Chapter 282

"Haruto- sensei!"

Suddenly, Gyōkaku Kumoi, who was standing in the queue, stepped forward.

"My father truly doesn't know anything about the Bakkōtō' you just mentioned. Could it be that someone is jealous of his power and trying to frame him?"

"I--"

Before Gyōkaku Kumoi could finish speaking...

"Go back to your position."

"Haruto..."

"You used to be so smart, how come you've become so stupid and dumb now?"

Haruto rebuked him without any politeness.

"Not going to tell?"

Haruto turned his gaze back to Kumoi Gyokaku.

"Send a message to tell them to destroy the evidence immediately?"

"!"

Kumoi Gyokaku outwardly calm, but his hands, hidden in his sleeves, were actually trembling.

"Do you still think I won't dare to make an example of you?"

"You should know that the 'extraterritorial rights' granted to higher-ranking nobles by the Central 46 only apply to the Gotei 13, and do not give them the right to stop me from disciplining my retainers."

"!!"

"Since you're so stubborn—"

"Hanza!"

Kumoi Gyokaku finally couldn't help but shout out loud!

"Whoosh!"

At the same time as the sound of Shunpo rang out.

"Call out."

The black-clad man wielding a longsword that gleamed like a mirror was firmly bound in mid-air by a pitch-black cloth bag that shot out from the void.

"Third-Class Reii."

Haruto looked at the man in black who was Shiryū.

"The Captain-level strength of the upper-class nobles actually relies on the assassins they 'nurture'."

Haruto frowned in disdain.

"As a retainer of the Shihoin Clan..."

"You're all utterly shameful."

"Puff."

"Ah!!"

Rurichiyo screamed in fright.

This extraordinary scene was completely beyond Kumoi Gyokaku's comprehension.

As the leader of his assassination squad, Hanza Nukui's Bakkōtō, while not as powerful as Shusuke Amagai's, can still be considered a semi-complete weapon. With its strong multi-functional abilities, it can hold its own against multiple Captain-level in a head-on confrontation.

Otherwise, Kumoi Gyokaku would not have taken such a risk.

However.

Hanza Nukui, whom Kumoi considered so reliable, was actually wrung out of blood by a few pieces of unknown black cloth...

"Whoosh."

At the same time.

"Found it?"

"Yes, it's been resolved."

The newcomer's attire had absolutely nothing to do with Stealth Force, but she was indeed the most reliable member of the Patrol Corps at present.

Naa Ichihara.

That's right.

Haruto didn't come to the Kasumioji Clan alone.

The reason for appearing so openly at the Kasumioji Clan was simply to draw the attention of Kumoi Gyokaku to himself, preventing them from destroying or transferring evidence, so that Naa Ichihara- handed when she took action.

"You brought people in?"

Now it was Haruto's turn to be a little surprised.

The armory Kasumioji Clan hides the Bakkōtō uses the Kidō barrier bestowed by the king—it sounds mysterious, but it's actually a method from the Soul King Palace, or more accurately, "Ura Bakudō".

The reason they possessed this background is that before the Zanpakuto, the Kasumioji Clan were blacksmiths who forged weapons for the higher powers.

Pity.

Have you forgotten where my ancestors came from?

Naa Ichihara her folding fan, subtly concealing her smiling face below the tip of her nose.

"... It seems so."

"I'm leaving this to you."

Haruto handed the eyeball in his hand to Naa Ichihara.

"Arrest a few?"

Naa Ichihara didn't show any disgust, which suggests she'd seen plenty of mass-produced versions of this thing at the armory.

"You already have the list, right? After you've arrested them, send them to the Captain-Commander."

What about that one?

Naa Ichihara glanced at Gyōkaku Kumoi in the crowd.

Madness?

Those qualities were lost along with reckless impulses and impulsiveness when Gyōkaku Kumoi graduated from the Central Spiritual Arts Academy.

His impulsive actions stemmed from Kumoi Gyokaku's instructions... This little trick couldn't possibly escape Haruto's notice; although Gyōkaku Kumoi might genuinely not know what his father had done, he certainly completed the performance he was supposed to.

"He's a smart man now."

Haruto did not go to see Gyōkaku Kumoi.

"Rurichiyo Kasumioji might not be able to handle it."

"The Shihoin Clan doesn't need such useless retainers."

Who will ultimately rule the Kasumioji Clan is not something Haruto needs to worry about... Golden Seal Noble Assembly, where it's uncertain how many will survive, that needs to concern itself with bloodlines.

"So extravagant?"

"It was hard to say before, but the situation in Seireitei from now on... is about to change drastically."

Outside the main entrance of the Kasumioji Clan.

"So slow?"

Byakuya seemed to have been waiting for quite some time.

"It's rare for you to say that to me."

Haruto rolled his eyes at Byakuya.

"Are there many Kasumioji Clan?"

"I don't have the habit of killing all my retainers... I'll leave it to the 'official' authorities to handle."

"Aren't the officials still your people?"

Byakuya made a timely sarcastic remark.

"Never mind me, how's the Fushizuku Clan doing?"

"They've all been killed."

"... ah?"

Volume 1: Chapter 168, A murderous intent as beautiful as love begins to sprout.

This is not like Byakuya's style.

"They struck first, and very few people remained at the Fushizuku Clan."

Byakuya explained.

"It seems the mastermind is over there."

"Should we go home first?"

The Fushizuku Clan are, after all, retainers of the Tsunayashiro Clan. If they have any ulterior motives, they might take action against the Kuchiki Clan.

"Need not."

Haruto glanced at the distant firelight.

In his perception, a graceful black cat, as swift as lightning, rushed towards the courtyard of the Kuchiki Clan.

Yoruichi has passed.

"... That's all."

Although Byakuya found Yoruichi annoying, he never doubted her abilities.

"Let's go straight to --"

"Boom!!"

Haruto's words have not yet finished.

Then they saw a magnificent pillar of fire shooting straight into the sky in the direction of the First Division.

"Something happened to the Captain-Commander?"

Byakuya's voice was filled with shock—even in the face of the biggest commotion, no one ever thought that the Captain-Commander, who was sitting firmly on the sidelines, would be in trouble.

"Let's go find Kōga."

Aren't you going to help out in the First Division?

Haruto's way of thinking is always different from that of ordinary people.

"Do you think the Seireitei has any enemies that the Captain-Commander can't handle?"

"Too."

Haruto's words also meant: If even the Captain-Commander can't handle an enemy, then the two of them going there would be a waste of time.

Certainly.

The Captain-Commander is, after all, a pure Soul Reaper.

If the opponent has a way to seal the Soul Reaper's abilities, then the fight will indeed be much more troublesome.

But...

You can tell just by looking at the flames rising from the First Division.

That must have been the effect of Shusuke Amagai's Zanpakuto, Raika.

Shusuke Amagai isn't weak; with his Zanpakuto... and the Bakkōtō, he could barely handle a second-tier opponent.

But to fight Captain-Commander Yamamoto, who stands at the peak of the First-Class Reii...