Chapter 187: Yuhabache: Are You a Prophet? Araki: Yes

"Ichigo Kurosaki, what exactly is the name of your Zanpakuto?!"

Urahara Kisuke held a small fan in his hand, covering his surprised expression, and asked Ichigo Kurosaki in front of him.

"My Zanpakuto is called Zan 'Yuhabache', what's the matter?!"

Ichigo Kurosaki, after hearing Urahara Kisuke's words, asked in confusion.

"Zan Yuhabache?!"

Urahara Kisuke, after confirming he hadn't misheard, couldn't help but twitch his eyelids.

No, let's say, although he knew in advance that Ichigo Kurosaki's inner power was rather patchy, combining Soul Reaper, Hollow, Quincy and Complete Manifestation techniques, the sum of these four forces made him naturally unique! Perhaps Ichigo Kurosaki could truly awaken something, and his Zanpakuto might possess unexpected abilities...

However, Urahara never expected that Ichigo Kurosaki's awakened Zanpakuto would have such an abstract name, leaving him at a loss for words for a moment. At the same time, Urahara silently asked a certain big‑eyed monk in his heart: "Is this name really okay?!"

"Ichigo Kurosaki, may I be so bold as to ask you a question..."

"Do you truly know what the name Yuhabache actually represents?!"

Thinking this, Urahara Kisuke first took out a handkerchief he carried, gently wiped the cold sweat from his face, and then looked at Ichigo Kurosaki to ask.

"I have no idea! However, my soul tells me that in the not‑far future, I will use my Zanpakuto to kill a guy named Yuhabache! He said my Zanpakuto is meant to slay Yuhabache, so why not just call it Zan Yuhabache?"

Ichigo Kurosaki stroked his chin, recalling that just now, from the Yuhabache power within him and from Araki's words, he learned the name of his Zanpakuto, and the voice that resonated in his heart said the following, replying to Urahara.

"What? Mr. Ichigo Kurosaki, this is no joke! Allow me to ask you once more: the information you just gave me—your 'soul' and those words—have you told anyone else, haven't you?!"

After hearing Ichigo's words, Urahara's complexion changed sharply; he rarely set aside his usual flamboyance and nonchalance, and he looked at Ichigo with particular seriousness, his voice low and extremely solemn, questioning him.

"Huh? That's just nonsense. Of course I haven't told anyone! I haven't had the chance to contact anyone~ In fact, I only learned this news about five minutes before you did."

Ichigo Kurosaki looked at Urahara Kisuke as if he were looking at an idiot.

"Phew, that's good..."

After hearing Ichigo's words, Urahara Kisuke let out a slight sigh of relief.

In fact, Urahara Kisuke also knew that Ichigo Kurosaki had no opportunity to discuss this matter with anyone, but the words Ichigo just told him were so absurd that he could not afford any carelessness! He had to verify, then verify again...

"By the way, shady merchant Urahara!"

"My Zanpakuto actually has another name as well."

Just as Urahara Kisuke exhaled, Ichigo Kurosaki seemed to think of something else.

"Another name?"

Urahara Kisuke looked at Ichigo Kurosaki and asked.

"Yes, my soul tells me that besides Zan Yuhabache, this Zanpakuto also has a resounding name: Zan 'God'!"

Ichigo Kurosaki, after hearing Urahara's words, laughed.

"Zan God?!"

Urahara Kisuke's pupils flickered slightly at the words; the name of Ichigo's Zanpakuto was truly audacious.

"You said earlier you wanted to train my combat skills, right?"

"Don't waste any time, let's start right away! ~"

"Since the time I was sealed underground by your Binding Path, I've been looking forward to the day I could beat you up!"

Ichigo Kurosaki said, gripping his Zanpakuto, and rushed toward Urahara Kisuke.

"So fast!"

Urahara Kisuke was momentarily stunned, then immediately drew the Zanpakuto hidden inside his cane and murmured, "Awaken, Red Princess!"

"Clang clang!!"

Accompanied by Red Princess's cry, the Zanpakuto, which had been in a katana shape, instantly transformed into a weapon resembling a Tang sword with a red glow along the blade, colliding with Ichigo's kitchen‑knife‑like Zanpakuto.

"Boom!!"

When Urahara's sword collided with Ichigo's, the area around them seemed to freeze, then erupted with a deafening roar.

"Impressive, Ichigo..."

"Whether it's the speed of your recent attack, the force of your Zanpakuto swing, or the spiritual pressure you just unleashed, there's no doubt it's captain‑level!"

"I have to say, Ichigo, you have truly grown!"

"But with your current strength, you still aren't enough to defeat me!"

Urahara Kisuke, holding his Zanpakuto, parried Ichigo's assault and smiled.

"You say that with my current power I can't defeat you?!"

"Shady merchant Urahara! Did you get something wrong? I don't recall ever showing you my true power!"

Ichigo Kurosaki, after hearing Urahara's words, let a slight grin spread across his mouth, laughing arrogantly. It seemed that after regaining his Soul Reaper power, he felt he could finally defeat Urahara Kisuke.

"Huh?!"

Urahara Kisuke, after hearing Ichigo's words, looked puzzled.

Even after observing Ichigo Kurosaki since childhood, Urahara Kisuke never imagined the kid could be this reckless!?

The current Ichigo Kurosaki exudes a completely dismissive attitude toward others...

"Ichigo Kurosaki, you seem to have changed."

To this, Urahara Kisuke warned cautiously, saying,

"Changed? Urahara Kisuke, whether I've changed or not isn't up to you—it's my own decision! In fact, I've always been myself! Yesterday, today, and tomorrow alike! It's just that in my whole life I've never felt as exhilarated as I do now!"

"Then open your eyes wide and truly witness my newly learned ability!"

Ichigo Kurosaki completely ignored Urahara's point and kept talking.

At the same time, Ichigo seemed unaware that his condition was off; his spiritual pressure kept rising, his eyes flashing with instinctual light, and he raised his Zanpakuto high above his head.

"Crescent Moon... Heaven Surge!!"

Ichigo shouted, unleashing his ancestral strike: Crescent Moon Heaven Surge!

"Boom!!"

In an instant, a massive crescent moon shot straight into the sky, directly destroying the barrier of Urahara Kisuke's shop; the terrifying spiritual pressure condensed into a pillar, already visible to the naked eye, then turned into a slash that rushed toward Urahara Kisuke.

"What? No!"

Urahara Kisuke looked at the huge slash, a few beads of cold sweat appearing on his forehead.

At that moment, Urahara Kisuke was truly a bit panicked!

"Cry, Red Princess! Blood Mist Shield! Burst, Red Princess!"

In a brief instant, Urahara Kisuke directly changed the three forms of his Zanpakuto.

First, he used Red Princess to unleash a scarlet attack as fleeting as a flash, offsetting part of Kurosaki Ichigo's Crescent Moon Sky Rush; then he released a shield composed entirely of crimson spirit particles, blocking the remaining part of Ichigo's slash. As Urahara's shield began to crack, he voluntarily abandoned it, causing it to explode into countless scarlet bullets that merged with the final portion of Ichigo's Crescent Moon Sky Rush…

Boom!

Accompanied by a roar, when the dust cleared, the seemingly unscathed Urahara Kisuke appeared before Kurosaki Ichigo. Yes, as Urahara Kisuke continuously altered Red Princess's forms at the last moment, he saved the situation in time; Kurosaki Ichigo's overwhelmingly dominant Crescent Moon Sky Rush ultimately dissipated before Urahara Kisuke.

"Hey! Mr. Kurosaki Ichigo, the power of your Crescent Moon Sky Rush is truly tremendous! I almost got killed by you~"

Urahara Kisuke looked at Kurosaki Ichigo and said cheerfully.

"Damn! Just a little bit, just a little bit and I could have killed you."

Kurosaki Ichigo looked at the unscathed Urahara Kisuke and couldn't help frowning.

He still couldn't kill this damned merchant in front of him.

"But that's okay, I wonder how many of my Crescent Moon Sky Rushes you can block!"

Kurosaki Ichigo said, and once again, in front of Urahara Kisuke, raised his Zanpakuto.

"Hey hey hey, again? You can't be kidding, right?"

"Can this extremely destructive ability be fired continuously?"

Urahara Kisuke watched Kurosaki Ichigo swing his blade again, the smile on his face collapsing.

"Take this! Urahara…"

Kurosaki Ichigo looked at the expressionless Urahara Kisuke, and began to laugh loudly.

Yes, the smile would not disappear; it would only shift…

"Ugh!"

However, when Kurosaki Ichigo unleashed all his spiritual power, preparing to unleash a massive Crescent Moon Sky Rush at Urahara Kisuke, his body suddenly felt fatigue, and immediately his consciousness began to blur.

"Damn! I guess I was still being too reckless!"

Kurosaki Ichigo muttered under his breath, then fell backward.

"Kurosaki Ichigo classmate? Kurosaki Ichigo classmate, are you okay?"

Urahara Kisuke stared at the fallen Kurosaki Ichigo, then hurried to his side, continuously asking the man lying on the ground.

"Ara~"

"It seems that Kurosaki Ichigo classmate really fell this time~"

Urahara Kisuke looked at the fallen Kurosaki Ichigo and said cheerfully.

"But! You did pretty well too~"

"I was just a hair's breadth away from going Bankai!"

Urahara Kisuke said, raising his right hand that held the blade; on that hand, a wound about fifteen centimeters long and deep enough to see bone was visible, still bleeding profusely.

"Kurosaki Ichigo classmate, you were indeed lacking before, but now you could certainly cause the entire Soul Society to go into chaos~"

"I'm getting curious; when Kurosaki Ichigo classmate returns from the Soul Society, just how strong will he become? Perhaps he'll even surpass me, who knows~"

Urahara Kisuke looked at the exhausted, unconscious Kurosaki Ichigo and smiled, saying.

At the same time…

Within Kurosaki Ichigo's inner world, the power of You Habahe that remained inside him was confronting the power of Araki that also resided within him.

"Araki, I think you owe me an explanation!"

"Our powers, though they come from mortal enemies—the King of the Quincies You Habahe and the Shinigami commander Araki—should have no conflict of interest or goal. Both of us aim for Kurosaki Ichigo to survive peacefully in this chaotic era."

"Since our goals align, why did you betray me by erasing the original name of Kurosaki Ichigo's Zanpakuto and giving it such a bizarre name? Do you want Kurosaki Ichigo to fight my true self? Do you want me to kill Kurosaki Ichigo with my own hands? Do you intend to cause his death? Answer me…"

The Quincy power that manifested as the image of You Habahe a thousand years ago had now lost its former composure; he glared coldly at Araki standing before him, asking why the Zanpakuto's name had been altered.

"I did not change Kurosaki Ichigo's Zanpakuto name!"

"I only restored Kurosaki Ichigo's Zanpakuto to its original name~"

"As I told Kurosaki Ichigo, in the near future, the King of the Quincies You Habahe, as your true self, will be beheaded by Kurosaki Ichigo's blade!"

"In fact, not only you, even the great 'Spirit King' himself will be liberated under Kurosaki Ichigo's Zanpakuto! So changing the Zanpakuto's name from 'Slash Moon' to 'Slash God' is not improper at all…"

Araki said calmly.

"You say my true self will die in Kurosaki Ichigo's hands? You're speaking of the future, right? How do you see the future? Are you a prophet?"

After hearing Araki's words, You Habahe's power seemed a bit embarrassed, and he sneered coldly at Araki.

Indeed, the Quincy power left inside Ichigo was not sincerely asking Araki whether he was a prophet; it was mocking Araki, a mere mortal daring to claim he could see the future.

"Exactly! I am the prophet!"

"And as a prophet, I begin to prophesy here!"

"I prophesy that your true self will ultimately be cut down by Kurosaki Ichigo with a single slash!"

However, after Araki heard the Quincy power's words, a strange smile appeared on the Quincy power, and he said coldly.

"You bastard…"

For a moment, after the Quincy power heard Araki's words, its already embarrassed expression grew even more embarrassed.

"Don't you get it? Quincy power! Stop the meaningless struggle! All destiny is already set; the future will not change because of you or the Quincies under your command, no matter what effort you make. You Habahe and the Star Cross Knights have already been doomed to defeat…"

Araki looked at You Habahe, his expression indifferent.

"Sigh…"

Yuhabaha, after hearing Araki's words, said nothing; he seemed to be trying hard to think something out, but in the end Yuhabaha's power still could not grasp the problem that troubled him. After a long while, he finally let out a sigh.

"Then let us wait and see!"

Yuhabaha looked at Araki and said coldly.

"Fine~ then let us wait and see!"

Araki, after hearing Yuhabaha's words, lightly nodded and immediately agreed.

For a moment, the powers of Araki and Yuhabaha residing within Kurosaki Ichigo ceased their interaction once more; however, both were fully aware of one thing: their goal was to make Kurosaki Ichigo become stronger, strong enough that no one could hurt him.

While Kurosaki Ichigo successfully obtained his Zanpakuto and fainted from overexertion, the others were also making efforts beyond ordinary comprehension!

Inoue Orihime and Chato Taiko, under the tutelage of Dao Yane A'ura, who claims to be the strongest Complete Manifestation Technique practitioner in the present world, continuously cultivated the basic abilities of the Complete Manifestation Technique.

Ishida Uryu, with the help of Kurosaki Masaki and Ishida Ryuken, these two pure‑blood Metsukeshi, also continuously improved his combat experience and the fundamental abilities of a Metsukeshi.

Three days later, the fainted Kurosaki Ichigo finally awoke; once conscious, he wasted no time and, under Urahara Kisuke's guidance, began studying Shinigami abilities, cramming the four fundamentals of the Shinigami technique "Slash Fist Run Ghost", while also becoming increasingly familiar with his Zanpakuto's powers.

For a moment, the combined strength of Kurosaki Ichigo, Inoue Orihime, Chato Taiko and Ishida Uryu—four individuals planning to go to the Soul Society to rescue Kuchiki Rukia—was skyrocketing at a geometric rate, explosively increasing; surely, once their training ends, they will deliver a considerable shock to the Soul Society.

Nevertheless, whether it is the four's power growth, their journey to the Soul Society to rescue Kuchiki Rukia, or the petty schemes Aizen Sosuke is pulling right under their noses, everything is already part of Araki's plan.

Time flew; a week passed since Kurosaki Ichigo awoke.

Urahara Kisuke's promised ten‑day training period for Kurosaki Ichigo has completely ended! In fact, during those ten days Urahara realized he had nothing more to teach Ichigo; aside from Ichigo still lacking Bankai, he is now indistinguishable from an ordinary captain‑rank Shinigami.

And the gate Urahara promised to Kurosaki Ichigo and his companions for entering the Soul Society is already ready; as for Aizen, who has been covertly observing everything within the Soul Society, he seems to have begun his own moves— the calm period appears over, and a storm is coming.

"Kurosaki Ichigo, from now on it's up to your fate~"

"Everything I was supposed to teach you, I've already taught you~"

"As for what I haven't taught you, you'll have to train on your own once you go to the Soul Society~"

Urahara looked at Kurosaki Ichigo and sighed.

Aside from the Zanpakuto's Bankai, Urahara truly has nothing left to teach Kurosaki Ichigo; it's not that Urahara doesn't want to teach Ichigo Bankai, but his own Bankai is simply not suited for training others…

Fortunately, Urahara Kisuke has already solved Ichigo's Bankai learning issue; after Urahara discovered Ichigo's spiritual pressure had reached level three, making preliminary Bankai study possible, he contacted Shihouin Yoruichi and tasked her with arranging for Ichigo to train at the training ground beneath Dual Polarity Hill—where he once trained with Yoruichi—using the Transcendent Body he invented to aid Ichigo's Bankai.

With veteran captain Shihouin Yoruichi and her specially developed Transcendent Body for Bankai training, Urahara never doubted that Kurosaki Ichigo would soon master his own Bankai.

Honestly, Urahara has encountered many geniuses in his life; after all, the Soul Society is a den of hidden talents, and aside from that, geniuses are endless— the Mao Spiritual Arts Institute graduates so‑called geniuses every day!

However, among all these geniuses, only one—aside from Captain Araki and the anomalous monster daughter who reached captain‑level spiritual pressure at birth—has attained captain rank merely ten days after gaining Shinigami powers: Kurosaki Ichigo, a unique case Urahara has seen in all these years.

"Wait calmly for my good news~"

At this moment, Kurosaki Ichigo brims with confidence. It would not be an exaggeration to say he has been reborn! When he meets again that show‑off fool who defeated him on the rainy night when Rukia left, he will beat the opponent so badly that he'll be left searching for teeth on the ground—so that the opponent will never dare to show off in front of him again!

"Ichigo, follow me!"

Urahara Kisuke, after hearing Kurosaki Ichigo's confident words, said no more and led Ichigo to the massive Passage Gate he had prepared.

"What is this?!"

Kurosaki Ichigo stared at the Passage Gate before him, a hint of doubt in his eyes.

"This is a Passage Gate, an essential tool to help you travel from the present world to the Soul Society! Soon you will pass through this door and head to the Soul Society."

Urahara Kisuke introduced the massive gate behind Kurosaki Ichigo.

"Passage Gate?! Oh, I know that thing..."

"The few who took Rukia away back then also left through a Passage Gate."

Kurosaki Ichigo's expression flickered with bewilderment, then he answered earnestly.

"Hehe, it's somewhat different from the Passage Gate Byakuya Kuchiki and the others used back then, but the principle is roughly the same~"

Urahara, after hearing Ichigo's words, replied with a cheerful smile.

"When are we departing?!"

Kurosaki Ichigo looked at Urahara Kisuke and asked.

"Mr. Kurosaki Ichigo, please wait a moment~"

"Our people aren't all here yet~"

Urahara Kisuke, after hearing Kurosaki Ichigo, laughed.

"By the way, Orihime and Taiko haven't arrived yet!"

Ichigo froze for a moment, then recalled Orihime and Taiko.

"Ichigo~"

Just as Ichigo mentioned Orihime and Taiko, in the next instant the door of Urahara's underground training facility was suddenly pushed open; after ten days of training with Dao Yane A'ura, Inoue Orihime and Chato Taiko, completely transformed, rushed toward Kurosaki Ichigo.

"Orihime, Taiko! You two have arrived~"

Ichigo looked at the two before him and instantly smiled.

"Yeah! We're also going to rescue Rukia! After all, she's our classmate!"

Orihime flashed a sun‑bright warm smile at Ichigo and said loudly.

"Yeah!"

As for Taiko, he simply gave a gentle nod.

"Shady merchant— I mean Mr. Urahara, can we open the gate now?"

After Orihime and Taiko arrived, Ichigo asked Urahara.

Even because Ichigo was so excited, he almost blurted out the nickname Urahara had given him! In fact, after ten days of Urahara's instruction, Ichigo now regards Urahara as half a teacher and sincerely calls him 'Sir'.

"People aren't all here yet~"

Urahara, hearing that, replied with a smile.

"Not all here yet?!"

Ichigo, hearing that, was taken aback.

"Sorry, I'm late!"

【186】

Breakdown: "..."

【190】

"..."

【194】

"..."

Combine: "Just as Ichigo didn't know who else would come, the door of Urahara's shop opened again, and Uryū Ishida, wearing a soul-repelling glove and dressed in a Quincy battle uniform, entered the basement of Urahara's shop under Yoruichi's guidance."

We need to keep it as one line.

【181】 (from 【274】 【181】)

Now output: 【181】 Just as Ichigo didn't know who else would come, the door of Urahara's shop opened again, and Uryū Ishida, wearing a soul-repelling glove and dressed in a Quincy battle uniform, entered the basement of Urahara's shop under Yoruichi's guidance.

But we need to use the glossary names exactly as provided. We have not yet defined glossary; but we will later. For translation we should use the English names we decided? The instruction: "Use glossary names exactly as provided." Since we haven't provided glossary yet, but we will after translations. However we need to use the glossary names exactly as provided in the glossary we will output. So we must ensure that the translation uses the same English terms we will list in glossary. So we need to decide on the English terms now and use them consistently.

Thus we need to decide on the English terms for each name and use them in translation.

Let's finalize the English terms we will use:

Yihu

Yulong

Bai

Lisha

Quanxi

Junan Bai

Aichuan Luowu

Pingzi Zhenzi

Xiumu Luqiya

Heiqi Yihu

Puyuan Xizhu

Shitian Yulong

Sifengyuan Yeyi

Liuchuan Quanxi

Shimianwan Lisha

Yuanshi Rishili

Huangmu Da

Masked Army

Guardian Thirteen Squads

Soul Society

Urahara Shop

Soul-repelling Glove

Quincy Battle Uniform

Yeyi

Yihu

Yulong

Bai

Lisha

Quanxi

Junan Bai

Aichuan Luowu

Pingzi Zhenzi

Xiumu Luqiya

Heiqi Yihu

Puyuan Xizhu

Shitian Yulong

Sifengyuan Yeyi

Liuchuan Quanxi

Shimianwan Lisha

Yuanshi Rishili

Huangmu Da

Now we need to translate each line using these terms.

Let's do line by line.

【181】 "..."

Replace:

Yihu

Urahara Shop

Soul-repelling Glove

Quincy Battle Uniform

Shitian Yulong

Yeyi

Urahara Shop

basement

Now translate: "Just as Yihu didn't know who else would come, the door of Urahara Shop opened again, and Shitian Yulong, wearing a Soul-repelling Glove and dressed in a Quincy Battle Uniform, entered the basement of Urahara Shop under Yeyi's guidance."

Check: "..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

Now output: 【181】 Just as Yihu didn't know who else would come, the door of Urahara Shop opened again, and Shitian Yulong, wearing a Soul-repelling Glove and dressed in a Quincy Battle Uniform, entered the basement of Urahara Shop under Yeyi's guidance.

【301】

Heiqi Yihu looked at the arriving Shitian Yulong, stunned.

【303】

Shitian Yulong naturally knew Heiqi Yihu's thoughts; he first lightly pushed up his glasses, then spoke seriously.

【305】

Heiqi Yihu walked up to Shitian Yulong's side, patting Yulong's shoulder while speaking affirmatively.

【307】

Yulong heard Heiqi Yihu's words, first letting out a cold snort, then without changing expression, his face blushed slightly. Although Heiqi Yihu didn't know why Yulong's face turned red.

【309】

After Yulong arrived, Heiqi Yihu looked at Puyuan Xizhu and asked.

【311】

Puyuan Xizhu shook his head helplessly.

【313】

Heiqi Yihu was shocked; he truly didn't know who else among his acquaintances could help him go to Soul Society to rescue Luqiya.

Thus translation: "Heiqi Yihu was shocked; he truly didn't know, among the people he knew, who else could help him go to Soul Society to rescue Luqiya." Output: 【195】 Heiqi Yihu was shocked; he truly didn't know, among the people he knew, who else could help him go to Soul Society to rescue Luqiya.

【317】

Just then, the black cat–formed Sifengyuan Yeyi suddenly spoke.

【319】

Heiqi Yihu looked at the speaking Sifengyuan Yeyi and shouted in shock.

【321】

Yeyi looked at the shocked Heiqi Yihu and spoke speechlessly.

【323】

Alright! It's not unacceptable!

【325】

Eh! Truly you, Heiqi Yihu...

【327】

Frankly, he still hasn't fully accepted that a cat can talk.

【329】

Sifengyuan Yeyi paid no attention to Yihu and Yulong; after scanning the training ground, she asked displeasedly.

【331】

Puyuan Xizhu heard this and gave an embarrassed laugh.

【333】

Sifengyuan Yeyi, hearing this, spoke angrily.

【335】

Heiqi Yihu, hearing Sifengyuan Yeyi's words, couldn't help but add a sentence.

【337】

Sifengyuan Yeyi, hearing Heiqi Yihu's words, replied firmly.

【339】

Heiqi Yihu, hearing Sifengyuan Yeyi's words, twitched his eyelid slightly.

【341】

At this moment, Sifengyuan Yeyi complained again.

【343】

Just as Sifengyuan Yeyi's words fell, a slightly off-key voice sounded, and a man wearing a beret with a mushroom-cut hairstyle, giving off a delinquent vibe, pushed open the door of Urahara Shop's basement and walked in.

At the same time, behind that man followed a motley crew of various sorts, but they all looked like they weren't easy to provoke.

"Píngzi Zhēnzi, you're late!"

Sìfēngyuàn Yèyī looked at the newcomer and spoke coldly.

"Because heroes always have to make their entrance last."

Without waiting for Píngzi Zhēnzi to speak, Àichuān Luówǔ, who stood behind Píngzi Zhēnzi, had already spoken first; only see him with hands on hips, striking a superhero pose, as if a hundred years of training and mastery of hollowfication had given him immense confidence, but it made him horribly awful.

"That's right! We are superheroes!"

After Àichuān Luówǔ's words fell, Jiǔnán Bái, who had been constantly hovering beside Quánxī, looking around left and right, seeming to be full of endless energy from head to toe, also spoke up; she seemed to fully approve of Àichuān Luówǔ's words, likewise placing her hands on her hips, speaking with great vigor.

"Bái, don't cause trouble here!"

"Regarding our lateness, I, Liùchē Quánxī, on behalf of the entire Masked Army, apologize here! In short, sorry, everyone!"

After hearing Jiǔnán Bái's words, Liùchē Quánxī first let out a helpless sigh, pulled Bái, who had her hands on her hips, back to his side, then, on behalf of the entire Masked Army, sincerely apologized to everyone present.

It must be said, Liùchē Quánxī's character is truly impeccable, he also has some leadership ability, and his personality fully meets all the requirements of a captain of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads; if it weren't for his strength being hopelessly weak, to the point of being unbearable to watch, then given Huāngmù Dà's personality, he might well have been heavily relied upon~

"Hey hey hey! Quánxī, you jerk, don't apologize for me without permission!"

"I really don't feel the slightest bit of shame about our being late! After all, the responsibility for this isn't on me!"

"If it weren't for you guys yesterday, being overly excited about immediately returning to Soul Society to get revenge, to the point of not being able to sleep at all, thus chatting all night about past events, which ended up making all of you oversleep, then we wouldn't have been late……"

Shǐméiwán Lìshā, after hearing Quánxī's words, spoke somewhat dissatisfiedly.

"That's right! I won't apologize either!"

Yuánshì Rìshìlǐ, after hearing Lìshā's words, nodded and said.

Because you were too excited, you couldn't fall asleep, so you overslept and ended up being late—what's that supposed to be? It's too funny! Are you guys, like, elementary school students who can't sleep before a field trip?!

When Shitian Yulong heard the words of the Masked Army's members, his eyelid twitched slightly.

"Mr. Yiye, are these incredibly strange-looking guys really reliable?"

At this moment, Shitian Yulong finally began to doubt the reliability of everyone.

Shitian Yulong's gaze swept over Pingzi Zhenzi and the others one by one, then, feeling a bit guilty, he looked toward Sifengyuan Yiye beside him and asked softly.

In Shitian Yulong's eyes, everyone in the Masked Army was just too strange!

First is Fengqiaolou Shilang, a man with a head of golden long hair wearing a classical music performance outfit; in Shitian Yulong's eyes, he is an artsy-rock youth who loves to show off, actually lacking combat power and would be instantly killed by enemies upon appearance—a minor character~

As for Pingzi Zhenzi, who looks like the leader of the Masked Army, with a neat bangs doll-like hairstyle, always wearing a smug smile, he exudes a carefree, laid-back vibe toward anyone—just a flashy little thug, basically a half-baked nobody with no combat ability……

Liuchē Quánxī's appearance seems tough, but in Shitian Yulong's view, the guy's muscles are overly angular and beautiful—unlike a body forged through battle, his look like they were sculpted in a gym; he's probably a very stylish fitness trainer, and Yulong guesses rich ladies would love this type.

Wearing sunglasses on his nose and a green tracksuit, Aichuan Luomu looks more like a low-level gangster collecting protection money or chasing debts—someone who constantly name-drops the underworld to seem tough, but in reality struggles to make ends meet each day.

As for You Zhaotian Bowan, with his pink short hair, in Shitian Yulong's eyes he seems like the kindly uncle who runs the school convenience store or a university dorm supervisor—appearing warm and friendly, but actually quite scheming!

As for the girls in female uniforms—Yashadoumaru Risa with her straight, fair, long legs; Hunan Bai in a white bodysuit; and Yuanxishi Risshi wearing a red jacket—they're basically the so-called mix of high schoolers, middle schoolers, and elementary schoolers.

In Shitian Yulong's eyes, these three not only won't help them at all, but there's a ninety-nine percent chance they'll even drag them down! They're basically trouble‑making machines, and frankly Shitian Yulong doesn't want to team up with them.

"Don't worry! They're the strongest reinforcements!"

"With their help, our plan's success rate will increase greatly!"

Sifengyuan Yiye, after hearing Shitian Yulong's words, comforted him.

"I always feel like Mr. Yiye is trying to con me!"

Shitian Yulong, upon hearing that, twitched his eyelid slightly.

No matter what Yiye says, in his view, the so‑called Masked Army led by Pingzi Zhenzi is unlikely to be of much help to them.

"Anyway, you guys just bear with it a bit!"

"And there will be times when we can actually use them…"

In response, Yiye seemed to understand Shitian Yulong's thinking, after all anyone seeing Pingzi Zhenzi and the others would likely regard them as just a gang of loafers and delinquent high schoolers, or a mob of thugs.

"I see……"

After hearing Yiye's words, Shitian Yulong pressed his lips together.

In the end, Shitian Yulong still compromised—everything was for the sake of rescuing Xiumu Luqiya.

"Whose brat is this little shrimp?!"

However, Shitian Yulong's decision not to cause trouble doesn't mean Heiqiyi Yihu won't cause trouble.

Just as Sifengyuan Yiye, after hearing Shitian Yulong's words, relaxed, the unsupervised Heiqiyi Yihu walked up to Yuanxishi Risshi on his own, saw Heiqiyi Yihu looking at Risshi's height, he gave a light smile, then patted her head and asked softly.

"A shrimp? You dare call me a shrimp?"

"You're the shrimp! Your whole family are shrimps! You damn baldy!"

After Yuanxishi Risshi heard Heiqiyi Yihu's words, she exploded like a lit powder keg—she leapt up, grabbed Heiqiyi Yihu's short hair, opened her mouth, and unleashed a tirade at him.

"Huh? I've got hair—I'm not bald!"

Heiqiyi Yihu's face changed instantly after hearing Yuanxishi Risshi's words.

Heiqiyi Yihu doesn't care if people call him weak or short, but if they call him bald, he can't stand it.

"Heh! The word 'baldy' isn't reserved just for bald people!"

Yuanxishi Risshi, upon hearing that, gave Heiqiyi Yihu a light smile. Without another word, she trotted out the inequality 'Calling you bald' does not equal 'You are actually bald,' and instantly defeated Heiqiyi Yihu.

"I completely can't understand!"

After Yuanxishi Risshi finished speaking, everyone's expressions changed, especially Shitian Yulong, who was utterly confused by her logic.

"I can't understand what you're saying……"

Unfortunately, Heiqiyi Yihu completely ignored Yuanxishi Risshi's trick, directly using his strongest ability—selectively deaf to others' words.

At this moment, Heiqiyi Yihu and Yuanxishi Risshi seemed to be evenly matched!

"Everyone, I've opened the World‑Piercing Gate!"

"Don't hesitate, everyone—it's time to head to the Soul Society~"

Just as the argument between Yuanxishi Risshi and Heiqiyi Yihu was about to escalate, the one who stepped in to smooth things over was none other than Urahara Kisuke—only to see Urahara Kisuke swing open the gate of the World‑Piercing Gate, accompanied by rumbling, a brilliant seven‑colored light shimmering, a door that can connect worlds, appearing before everyone present.

"Go!"

As the gate swung open, the first to rush in were Pingzi Zhenzi and the other members of the Masked Army.

"We're going too!"

Heiqiyi Yihu naturally wouldn't be left behind; the instant after Pingzi Zhenzi and the others entered, he took Orihime, Shitian, Taihu, guided by Yiye, and entered the World‑Piercing Gate as well—their sole goal being to rescue Xiumu Luqiya.

At the same time, 'Soul Society'.

"Looks like Heiqiyi Yihu is already ready to head to the Soul Society, so I can start my move too! Xiumu Luqiya, you'd better put on a good show for me~"

Lanran Zouyujie, after confirming that Heiqiyi Yihu had begun heading to the Soul Society, curled the corner of his mouth and began to use the 'Forty‑Six Chamber' to issue his orders.

Everything is under control!

Ten‑thousand‑word mega chapter~