Living in Soul Society, Just Want to Coast into Retirement Chapter 34

What Yamabuki Chidori never expected was that they had been exposed from the moment they stepped into Las Noches.

Soul Society.

Yamamoto sipped his tea as he waited for news from Yamabuki Chidori. Before long, the technicians received the signal sent by Hachisato.

"Captain Commander, we've located the Chief Strategist. The Chief Strategist said... said... to open a Soul Gate near Las Noches..."

"Pfft!" Yamamoto sprayed out a mouthful of hot tea. Las Noches? How the hell had he ended up in Las Noches? Yamabuki, you were leading an expeditionary force into Hueco Mundo, not delivering takeout to them.

In truth, Hueco Mundo and Soul Society had never interacted much. Soul Society had absolutely no records on Baraggan. For example, during the Battle of Karakura Town a thousand years later, even Shunsui Kyōraku, an old-school Captain, did not recognize the King of Hueco Mundo.

However, when Yamamoto was young, he had fought an ancient Menos. Back then, Zanpakuto technology had yet to exist. That ancient Menos defeated the young Yamamoto with its powerful body and even fought its way up to the Soul King Palace, swallowing the Soul King whole. In the end, it was the Monk who stepped in, defeated the ancient Menos, erased its name, and bestowed upon it a new one: Ise-Ise-Iseba!

Seriously, Monk, did you even know how to name things? If you didn't, then stop making up names! That was way too damn hard to pronounce!

And Baraggan was a Hollow from the same era as that ancient Menos. His strength was definitely not to be underestimated.

Besides, Hueco Mundo was already filled with danger, and the area around Las Noches was especially perilous. How had that kid wandered all the way over there?

"Captain Commander, it seems the Chief Strategist's situation isn't very good. Should we send a rescue team?" a technician asked.

Yamamoto considered it for a moment before shaking his head. "Do as the kid says. I believe he has his reasons."

The technician could only reply, "Chief Strategist, the Captain Commander has approved opening the Soul Gate near Las Noches. The gate will open in two hours. Please hold on until then."

After fighting all the way here, Yamabuki Chidori could finally catch his breath. He leaned against the wall of Las Noches to rest for a while. Although his Reiatsu recovered quickly, the mental fatigue caused by prolonged, intense combat was much harder to relieve.

With a pack of Hollows outside eyeing him like prey, Yamabuki Chidori closed his eyes to rest. "Wake me if anything happens. I'm taking a nap!"

Chōjirō Sasakibe said bitterly, "Brother Yamabuki, how about we sleep after we get back? How can you possibly sleep here?"

The Hollows bared their fangs and snarled, wishing they could swallow Yamabuki Chidori whole, yet none of them dared step even half a foot into Las Noches.

Yamabuki Chidori ignored Chōjirō Sasakibe and closed his eyes to rest.

Chōjirō Sasakibe gripped his sword tightly, terrified that some monster might emerge from Las Noches. After all, this was the territory of the King of Hueco Mundo.

Less than two minutes after Yamabuki Chidori closed his eyes, the gates of Las Noches suddenly opened without warning.

The Hollows that had been watching the show scattered in terror. Yamabuki Chidori opened one eye and watched the movement beyond the gate.

Two humanoid Hollows emerged from behind the gates. They were not Vastolordes, merely Hollows that happened to resemble humans.

They shouldn't be here for me, right? Yamabuki Chidori thought silently. Chōjirō Sasakibe and Hachisato were so nervous they nearly released their Zanpakuto.

The two humanoid Hollows swaggered over to Yamabuki Chidori and said arrogantly, "Soul Reaper, the King of Hueco Mundo wishes to see you. Come with us immediately."

Yamabuki Chidori frowned. What was going on? How did Baraggan know he was here? And why did he want to see him?

"Not going. Don't disturb my sleep." Yamabuki Chidori refused outright. What a joke. He would be leaving this godforsaken place in two hours. Who wanted to go see a skeleton?

If Nel Tu or Tier Harribel were here, I might consider it.

They may be Hollows, but if I got to cuddle to my heart's content in their arms, I could squeeze out a little time for them. But Baraggan? Heh. Ugly bastard. Get lost.

The two humanoid Hollows raised their voices. "We'll say it again! His Majesty Baraggan, King of Hueco Mundo, wishes to see you! Come with us at once!"

"Chōjirō, can you handle the two of them by yourself?" Yamabuki Chidori rolled over and continued resting with his eyes closed.

Their status in Las Noches was about the same as those two little cleaning ladies by Aizen's side. They acted like following the boss meant meat on the table, but in reality, they were weak as hell.

At least Aizen's two had some looks. But look at these two! Baraggan's taste had to be broken. And besides, what big boss kept male secretaries around him?

Sure enough, Chōjirō Sasakibe put the two self-important Hollows on the ground in less than a minute.

"So weak!" Chōjirō Sasakibe muttered. Were they really from Las Noches? Their strength completely failed to match their status!

"Just you wait! His Majesty will never let you off! Just you wait!" After being thoroughly beaten, the two humanoid Hollows fled without looking back.

King of Despair

"Your Majesty, that brat was unbelievably arrogant! He didn't put you in his eyes at all. He wasn't beating my ass—he was slapping your face!" The two humanoid Hollows wailed as they returned to Baraggan. Seated upon the throne was a massive skeleton radiating ominous Reiatsu. It was none other than Baraggan, the King of Despair.

"You still have the nerve to come back!" With a wave of Baraggan's hand, "guards" immediately dragged the two humanoid Hollows away for execution.

Baraggan gazed upon the empire he had built. What set him apart most from ordinary Hollows was that Baraggan possessed tremendous ambition.

That ambition was not only reflected in his desire for power, but also in his desire for authority. That was rare among Hollows.

In fact, he had discovered Yamabuki Chidori and the others the instant they arrived at Las Noches. But in order to display his authority, he had not gone to meet Yamabuki Chidori personally. Instead, he wanted this Soul Reaper to come pay homage to him and satisfy his vanity. Unfortunately, Yamabuki Chidori did not buy it.

"Hmph! Defying my orders is courting death."

Yamabuki Chidori's disregard had made him lose face. Baraggan decided that once he captured this Soul Reaper, he would humiliate him properly.

He had heard that this Soul Reaper had two companions. He would make them slaughter each other, with only one person allowed to leave alive!

For the King of Hueco Mundo to personally take action, that's already giving you face, isn't it?

Baraggan rose from his throne, followed by a vast crowd of subordinates. He thoroughly enjoyed the sensation of standing above all others.

Meanwhile, Yamabuki Chidori was already preparing to relocate. He might have acted arrogant just now, but he knew perfectly well that if Baraggan was alerted, another bitter battle awaited them.

"Brother Yamabuki, is the King of Hueco Mundo really that strong? Even you have to run?" Chōjirō Sasakibe asked.

"What does a kid like you know? This is called a strategic retreat, understand? In another two hours, victory will belong to us anyway."

It was Chōjirō Sasakibe's first time seeing someone make running away sound so righteous. He could not help admiring Yamabuki Chidori's thick skin.

However, the Reiatsu of Soul Reapers was far too conspicuous in Hueco Mundo, like a beacon in the darkness. Unless the other side was blind, there was no way they could fail to notice it.

The three circled around Las Noches, but before they had gone far, two Menos blocked their path.

"Stop! His Majesty wishes to see you!"

"See my ass!" Yamabuki Chidori drew his sword and thrust it through one Menos's head, then fired a Roaring Cannon with his backhand to finish off the other before continuing to run.

Just as the three were about to continue onward, a decayed and violent Reiatsu descended from the sky. All three stopped at once. Under that Reiatsu, Chōjirō Sasakibe and Hachisato could not even stand properly and nearly fainted. Yamabuki Chidori's expression also turned grave. There was probably only one person in Las Noches capable of such Reiatsu: Baraggan, the King of Despair.

That bastard had actually come personally to capture him!

"Brother Yamabuki, this Reiatsu... it feels horrible!" Chōjirō Sasakibe said with great difficulty.

Yamabuki Chidori said nothing, but cold sweat covered his forehead. Something was wrong! When he had watched the anime before, Aizen had casually swept through Hueco Mundo with two people, without any effort at all.

Why is it so damn hard when it's me?

Suddenly, the decaying Reiatsu grew even more violent. Chōjirō Sasakibe and Hachisato, who only possessed the strength of ordinary seated officers, nearly collapsed to the ground, unable to move.

A crowned skeleton appeared overhead, followed by countless Hollows in all kinds of bizarre shapes. It was practically a gathering of demons and monsters.

This had gotten serious.

Yamabuki Chidori had chosen to temporarily stay near Las Noches because he had gambled that Baraggan would not care about a mere Lieutenant. But he never expected the mighty King of Hueco Mundo to come in person.

Fight? He probably could not win.

Run? In this situation... he probably could not escape either.

"Soul Reaper, why do you not kneel when you see me?" Baraggan sat upon a throne suspended in midair and demanded sternly.

"If I kneel, will you spare our lives?"

"Of course not!" Baraggan looked at Yamabuki Chidori as though he were an insect. This Soul Reaper did have some skill. Ordinary Adjuchas were probably no match for him. But as the pinnacle of all Hueco Mundo, Baraggan had no need to take such strength seriously. What he wanted was to toy with the Soul Reaper before him, and after he had had his fill, slowly torture him to death. That should help pass a little time.

"Then there you have it. You weren't planning to let us go anyway." Yamabuki Chidori smiled helplessly, then drew his sword and pointed it at Baraggan. "Come on. Words are useless. Let's fight!"

Baraggan froze for a moment. Did this brat not know fear? Could he not sense the gap between them? He actually wanted to fight him?

"Hahahahaha!" Baraggan threw back his head and laughed. "You think you're worthy? Any one of my subordinates could easily slaughter all of you."

Yamabuki Chidori ignored the mockery and merely said, "I heard that the position of King of Hueco Mundo can only be claimed through overwhelming strength. How about this? We fight. If I lose, the three of us will naturally remain here with you. But if you lose, why don't you give the throne of King of Hueco Mundo to me?"

"Insolence!!!" Baraggan roared. Someone actually dared covet the authority in his hands!

"In front of all these Hollows, tell me—do you dare accept my challenge? Of course, if you don't dare, pretend I never said anything." Yamabuki Chidori smiled.

Baraggan stared at the brat before him. No matter how he looked at him, he did not seem like a true powerhouse. Besides, if he refused this challenge, it would be far too humiliating.

Against a brat like this, he could end the battle in one second.

"Hehehehe! Fine. Since you insist on courting death, come at me!" Baraggan descended from his throne and landed roughly ten meters in front of Yamabuki Chidori.

He took the bait.

He could leave Hueco Mundo in two hours. Naturally, Baraggan did not know that. As long as he stalled for two hours, he would win.

"I'll try to stall for time. There's something else. In a moment, I may use some strange powers. Pretend you didn't see anything. Once we return to Soul Society, you are not allowed to mention a single word about it. Understood?" Yamabuki Chidori said in a low voice.

Chōjirō Sasakibe wanted to ask something, but Hachisato pressed his head down. "Chief Strategist, we understand. No matter where we are, we won't ask a single question. Just treat us as blind."

As expected of someone who mingled among nobles. She caught on fast.

"Come on, Soul Reaper brat!" Baraggan drew his massive axe, ready to begin the battle.

"Wait!" Yamabuki Chidori said. "Give me twenty minutes to warm up. You wouldn't want people saying you won unfairly, would you? I'm going to do a set of radio calisthenics! One, two, three, four! Two, two, three, four..."

Yamabuki Chidori VS Baraggan: I'm Getting Serious

Baraggan watched Yamabuki Chidori perform a string of bizarre movements, and his brow twitched. If he had brows, that was.

"Brat, are you making a fool of me?" Baraggan raised his massive axe and slashed it toward Yamabuki Chidori. The sharp gale from the swing swept through everything in its path.

Yamabuki Chidori hurriedly used Flash Step to dodge, all while spewing insults. "Baraggan, you trash! You won't even let someone warm up! You're just a little punk! You don't even have a tiny dick, so you can't enjoy the happiness of being a man surrounded by women! You should dye that crown on your head green!"

Red light flashed in Baraggan's eye sockets. Once I catch this brat, I'll tear that mouth right off his face. How can a person be this annoying?

Chōjirō Sasakibe also muttered, "How did I never notice Brother Yamabuki was this punchable before? I want to go up there and smack him too!"

Hachisato: Same.

Though he kept cursing, Yamabuki Chidori's movements did not slow in the slightest. He used Flash Step to appear behind Baraggan and slashed toward his neck.

Baraggan did not even turn his head. He swung his axe backward, and the Zanpakuto collided with the massive weapon. Yamabuki Chidori felt as though he had slammed into a mountain. An irresistible force sent him flying, and he spun twice in the air before barely steadying himself. But when he looked up, he discovered in shock that Baraggan had vanished from before him.

"Brat, where are you looking?" Baraggan's voice suddenly came from behind Yamabuki Chidori. Yamabuki Chidori hurriedly turned, only to see a massive axe cleaving straight at him. There was no time to dodge or use Flash Step. At the critical moment, Yamabuki Chidori's body suddenly vanished, and the sound of space trembling echoed around him.

Baraggan was startled before roaring, "Brat, aren't you a Soul Reaper? Why can you use a Hollow's Sound Steps?"

Having escaped death by a hair, Yamabuki Chidori was drenched in cold sweat. He had actually succeeded. Sound Steps, a Hollow-exclusive movement technique similar to short-range teleportation. He had seen so many Hollows use it that he had long wanted to try it himself. He never thought it would truly work!

"I can do more than use a Hollow's Sound Steps..." Yamabuki Chidori controlled the reishi of Hueco Mundo and condensed it into a massive Spirit Bow. "Holy Spirit Arrow!"

The enormous reishi arrow blasted toward Baraggan like a laser cannon. Though the gap in their strength was immense, Baraggan still felt a powerful threat.

He gripped his axe with both hands and shattered the reishi arrow with a single swing.

"Hm? All show and no substance? It looks frightening, but its power isn't much," Baraggan thought in confusion. But when he looked up, he discovered that five identical Spirit Bows had already formed in the sky.

Fuck!

The five Spirit Bows fired at once, bombarding Baraggan relentlessly. Baraggan swung his massive axe to block the incoming reishi arrows, unable to advance even a single step.

The density of reishi in Hueco Mundo was even greater than in Soul Society. Small creatures could survive simply by breathing. For Yamabuki Chidori, who could control reishi, this was practically perfect. He barely had to worry about consuming Reiatsu at all.

"Are these pathetic tricks all you can do?" Baraggan roared furiously. He had already spent so much time dealing with such a minor character. What would his subordinates think of him afterward? How was he supposed to keep acting like their boss?

"Cero!"

Black Reiatsu carrying an aura of decay gathered in Baraggan's hand. One look told Yamabuki Chidori that he was screwed. It was a black Cero.

Black light tore through the sky, instantly shattering all five Spirit Bows. Yamabuki Chidori also dodged in a miserable scramble with Flash Step.

"Don't think you're the only one who can use Cero!" Yamabuki Chidori gathered a silver-white Cero in his hand and fired it at Baraggan.

Baraggan answered with another Cero of his own.

The two lights collided before Las Noches, and the Reiatsu released by the impact made the nearby Hollows tremble.

However, the essence of Cero was Reiatsu. Yamabuki Chidori's Reiatsu was far below Baraggan's current level, and his silver Cero was quickly overwhelmed by Baraggan's black Cero.

"Brat, your abilities are nothing but appearances! I don't know how you acquired Hollow powers, but I guarantee you won't leave this place alive." Baraggan advanced step by step, while Yamabuki Chidori's expression darkened.

He truly had many tricks, but his lack of Reiatsu was the biggest problem. If he possessed Captain-level Reiatsu, perhaps he could have tangled with Baraggan for a while.

But Lieutenant-level Reiatsu was far too much of a burden when facing the King of Hueco Mundo.

After all, there was only one Marechiyo Ōmaeda in this world.

"What? Have you realized the difference between us? Already despairing so soon?" Baraggan looked at Yamabuki Chidori with utter disdain.