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Chapter 287 B
🕑 Added 2025-03-14 16:00:20 +0000 UTCChapter 287
2-in-1 chapter:
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When people talked about heading to the Royal Palace, Kaelith suddenly recalled the standard for selecting members of Squad Zero.
A candidate had to have created something that left a lasting “historical footprint” in the Soul Society. By that logic, Mayuri Kurotsuchi would undoubtedly qualify someday. Nemuri No. 7—Nemu Kurotsuchi—was such a successful artificial life-form that its value rivaled that of Mod Souls. If Aizen were a normal person, he’d be worthy as well. Creating the Hōgyoku was nothing short of a monumental achievement, so Kisuke Urahara, as his collaborator, would likely get a pass too.
And Kaelith? What could he create?
Thinking about it, he realized one possibility: he could work hard with Harribel, Nel, and the others, have a few children, and become the first Shinigami ever to produce offspring half-born of Hollows. That would definitely be a historic feat.
No way Squad Zero could ignore that, right?
Yamamoto Genryūsai propped his hands on his cane, considering the deeper meaning. Kirio Hikifune’s promotion was long decided; there was no issue there. But why pick Shinji Hirako and Kaelith for escort duty—especially Kaelith?
His Zanpakutō was peculiar, with an unnamed release form. Perhaps Squad Zero sensed that and wanted to see for themselves? Or maybe they were concerned about that incident in Muken and planned to glean more details from Kaelith. Shunsui Kyōraku might have been involved too, but being a sly old fox, he knew exactly what to reveal and what to conceal. Kaelith, on the other hand, was…less mindful of what he said. If Squad Zero employed some trick, they might pry a lot out of him. Their intentions hardly seemed benign.
Yamamoto narrowed his eyes, studying his disciple to gauge Kaelith’s reaction. He saw the young man deep in thought, then flashing a self-satisfied grin.
What was that smug look for?
His blood pressure spiked.
…...
..
.
“Hmph! Sōsuke, I’ll be leaving in a couple of days.”
In the Eleventh Division’s captain’s office, Kaelith leaned back in a chair, feet propped on the table, sounding pleased with himself. Aizen was by the bookshelf, reading intently, and only gave a perfunctory nod.
“Where to?”
“The Royal Palace.”
“…?”
Aizen froze for a moment, then looked up sharply.
“The Royal Palace?”
“Exactly.”
Kaelith lifted his chin.
“Reason?”
“Captain Hikifune is getting promoted. I’m the escort!”
Again, Kaelith jutted his chin proudly, prepared for Aizen to ask “Why you?” so he could swagger and say “Because I’m that strong!” But Aizen was silent for so long that Kaelith peered over and saw he’d already gone back to thinking deeply.
“Ahem, Sōsuke, aren’t you curious why they chose me?”
Aizen cast him a brief glance, then returned his gaze to the pages without a word.
Kaelith: “…”
He felt annoyed. He was mulling over sneaking into Aizen’s lab later to eat up all his tofu desserts. That was when Aizen spoke.
“This is problematic. To be safe, I advise you not to go.”
Kaelith raised an eyebrow. “And your reasoning?”
“It won’t be hard to come up with an excuse—maybe you were injured during a mission, or had an experimental accident. Anything would do.”
Kaelith let out a dismissive grunt. “Sōsuke, your view is too narrow.”
He tapped his fingers on the arm of the chair.
“If Squad Zero truly wants to harm me, it’s not like they can’t just come in person. I can’t hide forever.”
Aizen inhaled, feeling this was the ultimate insult: being called short-sighted by Kaelith. With a slight scowl, he said, “First, as long as you remain in the Soul Society, you’re under the protection of the strongest Shinigami in a thousand years. Squad Zero is powerful, but from what I’ve gathered, they can’t easily overpower Yamamoto Genryūsai. Even if, in the worst case, not even Yamamoto can protect you, you can still flee to Hueco Mundo or the World of the Living. The real world is vast—no matter how strong Squad Zero is, they can’t scour humanity in its entirety.
Charging into their domain alone is risking a deathtrap.”
Kaelith lowered his feet from the desk and sat up straight. “Fair points—but I refuse!
There’s a saying in my dimension: you get only one thing if you retreat, but two if you advance. I’m definitely going to the Royal Palace!”
A vein throbbed on Aizen’s temple. “Kaelith…are you out of your mind? The Royal Palace isn’t Hueco Mundo. You can’t just rampage at will. The Squad Zero commander is said to be an ancient being over a million years old, with inconceivable strength. At your current level, you’d stand no chance against him in a direct fight! I won’t let you go. If you persist, I—”
“Sōsuke.” Kaelith cut him off mid-sentence. “To achieve our goal, we have to take this step eventually. Until now, everything we know about Squad Zero is from rumors and records. We know almost nothing about their makeup, their strength, their personalities. And from what we do understand about the Soul King’s history, Squad Zero is likely the real power behind this world. If we want to replace the Soul King, we’ll have to topple Squad Zero someday. Once we’re strong enough to challenge them, it’ll be too late to start investigating.”
He smiled and got to his feet.
“When’s the best time to act? Right now!”
Aizen said nothing. He knew Kaelith had a point. The sooner they gathered intel on Squad Zero, the sooner they could plan. But sending Kaelith off alone while he stayed behind felt wrong.
Whether as his closest friend or a co-conspirator, they should bear the risks together. Thinking back on all the years he’d known Kaelith, it was always the other man who took the biggest gambles. Sure, Kaelith was the type to charge ahead recklessly, but that didn’t change the fact that Aizen often hid behind him, reaping the benefits.
He frowned, but just then Kaelith clapped a firm hand on his shoulder. The force made Aizen stumble slightly. Narrowing his eyes, he was about to speak when he saw Kaelith’s bright grin.
“Don’t worry, Sōsuke. I’m Kaelith—the one-of-a-kind, unsurpassed protagonist of this age. I can’t die. Even if it’s some hopeless death trap, the main character always manages to overturn fate. Maybe I’ll even snag a few secret techniques or abduct a pretty daughter of a big-shot along the way.”
Startled by Kaelith’s unwavering confidence, Aizen recalled how the same person used to whine at him constantly for help. Without his noticing, Kaelith had grown so much.
Under that steady gaze, Aizen finally inclined his head. “All right. Just be cautious at all times. If you meet any danger you can’t overcome, surrender. I’ll think of something to rescue you.”
“Hah! Do you know who you’re talking to?” Kaelith laughed, shining with an effortless charisma.
…
“Teacher, help me!!”
Yamamoto stood at his desk, brush in hand, about to write. Hearing Kaelith bellow from outside, he didn’t even have time to respond before Kaelith burst through the door.
“Idiot. You seem perfectly lively. Why would you need saving?” Yamamoto thundered, gripping his brush.
Kaelith offered a cheeky grin and rushed behind him, starting to massage Yamamoto’s shoulders. “Teacher, Squad Zero is suddenly summoning me. There must be some sinister plot! I bet they want to lock me up in the Royal Palace to be their trophy boy, given my stellar looks and physique!”
“Watch your mouth,” Yamamoto grumbled, cutting off Kaelith’s nonsense. He closed his eyes, allowing Kaelith to knead his shoulders for a moment before speaking again:
“When you go to the Royal Palace, take care not to mention your Zanpakutō’s second ability. Anything about the Wandenreich or shadow-space matter should be pinned on your senior, Shunsui. I’ve already spoken with him. He’ll back you up and confirm the story. I also sounded out Captain Hikifune—she promised not to disclose your secrets.”
Kaelith quickly agreed. No problem; he was used to dumping trouble on Shunsui. Yamamoto raised one hand, indicating his upper arm, and Kaelith obligingly shifted over to massage that area. He let out a pleased grunt.
“As for Squad Zero…you don’t need to worry too much about most of them. They only joined within the last thousand years or so and still care about the Soul Society. The real threats are two individuals, especially one who might be your biggest danger on this journey.
“First is Ni’maiya Ōetsu, Lord of the Phoenix Palace. Dark-skinned, curly hair, fond of wearing sunglasses—you can’t miss him. His claim to fame is that he created the Zanpakutō. He’s exceptionally perceptive when it comes to swords, and might notice something odd about yours. But he’s not the type to dwell on minor details, so just limit contact with him.
“The other…is the Squad Zero founder himself, Ichibē Hyōsube. He’s existed for over a million years. That puts him in the same era as the original Five Great Noble Clans—someone who witnessed the formation of the Soul Society when the Three Worlds were split. For him, defending the Soul King is everything. If he believes you pose any threat, he won’t hesitate to eliminate you. To him, the life of a random Shinigami is nothing more than a bug to squash.”
Kaelith nodded. “So he’s basically a violent old codger, kinda like you…only he’s protecting the Royal Palace instead?”
“…!” Yamamoto bristled at the comparison. He smacked Kaelith into the floor with a single palm, then continued:
“Hyōsube’s claim to fame is naming. Everything in the Soul Society received its name from him—plants, furniture, beasts, foods…which grants him a unique authority to see the true name of anything and understand its nature. I can’t say if he’ll discover what’s up with your sword. In the best case, maybe your ‘Yingda’ actually does have a hidden name you’ve just never realized. If that’s so, Hyōsube might reveal it to you, helping you unlock new power. If not…and your blade truly has no name…who knows what he’ll do.”
Kaelith scratched his chin. “Naming the entire world—that’s awesome. So if I create something new and don’t give it a name, would he just make one up? Or would his power forcibly pull out the name it’s meant to have?”
If it was the latter, Hyōsube’s ability was basically the ultimate cure for indecision. Need a name for a newborn? He’d supply the perfect choice. Invented a new product but can’t figure out what to call it? Hyōsube’s got you covered.
It was more efficient than a thousand marketing teams.
“Focus, idiot,” Yamamoto muttered, spotting his disciple’s brain drifting off. In a graver tone, he went on:
“This trip to the Royal Palace is riddled with danger for you. Since they specifically named you, they must already suspect something. You must be extremely cautious, or you won’t come back in one piece. As a backup, I advise doing what that Shihōin girl does—hide your Zanpakutō somewhere and go unarmed. Given your level of Hakuda, you won’t be handicapped too much without it.”
Kaelith raised an eyebrow. “But even if I don’t bring my sword, what if Hyōsube can sense a problem from a distance anyway?”
Yamamoto was silent for a few seconds. Abruptly, he pressed his hand onto his cane, reducing it to ashes to reveal Ryūjin Jakka concealed within. Kaelith looked on, astonished, as Yamamoto drew the blade and held it high, pointing it at him.
