"I have a question." Muten Natsu looked at the fork in the path ahead. "Do we really need to split up?"
Three passages branched off in different directions. The distinct Reiatsu of Sōgyo no Kotowari and Katen Kyōkotsu could be sensed from the left and right.
Yoruichi Shihōin and Suì-Fēng's Reiatsu were also somewhere inside the cave, moving at extraordinary speed.
"I'd rather not if we had a choice..." Shunsui Kyōraku sighed. "But Katen seems pretty angry. If I ignore her and go off to keep someone else company, things could get ugly."
Rukia Kuchiki tilted her head. "How ugly?"
"Probably ugly enough to drag everyone here down with me." Shunsui Kyōraku chuckled. "And if Sōgyo no Kotowari gets involved too... it'll be even worse."
"Muten, Rukia." Jūshirō Ukitake looked at them seriously. "Whatever you do, don't push yourselves too far. Protecting yourselves comes first. We can deal with everything else afterward."
"It's not like you just met him yesterday." Rukia Kuchiki shot Muten Natsu an annoyed glare. "Does he look like someone who's good at protecting himself?"
Jūshirō Ukitake was left speechless. He gave Muten Natsu a helpless look.
"Muten..."
This child really was a constant source of worry.
"No matter how much you warn me, I can't do what I can't do." Muten Natsu took Rukia Kuchiki's hand. "But don't worry. Rukia will protect me."
Rukia Kuchiki made a token attempt to pull her hand free with so little strength that everyone could see she wasn't serious, then lightly kicked him.
"Idiot..."
"Don't worry~" Shunsui Kyōraku reassured his friend, smiling like an indulgent aunt. "These two may be terrible at protecting themselves, but they're very good at protecting each other."
Muten Natsu received a secret pinch from the embarrassed Rukia Kuchiki.
"Then we'll take the middle path. You two old-timers can deal with your own Zanpakutō."
"Muten really..." Watching the pair walk away hand in hand, Jūshirō Ukitake smiled and shook his head. "It feels like some of the energy he had as a child has come back."
"Isn't that a good thing?" Shunsui Kyōraku adjusted his straw hat. "He's nowhere near the age when he should be acting lifeless and gloomy."
"The same goes for you." Jūshirō Ukitake patted Shunsui Kyōraku on the shoulder. "See you later."
Jūshirō Ukitake entered the passage on the right, while Shunsui Kyōraku headed left.
"The same, huh...? No, not really." Shunsui Kyōraku muttered to himself. "I'm already at the age when I should be lifeless and gloomy, yet I still insist on pretending I'm young and energetic. Isn't that right... Katen?"
"Don't call me so affectionately." Katen, dressed in a black kimono, raised one arm, her long sleeve concealing her purple lips. "Who gave you permission to call me that?"
"Don't be so heartless..." Shunsui Kyōraku smiled awkwardly. "We've been together for so long. Can't we skip the argument this time and go straight to making up?"
"Together? What is this master who only occasionally comes to play with me talking about?" Katen looked down at Shunsui Kyōraku from the stone steps. "That awkward little brat finally seems to have gotten together with the people he loves. It certainly wasn't easy. As an observer, and one of the few people who can understand both him and Retsu Unohana, I imagine you have quite a few thoughts about it."
"What are you talking about?" Shunsui Kyōraku tucked his hands into his sleeves. "I'm simply better at gathering information and a little more mature when it comes to romance. My romance novel, The Rose-Colored Path, is still being serialized to great acclaim, you know."
"Mature? You didn't bring her here... because you don't want her to meet me." Katen narrowed her uncovered left eye. "You're always wearing that person's clothes. Surely you've noticed. As she grows older, she looks more and more like that person."
"Is that so? I..." Shunsui Kyōraku raised a hand to adjust his straw hat, only to notice that his fingers had gone stiff.
His gaze sharpened.
"You actually used [Yubikiri]. For all your harsh words, you really do still care about me."
Katen Kyōkotsu could turn children's games into reality. Anyone who entered the range of Katen Kyōkotsu's Reiatsu would be forced to participate, with every rule dictated by Katen Kyōkotsu.
Even Shunsui Kyōraku had to obey those rules.
[Yubikiri] was, essentially, a pinky promise.
Unlike Kageoni and Takaoni, [Yubikiri] was not technically a game. Instead, it transformed the pinky promise children made when saying, "Let's play again next time," into an actual ability.
Once [Yubikiri] was activated, neither side could lie when answering the other's questions.
The first lie would leave the liar's fingers unable to move.
The second would numb every bone in their body as though they had been smashed apart by fists.
The third would inflict excruciating pain throughout their internal organs, as though countless needles were stabbing them from within.
Just as children sang when making a pinky promise: break your promise and swallow a thousand needles.
The technique was generally used against mortal enemies who lied constantly during battle, or to extract information from opponents who had already been subdued.
However, Katen would become sulky whenever Shunsui Kyōraku made a pinky promise with someone other than her, so he rarely used it.
"A man who does nothing but lie and flatter people." Katen's gaze turned cold. "That's why she hates you."
The shadow behind Shunsui Kyōraku shifted.
The slender figure of Kyōkotsu silently emerged.
"Really?" Shunsui Kyōraku turned his head to look behind him. "Then that's... wonderful."
...
"What should we play?"
"Let's play!"
Two childish voices echoed through the cave.
Jūshirō Ukitake called out, "Sure. Let's play together."
"He agreed!"
"He really agreed~"
The twins of Sōgyo no Kotowari appeared in blue kariginu and pointed blue hats, holding between them a piece of origami shaped like a letter.
"So you're Sōgyo no Kotowari." The moment Jūshirō Ukitake saw the children, he smiled. "You look rather different from before."
"You guessed right away."
"That's no fun~"
The twins complained one after another.
"Sorry for spoiling your fun." Jūshirō Ukitake had plenty of experience dealing with children. "How about we make a promise? We'll stop here for today, and next time I'll play with you properly. How does that sound?"
"Like that...?"
"Fine, then..."
The twins pouted and moved closer to Jūshirō Ukitake.
"Since you said so."
"I guess we'll have to accept."
Jūshirō Ukitake smiled gently. "Good boys. Then that settles..."
Boom!
Lightning erupted from between the sheets of origami and struck the cave wall.
If Jūshirō Ukitake hadn't dodged in time, the bolt would have struck him directly in the head.
"You still act like that with us."
"How arrogant, Jūshirō Ukitake."
Sōgyo no Kotowari stared at him coldly.
"Have you started thinking that thing inside your body..."
"...is actually you?"
...
"Suzumebachi's body is smaller, so she's more agile and difficult to hit," Suì-Fēng explained concisely to Yoruichi Shihōin. "The trade-off is that her Reiatsu is weaker, her straight-line speed is slower, and she has very little physical strength."
"Then let's not waste time." Yoruichi Shihōin's ponytail whipped behind her. "We'll end this quickly!"
Yoruichi Shihōin and Suì-Fēng attacked the tiny Suzumebachi simultaneously from opposite sides.
The instant they made contact, both of them realized something was wrong.
"You two..." Suzumebachi's shrill voice rang out.
Her two finger-thin legs pressed against Yoruichi Shihōin's and Suì-Fēng's fingertips, one on either side.
"Looks like you still haven't noticed."
Black Hōmonka spread behind Suzumebachi like the wings of a butterfly.
A tremendous force erupted, sending both women flying.
Suì-Fēng slammed heavily into the cave wall and stared at Suzumebachi in shock.
"How can you...?"
Before Yoruichi Shihōin reached the wall, she curled her body in midair, adjusted her posture, and planted both feet against the rock. Her shapely legs, wrapped in tight pants, bent to absorb the impact.
"Looks like you've gained some unusual power."
"This is the power I was supposed to have from the beginning!" Suzumebachi glared viciously at Suì-Fēng. "It's all because of you... Your very existence is holding me back!"
Suzumebachi transformed into a streak of yellow light and shot straight toward Suì-Fēng.
Suì-Fēng gritted her teeth and forced herself through the pain, preparing to meet the attack.
But Yoruichi Shihōin moved faster.
She swept Suì-Fēng into her arms, avoided Suzumebachi's attack, and sprinted toward the cave exit.
Suì-Fēng struggled fiercely. "I can still fight!"
"I can't." Yoruichi Shihōin accelerated. "I can't stand there and watch you force yourself to fight while you're badly injured."
"Yoruichi-sama..."
A blush spread across Suì-Fēng's cheeks, all the way to her ears.
"If one of your comrades is defeated, you're supposed to recognize it as an opportunity. Instead of interfering, you should attack from behind. And if the enemy is too powerful for even that, you abandon your comrade immediately and retreat. That is how the Onmitsukidō operates."
Suzumebachi's voice followed them like a shadow, dripping with mockery.
"You were the one who established those rules, yet this is the face you make when someone saves you? What a fine Captain you are, Suì-Fēng!"
Suì-Fēng instinctively clutched Yoruichi Shihōin's collar.
She wanted to argue, but no words came.
"So that's one of your rules." Yoruichi Shihōin lowered her gaze. "And it's the correct one. As Commander-in-Chief of the Onmitsukidō, that's exactly the kind of resolve you need."
"What you say and what you do..."
Suzumebachi had actually caught up with Yoruichi Shihōin.
The black wings behind her flapped as she closed the distance at a chilling speed.
"...are completely contradictory!"
Yoruichi Shihōin narrowly avoided another attack and glanced at the enormous crater Suzumebachi had left in the rock wall.
"I was talking about the resolve expected of the Commander-in-Chief of the Onmitsukidō. As for me now... I'm nothing but a stray cat."
Yoruichi Shihōin set Suì-Fēng down and adjusted her Reiatsu.
The Zanpakutō had become drastically stronger.
Information this important had to reach everyone else as soon as possible.
If they stayed here fighting for too long and other Zanpakutō arrived, they would lose their chance to escape.
But Suzumebachi had become so fast that Yoruichi Shihōin no longer had any hope of simply outrunning her.
Their only option was to finish this as quickly as possible.
"Shunkō!"
Yoruichi Shihōin let out a low roar.
The fabric over her back and shoulders tore apart, revealing smooth, dark skin. Fine arcs of golden electricity danced over her body before gathering into dazzling lightning that lashed violently at everything around her.
The air exploded.
Yoruichi Shihōin appeared directly in front of Suzumebachi and threw a punch, unleashing a torrent of lightning.
Suzumebachi flickered away.
Yoruichi Shihōin's attack instead struck the same section of rock wall Suzumebachi had hit earlier.
Boom!
A violent explosion erupted, sending a raging shockwave through the cave and hurling Yoruichi Shihōin backward.
"That was..." Suì-Fēng sensed the strange Reiatsu in that instant. "The power of Jakuhō Raikōben?"
"Yoruichi-sama!"
"Yoruichi, Yoruichi, Yoruichi... All you ever talk about is Yoruichi! You're so annoying!"
The blade on Suzumebachi's right arm gleamed coldly.
"You can die with her!"
"Then you'll have to kill me first."
Yoruichi Shihōin burst through the smoke and dust.
"Don't be so impatient."
"You're the impatient one." Suzumebachi's gaze swept over the wounds covering Yoruichi Shihōin's body. "You're trying to finish me off before the other Zanpakutō get here, aren't you?"
Yoruichi Shihōin adjusted her Reiatsu to suppress her injuries.
"So you noticed. You're just as clever as Suì-Fēng."
"Shut up!"
Suzumebachi's voice was naturally shrill because of her tiny body, but now it became almost painfully piercing.
"You don't need to worry about the other Zanpakutō coming to interfere, because... they wouldn't dare!"
Strange black markings appeared across the stone walls, like black butterflies spreading their wings.
Hōmonka, which should only appear when Suzumebachi struck a living enemy, now covered the lifeless rock in overlapping layers.
"Did you really think I couldn't keep up with you during that chase?" Suzumebachi sneered. "I deliberately slowed down so I could drive you here. Every one of these Hōmonka contains a portion of my Bankai's power. If they all detonate together... it'll be roughly equivalent to two Bankai exploding at once."
Yoruichi Shihōin's breath caught.
The instant she started to move, violent explosions overlapped one after another.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!!
...
The violent tremor beneath Muten Natsu's feet threw him off balance for an instant.
A spinning kama seized the opening and closed in.
Pure white mist solidified into a tangible cord and yanked Muten Natsu away from the attack.
"That shaking..." Rukia Kuchiki looked at Muten Natsu after pulling him to safety. "Was that Yoruichi-san?"
"You two don't exactly seem to be in a position to worry about other people right now."
Hollowfied Sakanade's strangely distorted voice rang out.
"Not with all of us standing here."
Hollowfied Sakanade, Hollowfied Tachikaze, and Hollowfied Kinshara.
Three Captain-class Hollowfied Zanpakutō.
Alongside them stood Fuji Kujaku, Hōzukimaru, Kazeshini, and Haineko, four Zanpakutō whose power had clearly increased.
Muten Natsu, Rukia Kuchiki, and Sode no Shirayuki numbered only three in total.
"You've been hiding in the back this whole time, yet you still manage to sound so smug." Kazeshini looked thoroughly disgusted. "Is your ability actually useful or not?"
"Don't underestimate my ability." Hollowfied Sakanade raised his Zanpakutō. "No need to rush. It'll all be over very soon."
The blade fell.
Kazeshini was instantly cut in half.
"See...?" Hollowfied Sakanade laughed.
"I told you I was right~"