Help! I am bound to Aizen!

Chapter 177

Chapter 177

Long chapter again!

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Pink hair with a few golden highlights.

Atop his head, two bony white horns stretched back toward his nape, reminiscent of Lu Bu's headdress. (T/N: A flowing red or black tassels on top of his head, will show image.)

He wore a white robe that lent him an air of elegance.

On his face, he sported a pair of bony glasses.

Although his appearance slightly differed from what Kaelith remembered, the overall impression was quite similar.

With just one look, Kaelith guessed his identity.

Curiously, he asked, "Szayelaporro?"

"Hmm?"

Hearing Kaelith call out his name so directly, Szayelaporro showed a hint of surprise.

He squinted his eyes and smirked.

"Kaelith, how do you know my name?"

Kaelith didn’t answer; instead, he laughed heartily.

"I was wondering who it could be; turns out it’s you, you freak."

"A mere number eight dared to infiltrate the enemy camp alone; I admire your courage."

"Hmm... looking at you, are you a half-Hollow?"

"I didn’t expect that a mere Adjuchas could come this far."

"Though commendable, since you’re here, you might as well not leave!"

"I, the general, will prepare... prepare your last rites!"

As his words fell, Kaelith charged directly.

With a stomp, he shot out like a cannonball.

Simultaneously, the short blade in his right hand, attached to a long chain, whisked towards Szayelaporro!

Szayelaporro was full of question marks.

Number eight?

When had he ever participated in such a strange ranking?

And that term "half-Hollow"...

Describing his current state, it was actually quite fitting.

From Kaelith’s nonchalant demeanor, it seemed he might have encountered a "fully Hollowed" being.

He had never seen a Vasto Lorde, but Kaelith had?

And those last two lines, he nearly laughed out loud.

Adjuchas?

This Shinigami actually thought he was an Adjuchas?

From his behavior, it seemed he was quite certain, as if he had obtained information about him somewhere.

Could it be that he had seen the years of him being an Adjuchas himself?

Or perhaps, met someone who had interacted with him during his Adjuchas years?

Szayelaporro reminisced for a moment.

When he was an Adjuchas... how many years ago was that?

He couldn’t quite remember.

As he contemplated the swift passage of time, he opened his mouth as Kaelith approached.

A purple energy ball rapidly formed.

Feeling its power, Aizen’s pupils constricted slightly.

"Kaelith! Dodge!"

In fact, before he could even speak, Kaelith had already begun to dodge.

He didn’t know why he needed to dodge, but his instincts told him trouble was brewing if he didn’t!

The next second, a purple light beam pierced the sky—

The terrifying spiritual pressure spread wave after wave.

The pressure waves rushed outward, creating violent shockwaves, causing some newly appointed vice-captains, facing the onslaught of immense spiritual pressure, to nearly be blown away.

Vice-Captain Ch?jir? Sasakibe raised an arm in front of him.

Feeling the intensity of the spiritual pressure in the air, his mind was turbulent.

Originally, he too thought this was an Adjuchas-level Hollow, just a bit unusual in appearance.

Now, he realized, this Hollow might be even beyond that!

The legendary... Vasto Lorde!

Ch?jir? Sasakibe broke into a cold sweat.

Vasto Lorde was rumored to be among the rarest beings in all of Hueco Mundo.

And one specifically targeting them?

"Kaelith!"

Kuchiki S?jun bellowed and charged toward Kaelith’s direction.

Seinosuke Yamada followed without hesitation.

Even at this distance, just facing the aftermath, they felt as if their faces were being scraped by the force.

Kaelith, facing the Hollow’s cero, seemed to be in a dire situation!

Kuchiki S?jun hurried, using full-speed Shunpo.

But, halfway there, he was astonished to see Kaelith reemerging from the gradually dissipating Hollow’s cero.

Kaelith’s hand groped the sword and extended forward.

In front of him, several dark shadows were dispersing.

Though he had been stopped, there appeared to be no injury to him.

Seeing this, Kuchiki S?jun couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Seinosuke Yamada opened his mouth in surprise.

Although he had heard Kaelith had become quite monstrous, he had no idea it was to this extent.

In the distance, the vice-captains, who were nearly toppled by the recent spiritual pressure, were also somewhat shocked.

Szayelaporro raised an eyebrow.

Unlike those in the distance, he had seen clearly.

Just moments before being hit, Kaelith had suddenly twisted his body, changing his position.

From the core of the Hollow’s cero, he had instantly moved to the edge.

That wasn’t entirely the Shinigami’s Shunpo; it seemed to mix a bit of the Hollow’s "Sonido."

Then, he had switched from offense to defense, quickly converting the attacking spiritual pressure into defense.

At the same time, he had used Kido or a similar Zanpakut? ability to summon a shadow shield.

Any of these actions would have been difficult to execute in such a critical moment.

Yet, he had managed to complete them all instantly.

He had some skill.

Szayelaporro revealed a smile, licking his lips.

Not far away, Kaelith let go of his sword hand, eyeing Szayelaporro with suspicion.

"Hang?"

"?!"

Szayelaporro showed a puzzled expression, unsure of what Kaelith was saying.

On Kaelith’s side, it was even stranger.

Szayelaporro... wasn’t he Aizen’s number eight Espada?

In the story, he only tormented Uryu Ishida early on, and after Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck appeared, he had been completely outclassed by her.

Why would such a minor character be able to use such a powerful Cero?

Though he didn’t understand, he quickly dismissed these thoughts from his mind.

Why Szayelaporro had grown stronger wasn’t important to him.

What was urgent now was to get the vice-captains back to the Soul Society.

A Vasto Lorde-level Menos Grande, and moreover, one that had become a half-Hollow on its own, was too dangerous to describe merely as "high."

If things went wrong, the vice-captains present could be reduced by half.

Thinking this, Kaelith prepared to run.

But, just as he was about to create some distance, Szayelaporro suddenly laughed.

"Weren’t you just trying to keep me here? Now you can’t run away."

Saying so, he raised his arm and pointed a finger to the sky.

Instantly, a circular barrier unfolded, enclosing him and Kaelith within.

It was as if he had created an arena out of thin air.

Kaelith looked around, his expression thoughtful.

Szayelaporro smiled, "This barrier isn’t very strong, but it’s enough to block you for about a second."

"A second is enough time; how much do you think I can do to you in that short distance?"

Kaelith was curious. "You want to keep me here?"

"Exactly."

Szayelaporro nodded elegantly.

He smiled, "As a scientist, I plan to take you back with me as my experimental material."

Hearing this, Kaelith couldn’t help but laugh. All this time, it had been he and Aizen who went to Hueco Mundo to capture various Hollows for experiments.

He had never thought the tables would turn, and today he’d become the experimental material himself.

Congratulations were in order.

"Kaelith!"

From a distance, Kuchiki S?jun rushed over.

He gripped his sword, staring at Szayelaporro.

Kaelith ignored him.

He looked at Szayelaporro.

"It seems you really want to fight me."

"Do you have the strength to compete with me, Kaelith?"

Szayelaporro showed a hint of displeasure. "Kaelith, although that old Shinigami speaks highly of you, in my view, you really don’t have abilities worthy of such high praise."

"Now, the one in a position to question from on high is me."

"And you, no longer use that attitude!"

Hearing this, Kaelith became angry.

"A mere Hollow dares to speak to me, a Shinigami, in such a manner!"

His eyes glared as he raised his sword.

Then, he turned to Kuchiki S?jun.

"You! Take those troublesome guys and get out of here!"

"I’m going to duel this Hollow one-on-one!"

"If you dare come close, I’ll cut you down too!"

"Especially Ch?jir?, the old one is nearly falling apart. Tell him to get far away too, or he’ll be the first I cut!"

As he spoke, the spiritual pressure around him began to rise rapidly.

Feeling Kaelith’s increasingly strong and dense spiritual pressure, Szayelaporro showed a pleased expression.

Very good.

This test subject, from all aspects, was full of attraction.

He must take him back to Hueco Mundo and study him inside and out!

While Kuchiki S?jun, hearing Kaelith’s unreserved words, initially felt a bit aggrieved and wanted to argue, he stopped himself.

His father, Kuchiki Ginrei, had once told him:

On the battlefield, it was crucial to observe all the details.

Any oversight could lead to a complete loss.

Kaelith wasn’t someone who would say such things normally.

There must have been a reason for this.

He looked behind.

Then, he understood why Kaelith was doing this.

Among the vice-captains present, except for Ch?jir? who had the qualifications to become a captain but voluntarily gave it up, no one else was qualified to participate in this level of battle.

Kaelith was using himself as a decoy to allow others to retreat quickly.

For a moment, Kuchiki S?jun’s feelings were complex.

But soon, he made up his mind.

Biting his teeth, Kuchiki S?jun turned and flew away quickly.

Only by making others retreat faster could he create a chance for Kaelith to escape!

Regarding Kuchiki S?jun’s departure, Szayelaporro didn’t care.

He only wanted Kaelith.

Watching Kaelith, he showed a somewhat eager anticipation.

Then, he was surprised to see Kaelith suddenly release his Zanpakut?, sheathing it back at his waist.

Then, with both hands, Kaelith stripped off the top half of his Shihakush?.

"?"

Szayelaporro was stunned.

Every Shinigami he had encountered before had been heavily dependent on their Zanpakut?.

Even in death, they would die in the state of their sword’s release.

Who would do this—facing a formidable enemy, cancel the release on the spot?

Under Szayelaporro’s somewhat astonished gaze, Kaelith’s figure flashed, appearing right in front of him.

His fists, charged with Ikkotsu power, rained down continuous punches!

"Oh oh... this power?!"

Initially, Szayelaporro had wanted to test the power of Kaelith’s fists, so he used his arms to block.

But after taking a few punches, he started to feel intense pain in his arms.

If this continued, his arms might break!

This guy, even without using a sword, could deliver such strong attacks?

In the distance, feeling the battle’s spiritual pressure in the air, the vice-captains couldn’t help but show surprised expressions.

Kaelith—was he really this strong now?

Should they go and help?

Ch?jir? frowned deeply, just about to say something, when he saw Kuchiki S?jun using Shunpo, appearing beside the others.

"Lord Kuchiki, what did Lord Kaelith say?"

"Kaelith told everyone to retreat... that humanoid Hollow, its state is very abnormal. Kaelith is holding it off to buy time."

"Vice-Captain Ch?jir?, please hurry!"

Hearing this, Ch?jir? nodded.

He drew his Zanpakut?, pierced the air, and opened a Senkaimon.

"Everyone, retreat into the Dangai... quickly!"

Under Ch?jir?’s direction, the vice-captains, one by one, dove into the Senkaimon.

Before entering, they all saw Kaelith fiercely battling Szayelaporro.

Although Kaelith was strong, that strange Hallow was clearly more powerful.

It might not be long before Kaelith was defeated.

Among them, even those who had just become vice-captains, were much more experienced than Kaelith.

The thought that they were being saved by a junior, allowing them to escape with their lives, filled them all with a deep sense of shame.

Seinosuke Yamada clenched his teeth tightly.

Although he wanted to help Kaelith, he was well aware that as a medic, he couldn’t really offer much help.

After taking a deep breath, he stepped into the Senkaimon.

Ch?jir? wanted to stay but was pulled back by Kuchiki S?jun—

"Vice-Captain Ch?jir?, Kaelith said you should leave too."

"Nonsense!"

Ch?jir? was somewhat angry. "I am a Shinigami who has mastered Bankai. Now that the others have already evacuated, there’s no need for me to protect them. Of course, I should go and help Lord Kaelith!"

As he spoke, he had already drawn his Zanpakut?.

Just then, a voice formed from condensed spirit particles entered his ear—

?Vice-Captain Ch?jir?, the opponent’s strength is extraordinary. Please return to the Soul Society immediately and ask the teacher to take action!?

?Among those present, you are the fastest. This task can only be entrusted to you!?

Ch?jir? was somewhat surprised, looking toward the battlefield.

That voice just now was Kaelith’s.

And Kaelith, now fighting fiercely, was in full heat.

In such intense circumstances, he was still able to stably transmit his voice...

Had his strength already reached such a level?

While reflecting, Ch?jir? nodded.

Because he had long served as Yamamoto’s attendant, he had developed the habit of following commands in any situation.

Although Kaelith wasn’t his superior, he was, after all, Yamamoto’s disciple.

Before leaving, Lord Yamamoto had also said: if there’s an issue, find Kaelith.

Thus, after hearing those words, he no longer hesitated, plunging into the Senkaimon and charging full speed toward the Soul Society.

Once Ch?jir? and Kuchiki S?jun had left, Aizen breathed a sigh of relief.

His simulated voice had been quite convincing. (t/N; ahh smart)

Watching the Senkaimon close completely, he smiled.

From the beginning, he had taken the opportunity to hide using bent light, turning to face Szayelaporro.

Kaelith, that guy, had gone to great lengths to create an environment with no one present.

He couldn’t let him down.

This Menos Grande had to be taken down!