Help! I am bound to Aizen!

"Impossible... Impossible..."

"I am Kamikawa Renosuke!"

"The Captain of Squad Three, Kamikawa Renosuke!"

Amid the rolling dust, Kamikawa Renosuke struggled to crawl up from the ground.

One slap from Kirio Hikifune had smashed the ground into a crater.

Broken tiles clattered down from his battered body.

Kamikawa Renosuke lowered his head to look at himself. 

His pristine captain's haori was now covered in dust. 

His Shihakushō was torn in several places, resembling tattered rags. 

His Zanpakutō, at some point, had snapped, losing all semblance of its usual sharpness. 

"How… how could this happen? We're both captains…" 

Staring at his miserable state, Kamikawa Renosuke's eyes burned with rage. 

"Being a captain is nothing more than a title." 

"Those with real power remain strong, whether they wear the haori or not. For someone without strength, donning that garment won't magically make them stronger." 

Kirio Hikifune appeared nearby, holding her Zanpakutō. 

As she arrived, the swirling dust around her spiraled away, dissipating into the air. 

She raised an eyebrow at him. 

"And you, Kamikawa Renosuke, just happen to be one of those without strength who lucked into the captain's position." 

"If Chitetsu wasn't too old to take the role, do you really think you'd be here wearing that haori?" 

Under Kamikawa Renosuke's despondent gaze, she sighed. 

"Normally, as colleagues, I'd try to save you some face and avoid saying this outright." 

"But you went and allied yourself with the rebels." 

"Joining forces with rebels is bad enough, but you dared to target my research materials?" 

In the last sentence, Kirio Hikifune's aura suddenly intensified. 

The Squad Twelve members who had rushed over felt conflicted upon hearing her words. 

From the way she said it, it sounded like the rebellion in the Soul Society wasn't nearly as important as her research materials... 

Kamikawa Renosuke's face turned a mix of green and white. 

A few seconds later, his expression twisted with ferocity. 

"Enough! At this point, there's nothing more to say." 

"My identity is exposed; I'll surely be executed. But you won't live either!" 

As he spoke, his Zanpakutō began to glow. 

The blade absorbed Kamikawa Renosuke's Reiryoku, rapidly repairing itself, elongating, and regaining its original form. 

"Come, Kirio Hikifune! Witness the power of my Bankai!" 

He grinned, raising his Zanpakutō high. 

However, midway through the motion, his body suddenly went limp, as if a toy had run out of power. 

Clang! 

His Zanpakutō fell to the ground with a crisp sound. 

Kamikawa Renosuke collapsed like a heap of mud, lying on the ground, barely breathing. 

His eyes widened, staring at Kirio Hikifune, his mouth slightly agape, as if he wanted to ask what had just happened. 

Kirio Hikifune smiled and pointed at her blade. 

"My Zanpakutō is coated with poison." 

"When I sent you flying earlier, I made a small cut on you." 

"If you don't channel your Spirit Pressure, the poison remains inactive." 

"But once you exert Reiryoku, it spreads through your body, leaving you powerless~." 

With Kamikawa Renosuke subdued, the significant commotion finally came to an end. 

Minutes later, members of the Onmitsukidō and Squad Seven, responsible for internal security, arrived at the scene. 

Amid the chaos, Kirio Hikifune approached Kaelith Yurei and Yoruichi. 

"Kaelith-kun, little Yoruichi, thank you both for tonight." 

At her words, Yoruichi raised an eyebrow. 

Earlier, Kaelith had mentioned that this was all part of Kirio's elaborate trap, which she had initially dismissed as nonsense. 

But upon reflection, it did seem plausible. 

Sensing her thoughts, Kirio Hikifune chuckled. 

"Sorry to disappoint, but I'm not as clever as Shunsui. Tonight wasn't a plan of mine." 

"I was supposed to visit Squad Zero with Senjumaru today to get familiar with the environment. But midway, I remembered I'd forgotten to bring some newly developed fabrics, so I turned back." 

"On the way, I sensed someone triggering the traps in my archive room, so I rushed back at full speed." 

"If it weren't for Kaelith-kun, Squad Twelve might have been in utter chaos~." 

Yoruichi: "…" 

Kaelith coughed awkwardly. "Captain Hikifune, I'm sure there's still a lot to handle here, so we'll take our leave." 

"If you need help in the future, feel free to ask us anytime." 

With that, he pulled Yoruichi and hurried to leave. 

But just as he turned, a hand gripped his shoulder. 

Kaelith froze. 

He turned back with a strained smile. "Um… Captain Hikifune, is there something else?" 

Under his gaze, Kirio Hikifune leaned closer, whispering softly so only he could hear: 

"Kaelith-kun, you and little Yoruichi… You didn't take anything other than the Red and White Hot Spring scrolls, right?" 

Crap!! 

Kaelith suddenly felt like a cat had stepped on his nerves. 

Although his instinct was to feign ignorance, the dangerous aura emanating from Kirio Hikifune made him quickly shake his head. 

Kirio leaned back slightly, locking eyes with Kaelith for a moment before smiling in satisfaction. 

"Take care on your way back, both of you." 

She released his shoulder with a smile. 

After walking some distance, Yoruichi asked in a low voice, "What did Captain Hikifune ask you just now?" 

"She said she wanted to join my harem," Kaelith replied flatly. 

Yoruichi gave him a look of admiration. "You're truly brave." 

Back at the Shihoin estate, the two opened the scrolls they had taken from Squad Twelve and reviewed them together. 

Since it was their shared spoils, Yoruichi didn't hold back. 

Reading about the hot spring's abilities, Kaelith couldn't help but be amazed. 

As expected of Squad Zero, Kirinji Tenjiro's twin hot springs were outrageous. 

The White Hot Spring could drain a person's Spirit Pressure and blood. 

In the process, injuries would be flushed out as well. 

The drawback was that if one stayed too long, they risked death from exhaustion. 

The Red Hot Spring infused the body with high-purity Spirit Pressure for rapid recovery. 

Its drawback was that if used recklessly, it could cause over-recovery, leading to total bodily collapse and death. 

The benefits were immense, but so were the risks. 

After some discussion, they decided to create a simplified version of the hot springs. 

Having agreed, Kaelith walked back to his dorm under the moonlight. 

Upon entering his room, he found Aizen seated on the bed, deep in thought. 

--- 

T/N: Just 17 more power stones for the extra chapter! currently on 127! was 84.

Remember 60 stones = 1 extra chapter! 

You could also go here for 65 advanced chapters! 

Patreon(.)com/IDKjust