"No way… no way…"
"I'm Rennosuke Kamikawa!"
"The captain of the 3rd Division, Rennosuke Kamikawa!"
Amid the billowing dust, Rennosuke struggled to his feet.
Kirio's slap had carved a crater into the ground.
Broken tiles clattered off his body as he stood.
He looked down at himself.
His pristine captain's haori was now covered in gri.
His shihakushō was torn in countless places, resembling a beggar's rags.
His Zanpakutō had snapped at so point, its usual sharpness completely gone.
"We're both captains… how could…?"
Staring at his pitiful state, Rennosuke's eyes burned with fury.
"Being a captain is just a title at the end of the day."
"Strong people are strong, whether they're captains or not."
"Weaklings won't magically gain power just by wearing this haori."
Kirio Hikifune appeared beside him, Zanpakutō in hand.
The mont she arrived, the swirling dust around them dispersed into nothingness.
She raised an eyebrow.
"And you, Rennosuke Kamikawa, just happen to be one of those weaklings who lucked into the position."
"If Senketsu hadn't been too old to take the role, do you really think you'd be a captain?"
Under Rennosuke's hollow gaze, she sighed.
"Normally, as colleagues, I'd at least try to spare your dignity and not say these things."
"But you? You had to go and side with the rebels."
"And not just that—you even dared to target my research archives?"
As she spoke the last line, Kirio's aura suddenly intensified.
Many of the arriving 12th Division mbers felt conflicted hearing her words.
Their captain made it sound like the Soul Society's rebellion was less important than her damn archives…
Rennosuke's face twisted between shades of pale and green.
A few seconds later, his expression contorted into sothing vicious.
"Enough, since it's co to this, I have nothing more to say."
"Now that 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 Rennosuke's spiritual particles, rapidly repairing and extending itself until it regained its original form.
"Co, Enkō Kiryū! Let show you my Bankai!"
Rennosuke Kamikawa grinned wildly, raising his Zanpakutō high.
But halfway through the motion, his entire body suddenly went limp like a toy whose batteries had died. His arm dropped with a thud.
Clang!
The Zanpakutō fell to the ground with a clear tallic ring.
Rennosuke collapsed into a boneless heap, barely breathing as he lay sprawled on the floor. His eyes bulged as he stared fixedly at Kirio, lips slightly parted as if trying to ask what had happened to him.
Kirio smiled and pointed at his own blade.
"My sword happens to be coated with poison."
"When I knocked you away earlier, I took the liberty of giving you a little scratch."
"Had you not mobilized your spiritual pressure, the poison wouldn't have affected you."
"But now, it's spreading rapidly through your entire body, draining all your strength~"
With Rennosuke subdued, the significant disturbance finally ca to an end.
Within minutes, mbers of the Stealth Force and the 7th Division responsible for the inner court's security arrived on the scene.
Amid the commotion, Kirio found Satoru and Yoruichi.
"Satoru-kun, little Yoruichi, thank you both for tonight."
Yoruichi raised an eyebrow at this. Earlier, when Satoru had suggested this was all part of Kirio Hikifune's elaborate trap, she'd dismissed it as nonsense. But upon reflection, it did seem plausible.
Now she couldn't tell if Kirio's gratitude was genuine or re courtesy.
Seemingly reading her thoughts, Kirio chuckled.
"Sorry to disappoint, but I'm not as clever as Jūshirō. Tonight wasn't my design."
"I'd actually arranged to visit the Royal Guard with Senjumaru today to familiarize myself with the environnt... Only halfway there did I rember forgetting to bring so new fabrics I'd developed for her, so I turned back."
"On the way, I sensed soone triggering the traps I'd set in the archives and rushed back at full speed."
"Without Satoru-kun's help, the 12th Division would be in complete chaos by now~"
Yoruichi: "..."
Satoru coughed lightly. "Captain Hikifune, you must have a lot to handle here, so we won't disturb you any longer and will head back now."
"If you need any help later, feel free to call on us."
With that, he grabbed Yoruichi's hand and prepared to make a quick exit.
But just as he turned around, a hand clamped down on his shoulder.
Satoru stiffened.
He turned his head and forced a smile. "Uh… Captain Hikifune, is there sothing else?"
Under his gaze, Kirio slowly leaned down, pressing close to his ear, and whispered in a voice only he could hear:
"Satoru-kun, aside from the Red and White Hot Springs data, you and little Yoruichi didn't take anything else… right?"
Shit!!
Satoru felt like he'd just been screwed over by a cat.
Though his first instinct was to play dumb, sensing the dangerous aura radiating from Kirio, he quickly shook his head.
Kirio pulled back slightly, locking eyes with Satoru.
After scrutinizing him for a few seconds, she smiled in satisfaction.
"You two, be careful on your way back."
She released his shoulder and gave them a polite nod.
Once they were a safe distance away, Yoruichi whispered, "Satoru, what did Captain Kirio ask you just now?"
"She said she wants to join my harem," Satoru deadpanned.
Yoruichi looked at him with admiration. "You've got so serious guts."
The two returned to the Shihōin estate and unrolled the scroll they'd stolen from the 12th Division, carefully examining its contents.
Since this was spoils shared between them, Yoruichi didn't hold back.
After reading the description of the hot springs' abilities, Satoru couldn't help but click his tongue.
As expected of the Royal Guard—Tenjirō Kirinji's two-colored hot springs were downright insane.
The White Bone Hell could extract a person's spiritual pressure and blood.
In the process, any injuries would also be expelled.
The side effect? If one wasn't careful about timing and soaked too long, they could die from exhaustion.
The Red Pond Hell, on the other hand, infused the body with high-purity spiritual pressure for rapid recovery.
The side effect? If soone without injuries soaked in it, the excessive restoration would cause their body to rot and kill them.
The positive effects were astounding, but the negative effects were just as terrifying.
After so discussion, they decided to find a place to recreate these hot springs.
Of course, they wouldn't make them as extre as the originals—a simplified version would suffice.
Once they'd settled on a plan, Satoru returned to the Shin'ō dormitory under the moonlight.
As he entered his room, he saw Aizen sitting on his bed, deep in thought.
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