Help! I am bound to Aizen!
Chapter 384

Chapter 384

2-in-1 chapter:  

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*BOOM!!!*

Over the Omotesandō, a terrifying shockwave from the explosion swept across the entire sky.

Dozens of towering pillars made of high-density reishi—symbols of the Royal Palace's authority—collapsed in an instant, raising a cloud of dust into the air!

Kirio Hikifune raised her hand to shield herself from the reiryoku-laced gust that stung her skin.

Seeing the great pillars of the Omotesandō toppled, she couldn’t help but be stunned.

The structures of the Royal Palace were all crafted with special techniques, their durability far beyond anything in Seireitei.

These massive pillars were further reinforced with various Kidō spells, meant to showcase the majesty of the Royal Palace.

And yet now, they had been shattered effortlessly by the residual force of a single punch!

Back when she had lost to Kaelith, she had thought it was only due to the unique ability of Rixiang Jimie.

Now it was clear—even without Rixiang Jimie, she was no match for him.

In just a century, their strengths had reversed entirely.

It was… hard to believe.

In the sky above, the monk was sent flying a long distance before he finally came to a stop.

He lowered his head to look at the arm he had crossed before his chest.

Once thick and covered in black hair, it was now mangled flesh and blood, with golden-hued bone exposed beneath.

The monk bared his teeth in a grin and looked at Kaelith:

“Compared to the last time we met, your layered strikes have improved quite a bit!”

As he spoke, the wounds on his arm rapidly healed, and in an instant, it had returned to its previous state.

Seeing this, Kaelith was startled:

“High-speed regeneration? You old crook, you're a Hueco Mundo spy?!”

“…This isn’t high-speed regeneration. It’s simply a body specially modified by the Soul King.”

The monk flexed his arm: “Kaelith, have you heard of the ‘Ouken’?”

“Ouken…”

Kaelith narrowed his eyes.

The term sounded familiar.

After a few seconds of thought, he recalled:

“Oh, I remember—it’s the item needed to invade the Royal Palace from Seireitei, used to break through over seventy layers of defenses, right?”

He’d heard Shutara Senjumaru mention it once, but it had been so long that the memory was hazy.

The monk fell silent for two seconds.

That… was a very odd description of its function.

Never mind, best to pretend he didn’t hear that.

He cleared his throat:

“The so-called Ouken is quite simple.”

“When we five were chosen to become Zero Division members, the Soul King granted us power and reconstructed our bodies.”

“The altered bones within us—that is the ‘Ouken’!”

“As long as the Soul King exists, our bodies can regenerate indefinitely. Even if we are killed, we can be revived as long as someone qualified calls us back!”

Upon hearing this, Kaelith frowned and showed a complex expression.

“What a shameless ability… Looks like taking out all five of you at once just got a lot harder.”

“?”

A question mark popped over the monk’s head.

“No more idle chatter—continue!”

Before the monk could respond, Kaelith had already rushed forward again.

The monk reflexively raised his brush to block.

But as soon as they clashed, he sensed something was wrong.

Too heavy!

Kaelith swung his two massive metal claws—first strike, second, third…

Each strike carried triple force!

Repeated layered strikes, combined with the destructive power of Bankai Rixiang Jimie, caused the force to build up rapidly. Within seconds, the monk felt like his bones were howling in protest!

He had thought triple-force strikes were finishing moves that required a buildup of momentum and could only be used occasionally.

But to think they could now be used as basic attacks?!

Suddenly, a thought struck the monk.

If triple force was now his standard output… what would happen if Kaelith kept stacking it?

The moment that thought appeared, he saw Kaelith’s aura change dramatically.

Like a demon lord rising from the depths of hell!

Wearing a sinister grin, Kaelith spread his arms wide—

Quadra Layer — Ikkotsu!!

BOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!

A blinding light exploded across the sky.

It was as if a miniature sun had gone supernova right before their eyes.

The four Zero Division spectators simultaneously withdrew in retreat.

Their instincts told them—staying here meant death!

The long stretch of the Omotesandō was pulverized under the immense pressure, becoming part of the blast.

Just as the energy sphere was about to expand further, six enormous characters suddenly appeared in the air—

Six massive “Seal” symbols surrounded the battlefield on all sides—above and below!

Kaelith’s explosive force was forcibly contained within the glowing seal script.

A few seconds later, the light dissipated.

The four onlookers immediately looked toward the center of the battlefield.

There, Kaelith and the monk were still locked in fierce combat.

The monk’s brush had transformed—its soft bristles now a sharp blade!

“The monk’s activated Shikai!”

Tenjirō Kirinji shouted loudly.

In full view, after releasing his Shikai, the monk’s entire demeanor had changed significantly.

His eyes were wide open, and he now radiated the aura of a wrathful deity. The previous smile had vanished completely.

Faced with Kaelith’s relentless wave of attacks, the monk didn’t retreat but instead pressed forward.

His face shrouded in shadow, body pitted with dents from the triple-force strikes, he swung his bladed brush with sudden force—

“Blacken.”

“Ichimonji!!”

The brush-sword slashed across Kaelith’s metal claws.

Even though he had witnessed this ability before, Kaelith still couldn't dodge the absurdly fast slash.

In an instant, his metal claws were dyed jet black.

Their power—like a punctured balloon—dispersed in a flash.

Rixiang Jimie’s defense-piercing power, and the infinite destructive power of Shin Ga Tomyō—gone, vanished completely.

Now, the claws were nothing more than mundane iron—powerless.

Facing a disarmed Kaelith, the monk raised his palm high:

“Though your power has grown stronger, in the face of absolute rules, power cannot manifest!”

As he spoke, he suddenly pressed his palm downward.

With the motion, an enormous invisible hand materialized above Kaelith’s head, descending with unstoppable force—

Kirio Hikifune’s face turned pale.

That strike—she had never seen such terrifying power.

If it landed on Seireitei, it would likely destroy half of it in an instant!

Was this monk seriously trying to kill his own son?! She raised her hand, preparing to summon Cage of Life to protect Kaelith.

Although her Cage of Life would likely be of little use against the monk’s Thousand-Mile Heaven-Piercing Palm, it could at least buy some time…

Hm?

Before she could act, Kirio Hikifune’s eyes suddenly showed surprise.

Under everyone’s gaze, although Kaelith had clearly lost his weapon, he displayed no intention of retreating.

Facing the monk’s Thousand-Mile Heaven-Piercing Palm, he grinned: “Ichimonji, the power of rules, is indeed formidable.”

“In the past, I had no power to resist this technique.”

“But… even so, my courage still burns!”

“No matter what kind of power I face—it will never be extinguished!!”

With Kaelith’s roar, the metallic wings on his back snapped shut with a loud clack.

Then, under the monk’s somewhat surprised gaze, the closed wings flew in front of Kaelith like a shield, erupting with dazzling golden light—

“Shine, Shield of Courage!!”

Kaelith roared as he extended his twin metal claws forward.

The golden glow of the Shield of Courage bathed his claws.

The claws, once stained black, rapidly shed their ink-like coating under the golden light.

A surge of immense power rushed back into him like a tide—restoring, surging violently!

“Wha—”

The monk’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Only when the golden light burst forth did he realize for the first time that Rixiang Jimie – Shin Ga Tomyō had another ability.

That something existed in front of him that could conceal power within a true name?!

In that moment of distraction, Kaelith, cloaked in golden light, had already charged to the front!

His twin claws crossed in an X over the monk’s chest—

Then slashed apart with force!

Clang!!

It was only for an instant, but the monk did not forget the ability of Rixiang Jimie.

He did not choose to defend with Ichimonji, but swung his Zanpakutō fiercely to meet Kaelith’s strike.

At the moment their weapons clashed, a heavy force struck the monk’s chest—his expression shifted.

This attack from Kaelith carried multiple layers of force.

Unlike his earlier strikes that dispersed with explosive force, this one contained at least four levels of force—none dispersed, all channeled directly into the monk’s body!

The monk’s skin writhed and twisted.

The power was too immense for his body to bear—he could only resist it from within.

His internal organs were ground into pulp and surged out of his mouth with a splurt!

Watching the monk being struck to the point of vomiting blood, the other Zero Division members showed shocked expressions.

“The monk… is being suppressed?!”

“No—more than the power gap—he actually broke the name-severing ability of Ichimonji! That’s what’s truly insane!”

“No, no… none of that is even the most important thing right now!”

Tenjirō Kirinji gritted his teeth:

“That bastard—he was holding back against us. That’s what’s truly unforgivable!”

Hearing this, Ōetsu Nimaiya and the others froze for a moment.

Honestly… he had a point.

The monk’s expression darkened.

He had underestimated Kaelith’s growth, and having not fought seriously for untold millennia, he suffered heavily under this storm-like assault.

Though the power of the Soul King was quickly repairing his body, it still couldn’t keep up with Kaelith’s offensive tempo.

But—it wasn’t a serious problem.

Kaelith’s Shield of Courage was powerful, but it dissolved the name-severing power of Ichimonji too slowly.

Earlier, he had only been too surprised to interrupt the process.

Otherwise, that brat wouldn’t have had the time to pull it off.

And besides… since the Shield of Courage could undo his severing, he would just sever the name of the Shield of Courage too, wouldn’t he?

After trading over ten moves with Kaelith, he found an opportunity and used the power of Ichimonji again—severing the name of Kaelith’s metal claws.

With the name Rixiang Jimie – Shin Ga Tomyō and Shield of Courage severed, the claws were now just ordinary metal claws.

Then, the monk grinned.

With a twist of his blade, and at a speed nearly invisible to the eye, he severed the names of Kaelith’s arms as well.

Now Kaelith’s punches could only exert less than half their original strength.

Having done this, the monk moved his fingers, preparing to finish Kaelith with Kidō.

If Kaelith tried to use the Shield of Courage again, he would learn the meaning of being overwhelmed by speed.

Amid the monk’s grin, Kaelith suddenly looked up.

Seeing his expression, the monk was slightly stunned.

At some point, the metallic mask covering Kaelith’s face had silently changed.

A half-mask with metal horns now had a red crystal embedded in the forehead.

Four antenna-like spikes extended outward on both sides.

Kaelith’s eyes had also changed—from ordinary black to strange gold irises on black sclera.

After a moment of surprise, the monk quickly identified the form from Kaelith’s changed spiritual pressure—

Hollowfication!

But at this point, even if he had undergone Hollowfication, what could that possibly cha—

…?!

The monk’s eyes flew open as he watched two new arms burst forth from behind Kaelith’s shoulders with a snap.

One arm extended a palm toward him.

With that motion, the monk felt a terrifying gravitational torrent forming around him.

Hadō #90: Kurohitsugi!!

From the ground beneath the monk, shattered black spiritual pressure surged upward, engulfing him completely.

Kaelith’s other new arm was even more insane.

This white Hollow arm somehow produced Sayafushi and brought it down upon him in a vertical slash!

Above—Sayafushi, that cuts through all.

Below—Kurohitsugi, surging up.

And from the front—

Kaelith opened his mouth, and a swirling black-green sphere formed—

Cero Oscuras!!

The monk couldn't help but feel a Komamura-level headache.

He twisted his brush-shaped Zanpakutō to strike at the side of Sayafushi.

Stomped hard on the ground to try and counter Kurohitsugi from below.

At the same time, he opened his mouth, drew a deep breath, preparing to block Kaelith’s Cero with Kidō—

BOOM!!!!!!

High in the air, a massive explosion burst forth and spread wide.

This time, all six of the monk’s Seal characters shattered completely.

The four Zero Division members were blasted away like spinning gourds, skipping through the air like stones on water, disappearing into the distance.

Below, in the Royal Palace city, the souls looked up in astonishment at the apocalyptic scene above.

Terrified cries echoed as people raised their arms instinctively to protect themselves.

But a pale cyan barrier appeared midair—struggling, but it managed to withstand the blast.

In the distance, Ōetsu Nimaiya, watching the scene unfold, finally exhaled in relief.

That was the power left behind by the Soul King…

Thankfully. Otherwise, they would’ve been finished.

He raised his hand, removed his shattered sunglasses, tossed them aside, and looked toward the battlefield.

Elsewhere, Tenjirō Kirinji climbed to his feet—his pompadour a mess, completely ignored—as he stared in shock.

What was the outcome…?

Did that Kaelith guy really manage to take down the monk and achieve total domination over the Zero Division?

The moment he looked, his expression froze.

A vast, boundless darkness—like thick ink bleeding into water—began to spread across the sky…

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