A wonderful sight reflected in his eyes.
The moment the heart was about to be launched, Pepe slowly lowered his breath, striving to maximize the precision of his attack.
With a "biu" sound, the reddish-brown heart shot out like an arrow released from a bowstring.
Not far away, Tsugikuni Ai, who was still immersed in the tense atmosphere around her, suddenly felt a strong sense of unease for no reason.
She subconsciously hugged her backpack, and then saw a blurry object enter her vision, flying towards her at an extremely fast speed.
Fortunately, her dynamic vision was excellent; even with only a fraction of a second to react, she instinctively made a dodging movement in time.
Bang.
The heart whistled past her shoulder, then struck the unsuspecting boy behind her.
The boy staggered, as if he had suffered a heavy blow, and then heart-shaped marks appeared in his eyes.
Seeing this, Ai's eyes narrowed, and an alarm bell rang in her heart.
"What kind of attack is this?"
Never seen it before.
Is it a Menos Grande?
Too insidious, I almost fell for it.
She was about to ask the boy how he was, but before she could speak, she saw the boy pounce on her, attempting to pin her to the ground.
Ai was startled again, and out of instinct, she kicked out without hesitation.
This kick was a subconscious act of self-preservation, so she didn't hold back her strength.
"Dong!!!"
With a loud bang, the boy flew out horizontally like a cannonball, directly smashing through three walls before slowly stopping his backward momentum.
Everything happened in the blink of an eye; everyone present, including Chōjirō Sasakibe beside her, failed to react in time.
Not far away, Pepe couldn't help but "tsk" when he saw this.
What kind of luck, to be able to dodge at such a close range, her reaction speed is too fast.
But it's fine, he found a "blind spot."
A heart quietly flew towards Chojiro, whose attention was drawn by Ai's actions, and thus he failed to notice it.
He naturally fell for it.
Then…
"Lord Pepe…"
Just as Chojiro, with the mentality of a fanatical admirer, was about to make a move on Tsugikuni Ai, someone suddenly appeared beside him.
As soon as this person appeared, he quickly seized his wrist, restricting his movement to draw his sword.
At the same time, his gaze shot towards Pepe like lightning, a chilling killing intent flashing in his eyes.
However, upon seeing the girl in front of him unharmed, this killing intent was quickly suppressed for the time being.
He looked at Tsugikuni Ai:
"I'm sorry, Ai."
"I'm late."
Tsugikuni Ai looked at the man in front of her, a bewildered expression on her face.
However, recalling the series of encounters just now, she quickly regained her excited expression:
"Father, you're finally back! I'm fine, please, you must deal with these Hollows and save those brothers and sisters!"
Yoriichi nodded, a natural expression on his face: "It's what I should do."
Even if Tsugikuni Ai hadn't said it, he would have done so, because he is the Captain-Commander.
"Lord Pepe…" Beside him, Chojiro was still unwilling to give up, single-mindedly wanting to capture Tsugikuni Ai.
Even if his right hand was restrained and difficult to break free, he still had his left hand.
So, his left hand quickly drew his Zanpakuto.
However, as soon as the Zanpakuto was drawn, Yoriichi casually snatched it and threw it into the well behind him.
Chojiro himself was also, at the same time, neatly knocked unconscious by Yoriichi and laid on the ground.
Ai was full of doubts, because she hadn't explicitly seen Chojiro's actions of attacking her.
She just found Chojiro's chanting of "Lord Pepe" a bit strange.
"Father, you…"
Ai was about to ask.
Yoriichi gently extended a finger, interrupting her words:
"No need to be confused, Ai, once this is over, I will tell you everything you want to know in detail."
"But now, your mother is waiting for me to rescue her, so we must act quickly."
"Lin, take Ai and hide."
"To avoid being affected by the aftermath."
Upon hearing the command, Lin immediately jumped out of the backpack, emitting a clear and respectful voice: "Yes, Master Tsugikuni."
After speaking, accompanied by a soft glow, Ai's figure gradually disappeared, as if merging with the surrounding environment.
Seeing Ai successfully conceal herself, Yoriichi's gaze once again turned towards the distance.
Only to see among the Hollow group.
Pepe had already fled.
Yoriichi narrowed his eyes.
… …
"Damn it! Damn it!" Pepe looked anxious, beads of sweat the size of beans constantly rolling down his forehead.
He rode his tray, fleeing rapidly.
The moment Yoriichi Tsugikuni looked at him, he immediately realized that the man was an opponent he could not contend with.
The killing intent that assailed him was like an ice cellar; he had only felt it on Gremmy before.
Is this the Captain-Commander…
Damn it! Why did he come back so quickly?
Did Haschwalth lie to him?
No, it concerns the future of the Wandenreich, he would never deceive himself on this matter.
It could only be that something unexpected happened along the way.
Damn it! Why did I run into him? Just a little bit, just a little bit more and I could have captured Tsugikuni Ai!
That Vice-Captain is so useless, the power gap is too big!
Pepe cursed Chōjirō Sasakibe while ordering all his slaves to attack Yoriichi Tsugikuni, attempting to buy time so he could escape and find another opportunity.
He could not leave the Seireitei; once he left, it would mean mission failure, and in such an important war, failure was equivalent to losing value.
At that time, even if he returned to the Wandenreich, he would not escape death.
"Damn it, I can only hope that Captain-Commander doesn't recognize me. After all, I haven't truly shown my face from beginning to end…"
Pepe gritted his teeth, desperately pinning all his hopes on that illusory luck.
He had always been lucky, and he hoped this time would be no exception.
However, as the saying goes, when things reach their peak, bad things follow.
Before long, Yoriichi Tsugikuni appeared before Pepe, holding his sword.
Pepe's flying motion instantly braked, cold sweat soaking his back.
He subconsciously gripped his staff, forced out an awkward, dry laugh on his face, and stammered:
"Um… Captain-Commander, this is all a misunderstanding…"
Before he could finish, he knew explanations were useless and decisively condensed reishi, rapidly forming a heart gesture with both hands, firing a barrage of hearts at Yoriichi Tsugikuni like a machine gun.
—Bang bang bang!
"Love Kiss!"
At this moment, Pepe was all-in.
While shooting the hearts, he unhesitatingly activated his Vollständig.
"The Love!"
"Clang!"
A bell rang, and Pepe underwent a drastic transformation, instantly changing from a fat dead man to a perverted fat dead man.
His sunglasses flew off his face, his eyes rolled back, paired with a white loincloth, a look of…
Yoriichi dodged the machine-gun-like barrage of hearts, and seeing this, he slightly narrowed his eyes, truly finding it unbearable to look at.
He spoke truthfully:
"How ugly…"
"Manipulating others' minds at will… even my Vice-Captain was turned into that state. Who ordered you to attack my daughter…
"You've got quite some guts."
This was true; even Gremmy wouldn't dare to appear before him in his true form, yet Pepe dared.
Yoriichi couldn't imagine what would happen if Ai were captured by this fat dead man in front of him; fortunately, he returned in time.
The matters with the 1st Division had temporarily concluded.
He had dealt with the Hollows, and the Shinigami who were controlled had all been successfully rescued and placed in safe locations.
Only this culprit in front of him still needed to be dealt with.
Upon hearing this, Pepe immediately exploded with rage, his eyes no longer rolling, and his entrance lines abandoned, simply because he heard the truth.
He pointed at Yoriichi and loudly retorted:
"Are you blind?! You actually called me ugly?!"
"What a joke, I am the beloved Lord Pepe, even the sorrowful beauty of war is not one ten-thousandth of mine!"
"Forget it, you'll understand my beauty once you fall for my technique, even if you are the Captain-Commander, you cannot escape the cage of love!"
"Love Rope!"
After speaking, he frantically waved both hands, and a large amount of reishi rapidly condensed into ropes, which he swung out forcefully.
The ropes were covered in hearts, almost covering all the space in front of him.
As long as there was contact, even a mere graze, they would become his slaves, and Zanpakuto were no exception.
—Cut it.
Cut it quickly!
As long as you cut it, you will undoubtedly lose!
Pepe shouted desperately in his heart, as if he had already seen the scene of Yoriichi Tsugikuni being backlashed by his Zanpakuto and severely injured.
So what if he's the Captain-Commander?
Without his sword, he's still useless.
Before leaving, Gremmy had specifically reminded him to be careful of the Shinigami's Zanpakuto.
For this purpose, he had even specially taken a Sternritter, prepared to use it when the Shinigami used Bankai.
Stealing Bankai, and the Sternritter could also prevent Zanjutsu advances; he had considered every aspect thoroughly.
Pepe firmly believed that in this situation, he would be invincible!
If things developed normally, it would indeed be so; even Yamamoto Genryusai would be helpless against "Love" and the Sternritter.
However, Yoriichi Tsugikuni was not Yamamoto Genryusai, and things would not go as Pepe wished.
Facing the overwhelming ropes, Yoriichi calmly chanted:
"Bakudo Number 81: Dankū."
Swish!
An invisible wall stood before him; all the ropes were blocked, leaving countless hearts imprinted on the air wall.
Before Pepe could react, Yoriichi Tsugikuni extended a finger: "Hado Number 4: Byakurai."
Boom!
A dazzling white lightning bolt shot out like a swift dragon, directly piercing Pepe's shoulder.
Flesh and blood splattered!
Immediately after.
"Hado Number 12: Fushibi."
The spiritual pressure transformed into red threads, capturing, binding, and burning Pepe, rendering him immobile.
Feeling the very real pain, Pepe belatedly screamed loudly, his voice incredibly shrill.
"You… you actually…"
Yoriichi seemed not to hear, stepped forward, opened his palm, and interrupted Pepe's clamor:
"Hado Number 33: Sōkatsui."
Blue flames erupted from his palm like a fire dragon, instantly engulfing Pepe, burning him to charcoal in the blink of an eye.
After the flames extinguished, Pepe merely grunted, like a roasted suckling pig, even his screams gone.
Visibly, there was not a single piece of intact skin on his entire body.
However, he was not dead yet.
In his Vollständig form, his injuries were recovering at an astonishing speed.
Yoriichi stepped forward and said:
"Sometimes, being too tenacious in life isn't necessarily a good thing."
"You don't need to tell me; I already know who ordered you to attack Ai."
"Taking on this mission was your misfortune; now, be on your way."
"Hado Number 78: Zangerin."
A dazzling Kido slash spread outwards from Yoriichi like ripples.
Facing this fatal blow, Pepe barely managed to raise his eyes, attempting one last resistance.
He absorbed and utilized reishi to the extreme, using Blut Vene while simultaneously summoning a heart wall to block in front of him.
He thought it would be an effective defense.
The next second, Pepe's eyes suddenly widened, and his mouth slightly opened, as if he had suffered a devastating blow.
However, uncharacteristically, the air was very quiet, and time seemed to stop flowing at this moment.
Immediately after, Yoriichi walked past him.
"Splish."
Pepe split in half, falling to the ground, his blood staining the surroundings, and he quickly lost all signs of life.
…A gust of wind blew, and Yoriichi, without even a glance, vanished from his spot.
…
"Dead?"
Within the Wandenreich, Haschwalth slightly narrowed his eyes.
He gazed at the scene of Pepe's blood splattering the street, his body torn in two.
Although he was mentally prepared, he still couldn't help but let out a heavy sigh.
"Useless."
In his opinion, any Quincy who couldn't serve His Majesty was useless.
Such a great situation had been ruined by Pepe; he was utterly incompetent.
Fortunately, he had a backup plan.
As a decision-maker, how could he not have anticipated the situation after Pepe's mission failed?
Haschwalth spoke coldly:
"Gremmy, don't worry about Tokito Iwákatsu's side for now."
"His disappearance suits me perfectly; his identity has been exposed, and I am 100% certain he is Yoriichi Tsugikuni."
"And it conveniently eliminated three incompetent fellows,"
"Hmph."
"Indeed, no Quincy associated with Bambietta is trustworthy; it's a good thing I didn't inform them of this in detail."
"Now, go execute Plan B."
"Plan B?" Gremmy's troubled thoughts were instantly interrupted.
He was filled with doubt; why had he never heard of Plan B before?
When was it decided? Haschwalth actually kept even this kind of thing from him?
Haschwalth glanced at him, his gaze seemingly able to penetrate Gremmy's thoughts, his voice remaining calm:
"I didn't tell you because I was afraid you'd overthink it and cause the plan to collapse."
"Yoriichi Tsugikuni's strength is evident to all."
"Although his energy has been completely dispersed, no one could have predicted that he would be able to save Tsugikuni Ai at the last moment."
"What's done is done; complaining about Pepe's incompetence is useless now. Fortunately, his death created another opportunity for us."
"The Underground Great Prison, have you heard of it?"
Haschwalth gently tapped the table, his gaze deep, his tone drawn out:
"As a prison that has existed since the Seireitei's creation, it is located beneath the 1st Division."
"Within it, the deepest part, known as Muken, houses a large number of powerful individuals."
"Every one of them is a heinous criminal from Soul Society's history, harboring deep hatred for the Shinigami and the Seireitei."
"What we are going to do next is release them."
"Previously, it would have been extremely difficult for us to achieve this, because Yoriichi Tsugikuni was located at the 1st Division, and Yamamoto Genryusai was also nearby."
"However, at this moment, Pepe's actions have caused the 1st Division to lose over 80% of its defensive power."
"The remaining 20% guarding the prison will be easy for us to deal with."
Speaking of this, Haschwalth's gaze returned to the screen.
He watched Yoriichi Tsugikuni's figure moving away from the 1st Division, a mocking smile playing on his lips:
"Yoriichi Tsugikuni is eager to save his wife and has gone to the Noble District; he won't be back anytime soon."
"As the Captain-Commander, to be swayed by emotions is truly derelict."
"However, this is precisely our opportunity."
"As long as those prisoners are released, the area around the 1st Division, and indeed the entire Seireitei, will once again fall into chaos."
"At that time, we might even be able to incite a few of them to declare war on the Shinigami as Quincies, watching the Shinigami slaughter each other."
"Now… Gremmy, do you understand?"
Haschwalth's words were astonishing, at least Gremmy had never thought of such a method to strike at the Shinigami before.
Using their own spear to attack their own shield, brilliant, truly brilliant.
He nodded in understanding, then prepared to act.
Of course, just in case, Gremmy added several more action guidelines before proceeding.
For example, not only the prisoners of Muken should be released.
All prisoners in all prisons, those who can be released should be, so as to deal a heavy blow to the Shinigami and make them overwhelmed.
At the same time, the remaining Shinigami guarding the 1st Division should not be spared, lest they tip off and affect the criminals' actions.
Kill them and falsify it as the criminals' doing… If possible, one of their identities could even be used to release the criminals.
This way, the Quincy can remain uninvolved in this incident, and the Shinigami will suspect each other in subsequent events, greatly destroying their trust.
Gremmy's idea was approved by Haschwalth, who told him to go ahead and do it.
Thus, the prison break plan quietly unfolded.
…
Noble District, engulfed in war.
Kuchiki Byakuya was panting heavily, sweat soaking his pure white Captain's haori.
He looked at the Menos Grande charging towards him, killing it with Senbonzakura while calculating his spiritual pressure, and suddenly realized his spiritual pressure was almost depleted.
Based on this kill efficiency, he could last at most ten more minutes.
In ten minutes, he could kill at most a few dozen Menos Grande.
But currently, there were at least over two hundred.
Even if he and Yoruichi joined forces, they might not be able to kill them all in such a short time.
Thoughts raced through Kuchiki Byakuya's mind, and the figures of his father and grandfather flashed in his eyes.
To protect the Noble District, they too had thrown themselves into battle.
It was just a pity that his father was too weak and his grandfather was too old.
Not far away, Yoruichi Shihouin fought while retreating.
She wielded her fists, substantial reishi surging forth, injuring one Menos Grande after another.
She retreated to Kuchiki Byakuya's side, asking breathlessly:
"Byakuya, when will reinforcements arrive? These guys are too strong."
"My Correctional Force, except for the high-ranking members, have all been killed; they're truly a bunch of useless people."
"They take military pay from my Shihouin Clan, but they don't train seriously, thinking that the Three Realms are at peace and they're not needed."
"Now look, when they're truly needed, not a single one can be relied upon…"
"Thinking about it, Yoriichi's reforms back then were truly prescient, but unfortunately, these guys didn't keep up, they're even worse than freshly graduated students!"
Yoruichi Shihouin wanted to curse a few more times, but Kuchiki Byakuya directly interrupted her.
He knew that this was not the time for complaints and that he had to calm down and think of a solution:
"Captain Shihouin, instead of blaming your subordinates, let's think carefully about how we few can repel this group of Menos Grande."
"According to the Twelfth Division's last statement, reinforcements will take at least another twenty minutes or so."
"Captain Kyōraku is already rushing this way, but he's unfortunately held up and is expected to deal with those Menos Grande in twenty minutes."
"Five minutes have passed, and my spiritual pressure can last for ten more minutes, leaving five minutes…"
"You can only last ten more minutes?" Yoruichi Shihouin was quite surprised; she hadn't expected Kuchiki Byakuya to be so unsustainable.
Even if she used Shunko continuously, her spiritual pressure could still last for another thirty minutes.
Byakuya…
Kuchiki Byakuya's mouth twitched; he understood the meaning behind Yoruichi Shihouin's words.
Despite the urgency, he quickly explained, while Senbonzakura kept flying, simultaneously repelling several Menos Grande attempting to approach:
"The reishi consumed by Shikai is naturally different from that consumed by Hakuda, not to mention I used Bankai twice."
"Captain Shihouin, your seniority is clearly here; how can I compare to you?"
That's true, Yoruichi Shihouin was in a great mood.
In her excitement, she punched through a Menos Grande, which let out a mournful scream and died with its eyes wide open.
It seems Byakuya is quite good at talking.
She was a senior after all.
Perhaps it was due to Hisana's influence; it was not in vain that she and Hisana became best friends.
That's how it is.
Yoruichi decisively forgot about Byakuya's unsustainability and then quickly plunged back into battle, awaiting reinforcements.
…
In a place unknown to them.
Tsugikuni Clan.
Ichimaru Gin and his wife, who had originally planned to visit Ai after her enrollment, were forced to stay there due to the Menos Grande invasion.
Ichimaru Gin narrowed his eyes, sensing the spiritual pressure erupting, and tightened his grip on Shinsō at his waist.
Clearly, he also wanted to join the battle.
However, at this moment,
Matsumoto Rangiku… no, Ichimaru Rangiku, held him back.
It was too dangerous.
If even several Captains working together couldn't resolve it, their participation as two Vice-Captains would be useless.
It would be better to stay here and protect Uta and the Tsugikuni Clan, and if necessary, take Uta and escape…
Shi's Shunpo level was really not good.
Looking at Rangiku's earnest gaze, Ichimaru Gin was silent for a moment, then finally sighed helplessly.
However, he didn't choose to sit idly by; instead, he silently moved to a high position, preparing to snipe enemies from afar with Shinsō.
This was also one of Shinsō's major uses.
…
Underground Great Prison, Muken.
Kenpachi Azashiro, who was sleeping, suddenly opened his eyes.
He looked at the woman in front of him, his voice cold:
"Amau Zakuro, what's the situation?"
"Ya hahahaha~"
Amau Zakuro's laughter was sharp; she seemed to have seen something interesting, covering her mouth with one hand, speaking very quickly:
"It's too interesting, Jigon, you'd never guess what's happening outside; those Menos Grande you despise are actually invading in groups, the 1st Division, the Second Division, the Third Division…"
"Stop!" Kenpachi Azashiro directly interrupted her.
Although he was used to Amau Zakuro's talkativeness, at this moment, he didn't want to hear such nonsense.
He asked directly:
"What's the casualty situation?"
"Are the Quincy involved?"
"Where are Yoriichi Tsugikuni and Yamamoto Genryusai?"
Kenpachi Azashiro and Amau Zakuro's personalities were completely opposite.
Although Amau Zakuro was somewhat displeased by Jigon's coldness, she pouted, but still quickly replied:
"The casualty rate has reached 50%, and the Quincy are indeed involved; I even got a very interesting item from them."
"A small, badge-like item. Yoriichi Tsugikuni is rushing to the Noble District, as for that Head Captain, Yamamoto Genryusai…
He took down over a hundred Menos Grande and is now exhausted, currently recuperating."
"Why are you paying attention to them? You can't get out anyway, isn't it good to stay here?"
"No matter how dangerous the war, it won't affect you."
Kenpachi Azashiro was expressionless.
Listening to Amau Zakuro's narration, he seemed to understand something, his indifferent gaze looking at a dark corner, stating directly:
"So that's it, both Captain-Commanders have left. So… Mr. Quincy, and Mayuri Kurotsuchi."
"This is your reason for coming to break out of prison, and even wanting to escape?"
"To be honest, I'm very disappointed, Mayuri."