Chapter 361

2-in-1 chapter:

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Soi Fon nodded with a complicated expression.

When it came to not acting like a decent human being, Lord Kaelith truly excelled.

“Soi Fon, take Rangiku, Gin, and Yoruichi, and clean out all the nobles on this list.”

While she was still deep in thought, Kaelith handed her a list.

The girl reached out to take it, scanning the long string of names. Her eyes widened in surprise.

“So many? All replaced with artificial souls?”

“No way,” Kaelith shook his head.

He sighed. “Only about a tenth of them are actually problematic.”

“The rest? Just privileged trash I’ve been wanting to deal with for ages, but couldn’t find a good excuse—until now.”

“Since the Reigai incident is such a golden opportunity, might as well take care of them all in one go.”

Soi Fon: “……”

As the Onmitsukidō Forces moved into action, the nobles began to realize that many of their acquaintances had mysteriously vanished.

The idea that so many among them had been infiltrated by Reigai left them both terrified and contemplative.

As expected of Kaelith… Difficult to face as an enemy, but incredibly reassuring when on your side.

Aizen hadn’t been idle, either.

After purging Central 46, he used Kyōka Suigetsu to hypnotize the guards and secure the chamber from outside interference.

Then, operating from the center of power, he began issuing decrees in Central 46’s name.

Many of them were policies that would’ve never passed under normal circumstances.

Now, with the nobles anxious and unable to sleep soundly at night, only a rare few noticed the changes.

And those few? They were the sharpest of foxes—people who could see the tide of power shifting and knew better than to get in the way.

Thus, Seireitei's entire power structure began rapidly evolving.

The Shinigami cheered.

Hunting spies had become a new favorite game. Sure, there were casualties, but they lost more people on routine missions.

Heck, even training sometimes caused serious injuries.

So a few deaths were no big deal.

Their dull daily lives suddenly had new excitement—they were loving it.

The commoners cheered too.

To their surprise, many of the nobles they did business with began offering better deals and more transparency.

When they learned the new rules had come from Central 46, they were deeply moved.

They had always assumed nobles were heartless—who knew there were good ones among them?

Technical personnel also celebrated.

In the past, research proposals had to pass through endless layers of approval. Without a direct connection to Kaelith’s Research Bureau, it could take months.

Now, a decree from Central 46 had formed a special review committee: all proposals had to be addressed within three working days.

Many backlogged projects in the Twelfth Division were now moving forward.

Changes like this were happening all across the Soul Society…

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*Twelfth Division, Kaelith’s Research Bureau Branch, inside a lab.

*

Inaba Kagerōza stood before a giant screen, brows tightly furrowed.

Ever since Kaelith returned, he’d been bracing for a mental chess match—a back-and-forth game of cunning.

But days had passed, and… nothing.

Sure, he was well-hidden—but the Reigai captains he’d deployed weren’t exactly stealthy.

Aside from that first day when they eliminated the fake Kensei Muguruma, Kaelith and his group hadn’t taken any further action!

Even more bizarrely, reports were coming in from everywhere that Reigai were being purged.

He’d double-checked: while some were his, the vast majority had nothing to do with him.

Was Kaelith… insane?

What was he doing—taking credit for other's work?

Was this guy always like this?!

Kagerōza was furious.

He’d overestimated Kaelith.

This man wasn’t a leader. He was a brute with power, who didn’t care about Soul Society at all!

Then he blinked.

Wait… his whole goal was to destroy the Soul Society. To punish the nobles who scorned him. To avenge those who blocked his research.

If Kaelith was a foolish leader, wasn’t that actually… perfect?

He felt conflicted, but after some thought, decided to wait and see.

With that mindset, he turned toward his chair.

Suddenly—a voice behind him:

“Heh… so this is where you’re hiding.”

“Not nearly as secure as I imagined.”

Kagerōza nearly jumped out of his skin.

Whipping around, he saw Kaelith already standing inside the lab, calmly inspecting the equipment.

“Kaelith?!!”

Kagerōza’s voice cracked with panic.

“Yup, the one and only.” Kaelith nodded, pulling out a chair and sitting casually.

“Come on, Kagerōza, take a seat.” He gestured with his chin toward the seat opposite.

Kagerōza: “……”

He wanted to say, “That’s my chair.”

But Kaelith’s eerie appearance had left him speechless. He sat down, almost on reflex.

Kaelith nodded approvingly.

Kagerōza stared blankly.

The lab doors hadn’t even opened. How did this guy get in?

He wasn’t good with words. Ever since joining the Gotei 13, he’d been mocked for failing to awaken his Zanpakutō, leaving him withdrawn and self-conscious.

Even now, as the master of Reigai and a figure of great power, old habits lingered.

Behind screens, he could insult Kaelith without a care.

But face to face with such an overwhelming presence, his composure crumbled.

After a moment’s hesitation, he tried:

“You’re… Captain Kaelith, right?”

“What brings you to the Twelfth Division?”

Kaelith grinned.

“C’mon, I called your name directly. I’m obviously here for you.”

Kagerōza paused for two seconds.

The polite smile vanished from his face, replaced by icy sharpness.

“As expected of you, Captain Kaelith. So all your recent theatrics were just to lull me into complacency.”

“Now that you’ve found this place, I doubt you came here just to chat.”

He let out a surge of Reiryoku.

But before he could act, Kaelith raised a hand.

“Hold up. Can’t we talk first?”

…Talk?

Kagerōza frowned. What could they possibly have to talk about?

One was a villain bent on destroying Soul Society, the other its acting Head Captain.

They were opposites by nature.

Kaelith pulled out a notebook and looked deadly serious.

“Professor Kagerōza, I’ve always wondered—how did you get your hands on the Vanguard Project files?”

“As far as I know, the project was overseen by Sōya Azashiro. After his arrest, Central 46 ordered all documents destroyed. Nothing should’ve leaked.”

Kagerōza smirked.

So that’s what he wanted to know.

If Kaelith were asking him about things like "justice," "duty," or "integrity"—those kinds of boring topics—he wouldn't say a single word.

But for this? He perked right up.

In true villain fashion, Kagerōza laid it all out:

“For that, I must thank you, Captain Kaelith.”

“As you said, over two hundred years ago, the Vanguard Project was abruptly terminated, and the files ordered incinerated.”

“I tried desperately to save the data, but Central 46 sent Shinigami to raid our lab.”

“In that crisis, I devised a plan.”

“First, I converted all the data into specialized Reishi particles that required a unique decoder to read.”

“Then, using my Zanpakutō’s power, I opened a gate to the Dangai and threw the particles into the Kōtotsu.”

“Central 46’s sweep was thorough. Everyone else’s backups were found and destroyed.”

“Only mine—hidden inside the Kōtotsu—left no trace behind.”

“I waited years for a chance to retrieve them. Then your battle with Yamamoto shattered the Kōtotsu.”

“After the fight, I returned to the site with my instruments. Sure enough, I retrieved those Reishi fragments.”

“That unexpected stroke of luck let me revive the project and create the Reigai.”

Kaelith’s eyes gleamed in understanding.

So that’s it. Hidden inside the Kōtotsu all this time.

He’d thought Kagerōza timed his rebellion to Yamamoto’s absence.

But in reality, the moment he recovered the files, he jumped straight back into research.

A man of action, clearly.

Kaelith pushed up his glasses—the ones he’d borrowed from Aizen.

“I get the picture now… Happy to be of help, Professor Kagerōza.”

“But I have one more question.”

The repeated “Professor” title clearly pleased Kagerōza. He visibly relaxed, a faint smile on his lips.

His rigid posture softened.

Kaelith continued:

“Everyone knows that the Reigai were intended as cannon fodder—mere stand-ins for regular Shinigami.”

“They weren’t supposed to have power. Even a Vice-Captain could mow down dozens.”

“So what exactly did you do to make them this strong?”

The smile vanished from Kagerōza’s face.

“Captain Kaelith, if you were a researcher, would you hand over your core findings to your enemy?”

“Especially if that enemy is you?”

“Enemy? What enemy?”

Kaelith stood, glaring around the room.

After a few seconds, he sat back down:

“Relax, Professor. Just you and me here—no enemies here.”

“……”

Kagerōza’s expression was unreadable.

What was this guy’s deal?

Captain of the Eleventh. Acting Head Captain. And yet—this man didn’t act serious at all.

He wanted to retort, but it wasn’t his style.

After a moment of silence, he narrowed his eyes.

“Captain Kaelith, I could tell you.”

“But in exchange, I want to examine your body.”

Kaelith blinked.

“This examination… it’s a proper one, right?”

“What?” Kagerōza frowned.

Was there such a thing as an improper examination?

But he didn’t care enough to clarify.

Before Kaelith could respond, he continued:

“I’ve copied nearly every Captain and Vice-Captain in the Gotei 13.”

“Even most of the seated officers in the Eleventh.”

“Everything went smoothly.”

“There were some issues with copying Shinji Hirako, Aizen Sōsuke, and Kaname Tōsen, but by adjusting their Reishi samples—rolling them back several decades—I was able to successfully replicate them as well.”

“But you… No matter how much I collected and adjusted your Reishi samples I couldn’t copy you.”

“You four—especially you—what makes you different?”

“Why is replication impossible?”

“I have to know. Let me examine you, and I’ll tell you how I gave Reigai such strength.”

Kaelith rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

Himself, Aizen, Tōsen, Hirako…

What did they have in common?

After a few seconds, realization dawned.

Hollowfication. All four had undergone Hollowfication and gained Hollow powers.

Rolling back the Reishi sample by decades must’ve avoided that issue.

But those versions were hopelessly outdated.

As Kaelith mulled this over silently, Kagerōza’s expression darkened.

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