Chapter 114

After the endless gusts of wind swept over……

Guard Court Thirteenth Division and Captain

In a daze, he seemed to see the lantern of his own life; he saw his own death on the battlefield, and personally witnessed his funeral……

At the funeral, some 'snickered', some 'mourned', some were 'grief-stricken'; there were countless eyes, countless mouths, and countless faces of all shapes and colors……

Only he could lie still, letting the flames engulf his body, letting the last trace of his existence in this world completely vanish into nothingness.

Finally, even his shadow drifted away from him, and as time passed, he completely died in people's hearts, disappearing from their memories.

For a moment, the captain of the Guard Court Thirteenth Division suddenly felt his life seemed somewhat unworthy, but after a moment's thought, he thought that disappearing like this might actually be quite good.

none.

Thirteenth Division, Captain, Shitan, Jingle, and Soul-Cutting Sword

none.

Huangmu and finger snap

none.

Final Release and the enemy's Final Release

none.

The awakened captain of the Thirteenth Division, looking at Araki, Shitan, Kyōraku and the others before him, first froze in expression, then asked doubtfully.

"You're up, you got insta-killed, what's there to say?!"

Araki looked at the bewildered captain before him and spoke lightly.

none.

Upon hearing that, the captain's expression changed slightly.

At the same time, he had originally planned to completely forget this memory; even if he couldn't forget, he had prepared to permanently bury this 'humiliating' memory deep in his heart……

However, with this stimulation, he recalled all those painful memories he had prepared to forget; in an instant, countless miserable scenes surged into his mind.

"This is truly a terrible memory!"

The captain spent a full ten or so minutes before he could fully digest the memory images flashing in his mind; he muttered under his breath while giving Shitan a wary glance from afar……

He had to admit that Shitan's Bankai was indeed excellent.

none.

Fuzhu Shisi Lang

Thirteenth Division

Although Ukitake Juushiro gives off a refined, gentle impression, the captain of the Thirteenth Division saw in him the shadow of 'whetting his knives, ready to slaughter livestock'……

Well, he is that livestock awaiting slaughter.

"I have a request before we start fighting!"

This time, the captain of the Guard Court Thirteenth Division seemed to have become wise; he looked at Ukitake and presented his request.

After all, this was his last chance; in fact, when facing Kyōraku and Shitan before, he had also considered making some demands……

But those two guys, Kyōraku and Shitan, gave him no chance to speak, not even to utter an opening line; as soon as they met, they went straight into Bankai……

In the captain's view, Kyōraku and Shitan's behavior was truly despicable; what's the difference between going Bankai on first meeting and taking off one's pants as soon as one gets a girlfriend? It's utterly shameless and vulgar!

It was precisely their shamelessness that caught him off guard, letting him be instantly killed! Even if he had been prepared, he had no chance of defeating those two, but in any case it wouldn't be worse than the current situation……

none.

Ye Yi

If Kyōraku or Shitan had already gone Bankai, then even Yoruichi would probably have prepared to use her flying kick on this captain; the three who had been educated by Araki since childhood would not really waste time chatting with this captain.

"I hope we can give me a little preparation time before we start fighting this time."

"The preparation time doesn't need to be long; ten minutes is enough……"

"Also, this time our sparring should be the main focus, just stop at the point of contact."

The captain of the Thirteenth Division, hands behind his back, adopted the air of a senior and an expert, lecturing Ukitake: if Ukitake hadn't sensed that this captain's spiritual pressure was not high, and had not just witnessed this dignified captain being instantly killed by Kyōraku and Shitan in succession, he would probably truly believe that this person's power is unfathomable.

"Okay, I understand; I think your requested preparation time is reasonable, so let's do as you say—ten minutes of preparation before we begin fighting~"

Ukitake thought it over and ultimately decided to follow the Thirteenth Division captain's words, giving him ten minutes of preparation time.

"As for the matter of stopping at the point of contact……"

"Don't worry! I know my limits; I won't overdo it in this sort of thing."

Ukitake Juushiro remained modest.

none.

Upon hearing that, the captain of the Thirteenth Division showed a faint smile; he scrutinized the white-haired Ukitake before him, and based on Ukitake's appearance, the captain formed a certain judgment in his mind.

"This kid looks as frail as a breeze could knock him over! At a glance he's nothing like Araki's two previous disciples; just from his appearance he gives the impression of not being much of a fighter."

The captain thought to himself.

"Well then, it's my turn next……"

The captain said, drawing the Zanpakutō at his waist.

As the saying goes, "learn from one's mistakes"; this time he won't repeat his previous error.

Final Release and Hiei Mountain Worship Bodhi

Spiritual Pressure

"Those suppressed by my Bankai will have no chance to turn things around! Sorry, this time I am victorious."

After releasing his Bankai, the captain of the Thirteenth Division still didn't forget to look at Ukitake and introduce his Bankai's ability, showing how confident he is in his Bankai.

God's Hang

Soul King's Power

Ink Ring

What is this?!

The Captain of the Thirteen Squad had never seen such a bizarre sight; he widened his eyes in fright.

"Apologies, I won this time!"

Fu Zhu gave no explanation of his ability; he simply drew his Zanpakuto and gave a gentle swing toward the sky, and the Thirteen Squad Captain's Bankai halted suspended in midair.

"What? Why has my Bankai stopped moving?"

This made the Captain, who was pressing his Bankai toward Fu Zhu, suddenly turn pale.

"It's over…"

While the Captain was bewildered, Fu Zhu had already stepped in front of him and brandished his Zanpakuto.

"Ugh…"

When the Thirteen Squad Captain saw the Zanpakuto hanging around his neck, radiating endless cold light, his complexion changed abruptly; regardless of why his Bankai had suddenly stalled, he had already been completely defeated by Fu Zhu.

"You win."

The Captain felt a bitter sting inside as he acknowledged Fu Zhu's victory.

In truth, the Thirteen Squad Captain was not the type who could never accept defeat; he merely could not immediately come to terms with being beaten by a few children, and worse, the one who seemed the weakest had defeated him without even using a Bankai. This made the Captain feel, for a moment, that the hundreds of years he had spent cultivating were as if wasted on a dog…

"A genius?!"

The Captain gazed at Fu Zhu, Jing Yue, and Shi Tan, murmuring softly; his eyes were slightly complex. Once, he too had been called a genius, but in the Pure Spirit Court geniuses are plentiful; he was merely a genius among mortals, still far from the truly exceptional monsters.

"How about it? Impressed, aren't you?"

Just as the Thirteen Squad Captain was pondering Fu Zhu and the others, Araki's figure flickered and appeared beside him, and Araki asked the Captain.

"Congratulations, Captain Araki, to have so many exceptionally talented disciples…"

The Thirteen Squad Captain, after hearing Araki's words, first looked at Araki and offered his congratulations.

Then, pausing, he slightly adjusted his tone to sound as neutral as possible and continued to Araki: "I am indeed impressed; as we previously agreed, the lead position of the Thirteen Squad belongs to those three brats!"

"Splendid~"

Araki heard this and gave the Captain a gentle nod.

"Don't be too discouraged; after all, losing to my three disciples isn't something shameful…"

"The Pure Spirit Court may be vast, but few can defeat my three disciples! Ninety‑nine percent of Shinigami would be instantly slain by those three kids."

Araki looked at the Thirteen Squad Captain, whose spirit seemed waning, and offered advice.

"Hehe…"

In response, the Thirteen Squad Captain merely gave a faint smile.

First, it's Araki's persuasive attitude…

Although Araki meant well, his tone sounded to the Captain as something else, as if Araki were saying: "Don't be sad; you're not a lone failure, because in the Pure Spirit Court ninety‑nine percent are failures like you, even worse, so cheer up, failure."

Secondly, the Captain thought Araki was overly modest.

Not even ninety‑nine point nine, ninety‑nine point nine nine nine percent of Shinigami could match Araki's three disciples~

Thus, the Thirteen Squad Captain's earlier congratulations to Araki were sincere; Araki truly cultivated three unparalleled talents.

"Alright, the positions beneath us three have all been taken by you; what do you plan to do next?!"

The Thirteen Squad Captain, looking at the captains of the Eight and Nine Squads still lying on the ground with eyes rolled white, asked aloud.

"Next, of course, we go with the flow and let my three underlings become the captains of the Pure Spirit Court…"

Araki said naturally.

However, when Araki looked at the two Shinigami captains he had already eliminated on the ground, he seemed to recall something, turned to the Thirteen Squad Captain and said cheerfully: "But before that, I need you to do something for me."

"Don't look at me like that, it's… unsettling…"

The Thirteen Squad Captain, feeling Araki's gaze, suddenly got goosebumps; to him, Araki now seemed at the level of a Demon King, and any glance or word from Araki sent him into endless shivers.

"Captain, right now there's a chance to boost the favor of these great nobles, to make you look like a good person; I don't know if you're willing to do it, and if you do, you'll not only gain my friendship but also theirs…"

Araki merely gave a faint smile, tossing the choice to the Captain before him.

"Oh? Who wants to listen…"

Upon hearing this, the Captain's face broke into a smile; after all, he was about to step down from the Thirteen Squad leadership, so if he didn't seize the chance to profit while in power, how would he survive in the Pure Spirit Court? Rely on the pitiful retirement benefits? No kidding…

"You take these two corpses to their respective families and explain: if they wish the two bodies restored, they should, like the 'Mountain Old Man', I mean the Mountain Chief, submit a retirement request and recommend my three disciples to take over their positions as new captains, understood?!"

Araki said to the Thirteen Squad Captain.

"Oh?!"

"So you mean me, you want me to be the intermediary between the nobles and you, right?"

The Thirteen Squad Captain was clever enough to grasp the key point instantly.

"Not quite accurate; to be precise, I'm asking you to be the intermediary between me and the two senior noble families, not between the two senior nobles' behind‑the‑scenes forces."

Araki corrected the Captain's wording.

"Not an intermediary for the noble faction, but for the noble families. I understand…"

The Captain, after hearing Araki, paused briefly, thought it over, and instantly grasped the convoluted scheme—Araki was playing a divide‑and‑conquer game.

After all, besides his thankless Thirteen Squad, which oversees the present‑world purification of the Great Void and gains nothing, the profit‑laden and powerful Eight and Nine Squads are backed not only by the senior noble families behind those two captains, but by two colossal noble factions…

These two noble factions could not tolerate it; the two senior nobles not only opted for retirement, but after doing so, tossed the hard‑won lead positions away!

In other words, from the noble factions' perspective, they would have the families choose retirement and then promote their own people to continue as captains…

But if those senior noble families acted so, it would breach Araki's regulations, and Araki would not intervene to save their heads, meaning their leaders would truly be eliminated…

After all, who doesn't know that within the vast Pure Spirit Court, the best healer is Captain Araki of the Eleventh Squad, the second best is Captain Mao no Hana of the Fourth Squad, and everyone can see the relationship between Mao no Hana and Araki. In short, crossing Araki is tantamount to sentencing those two heads to death.

At that moment, the two senior nobles would clash with the two massive noble factions behind them, creating a profit conflict that Araki could exploit.

"No time to lose, go quickly!"

Araki said cheerfully to the Thirteen Squad Captain.

"Thank you, Captain Araki, for showing me a clear path; I shall do it at once!"

The captain of the Thirteen Squad instantly changed his way of addressing Araki after Araki helped him, smiling broadly at Araki and repeatedly thanking him.

"Go! Go…"

Araki saw this and simply waved his hand.

"Then I'm leaving!"

The captain of the Thirteen Squad said this, hoisted the two corpses from the ground, and immediately headed toward the families of those two senior nobles.

But the captain of the Thirteen Squad hadn't gone far when he suddenly sensed something off, "I just have a feeling something's wrong. Forget it, no point in thinking about it!"

Right after this captain of the Thirteen Squad left, Araki's three disciples gathered around Araki.

"Master Araki, you are truly amazing!"

"You not only let each of us beat that captain of the Thirteen Squad, but also made that captain willingly help you; I truly admire you."

Kyoraku stepped in front of Araki, and his gaze at Araki was nothing but reverence, pure reverence.

"Fool, this is the brilliance of Master Araki. You think becoming a captain of the Royal Guard Thirteen Squad only requires strength? It also needs a mind."

Shitan, after hearing Kyoraku's words, snorted coldly.

"You bastard…"

"Fine, with Master Araki present today, I'll spare you."

Kyoraku heard this, and his inner fury flared instantly; if Araki weren't present, he would have given Shitan a proper lesson, making him feel the pain of the Broken Fish Abyss.

"Master Araki, what should we do next?!"

Futake asked Araki.

"Next, let the Leave Squad application take off for a while~"

Araki said this, his gaze turning toward the rising sun.

On the other side…

When the captain of the Royal Guard Thirteen Squad did not deliver the two corpses to the two senior noble families but instead arranged a location for the families to come collect them, the families, upon seeing their heads of household looking barely alive, immediately halted him.

"Wooo, what's happening, what is this?"

The families of the heads of the Eight Squad and Nine Squad, seeing their barely‑alive heads of household before them, immediately burst into tears, and especially the two heads' relatives clung to the corpses without letting go…

"When our head of household left this morning, they were fine. How did they become like this after just a few hours?! I can't accept it, we can't accept it!"

The relatives of the head of household kept wiping away tears, and Xiao Zhenzhu streamed down their cheeks with the wind.

"Sisters‑in‑law, don't be sad. If you write two Leave Squad applications and two Squad Leader recommendation letters as I request, I guarantee here that I will definitely rescue my elder brother."

The captain of the Royal Guard Thirteen Squad looked at the people before him and spoke softly.

"What did you say?!"

The Royal Guard Thirteen Squad captain's words left both families stunned.

"The Leave Squad application is easy to talk about, but the Squad Leader recommendation letter…"

Both families were no fools; they instantly grasped the hidden implications, fearing someone was eyeing the squad leader beneath their heads of household, and thus they schemed against their heads.

Now that their heads of household are in this state, taking leave is inevitable, but the Squad Leader recommendation letter requires them to convene other families behind them and discuss it together; it cannot be recommended casually.

"Captain Araki asked me to tell you this: if you want those two heads of household restored to their former state, it's best to follow what Captain Araki says; everything is his will…"

The captain of the Thirteen Squad, seeing the two families hesitate, immediately brought up the Great Deity Araki.

"Captain Araki? The disciple of Lord Yuan Liuzhai…"

The two families heard this and their expressions changed instantly.

They had also heard of Araki's infamous reputation—a peerless villain who disregards the laws of the Jingling Court. They hadn't expected that, despite being cautious all their lives, they would still provoke this fierce deity Araki.

"Captain, what do you think of this matter?"

The two heads of household's relatives, after hearing the captain's words, continued to ask in return.

"I think we should follow what Captain Araki says! Of course I will also apply for Leave Squad with the two elder brothers, and the recommendation letter will naturally include my part. Our three families will jointly recommend Captain Araki's three disciples to take over our Eight Squad, Nine Squad, and Thirteen Squad—that is Captain Araki's request to save lives."

The Thirteen Squad captain explained the reasoning clearly to the two families before him.

"This…"

For a moment, everyone hesitated, knowing that once they did this, they would completely break with the forces behind them.

"Sisters‑in‑law, what are you still hesitating about? No matter what you sacrifice, it's far less important than the lives and strength of the two elder brothers!"

The Thirteen Squad captain, looking at the hesitant crowd, silently cursed the two families as cold‑blooded, and immediately continued, striking while the iron was hot.

"Makes sense! For families like ours, the head of household's life and strength are paramount. As long as the head remains, our family cannot fall! Otherwise, without the head's protection, even with abundant wealth, we will eventually be swallowed by larger forces and other families."

The two sisters‑in‑law of the Thirteen Squad captains, after hearing the captain's words, made an immediate decision.

"That's right~"

The Thirteen Squad captain, seeing everything proceeding according to his plan, slowly exhaled in relief.

"Alright! We'll do as you say!"

The wives of the two senior noble heads, the so‑called matriarchs of the two great families, finally made a decision: they would betray the noble forces behind them and devote themselves to rescuing their heads of household.

"Alright~"

In response, the Thirteen Squad captain finally smiled.

At the moment the two great families decided, among their retainers, someone glanced and walked away, clearly intending to do something.

"Hmph!"

In response, the Thirteen Squad captain let out a cold snort and slashed the opponent to the ground.

He couldn't defeat Captain Araki, nor handle Araki's three disciples, let alone these petty goons. If he can't even deal with the little goons, what kind of captain is he? He should just go home and tend flowers and weeds!

"There are plenty of little rats in the families of the two sisters‑in‑law~"

After cutting down the person who intended to leak the news, the Thirteen Squad captain cheerfully addressed the two senior noble heads and their wives.

"Hmph……:"

It was they who first did such a thing! Then what we do next, also don't blame us for being unkind and unjust.

The two women looked at the fallen retainer, hearing the words spoken by the captain before them, and still not knowing what had happened, they both let out a cold snort and spoke in near unison.

For a moment, the two seemed to have turned from traitors into the betrayed, and in doing things, they seemed to have become confident and righteous...

Haha, that's right! When dealing with forces that only care about profit and not benevolence, there's no need to talk about feelings! You two sisters-in-law are truly wise!!

The captain of the Thirteenth Division, hearing this, immediately burst out laughing, continuously laughing at the two sisters-in-law he had just met in front of him.

After reaching agreement with the two superior noble families and the captain of the Thirteenth Division, the three quickly wrote up the resignation application and the division head's recommendation letter.

Next, the three parties split up to act: the captain of the Thirteenth Division sent the resignation application and the division head's recommendation letter to the First Division barracks to meet General Commander Yamamoto Genryūsai; the two noble families' retainers sent the heads of the two noble families to the Fourth Division, the Medical Division, to receive treatment...

Thus...

About half an hour later, at the First Division barracks.

What is this?!

Yamamoto Genryūsai looked at the three resignation applications and three division head recommendation letters before him, slightly narrowing his eyes.

We believe we lack the ability to serve as division heads of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads; today we hope to resign and return home, hoping General Commander Yamamoto will grant our wish!

At the same time, we hope General Commander Yamamoto will approve that Jingle Chunshui, Fuzhu Shisilang, and Gangmidai Shitan replace us as the new captains of the Eighth, Ninth, and Thirteenth Divisions.

The captain of the Thirteenth Division looked at Yamamoto Genryūsai and spoke solemnly and respectfully.

Interesting.

Yamamoto Genryūsai heard this and slightly raised his eyebrows; although he had earlier, when arranging the transfer for the Shiba clan, he had already guessed that Huangmu showed determination to succeed for the Ninth and Tenth Divisions, he never imagined that Huangmu would not let go of the Eighth and Thirteenth Divisions either.

Adding the Second and Fourth Divisions, it seemed that half of the divisions had fallen into Huangmu's hands! Huangmu had finally extended his demonic claws toward the entirety of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads!

Sorry everyone, I've been swamped with things at home lately; I'll try to make up for what I owe soon.