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

Yoruichi Shihouin sat alone under a cherry tree in a corner, a half-plate of juicy-looking grilled meat in front of her, which she was enjoying.

She used a short knife that didn't look like a utensil to cleanly and efficiently cut the meat, picked up a piece and stuffed it into her mouth, not caring about her appearance at all, even though her mouth was covered in oil.

"Captain Yoruichi."

Iori instantly appeared beside her, startling Yoruichi. "The great beauty of the Shihouin family has lost her composure like this. If word gets out, it will shatter the dreams of countless young men."

"Hey~"

Yoruichi rolled her eyes: "Anyway, the old men just want to see me dressed as a lady in a twelve-layered kimono... Hey Iori, why do people get married?"

"what?"

Iori raised an eyebrow: "Perhaps we should ask the groom over there?"

"Pshaw, that was a free-choice relationship, it's not meant for me."

Yoruichi rested her chin on her hand, with cream smeared on her cheeks like a cat's. "My old man only knows how to arrange political marriages for me."

"Isn't that because you didn't make things clear to them? If you have someone you like, and you firmly refuse, no one would dare to force a captain."

"That's what they say... That's why I asked, what exactly is love, and why do we get married?"

"That depends on what kind of life you want to live."

"Drink wine from big bowls and eat meat in big bites, don't worry about formalities, laugh loudly when you want to laugh, and fight until the world is dark!"

"...You're looking for a buddy, not a husband."

Iori shook her head helplessly.

Yoruichi hesitated for a moment: "I see... but that's troublesome. I can refuse a political marriage, but I still have some reservations about remaining single..."

Her gaze kept unconsciously drifting towards Iori: "Actually, if you were willing to cooperate—"

"You can't just say things like that."

Iori felt Saito's gaze from not far away and twitched her lips. "This could lead to someone getting killed."

"I almost forgot you're already taken... By the way, has your wife been decided yet?"

"..."

"Lord Yoruichi?"

A faint voice suddenly came from behind the dark-skinned beauty: "Lord Yoruichi, you have something on your face..."

A small hand timidly reached out, clutching a handkerchief, but Yoruichi casually pulled it in front of her: "Oh right, this is Koya, the little one I found, the daughter of a retainer in my family's genealogy."

She ruffled the girl's short hair, her tone suddenly becoming smug: "How about it? My retainers from Shihōin are much cuter than those delicate and weak noble ladies, aren't they?"

I've always wanted a little sister!

"Compared to dressing up Yuushirou in women's clothes, a real girl is definitely better~"

"Ugh... Lord Yoruichi... don't... ugh..."

Aya's face flushed red, and she was still clutching the crumpled handkerchief in her hand, but she couldn't resist Yoruichi's brute force—she even seemed to be enjoying it.

Iori raised an eyebrow and looked down at the girl who was not even as tall as Yoruichi's chest—even in this situation, her posture remained tense, and she never lost her balance, clearly a young leopard that had not yet grown up.

Seeing familiar faces from her memories take the stage one by one, even though Iori has long since transcended worldly concerns, she still felt a pang of emotion.

"By the way, your sister is very popular."

While teasing Soi Fon, Yoruichi casually remarked, "It seems like she has quite a few suitors in the 13th Division, and someone even asked me to ask her what she thinks... Does she mind?"

"My sister? I can't sense any romantic feelings from her. I guess she hasn't thought about this kind of thing."

Iori shook her head: "Rather than saying I doubt what kind of person could possibly have that ability..."

"No?"

Yoruichi stopped what she was doing and looked up in surprise: "But everyone says she already has someone she likes, and that the emotional ups and downs have affected her work efficiency—that's quite rare for her."

"Ok?"

Iori blinked. "Your crush?"

"Yes, it's when you're alone that you unconsciously start thinking, 'He likes me, she doesn't like me'—isn't that what being in love is like?"

"..."

Iori's expression became subtle, with a hint of a smile that wasn't quite a smile, but it was definitely not mockery; rather, it was an attempt to suppress a laugh.

The thought that Yuuki could have this side to her made him want to move his facial muscles.

"Normally, even noblemen wouldn't have the courage to confess to someone as unattainable as her. It's only because she has someone she likes that everyone has such wonderful fantasies and wants to know if they are the lucky one that someone came to ask me for help... If you don't know, that's fine. It's not an important matter anyway."

Yoruichi said nonchalantly.

"By the way, you really didn't know? It felt pretty obvious."

"Maybe I just didn't pay much attention."

"Then it's your fault as the younger brother."

Yoruichi, with an inexplicable surge of confidence, puffed out her chest and began to lecture Iori.

"You seem to have no shortage of female companions, but haven't you ever thought about your sister?"

What do you think? Does she have to tell you something as taboo as a relationship between an older woman and a younger man?

Iori was speechless, waved her hand, turned and left, ignoring Yoruichi's shouts behind her.

Saito, who witnessed this scene, nodded.

She didn't think Yoruichi was a problem for her; that young lady of the Shihouin family probably hadn't reached the stage of developing romantic feelings yet.

Yoruichi is too naive and young... Of course, this refers to military law, not physical data.

What interested her was Aizen Yuuki, whom the two were talking about... In a sense, she was her sworn sister?

In fact, Saito has a huge disadvantage in the "Aizen" family: she is not closely connected with the other members of Iori's family.

Akame was treated as "family" from the start, as was Rei (Esdeath), but she wasn't close to Granny Aizen at all, and although she had a good relationship with Yuuki, it was limited to being colleagues; she had never even been to Aizen's family shop...

It's time to build a good relationship with my stepsister!

"Let her be our witness at our wedding," a brilliant idea flashed through Saito's mind.

Chapter 577 Let's conduct some fun scientific experiments.

"A Thousandfold Mirror of Emptiness!"

The man dressed in strange attire—Inaba Kagerousa—roared loudly, his voice echoing through the desolate world of Kageya, his Zanpakuto emitting a blinding white light.

Countless mirrors appeared out of thin air, refracting and deflecting the incoming barrage of spirit arrows—returning them all to the surface. Upon closer inspection, it became clear that these were not mirrors, but rather a manifestation of absolute symmetry in space itself, a replication of space, including the Quincy's attacks.

Thirty minutes ago, the Quincy found this isolated space hidden in the turbulent flow of the Broken Realm, also known as the "Calling Valley." This was originally a very ordinary thing, but because the knight, who was good at sensing, accidentally discovered the abnormal spiritual particle fluctuations inside, he began to investigate carefully and found this guy.

Although Shadow Wolf is a traitor to Soul Society and even once cooperated with the Quincy, the Quincy have now changed their ways and have a new master, so dealing with this old friend is no problem for them.

Whoosh!

A spiritual arrow grazed Shadow Wolf's cheek, blasting a crater the size of a bowl into the rock wall behind him. Amidst the flying debris, he rolled sharply to dodge the subsequent three-shot barrage, his Zanpakuto "Raikō" spinning rapidly in his palm.

"opposite!"

The blade emitted a blinding white light, and a circular hole appeared, revealing a scene exactly the same as the one on the other side—five spirit arrows that followed closely behind.

Just as the arrows collided with their reflections on the water's surface, they refracted upon impact and then exploded.

After narrowly escaping the attack, Shadow Wolf once again activated his Zanpakuto ability, and the same scene unfolded behind the Quincy as even more copied arrows swarmed in.

"Huh, what a small skill."

The Quincy leader snorted coldly, and the spirit bow on his wrist flashed. A spiritual barrier instantly unfolded, blocking all the returning arrows.

They were all elites, and they knew about Kagerou Sasuke's abilities beforehand. Although this kind of "space" attribute Kido-type Zanpakuto was difficult to deal with, as long as they were careful, they would be fine.

The only thing that would make the Quincy wary is the technology of Shadow Wolf Zou—cloning spirit remains!

No one knows how much more they have in reserve. If they happen to pull out Yamamoto or Aizen, they'll have no choice but to run away.

Fortunately, it seems that Shadow Wolf Sasuke didn't have much in reserve, and he didn't take out his Gikai Maru even when he was surrounded.

"Why are you chasing me? There's no reason!"

Taking advantage of the moment, Shadow Wolf Zuo leaped onto a protruding rock pillar in the valley, fine beads of sweat beading on his forehead. His gaze swept around—seven Quincy were approaching in a fan shape, each holding a spirit bow that gleamed with a cold blue light.

Worse still, he could feel the space in the valley gradually distorting, and his escape route was being blocked.

The Quincy are also very skilled. If they complete their setup, not only will Zaku be unable to escape Kageya, but his Zanpakuto abilities will likely be restricted as well...

"You don't need to know the reason, Inaba Kagerousa,"

The Quincy leader said coldly, "Give up the resistance. You can't escape."

Shadow Wolf Zuo grinned, blood still smeared at the corner of his mouth: "Escape? Who said I was going to escape?"

He slammed his Zanpakuto into the ground and shouted, "Kiku Mangekyou!"

hum!

Countless voids suddenly appeared from the ground, the rock walls, and even beneath the feet of the Quincy, cutting the entire Calling Valley area into a series of traps with nowhere to step. The Quincy were immediately scattered, each figure flashing back and forth in the rapid Flying Legs.

But they soon discovered that no attacks were coming out of the hole—it was just a large-scale illusion.

Although the Zanpakuto Raikou's abilities are very strong, Kagerou Sasuke's spiritual pressure is not enough to support such a large-scale spatial manipulation.

"Don't panic!"

The leader shouted, "Maintain formation! Lock onto him using your spiritual senses!"

However, by the time those words were uttered, Shadow Wolf's figure had already vanished into the void.

The leader's face darkened, and he suddenly raised his hand, signaling everyone to cease their attack. He closed his eyes, unleashing his full spiritual senses. A moment later, he abruptly opened his eyes, a cold smile playing on his lips: "Found you."

"Little God Annihilation Arrow!"

A dazzling blue beam of light erupted from his hand, transforming into a thick, lightning-fast arrow that struck a seemingly empty hole.

"boom!"

The mirror shattered, and Shadow Wolf Zuo stumbled out, his chest charred black from the scorching spiritual energy. He looked up in astonishment: "How is this possible..."

Do you think we haven't investigated your abilities?

The leader sneered, "With an intelligence advantage, such tricks are meaningless."

Damn it, these Quincy are definitely no good. From the moment they invited me, they never intended to let me live after the deed was done!

Also, even though the counterattack against Soul Society failed, does that mean they should immediately turn against each other? What changes have occurred within the Quincy?

Shadow Wolf Zuo gritted his teeth and got up, about to activate his ability again to try to teleport directly out of the Valley of Crying—a risky move, as the Broken Boundary was filled with spacetime turbulence.

Suddenly, a cold and authoritative voice drifted over:

"That's it."

Everyone looked up at the same time, only to see Haschward standing in the void, his brilliant golden hair motionless amidst the turbulent spiritual pressure.

His appearance caused the entire Lingzi of the valley to tremble, and also made Yinglang Zuo's face turn pale instantly.

"Hasworth... It's you... Weren't you imprisoned in Soul Society?!"

Despite his shock, Shadow Wolf still raised his Zanpakuto, which resembled a wheel of blades, in an attempt to fight back.

"sucker Punch."

Hasward descended from the void via the spirit particle staircase. His sword was not even drawn; with a mere flick of his wrist, the defensive spell that Shadow Wolf had just reconstructed shattered like thin ice.

boom!

"Why……"

Shadow Wolf Zuo staggered backward, his left arm pierced by the still-force-filled Spirit Arrow, blood dripping from his fingertips onto the desolate ground of Jiaogu.

"Why did the Quincy want to kill me? Give me a reason!"

This is what angered Shadow Wolf Zuo the most:

You are terrorists, and I am a terrorist. We are facing a formidable enemy, and the Seireitei is still searching high and low for us. We are clearly on the verge of collapse, yet you still have the leisure to betray me.

No, why!