Chapter 415

2-in-1 chapter:  Part 3

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The saying “an official one rank higher can crush you to death” held true—even if they weren’t willing, Ninny and Noel had no choice but to accompany Mario to greet the so-called delegation from the Eastern Bureau.

With them were also some Piper Squad members, tasked with setting up banners and presenting flowers to create atmosphere.

Soon they arrived at an airport in northern Outer London. As an international metropolis, London had no fewer than six airports, with countless travelers passing through every day.

But today, for the sake of the delegation from Seireitei, the Western Bureau simply shut down the northern airport under the pretext of maintenance—pulling out all the stops.

As a side note, unlike Seireitei’s cold indifference toward Karakura Town, the Western Bureau exerted tight control over the World of the Living, making it the undisputed ruler of the city.

“Why aren’t they here yet? Doesn’t the Eastern Bureau have any sense of time?”

Inside the airport, Ninny complained impatiently, glancing up at the increasingly harsh sunlight.

She wore a sun hat and sunglasses, bundled up tightly. She had no choice—in London she was a famous pop idol. Even though the airport was shut down today, plenty of staff were still around, and if anyone recognized her and asked for autographs, it would be a hassle.

“They’re coming,” Mario suddenly spoke from in front of them.

At his words, a plane roared in from the distance, slowly descending and taxiing before coming to a stop right in front of them.

Mario quickly gave orders, and the Piper Squad members on site bustled into action—rolling over the stairway, laying out a red carpet, arranging flowers, and hanging up welcome banners—all completed in seconds.

Ninny muttered under her breath, “What a grand reception… anyone would think an international superstar was arriving.”

Noel glanced sideways at her: “Jealous, third-rate idol?”

Ninny grew furious, about to retort, when the plane door opened.

They instinctively turned to look, vaguely seeing a figure emerging.

Just what kind of people were this Eastern Bureau delegation?

Even Noel, usually expressionless, couldn’t help but grow curious.

Then they saw him—a figure swaying as he walked, stepping out with a wide-legged strut, draped in a white haori, wearing oversized sunglasses, and even chewing on a cigar, looking down on everyone present with a lofty air.

“Not bad, full of spirit,” he said.

Then he swaggered down the stairs. Behind him followed a lifeless-looking man, then a squint-eyed man with a fake smile, then a man flamboyantly dressed.

And then… Ninny and Noel’s eyes widened simultaneously.

One after another, shining bald heads emerged, all wearing identical black suits, eyes sharp and fierce, faces full of menace. As soon as they stepped off the plane, they swept their gazes over Ninny and Noel, a wave of killing aura washing over them.

Ninny drew in a cold breath and muttered, “Noel… did the Eastern Bureau turn into a yakuza syndicate?”

Noel paled slightly and shook her head.

Meanwhile, Mario, after a brief daze, stepped forward with a broad smile, extending his hand: “Welcome, welcome. I’m Mario, the team leader responsible for today’s reception.”

“Oh?” Kaelith glanced at him, just about to imitate old man Yamamoto’s usual pompous demeanor when he suddenly seemed to sense something.

Kaelith raised an eyebrow, his expression growing a touch solemn.

He removed the candy cigar from his mouth and held it back over his shoulder—immediately, one of the bald men stepped forward, both hands raised reverently beneath the cigar.

“……”

Smack!

A fellow squad member slapped the back of his bald head: “Idiot! Boss is handing you the cigar, not asking for your pledge of loyalty!”

“Oh, oh.” The bald man snapped out of it, quickly accepting the cigar from Kaelith and carefully storing it in a case.

Kaelith cleared his throat, then took off his sunglasses before shaking hands: “Kaelith, head of this delegation, captain of the Eleventh Division, Seireitei.”

Mario broke into a cold sweat, releasing his hand: “Lord Kaelith, please come with me. We’ll head to Inner London first—the members of Parliament are already waiting there.”

But Kaelith was in no hurry. Instead, his gaze swept casually around, showing curiosity toward the surroundings. Then his eyes fell on Ninny and Noel.

Mario noticed and helpfully introduced them with a smile: “This is Ninny Spangcole, one of our Piper Squad’s few elites, and this is her partner, Noel Niibashi.”

Kaelith nodded. “I didn’t expect that upon arriving at the Western Bureau, I’d already meet such beautiful ladies. Since I’m new here, I wonder—would the two of you be willing to serve as my guides?”

“Uh oh… Boss is expanding his paradise plan again.”

“No, Boss is using his devastating looks to infiltrate Western society, gather intel from within, then strike in concert from both inside and out! As expected of Boss—so meticulous!”

“So that’s it… Boss is mighty indeed! Truly Seireitei’s greatest intellect!”

“Boss’s brilliance is unstoppable, unstoppable indeed!”

Hearing the chatter among the bald men, Mario, Nini, and Noel all broke into cold sweat.

What was wrong with these people? Did they really think no one could hear them? Were these Eastern Bureau people even normal?

Kaelith coughed and turned his head sharply:

“All of you—shut up! What did I say before we left? We’re civilized people—we must show proper decorum!”

The bald men suddenly froze in realization, then bowed in unison: “Boss is right—we’ll be mindful!”

Ninny sighed helplessly: “Sorry, I’m not interested in perverts.”

Noel also spoke coldly: “I refuse.”

Kaelith glanced sideways at the bald squad behind him—these idiots were ruining his image.

But no matter. He still had Plan B.

Hmph. Old man Yamamoto—get ready for the invoice.

He snapped his fingers elegantly. Gin Ichimaru stepped forward knowingly, lifting a box and carefully setting it down, then opening it.

In an instant, Noel’s eyes narrowed and her breath quickened.

Inside were stack upon stack of crisp new British pounds, arranged neatly, gleaming blindingly.

Even Mario and Ninny froze briefly, feeling the overwhelming aura emanating from Kaelith.

Nini, being a well-paid celebrity, still had some resistance to such corrupt temptations.

She averted her gaze and said, “Just some money—did you really think you could buy us with such a simple trick…?”

Snap!

Another snap of fingers rang out as Ayasegawa Yumichika approached from the other side, also holding an opened box.

“Mr. Kaelith, it’s a pleasure to serve you. For the days to come, I will be your tour guide here in London.”

At the moment the second box opened, Niihashi Noelle bent at the waist, her tone full of respect for capital.

Kaelith smiled and tilted his chin toward Ichimaru Gin, who understood the gesture, closed the box, and handed it to Niihashi Noelle.

“Miss Noelle, I’ll be in your care for the days ahead here in London.”

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The motorcade rumbled to life, rows of black cars leaving the airport of Outer London. In an empty stretch, a Senkaimon opened, and the cars entered reverse London.

Before long, they arrived at the entrance of the West Bureau, where two captains from the Parliament were already waiting.

One man and one woman—the man looked extremely young, appearing around twenty, wearing a blue coat with spiked hair.

Next to him stood a woman in military uniform, expression cold and radiating an unapproachable air.

“Really now, why on earth did those old geezers suddenly invite people from the East Bureau? We haven’t had dealings in over a thousand years—and to make things worse, they put me in charge of reception. Do I look like the reception type?”

The young man grumbled in a low voice, full of dissatisfaction.

The woman in uniform replied calmly: “Bruno Bangnyfe, stop complaining. Since this is a joint decision of Parliament, we just need to carry out our orders.”

Bangu snorted dismissively but didn’t argue.

After a moment’s thought, the woman continued: “Though, I have some idea about the reason for inviting the East Bureau.”

“Oh?” Bangu gave a questioning look.

She explained: “Have you heard the name Yhwach?”

Bangu’s face immediately changed, and he lowered his voice: “You mean that demon from a thousand years ago, the monster that nearly destroyed the West Bureau?”

She nodded: “That’s right. Yhwach was the leader of the Quincy a thousand years ago. Back then, he rampaged through the West, indiscriminately slaughtering all dragons and severely disrupting the balance of the world. The West Bureau was forced to go to war against him—and was nearly annihilated.”

“After that battle, many of the West Bureau’s legacies were lost. Even after a thousand years of recovery, we are still far weaker than we once were.”

“And lately… haven’t you noticed that dragon-related incidents are becoming more frequent?”

Bangu’s expression darkened slightly: “You mean…”

The woman nodded: “Exactly. We still don’t know the exact cause, but the world is becoming more dangerous. Parliament believes an unknown crisis is approaching, and with our current strength, we may not be able to handle what’s coming.”

Bangu Naif remained unhappy: “But even so, what does that have to do with inviting people from the East Bureau? Is Parliament planning to beg them for help at a critical moment? What about the West Bureau’s dignity?”

She shook her head: “Parliament has no such intention. We’re too far apart—emergency assistance would be impossible even if requested.”

“Parliament’s point is that the East Bureau differs from us. They defeated Yhwach when he marched eastward a thousand years ago and retained their full strength and legacies. Parliament is very interested in their power system and hopes to learn from them to fill in what we lost.”

Bangu’s mouth fell open: “Do they know? Attempting to appropriate another organization’s legacy is taboo everywhere. If they find out, they might turn hostile immediately.”

“That’s why we invited them under the pretense of an exchange. On our turf, we always have some advantages.”

“They’re here.”

Just as Bangu was about to say more, he spotted the motorcade approaching.

Before long, the cars pulled up before the gates of the West Bureau, and the two of them stepped forward together.

The car door opened—but instead of the expected dignitaries, strange voices came from inside.

“Come on, Noelle, open wide. Ah…”

“Mr. Kaelith, please show some restraint. I’m your tour guide, please don’t do anything strange.”

“Hm? Eating ice cream is strange?”

“No, eating ice cream isn’t strange, but having Noelle sit this close and feeding her is very strange,” Ninny snapped from the other side, gnashing her teeth.

“Ninny Spangcole?”

A voice from outside suddenly called, and only then did Ninny notice the door had opened. Her face flushed and she quickly got out of the car.

At her side, Noelle also fled from the vehicle as if escaping.

Watching them, Bangu’s eyelid twitched: “Are you from the Whistling Corps? Where are the East Bureau envoys?”

“You’re looking for me?” A voice replied from inside the car as Kaelith stepped out with a dissatisfied expression.

As soon as he exited, more people began stepping out of the other vehicles—among them, many bald heads gleamed conspicuously.

“Captain Kaelith, welcome to the West Bureau. I’m Sullivan Squire, captain of the West Bureau’s Personnel Divine Punishment Corps.”

The woman in uniform stepped forward, her cold expression formal and polite.

Kaelith’s basic details had already been reported back by Mario on the way.

Upon seeing Sullivan, Kaelith paused, his eyes lighting up.

And not just him—the bald men following him immediately cried out in excitement.

“Soifon boss lady?!”

“She looks just like her! That aura, that figure—exactly the same!”

“Boss might really launch the plan here at the West Bureau. What should we do? Should we strike first?”

“Fool! Listen to boss’s orders. Boss is wise and farsighted—everything is under control!”

Hearing their nonsense, Sullivan’s brow twitched faintly as her icy gaze swept over the bald men.

“Ah, there it is, that gaze.”

“Could she really be Soifon’s long-lost sister?”

“What now? Just seeing her gaze reminds me of Soifon. I don’t know if I’ll dare act later…”

“Don’t panic. Boss’s wisdom is extraordinary. Everything is under control.”

Bruno Bangnyfe stared at this group of bald men, his brows deeply furrowed, and said in a low voice: “Captain Kaelith, are all East Bureau people this unruly?”

Kaelith looked at him: “And you are?”

Bangu snorted: “West Bureau Parliament, Captain of the Magic Formation Corps, Bruno Bangnyfe.”

Kaelith responded with a perfunctory nod: “Bangu Coward, pleased to meet you.”

"... Its Bangnyfe!!"

Before coming, old man Yamamoto had briefly explained the West Bureau’s organization to him—eight departments in total: Magic Formation Corps, Whistling Corps, Tactical Corps, Divine Punishment Corps, and so on.

Too many names for him to remember them all.

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