Help! I am bound to Aizen!

Chapter 260

2-in-1 chapter

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Facing Rangiku before him, Kaelith was briefly taken aback, then couldn’t help but grin.

“Rangiku, I suggest you think this over carefully.”

In the 11th Division, his recruitment standards differed greatly from when he had been in the 2nd Division. The 2nd Division’s main force came from internal training and didn’t rely heavily on campus recruitment. Those recruited from Shin’ō Academy typically served in clerical roles, unless someone truly exceptional appeared—like Kisuke Urahara, for instance.

But it was different for the 11th Division.

Once you joined the 11th, you were bound to shed blood someday.

Indeed, many female students chose the 11th Division impulsively—charmed by Kaelith’s calligraphy or his (carefully disguised) demeanor—and each year, quite a few of them passed the screening. Even so, Kaelith kept a personal “scale” in his heart. He only recruited those with genuine courage and actual combat potential. Anyone enrolling purely to be near him, whose fighting skills weren’t up to par, would never be admitted to face pointless death.

Upon hearing Kaelith’s caution, Rangiku smiled.

“Oh? Are you worried about me?”

“Not worried, exactly. More like afraid you’ll be a menace once you join the 11th.”

“Hey.”

Rangiku rolled her eyes, then chuckled and patted Kaelith’s shoulder.

“Relax. I’ve come fully prepared. Sure, the 11th Division faces intense battles, but I haven’t spent these years training for nothing! Instead of worrying about me, you might want to worry about Tōsen and the others.”

Seeing Rangiku so resolute, Kaelith said nothing more and stamped her approval.

Not far away, a group of male students had been watching. When they saw Rangiku get accepted into the 11th Division, several promptly followed, handing in their own applications. Kaelith nodded in satisfaction. As expected of Rangiku—on her very first day, she was already drawing people in. Excellent!

Next came Ikkaku Madarame, Yumichika Ayasegawa, Tōsen Kaname, and Komamura Sajin—all graduating this year and choosing to join the 11th Division. The gathering crowd grew noisy. A large portion of the recent standout cadets were converging on the same division. Just how powerful would the 11th become with them all together?

The more perceptive ones had suspicions: clearly, these geniuses had gotten some kind of inside scoop. Perhaps something really enticing was on the horizon in the 11th Division. The students traded glances, then flocked toward Kaelith. Watching the throng around the 11th Division in contrast with the near-empty queues at other divisions, many captains felt a pang of helpless frustration…

…

After bringing the new graduates back to the 11th Division, Kaelith placed them under Zaraki Kenpachi’s supervision. However, he kept a few familiar faces—Rangiku, Ikkaku, and the rest—behind. Once the newcomers were settled, Kaelith summoned the entire 11th Division currently on-site.

“Everyone!”

“These folks here may be fresh graduates, but I’m sure you already recognize them. They’ve been hanging around us a lot over the past few years. Now that they’ve graduated and joined the 11th Division, I’ve decided…to hold a tournament!”

“Every member of the 11th Division can challenge each other, fighting for a chance to swap ranks!”

At those words, the division members lit up with excitement. So the newcomers wanted to stage a collective uprising on their very first day? Fine by them—time to give these rookies a real lesson!

Grinning, one group after another stepped into the ring. Immediately, the 11th Division barracks resounded with cheers and the booming impact of collisions. Under the watchful gaze of Captain Kaelith, Lieutenant Zaraki Kenpachi, and that “external-brain-for-the-lieutenant” Yachiru Kusajishi, the 11th Division swiftly underwent a grand reshuffle of positions.

After the matches, the finalized roster was as follows:

- Captain: Kaelith

- Lieutenant: Zaraki Kenpachi

- 3rd Seat: Komamura Sajin

- 4th Seat: Tōsen Kaname

- 5th Seat: Ikkaku Madarame

- 6th Seat: Rangiku Matsumoto

- 7th Seat: Yumichika Ayasegawa

- …

Reviewing the list in his hand, Kaelith couldn’t help clicking his tongue.

Goodness, the 11th Division really was about to soar. Counting Rangiku, a late bloomer but still with plenty of potential, the captain through sixth seat were all at a captain-class threshold. What did that make them—a mini–Gotei 13 of their own? With a lineup like this, the entire Seireitei was theirs to roam!

Just as Kaelith was grinning from ear to ear, Zaraki Kenpachi came over.

“Boss!”

“I challenge you!”

Kaelith gave him a once-over. Over the years, Kenpachi had made astonishing progress. Even without learning how to release his Zanpakutō, he’d reached captain level just by relying on his fierce, almost feral swordsmanship. But beating Kaelith was still a distant dream. This was less a real challenge than a blatant attempt to get some sparring in.

Kaelith didn’t dislike Kenpachi’s passion—someone who simply wanted to fight to grow stronger. Such single-minded resolve was certainly praiseworthy. He was about to accept when Rangiku ran over, too.

“Kaelith! I want to fight you as well!”

Kaelith folded his arms, tilting his head in mock derision. Rangiku Matsumoto? Freshly graduated, basically a newbie hero stepping out of the starter zone, daring to challenge him, the demon lord of chaos? She had no idea that calling for a duel wasn’t so simple. The instant she leapt forward to declare combat, that ten-point power boost might not land where she expected!

Before he could snark further, several others hurried over as well. Seeing them all gather, Kaelith paused in thought for a moment. Then he broke into an easy smile.

“Alright. You can all come at me together!”

They all froze for a second. Kenpachi was first to object.

“Boss, wouldn’t it be more fun with just the two of us?”

“That’s not necessarily true,” Komamura Sajin countered, shaking his head. “Lieutenant Zaraki, I’ve learned a great deal these past few years and am no longer who I once was.”

Rangiku craned her neck, chiming in, “Exactly! Don’t assume you’re the best just because you’re built like a tank, Kenpachi. I’m going to surpass you sooner or later!”

Komamura: “…”

He was the biggest one here, so Rangiku’s jab inadvertently dragged him into the line of fire…

While the group argued, Kaelith hummed a little tune and strolled onto the field. They exchanged glances, nodded, and followed after him. The rest of the 11th Division, which had been about to disperse, turned back at the commotion. Spotting the face-off about to unfold, everyone was stunned.

“Is this the final match of the rank battles?”

“All of them are challenging the Boss at once?”

“If they win, does the Boss step down?”

“Would they share the captaincy? Or does the Boss end up doing everyone else’s work from 7th Seat to lieutenant?”

“Unbelievable that the Boss has so much energy!”

“As expected of the Boss!”

“Boss, do my paperwork, too!”

“Boooss!!”

Amid the deafening roars of excitement, Kaelith raised his head proudly. Behold, such was true popularity. Seeing him about to annihilate this band of upstarts, his squadmates were so thrilled they could hardly contain themselves.

Under their fervent gazes, Kaelith casually doffed his Haori and tossed it aside. Then, with a sunny smile, he pulled open the top of his Shihakushō, baring his upper body. Completing this signature warm-up, he held both arms out straight and gave a slight come-at-me gesture with his hands.

The spectators roared even louder.

“Boss!!!”

“I want to lick the Boss’s sweat!!”

“I want to lick the Boss’s black—uh, Go board?!!”

“?”

Hearing some distinctly off-kilter cries in the crowd, Kaelith shot a wary glare in that direction. But the officers had no time to wait.

Zaraki Kenpachi charged in first, bursting forward with wild laughter and explosive Reiatsu, wielding his battered blade. Kaelith sidestepped the initial slash and slipped inside Kenpachi’s guard, slamming him with a vicious shoulder check.

Boom!!!

A muffled impact rang out as Kenpachi went flying, crashing into Ikkaku behind him. Still locked in that shoulder-check stance, Kaelith pivoted his upper body twice. Then he launched a sudden one-handed backflip, kicking at Yumichika, who was about to slash him from behind.

“Ugh!”

Unable to dodge, Yumichika took the blow full on his shoulder, grunting in pain.

“Roar, Tenken!!”

Just as Kaelith completed his kick and tried using the recoil to flip back upright, Komamura let out a thunderous shout. A massive arm—formed entirely of spiritual particles—suddenly appeared in midair, gripping an enormous sword. This giant limb echoed Komamura’s every move. He raised his Zanpakutō and slashed downward. The colossal blade overhead duplicated the strike, cleaving straight for Kaelith.

Slash!!

The blade cut the air, sending a sharp shockwave tearing a deep gash in the ground. Kaelith’s figure vanished.

“Did the Boss just get sliced in half?” blurted one stunned onlooker.

“Say that again and I’ll slice you in half!” another 11th Division member snapped.

On the battlefield, Tōsen Kaname—eyes concealed—suddenly turned to look upward. Following his cue, everyone peered above. To their shock, Kaelith was standing atop Tenken’s massive sword, arms folded casually.

Noticing their gazes, he kept one arm crossed and waved a forefinger in mild reprimand.

“Too slow, too slow! Komamura, this Zanpakutō of yours can tear through weaker enemies, sure. But if you’re facing an opponent on your level—or stronger—you might want to reconsider your approach.”

Komamura’s Zanpakutō resembled Susanoo in form, yet lacked any special abilities. Susanoo could equip mystical artifacts, but Komamura only had raw power.

Huh…special abilities, though. Kaelith’s eyes gleamed at the thought. Speaking of giants, if they turned Tenken into a true war machine…he could ask Mayuri Kurotsuchi for some modifications, just like how Mayuri’s Bankai had been tweaked in all sorts of bizarre ways.

Imagine an enormous Black Rope Tenken Myōō rigged with shoulder-mounted missiles, flamethrowers for arms, a laser beam from its mouth… The thought alone thrilled him. And crucially, it could be layered with reactive armor. Anyone attacking Tenken Myōō directly would face a saturating counter-blast. That would teach them not to treat it like some easy weak spot!

While Kaelith was excitedly fantasizing, a haze of grayish dust crept up behind him.

“Purr…Haineko!”

With a sweep of her arm, Rangiku unleashed countless iron-like particles that enveloped Kaelith in a swirling cloud. He made no move, allowing them to completely cocoon him.

Buzzzz!!

Within that cocoon, the glittering grains whirled rapidly, turning the sphere into a giant grinder of iron sand. As if that weren’t enough, Tōsen leapt overhead, sword in hand.

“Sing…Suzumushi!”

He swung his Zanpakutō, conjuring dozens of razor-sharp blades that hurtled in from every angle, stabbing into Rangiku’s sphere of swirling iron.

It was like a magic show where swords pierce a box containing someone inside. Meanwhile, Kenpachi stomped the ground and launched into a leaping slash at Kaelith’s position. Seeing him move, Rangiku swiftly withdrew Haineko so Kenpachi could strike unobstructed.

But as the iron sand scattered, everyone froze.

Kaelith, now in shredded clothing that left him looking half like a beggar, stood in a bizarrely contorted pose, twisting his upper and lower body in opposite directions. In so doing, he had evaded every one of Tōsen’s blades. As for Rangiku’s Haineko, it had only ripped his uniform, leaving his gleaming, Reiatsu-tempered flesh unscathed.

Watching Kenpachi descend with a mighty slash, Kaelith remained in that twisted “pretzel” stance, a devilish grin spreading across his face.

“Kenpachi…allow your master to give you a lesson today.”

“A diving slash isn’t something you can just throw around!”

Before Kenpachi’s astonished eyes, Kaelith barreled toward him with a manic laugh. As they closed in, Kaelith leaned back into a sliding maneuver. In the same motion, he drew his Zanpakutō—sheath and all—from his waist. Then he swung it low at Kenpachi’s unguarded midsection, giving him no chance to change course.

With a heavy thud, Kenpachi collapsed to the ground. This ironclad man, who normally wouldn’t flinch at any wound, was now clutching a particular spot in agony, unable to stand. Every male present gulped in unison.

Cackling, Kaelith hefted his Zanpakutō—still sheathed—onto one shoulder.

“Who dares kill me? Who dares kill me?!”

“Is there anyone in the world who dares?!”

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