In Soul Society, All I Want Is to Coast Until Retirement

Chōjirō Sasakibe and Hachisato froze at the same time. What were they missing?

"A means of transportation! Are you really planning to cross the entirety of Hueco Mundo on foot? That's way too unrealistic, isn't it?" Yamabuki Chidori smiled. "Don't you think this giant lizard would make a perfect ride?"

Wasn't using a Hollow as transportation a little too dangerous? After all, it had taken both of them working together just to subdue this Menos Grande.

Yamabuki Chidori walked over and viciously kicked the lizard Menos Grande. It had already been unconscious, but his kick woke it right back up.

The lizard Menos Grande's instinctive reaction upon waking was to open its jaws and bite Yamabuki Chidori. Instead, Yamabuki Chidori slapped it flying. Its massive body spun more than ten times in midair before crashing into the sand. Chōjirō Sasakibe's jaw dropped. The Hollow he and Hachisato had struggled so hard to subdue had been sent flying by Brother Yamabuki with a single slap. That was terrifying!

Most Hollows had no intelligence and acted on biological instinct. If they could win, they fought. If they could not, they ran. If they were hungry, they ate.

Seeing that it could not beat Yamabuki Chidori, the lizard Menos Grande turned and ran. But Yamabuki Chidori grabbed its tail hard. I can't beat all those Captains, but I can't beat you?

After a thorough beating, the lizard Menos Grande was quickly tamed by Yamabuki Chidori.

Yamabuki Chidori sat atop the lizard Menos Grande's head with his two lackeys, taking in the scenery around them in utter comfort.

He punched the left side of the lizard Menos Grande's head, and it obediently turned left. He punched the right side, and it turned right.

Two punches in the middle meant stop. One punch meant move forward. A continuous barrage of punches meant run faster!

"Decided. Your name is Lizard Maru. Whenever I come to Hueco Mundo in the future, you'd better come the moment I call. Understand?" Yamabuki Chidori sat cross-legged like a wealthy old landlord, pointing grandly at the world.

Lizard Maru was on the verge of tears. How did my carefree life just vanish with one smack? If I'd known, I never would've been greedy for that bite to eat!

Still, Lizard Maru moved incredibly fast, leaving everything else in the dust. Chōjirō Sasakibe felt like he had not come to conquer Hueco Mundo at all. He had practically come sightseeing. This was far too relaxing! Sure enough, following Brother Yamabuki could never be wrong.

"But after running for so long, why haven't we seen anyone stronger? Going back like this would be too boring!" Yamabuki Chidori recklessly raised a death flag.

"Brother Yamabuki, I didn't expect Hueco Mundo to be nowhere near as terrifying as the legends say!" Chōjirō Sasakibe said excitedly.

"No, it isn't that Hueco Mundo isn't dangerous. It's that I'm too strong. The Hollows nearby probably sensed my powerful Reiatsu and fled in panic." Yamabuki Chidori had a very healthy attitude toward himself.

Suddenly, Lizard Maru slammed on the brakes in front of a slope, nearly throwing the three people off its head!

Yamabuki Chidori angrily punched Lizard Maru hard on the head. "I didn't tell you to stop, so why did you stop? Looking for a beating?"

Lizard Maru looked pitifully at Yamabuki Chidori, indicating that this was not its fault. Look at what was happening ahead!

Yamabuki Chidori used Flash Step to reach the top of the dune and looked down. He immediately sucked in a cold breath. Below, two groups of bizarre-looking Hollows were confronting each other, each group numbering over a thousand.

Yamabuki Chidori quickly pulled his head back. Every one of those Hollows radiated extremely powerful Reiatsu. The weakest among them were Menos Grande, while there were also quite a few Greater Hollows and even several Adjuchas mixed in.

Yamabuki Chidori finally understood why they had not encountered any Hollows after traveling so far. All the powerful Hollows in the area had gathered here.

Chōjirō Sasakibe cautiously leaned over as well. "Brother Yamabuki, why are there so many Hollows down there? What are they doing?"

Yamabuki Chidori whispered, "Probably playing Landlord?"

"Landlord?"

"Or mahjong! It can't be that they gathered here for a meeting." Yamabuki Chidori lowered his voice. "Don't alert them. Back away carefully."

Even if Yamabuki Chidori was hailed as the strongest Lieutenant in history, there was no way he could face so many Hollows at once, especially with so many Adjuchas among them.

He did not need many. Two Adjuchas would be enough to give him hell.

But before Yamabuki Chidori could retreat, the two groups of Hollows began slaughtering each other. The Hollows on both sides charged forward like madmen. The front ranks smashed into each other and were crushed to pieces, their flesh trampled into mush by the companions rushing up behind them. Then came the grand clash of Hollows.

Low-level Hollows fought with claws and teeth, while high-level Hollows fired Ceros directly. There were Ceros of every color, making it look like a rave.

Except this rave was deadly.

"Brother Yamabuki, why are they fighting?" Chōjirō Sasakibe asked everything like a curious child.

"How would I know? Run!" Yamabuki Chidori grabbed Chōjirō Sasakibe and raced back to Lizard Maru's head, preparing to have Lizard Maru carry them away.

Just then, a stray Cero landed right on the sand dune. The entire dune exploded, sending dust and sand everywhere.

"Hm? Why are there people over there? Are they your hidden reinforcements?" a talking Adjuchas demanded.

"Are your eyes blind? Those are clearly humans! How could they be our reinforcements?" an enemy Adjuchas shouted.

"Why would humans appear here?"

"You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask?"

"Everyone, stop fighting! Outsiders have snuck in! Kill these humans first, then we can continue!"

In an instant, the remaining thousand-plus elite Hollows all focused their gazes on Yamabuki Chidori.

No matter how skilled and bold Yamabuki Chidori was, his scalp went numb at that moment. He could only force out an extremely strained smile. "Hello, everyone! We're just passing through. We don't know anything. See you around. Go, go!"

Yamabuki Chidori punched Lizard Maru hard twice.

Suddenly, a Menos Grande shouted, "He's not human! Look at the Zanpakuto in his hand. He's a Shinigami, our mortal enemy! He's here to kill us!"

Brother, will it kill you to say one less sentence?

Yamabuki Chidori wanted nothing more than to rush over and kill it right now.

"A Shinigami!" Several Adjuchas cast hostile looks his way. "I heard Shinigami are a great tonic. None of you better fight me for them. These three Shinigami are mine!"

"In your dreams! Everyone relies on their own strength! Charge!!!"

In an instant, over a thousand Hollows surged forward like a tidal wave.

No More Pretending, I'm the Legendary Mobile Turret

Over a thousand Hollows came flooding in, creating a truly spectacular sight. Chōjirō Sasakibe was about to draw his blade and fight, but Yamabuki Chidori grabbed him by the back of the neck and ran for his life!

Fight my ass!

Even the two of you together might not be able to defeat the weakest one among these thousand Hollows.

"Lizard Maru, life, death, wealth, and glory all come down to today! Run! Start your little engine! Run for your life!" Yamabuki Chidori shouted.

Lizard Maru seemed to understand Yamabuki Chidori's words. It turned around and began running desperately. However, it was not the fastest runner. Quite a few of these Menos Grande could fly directly through the air, diving toward the three Shinigami below!

"A Menos Grande dares show off in front of me? Six Rods Prison of Light!" Yamabuki Chidori lightly waved his hand, and six blades of light pinned the Menos Grande in the sky.

But just as he pinned down one, several more swooped down!

"You two keep running. Don't worry about me," Yamabuki Chidori shouted. Then he turned, drew his sword, and used Flash Blossom to stab a Hollow straight through the heart.

"Hadō #63: Roaring Cannon!"

With a light tap of his fingertip, golden flashes swallowed several Hollows in the sky.

The Adjuchas did not make a move. They merely watched the battle from the sidelines.

"Looks like that Shinigami has some skill!"

"That's better. If we eat someone strong, we'll gain even more Reiatsu!"

In the distance, a row of Greater Hollows opened their mouths and gathered Ceros.

Then dozens of Ceros fired at once.

"Bakudo #81: Splitting Void!"

The Ceros of ordinary Greater Hollows were limited in power. Even dozens fired simultaneously could not break through his Splitting Void.

Instead, they kicked up massive clouds of dust across the sand, creating an opportunity for Yamabuki Chidori to escape.

"There's an opening!" A winged Menos Grande launched a sneak attack from behind Yamabuki Chidori. But before its claws could touch him, a Spirit Arrow over half a meter wide descended from the sky and blasted the Menos Grande into scraps.

As the dust settled, Yamabuki Chidori stood alone in the desert, a sword in one hand and Kidō prepared in the other. Above his head floated five enormous Spirit Bows arranged in the shape of a pentagram.

"No more pretending! I'm coming clean!" Yamabuki Chidori moved his left hand, and the five Spirit Bows in midair fired at once. He discovered that controlling spirit particles also consumed Reiatsu, though only in very small amounts. And his Reiatsu far surpassed that Martin fellow's. Those five things in the sky were not Spirit Bows at all. They were practically laser cannons!

They unleashed indiscriminate bombardment upon the densely packed Hollows!

Hollows struck by the Spirit Bows lost any chance at reincarnation and were completely erased. Meanwhile, Yamabuki Chidori grew increasingly adept at controlling spirit particles.

"That doesn't seem to be a Shinigami ability!" an Adjuchas said.

"No idea! But these trash probably aren't his match!"

Yamabuki Chidori realized that the Adjuchas had not attacked directly. They were using their Menos Grande subordinates to wear down his Reiatsu.

"Wear me down? You want an attrition battle with me? You're courting death!" Yamabuki Chidori's body began madly absorbing the spirit particles around him to replenish what he had expended. Furthermore, controlling spirit particles barely consumed any Reiatsu to begin with. By that calculation, he was recovering faster than he was spending!

What the hell am I being scared for? Hadō #88: Dragon of Thunder!

Blue-gold light erupted across the desert, blasting a huge number of Hollows to death.

Yamabuki Chidori finally discovered his true talent. He had been wrong to pursue the path of swordsmanship all this time. He was clearly a mage and an archer, yet he insisted on close combat with others. How could he not get beaten senseless?

With all restrictions removed, Yamabuki Chidori had become a mobile turret. At range, he used Spirit Bows and Kidō. If they got close, he killed them with one slash!

For a time, he alone stopped the sea of Hollows dead in its tracks!

"As expected, ordinary trash can't hurt him at all. We should act ourselves!" an Adjuchas with four arms shouted. Space trembled beside him, and the Adjuchas vanished from its spot, appearing behind Yamabuki Chidori.

"Sound Steps!" Yamabuki Chidori's heart jolted.

Sound Steps were the strangest of the three high-speed movement techniques. Flash Step and Hirenkyaku were essentially high-speed movement, but Sound Steps were fundamentally spatial displacement.

To put it more simply, it was the difference between sprinting and blinking.

Yamabuki Chidori spun around instantly as the Adjuchas slammed down with all four arms, each carrying tremendous force. Yamabuki Chidori rapidly retreated while the five Spirit Bows above fired directly. The Adjuchas used Sound Steps again and appeared behind Yamabuki Chidori.

"Shinigami, you're still too slow. The Sound Steps used by us Hollows are far faster than your Flash Step!" As it spoke, it clapped its two massive hands together, catching Yamabuki Chidori in its palms. But it soon realized that something about the sensation was wrong. When it opened its hands, it found that it had only caught a piece of clothing.

At that moment, a blade flashed in from behind it and cleanly severed the two arms on the Adjuchas's left side. Then the Spirit Bows overhead erupted, blowing off its other two arms.

"Hmph! Big words for someone so weak!" Yamabuki Chidori sneered.

I used a tiny trick and put you under my feet, yet you still dared act arrogant and cocky!

But twisted lumps of flesh grew from the Adjuchas's wounds. In just two or three seconds, all four severed arms rapidly regenerated.

"Damn it! I forgot that Greater Hollows before becoming Arrancar have High-Speed Regeneration!" By the time Yamabuki Chidori tried to finish it off, it was too late. The Adjuchas knocked him back directly.

"What exactly are you? What are those things floating in the sky? You shouldn't be a Shinigami!" the Adjuchas asked coldly.

At this time, the other four Adjuchas had already surrounded him.

With Yamabuki Chidori's current strength, he could slaughter an Adjuchas one-on-one with ease. Two at once would put him under pressure, but escaping unscathed would not be a problem. Facing three Adjuchas at once would be dangerous!

Five at once...

Time to run!

"At this point, I can only bring out my trump card! Bakudō #21: Sekienton!"

Yamabuki Chidori pressed his hand against the ground, and vast amounts of red smoke rose around him.

When the smoke dispersed, Yamabuki Chidori was gone.

"Bastard! He ran away! Go after him! That Shinigami can't have gone far!" The five Adjuchas gave orders to their subordinates.

The remaining Hollows quickly scattered in every direction to pursue him.

After all the Hollows had left, a hand suddenly appeared in midair and lightly tore at the air. Yamabuki Chidori's body reappeared.

"Bakudo #26: Light-Bending Light. This thing is practically essential for a sneaky bastard. I really am a clever little genius!" Yamabuki Chidori said cheerfully.

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The Mask... Won't Come Off!

Having finally escaped the Hollows' pursuit, Yamabuki Chidori raced after the direction Chōjirō Sasakibe and the others had gone at top speed.

He had not gone far when he saw Chōjirō Sasakibe and the others surrounded by four Menos Grande. With the combined strength of Chōjirō Sasakibe and Hachisato, fighting four Menos Grande at once was already extremely difficult.

That was only because Yamabuki Chidori had turned into a mobile turret and held back the Hollow tide for so long.

If those Hollows had been allowed to catch up, his two lackeys would have been gnawed down to bone fragments long ago!

"Kidō #62: Hyakurensan!"

A pillar of light appeared in Yamabuki Chidori's hand and flew toward the four Hollows. In an instant, it transformed into dozens of pillars, pinning all four Menos Grande firmly to the ground.

"Brother Yamabuki! You're okay!" Chōjirō Sasakibe said with a happy smile.

"What could possibly happen to me?" Yamabuki Chidori looked smug as he instantly returned to Lizard Maru's head. I told you having a mount was useful. Without Lizard Maru, how could we possibly have run this far on two legs?

But the crisis was not over. Shinigami Reiatsu and Hollow Reiatsu were different. In this vast desert, three Shinigami were like bright lamps in the darkness. Those Hollows would find them sooner or later!

"Contact Soul Society quickly and have them open a Soul Gate at a designated location so we can get back sooner. We've killed so many Hollows already, so that should be enough to report back with," Yamabuki Chidori said.

Before he could finish speaking, their whereabouts had already been exposed. More and more Hollows appeared around them.