Help! I am bound to Aizen!
Chapter 386

Chapter 386

2-in-1 chapter:  

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"Zehahahaha!"

"Drink! Drink hard!"

Kaelith sat on the ground, laughing heartily as he raised a wine bowl with a shadow-formed arm.

The other shadow arm held a drumstick, which he was devouring eagerly.

The banquet had already begun, though his arms had not yet fully regenerated.

Previously reduced to stumps at the shoulders, they had now regrown to around the elbows.

The destructive power left behind by the quintuple-layered strike still lingered at his wounds—even he, the one who cast it, could not dispel its effects.

Still, with his shadow ability, the lack of arms wasn’t much of a problem.

In comparison, the monk looked like he had just been devoured by hungry ghosts.

His chest and abdomen, like Kaelith's arms, had only partially recovered—not fully restored.

The issue was that Kaelith, armless as he was, could still eat and drink merrily.

But the monk, with no stomach, no digestive tract, no esophagus—couldn’t eat a single bite.

It was frustrating beyond belief!

Watching the lively group of five clink bowls and drink together, the monk suddenly felt like a third wheel in the Zero Division.

With a heavy heart, he pulled out his console and started playing a game.

After finishing his drink, Kaelith waved a hand.

Several of the latest game consoles emerged from the shadow space—one for each person.

Then, a large screen popped up.

The group linked up over LAN and launched Fall Guys (patent pending).

As the sound of boisterous laughter filled the air, the banquet reached its climax.

No one knew how much time passed, but eventually the celebration wound down.

Setting the controller aside, Kaelith stretched lazily.

Only now did he suddenly notice—his arms had fully regrown.

He raised one hand and clenched his fist, feeling a wave of emotion.

Now, he could channel his shadow ability to perform the quintuple-layered strike perfectly.

As for the sixth layer—he hadn’t even touched the threshold.

And even if he did one day master it, would he dare to use it?

Just one quintuple-layered strike had nearly destroyed him.

If not for mastering the Fullbring technique Innate Flesh, that last quintuple dual-bone x3 hit might have finished him before it finished the monk.

With such a fragile body, how could he ever perform a sixfold strike?

What would it take to break through this limit?

He narrowed his eyes, looking at the now mostly recovered monk.

Maybe… maybe he should also talk to the Soul King, and get himself a set of Ouken modifications?

He wasn’t a Zero Division member, but the Eleventh and Zero Divisions weren’t all that different, right…?

Leaving Kirio's Barracks, Kaelith first returned to Kirinji’s Hall, enjoyed a long soak in the hot springs, and slept well.

The next day, he arrived punctually at the Phoenix Hall.

Standing by the sea, Kaelith stood tall and proud. With a wave of his hand, all his clothes were stripped away and tossed aside.

Muscular calves stepped forward.

Steady feet touched the ground.

Kaelith walked into the sea, found a suitable depth, then lay on his back, floating atop the water.

With preparations complete, he pulled out the Superhuman Drug and swallowed it in one gulp.

Gradually, steam began rising from the ocean surface.

At the Phoenix Hall entrance, Ōetsu Nimaiya came out yawning, ready to wash up.

He spotted a column of thick white steam rising skyward in the distance and rubbed his eyes.

“...What the hell?”

Stepping to the cliff edge, he saw Kaelith lying in the sea, with a massive plume of steam billowing from his body.

Ōetsu couldn’t help but feel… like he’d just been taken advantage of.

“What the hell kind of cursed technique is this guy training in?”

“Even when I forge Zanpakutō, it doesn’t vaporize that fast.”

“Is it possible for the human body to get hotter than a forged Zanpakutō?”

Suddenly, Ōetsu had a very bad feeling.

He thought back to when Kaelith first came here—his steam output was barely a tenth of this.

Now, he was putting out as much vapor as a modern power plant.

If this continued, and he stayed in the Royal Palace any longer…

He shivered.

Then, he forced a smile.

No way. That guy wasn’t part of the Zero Division—there’s no way he’d stay here long.

If nothing went wrong, he’d be gone soon.

And when that happened, Ōetsu was going to throw a serious celebration…

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In the spiritual world, Kaelith was more focused than ever before.

Before him, Ichibe Hyōsube wielded Ichimonji, engaged in fierce combat.

Though he had beaten the monk once in the real world, that victory only proved he had reached the same level as Ichibe.

And that was without the monk using Bankai.

Even ignoring Bankai, Kaelith couldn’t say with certainty he would win again.

Given that, his path was simple.

Fight, fight, and fight again!

If he continued battling nonstop, one day he would truly surpass the monk.

As the simulated battles grew increasingly brutal, the heat radiating from Kaelith’s body also intensified.

From his window, Ōetsu could see a steam pillar as thick as a skyscraper shooting skyward.

Ōetsu: “……”

This guy… he should be leaving the Royal Palace soon, right?

He will… right?!

While he silently screamed in his heart, a figure appeared silently at the palace.

Seeing the visitor, Ōetsu was stunned at first.

Then, his expression shifted to hope.

“Monk… are you here to send that guy home?”

“Huh?”

The monk blinked, slightly confused.

“I came to talk to Kaelith. There are things I need to discuss with him.”

Realizing the monk wasn’t here to send anyone away, Ōetsu clicked his tongue and lost interest.

But just as he was about to turn away, the monk added:

“It’s about that person.”

“?!”

Ōetsu turned back, his expression growing serious.

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Outside the Phoenix Hall, at a pavilion perched on the cliffside.

Wearing only a loincloth, Kaelith crossed his arms and faced the two men before him.

The monk glanced at Kaelith’s outfit with a slightly awkward look.

Then, he spoke:

“Kaelith, I’ve received a message from the Soul King.”

“The Soul King?”

Kaelith was a bit surprised.

He instinctively turned to look at the massive floating pillar at the center of the Royal Palace.

That was the Palace Interior—the dwelling of the Soul King.

Even after all this time in the Royal Palace, he had never once entered it.

Every time he tried to sneak over for a peek, the monk would catch him and drag him back.

It had led him to suspect the Soul King might already be dead, and these guys were just using his name to manipulate Seireitei.

“What did he say?”

Kaelith turned his head, looking at the monk.

The monk’s expression was solemn:

“Though the message was supposedly for me, in my view, it’s more like it was meant for you.”

“The Soul King told me that Yhwach’s power may be far greater than either of us imagined. Although he lost to Yamamoto Shigekuni a thousand years ago, now that he’s returned, he’s likely even more terrifying than before.”

“If I haven’t misunderstood him, in the eyes of the Soul King… I cannot stop that man’s advance.”

As he spoke, a subtle shift appeared in his expression.

As the leader of the Royal Guard, no matter how affable he may act, the monk carried his own pride.

If nothing else, Ichimonji’s name-severing power alone was not something just anyone could contend with.

No matter how strong Yhwach was, could he really override the very laws of this world?

Even if he had an ability on par with Kaelith’s—enough to match the power of rules—his own overall combat strength wasn’t something an average top-tier being could challenge.

Still, since the Soul King had spoken, as a vassal, he could only deliver the message faithfully.

Compared to the monk, Kaelith wasn’t all that surprised.

After fighting the monk, he had basically confirmed: putting aside rule-based abilities, in terms of raw combat, the monk and his teacher weren’t all that different.

Yamamoto, in his Ryūjin Jakka state, could go toe-to-toe with the monk.

So, if his teacher had died at the hands of that Quincy in the original story, it wasn’t hard to accept that the monk had also failed to stop Yhwach.

What mattered most was that, based on the intel he knew, Yhwach had been defeated by Ichigo in the original timeline.

If the monk could have handled Yhwach on his own, what would have been the point of Ichigo stepping in? They could’ve just left it all to the monk.

Of course, being unsurprised didn’t mean he felt no pressure.

From his fight with the monk, Kaelith clearly realized that although he now stood at the peak of the Three Realms, if he wanted to go further—to surpass even that peak—he had no path forward.

Even fully mastering the Sixfold Force wouldn’t guarantee victory against the monk’s Bankai.

Ultimately, he’d need a rule-type ability of his own. In the end, it would come down to stacking laws—seeing who could overlay their powers more effectively.

Seeing Kaelith deep in thought, the monk also felt a bit uneasy.

Logically, the Soul King wouldn’t get involved in these matters.

That he had personally come to him and implied this message… the meaning was clear.

The Soul King was playing favorites.

Previously, he had jokingly thought of Kaelith as the Soul King’s adopted son.

But now, seeing the Soul King personally intervene to tilt the scales—it made him realize there really might be something deeper here…

“Ahem.”

The monk coughed, interrupting Kaelith’s thoughts.

“Kaelith, any ideas?”

Kaelith shook his head.

“No.”

The monk frowned slightly.

The Soul King goes out of his way to tilt the game, and the one being favored just stands there unmoved? What was the point, then?

He raised a hand, stroking his chin, thinking about whether he could help somehow.

But before he could come up with anything, Kaelith continued:

“Even if I haven’t thought of anything, it doesn’t matter. I’ll just fight my way through.”

“No matter how strong Yhwach is—if I become stronger than him, there’s no problem!”

The monk blinked, momentarily speechless.

Kaelith grinned wide:

“No more thinking. Come on—after all these years… I mean, days—it’s time we had another round!”

The monk: “?”

Still full of confusion, he was pulled away by Kaelith to a remote area.

Once the space was ready, Kaelith shrugged off his haori and began warming up.

The monk chuckled helplessly:

“Kaelith, we just sparred three days ago. You’ve already absorbed everything from our last fight?”

“Mhm! All digested!”

Kaelith replied cheerfully while stretching his legs.

Seeing Kaelith so confident—and clearly not joking—the monk scratched his head.

He didn’t quite get it, but since Kaelith insisted, he had no choice but to go along.

Taking a deep breath, he flipped his hand and summoned his massive brush-shaped Zanpakutō.

After the last match, he’d already grasped most of Kaelith’s habits and techniques.

Aside from that unreadable black shadow, he was confident he could handle everything else unscathed.

If Kaelith thought that just three days were enough to match him again—he’d better be ready for a lesson!

With that thought, the monk grinned, showing a demonic smile.

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Minutes later, the monk lay on the ground, doubting life itself.

Staring at the metal claw pressed against his neck—just inches from ending him—he couldn’t help but question everything.

“Cheating. You’re definitely cheating!”

“In just three days, how did your entire fighting style change?”

“And not just that—how did you come to understand my moves so thoroughly?”

“Even I probably couldn’t come up with a more targeted approach than what you just pulled off!”

“I don’t buy it! Something’s off here!”

With that, the monk did a kip-up, springing to his feet.

Though he hadn’t used his rule-based powers in this bout—only standard techniques—there was still no good reason for Kaelith to defeat him so easily.

Seeing the monk’s dissatisfied look, Kaelith grinned again:

“Another round?”

“Bring it!”

The monk grabbed his brush, eyes blazing with renewed fighting spirit.

In his million years of life, he’d faced all kinds of opponents.

Some were monstrously strong. Others had bizarre abilities. Some were terrifyingly experienced.

For instance, Yamamoto Shigekuni—he admitted that without using rule-level powers, Yamamoto could still go toe-to-toe with him.

But Kaelith—Kaelith was something else entirely.

Every single move targeted his weaknesses. No matter how he switched styles, Kaelith always landed the most uncomfortable blows.

They’d only fought twice, yet Kaelith seemed to know him like the back of his hand. How?

He had to figure out what this kid was pulling!

With a shout, the two charged at each other again, unleashing a storm of attacks.

Just like Yamamoto during their first fight, the monk’s first instinct was to change his combat style.

In his mind, Kaelith was simply using the previous match as a template—having learned some of his habits.

So if he completely changed his approach, there’d be no way Kaelith could keep up.

And yet, a few minutes later—he was flat on the ground again, defeated even faster than the first time.

Looking at Sayafushi pressed against his throat, the monk was furious.

What kind of joke was this?!

No way was he going to let Kaelith treat him like a punching bag!

Puffing up his round belly, he flipped back up and resumed the fight with full force.

But after trying four entirely different fighting styles—each one systematically countered by Kaelith—the monk fell silent.

He suddenly had a strange feeling.

He was no longer himself, but a scripted ancient dragon with fixed behavior patterns.

And Kaelith?

Kaelith was no longer Kaelith—he was a monster hunter who had memorized every one of his moves a thousand times.

“Developers hello? Please buff this old man already…”

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