After hearing what Soi fong said, Yoruichi went blank for a moment. When she came back to her senses, her forehead was covered in black lines as she blurted out:
"Isn't this already a huge mess?!"
Kenpachi had been slashed into serious injuries.
Shunsui had crawled his way to treatment.
Two captains heavily wounded—had Unohana-taicho really gone that far off the rails?
Even Cole's scalp felt numb as he said, "Hey, hey, I'm just saying—why would that lunatic Kenpachi go and provoke Hana-nee?"
Ever since Unohana regained her thirst for battle, her craving for slaughter was dozens of times stronger than Kenpachi's.
Before, Cole could act as the "antidote."
But while he'd been gone… Unohana must have been holding it in until she hit her limit.
Hearing that, Yachiru lowered her head guiltily and whispered, "It was me… I told Kenny that Unohana-taicho was the First Kenpachi, so he wanted to go challenge her…"
"And when Kenny said he was the current Kenpachi and would defeat Unohana-taicho… Unohana got angry."
"She said Kenny wasn't qualified to be Kenpachi yet, and then they started fighting…"
Cole's head throbbed even more.
This was obviously Hana-nee refusing to acknowledge Kenpachi as the current Kenpachi.
After all, Cole was still above him.
So Unohana got truly fired up—and once her killing intent surged, it just wouldn't go back down.
Thinking of that, Cole suddenly remembered something and asked, "Where's that old man Yamamoto? He's not stopping this?"
Normally, Seireitei didn't allow captains to openly fight each other.
But this time, Yamamoto was letting it happen.
Soi fong replied casually, "I heard Captain-Commander doesn't like how lazy Shunsui is, so he just let Shunsui get forced into that fight."
"As for Kenpachi-taicho, he's the captain of the combat division anyway. Fighting people is normal for him."
"Maybe he wants that level of fighting to pressure the captains into feeling urgency, so they'll hurry up and improve."
Hearing that, Cole silently mourned for Shunsui for a few seconds.
Poor, flirtatious old man.
You're usually so lazy—this is your karma, huh?!
At that moment, Yoruichi thought of something and looked curiously at Yachiru.
"Wait—when you said we need to hurry and save Kenpachi, is his condition really that serious right now?!"
Yachiru immediately panicked, waving her hands as she cried out, "No, no! It's not that—Kenny's wounds still haven't healed, but he wants to challenge Unohana-taicho again! I'm scared he'll get killed!"
Cole rubbed his temples with a headache.
"This is exactly why I can't stand battle-crazed maniacs."
After exhaling, his figure flashed and vanished from Squad Two. In the next instant, he was already heading for Squad Four's grounds.
The moment Cole arrived at Squad Four, he saw multiple captains gathered there. He casually greeted them:
"Yo, Komamura-taicho—looks like you're recovering pretty well. Even your fur's got a nice shine again."
"Hey, Byakuya—so you're here too?"
"Ukitake-taicho, with your body you really shouldn't be out here. Rest at home."
"Hitsugaya, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be keeping an eye on that childhood friend of yours who got brainwashed into acting weird?"
"Kensei, you come here to provide battle data for everyone?"
"And Hirako, don't come join the excitement at a time like this. Your Bankai is basically useless here…"
"Oh, Gin's here too—wearing such a big 'necklace'…"
"…"
Seeing how familiar Cole acted, a small number of captains actually greeted him back with smiles, but most had faces as black as the bottom of a pot.
Hitsugaya yanked out Hyorinmaru (Ice Ring) and snarled through clenched teeth:
"Believe it or not, I'll kill you, you bastard!"
Kensei said with a dark expression, "You've got the nerve to bring that up? I only found out after returning to Seireitei—now when people talk about strength, they use 'cars' as the unit."
He felt like his whole life was miserable.
He had thought coming back as a captain would be a happy thing.
Who knew the moment his subordinates saw him, they'd whisper things like "0.5 cars" and "0.3 cars."
Hirako also scowled. "Relax. Even if I went crazy, I still wouldn't use Bankai here."
Gin's mouth twitched. He lifted the shackles on his wrist and shook the chain around his neck.
"Cole, can I ask… how you managed to see this thing as a necklace?"
His situation wasn't great either. Even though being exposed as a spy wouldn't get him executed, these chains were unavoidable.
Finally, Byakuya also stared at Cole with a dark expression and drew Senbonzakura.
"Human… are you provoking us?"
Seeing Cole spark instant outrage the moment he arrived, Rukia, within the crowd, couldn't help glaring at him. She hurried over and said:
"Shut up! Why do you always rub salt into people's wounds?"
The captains present got even angrier.
Rubbing salt into wounds?
Wasn't that admitting they had "wounds"?!
But they couldn't exactly scold Rukia, so they could only swallow their frustration.
Only then did Rukia breathe a sigh of relief. She punched Cole a few times, then grabbed his clothes and said fiercely:
"Where did you go these past days?! You didn't leave a single message. I searched for you for ages."
Because Cole had vanished so suddenly, she hadn't cared at first—she thought he'd gone off to other worlds for fun again.
Until Unohana returned from Hueco Mundo.
Only then did she realize:
Cole wasn't in Hueco Mundo either.
And after asking Ichigo, she found out Cole wasn't in Karakura Town either.
This guy had disappeared without a trace—like he'd run off with Yoruichi—and it had made her anxious and on edge for days.
Cole smiled and leaned down, whispering by Rukia's ear:
"Well… I found a really interesting place. Once you handle what's going on here, I'll take you there to have a look."
Now he had a foothold in the Wandenreich. He could bring one or two people over.
As long as proper precautions were taken, even the Sternritter would have a hard time noticing.
And to be fair, even though the Wandenreich was militarized, there were still plenty of interesting things.
Especially their unique architecture—it had a sacred, artistic feel.
Perfect for sightseeing.
Feeling his breath near her ear, Rukia's ears reddened. She hurriedly pushed his face away and whispered, "Wait—too close! There are so many captains here!"
Even though she'd already been intimate with him before, being that close in public still made her feel shy and awkward.
But Sode no Shirayuki didn't care about that. The zanpakuto spirit—like an icy beauty—pounced into Cole's arms like a spring breeze.
A trace of cold air spread out as she smiled and said:
"Master, you haven't returned to Soul Society for so long—did you go out to 'play' with Miss Yoruichi? Did you win her over?"
Cole instantly felt guilty and knocked Sode no Shirayuki on the forehead.
"What nonsense are you saying? I went to handle serious business."
Sode no Shirayuki stuck out her tongue, then gave a mischievous grin and whispered:
"Is Miss Yoruichi's nickname 'Serious Business'?"
Cole couldn't help coughing twice. So the once-cold ice beauty was getting more and more wicked by the day.
"Rukia, hurry up and rein in your zanpakuto."
A flustered, embarrassed voice came from the distance—Yoruichi and Soi fong had arrived.
The wheat-skinned beauty's cheeks were slightly red. She glared at Cole first, then quickly told Rukia to discipline Sode no Shirayuki.
She didn't want anyone misunderstanding and thinking she was preying on a kid.
Rukia quickly agreed, but then she sensed something was off.
Her eyes narrowed suspiciously at Yoruichi.
"Miss Yoruichi… your reaction feels kind of strange…"
She'd spent time with Yoruichi before. She knew Yoruichi had a mischievous personality and loved teasing young boys.
Normally, after hearing Sode no Shirayuki say something like that, Yoruichi would've played along and teased Cole right back.
So why were her ears red?
And Soi fong—why is your face red too?
Yoruichi's face instantly turned even redder, but she couldn't find any excuse. She could only glare hard at Cole again.
And then Rukia noticed something else.
She stared suspiciously at the red mark on Yoruichi's neck.
For some reason…
It looked strangely familiar.
Just as Rukia was trying to remember where she'd seen something like that, an earth-shaking scream came from inside Squad Four.
"Isane, save me!!! You're the captain of Squad Four now—you can't just watch me die!"
Then came Isane's ashamed voice:
"I'm sorry, Shunsui-taicho… I don't have the courage to raise my hand against a captain. Besides, you won't actually get killed, so… please endure it…"
"No!!!"
Under the deadpan gazes of the captains, Shunsui crawled out wrapped in bandages, looking utterly despairing.
Damn it.
What kind of bad luck was this?
First, he'd gotten chopped up by Unohana for no reason at all. He'd crawled all the way to Squad Four, thinking he could rest here.
After all, no matter how inhuman Unohana was, she wouldn't attack an injured patient… right?
Who knew Kenpachi—the idiot—would show up with his "broken sword" before his injuries even healed, challenging Unohana again.
Two slashes.
Kenpachi nearly got killed.
And once Unohana got fired up, she wasn't going to stop. She simply grabbed him—the injured Shunsui—and forced him to fight alongside Kenpachi.
His old back was about to get chopped in half.
He just wanted to go admire cherry blossoms!
While he was cursing his fate, Shunsui's eyes suddenly lit up like he'd found a savior. He waved his right hand and shouted:
"Cole! You're finally back! Hurry—save me! Do something about this crazy woman! I swear she's about to go berserk—!"
"Cole!!!"
Hearing his name, Unohana's eyes brightened. She charged out with her zanpakuto, her face flushed.
"Cole-kun… you're finally back?"
Only after Cole disappeared did she realize how hard it was to find a man who could satisfy her in every way.
Don't be fooled by how she'd slashed Kenpachi and Shunsui into serious injuries.
In terms of true "satisfaction," they weren't even one-tenth of what she felt fighting Cole.
If anything, it only made her even more hungry.
As she moved, Unohana casually kicked Shunsui out of her way. The old man went flying dozens of meters and smashed into a wall.
Ukitake hurried over, worried.
"Shunsui… are you alright?"
Shunsui wiped cold sweat off his forehead. Not only was he not angry—he actually looked relieved, like he'd survived a catastrophe.
"The injuries aren't too bad… it's just that this crazy woman is way too strong."
He'd always known Unohana's true identity, but he had never thought he would lose to her.
Only after these recent days of fighting did he realize—
This woman's strength was not below his at all.
Especially when they were both in Shikai, she could overwhelm him purely with refined swordsmanship.
Ukitake gave a bitter smile.
"Who told you to go stick your nose into it? Unohana-taicho's temper has been extremely violent these days."
Shunsui almost cried.
How was this "sticking his nose in it"?
This was "disaster falling from the sky!"
If you've got the guts, go challenge the old man Yamamoto!
Rubbing his aching waist, Shunsui glared at Cole.
"At the end of the day, it's that brat's fault. Who told him to vanish for no reason? The beast he raised ended up going berserk."
In the past, Unohana had been so gentle and graceful.
Now she was a bloodthirsty maniac.
"Hana-nee, I'm back. Calm down first—"
Cole looked at Unohana nervously.
But how could she calm down? Ten-plus days of suppressed craving erupted at once. Her cheeks were flushed as she lunged at Cole:
"Come—let me enjoy a proper fight with you!"
Fighting others, she was always the one inflicting pain.
That left her dissatisfied to the extreme.
She missed Cole's overwhelming strength and the way he could push her to the edge.
Cole's forehead filled with black lines. Before he could say anything, an endless crimson flooded over him—
And not just him.
All the captains present were dragged in as well.
Could he allow that?
Of course not.
Watching someone fight was one thing, but what came after was another.
So Cole moved immediately—kicking the captains out one by one, sending them flying out of that crimson space.
After that, Cole turned to the women.
Rukia immediately made a dangerous expression. She cracked her knuckles and bared her small fangs.
"You're not going to kick me out too, are you?!"
Sode no Shirayuki smiled happily.
"Cole-kun, don't worry. I won't stop you. In fact… I'd rather join."
She'd watched Cole and Unohana fight several times already.
Naturally, she knew what kind of "afterglow" followed.
Cole's head hurt like hell. He looked at Yoruichi and Soi fong.
Even though the two didn't fully understand what was happening, they still watched Cole warily, afraid he'd kick them out too.
Just as Cole's headache grew worse, the blade—like a blood-red whip—came down toward his face, aiming to cleave him apart.
Facing that fierce strike, Cole simply reached out and caught it, helpless.
"Hana-nee, calm down…"
The razor-sharp blade was held firmly in his palm, sparks flying as it ground against his grip.
And on Cole's left hand, Quincy-style Blut Vene (Blood Vein) patterns had clearly appeared.
Today's first update!
(End of Chapter)
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