A Life Owed to You

"You deserve to die, Hollow!"

Shadow vanished in a flash, then reappeared behind the Adjuchas an instant later and threw a punch.

Monster Strength Fist!!!

Boom!

Before it could react, the Adjuchas was sent flying and crashed into the ground, blasting out a huge crater.

"Argh..."

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

Its mouth opened, and countless dark crimson particles rapidly gathered within it. A terrifying aura immediately leaked out.

"That's what I should be saying!"

His cold voice carried a chilling edge as Shadow placed a hand on the hilt at his waist. A grim, murderous aura burst from his body.

"Cero!"

"Swordsmanship! Drawn-Sword Slash!"

His draw slash appeared once more. A lightning-like streak cut through the endless void as the surrounding airflow and Reishi converged entirely upon the blade. It was as though this strike had absorbed the essence of the world itself, and a pitch-black blade light suddenly swept forth.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The Cero, split in half by the blade light, struck the ground on both sides with enormous explosions.

Meanwhile, the black blade light continued shooting forward without losing any speed.

"Argh..."

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

"S-So amazing!"

The moment Kaien Shiba opened his eyes, he saw that scene and was left staring in shock.

"Of course! Shadow is really strong!"

Yoruichi Shihōin watched without blinking. Hearing his voice, she answered proudly, then suddenly realized something and turned around in surprise. "Kaien, you're awake!"

"..." Kaien Shiba was speechless.

At the same time, the entire Gotei 13 sensed that Reiatsu filled with chilling killing intent. The captains immediately put aside what they were doing and rushed toward the source of the Reiatsu in Rukongai.

It was not merely curiosity. They had all recognized it as the Reiatsu that had flashed by several days ago, one that had nearly reached Captain-class.

Only Shihōin Shanqing's expression changed. He knew that 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 of his arms cut off, the Adjuchas went berserk. Light flashed across its body, and another arm actually regrew from the severed limb.

"That's... High-Speed Regeneration!" Kaien Shiba looked astonished as he turned to Yoruichi Shihōin. "Yoruichi..."

"It's fine!" Yoruichi Shihōin shook her head and said firmly, "There won't be a problem. Father said Shadow is Captain-class. He'll definitely be fine!"

"Captain-class..."

"High-Speed Regeneration?"

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

The black blade drew back and traced an arc. Shadow, heaven, earth, and sword seemed to merge completely as one, with no distinction between man and nature. The black blade light swept out with overwhelming force.

One slash shattered all things, unstoppable—the Fang Path.

"What?!"

The Adjuchas was horrified. It realized that it had no way to evade this powerful attack. Gritting its teeth, it decided that rather than standing there and waiting to die, it might as well gamble.

"Cero!"

Boom!

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

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Figures appeared one after another as the captains of the Gotei 13 finally arrived.

"Yoruichi, are you all right?!"

Shihōin Shanqing did not care about anything else. His first thought was of 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 seriously injured!"

"Let me take a look."

The captain of the Fourth Division, Retsu Unohana, smiled gently, took Kaien Shiba from her, 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 dusty and had not suffered any real injuries, Shihōin Shanqing quietly let out a breath of relief.

With a whoosh, Shadow appeared in front of Yoruichi Shihōin, dropped heavily to his knees, and gritted his teeth. "My deepest apologies, Lady Yoruichi, I..."

"Idiot!"

Yoruichi Shihōin froze for a moment, then cut off what Shadow had yet to say. Her clear voice carried a hint of helplessness. "Where do you get so many apologies 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 one who acted rashly. 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 were absolutely amazing!"

"Yes, Lady Yoruichi."

Shadow answered, but then silently walked over to Kaien Shiba, who was receiving treatment, and said coldly, "You saved Lady Yoruichi, so I owe you a life. I will repay you!"

"Shadow!" Yoruichi Shihōin looked stunned.

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

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

She gently removed her clothes, revealing a body as smooth and tender as a peeled egg, as beautiful as a flower bud. It was alluring, yet still carried the freshness of youth.

It was easy to imagine how captivating she would become once she grew up.

Outside the door, Shadow still sat on the steps with a cold expression, his head slightly lowered as he lost himself in thought.

Within the mist-filled bathwater, Yoruichi Shihōin submerged herself, leaving only her small purple head above the surface. As she gazed at the hazy steam, ripples spread across the water.

Suddenly, as though she had thought of something, her amber-like eyes rolled around, filled with mischief.

"Ah..."

"Lady Yoruichi!"

That high-pitched cry startled Shadow. Before he could think any further, he spun around and smashed open the door.

"Lady Yoruichi, you... Pfft!"

Before him, amid the swirling mist, Yoruichi Shihōin stood in the bathwater without a stitch of clothing, grinning. Though she was still young and not fully grown, the sight carried an indescribable charm—a perfect blend of innocence and sweetness.

A nosebleed instantly ran down Shadow's face. His face turned bright red as he hurriedly spun around and ran out, slamming the door shut with a bang.

"Hahaha..."

Her plan had succeeded. Delighted to see Shadow, who always wore such a cold expression, blush so fiercely, Yoruichi Shihōin clutched her stomach and collapsed by the bath, laughing so hard that tears gathered at the corners of her eyes.

Listening to the laughter coming from behind the door, Shadow's face alternated between green and white. He touched his nose, sighed helplessly, and was left utterly speechless.

"Lady Yoruichi is even more tormenting than Lady Anko!"