I am Unohana, Retsu!

Shunsui Kyōraku leaped high into the air once again.

However, when he leaped high into the air, he found that Kenpachi Zaraki higher and had already launched an attack, slashing down from above.

Shazo recognized it at a glance; it was the legendary "Splitting Mount Hua" technique. The blade's momentum was like a collapsing mountain, as if it were about to split Shunsui Kyōraku in two.

But Shunsui Kyōraku did not panic, nor did he make any attempt to salvage the situation. Instead, he crossed his twin swords and blocked upwards, launching a full-scale counterattack.

At the same time, he carefully examined Kenpachi Zaraki's attire and said helplessly, "Sigh, it can only be black!"

[Irooni]

Kenpachi Zaraki saw Shunsui Kyōraku's unusual preparations, he didn't feel angry at being slighted, but rather a bad feeling welled up inside him.

But he had exhausted his strength and had no chance to turn back, so he could only strike with even greater force.

Clang!!!

The serrated blade clashed violently with the twin swords, and an overwhelming force surged from the Blade, Kenpachi Zaraki's longsword to be thrown back into the air, almost flying out of his hand.

Kenpachi Zaraki's power was actually suppressed, which means that Shunsui Kyōraku unleashed his full power the moment they made contact.

At this moment, Kenpachi's hands were jolted high into the air, seemingly losing all defensive capabilities, leaving him only able to face Shunsui Kyōraku's next twin-sword attack with his chest.

But that's not the case.

Kenpachi's longsword was only knocked away by the explosive force; his power did not dissipate. Once the shockwave subsided, he could bring down his sword again with great force.

Although Shunsui Kyōraku's twin swords were close to Kenpachi's chest, the power in his swords had been exhausted, making it impossible for him to break through Kenpachi's Spiritual Pressure.

To everyone's surprise, after Shunsui Kyōraku's twin swords deflected Kenpachi's longsword, they actually thrust forward and lightly slashed at Kenpachi Zaraki's legs.

The powerless scimitar unexpectedly tore through the Spiritual Pressure and penetrated half a foot deep into the thigh.

If Kenpachi Zaraki hadn't had such tough bones, both of his thighs would definitely have been severed.

Kenpachi Zaraki frowned deeply. He felt that his legs hadn't broken because his bones were strong, but because Kyōraku's twin swords had suddenly weakened.

But as long as his bones weren't broken, he didn't care how many cuts he received. Enveloped in spiritual energy, injuries to his muscles and blood vessels weren't fatal, and wouldn't even affect his mobility.

Kenpachi Zaraki frowned because he was confused by Shunsui Kyōraku's abilities.

Why didn't I receive a power boost when I cut down from above?

How could those seemingly invincible twin swords break through my defenses and nearly sever my thigh?

Shunsui Kyōraku chuckled, "That was [Irooni], not [Takaoni]."

Kenpachi Zaraki asked in confusion, "You can change the rules of the game during a battle?"

Of course not!

"Sorry! I forgot to tell you earlier, Katen Kyokotsu has two swords, each guiding a rule."

"[The Takaoni] is a set of free rules, but the more complex the rules are, the more likely problems will arise."

"[The Irooni] can only establish an advantage through color. The first color I summon when using [The Irooni] is the dominant color for the entire battle."

"The so-called advantageous color refers to the color area on both sides. If you cut into the corresponding color area, the power of the cut will be amplified."

However, attacks that hit areas of other colors will be nullified and will not cause any damage.

"Furthermore, the larger the area of the dominant color, the stronger the slash; the smaller the area of the dominant color, the weaker the slash."

Kenpachi Zaraki deeply. "There are actually two rules? Then why didn't I receive a power boost when I was at a higher position?"

"Does this so-called increase only apply to you? Didn't you say your rules were fair?"

Shunsui Kyōraku's face revealed a cunning smile, his expression so infuriating. "Katen Kyokotsu is absolutely fair; the rules set in a battle cannot be changed until a winner is decided."

"But as the master of Katen Kyokotsu, I can decide which of the two different rules takes effect."

Kenpachi Zaraki was so angry he was practically steaming. He gritted his teeth and growled, "Ha! A fair game!"

"Pah! You're just being shameless! You're shameless!"

Kenpachi Zaraki uttered those two curses, because Shunsui Kyōraku actually showed a surprised expression, as if being cursed by Kenpachi Zaraki made him happy instead.

That scoundrel is truly invincible!

The Death God from the sidelines were even more speechless than Kenpachi. Not only did the person participating in the game set the rules, but he also doubled as the game referee. Katen Kyokotsu's ability was just too shameless.

But Kenpachi Zaraki suddenly burst into laughter. "Hehehe, hahahaha!"

"What rules, what game? In the end, it's just that I'm too weak, that's why you're limiting me."

"I! Kenpachi Zaraki only believe in the sword in my hand, the hand that grips it tightly, and— Spiritual Pressure!"

The soaring Spiritual Pressure grew even more violent, Kenpachi Zaraki jingled incessantly. He grinned maliciously and declared, "I don't believe there are enemies I can't kill, and I don't believe there are rules that powerful Spiritual Pressure can't overcome!"

"If there is, it means my Spiritual Pressure isn't strong enough!"

boom-

The golden Spiritual Pressure grew increasingly powerful, exceeding even the minimum limit that the captain's Bankai could achieve.

Shunsui Kyōraku stared in disbelief at Kenpachi Zaraki, already feeling the trembling of his twin swords.

The rules they set have been destroyed by Spiritual Pressure!

Shunsui Kyōraku rolled his eyes. "Hey, that's not fair! How can you cheat like that?"

"You haven't even Shikai yet, but you're already comparable to my Bankai? You're forcing me to release it myself. Do you think I don't know that releasing it myself is illegal?"

"If I dared to Bankai, that old man would definitely kill me!"

"So----"

Shunsui Kyōraku brought his two swords together, suddenly released his Shikai state, and then sheathed his Asauchi sword back into his waistband.

He said in a sly grin, "Kenpachi, I surrender! Kill me or do whatever you want!"

"If you still want to fight, go find someone else!"

After saying that, he sat down on the spot.

Shunsui Kyōraku even lay down at an angle, propping his head up with his right hand, closing his eyes, and adopting a posture of lying down to take a beating.

Kenpachi Zaraki can do whatever he wants; he's not fighting anymore.

Even if Kenpachi Zaraki is a sword fanatic, he'd be at a loss when faced with this kind of scoundrel. He can't just actually kill him, can he?

Suddenly, Retsu Unohana was at the back of the crowd, let out a soft "Ah."

Shazo asked, "The Captain-Commander is here?"

Retsu Unohana nodded. "Yes, I can't hide anymore, or the old man will nag me for ages."

Shazo: "Oh, then I won't go out."

As Retsu Unohana parted the crowd of Death God and calmly entered the battlefield to begin treating Kenpachi Zaraki, the battle was completely over.

Yachiru and Jūshirō Ukitake didn't actually fight.

Jūshirō Ukitake made several moves, but Yachiru predicted all of his subsequent moves and easily countered them all.

After that, he dared not make a move, because if he couldn't Yachiru in terms of skill, he could only rely on brute force.

However, Jūshirō Ukitake was well aware of his situation. Because of that evil thing inside him, his power could go berserk at any moment, and Vice-Captain Yachiru would be in mortal danger.

Therefore, Jūshirō Ukitake cannot win through skill, then he is completely unable to engage in combat.

When Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, the Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13, arrived at the scene with overwhelming rage, all the Death God fell silent.

On the vast battlefield, you could hear a pin drop.

"Teacher, you came in person! You've gone to so much trouble!"

Shunsui Kyōraku, who had been lying on the ground pretending to be dead, had somehow appeared beside the Captain-Commander.

His hands rubbed together like flies, he kept nodding and bowing, sighing and complaining that he hadn't fulfilled his duties as team leader and that he had troubled the teacher to come to the scene in person.

Then a barrage of flattery followed, with phrases like "still vigorous in old age" and "still strong and capable despite old age"—all presented in sets of flattery.

All the Death God around were stunned.

Especially Tōshirō Hitsugaya, who stared intently, his mind racing with memories—these were the keys to his future career.

Captain-Commander Yamamoto, without batting an eye, smiled and enjoyed Shunsui Kyōraku's flattery.

However, today's occasion was not suitable for such indulgence, Captain-Commander raised his hand to stop his disciple's flattery after only listening to two sentences.

He glanced at Retsu Unohana and said in a deep voice, "The Ryoka have invaded, and the Soul Society is in chaos. Why didn't Captain Unohana take action to stop them?"

Retsu Unohana smiled and replied, "Captain-Commander, I am the Fourth Division Captain, and I am not responsible for combat."

Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, "Unohana— "

The gentle older sister said directly, "Captain-Commander Yamamoto, I am Unohana, Retsu!"

The Captain-Commander stared at her for a full three seconds, and finally just sighed.

Then he turned to look at the eager Kenpachi Zaraki, the indifferent Yachiru, the coughing Jūshirō Ukitake, and the obsequious Shunsui Kyōraku.

The Captain-Commander grew angrier the more he looked, and the veins on his forehead began to bulge.

He slammed his cane down heavily, then roared, "Except for one who was rescued, all the Ryoka have been captured."

"All Death God, return to your respective squads and await further instructions. I will report this matter truthfully, and the Central 46 will decide on the appropriate punishment."

Retsu Unohana pointed to Kenpachi sitting on the ground and asked, "Captain Zaraki's legs are severely injured, and his wounds are also very serious. Should he go to the Fourth Division for treatment?"

Captain-Commander Yamamoto gripped his cane tightly and said angrily, "Captain Unohana, take him to the Fourth Division and heal him as quickly as possible!"

Retsu Unohana lowered her head. "As you wish."

Several hours later, Kenpachi Zaraki completed all his treatments and was taken to the Fourth Division's rest room to await the full effects of the treatment.

Not far from his hospital room, the four Ryoka who had invaded the Soul Society were imprisoned: Yasutora Sado, Uryū Ishida, Ganju Shiba, and Orihime Inoue.

It wasn't that the other divisions didn't have the Jail, but rather that everyone except Orihime Inoue was seriously injured and could only be sent to the Fourth Division for treatment and imprisonment.

Although Orihime Inoue was not injured, she was brought in along for centralized management.

--

The Death God of the Fourth Division are used to saving lives, and they have completely blurred the lines between men and women, locking a beautiful young girl and three grown men together without any hesitation.

Perhaps it was because these three men were all seriously injured and needed a caring girl to take care of them.

During this invasion by the Ryoka, none of the Death God of the Soul Society died, but quite a few Death God. The Fourth Division was short-handed at the moment and had no time to take care of the Ryoka.

It's already a great favor that they can take care of each other.

Moreover, a major event occurred in the Soul Society that was even more serious than the invasion of the Phantom Ryoka, shaking the entire Soul Society.

Sōsuke Aizen, the Fifth Division Captain and deeply loved by his subordinates, was murdered, and his body is still hanging on the Main Gate of the Fifth Division.

The captain representing the Soul Society's highest fighting force was killed, and no one noticed the battle taking place; Captain Aizen was killed silently.

This suggests that either his closest confidant assassinated him, or a monster so powerful that even the captain couldn't contend with it secretly infiltrated Seireitei.

The Death God were filled with fear and rumors, making them even less able to attend to the four Ryoka.

Fortunately, the Ryoka are now all souls, and in the spiritually rich environment of the Soul Society, they only need to breathe to survive; otherwise, they would have starved and died of thirst in their cells.

With no one to interrogate them, the four Ryoka had nothing to do but listlessly chat about pointless topics.

Uryū Ishida was the most stubborn, which is why he was the most seriously injured and only recently woke up.

After learning the basic situation from his companions' conversation, he asked, "Why is Death God ignoring us?"

"And even if they don't interrogate us, they shouldn't completely ignore us."

Yasutora Sado replied, "It's said that one of the captains of the Gotei 13 was assassinated, and there's still no clue who the killer is, so nobody cares about us."

Uryū Ishida nodded noncommittally. "So it turns out we've become unimportant, and they only spared our lives temporarily because they had to deal with us."

He then asked, "You were locked up before me, so how did you know about this?"

Orihime Inoue scratched her head sheepishly, "Um, I... I found out from the Death God who was guarding the place."

Uryū Ishida exclaimed in amazement, "Inoue- kun, your intelligence gathering skills are amazing!"

Orihime Inoue blushed at the praise, "It's not that amazing. I saw them rushing away, so I quickly asked them, and they told me everything. Maybe they were scared because their captain was killed—"

Uryū Ishida nodded. "Maybe, but you're still great!"

"If we were to ask, we might not get an answer, but rather punishment."

19

Yasutora Sado and Ganju Shiba nodded in unison, strongly agreeing with Uryū Ishida's words.

Yasutora Sado is not good with words, but Ganju Shiba is a big thug in Rukongai, quick-witted and shameless.

Before Orihime Inoue was brought here, Ganju Shiba tried to get close to the guards, but ended up getting a good beating from them.