I'm really not the number one slacker in Soul Society.

It's Aizen!

Upon hearing this, Aizen, who had been standing next to Toki, seemed unable to bear their conversation being interrupted at such a crucial moment. So he immediately punched one of the henchmen, knocking him unconscious and throwing him away, before joining the Tsunayoshi family's ranks.

To this, Mima could only say "Awesome!"

"Lord Tokinada, is the 'Guardian' really safe? What if it gets defeated by Kisuke Urahara... and Kensei Muguruma?"

What was that slight pause, Aizen?! ​​You definitely overlooked Kensei for a second! He just risked his life to save me, don't treat a good older brother like this, you bastard!

"That is impossible."

Shi Tan denied it without hesitation: "'Guardian' is a monster that the Spirit King brought back from the Western Frontier Bureau. According to the records of our ancestors, even the members of the Zero Division would probably have a hard time defeating that thing. It is definitely not something that two captains and a vice-captain can do anything about."

Upon hearing this, Aizen looked troubled and naturally followed up with, "But... if the 'Guardian' is so strong, how can we obtain the 'Divine Sword' from its protection?"

"Hmph, the Guardian may be powerful, but it is ultimately just a bound beast. Kagaya has its 'bindings' that can immobilize it for a short time. If we can seize the divine sword during this gap, we can easily destroy the Guardian."

Shitan stared at the scale in his hand that flickered on and off like breathing, and sneered, "Let Urahara Kisuke, Muguruma Kensei, and Yadomaru Lisa struggle. We can use the scale we took from the Guardian to check its condition. As long as we notify Koya's people at the wrong time, we can easily amplify their damage, and then we can take the divine sword from them."

"That's it, I understand..."

Aizen "suddenly realized," then continued with a "worried expression," "But if we do this, won't it...?"

He didn't say anything, but pointed discreetly upwards.

"You want to ask about Squad Zero?"

The people present all seemed to be Shi Tan's confidants, which made him seem somewhat unrestrained in his speech: "They know, but they don't care... Maybe 'Eye Monk' is watching us right now? Hmph, the Zero Squad is guarding the Spirit King himself, so why would they care about a mere sword?"

Hearing this incredibly arrogant statement, Aizen raised an eyebrow and retreated to the back of the group.

Mima, who was in the mountains, sighed.

The look in his eyes as he stared at the screen became somewhat subtle.

Wow, that's a really detailed explanation...

Your plan is good, but is there any possibility... I mean, is there any possibility... that Kisuke Urahara is actually much stronger than you think?

Chapter Twenty-Three: The Sword of the Spirit King

In short, he had a general idea of ​​the situation.

Long ago, the Soul King forged something called the "Divine Sword" and placed it in a small world located between the three realms. He then brought a fairytale dragon named "Little Red Riding Hood" from the Western Frontier Bureau to guard the Divine Sword. Meanwhile, Koya Shinji and Tsuna Yashiro Tokinada of the Forty-Sixth Chamber each possessed some information about the "Divine Sword" and planned to come here to obtain it.

However, in this scheme, Koya Shinji's level was clearly not as high as Tsuna Miyoshi's.

So the situation might be like this: In order to share the costs, Tokita found Koya, who had the "binding device", and then partnered with the latter to outsource the mine-clearing mission to the Gotei 13. Tokita himself planned to win twice, both to kill Koya and the exploration team, and to get the "divine sword" into his hands.

However, there is an awkward aspect to this whole scheme.

Two strange things have infiltrated the exploration team.

Mi Zhen was to be left alone, since Shi Tan didn't even bother to mention him, clearly thinking that this mere fifth seat holder was unlikely to amount to much, and Mi Zhen himself was happy with that.

But underestimating Kisuke Urahara... even Aizen would probably have to admit you guys are really brave.

It's important to know that this wasn't just any ordinary Kisuke Urahara; he brought a whole backpack full of equipment for this exploration mission!

Aside from Yoruichi Shihouin, Yama was probably the one who understood Urahara Kisuke's terrifying nature the most, but even he was reluctant to think about what was in that backpack...

Not only that, Shi Tan was completely unaware that a scourge was standing openly beside him.

Therefore, when the mantis is stalking the cicada, it must be especially careful to see if there is a sparrow lurking behind it...

Most of the questions have been answered, except for the last one.

What exactly is the "divine sword"?

But he had other important things to deal with before he could figure out the answer.

................................................

"Bound me, Red Princess!"

Urahara shouted, then plunged his Zanpakuto into the ground.

Several black ribbon-like things darted to Mima's side with lightning speed.

She grabbed his arm and pulled him back to Lisa's side.

But before Urahara could say anything, Little Red Riding Hood, who was sitting next to the crystal, became scorching hot. A large amount of red light seeped out from the gaps in its scales, intertwined, and then materialized into a hooded cloak that covered the entire dragon.

Two seconds later, Little Red Riding Hood opened her mouth and spat out a stream of intense heat towards the three people at the edge.

"What--?!"

Without hesitation, Urahara stepped in front of Mima and Lisa, raised his sword and shouted, "Blood Mist Shield!"

The crimson triangular shield of flames blocked the three people's path a second before it arrived, and soon began to shatter from the edges.

But this isn't a contest of strength; while Urahara withstands the Flame Stream, others will step in—

"Breaking Path No. 63: Thunder Roar Cannon!"

He half-knelt and propped himself up, raising his hands to the sky and unleashing the maximum extent of his Kido that he usually revealed.

Golden lightning arced through the air, striking the fairy dragon's hood like a hook punch, causing it to involuntarily turn its head and interrupt its fiery breath—but the sixty-third level of the demonic path didn't even leave a white mark, demonstrating the strength of its defense.

Are fairytale dragons really that powerful? Or is this just a special one?

"Oh? Your power is red, I like that."

Little Red Riding Hood gave Urahara a nonchalant comment, then raised a front paw and wiped her face in a cat-like gesture, pausing for a moment.

“Captain Urahara, I’m sorry…” Yama stood up, “We didn’t even damage its outer skin…”

“It’s alright, you’ve done enough,” Urahara comforted him, then stared intently at Little Red Riding Hood, who was sitting calmly, and asked seriously, “Who are you? Why did you attack us?”

"This question has already been answered."

Little Red Riding Hood blinked, and an innocent smile appeared on her delicate dragon face: "I am the 'Guardian' entrusted by the Spirit King to guard the 'Divine Sword' here and to test every visitor who seeks the Divine Sword—just like what I am doing now."

Mi Zhen clicked his tongue and roared angrily, "But we don't even know what a divine sword is!"

"Hmm?" Little Red Riding Hood tilted her head in confusion. "Didn't you Shinigami record this? The 'Divine Sword' is a weapon personally crafted by the Soul King, imbued with his power, capable of destroying any enemy—that Shinigami who visited here back then... um, Tsuna what? Anyway, a Shinigami came here, and the Soul King instructed him to record it and tell everyone when he returned. How could you not know?"

Anyone with a brain knows this information was swallowed up by the Tsunayoshiro family. Damn it, the Tsunayoshiro family is truly a bunch of scumbags generation after generation.

Mima wanted to continue the banter, but Little Red Riding Hood unilaterally ended the conversation: "Well, in short, according to the rules, entering this hall is equivalent to accepting a trial... Well, since you haven't heard of it, I'll explain it for now."

As usual, it swung its right paw, and a blue barrier blocked the cave behind the three of them with lightning speed, cutting off their only way out.

“You have two choices,” Little Red Riding Hood said, raising her two sharp claws. “Defeat me, or escape… but neither will be easy. I will do everything in my power to stop you—but don’t be careless, I’m very strong.”

"It looks like..."

Urahara sighed helplessly, then looked up and shouted at a newly added hole in the ceiling, "The negotiations have broken down, Captain Kensei."

"I heard—"

A burly figure flickered in the pit and appeared beside the three in the next instant: "We have no choice but to fight... right?"

Little Red Riding Hood smiled and answered for her: "That's right."

The atmosphere became solemn.

Then, several powerful spiritual pressures rose from the ground.

Bankai, Iron Fist Severing the Wind!

"Destroy him, iron dragonfly!"

"Sing, Benihime!"

"Broken Dao No. 88: The flying dragon strikes the thief and the sky-shaking thunder cannon!"

Chapter Twenty-Four: Mission Accomplished

Everyone else's slogans sounded pretty classy, ​​but why did mine seem a little less impressive...?

Although releasing the 88th Kido without chanting is a bit outrageous for him, compared to the cool poses of the others releasing their Zanpakuto, this silly, standing-up-and-releasing-energy-wave-is obviously lacks a bit of class.

“Watanabe, the fifth seat, we will hold it off. Please try to see if you can break through this barrier.”

Before rushing in to start the fight, Urahara gave Yama these instructions.

In other words, the pressure is on the front line, and you can focus on finding ways to steal the tower.

"It's an order—"

Mizhen lowered her eyes and responded with a sound of agreement, focusing her main attention on the mountains outside.

With such support from our predecessors, how could I possibly make only a small contribution?

................................................

"See, I caught him!"

The men who had been ordered by Shi Tan to contact the Jia Gu men arrived in a valley after a few minutes of running, completely unaware that they had an extra tail.

He walked into a crevice in the rocks below the valley.

Several mysterious men dressed in black were lurking there, discussing something in front of a box. When they saw Shi Tan's men approaching, they immediately went to greet them.

"How about it?"

The mysterious leader asked, "Have the Gotei 13 already gone in?"

“That’s right, if I’m not surprised, they’re at war with the Guardians.” Shi Tan’s subordinate nodded. “How’s it going on your side? Have you finished adjusting the ‘restraints’?”

"It's been fine for a long time."

The mysterious leader opened the box, inside which lay a thick chain engraved with text. The chain exuded a kind of brutal spiritual pressure, and it didn't look like a simple inanimate object, but rather somewhat resembled... a Zanpakuto?

However, it doesn't seem to require a specific person to use it. If a Zanpakuto is a bank vault with fingerprint locks, iris verification, and facial recognition, then this chain is simply a rotten wooden door with only a bolt, which anyone with a hand can open.

The spiritual pressure formed a specific circuit on that chain, similar to certain binding spells, but the process of constructing the spell was completed by the chain itself, and the holder only needed to input the spiritual pressure as the starting energy.

It's so simple, you can figure out how to use it at a glance.

This is what Watanabe Yashin, the master of the art of demonology, said.

"Let's set off then. We must get in shortly after the Gotei 13 are wiped out by the Guardians. The restraints are unlikely to work on Guardians in good condition."