A Life Owed to You

"You deserve to die, Hollow!"

Shadow's figure vanished abruptly, then reappeared behind the Adjuchas in an instant. He threw a punch.

Monster Strength Fist!!!

Boom!

Unable to react in time, the Adjuchas was immediately sent flying. It crashed into the ground, leaving behind a massive crater.

"Argh..."

The Adjuchas roared furiously. "I'll kill you!"

Its mouth opened, and countless dark-red particles rapidly gathered within it. At once, a terrifying aura seeped out.

"That's what I should be saying!"

Shadow's cold voice carried a chilling edge. His hand settled on the hilt at his waist, and a murderous aura burst forth from his body.

"Cero!"

"Swordsmanship! Drawn-Sword Slash!"

His blade flashed from its sheath once more. A lightning-like arc streaked through the endless void as the surrounding currents of air and Reishi converged entirely upon the blade's edge. It was as though this strike had absorbed the essence of the world. A pitch-black blade light swept forth, surging onward.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The Cero, split down the middle by the blade light, struck the ground on both sides with deafening crashes.

Yet the black blade light continued forward without losing any speed.

"Argh..."

With a scream, the Adjuchas only managed to avoid a fatal blow, but the entire right half of its arm was cleanly severed.

"S-So powerful!"

The moment Kaien Shiba opened his eyes, he witnessed that scene and was left utterly dumbfounded.

"Of course! Shadow is really strong!"

Yoruichi Shihōin watched without blinking. Hearing him speak, she answered proudly, only to realize something a moment later. She turned around in surprise. "Kaien, you're awake!"

"..." Kaien Shiba was speechless.

At the same time, the Gotei 13 all sensed that Reiatsu filled with chilling killing intent. The captains immediately set aside what they were doing and rushed toward the direction in Rukongai from which the Reiatsu was emanating.

It was not merely out of curiosity. They had all recognized this Reiatsu as the one that had flashed by several days ago.

Only Shihōin Shanqing's expression changed. He knew that this Reiatsu belonged to Shadow, but Shadow had unleashed such intense killing intent that even he felt alarmed. Had something happened?

"Roar!"

Having had his Cero split apart and one arm severed, the Adjuchas went berserk. A flash of light ran across its body, and another arm actually regrew from the severed limb.

"This is... High-Speed Regeneration!" Kaien Shiba looked shocked as he turned to Yoruichi Shihōin. "Yoruichi..."

"It's fine!" Yoruichi Shihōin shook her head and said firmly, "There's no problem. Father said Shadow is Captain-class. He'll definitely be fine!"

"High-Speed Regeneration?"

Shadow snorted disdainfully. As long as he killed it before it could activate it, or inflicted irreversible death upon it, High-Speed Regeneration would become useless.

The black blade drew back and traced an arc. Shadow's entire being merged completely with heaven, earth, and sword. Man and nature seemed to become one, indistinguishable from each other. The black blade light swept forward with overwhelming force.

One slash broke through all things, unstoppable—the Fang Path.

"What?!"

The Adjuchas was horrified. It discovered that it had no way to evade this overwhelming strike. Gritting its teeth, it decided that rather than stand there and be beaten to death, it might as well take a gamble.

"Cero!"

Boom!

The blade light and Cero collided violently, making the entire earth tremble. Without even making a sound, the Adjuchas was blasted into nothingness by that savage force.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Figures appeared one after another in an instant. The captains of the Gotei 13 had finally arrived.

"Yoruichi, are you all right?!"

Shihōin Shanqing did not care about anything else. The first person he thought of was his daughter, the little princess of the Shihōin family, Yoruichi Shihōin.

"I'm fine, Father!" Yoruichi Shihōin supported Kaien Shiba and said anxiously, "But Kaien is badly hurt!"

"Let me take a look."

The Fourth Division captain, Retsu Unohana, smiled gently. She took Kaien Shiba, laid him on the ground, and began treating him.

"Don't worry. He'll be fine."

Yoruichi Shihōin nodded gratefully. "Thank you so much, Captain Unohana!"

Seeing that Yoruichi Shihōin was merely a little dusty and had suffered no real injury, Shihōin Shanqing finally let out a sigh of relief.

With a whoosh, Shadow appeared before Yoruichi Shihōin and dropped heavily to his knees. Clenching his teeth, he said, "My deepest apologies, Lady Yoruichi. I..."

"Idiot!"

Yoruichi Shihōin froze for a moment, then interrupted Shadow before he could finish. Her clear voice carried a trace of helplessness. "Where do all these apologies come from?"

"Lady Yoruichi!"

Yoruichi Shihōin threw her arms around Shadow's neck and said with a grin, "Shadow, you already did very well. I was the reckless one. If anyone should apologize, it should be me!"

"I should be thanking you for saving me!" Yoruichi Shihōin excitedly rubbed Shadow's head. "You were so cool just now! Shadow, you looked amazing!"

"Yes, Lady Yoruichi."

Shadow replied, but then silently walked over to Kaien Shiba, who was receiving treatment. In a cold voice, he said, "You saved Lady Yoruichi, so I owe you a life. I will repay you!"

"Shadow?" Yoruichi Shihōin looked somewhat stunned.

"You..." Kaien Shiba was also taken aback, completely confused.

By the time they returned to the Shihōin residence, it was already getting late. After dismissing all the servants, Yoruichi Shihōin went to her private bath.

As she gently slipped off her clothes, her body bloomed in the air like a peeled egg—smooth and tender, beautiful as a flower bud, alluring yet brimming with youthful innocence.

It was easy to imagine just how captivating she would become once the child she was now had grown up.

Outside the door, Shadow still sat on the steps with a cold expression, his head slightly lowered. No one knew what he was thinking about, but he seemed deeply absorbed in thought.

Within the mist-filled bathwater, Yoruichi Shihōin soaked herself in the water, leaving only her little purple head exposed. As she watched the hazy steam, ripples spread across the water's surface.

Suddenly, as though she had thought of something, her amber-like eyes spun several times, filled with mischief.

"Ahhh..."

"Lady Yoruichi!"

That high-pitched scream startled Shadow. Before he could think further, he spun around and slammed the door open.

"Lady Yoruichi, you... Pfft!"

Before him, amid the thick mist, Yoruichi Shihōin stood naked in the bathwater with a mischievous smile. Though she was still young and her figure had not yet fully developed, the sight before him carried an indescribable charm—a perfect blend of innocence and seductive sweetness.

A nosebleed immediately streamed down. Shadow's face turned bright red, and he hurriedly turned around and ran out, slamming the door shut behind him.

"Hahaha..."

Her plan had succeeded. Delighted to see Shadow, who always wore such a cold face, blush, Yoruichi Shihōin clutched her stomach and collapsed beside the bath, laughing so hard that tears welled up in the corners of her eyes.

Listening to the laughter from behind the door, Shadow's face alternated between green and pale. He touched his nose, sighed helplessly, and stood there with a dark expression.

"Lady Yoruichi, why are you even more tormenting than Lady Anko?"