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Chapter 254 B
🕑 Added 2025-02-09 16:03:01 +0000 UTCChapter 254
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All the Shinigami present knew Kaelith by name.
Back then, the Tsunayashiro clan was defeated and forced out of the Soul Society largely because of him. Driving them into Hueco Mundo wasn’t enough—he even pursued them here and fought viciously against the clan’s master. If that battle hadn’t exposed their master’s abilities, how could Baraggan have so easily killed him afterward?
What life-and-death bond? More like Kaelith lives, and the rest of them die!
“Kaelith…are you here to wipe us out for good?”
A Shinigami stepped forward, shouting in anger.
Hearing that, Kaelith wore a pained expression:
“My good brother, what are you saying! Senzo and I were bosom friends who’d faced life and death together. The moment I heard he was in trouble, I rushed over at once! But the heavens are jealous of talent—I hurried as much as I could, yet still arrived too late.
“Even though Brother Senzo is gone, I can’t just abandon his clan. Don’t worry, I already know the situation. With me, Kaelith, here, I won’t stand idly by and let Baraggan have his way! I’ll stop Baraggan—even if I have to stake the entire Tsunayashiro family…cough, cough…even if I have to stake my son Seino’s life!”
“…?”
That last line left the Shinigami visibly at a loss. Kaelith didn’t look ready to fight, which made him furrow his brow, deep in thought.
As the rearguard leader, he wasn’t dull. Soon he guessed the general picture: Kaelith aimed to incorporate the Tsunayashiro clan in Hueco Mundo under his wing.
Logically, he should refuse on the spot—this was the very man who’d ruined them, the culprit behind their current misery. But…they no longer had room to negotiate.
Hunted relentlessly by Las Noches, fewer than half of the Tsunayashiro survivors remained. Without a powerful protector, mere flight was no way to survive Hueco Mundo. And Kaelith was undoubtedly strong enough to shield them.
He took a deep breath. “Kaelith, if we surrender to you, what then? Don’t forget—Hueco Mundo may look vast, but Baraggan’s spies are everywhere. Without proper preparation, you can’t possibly build up forces under his nose. Maybe with your strength you can escape his attacks…but we’ll all be dead.”
Kaelith just grinned. “Build up forces? Didn’t I say? I won’t sit back and watch Baraggan rampage. I’m taking you with me, we’ll kill Baraggan, avenge Brother Senzo, and snatch that grand throne for ourselves!”
“…?”
Seeing how serious Kaelith was, the Shinigami suddenly felt his legs go weak.
Crap, run for it—this guy isn’t some schemer; he’s just nuts!
He opened his mouth to protest, but then spun around, staring into the distance. Kaelith also looked over curiously.
Some ten-odd kilometers away, a terrifying reiatsu had just flared into existence. Judging by the feel of it, it was a Hollow—far beyond an ordinary captain’s class, easily among the top five even in the Thirteen Court Guard Companies.
The Shinigami’s eyes widened. “That’s where the main group of our clan was stationed!” He moved to rush over but felt a hand come down on his head.
Kaelith swept past him, releasing his grip as he went. “Don’t worry—it’ll be fine. From the way that reiatsu’s fluctuating, there’s no intent to kill. Besides, the one man in Soul Society whose cunning rivals my own has already gone on ahead.”
The Shinigami, startled by Kaelith’s composure, realized he hadn’t even seen Kaelith move. To think he—one of the second-generation clan elites—could be outclassed so utterly. If Kaelith had wanted them dead, they’d have had no chance to fight back.
Swallowing hard, he thought: Kaelith…he’s growing more unfathomable by the day.
Meanwhile, Kaelith touched a hand to his ear and heard Aizen’s voice:
“Kaelith, come over here. We’ve found something unexpected.”
“Let me guess…you discovered some Hollows that evolved into Arrancar on their own?”
“…Hm?”
“And there are two of them, together?”
“You’ve seen them before?”
“Heh, who needs to see them? I, Kaelith, am Heaven’s chosen; a mere snap of my fingers reveals everything under the sun!”
After finishing his grandiose line, Kaelith cut the transmission. Turning back to the Tsunayashiro Shinigami, he said:
“Come on, we’re off to save your people!”
With that, he kicked off the ground and shot into the sky. The Shinigami made to follow, only to notice something at his feet—several scraps of white cloth. Weren’t these bits of Kaelith’s captain’s haori? He’d already shrugged it off before the fight, but somehow it still got shredded by the shock waves he unleashed.
Recalling Kaelith’s battle just now, the Shinigami couldn’t help feeling a bit awed. What a wild man…
…
…
A scattering of Shinigami lay across the silvery desert sand. Out of nearly a hundred, fewer than twenty could still stand. All stared in terror at a figure perched on a distant dune.
A rough-looking man in a ragged black cloak sat with eyes downcast, a similarly cloaked girl at his side who eyed the Shinigami with interest.
“Starrk, look, look—some of them are still able to withstand your reiatsu,” the girl teased, elbowing the man.
But Starrk ignored her. His attention was fixed on that lone figure standing a short distance away: clad in black Shihakushō, with a wooden placard reading “Five” strapped to his arm, tall and lanky with soft brown hair. He looked like a shy rookie, but there was no doubt that was a facade. Something about him radiated sheer pressure.
“You…a Shinigami?” Starrk asked, peering at Aizen.
Aizen nodded. “For now, yes.”
Starrk frowned. “Are you here to kill us?”
He knew from other Hollows that Shinigami and Hollows were mortal enemies, destined to clash on sight.
“Rest assured,” Aizen replied with a soft smile. “You two appear to be Hollows who completed Arrancar transformation on your own. You’re valuable research subjects. I have no desire to harm you if I can avoid it.”
Starrk let out a dry laugh. “Should I be thanking you?”
“No thanks needed. I’m just following my analysis,” Aizen said calmly.
Hearing the exchange, the green-haired girl piped up: “Starrk, why talk so much? Let’s just take him down!”
“Mmm…not that I want to fight, but I see no other option.” Starrk’s voice was laced with resignation. Despite the man’s mild tone, that cold gleam in his eyes betrayed the deadly truth: this Shinigami wanted to capture them as test subjects, which obviously meant no good end.
He stood slowly. The girl flashed a feral grin—it wasn’t often they had to go all out, and she was eager to see what full power might do.
She grabbed a curved blade out of thin air. Starrk shook his head. “Lilynette.”
“Fine, fine,” the girl grumbled, setting the weapon aside and stepping over to him.
Aizen showed no impatience, not even drawing his sword. He simply stood there, watching. Under that steady gaze, Starrk placed a hand on Lilynette’s head—but halfway through, he suddenly jerked his eyes upward. Aizen did the same, wearing a wry look.
Descending through Hueco Mundo’s pale moonlight, a laughing figure plummeted toward the battlefield. Though he came down at breakneck speed, a casual midair flip let him land in perfect balance.
“Hold on, everyone! The party can’t start without me!”
As he spoke, he looked at the two on the dune. Sure enough—it was Starrk and Lilynette. Starrk was a decent-looking older guy, but Lilynette turned out even cuter than he imagined. Soft green hair, violet eyes—a sweet, fruit-like charm about her.
When they’d invaded Karakura Town in that other timeline, she wore the typical Las Noches style: skimpy, a bit risqué, but not exactly perfect. That sort of revealing outfit suited someone like Harribel. For a lively girl like Lilynette, it was more appealing to be swathed in a baggy cloak.
After these random musings, Kaelith strolled forward with a bright smile.
“You two, first time meeting. I’m Kaelith.”
“…I’m Starrk.” The older man seemed polite enough to respond. Lilynette eyed Kaelith warily but stayed silent.
Seeing this, Starrk added, “And this is Lilynette.”
Kaelith nodded, pondering. A moment later, he seemed to realize something and offered Lilynette a saintly smile, extending his hand.
“My fair lady, would you care to—mmph?!”
Before he could finish, someone clapped a hand over his mouth from behind. Aizen, exasperated, had abandoned his usual poise to stop Kaelith in this rather graceless manner. But with two Arrancars in front and a whole crowd of Tsunayashiro Shinigami behind them, letting Kaelith finish that line would only make everything more awkward.
If it were just Kaelith alone, Aizen wouldn’t care how he humiliated himself. But Aizen himself was here—he refused to share that embarrassment.
Seeing Kaelith abruptly silenced, Starrk turned to Lilynette. Standing near Kaelith gave Starrk an odd sense of ease, even though they were supposed to be natural enemies. The man’s presence wasn’t oppressive; he didn’t look down on them for being Hollows. And with enough strength not to buckle under Starrk’s reiatsu, he seemed worth knowing.
Unfortunately, he appeared to be acting under that bespectacled man’s orders. With a small sigh, Starrk murmured, “Guess we have no choice. Let’s do it, Lilynette.”
“Got it!” Lilynette’s excited voice rang out from within the gun that had suddenly replaced her.
Starrk placed a hand on her, quietly chanting: “Hunt them down, wolves…”
Boom!
A massive surge of reiatsu whipped the desert into a storm. Kaelith suddenly felt it would be perfect to have some epic background music playing right now—maybe “Braveheart” or something.
When the storm died down, Starrk stood revealed, draped in a wolfskin-like coat. In each hand he gripped a long-barreled gun; Lilynette’s form was nowhere to be seen.
Kaelith’s eyes gleamed with regret. Aizen observed him briefly, then turned back to Starrk.
“I see… That girl is part of your soul, split off. No wonder she could achieve an Arrancar form.”
“Just as I thought,” Aizen went on softly, “her own power isn’t what completed her transformation—it’s your shared soul.”
From one of Starrk’s pistols came Lilynette’s outraged yell: “Shut it, four-eyes! Who’re you calling weak?!”
Aizen merely smiled without answering. An Arrancar formed by splitting the soul in two… It was the most fascinating research subject he’d ever encountered. That thought alone made him brim with satisfaction.
Kaelith, however, raised his hand. “Question! Starrk-sensei, between you and Lilynette, who’s the ‘true’ main soul?”
“It’s obviously me!” Lilynette barked from the gun.
Starrk hesitated, reflecting a moment before replying, “Hard to say. We’re two equal halves—either could be considered the main body.”
Kaelith’s eyes lit up. “So if you wanted, Lilynette could become the hunter, and you’d transform into the twin guns?”
Starrk paused. He’d never thought about that possibility before.
“Sounds pretty cool!” Lilynette said from the gun, clearly intrigued.
Starrk scratched his head. He wasn’t necessarily against it—but he had a hunch Kaelith’s suggestion came with ulterior motives…
