Chapter 387

2-in-1 chapter:

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No, no! 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

There’s definitely something wrong here!

After being utterly overwhelmed once again by Kaelith’s unreasonable assault, the monk furrowed his brows.

Just a few days ago, when he fought Kaelith, their exchanges were balanced.

At the time, Kaelith had no reason to hold back.

In just a few days, there was no way the guy could have changed so drastically, completely altering his combat style as if he were a different person.

The only explanation was that he used some kind of ability, he must had learned the monk's moves in advance.

So here’s the problem.

Any experienced gamer knows: to predict a boss’s moves, you have to know all of their attacks in detail—the startup frames, the animation tells, the exact area of effect...

If any of these change, the prediction strategy collapses into a farce.

In games, a boss’s behavior is hardcoded, so learning their patterns isn’t surprising.

But reality doesn’t work like that.

For instance, after suspecting that Kaelith might be predicting his moves, the monk had already changed up his tactics on the fly—abandoning his usual techniques and attacking randomly.

In such a state, all of his actions carried high unpredictability.

Yet somehow, Kaelith was still able to suppress him completely—this couldn’t be explained by move memorization alone.

Staring at Kaelith, who was attacking again with a maniacal grin, something suddenly flashed through the monk’s mind.

His eyes widened, and white sparks arced behind his head.

In that split-second of distraction, Kaelith tackled him hard and began a fierce mounted assault.

The monk raised his hand, stopping Kaelith from slashing his throat.

“Kaelith… can you see the future?”

“Huh?”

Kaelith looked at him oddly.

“Of course not, I don't have Observation Haki with Future Sight or anything—where would I get a weird ability like that…”

Under the monk’s gaze, he explained his mental simulation ability.

While it was unusual, he didn’t consider it classified.

So what if an enemy knew? It’s not like they could jump into his brain to stop the simulation.

And if they tried to conceal their strength to avoid being simulated? Even easier—he’d just slice them to bits on the spot without needing any simulation.

Allies would feel reassured knowing this.

And with enemies, It would mess with their mental game.

Spreading knowledge of this ability was purely beneficial.

After his explanation, Kaelith crossed his arms and looked smug.

Such high-level mental work clearly proved his unparalleled intellect in the Soul Society.

If he got recognition from the monk—the oldest Shinigami—he’d have bragging rights for life when he got back to Seireitei!

Just imagining Aizen and Urahara forced to look away in shame before his brilliance made Kaelith want to laugh.

But contrary to expectation, the monk didn’t look surprised.

He took a deep breath and nodded.

“As I thought.”

The monk grinned, a mix of awe and admiration on his face.

“Kaelith, weren’t you always complaining that my power over names was cheating?”

“Well… now you’ve walked the same path.”

“This isn’t just a simulation ability. Without a doubt, what you’ve grasped is the embryonic form of a rule.”

“Causality, future, probability… I can’t say for sure which rule it is.”

“But there’s no question—if you keep going, one day you’ll become a user of rule-based power like me.”

“That, you can trust me on.”

“As someone who’s lived for millions of years, I may not be the strongest—but when it comes to experience, I’m second to none.”

“If the Soul King’s prophecy is true—if my rule can’t subdue Yhwach—then yours must be the one to do it.”

He pointed a finger at Kaelith’s chest, making a bold proclamation.

Hearing this, Kaelith looked surprised—then thoughtful.

Until now, he’d always assumed his mental simulation was a special power evolved from his genius mind.

But the monk’s words made something click.

Some details he had previously overlooked were now beginning to surface…

As Kaelith pondered, the monk’s body began emitting dark malice. His face twisted into a sinister grin.

“Hehehehe… Since you, like me, are a wielder of rules, then it’s only fair I use Ichimonji in our sparring, don’t you think?”

“All that crap I took earlier—ahem, that friendly sparring—it’s time to end it!”

“Blacken, Ichimonji!!”

With his release chant, the monk cackled madly and lunged at Kaelith…

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Tenjirō Kirinji twitched at the corner of his eye.

Kaelith’s entire body was covered in deep, bone-deep wounds.

Most of them clearly caused by Forbidden Kidō.

That monk… he really didn’t hold back.

He lost once a few days ago and retaliated this hard?

What a petty old bastard.

Still, Kaelith was the truly baffling one.

Despite having injuries all over—at least five of which were fatal and could kill him any second—he lounged in Kirinji’s hot spring like it was a spa day, looking contemplative.

The juxtaposition of critical injuries and vacation vibes made for a bizarre scene.

After soaking in the rich bone-marrow hot spring long enough to cleanse his wounds, Kaelith stood up like it was second nature and slowly walked into the adjacent red-oil bath, sitting down without hesitation.

The red spring water seeped into his limbs, healing him further.

At first, Kirinji didn’t think much of it.

His red-white hot springs were designed exactly for this kind of healing. Nothing unusual.

But then… something felt wrong.

Damn it—Kaelith was a black hole… he was draining the entire Kirinden!

Normally, even if a captain-level Shinigami were brought in as minced meat, Kirinji would only need a few liters of blood spring to fully restore them.

But it wasn't enough for Kaelith.

This bastard had been sitting there, absorbing dozens of tons of it!

This wasn’t hot spring therapy—he was straight-up bleeding Kirinji dry!

Tenjirō Kirinji was furious.

But after the rage passed, he calmed down.

Faced with someone like Kaelith alone, even as a member of the Royal Guard, there really wasn’t much he could do.

That frustration lingered—until he dropped by the Phoenix Hall.

Seeing the coolant sea level drop by several meters, and Ōetsu sitting by the shoreline with a weathered expression, a rare smile returned to Kirinji’s face. Joy doesn’t disappear; it just transfers from one person to another.

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Seireitei, Fifth Division.

Aizen sat in his secret lab, carefully examining data.

Suddenly, the door to the room was gently knocked.

Aizen paused for a moment, his entire body freezing.

Then, as if sensing something, he resumed his calm demeanor.

“Come in.”

The lab door slowly opened, and the smiling face of Gin Ichimaru emerged from the darkness.

He wore a white captain’s haori.

Last year, he had challenged the 7th Division Captain, Love Aikawa, and defeated him overwhelmingly, becoming the new captain of the Seventh Division.

Upon entering the lab, he casually glanced around.

Confirming there was no one else present, his squinted eyes briefly revealed a trace of imperceptible disappointment.

But he quickly adjusted his mood.

“*vice*-captain Aizen, it’s been a while. How have you been lately?”

“Hmm… if I had to say, probably better than a lot of people who are losing their cool.”

Aizen raised his hand, adjusted his glasses, and smiled as he answered.

“……”

The smile on Gin’s face froze slightly.

After two seconds of silence, he sighed.

Forget it—no point bantering with someone when they weren't around the same level.

Gin continued.

“It’s been a while since I visited the World of the Living. I figured I’d check in on Isshin. I was about to go myself. Care to join me, vice-captain Aizen?”

Hearing that, Aizen paused his work.

By now, it had been a while since he last went.

Shiba Isshin’s status was a top-level concern in his research priorities, and it had to be monitored personally on a regular basis.

With that in mind, he nodded.

“Alright. Let’s go together.”

The two opened a Senkaimon and disappeared into the depths of the Dangai.

After researching the power of the Kyōgoku and the Shinenju, Aizen’s control over the Dangai had reached an unprecedented level.

Now, he could open a Senkaimon and travel between the World of the Living and Soul Society freely, without needing to isolate spirit particle fluctuations or worrying about detection by the Twelfth Division.

Even the Senkaimon exclusive to the Five Great Noble Houses couldn’t do that.

While walking through the Dangai, Gin suddenly said:

“Lord Kaelith… hasn’t returned in a long time.”

Aizen was silent for a moment.

Then quietly responded with a hum.

It had been over eight years since Kaelith left Seireitei for the Royal Guard.

If not for the fact that he often sent letters back using special methods—letters that were impossible to fake either in content or spiritual residue—Aizen might have already stormed the Royal Palace himself.

According to Kaelith, he had discovered a possible path forward, and in order to test its feasibility, he would remain in the Soul King Palace for focused training.

Aizen had mixed feelings about this. Ambition was a good thing—better than staying idle.

But… back in the day, he would’ve come to Aizen for help first. Aizen would lay out the entire method, and then Kaelith would follow it.

Now, even without Aizen’s guidance, he was just fine?

Since he couldn’t confirm Kaelith’s current state, Aizen didn’t even know if his own power-ups had surpassed him—or if they had already been synchronized by Kaelith again.

It was a terrible feeling.

Still, for the sake of their shared promise, and for the final goal, he could endure it.

While thinking, a light appeared ahead.

Exiting the Senkaimon and seeing Karakura Town before him, Aizen curled his lips into a faint smile.

“Come on, let’s head to Yūtendō.”

This super gaming company run by Quincy had become the must-visit location for all Soul Reapers aligned with Kaelith whenever they visited the World of the Living.

Many had their Gigai stored here, leading to a persistent urban legend within the company.

According to rumors, there was a secret passage in the building—its destination unknown—and occasionally, people not captured by any surveillance would emerge from within.

It kept employees feeling like this was a gateway to Narnia for quite a while.

Donning Gigai, Aizen and Gin exited Yūtendō one after another.

Seeing the two suited men, passing employees instinctively slowed and looked over.

Especially the women—upon seeing their appearance, some nearly imagined how many children they'd have and what the names would be.

Even though Yūtendō had Ulquiorra—the top male celebrity in the living world entertainment industry—these two were in no way inferior!

Especially the one in front, brown-haired and dressed in a deep blue suit—his aura was through the roof.

Some quick-minded individuals had already opened group chats to dig up their identities…

Feeling the unfiltered stares around them, Gin couldn’t help but sigh.

“The World of the Living really is different from Soul Society.”

In Soul Society, if civilians saw someone with clearly exceptional presence, they would instinctively bow their heads in respect.

Anyone with such presence was either strong or of high status.

Any disrespect could bring serious consequences.

But in the World of the Living, people clearly didn’t have to worry about that.

This was exactly the kind of world Lord Kaelith had always wanted to build…

To be able to support Lord Kaelith when that day arrived, he had to become stronger!

Following the familiar streets, they came upon a particular road.

A small building stood there, with a sign overhead:

“Kurosaki Clinic”

Seeing the sign, Gin raised an eyebrow and was about to say something—

When the clinic door burst open and a small figure ran out:

“Stupid old man! I’m not learning any of that weird stuff from you!”

As he spoke, he made a face toward the house and darted off.

As he passed by Aizen and Gin, he glanced up at them.

Seeing the two looking back at him, the boy frowned slightly, as if sensing something dangerous.

He backed away cautiously and quickly ran off.

Gin clicked his tongue:

“Vice-captain Aizen, I think he sensed your strong villainous aura.”

“Maybe he just sensed a cold-blooded creature… kids tend to fear those.”

Returning Gin’s jab with a mild tone, Aizen turned to look at the clinic’s entrance.

A scruffy-looking man in a lab coat came rushing out:

“Ichigo! You brat! If I catch you, I’ll make you experience your old man’s fist of love!”

Mid-shout, he suddenly paused and looked to the side.

Seeing the two men standing nearby, he froze.

Then broke into a sincere smile:

“Master! Gin!”

Under their watchful gaze, he quickly walked over.

Note: btw if you haven't gotten the joke/ insult by now from Gin when he calls Aizen "Vice-captain Aizen" He is just making fun off him for his position since Gin is a captain now and has "Surpaced" Aizen.

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