Chapter 35: with translation of chapter title

However, the enemy also well knew this point…

"I see, you can flee for the sake of your comrades, so you intend to sacrifice yourself as bait?"

"A wise choice! Unfortunately meaningless, for I will soon kill you, then I will chase after those few fleeing Death Gods and pierce their chests with my bow."

That Star Cross Knight Squad member instantly grasped Shanmu's thought, a smile touching his lips as he drew his bow aimed at Shanmu.

"Burn!! Flying Pellet!!"

Shanmu roared, gripping a flaming‑edged blade, and swung at that Star Cross Knight Squad member.

Alas, the incoming arrow rain was too great; his flames could not block that sea of arrows, and in an instant Shanmu's body was pierced by the rain of arrows, laying him on the ground.

"Farewell, Death God!"

That Star Cross Knight Squad member, seeing the fallen Shanmu, drew his final arrow, believing Shanmu would surely die from this shot—at least that's what he thought…

"Swish!"

Accompanied by the arrow's tearing‑through‑air sound, Shanmu slowly closed his eyes, as if he had already seen his imminent death's outcome; though that outcome was indeed tragic, he had long anticipated it…

Shanmu only hoped that his fellow squad members could quickly withdraw, return to their respective divisions, report the battle situation to their captains, and gain the captains' protection.

"Thud~"

Just as Shanmu was seeing his own 'deathly appearance', accompanied by a gentle breeze, the arrow about to pierce him was swatted away by someone…

Shanmu narrowed his eyes against the breeze, yet he clearly saw the person standing before him: a white haori bearing the eleven insignia on its back.

"Shine forth! Glazed Light!"

The comer was none other than Arashi, who had come running madly from the Eleventh Division; he looked at the fallen Shinigami squad member Shanmu and, expressionless, released his Soul‑Cutting Sword…

With a wash of soft green light, the Shinigami squad member Shanmu, whose face had grown pale from excessive blood loss and was on the brink of death, instantly regained his normal complexion.

"You, you are, Captain Arashi!"

The color‑restored Shanmu gazed at Arashi, who appeared before him like a deity descending to earth; his expression shifted instantly, and he instinctively tried to rise from the ground to salute Arashi, but forgetting he had lost half a leg, he stumbled and fell flat on the ground.

"Stay down!"

Arashi glanced at the fallen Shanmu, uttered only a sentence, then turned his gaze to the Exterminator standing before him.

"Swish! Swish…"

That Exterminator naturally would not just stand there; while Arashi was treating Shanmu, he loosed several arrows at Arashi in succession. Unfortunately, all those arrows were swatted away by Arashi as if shooing mosquitoes…

"Who are you?"

At this moment, the arrogant Star Cross Knight Squad member finally panicked, admitting he had somewhat underestimated the Death Gods' combat power; at least the man now before him seemed utterly unfathomable.

"ROOM!"

Arashi paid no heed to the person's clamor before him, calmly releasing his ability.

"Huh?!"

The Star Cross Knight Squad member watched helplessly as the translucent light enveloped him, his eyes betraying uncontainable fear.

He demanded of Arashi: "What have you done to me?!"

"Swish!"

However, before the Star Cross Knight Squad member could think further, the light had already faded.

Immediately thereafter, the Star Cross Knight Squad member felt his support vanish, his body uncontrollably collapsing toward the ground…

"My legs! Where did my legs go?!"

Having fallen to the ground, the Star Cross Knight Squad member only then realized his legs had mysteriously disappeared at some point.

"You should be able to get up now."

Arashi ignored the fallen Exterminator and, expressionless, spoke to the Shinigami squad member behind him.

"My legs have returned! My legs, they're back!"

Shanmu Zongyilang never imagined that his lost legs could possibly be reattached.

"Run! Remember to flee toward the Eleventh Division; the other division captains are currently roaming the Pure Spirit Court, hunting down Exterminators! There's no time to tend to you wounded whose spiritual power is severely depleted, rendering you unable to fight."

Arashi looked at the recovered Shanmu, pondered briefly, then reminded him.

Because Arashi had foreseen the Exterminators' invasion a few minutes earlier and used Heaven's Net to alert all the Thirteen Court Guard Squad captains, the captains of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads now reacted faster than in the original story…

Now this group of captains, leading their respective divisions, has launched a 'contest' of hunting Exterminators within the Pure Spirit Court; nobody has time to look after these spirit‑pressure‑exhausted Death God squad members who can no longer fight.

Of course, Arashi left a trump card in his own Eleventh Division…

"I will obey Captain Arashi's orders!"

Shanmu rose and bowed deeply to Arashi.

"Hn…"

Arashi, upon hearing that, turned on his heel and walked toward the fallen Star Cross Knight Squad member.

"Thank you, Captain Arashi, for your life‑giving grace! I am Shanmu Zongyilang of the Shanmu clan, and I vow to serve you with all my strength for the rest of my life!"

Just as Arashi turned, Shanmu Zongyilang fell to his knees with a 'thud', kowtowing several times before rising on his own and turning away.

Shanmu knew he now had more important things to do; he needed to inform those spirit‑pressure‑depleted, combat‑incapable squad members to go to the Thirteen Court Guard Squads' Eleventh Division barracks for treatment…

"……"

Arashi paid no heed to Shanmu Zongyilang's profession of loyalty, instead proceeding straight to the Star Cross Knight Squad member.

"Where is your emperor, Yuhabach?"

Arashi faced the legless, forced‑to‑lie‑down Star Cross Knight Squad member and asked in a cold voice.

"Do you think I'll tell you? You lot of Soul Society trash! Even if I die, I absolutely will not…"

Before that Star Cross Knight Squad member could finish speaking, his entire head exploded like a watermelon.

"Noisy! You Exterminators with mouths aren't the only ones!"

Blood mixed with white fluid spattered toward Arashi; he repulsed it with a disdainful face, blocking it with his Soul‑Cutting Sword's power, while simultaneously lifting his head to gaze upon the chaotic battlefield, at the white‑clad Exterminators there.

ROOM!!

A huge 'Transparent Operating Room' centered on Araki spread in all directions, instantly covering the entire Shukubomon battlefield! As a huge silver blade light flashed! All Quincy were cleaved in two by Araki's single strike!

"We were killed by someone?!"

"What a joke! I actually saw my own lower half floating in the sky!"

"Damn it, what's going on?!"

In an instant, not only were the Quincy at a loss facing the situation, but even the Soul Reaper squad members still fighting the Quincy had no idea what had happened.

Unfortunately, no one would answer their questions...

As silver lights flickered, each Quincy floating in the sky felt a sudden pang in their chest! They suddenly felt as if they had lost something important...

When the drifting silver light slowly faded, the transparent 'Operating Room' finally contracted and 'eliminated'—the Quincy who had been forced into the sky by Araki's ability finally fell to the ground.

"What is that?!"

"Damn it, is this hell?!"

When the Quincy landed on the ground, what met their eyes was a throne formed from countless beating hearts.

In an instant, the Quincy only felt their scalps go numb, their SAN plummeting!

Eerie—everything before them was just too eerie!

A chair made entirely of hearts? What kind of wicked thing is this? And look closely—those hearts are still beating!

"Well then, please allow me to introduce myself……"

"I am Araki, captain of the Eleventh Division of the Court Guard of Soul Society, which you have invaded. You can understand me as one of the leaders of the Soul Reapers whom you have slaughtered."

Just as the Quincy were feeling 'fear,' 'bewilderment,' and 'being at a loss' before the scene……

A man with brown short hair, wearing a white haori, holding a beating heart in his hand, spoke as he walked toward everyone.

If you look closely, you'll see that the heart in the man's hand is identical to the many hearts making up the throne—clearly the man and the throne are inseparable!

"Soul Reaper?!"

The Quincy stared at the white-clad Soul Reaper who had appeared without warning, and they all drew their bows, ready to shoot Araki with their arrows at any moment.

"Stay calm……"

Araki remained calm facing the Quincy who had drawn their bows at him; before them all, he calmly crushed the heart in his hand, and bright red fluid immediately seeped from the gaps in his fist……

"Pfft~"

As Araki's hand-held heart exploded, the Quincy nearest to him immediately spat blood and collapsed, losing vitality in an instant.

"What is this?"

In an instant, having witnessed their comrades' eerie deaths, the Quincy all panicked.

"As you can see, these still-beating hearts are precisely from you……"

"If there is the slightest mistake, the hearts behind me will burst on their own, or your arrow volley will go astray and strike your own hearts—then you will die instantly, just like that fallen comrade!"

Araki said, shaking off the blood on his hand, and sat upon the throne formed from countless Quincy hearts.

"Gentlemen, I, like your Majesty, despise pointless slaughter!"

"So now I give you all two choices."

"First, attack me, and you will all die here!"

"Second, bring me the heads of your comrades in exchange for the heart in my hand."

"Rest assured, I am very conscientious……"

"Just give me five of your comrades' skulls, and you can exchange them for one heart in my hand! Of course, if someone can take Yhwach's head, then all the hearts here will be returned to you, not a single one missing."

Araki casually sat upon the 'Heart' Throne, like a lofty king, looking down coldly on the Quincy invaders.

"Then choose!"

Araki looked at the Quincy and asked coldly.

Two more chapters coming! If you appreciate my hard work, please vote!!

(End of chapter)