Help! I am bound to Aizen!
Chapter 382

Chapter 382

2-in-1 chapter:  

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Royal Palace.

Two figures stood silently in midair.

Ōetsu had his hands in his pockets, looking off toward the distant detached palace.

"Little Kaelith… entered that path?"

"Yes."

Ichibe crossed his arms and nodded.

Ōetsu smacked his lips. "So you’re planning to let little Kaelith...?"

Ichibe glanced at him.

Then grinned.

"Of course not."

"The order of the three realms is stable, and that esteemed being is still in good health. Even if Kaelith wanted that position, it wouldn't be his turn anytime soon."

Ōetsu shrugged. "You sure don’t sound like you believe that, considering how happy you look."

Ichibe shook his head with a smile.

"I'm simply at ease, that's all."

"That being has always maintained everything, but after all, they are one-of-a-kind—irreplaceable."

"While there’s no reason to expect anything to go wrong, who can ever say for certain in this world?"

"If one day, something were to happen to that being, the world would face its end."

"At that time, everything would return to the chaos of a million years ago."

"Or possibly… something even worse."

"A world already adapted to existing rules—if it lost its keystone, it might collapse instantly, even be completely destroyed."

"I’ve waited a million years, and finally, there is someone who could potentially succeed that being. The sense of relief that brings is hard to describe."

Ōetsu fell silent upon hearing this.

He understood the reasoning, but the thought of Kaelith possibly heading toward that kind of end filled him with inexplicable gloom.

To change the topic, he said:

"Since he entered that path, I guess Kaelith won’t be coming out for a while?"

"Mm." Ichibe nodded again. "No matter how gifted one is, once on that path, it’s impossible to exit in less than a few days."

"The desire for origin, the desire for self-understanding, drives one to keep going until they either exhaust everything and are expelled, or… reach the end."

"I believe, with Kaelith’s ability, it won’t be the former."

"So we’ll be a bit lonely for the next few days."

He stroked his beard as he spoke.

Ōetsu gave a slight nod.

On this point, Ichibe wasn’t wrong.

He had walked that path himself.

The moment he stepped onto it, it felt as though everything else faded—only one thought remained: To reach the end.

Kaelith, despite his uniqueness, was still at his core a Shinigami—he couldn’t possibly defy that law.

Thinking this, he prepared to leave.

But just then, Ichibe suddenly let out a puzzled sound.

Ōetsu was about to ask what was wrong.

He didn’t need to ask.

A figure soared into the sky from Ichibe’s detached palace, flying rapidly toward them—

"Hey! What are you two doing over here?"

"If there’s something fun, count me in!"

Kaelith, having instantly closed a great distance and arrived in front of them, caused Ichibe to show a stunned expression.

He looked Kaelith up and down.

Then said in surprise, "You… didn’t walk the path?"

Kaelith gave him a confused look:

"I never entered it."

"Didn’t I tell you before—bring me somewhere with dense reishi, I wanted to use it for training."

"Honestly, your place is pretty good—far better reishi density than the other detached palaces… Is this what they call abusing one’s authority?"

As Kaelith rambled, Ichibe stared wide-eyed, unable to accept what he was hearing.

Impossible!

As long as one was a Shinigami, entering that path meant being unable to resist the urge to reach the end.

Even he wasn’t exempt.

Though Kaelith possessed many unusual powers, giving him some essential differences from Shinigami, there was no way he could ignore the rules of the Trial Path!

For a moment, he just stood there staring blankly at Kaelith.

Kaelith, noticing something off, turned to Ōetsu.

"Old man, did the big monk crash or something?"

"Uh…"

Ōetsu curled his lip, unsure how to respond.

He was also surprised—just not as badly as Ichibe.

With both of them in tow, Kaelith arrived at Gatonden, and with a grand wave of his hand declared:

"Zero Division, assemble at Gatonden! Get the booze and meat ready—it’s party time!"

Upon hearing the summons, Shutara Senjumaru let out a helpless sigh and set off.

Halfway there, she suddenly paused.

Damn it, Kaelith isn’t even the leader of Zero Division. Why was she following his orders?

No, wait—this wasn’t even about rank. The bastard wasn’t even part of Zero Division!

Speechless for a few seconds, she continued flying toward Gatonden.

Before long, all six of Zero Division—well, five—had gathered again.

At first, Ichibe was still recovering from his shock.

But once the food and drinks were served and the atmosphere heated up, he temporarily forgot everything and joined in the revelry.

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After eating and drinking his fill, Kaelith wandered between the various detached palaces within the Royal Palace.

Though it wasn’t his first time here, he’d rarely explored much of the place.

Most of the time, he had just loitered around the main halls of the various squad leaders.

Today, in rare spirits, he decided to take a stroll—and also to help digest all the food.

The five detached palaces weren’t home to just the five Zero Division captains. Many ordinary souls lived there as well.

They lived lifestyles similar to those in the Rukongai.

However, compared to the variable quality of life in Rukongai, souls here generally enjoyed a very high standard of living.

Throughout the Royal Palace, quality of life was basically on par with the modern day in the world of the living.

Ordinary people lived peacefully, enjoying daily life.

Among them, those with notable aptitude would be selected and trained as Shinigami soldiers under Zero Division’s command—referred to as “Divine Soldiers.”

Because the population was small and the area limited, the souls living in the Royal Palace were generally simple and kind.

Some even shared food and drink with Kaelith when they saw him.

He accepted the water offered, sipping as he chatted with the residents.

But when they learned he had come up from the lower realms to report to the Zero Division, their expressions suddenly changed.

Those who had been eager to chat quickly fell silent.

Seeing their reactions, Kaelith was puzzled.

"What’s wrong? Are you all looking down on me because I’m from below?"

"Come on now, we’re not that poor down there. I make several thousand kan a month, you know?"

One soul forced a smile in response.

“Honorable Shinigami, it’s not as you’ve said.”

“It’s just… we have a rule here. No discussing or asking about the world below.”

“If you wish to rest here, we naturally have no issue. But if you want to talk about the lower realms…”

Upon hearing this, Kaelith was silent for a few seconds.

Then, he stood up.

“Apologies for the disturbance.”

He bowed his head a little in a gesture of respect to the group, then with a flash, vanished from the spot.

From that day on, Kaelith never returned to the civilian zone again.

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Beneath a cliff near the Phoenix Palace, ocean waves surged up, crashing against the rock wall.

In the water, a figure sat still.

His entire body was glowing red, steaming constantly.

The seawater around him boiled and roiled, evaporating rapidly.

Ōetsu’s Phoenix Palace was one of the least populated among the Royal Guard quarters.

On one hand, it housed many personified Zanpakutō.

On the other, a large portion of his palace was ocean.

According to Ōetsu, this sea was used for cooling his Zanpakutō during forging.

Upon hearing this, Kaelith was a bit surprised:

“Using seawater to cool the blade? Wouldn’t that affect the metal composition?”

Ōetsu laughed heartily:

“Kaelith, this sea may look like the sea, but it’s nothing like the ocean in the World of the Living.”

“These waters have three functions.”

“First, they have tremendous cooling capabilities—they can extract heat from submerged objects with extreme efficiency.”

“Second, they suppress things that shouldn’t exist… such as dangerously unstable Zanpakutō or other sealed objects.”

“Third, they prevent malicious intruders from stealing what’s sealed beneath the sea.”

Hearing this, Kaelith’s eyes lit up.

Since arriving in the Soul King Palace, his biggest regret was not having Tōshirō available.

Without Tōshirō’s assistance, when using the Superhuman Drug for intense mental simulations, his body would overheat to the point of causing irreversible damage.

Because of that, he had to restrict himself to low-intensity simulations, using a version of the drug diluted six hundred times.

Now, with Ōetsu’s cooling sea, the problem was instantly solved!

Over the past few days, he frequently visited the Phoenix Palace, soaking in the water, taking undiluted Superhuman Drug, and launching into combat simulations.

Ōetsu, though a little puzzled—unsure what strange technique Kaelith was training—didn’t question it.

After all, there was plenty of water, and Kaelith couldn’t use up much.

Besides, this guy might someday become his superior—best not to offend him unnecessarily.

While Kaelith was immersed in his training, Ōetsu hurried to activate LSP4, trying to catch up on the progress he had lost during days of partying…

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As his body temperature gradually cooled, Kaelith opened his eyes.

He stood up from the water, letting out a long breath.

With his heat no longer radiating outward, the water around him began to draw in his body heat rapidly.

Even at his current level, he’d likely die of hypothermia within hours.

An average captain probably wouldn’t last more than ten seconds submerged.

No wonder Ōetsu said this was the best line of defense.

Kaelith slowly stepped out of the water and onto the shore.

His bare body was sculpted with lean, powerful muscle—every line taut with strength, his physique radiating force and control without excess bulk.

If a Greek sculptor had seen him, he would’ve been ecstatic—likely hauling out marble to start carving on the spot.

In the sunlight, Kaelith opened his arms, enjoying the sea breeze against his skin.

Suddenly, sensing something, his eyes flashed coldly. He snatched up the clothes beside him and covered himself.

“Hah! Who dares peek at this one’s divine figure mid-bath?!”

Not far off, a figure slowly emerged from behind the cliff wall.

It was a petite girl.

She had long black hair and wore a flowing black dress of sheer fabric.

Her skin was pale, almost sickly.

Under Kaelith’s gaze, she quietly stared back at him.

Noticing her look, Kaelith raised an eyebrow.

He could feel that she wasn’t eyeing his body out of desire, but rather observing something else.

Moreover, he could tell she wasn’t a soul.

No doubt, she was one of the Zanpakutō from the Phoenix Palace.

Though they had never met, she seemed oddly familiar.

In a flash, Kaelith disappeared—and in the next instant, reappeared fully clothed.

“Yo, young lady. First time meeting. I’m Kaelith, captain of the Eleventh Division.”

“What’s your name?”

The girl softly replied:

“My name… is Sayafushi.”

Kaelith’s eyes lit up in realization.

No wonder she felt strangely familiar.

It made sense now.

He grinned. “What, come to settle the score?”

Sayafushi shook her head.

She slowly walked over, stopping in front of Kaelith.

Then she gently reached out, pointing at the Zanpakutō hanging at his waist—Rixiang Jimie.

“I want… to become your sword.”

“I’m stronger than her. Let me be your blade.”

Kaelith paused for a moment.

At his waist, Rixiang Jimie began to hum with vibrations.

Sayafushi looked toward her.

“No, I’m stronger.”

“I lost to you because of the wielder.”

“If we had the same master, I’d win.”

Rixiang Jimie’s vibrations intensified.

With a flash of light, a red-haired girl appeared beside Kaelith.

She took a deep breath.

“You sure talk big… sounds like you’re ready to be reduced to scrap!”

As she spoke, a pair of twin blades wrapped in blue flames materialized in her hands.

Seeing this, Kaelith was surprised:

“Rixiang Jimie? You can manifest now?”

Rixiang Jimie glanced at him, her eyes cold.

“No. But within the range of the Phoenix Palace, I’m affected by the power here.”

“If I go all out, I can take physical form for a short while.”

“This technique was meant to be saved for something else… but using it here isn’t bad either.”

Saved for what, exactly?

From her words, Kaelith vaguely sensed some intent—likely directed at him.

Facing the red-haired girl who had already drawn her blades, Sayafushi raised her hands.

A plain, unremarkable sword appeared in her grasp.

However, the two deep gouges along the blade’s surface had not healed.

The sword looked like it could snap into pieces at any moment.

Seeing the damage, Rixiang Jimie frowned.

“Isn’t Ōetsu Nimaiya supposed to be some kind of god of swords? Why didn’t he fix you?”

Sayafushi gently shook her head.

“My blade is almost impossible to damage.”

“So once it’s broken, it’s nearly impossible to repair.”

“There’s nothing he can do.”

Hearing this, Rixiang Jimie clicked her tongue in irritation.

With Sayafushi in such a state, even if she gave her a thrashing, there wouldn’t be any satisfaction in it.

After thinking for a moment, she turned to someone.

“Kaelith, can you fix her?”

Kaelith looked at her.

Then, he grinned with a strange smile…

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