ushernet Chapter 239 – Audacious
Chapter 239 – Audacious
chapter 239 – audacious
this wasn't kaien and ailin's first meeting. over two decades ago, while kaien and kukaku shiba were practicing kidō at home, ailin, passing by, had stopped for a visit. at the time, kaien possessed the spiritual pressure of a seated officer, but lacking proper guidance, his only skill among the four shinigami arts was the family's kidō techniques. ailin had offered guidance, and it was under his direction that kaien had eventually journeyed to the seireitei, becoming a shinigami.
“thank you, captain ailin. if it weren’t for your timely arrival...”
kaien trailed off, unable to continue. he knew that even if he and rukia could have eventually defeated the assassins, koganehiko, shiroganehiko, kukaku, and ganju wouldn't have survived.
swoosh! swoosh!
as kaien struggled to find the words to express his gratitude, two powerful spiritual pressures surged towards them.
boom!
a blast of wind slammed into them, forcing kaien to instinctively activate nejibana, creating a barrier of water to shield himself and miyako.
“what? rukia, what are you doing here?”
as the wind dissipated, soi fon materialized in the air above them. she glanced down at the devastated shiba estate, noting the burning wreckage. her eyes narrowed as she saw the assassins dangling helplessly from ailin's golden chains.
before rukia could greet her, a dark figure flashed into existence beside soi fon.
“oh my, it seems i’m getting old. even youngsters like you are faster than me now...” shunsui kyōraku sighed dramatically.
his words were technically true. kyōraku, a disciple of head-captain yamamoto, was over five hundred years old, the same as jūshirō ukitake. soi fon and ailin, however, hadn’t even reached two hundred. calling them youngsters was accurate.
however, within the soul society, strength dictated one’s standing. once a shinigami reached a certain level of power, even if they were less than a hundred years old, they were considered equals by their elders. those below a hundred, regardless of their strength, were still viewed as children.
“so, you’re from the main family, young kaien. i had assumed you were from the branch family, like captain isshin.”
kyōraku adjusted his straw hat, his eyelids drooping slightly. as the head of the kyōraku clan, one of the upper noble families, he knew the dirty secrets of the five great noble clans. but he had never imagined that other nobles would dare to target the shiba clan’s treasure, attempting to use it to elevate their status and become a new great noble family.
even rukia was surprised. after becoming ailin's disciple and residing within the kuchiki estate, she had learned about the five great noble clans that stood at the pinnacle of the soul society. she hadn't realized that kaien was from one of those families.
moreover, this clan, with its lineage spanning over a million years, would have been eradicated that night if not for ailin’s timely arrival.
“as for why rukia is here...” kaien sighed, bowing his head towards her.
“i apologize, rukia. this has nothing to do with you. miyako, after learning that you were captain ailin’s disciple, wanted to use your presence to deter those who were planning to attack the shiba clan. however, she didn’t realize... they don't even fear captain ailin. they knew you were here, yet they still attacked, intent on killing us all.”
miyako, before her death, had confessed everything to kaien, even revealing her role as a spy. she had told him that if he wanted to protect the shiba clan, he had to achieve bankai and become a captain as soon as possible. only then would their enemies hesitate to act against them.
but miyako hadn’t anticipated their audacity. they were far bolder, far crueler than she had imagined.
“it seems my prolonged absence has led some to believe i’ve grown soft...” said ailin menacingly.
“captain ailin, this matter is quite complex. would you allow us to handle it?” soi fon interrupted, her tone urgent as she flashed before ailin.
“oh? why?” under ailin’s intense gaze, soi fon gritted her teeth.
“captain ailin, i believe captain soi fon is right. allow us to handle this,” shunsui kyōraku added. his usual carefree demeanor was replaced by a seriousness that surprised even soi fon.
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