Help! I am bound to Aizen!-Chapter 318

Chapter 318

2-in-1 chapter:

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Hearing Kaelith’s words, the Eleventh Division members froze for a moment, and then many of them showed expressions of heartfelt emotion.

“Big Bro…he’s taking the blame on himself to protect his subordinates!”

“That’s Big Bro for you—what a true man!”

“Big Bro, I’ll follow you all my life!”

Others, more thoughtful, frowned in contemplation.

Big Bro admitting guilt in public—did he have a deeper plan? Right now, the Eleventh was brimming with powerful fighters and had a formidable force. By contrast, the Seireitei side… had only Yamamoto worth worrying about. The rest were nothing but chickens and dogs in their eyes.

They got it. Big Bro was going to become a true king.

A seated officer, in charge of the “Kaelith Clothing Factory,” flashed a strange smile.

He opened the bag he always carried, pulling out a white haori. On the back was the kanji for “One” (一).

“Big Bro! It’s chilly out—wear this!!”

He held the haori high, calling to Kaelith.

“…?”

Spotting the man holding up that haori, Yamamoto couldn’t help a small question mark forming over his head.

Kaelith flickered over, kicked the man flying, and snatched the haori back, then zipped back to Yamamoto’s side with a smirk, draping it on the old man’s shoulders.

“That fellow got overexcited seeing you, Teacher. Said the fact you came here half-naked, he was afraid you’d get cold—so he prepared this haori for you,” Kaelith said.

Looking at the haori now covering him, Yamamoto fell silent.

An Eleventh Division member who can casually whip out a Captain-Commander haori on demand… They sure came prepared.

While Yamamoto was lost in thought, Kaelith rose into the air.

Arms folded, legs dangling, he gazed down at the crowd of nobles.

“Today, I, Kaelith Yurei, head of the Yurei family, brought my relatives on a tour of the Seireitei.

“During this outing, my cousin was…” He turned to Ichimaru Gin, who mouthed something at him. Kaelith squinted, not entirely catching it. “…my cousin was attacked by a certain noble’s household. Fighting desperately for his life, he struck back!

“Though he escaped death, he was badly wounded and has now been rushed to the Fourth Division for treatment.

“As for that noble’s assault on my cousin, I intend to investigate fully and will show no mercy to the instigators behind it!”

“…?”

The nobles fell into a stunned hush.

They had met shameless types before, but this was—

Well, to be fair, plenty of Soul Society nobles were just as shameless.

The real problem was that no one like Kaelith—a commoner-turned-noble who soared so high in under a century—had ever existed. One lesser noble being killed wasn’t such a big deal. Letting him keep rising and devour their interests— now that was the problem.

A few nobles spoke up at once:

“No way!”

“You say it was the Kuroshima family that attacked you, as though it’s fact!”

“That needs a Central Forty-Six Chambers hearing! Put it to an open vote!”

At that, a handful of higher-placed nobles who knew more of the real story frowned. They realized what was coming. Indeed, Kaelith offered no hesitation, giving a crisp nod:

“A Central Forty-Six Chambers hearing? Fine, I agree.”

Yamamoto furrowed his brow.

Taking it to the Central 46… this would be messy.

He was about to say something when a figure appeared at Kaelith’s side—Yoruichi, wearing her white haori, ponytail swishing.

“Fine. We’ll see you at Central 46. The more people, the better—makes it easier to figure out which noble was behind this. If we find them, I, Shihōin Yoruichi, will definitely back you up.”

Yamamoto blinked.

Then Kuchiki Sōjun also appeared by Kaelith.

“No worries, Yū. I’ll help you get to the bottom of this, too.”

(If you did know: Yū is an endearing way of saying Yurei, a nickname basically)

The Shinigami who’d demanded the Central 46 hearing gulped.

Next, Shiba Isshin joined Kaelith’s side.

“I’m not good at handling stuff like that, but if you need help, I won’t shirk it.”

Yamamoto: “…”

Unbelievable.

He’d known Kaelith had a good rapport with many of these young heirs to top families, but never imagined that these scions—who typically represent their clan’s interests—would, without knowing the facts, side with Kaelith so unconditionally.

And now an elderly figure came bustling over from afar, stepping into midair:

“I’m an elder of the Tsunayashiro family. On behalf of the Tsunayashiro House, I guarantee we will do everything to help Lord Kaelith discover the truth!”

The noble crowd erupted in whispers.

Those who’d demanded a Central 46 ruling wore expressions of utter despair.

All four major clans, minus the abstinent Sarunomiya House that “never gets involved,” basically stood behind Kaelith? That was unprecedented in Soul Society’s history.

Seeing Tsunayashiro's elder volunteer support, Yoruichi showed a playful interest.

“Well, old-timer, your Tsunayashiro clan finally sees the light? No more crossing swords with Kaelith?”

He smiled. “Lady Shihōin, you jest. We Tsunayashiro have always supported the Yurei House.”

“Heh,” Yoruichi snorted and said no more.

Either they were just reading the signs and switching sides, or they’d grown tired of getting hammered. Either way, it was all in Kaelith’s favor.

Yamamoto cleared his throat.

“All right, since you nobles appear to have your plan for how you’ll settle this, I won’t interfere.”

He turned to leave.

Passing Kaelith, he eyed his troublesome student.

“Once this is done, come to the First Division and give me answers.”

With that, Yamamoto vanished via Shunpo.

Those nobles who had screamed for “answers” from him also backed off, seeing how the matter was going.

The Eleventh Division let out a victory cheer.

Yoruichi, Sōjun, and the others left to handle reorganizing the squads they’d brought.

Kaelith glanced at the abandoned carriage in the middle of the road, falling silent for a time.

“What, feeling sorry for that dead noble now?”

A voice asked softly. Aizen approached, smiling faintly.

Kaelith turned to face the friend who’d been with him from their academy days till now.

“No, I was just thinking that now we’re equals one more time.”

“How so?”

Kaelith chuckled.

“In the past, you went around collecting all kinds of grudges, dragging me into your enmities. Now it’s me who’s done something random and let you share my baggage.

“Kinda feels good.”

Aizen shook his head, amused.

“Don’t worry. In the future, I’ll be dragging you into plenty more baggage than this.”

“Sure. Bring it on. We strong types always gotta put in a bit more effort,” Kaelith said, folding his arms proudly.

Aizen thought about telling him off, but then felt a swirl of complicated emotions instead. He’d realized Kaelith truly surpassed him in raw combat skill—although in their mock duels, Aizen’s cunning often gave him the edge, it was also because Kaelith refrained from certain lethal moves. Objectively, having a friend who could stand up front to draw all the attention was beneficial. Yet part of him resented being left behind.

No, that won’t do… I need my own trump card as well, Aizen reflected.

As a genius far beyond Kaelith, with “truly world-shaking intellect,” how could he allow himself to be overshadowed?

….................

..

.

Following the path Ulquiorra took to escape, Shinji Hirako and Kensei Muguruma pursued relentlessly. They ran until Shinji abruptly halted.

Kensei, trusting Shinji’s sense, also stopped.

Ōtoribashi Rōjūrō, trailing behind, hurried over and gasped for breath:

“Captain Hirako, Kensei—!”

He planned to advise they give up the chase. Earlier in the fight, he’d glimpsed Kaelith’s influence and suspected bigger forces at play. They themselves likely weren’t equipped to handle any plot involving Kaelith.

Before he could speak, Shinji raised a hand to silence him.

The short-cropped blond Captain frowned, scanning the surrounding air. A few seconds later, he thrust out a hand, tugging at empty space.

A black tear materialized overhead, the surrounding space fracturing.

Seeing it, Shinji’s pupils shrank.

“C’mon…are you kidding me…”

Cold sweat beaded on his brow.

He’d been suspicious of Aizen and Kaelith for a long time, but always figured that at worst, they might be the next Tsunayashiro rebels. Now he realized he’d underestimated them severely.

“Captain Hirako?” Rōjūrō asked, approaching.

With both him and Kensei watching, Shinji bit out:

“A black cavity…That man who was with Kaelith got away through a Garganta. He hid it well, but I’m good at noticing details. In order to open the Garganta, he must have used Reiatsu.”

His features tightened.

“That Reiatsu was…unusual but still the same in essence. He’s a Hollow.”

Instantly, Kensei and Rōjūrō grasped his meaning, both turning pale.

Shinji forced a strained grin.

“So Kaelith—and probably Aizen Sōsuke, too—have ties with Hueco Mundo.

“Worst-case scenario, they might already be allied with Las Noches.”

“How can that be? Kaelith, leading an infiltration from Hueco Mundo?” Rōjūrō was stunned.

Kensei, too, was rattled. He recalled receiving word that the murderer had connections to Kaelith. Could it really be as Shinji was saying?

“I need to hurry and report—” Shinji began, then paused.

He gazed intently at his two companions.

“Captain Muguruma, Captain Ōtoribashi, I’m about to do something extremely risky. Kaelith has grown so powerful in every sense, it’s nearly impossible to topple him without ironclad proof. If we slip up, we’ll be discovered and face more than just a simple fight.

“If you two commit to defending the Seireitei with me, you must be ready to put everything on the line. If you can’t do that, best leave now, and I won’t mention a word about it.”

Rōjūrō and Kensei exchanged a look, then nodded.

Rōjūrō took a steadying breath.

“I can’t believe Kaelith would do something like that…but all the evidence points to something strange with him. I’ll cooperate with you to find out the truth. If it turns out Kaelith really has betrayed us, we’ll fight him together until he repents!”

Kensei nodded firmly.

“That’s right. If he’s truly a traitor, I won’t pretend otherwise!”

Shinji gave them a grim smile.

At least the Seireitei still had some men of integrity.

…

In the First Division’s study:

Yamamoto stood at the desk, brush in hand, bold strokes of ink trailing across the page.

Kaelith pushed open the door and entered. Spotting Yamamoto’s figure, he prepared to explain what happened earlier. But Yamamoto spoke first:

“You’ve been my disciple for quite a few decades now. I know your personality, more or less.

“Nobody else is here. I want to ask you a few questions— answer me honestly. Then I’ll decide what I do from here.”

Kaelith nodded quietly.

Yamamoto began:

“Do you harbor any thoughts of betraying the Soul Society?”

Kaelith pondered for a few seconds.

“Maybe I do, maybe I don’t.”

“?”

A vein popped on Yamamoto’s forehead. Why was this brat being flippant at such a serious moment? Right before he snapped the brush in frustration, Kaelith clarified:

“If, by ‘Soul Society,’ you mean the million-year-old social system we currently have, then sure—I definitely plan to betray it.

“But if you mean this world itself, the people we know and care about living in it— then I’ll never turn my back on them.”

Yamamoto fell silent for a moment.

Finally, he nodded.

“Good. Second question: If I myself block your path forward, might you collaborate with the Wandenreich and Yhwach to remove me?”

Kaelith’s face twisted with distaste instantly. He quickly waved his hands.

“How could I do that?”

At that, Yamamoto allowed a faint grin. A quiet snort of amusement.

As expected, his foolish disciple had not let him down in that respect.

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