Chapter 397

2-in-1 chapter:  

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Kaelith's personal fur-covered throne had long been prepared, placed squarely in the center of the large courtyard.

At both sides below him, squad members were arranged in long rows, resembling the great hall of Hogwarts, with the tables piled high with food.

Not only the Eleventh Division—familiar faces from other divisions had also arrived to join in the celebration.

From the Second Division: Soifon.

From the Third Division: Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi.

From the Fourth Division: Unohana Retsu.

From the Seventh Division: Ichimaru Gin.

From the Eighth Division: Kyōraku Shunsui.

From the Ninth Division: Kuchiki Byakuya.

From the Tenth Division: Komamura Sajin.

From the Twelfth Division: Mayuri Kurotsuchi.

From the Thirteenth Division: Ukitake Jūshirō.

As for Hirako Shinji, captain of the Fifth Division, it was said he had been attacked by a Hollow the previous day and was bedridden, so he could not attend.

Kaelith glanced at Sōsuke and, seeing the smile on the latter’s face, he could roughly guess who that “Hollow” really was.

Sitting on the fur throne, looking at the hall full of close friends, Kaelith couldn't help but feel a little emotional.

Two hundred years ago, he was just an unremarkable student at the Shin'ō Academy.

At that time, his biggest dream was merely to become an ordinary Shinigami—ideally a seated officer—so he could live a carefree life.

Unknowingly, everything had changed.

The people around him, his position, and more importantly—the mission he now bore.

No matter what, he would protect this precious daily life.

No matter the cost, he would defeat Yhwach.

The Thousand-Year Blood War… would become, in his hands, a ruthless slaughter from which the Quincy would never return!

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Yamamoto was sick.

It happened suddenly.

No real symptoms—he just laid down.

His three disciples came to check on him, asking what was wrong. The old man only said he felt mentally exhausted, dizzy, and drowsy.

Upon hearing this, Kaelith came to a realization:

“Kidney deficiency!”

“?”

Yamamoto sat up angrily and reached for his sword.

Then, he suddenly remembered he was supposed to be a patient and let out a muffled groan as he lay back down.

Kyōraku and Ukitake: “……”

“I’ll go call Captain Unohana to come have a look.”

“If it really is something serious, better to be prepared ahead of time, right?”

Yamamoto was about to agree but then suddenly realized something.

Wait, Captain Unohana was no longer the comrade she used to be.

That woman was blatantly on Kaelith’s side.

If she came to diagnose him, there’d be no way he could keep up the act.

After a few seconds of thought, he said coldly:

“What are you looking at? I know my own body best!”

“As long as I rest properly for a while, I’ll recover naturally!”

“During this time, all matters of governance in Seireitei will be left to you three!”

“Kaelith will take the lead, Kyōraku will assist... as for Jūshirō, he should rest more—just like me!”

Ukitake Jūshirō smiled and nodded.

Kyōraku and Kaelith, however, both had a change of expression.

Especially Kyōraku—last time when Yamamoto faked his disappearance, he had dumped everything on Kaelith, and Kyōraku ended up suffering for it!

Not this again! At least wait until the old man’s been dead ten years!

Kaelith reached out:

“Teacher, after my recent upgrade, I’ve gained quite a bit of insight into the healing arts. If you don’t want Captain Unohana to examine you, I could take a look—I can also…”

“You brat!! Are you saying my word means nothing?!”

Yamamoto roared, scaring Kaelith into pulling his hand back.

Tsk, the old man’s playing dirty now.

How did the Gotei 13 end up with such a shameless Captain-Commander?

Truly a misfortune of the master-disciple lineage!

Kaelith was heartbroken.

In the end, Yamamoto stayed bedridden, piling a mountain of books at his bedside to pass the time each day.

According to him, to maintain morale, news of his illness could not spread—only his three disciples were to know, and none else.

Kaelith said he understood. Keeping a death secret? Old routine stuff.

After saying that, he was chased out of the room by Ryūjin Jakka’s flames.

No matter what, the end result was that the full oversight and command of operations against the Wandenreich now fell to Kaelith.

None of the divisions raised any objections.

Putting aside the relationships between various captains and the Eleventh Division, even without that, Kaelith had frequently held down command in the First Division during Yamamoto’s absences—everyone was already used to it.

While busy with official duties, Kaelith still made time to visit the Thirteenth Division.

Ukitake’s residence was located beside a small stream.

Living here offered peace and quiet, which was good for managing his illness. Additionally, because he frequently brewed medicinal decoctions, living too close to other squad members would fill the entire barracks with the smell of herbs.

To avoid disturbing others, he had chosen to live alone in this place.

Ukitake was quite pleased by Kaelith’s visit.

He instructed his two vice-captains to prepare drinks and food to entertain his junior.

The two of them sat by the stream, chatting casually, eating and drinking at leisure—it was comfortable and pleasant.

After the meal, Kaelith brought up the reason for his visit.

“Senior Ukitake, I’m planning to completely cure your illness.”

Hearing this, Ukitake was momentarily stunned.

After a brief pause, he gave a wry smile:

“Kaelith, my illness may not be what you think. This is…”

“A congenital organ deficiency.”

Kaelith cut in.

“I heard the specifics from Uncle Kyōraku.”

“Inside your body resides the right arm of the Soul King.”

“It replaces your lungs and sustains your life. In exchange, when the Soul King is in danger, you must sacrifice yourself to prevent the collapse of the Three Realms.”

“I already know all of this.”

“I came here knowing it all, which means I’ve already found a way to solve the problem.”

He held up two fingers:

“First, I’ll use my ability to manipulate reishi and reconstruct a new set of internal organs for you—stronger than your original, and completely fresh and healthy.”

“Then, I’ll engage in a territory battle with the Soul King’s right arm.”

“A complete Soul King is out of my league, of course. But if it’s just one arm, I’m confident I can win.”

“Once I’ve dealt with the right arm, I’ll replace it with the organs I created. Barring any surprises, you should fully recover!”

At this, he crossed his arms.

“Of course, as a professional doctor, I have to inform you of the risks ahead of time.”

“This treatment plan carries some uncertainties.”

“If the Soul King’s right arm is far stronger than I anticipated and I lose the fight, not only will your condition remain uncured, but your body could be even worse off due to the energy drain.”

“So, how will you choose, Senior?”

After listening to Kaelith’s explanation, Jūshirō Ukitake sat silently with his eyes closed, contemplating.

About a minute later, he opened his eyes and smiled at Kaelith:

“I’ve made my decision, Kaelith.”

“Please treat me.”

Kaelith raised an eyebrow: “Even if it might fail?”

“Yes.”

Ukitake nodded.

He lifted his head and looked at the sky.

“Kaelith, maybe to you I’ve always seemed like someone who’s made peace with his situation, a calm man who’s accepted reality.”

“But in truth, I’ve been enduring all along.”

“As a disciple, I owe my teacher so much, yet I’ve never been able to repay him due to this body.”

“When Kyōraku and you are out there working hard, I can only sit here, enjoying the peace you’ve secured.”

“Though I have strength, I always hold the group back at critical moments.”

“It’s not just a low chance of failure—even if you told me there was only a low chance of success, I’d still accept without regret!”

Looking at Kaelith, he broke into a rare, sunny smile.

“Don’t worry, Kaelith. No matter the outcome, I won’t have any complaints.”

“Go ahead and do it!”

Seeing Ukitake radiate such positive energy, Kaelith couldn’t help but smile as well.

No matter how past internet users may have maligned Ukitake with cynicism, to Kaelith, Ukitake was a model senior.

Selfless, upright, and even while bearing suffering few could imagine, he still tried to influence others with positivity.

That alone made him worthy of being Yamamoto’s disciple.

The two returned to the bamboo house and sat cross-legged.

Kaelith raised his hands and placed them on Ukitake’s back.

Ukitake found it somewhat strange—why use such a treatment method?

Kaelith explained that it was traditional kung fu, part of cultural heritage, and that this kind of treatment offered a psychological boost to its effectiveness.

Upon hearing that, Ukitake naturally had no objections.

Under Kaelith’s control, the Reishi within Jūshirō Ukitake's body began to surge intensely.

These Reishi, manipulated by Kaelith, rapidly changed in nature.

The purified spirit particles merged together to form the structure of organs.

Because all these Reishi were taken directly from within Ukitake’s body, the issue of rejection was eliminated at the source.

As the organs gradually took shape, Kaelith extended his spiritual pressure toward Ukitake’s lungs.

At the instant the two made contact, the scene before Kaelith's eyes changed completely.

The seated figure of Ukitake disappeared.

In its place was a field of pure white.

Amid that whiteness, there was a thick, black, viscous mass.

Under Kaelith’s gaze, the black substance suddenly rose from the ground.

On it, eyes opened one by one, all turning toward him.

In the moment those eyes landed on him, Kaelith felt as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over his head.

Every cell in his body was seized by an invisible force, sapped of vitality.

Even the Reishi within his body struggled to circulate.

The right arm of the Soul King—the authority it held was over “Stillness.”

Anything influenced by it would cease to move, falling into eternal stagnation.

If he allowed himself to be further eroded by this power, both his body and Reishi would become inert, unable to function.

He wouldn’t die—but would be frozen forever in his current state, unable to act, unable to think.

Feeling the power of the Soul King’s right arm, Kaelith couldn’t help but reflect.

It was a good thing he had listened to Sōsuke earlier and refrained from recklessly helping Ukitake.

If it had been the pre-breakthrough version of himself caught by this force, it would’ve been the end.

As for now...

Kaelith’s eyes suddenly snapped open.

A multicolored halo burst forth from his body.

The black, viscous Soul King’s right arm was enveloped in that light—and its overwhelming pressure plummeted instantly.

His previously sluggish cells and spiritual pressure all resumed smooth function.

In that moment, Kaelith sensed a distinct emotion emanating from the black mass before him:

Fear.

“A single arm… and it actually has a will of its own?”

Kaelith shook his head in amused disbelief.

As expected—gods… always come with a touch of insanity.

If he kept getting stronger, would he also become like the Soul King, with every part of his body developing a mind of its own?

He imagined a future where his Zanpakutō and his rear end, suddenly detached and sat across from him, chatting away…

Kaelith couldn’t help but shiver at the thought.

What? You ask what he would sit on then?

Obviously… two—

*Stop, stop!*

Damn it—why was his imagination so vivid?!

Shaking his head, Kaelith quickly cast away the horrifying image.

No matter what kind of parallel universe it was, something like that must never be allowed to happen!

As Kaelith’s multicolored halo continued to intensify, the isolated and helpless Soul King’s right arm began to weaken.

After a struggle that lasted over ten minutes, the right arm finally fell into complete dormancy.

Seated in place, Jūshirō Ukitake felt as if a giant hand had reached into his body—

That hand had grabbed something, and yanked it out.

In that moment, he felt a cleansing relief, like the expulsion of years-old toxins.

Then came the pain of suffocation.

Thankfully, it lasted only a few seconds before the new lungs began to function.

Ukitake took a deep breath.

Cool, bamboo-scented air entered through his nose, passed through his trachea, and filled every alveolus in his lungs.

In that instant, the overwhelming sensation of comfort caused Ukitake’s entire being to feel uplifted.

That intense sense of gain and relief—only someone with true lung disease, or perhaps chronic sinus issues—could fully understand such joy.

His previously clouded mind became clear with the influx of oxygen.

His heavy, unresponsive body began to surge with strength.

Overjoyed, Ukitake turned to Kaelith, eager to share his gratitude.

Only to see Kaelith holding a squirming black object in his hand, grinning like a villain.

“Heh heh, don’t struggle. Now that you’re in my hands, I don’t care if you’re the Soul King’s right arm… you’re never escaping again!”

“Submit to your fate! What awaits you is endless modification and experimentation—keh keh keh!”

Jūshirō Ukitake: “……”

As if sensing Ukitake’s gaze, Kaelith snapped back to reality.

He coughed lightly, then sealed the Soul King’s right arm inside a special container, placing it into the shadow space.

Once that was done, he turned back toward Ukitake.

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