime took a deep breath and gripped her sword hilt.
If she defeated another Captain…
Surely no one else would pursue them, right?
"—Soten Kishun!"
Bang!
A huge sound came from behind.
Hachihara and Rindo Yu couldn't help but look back, but they only saw a giant far away, flailing around and causing a considerable commotion, with dust and smoke rising and engulfing its lower half.
"What was that sound just now?"
"I don't know… But I feel that the left arm of the giant samurai summoned by Captain Komamura's Bankai is a bit shorter."
Carried on his shoulder, Rukia endured the jolting sensation in her abdomen and tried to squint her eyes to observe the situation on the battlefield behind them.
[The two Lieutenants are catching up.]
Rindo Yu suddenly delivered a message.
"Ah, I felt it… Such fast Shunpo, as expected of Lieutenants. With our current strength, we can't handle a 2V2, so we'll go with the second plan… Rindo, find a way to delay them. I'll take this guy to the Research Institute!"
Hachihara finished speaking and suddenly accelerated.
His displayed level of extreme Shunpo was subtly above that of a Lieutenant!
In this situation, the probability of Shūhei and Iba catching up in a short time was not zero, but it was extremely slim.
If Rindo Yu interfered even slightly, it would be enough for Hachihara to deliver the person inside, then come out to join forces and block the two outside, gaining enough time for Hinamori Momo in the Research Institute to perform the surgery.
Then let's go.
Rindo Yu's expression was calm.
He deliberately slowed his pace, waiting for the two behind him to catch up, then used his Zanpakuto to create various creatures to launch endless harassment against them.
Shimiya, Ichigo.
And Hachihara were all fighting with all their might.
He also didn't mind, to contend with his opponents here until death.
Beep beep beep…
On the way to the Fifth Divsion's jurisdiction, Shimiya Takeru's Pocket Transmitting Device rang.
He stopped in a forest and took it out to look at it in front of Yoruichi.
"…The person has been delivered and is undergoing surgery at the Research Institute. Even if there are pursuers, they won't be able to break through the 'Mirror Gate' laid out on the periphery for a while."
"But it's too early to breathe a sigh of relief."
Facing this good news, Yoruichi did not smile, but instead frowned and reminded him.
"Don't forget, the mastermind has not yet appeared."
"The mastermind… huh."
Shimiya Takeru murmured to himself, his eyes flickering with a strange light that Yoruichi couldn't understand.
"No matter who it is, they won't give up the Hōgyoku. As long as we go there, we will definitely meet them. There's no doubt about that, so there's still a fierce battle ahead."
Yoruichi didn't refute this, she crossed her arms and leaned against a tree, observing Shimiya Takeru from head to toe with wild eyes, then suddenly spoke: "Your spiritual pressure now is only about 20% compared to yesterday. Plus, the battle damage hasn't had time to recover, so your condition is even worse than a Captain who went to the Human World and had a Limited Spiritual Power Seal placed on them."
"If you encounter another Captain-level expert, you're almost certain to lose, and the mastermind might be stronger than an average Captain, or even someone you know well… Even so, do you still want to fight?"
Shimiya Takeru glanced at her, almost explicitly saying:
"That last sentence is the key, isn't it?"
"At this point, I don't intend to hide it… The soul disappearance incident a hundred years ago, I, Kisuke, and several Captain-class figures were either killed or fled Soul Society bearing false charges. The main culprit was your teacher, Aizen Sōsuke… Did you know about this?"
Yoruichi narrowed her eyes, staring intently at Shimiya Takeru, not missing any subtle changes in his expression.
However, Shimiya Takeru looked at her with a puzzled expression and held out his hand.
"What do you mean?"
"Do you know that Urahara Kisuke's goal is to create a new Soul King and rebuild the three realms?"
"What?!"
Yoruichi's eyes widened.
"No, wait… What is all this nonsense? Where did you hear such rumors?"
Shimiya Takeru didn't answer, but had a strange expression.
Yoruichi was slightly taken aback, then quickly reacted.
"…I'm not joking with you."
"So you need to provide evidence first, prove to me and everyone that what you say is true, and only then can you question whether I know or not."
Shimiya Takeru said earnestly.
"…Alright, I misspoke."
Yoruichi was extremely frustrated.
"Then I'll rephrase the question: assuming your teacher is the mastermind, whose side would you be on?"
"Assuming? Although this question is a bit presumptuous, I don't intend to hide it… I will be on my own side."
Shimiya Takeru didn't hesitate much, as if he had already come to this conclusion.
"Your own side?"
Yoruichi looked puzzled.
"Our current goal is to disrupt the execution. Whoever obstructs us is an enemy. Similarly… I am a Shinigami, and I want to continue living in the Seireitei, I want to become stronger, I want to gain more power to change some corrupt things. So whoever destroys the Seireitei, annihilates Soul Society, or interferes with my plans, they are my enemy."
Shimiya Takeru's words were extremely self-centered.
If the Central 46 heard them, they would surely denounce him as ambitious and destined to disrupt the existing order of the Seireitei, then immediately order the Onmitsukidō to arrest him.
But these words were quite to Yoruichi's liking.
"I can tell you're not lying, so let's leave it at that for now."
"That casual?"
Shimiya Takeru was a little surprised.
"The Shihōin Clan family's ancestors intermarried with the Outlier race."
Yoruichi suddenly blurted out a seemingly unrelated sentence.
"What do you mean?"
Even with Shimiya Takeru's sharp mind, he couldn't figure it out for a moment.
"It means that including me, the descendants of the Shihōin Clan family all have a part of beast transformation bloodline. The cat transformation technique I developed is based on an Outlier race secret art passed down from my ancestors. My constantly sneaking out when I was a child is also thanks to this bloodline,"
Yoruichi's tone was faint.
"And besides that, my intuition is also very sharp, especially when it comes to reading people. When I was the Onmitsukidō Commander, I could tell at a glance when some people were off, and also tell at a glance who was more interesting… So I can feel the genuine conviction in your words.
"Not just now, but also what you said to Suì-Fēng before."
"That's why I'm confident enough to tell you these things. Originally, this personal information wouldn't be shared casually, but now that I'm sure you won't become an enemy, this information must be told to you."
Shimiya Takeru raised an eyebrow.
"You mentioned the Shihōin Clan family's bloodline… So you want to use this element to, or do something to me? Is it related to the mastermind?"
"Clever~"
Yoruichi snapped her fingers, a look of appreciation in her eyes.
"It's so much easier to communicate with someone who's smart, especially when time is short."
"As you said, the mastermind definitely won't continue to play deaf. There's probably another big battle coming, but your current state is very poor. Rushing into battle is tantamount to suicide, but there's no time to wait for you to recover."
"Therefore, I have a proposal that can help you adjust your state and regain most of your combat power."
"Tell me about it."
Shimiya Takeru didn't doubt the technical foundation of the Shihōin Clan clan, but maintained a cautious attitude towards Yoruichi's proposal.
Facts proved that his caution was justified.
"Among the Outlier race, who fell into the animal realm due to their crimes in life, many cruel and bloody secret arts are circulated. The cat transformation technique I developed is based on an Outlier race secret art passed down from my ancestors."
Yoruichi said in a deep voice.
"That secret art has long been drastically altered by my ancestors, so I'm not quite sure what the original version looked like. However, I can use this secret art to temporarily lend you my spiritual power."
"Through an invisible contract, our hearts will be connected, and all my remaining spiritual power will be transferred to you, injected into your body like transferring Shinigami powers. This way, you will be able to recover at least 80% of your combat power."
Upon hearing this, Shimiya Takeru frowned deeply and asked directly: "And the side effects?"
"The side effect is that I will temporarily be unable to maintain human form and will have no combat power whatsoever, essentially putting all the responsibility on your shoulders."
"To break the contract, we'll need to do it again in the same way we formed it."
"If you die before then, I will permanently lose my spiritual power and be unable to return to human form."
"Although the risk is not small, I think it's quite a good deal, after all, you're not weaker than me, and my injuries and stamina are also not optimistic, only my spiritual power is acceptable."
"Instead of having two injured soldiers face a well-rested mastermind, it's better to concentrate our existing power on one person. It might have an unexpected effect. Based on this consideration, I wanted to first confirm your stance, and then, depending on your answer, decide whether or not to propose this all-or-nothing plan."
At this point, Yoruichi revealed a provocative smile, waiting for Shimiya Takeru's response.
"What a useless effect."
Shimiya Takeru shook his head, then changed the subject.
"But it's perfect for the current situation."
"Then let's do it."
"Give me your spiritual power, and I'll fight for you."
"Betting your future, and my… life."
Author's note
(The origin of the cat transformation technique and the beast transformation bloodline are mentioned in a '98 interview, not my original creation.)
Meanwhile.
After sending the latest information to Shimiya Takeru, Hachihara put away his Pocket Transmitting Device and looked at the two people who were performing the Hōgyoku extraction surgery.
The Fifth Divsion Lieutenant, who in most people's eyes had been cruelly murdered, was now not only safe and sound, but also wearing a white lab coat, paired with her delicate face and petite stature, she truly looked like a doctor.
But the surgery she was performing was entirely in the style of a witch or sorceress.
First, a spiritual array was prepared on the ground. The moment the patient, Rukia, was delivered, she was laid on the ground, and then the spiritual array was activated.
Instantly, light shone brightly.
Green clusters rose, surrounded by sharp, hard objects, like the claws of some monster.
Rukia, within the spiritual array, was held in a palm, then an invisible gaze slowly pierced her chest, revealing something hidden deep within her soul.
Hachihara, witnessing this scene, was so tense he dared not breathe.