Help! I am bound to Aizen!

Chapter 261

2-IN-1 CHAPTER

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A few days later, word spread throughout the 11th Division—and half of the Seireitei—that Kaelith alone had overwhelmed six formidable officers, from the lieutenant down to the seventh seat, in a single battle.

To those unfamiliar with the situation, it might not sound remarkable. After all, the gulf between a captain and a lieutenant—or a lieutenant and the third or fourth seats—was often vast, and it wasn’t unusual to see other divisions pull off similar feats. But anyone who knew the 11th Division and this year’s Shin’ō Academy graduates understood just how outrageous this was.

Those weren’t six ordinary members. Every single one of them was either at or near captain-level, with the lieutenant and the others all strong enough to be lieutenants themselves. Across the entire Seireitei, only a handful could so casually achieve what Kaelith had done.

News of this eventually reached the 1st Division, where Yamamoto stroked his beard in deep thought.

On another note, the participants of that fight ended up getting along better than before. Although they used to train together frequently, everyone was usually busy with their own tasks. This time, working together to take down Kaelith made them realize the huge benefits of more frequent communication.

A unique culture soon emerged in the 11th Division: the stronger members often gathered to spar and exchange combat insights. They generously shared pointers with those of lower skill levels as well. Tōsen and Komamura, who were notably patient, would sometimes spend entire days in the training grounds, helping other squad members analyze problems. In teaching others, they discovered and corrected many of their own shortcomings. As a result, the overall strength of the 11th Division climbed yet another tier.

Marechiyo Ōmaeda, meanwhile, fared rather miserably. Having some talent among the lower-ranked members meant he was frequently “cared for” by those top six officers—and their focus on him forcibly elevated his strength. By now, Marechiyo was entirely qualified for a seated position. The only reason he hadn’t been promoted was because, as a member of the Ōmaeda family, his very first rank had to be granted by the Onmitsukidō. Kaelith decided it was about time to send him home.

…

“So, Lord Kaelith…may I ask why you’ve come?”

Inside a lavishly built, traditional-style house, Kaelith sat on one side of a table. On the other side were more than ten elders dressed in ornate clothing, each bearing the crest of the Tsunayashiro clan.

Though Kaelith was alone, these elders seemed deeply uneasy, as though his lone presence had them surrounded.

Kaelith picked up a teacup and took a slow sip.

“Hm. Good tea.”

He couldn’t really taste how good it was, but still made a show of it. After setting the cup down, he looked at the elders. This was the Tsunayashiro clan in the Seireitei.

Long ago, Tsunayashiro Senzo had been exiled and taken many of the clan’s promising youths to Hueco Mundo—those very Shinigami now serving in Las Noches. The ones left behind were either less talented heirs who had little potential, or else branch families.

Because of Tsunayashiro Senzo's “disgrace,” the original main family had slipped into irrelevance, while several branch families seized its resources and status, emerging as the new “main line.” Through significant effort, the Tsunayashiro clan managed to preserve a basic commercial foothold and avoid being swallowed entirely by other nobles.

They thought they could continue quietly…until Kaelith delivered a surprise. One Tsunayashiro branch member had offended Kaelith somehow, and Kaelith had retaliated swiftly and mercilessly. To the nobles, it scarcely mattered what that man had done; they saw it instead as a sign of Kaelith’s lingering anger at their clan. So when Kaelith arrived at their door, they treated him like a dreadful foe. All the clan elders had gathered, none daring to be absent.

Under their collective gaze, Kaelith didn’t waste words. He simply pulled out an object wrapped in cloth and plunked it onto the table with a “thump.”

“Take a look at this!”

When they saw the box-like shape bundled in cloth, the elders’ faces changed in unison. It looked almost exactly like something that might contain a severed head. Could it be that Kaelith had killed yet another one of their kin and brought it here as a warning?

For a moment, no one dared approach. Finally, after several seconds, one elder steeled himself and stepped forward. He untied the cloth and opened the box—then let out a cry of surprise.

“A seal!”

“What?!”

Hearing it wasn’t a human head, the other elders rushed up. Inside, resting on a silk lining, lay a large seal. At the sight of it, the elders rejoiced.

“The family head’s seal!”

“Wasn’t that taken away by Senzo?!”

“This is wonderful…with this, our branch line can claim legitimate standing!”

They were practically dancing with excitement—until a sudden realization subdued their cheer. Glancing at Kaelith, who sat calmly across from them, they spoke nervously:

“Lord Kaelith…may we ask how you obtained this?”

Waving a hand, Kaelith replied, “No need to worry about that. Pretend I fished it out of a well somewhere. The real question is: what are you prepared to offer in return for this item?”

A hush fell. The elders exchanged glances.

Money? There was no point even bringing that up. Kaelith was on close terms with the Shihōin family head, and thoroughly allied with the Ōmaeda clan, too. Before their downfall, perhaps the Tsunayashiro clan could have competed. Now…not a chance. So what could the Tsunayashiro clan offer?

Seeing them agonize over it, Kaelith spoke again:

“All right, no need to think it over too long. It’s simple. Your clan and its affiliated families occupy nine seats in the Central 46. I want four of them for my people. If you can make that happen, I’ll give you this seal.”

The elders gasped.

“That’s impossible!”

“How could we do such a thing?!”

Seats in the Central 46 were the greatest symbol of a family’s power. They had only nine left; ceding four to Kaelith would leave them with almost nothing. As for the seal—even if they failed to reclaim it, it wouldn’t affect their day-to-day affairs too badly.

Kaelith nodded at their refusal. He rose to his feet and picked up the seal.

“Very well. I’ll be on my way, then. Actually, Tsunayashiro Senzo’s people in Hueco Mundo were the ones who gave this to me. They hoped I’d help them return to the Soul Society. I wasn’t interested in going to the trouble…but if you’re unwilling to negotiate, then I suppose I’ll have no choice but to continue my conversation with them.”

He turned as if to leave. At once—smack, smack, smack!—multiple hands grabbed at his sleeves. Feeling their desperation, Kaelith glanced back with a devilish smile, as though horns had sprouted from his head…

…

“Not bad,” Aizen Sōsuke remarked, nodding slightly after Kaelith reported his success in claiming the Central 46 seats. He stood before a console, observing the data shifting across the displays, seemingly unfazed by Kaelith’s news.

Kaelith pouted. “Sōsuke, do you have any idea what it means to have four seats in the Central 46? That practically makes me a force to be reckoned with here in the Seireitei. What have I done to deserve your lack of respect—even refusing to call me ‘milord’?”

Aizen paused for two seconds, suppressing a spike in blood pressure. He responded calmly, “You took the Tsunayashiro seal and threatened them with the Hueco Mundo main clan. Those conservative nobility were bound to cave. I already knew you’d succeed the moment you set out.”

Hearing that, Kaelith blinked. So it wasn’t his imposing aura that made it work, but rather something that had been inevitable from the start? A bit deflated, he sidled over to the console and glanced at the screen.

Though hardly an expert, he’d known Aizen long enough to read basic data.

Watching the progress bar for a moment, he clapped his hands in realization.

“Hey, that’s moving fast! Looks like this phase is just about done—very impressive!”

Aizen nodded. “Indeed. Thanks to that unique experience last time, a lot of crucial points were solved almost immediately. Otherwise, it’d have taken me many times as long.”

He gazed at the slowly rotating, crystalline gem on the monitor, a glimmer of zeal in his eyes. If this experiment succeeded, everything in this world would be rewritten.

Before, he’d believed the research would only shatter the boundary between Hollow and Shinigami, propelling one to a new level of power. He never imagined that, as it developed, he would discover entirely unforeseen capabilities latent within this soul-fused jewel.

Those possibilities still lay in the future. For now, their priority remained breaking that boundary. With that in mind, he turned to Kaelith.

“Kaelith, we’re almost ready to begin trials. As for Hollows, we can just pick some out of Las Noches as experimental material. But what about the Shinigami side? Any ideas?”

Kaelith paused to think, then said, “We’ve still got some leftover thugs and bullies from Rukongai, don’t we?”

Aizen shook his head. “No good. During the previous round of experiments, I realized common souls from Rukongai are far too weak to endure the process. We need subjects who are at least of active-duty Shinigami level.”

Kaelith rubbed his chin. Full-fledged Shinigami… There were a few morally dubious members of the Tsunayashiro clan in Hueco Mundo who could be used as test subjects, but there weren’t many of them. It was a shame that back when they were evading Yamamoto’s hunt, Kaelith had killed off those renegade captains. If he’d kept them alive until now, they’d be the perfect specimens.

After a moment’s thought, he nodded. “Got it. Leave it to me, and I’ll handle it as soon as possible.”

Aizen made a small sound of acknowledgment. In truth, there was one test subject he dearly wanted to use: his own captain, Shinji Hirako.

That man had caused him no end of trouble. Aizen would feel zero guilt if something “accidentally” went wrong. But…knowing Kaelith’s personality, he probably wouldn’t condone that plan so easily. It would require a more careful approach.

…

Upon returning to the 11th Division, Kaelith found he had a visitor bearing an invitation. Its envelope bore the Shiba family crest, and it asked him to come to the Shiba residence for a chat.

Kaelith was a bit surprised. Of the various noble houses he’d dealt with since arriving in the Soul Society, the Shiba clan was one he’d had almost no direct contact with. Even the elusive Sarunomiya clan had crossed paths with him several times, from whom he’d obtained plenty of rare materials. Yet, for various reasons, he’d never interacted much with the Shiba.

Having nothing pressing to do, he put on a fresh Haori and headed to the Shiba estate. Situated in the noble’s district, the Shiba compound was by no means large—more akin to a modest noble’s home. Compared to the sprawling mansions of clans like the Sarunomiya, which might encompass multiple gardens, the difference was stark.

A servant recognized Kaelith’s captain’s Haori at the gate, swiftly ushering him inside. Thanks to the estate’s compact size, they soon arrived at a certain room. Standing outside was a figure apparently waiting for him. Like Kaelith, this person wore a white Haori, although it was noticeably older than Kaelith’s newly made one.

“Captain Shiba, it’s been a while,” Kaelith greeted cheerfully, addressing the 10th Division captain.

Shiba Shōta smiled. “We may not see each other often, but there’s hardly a day goes by without me hearing some new tale of Captain Kaelith.”

Leading Kaelith inside, Shiba Shōta offered him a seat, chatting about old times. He recalled how, at Kaelith’s graduation exam, he’d been one of the captains observing. The more Kaelith listened, the more he sensed a certain ambiance, prompting him to ask curiously:

“You aren’t trying to induct me into some five-great-noble plan, are you?”

“Huh?” Shiba Shōta looked briefly startled, then laughed. “Hardly. I’m just the acting family head and actually a branch member myself. I don’t have that kind of authority.”

Kaelith relaxed. “Oh, good. The mood you set had me thinking you wanted me to adopt your heirs or something.”

Shiba Shōta fell silent for a moment. “Captain Kaelith, well…it’s somewhat similar to that, but not exactly. I do have a favor to ask.”

He continued, “Word is that you’re exceptional at training new talent. The current batch of Shin’ō Academy geniuses all received instruction from you while they were students. Even that boy from the Ōmaeda clan ended up quite capable in your care.

“To be candid, the Shiba family doesn’t have many heirs to pin our hopes on this generation—just two, really: our main-house prodigy Shiba Kaien, and Shiba Isshin from a branch family.

Kaien is unquestionably talented, but he’s still young. More importantly, he’s extremely upright—determined to climb to captain rank through his own accomplishments rather than lean on noble privilege. Which means, if something unexpected happens, we need Isshin to be ready to shoulder the Shiba clan’s responsibilities at any moment.

“So I wanted to ask if you would accept Isshin into the 11th Division, and just teach him a little. Whatever you may need of me in return, I’ll do everything I can.”

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