You are very strong, but my painting style is better than yours!

"I already knew about that—"

Clang!!!!

As the swords and blades fell simultaneously, the savage felt that his long sword, which he had used for countless years, was no longer under his control, as if it were cutting through some kind of glue, making it difficult to move forward. But this was only for a moment, because immediately afterward, a spiritual pressure blade that stretched across the earth pierced through his body and shot into the sky at a speed of a hundred meters!

From the collarbone to below the ribs, the spurting blood was as thin as a knife blade...

Pfft!

The man fell backward again, his tall body appearing so withered at that moment.

Iori glanced at him, then turned and left.

“Beast, go to Seireitei. There are many people like me there… This place is too small for you.”

-

After a long while, Zaraki opened his eyes when he felt something tickling his face. What he saw was a round and cute face that was upside down... It would be a stretch to call it a primary school student.

The pink-haired little girl, her face flushed with happiness, said in a sweet, childlike voice, "Hey, you're happy now, aren't you? I haven't seen you so relaxed in a long time."

"It's Yachiru... Happy? Is that so? This feeling is happy..."

Zaraki raised his right hand, still instinctively gripping the broken sword. He stared at it intently for a few seconds, then suddenly grinned.

"There are still many guys in Seireitei worth killing, so I'll definitely not be bored... That's what that person said, right?"

"Yeah, yeah, now we've got something to do, the two of us!"

"Well……"

His body was riddled with wounds, but the wild man Gengmu didn't care. Despite the injuries that could have killed him at any moment, he acted as if it were nothing, and his attitude was very indifferent.

After standing up, he noticed several people lying around him and tilted his head to ask, "Who are they?"

"Those who tried to come over got a good beating from me."

The little girl climbed onto Zaraki's shoulder and clung to the fierce man's hair like a pendant, but Zaraki didn't mind at all, because he was already used to this mischievous little girl.

The people lying there were those who had been dealt with by Iori's squad earlier. They were lucky that not all of them were caught up in the aftermath of the battle, and three of them survived. However, they were also beaten up by Yachiru in the process... Actually, they might not have had any ill intentions towards Zaraki.

"Hey."

"what?!"

How do I get to Seireitei?

"..."

The survivors paused for a moment, but in their extreme fear, they couldn't lie and instinctively pointed in a direction.

Zaraki nodded and led Yachiru in that direction. Apart from the little girl turning around and making a face, the pair didn't pay any attention to them.

We...we survived?

The survivors looked at each other, and breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that they were safe.

"The lawless zone is too dangerous... Shall we move?"

"Ok!"

"Ugh, that monster... wait?"

The three looked up and were surprised to see that the savage was walking along when the little girl suddenly patted his head. The two seemed to argue for a moment, and then turned and walked in another direction.

"..."

-

As they were leaving, everyone asked Iori with concern if he was injured, and Tosen asked seriously, "Aren't we taking him with us?"

In his mind, such a powerful individual, even if he couldn't recruit him, had to be brought back to Seireitei and kept under control; otherwise, it would be too dangerous to let him grow wild outside.

"It's fine."

Iori smiled slightly and said to his subordinates, "He will definitely come to Seireitei."

"This kind of barbarian?"

“That’s right, because after the battle with me, he couldn’t stand the boredom here anymore.” Iori smiled confidently.

half a month later.

In the Seireitei Third Division barracks, Iori, who had not received the message she wanted, sat on the veranda staring blankly at the courtyard scenery when suddenly her eyelids twitched.

"Damn it, they stood me up!"

-

[Ding! CG has been added]

You are weak.

Type: Art style & bonds

Quality: Legend

Grade: A

Rewards Overview:

Strength - Slightly increased;

Resilience - Slightly improved;

Mobility - Slightly improved;

-

Art style value +5;

Chapter 277: The Captain-General's Subordinates Are All Pillars of the Nation

"Come, let me introduce you. This is Bingli, um... a subordinate I recruited from Rukongai."

This is the gentle, considerate, and understanding older sister I told you about—Aizen Sōyūhime.

Today, Yuuki went home on her day off and happened to run into Iori and the others.

At her mother-in-law's shop, Akame and Nemuru helped with cleaning, while Iori took the opportunity to introduce Esdeath to her older sister. Of course, the queen now had a new name—Hyourei.

I originally wanted to use Aizen's surname, but after thinking about it, Iori felt it was somewhat inappropriate, so she only chose a pseudonym for the time being.

Regardless of what Yuuki felt about Ice Beauty, Akame, and others, her attitude was calm and composed, just like when she met Akame before.

Of course, one is a new "family member" and the other is her younger brother's "subordinate". Due to their different identities, they are treated slightly differently. When facing Esdeath, he is less affectionate and more distant.

Esdeath has always been indifferent to interpersonal relationships, and without any hesitation, she extended her hand to Yuuki, which made the long-haired girl pause for a moment, but she quickly realized what it meant and shook hands with her politely.

At this point in time, although this more Western-style etiquette had appeared in Soul Society, it was not very popular, and performing it in formal settings would only be considered impolite.

but……

Yuuki withdrew her hand and subconsciously glanced at her palm:

The touch she had just made gave her not only a slightly cold, smooth feel, but also all the elements that a martial artist's hand should possess... Just like that red-eyed person, the person in front of her was also a "professional".

Especially this sharp and arrogant aura, he is definitely not an ordinary Rukongai strongman!

Of course, Yuuki had previously witnessed Iori teaching the two cultivation techniques, so she already had a good idea of ​​these things. Now she simply had a more specific judgment.

"Bingli...I know that name~ Hmm!"

The three sat on the veranda, eating shaved ice made by Esdeath using her powers—incidentally, the syrup was made by Iori herself.

Ice is not uncommon in Soul Society, but this way of eating it is quite novel. Yuuki, who had no experience, was a little too eager, and as a result, a needle-like pain ignored all spiritual pressure defenses and was transmitted from her dental nerves to her brain, causing the female Shinigami to frown slightly.

Fortunately, this came and went quickly. Yuki manipulated the delicate spiritual particles flowing through her mouth, temporarily blocking the pain nerves in her teeth. She calmly relaxed her brow and continued to savor the taste, only this time taking small sips.

"you have heard?"

"Did you know? The whole Team Thirteen has been talking about your legendary story lately, Iori."

Yuuki said with a faint smile, "They say you swept through the gangsters that had been entrenched in East Rukongai for a hundred years, and slaughtered a river of blood in the lawless Garrison District. They also say you subdued the Ice General who ran rampant in the district with just a few words..."

It's only been a few months since you received the order, and you've already shown tremendous dominance!

"This rumor is way too exaggerated." Iori shook her head.

"You've never done this before?"

“That gang was only around ninety years old from its founding to its destruction by me,” Iori said calmly. “That’s what their boss said himself after he joined my ranks.”

"Hmph~ He's clearly very proud of himself, yet he acts all humble."

Yuuki wasn't about to put on airs with Iori. She curled her lip and looked at Esdeath: "Is this the 'Ice General' who supposedly defeated Amagai Shusuke in a head-on battle, and was then persuaded by you with your profound words to willingly serve the Seireitei?"

As expected... This ruthless, predatory nature is truly befitting of a heroine who has made a name for herself in lawless zones!

"It's just a debut performance, nothing to worry about," Iori said frankly. "Although it's a bit unfair to Amagai to say this, he is indeed a good stepping stone. Defeating him will show Hyori's strength, but it won't be too amazing to attract the special attention of the captains."

“Iori, you…” Yuuki’s eyes flickered slightly, surprised that Iori had come clean so readily.

“That’s right, I put in a lot of effort to get Ice Beauty into Team Thirteen.” Iori and Esdeath exchanged a glance and smiled knowingly.

When Yuki saw this, her lips moved involuntarily, but she probably didn't even notice this subtle change.

"So you two knew each other all along. Miss Akame, you didn't just meet me on the street, did you? Is it really okay for you to tell me something like this? I might accidentally let it slip."

"I think I know a thing or two about what kind of person my elder sister is."

Iori smiled slightly as she looked at the shaved ice in the bowl: "If you're not willing, no one can get any useful information from you; they'll just be treating a pile of waste paper like a treasure."

Similarly, if you want to know something, it's hard to hide it from you... Besides, there's nothing to hide about Akame and Hyōrei's relationship.

Yuki subtly raised her back slightly, indicating that she was gradually becoming serious.

"No, if it were you, you could still keep it a secret. After all, you've always been a bit of a mystery to me, and in recent years you've revealed even more secrets, none of which I've been able to unravel."

"That incomprehensible feeling must be very uncomfortable, right?" Iori said with some pity. "Actually, you could have just come to me."

"It's more painful to be told the answer directly than to be unable to solve a puzzle."

A great detective can fail, but he cannot surrender to the dark side—Yuki is that kind of person.

In a sense, if she backs down on this matter, then a part of her heart will suffer a decisive defeat!

"Actually, it's nothing much. I'm just developing my private influence, occasionally making small inventions, and dreaming of hanging all 46 rooms on the streetlights someday—it's all just trivial stuff."

Iori shrugged: "Of course, I am a dedicated and hardworking young man, so my current goal is simply to make the Gotei 13 bigger and stronger and create new glories."

"You see, I added Ice Beauty to Team Thirteen precisely so that we could participate in the expedition to Hueco Mundo and relieve some of the pressure on Team Thirteen."

"……real?"

“At least part of it is true.” Iori chuckled.

"You... this time, the recruitment from Rukongai is to organize the Hueco Mundo Expeditionary Force. Given the current state of Seireitei, there's a high chance you'll be chosen to lead the team."

At a time like this, instead of keeping a low profile, you're making such a strong impression... It seems you're truly determined to get Hueco Mundo.

Yuuki looked at her younger brother helplessly, unable to do anything about this brother who never played by the rules, and then glanced at Ice Beauty, also known as Esdeath.

She wasn't particularly concerned about the origins of Bingli and Akame, because the world of "Bleach" was vast, and it wasn't surprising that a few unknown but powerful individuals would emerge.

Leaving aside the vast Hueco Mundo, and the psionicists and Fullbringers of the present world, there are still many unexplored areas in Soul Society alone.

The lawless zone is the edge of Rukongai, which is the "end" relative to Seireitei, but it is by no means the end of Soul Society.

In fact, according to the confidential documents that Yuuki consulted in the "Great Corridor", the Seireitei is not located in the center of Soul Society, but on the eastern side of the entire world, and there is a civilization region of similar size on the other side.

This is not surprising, after all, the present world is divided into East, West, New World, and Old World.

Didn't the Quincy King from a thousand years ago also rise from Europe in the present world and establish the Quincy Empire? People like Touhou and Tosen clearly don't come from the Far East.

It's just that, because of the Soul King, the area where Seireitei is located has a relatively large "weight" compared to the entire Soul Society.

Yuuki is not one to be narrow-minded, so she naturally wouldn't be surprised by Esdeath's appearance and abilities.

What she couldn't get over was Iori's incredible growth curve... Such an exaggerated change in strength, to say it was just talent would be a perfunctory explanation, but to say it was related to the Spirit King... Yuuki also vaguely felt that it wasn't.

Moreover, Iori is not only exceptionally talented in spiritual pressure, but also excels in swordsmanship, demon-slaying, and other skills. She originally considered herself an all-rounder, but compared to Iori, she is slightly inferior in every aspect, and the gap is even greater when combined.

Imagine someone who followed you around just a few years ago, and who was respectfully calling you "Big Sister" two years ago, and who has suddenly become a much stronger person than you in the blink of an eye—it's simply an illogical and absurd dream!

This hurt Yuuki's pride, and made her avoid asking Iori unnecessary questions unless absolutely necessary. She firmly believed that she could solve all the mysteries of the world with her own strength and wisdom, and grasp all the changes in the universe. Iori was no exception.