Chapter 414

2-in-1 chapter:  Part 2

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Yamamoto took two deep breaths, barely restraining the impulse to cut this brat down on the spot, then ground his teeth and spoke.

“The so-called East Branch and West Branch are merely designations. We are not subordinate to each other; we are both forces that maintain the balance of the world.”

“Moreover, a thousand years ago, Yhwach’s Quincy rampaged in the West and fought a great war with the West Branch. That battle wiped out the elites of the West Branch, nearly erasing them entirely. It was only after that that Yhwach came here, and was defeated by me.” As he recounted this history, there was a hint of pride in his tone.

Kaelith nodded, understanding: “So it’s just a weakling organization. As expected, teacher is mighty—unmatched, truly unmatched!”

“But... since we haven’t had contact for so long, what’s going on now?”

Yamamoto narrowed his eyes, very pleased with Kaelith’s flattery.

“That’s precisely why I called you here. Just recently, I received a letter from the West Branch. They said we’ve had no communication for a long time and want us to send a delegation to promote cultural exchange.”

“I thought this isn’t a bad thing, and since you’ve been idle in Seireitei lately, you can make the trip.”

Kaelith didn’t object. He’d been bored in Seireitei lately; Hueco Mundo was running smoothly under Sōsuke’s supervision.

In short, the world was at peace, leaving him restless.

The West Branch sounded like an interesting place—worth visiting.

But even so, he couldn’t agree right away.

If he agreed too quickly, it would seem cheap and wouldn’t leave room for negotiation.

So he waved his hand dismissively: “Not going. What’s so good about visiting some impoverished relatives we haven’t contacted for a thousand years? I have plenty of squad affairs that can’t be delayed for even a moment.”

Yamamoto sneered: “But I hear all your squad work is being handled by your Fourth Seat, Gin.”

Kaelith was briefly speechless, eyes turning as he thought about how to argue back.

Unable to come up with anything in three seconds, he straightened his face: “Rumors. All just baseless rumors.”

Yamamoto looked at him with disdain, seeing through his little schemes completely, and said bluntly: “Enough. Stop acting. If you have conditions, say them—what will it take for you to go?”

He’s bargaining now?

Kaelith’s eyes lit up, and he couldn’t help but glance toward Ryūjin Jakka at Yamamoto’s side.

Yamamoto flew into a rage.

Kaelith quickly waved his hands: “No, teacher, I was just looking. Just looking. What I meant was, this trip is quite far… shouldn’t you allocate some budget for expenses?”

Yamamoto raised an eyebrow: “You’re short on money?”

Everyone knew Kaelith’s businesses flourished in both Soul Society and the Human World—he was a wealthy tycoon famous far and wide.

Kaelith chuckled: “Well, spending my own money and spending official funds are… ahem, what I mean is, since I’m going as an official representative of the East Branch, this would count as official business. It wouldn’t be right to pay out of pocket, would it?”

Yamamoto nodded:

“What you say makes sense. Very well—this time, all expenses for your mission to the West Branch will be reimbursed by Seireitei. You need only perform well there and not disgrace Seireitei’s honor.”

Kaelith’s spirits lifted: “Rest assured, teacher. If there’s one thing I excel at, it’s winning face for others. But, after all this talk… where exactly is this West Branch located?”

Yamamoto paused: “Did I not say? Truly, I must be getting old—my memory’s failing. The West Branch is located on the British Isles in Europe—in Inner London. It is called Reverse London.”

Hearing that city name, Kaelith froze for a moment, feeling a sense of displacement.

So this world also had those cities from his past life. Having been in Soul Society for so long—mostly between Seireitei and Hueco Mundo—and even when visiting the Human World, it was always Karakura Town, he’d almost forgotten that the rest of the Human World existed.

After a few more words with Yamamoto discussing the mission details, Kaelith left First Division.

Just outside the gates of First Division, he saw a figure and stopped, surprised.

“Sōsuke? What are you doing here?”

Aizen was leaning against a wall nearby.

Aizen stepped forward.

“I heard the Captain-Commander summoned you. I happened to be passing by and thought I’d take a look. What’s this about?”

Hearing that, Kaelith smiled silently, then explained that Yamamoto wanted him to lead a delegation to the West Branch.

Aizen immediately showed interest: “The West Branch? I’ve heard of them. Like Seireitei, they maintain balance in the world—but unlike us, their members are called mages and witches, and their typical missions involve slaying dragons. Their power system is entirely different from ours.”

“?” Kaelith tilted his head, a question mark slowly rising above it. How did Aizen know about the West Branch… who’s really the transmigrator here, me or him?

But seeing Aizen interested, Kaelith was happy and enthusiastically invited:

“If you’re interested, that’s perfect! There are ten spots on this delegation—you can come with me.”

Aizen pushed up his glasses, tempted, but after a few seconds of thought, slowly shook his head:

“No, I have to depart for Hueco Mundo tomorrow. My research on the Hōgyoku has reached a critical stage—I can’t leave now.”

“But the magic power of the West Branch is indeed worth studying. I’ve read ancient texts from a thousand years ago; the Quincy under Yhwach originally came from forces tied to the West Branch. So perhaps their magic and Quincy powers share some similarities. It would be best to send someone skilled in research along with you.”

“Who should that be?”

He was thinking, and Kaelith was also pondering.

A moment later, the two exchanged a glance and spoke in unison: “Urahara Kisuke.”

Then both smiled.

Afterward, Aizen walked with him toward Eleventh Division.

On the way, Kaelith said: “According to old man Yamamoto, the delegation will total ten people. Since you’re not going, that leaves eight spots besides me and Urahara Kisuke. Everyone’s busy these days, so I plan to take Gin and a few members of Eleventh Division for some worldly experience—what do you think?”

Aizen nodded: “No problem. Your trip to the West Branch shouldn’t be too dangerous—it’s mainly to learn about them and promote mutual exchange. Personally, I’m very interested in their power system. If possible, you should try to bring back a dragon—I’d like to study one.”

“Uh.” Kaelith hesitated for a moment. Though he hadn’t encountered one yet, based on the available intelligence, so-called dragons were probably quite precious over there. If an outsider suddenly asked to take one back, it might cause some unfortunate misunderstandings.

But since Sōsuke was interested, he grinned: “Don’t worry, leave it to me. I’ll definitely bring back the strongest dragon for you!”

Not long after, the two returned to the Eleventh Division, where the festivities were still ongoing. Zaraki Kenpachi had already stepped down from the stage, but two elite Eleventh Division members continued to fight on the platform.

Seeing Kaelith return, everyone immediately gathered around excitedly, asking what was going on.

Kaelith returned to his seat as the boss, laughing loudly as he announced Yamamoto Genryūsai’s mission.

It immediately caused an uproar.

“Seikushū Bureau—there’s such a place?! Big bro is mighty; only big bro could so easily know about such a secret!” (Note: Seikushū = West)

“Seikushū Bureau, good! This is like unlocking a new map! Before conquering Seireitei, big bro will expand new territories outside first!”

“Awoo awoo! Big bro is unstoppable! Big bro is guided by destiny! Let’s march on the Seikushū Bureau and take their thrones!”

Hearing his subordinate's nonsense, Kaelith stroked his chin.

Good thing this mission only had ten slots. If he brought more people, these squad members might really dare stage a coup on foreign soil.

He himself didn’t particularly care about this “Seikushū Bureau,” but if word got out, Yamamoto would surely not let this pass.

So he coughed twice and said: “Shut up, all of you. We’re going as an official diplomatic envoy, representing the face of Seireitei. This is diplomacy, a serious matter. Everyone must behave like civilized people—speak softly and gently, understand?”

Some members below looked conflicted, but others suddenly understood and nodded vigorously: “Understood, big bro! We must reason, be respectable, and give them a sense of civilized exchange.”

Kaelith was overjoyed—good students!

Then that squad member added: “Once they’ve been lulled by our act and let their guard down, we’ll ambush them from behind and take them down in one stroke!”

At these words, everyone else nodded in realization:

“As expected of big bro! Such astonishing wisdom! We are not worthy!”

Kaelith: “?”

He could only sigh and begin selecting members for the envoy.

In addition to the already-decided Urahara Kisuke, he picked Gin Ichimaru, Ikkaku Madarame, and Yumichika Ayasegawa. As for the remaining five, he selected five elite Eleventh Division members, all loyal and on track for seated officer promotion.

Once the members were confirmed, he didn’t bother finding Urahara himself but simply sent Ichimaru to fetch him, while he and Aizen went to prepare the necessary supplies.

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The next day, the official Seireitei envoy led by Kaelith was formally established.

They stood somewhere outside Seireitei. Beside him, Urahara Kisuke wore a listless expression.

Inside, he felt like he’d been struck by Komamura—despite having hidden himself well and diligently keeping up with his research, he still got drafted for this mess.

Seikushū Bureau… never even heard of it. Why did he have to go to some barbaric place like that? What karma had he brought on himself?

Especially when he recalled what Aizen told him last night.

What did he mean by “it would be best if you could acquire their magic and dragons”? Wouldn’t doing something like that on their turf get him killed? He was just a weak, pitiful, ordinary Shinigami—why was he being sent on such a dangerous errand?

Meanwhile, everyone else looked eager, especially Ikkaku Madarame, who was already imagining how he would “exchange pleasantries” with the Seikushū Bureau members.

He couldn’t hide his excitement, grinning ear to ear.

Before them stood Yamamoto Genryūsai, Sasakibe Chōjirō, and several First Division members.

The other captains and squads of the Gotei 13 weren’t present at the send-off.

According to Yamamoto, this was simply a contact after a thousand years of silence—if it turned out to be meaningless, it might be another thousand years before they interacted again. Plus, the visit would only last a few days, so there was no need for a grand farewell.

He didn’t even notify the other squads.

Yamamoto then gave them a brief send-off speech, and with a wave of Kaelith’s hand, the Senkaimon to the Human World opened before them.

Everyone filed in.

As for why they needed to go through the Human World—the reason was simple: Seireitei and the Seikushū Bureau weren’t directly connected.

They had to first arrive in the Human World, fly to London, and from there enter Reverse London.

Precisely because of this separation, their two sides had so little contact over the past millennium.

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And just as Kaelith’s Seireitei envoy set off, on the other side of the Earth, in the shadow of London, within Reverse London:

In the Seikushū Bureau, inside the Piper Squad, Ninny Spangcole lay bored on her desk, fiddling with her magic flute.

Beside her, fellow Piper Squad member Noel Niihashi sat on the sofa flipping through a newspaper, occasionally glancing out the window.

Through the window, many Seikushū Bureau personnel could be seen decorating the area with balloons and welcome signs, seemingly preparing to receive guests.

She thought for a moment and looked toward the middle-aged Mario, who was buried in paperwork behind his desk.

“Bangs… what are they busy with? I don’t remember anyone important coming today.”

The middle-aged man looked up: “Noel, I’m your superior, at least add an honorific when you say my name.”

Noel tilted her head slightly.

“Do I get a raise if I add an honorific?”

The plumber-dressed man rolled his eyes: “You’re always dreaming…”

“As for what they’re doing—you’ll know soon enough. Technically, it’s our Piper Squad’s job.”

“Hmm?” Ninny, lying on the desk, raised her head, curious.

The plumber boss stood up: “It’s an envoy from the East Branch—they’re scheduled to arrive this afternoon. If nothing goes wrong, we’ll probably be sent to meet them.”

“Eh? The East Branch? They actually exist? I always thought it was just a legend!” Ninny said, shocked.

Noel furrowed her brow slightly:

“But even if it’s an East Branch envoy… what does that have to do with us? Why do we have to receive them?”

The plumber boss smiled: “It can’t be helped. We haven’t had contact with them in a thousand years. We don’t even have a formal reception squad anymore—so they’re having us fill in.”

Noel pursed her lips: “The higher-ups really know how to dump work on people…”

The plumber boss consoled her: “Relax, this counts as an official mission—and it’s a special one. The rewards aren’t small.”

At the mention of rewards, Noel’s eyes lit up.

Ninny commented: “I just hope the East Branch people are kind… not like our captains, who are all impossible to please.”

As they spoke, the office door opened and a Seikushū Bureau staff member stepped in: “By order of the Council, the East Branch envoy will arrive in Surface London in two hours. Piper Squad will handle the reception!”

The two girls exchanged glances—and rose to their feet…

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