Help! I am bound to Aizen!-Chapter 370

Chapter 370

2-in-1 chapter: Back to normal chapter!

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"... Kaelith!!

The Reigai froze, their expressions shifting dramatically as the man suddenly descended upon the battlefield.

"How cruel," Kaelith sighed dramatically.

"A party with so many people—and no invitation for me? I'm heartbroken."

He rose slowly from his crouched landing position.

"I'm someone who really hates being bullied, you know."

Kaelith’s mouth curled into a grin—one that resembled a demon from hell.

His white haori rippled despite the windless air, swelling outward.

The next moment, a pillar of blue spiritual pressure shot straight through the sky.

A crushing force swept across the entire field.

"Aghhh!!"

Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi let out a startled cry. His legs gave out, and he nearly collapsed on the spot.

Byakuya raised his arm, shielding his face.

The violent surge of spiritual wind stung at his skin.

Around them, almost every lieutenant found themselves unable to stand under the overwhelming pressure—some collapsed to the ground, some sank to one knee.

Through the air, now distorted and rippling from the density of spiritual energy, they all turned to look past Kaelith—at the Reigai standing opposite them.

The Reigai appeared affected, yes—but nowhere near as battered.

At least… they were all still standing upright.

Several looked instinctively at Kaelith’s back.

Based on his current position and the direction of the spiritual pressure, it was either being equally dispersed… or they were under heavier strain.

There’s no way Kaelith would release most of his pressure toward his own side—right?

No—what this proved was that those damn Reigai had been holding back during the earlier fight!

Had Kaelith not stepped in and exposed their real power, they might have suffered serious losses.

Ukitake’s expression darkened.

“I hadn’t expected the Reigai to be this powerful.”

Kyōraku, however, wore a more complex look.

Something felt… off.

From a nearby rooftop, Aizen watched the battlefield with an unreadable expression.

From his vantage point, the layout of spiritual pressure across the field was plain to see.

Dividing the battlefield down the middle with Kaelith as the line—he could clearly see that the Gotei 13 side was bearing seventy percent of Kaelith’s pressure.

While the Reigai?

Only thirty percent.

And considering that the Reigai already had greater reiatsu than their originals, Kaelith skewing the balance like this meant the disparity would only grow wider the longer the battle went on.

What was that man doing?

Aizen narrowed his eyes, thinking deeply.

Then, his expression cleared in realization.

So that was it... No wonder this guy had been so eager to cooperate.

He had this in mind all along…

Aizen gave a slight shake of the head, exasperated.

Yamamoto Genryūsai had truly taken in a monster.

...........

Back on the battlefield, the Reigai remained still.

Everyone had different thoughts—each with their own schemes.

Not long ago, a squad of Reigai had been sent to the World of the Living to ambush Kaelith.

None had returned.

And that squad had included heavy hitters like Unohana and Ukitake.

To wipe them out so easily—it said everything about Kaelith’s power.

Attacking someone like that without a plan was suicide.

Best to let others charge in first—watch for an opening from the sidelines.

That was the thought shared by most of the Reigai.

Fortunately, in a group full of “clever” people, there were still a few brutes.

Reigai Kenpachi let out a savage laugh and charged in headlong.

"Big bro! Time to see for yourself—my strikes are stronger than the original’s!"

He raised his jagged sword high and took several huge strides before swinging it down at Kaelith.

Watching this, the real Kenpachi snorted.

A mere knock-off… and you dare claim you’re stronger than me?

And worse—calling him ‘big bro’? You don’t have the right!

With a feral grin, Kenpachi moved to intercept the idiot.

But he hadn’t even taken two steps before he saw something that stunned him.

Kaelith didn’t dodge.

He simply punched the air.

A compressed wave of fist-forged reiatsu blasted toward the Reigai in an instant.

The Reigai Kenpachi tried to cleave it apart.

The moment his blade met the wave—it was over.

He was blown backward, sent flying through several hundred meters of buildings, vanishing into the cloud of smoke and debris.

Kenpachi: "..."

Sure, he’d always looked down on the Reigai, thinking them cheap copies—but still.

That guy had been strong enough to share his stage.

And yet… Kaelith had swatted him aside in one blow.

Did that mean… all this time, Kaelith had been holding back when he fought him?

Kenpachi stood frozen, dazed.

He had believed he was getting closer to that man.

But now—it felt like the gap had only grown wider.

He lowered his head slightly, shoulders trembling.

“Ken-chan?”

Yachiru perched on his shoulder, her voice gentle.

In the next second, Kenpachi threw back his head and burst into ecstatic laughter.

“HAHAHAHAHA!!”

“Now THAT’S what I’m talking about, Kaelith!”

“I’ll get stronger—stronger than ever before!”

“Oh oh! Stronger!!” Yachiru cheered with glee.

Swinging his Zanpakutō, Kenpachi charged into the Reigai ranks.

He would hunt down the strongest among them, defeat them one by one—and close the gap with that accelerating figure ahead.

Meanwhile, Kaelith raised his blade high.

“Everyone! CHARGE!”

“I’ve already suppressed the Reigai with my spiritual pressure. They can’t even fight at half their strength—it’s the perfect time to win!”

Hearing this, the Gotei 13 captains and lieutenants no longer hesitated.

They tightened their grips on their Zanpakutō and rushed forward.

Even though Kaelith’s reiatsu was still pressing down on them, making every step feel like walking through sludge—they knew the Reigai had it worse.

Their morale surged.

The clash of steel, the roars of released Zanpakutō, the thunder of erupting reiatsu—filled the First Division barracks in every direction.

Kaelith stood to the side, blasting pressure onto his allies while cheering them on.

Watching this, Kyōraku couldn’t help but glance over occasionally—with a look that suggested he was questioning his entire life.

*This little brother of mine... is he even on our side?*

Suddenly there was something distinct in the air—an enemy’s presence.

Just as the atmosphere was light and cheerful, Kaelith suddenly sensed something.

He turned his head to the side.

There, several regular squad members—knocked unconscious during the earlier battle—lay scattered across the ground.

Among them, one suddenly planted his hands against the floor and flipped up into a crouch.

Looking closer, Kaelith recognized the face.

It was a copy of Sasakibe Chōjirō.

Under Kaelith’s slightly surprised gaze, the replica widened his eyes and locked them on him. With a sharp motion, he drew his Zanpakutō:

“Bankai!”

“Kōkō Gonryō Rikyū!”

As Sasakibe recited the release phrase, a powerful spiritual pressure shot toward the sky.

High in the air, the reiryoku gathered to form a golden canopy.

From its edges, eleven golden bolts of lightning descended and enclosed Sasakibe within them, forming a radiant golden cage.

Bathed in electric light, he extended his rapier, and with a sudden pull, drew all the lightning into it.

Golden serpents of lightning writhed along the blade—just looking at it, one could feel the terrifying destructive force.

“Oh ho…”

Kaelith’s expression turned intrigued.

This was his first time seeing Sasakibe’s Bankai in action.

Back when he was in the First Division, he had asked Sasakibe several times to demonstrate his Bankai.

After all, a strike capable of leaving a scar on Yamamoto’s forehead—what kind of power must it possess? He had always wanted to witness it firsthand.

But Sasakibe always politely declined.

The old man stubbornly insisted that his sword existed solely for the service of Lord Genryūsai, and must not be used casually.

Who would have thought, that the very technique he had never seen from the real Sasakibe, he would now witness from the replica.

Kaelith grinned.

“Take your time. Get everything ready. Show the ability off perfectly.”

“I’ll wait right here. I won’t interrupt.”

Judging from the way Sasakibe made his entrance, it was clear this had been planned as a surprise attack meant to catch Kaelith off guard.

One could only say—replicas were still replicas. They lacked discipline.

Hiding under a corpse to ambush someone? The real Sasakibe would never stoop to such tactics.....

To humor the copy’s attempt at a sneak attack, Kaelith simply stood there motionless, waiting to take the hit.

Seeing Kaelith’s reaction, the copy’s face darkened.

“Captain Kaelith, you are indeed powerful.”

“But looking down on me like this—that will be one of your life’s greatest regrets.”

As he spoke, the eleven bolts of lightning had all been concentrated onto the tip of the rapier.

Lowering his stance, he pulled his blade back.

Then he charged straight at Kaelith!

The blade thrust forward, shrouded in golden lightning.

His entire body became a vessel of thunder, an unstoppable force charging forward!

“Oh… "

Kaelith looked serious for a moment.

Although the attack had a long wind-up and he had dozens of ways to interrupt it early, if allowed to connect, the blast would be considerable.

If struck, the lightning would instantly ravage his nervous system, disrupting bioelectrical flow.

Muscles would fail, organs would shut down.

Even his mind could be overwhelmed by the current—leaving him unable to think.

This Bankai was unquestionably a one-hit kill.

Unfortunately, all one-hit-kill techniques shared a fatal flaw:

If the attack missed, it meant nothing.

Sasakibe roared as he charged forward, the lightning-tipped blade aimed directly at Kaelith’s chest.

In the next instant, he would pierce Kaelith’s body—ending his life.

This, he thought, was the price for underestimating Sasakibe Chōjirō.

With his whole body, heart, and spirit—

The replica had poured everything into this one strike.

At this moment, not even Yamamoto could survive!

Zzzzzzaap—!

Crackling with golden lightning, Sasakibe charged past the spot where Kaelith had stood.

“...?”

His blade hit nothing but air.

He froze.

Reflexively, he looked behind him.

There, particles of blue light swirled in the air, rapidly reforming into the shape of Kaelith.

Replica Sasakibe: “……”

Under his stunned gaze, Kaelith gave him a grin.

Then, he raised his hand, pointing a finger directly at him.

“Hado #4: Byakurai.”

Zzzzzzzzaap!!!

A beam of bluish-silver lightning tore through the space between them and struck Sasakibe head-on.

He tried to dodge, to defend—but it was impossible.

The lightning-infused rapier in his hand was still dragging his body forward in a full-speed charge.

At that moment, he was unable to do anything but press onward.

Crack!!

The white bolt drilled straight into the replica’s forehead and burst out the back of his skull.

In an instant, his mind was gone—engulfed by endless black.

The golden rapier carried his lifeless body forward—

Until it slammed violently into the Captain-Commander’s office, causing a massive thunderous explosion.

Only then did everything fall silent.

Elsewhere on the battlefield, the real Sasakibe was fighting two Vice Captain-level replicas at once, watching the scene with a complicated expression.

Captain Kaelith… really did not play fair.

Beside Kaelith, a black shadow began to swirl and twist.

From within it, Kujō Nozomi poked out half her head, eyes still wide with lingering fear.

Just moments ago, she had thought she might die alongside Kaelith.

Who could have imagined—the situation, which had looked so one-sided in the replica’s favor just a second before, had flipped completely.

Kaelith and the replica had switched from rivals to executioner.

She looked at the man standing beside her, arms folded, a relaxed smile on his face, and couldn’t help but feel a strange emotion.

All this time, she had lived under fear:

Fear of Inaba Kagewasa.

Fear of the Vanguard Project.

Fear of her own origins.

Fear of the fate that awaited her.

If Inaba ever mastered the full power of Raikū, and activated her Zanpakutō’s ability as well—if they fused—the result would be a warrior on par with the strongest in Soul Society.

Add to that the countless replicas he had created…

There would be no one in Soul Society who could stop him.

But now—for reasons she couldn’t explain—she felt that maybe this man… could.

At this moment, the battle between the Gotei 13 and the replicas was beginning to shift again.

Despite facing enemies with nearly double their spiritual pressure, the Gotei 13 were clawing their way back into control.

This was largely thanks to how frequently the replicas tripped each other up.

Kaelith couldn’t help but feel like cursing.

Couldn’t these copies be a bit more competent?

He clicked his tongue and prepared to step in personally—to tilt the battle in the Reigai’s favor.

As long as he acted carefully, it should be fine.

Just as he was about to move, a voice rang out—

“Hmph. Useless trash.”

“As expected, hoping you would win was my mistake.”

“Now, allow me—the creator—to show you what true combat looks like.”

At those words, everyone looked up toward the sky.

There, floating above them, stood a man with half-yellow, half-green hair, sunken cheeks, and a gloomy demeanor.

Seeing him, Kaelith blinked.

Then, as if something suddenly dawned on him, his eyes lit up.

Before anyone else could react, he widened his eyes and shouted:

“Everyone! That man is extremely dangerous! Do not approach him! Let me handle this!!”

With that, he stepped forward with urgent force, launching himself straight toward Inaba Kageroza.

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