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

As she got closer, she heard the sound of metal clashing against metal.

...Is someone fighting there?

Hiyori felt a surge of anxiety and lost all interest in analyzing the enemy situation. She immediately increased her running speed and rushed towards the camp.

After passing through a grove of trees, she immediately spotted two things that resembled Kensei and Shiro, yet were completely unfamiliar to her.

—And a figure flying backwards!

She was a woman dressed in black, covered in wounds. When Hiyori saw her, she had just been hit by Kensei and was sent flying like a leaf in the wind. She then crashed to the ground some distance away, coughing up a mouthful of blood.

what happened?

Seeing Kensei about to rush up and deliver the final blow to the woman who was powerless to resist, Hiyori felt a sudden panic. Without thinking, she immediately drew her sword and shouted as she charged forward.

"Cut him off and kill the snake!"

At the critical moment, Hiyori stepped in front of the woman, barely managing to block Kensei's powerful punch. Then, she immediately turned around, grabbed the woman's arm, hoisted her onto her back, and quickly retreated a large distance.

"Can you hear me?"

After working under Urahara Kisuke for eight years, Hiyori learned a lot, including some basic first aid knowledge. Just by touching the woman, she immediately identified her injuries—numerous lacerations on the body, several broken ribs, and severe internal organ damage, not to mention some smaller wounds.

If they don't receive immediate medical attention, they probably won't live much longer.

But there was no space for her to lie down quietly, so Hiyori could only shake her and ask loudly:

"What's going on! What happened here?"

"I don't know... I... cough cough... I'm a member of the Criminal Investigation Department, and I was ordered by my captain to come and check the situation... cough... but... I was attacked as soon as I arrived..."

The woman looked at Hiyori with almost unfocused eyes. "You...you're the vice-captain of the 12th Division, right...Please...run away quickly...I don't know...what's the origin of that monster that looks like Captain Kensei...but it...is extremely powerful..."

After seeing Hiyori, Kensei and Haku set their sights on her.

With wounded soldiers in her hands and unable to attack her friends, she could only desperately flee with the woman who claimed to be a member of the Criminal Investigation Department. Fortunately, neither of the pursuers seemed to be rational and only knew how to charge recklessly, which allowed Hiyori to avoid being caught by taking advantage of the terrain of the forest.

"Please...put me down..." The woman coughed up another mouthful of blood. "With my message in mind, you won't get far. Please put me down. I can still use...my secret technique...cough...to buy you some time. Please...hurry back and report back..."

"What a joke!" Hiyori roared. "How could I possibly watch you die!"

Jiu Nanbai's flying kick arrived in an instant, nearly smashing her head open.

Damn it... I'm so exhausted... I can't keep going like this for long!

What should I do...what should I do!

After a series of futile dodges, Hiyori's Zanpakuto was broken by Kensei's punch.

A large wound appeared on her forehead—more importantly, she was too weak to dodge the next attack!

Then, Kensei pounced.

Damn it, is this the end...?

Seeing that she was powerless to struggle, Hiyori simply closed her eyes and waited for death to come in the darkness.

But... suddenly a hurried chanting came from my ear.

"Hado #63: Thunder Roar Cannon!!"

The blazing golden light of the Kido was so dazzling that even Hiyori, who had her eyes closed, felt it was blinding.

She heard the sound of lightning exploding on Kensei's body, followed by Kensei's painful roar and the sound of running.

Finally, a familiar voice.

"Hiyori, are you alright?"

"Mako..."

Hiyori opened her eyes and saw several familiar figures standing in front of her—Mako, Lisa, Luo Wu, and Lou Juro.

There's also Watanabe Yama, whom I'm not so familiar with.

It seems that this guy just used his Ghost Path to save me.

"I'm fine..."

Hiyori instinctively gasped for breath. The fear of brushing with death still lingered in her mind, stinging painfully. But she immediately remembered what she had to do and urgently asked Hirako Shinji, "Her injuries are more serious than mine. Do you have any medicine with you?!"

"what happened……"

Hirako didn't answer her. His gaze was almost entirely drawn to the changed Kensei. The shocking sight left everyone speechless until Kensei broke free from the paralysis effect of the Thunder Roar Cannon, roared, and attacked Luo Wu, who was closest to him. Only then did anyone react.

"Sixty One of the Binding Dao: Six-Stand Light Prison!"

As Mi Zhen, standing at the front of the group, shouted, six yellow light beams immediately took shape.

He caught Kensei red-handed as he charged forward—but the powerful binding spell, number sixty-something, only held Kensei back for less than three seconds before he tore it apart with brute force.

"Is that really Kensei...?"

"Kensei! What are you doing!"

"Kensei! Wake up!"

The shouts of the crowd could not rouse Kensei from his berserk state.

He charged forward relentlessly, delivering a punch without holding back to the Tengu Maru that Luo Wu had just raised. The massive impact nearly shattered the blade in two—as a price, Luo Wu was sent flying, flipping in mid-air to dissipate the force before landing safely.

Chapter 54: Backstab

"That was a heavy blow, Kensei!" he roared, his eyes wide, as he braced himself against Kensei's renewed charge with the force of a bull wrestling. "Wake up!"

"Captain Aikawa..." After releasing two high-level Kido spells in succession, Mima, whose face had turned pale and seemed to be due to excessive spiritual pressure consumption, took a few breaths and murmured in disbelief, "Captain Kensei probably can't hear you... His spiritual pressure is like..."

"Empty".

Lisa took over the conversation, stepping forward to shield Mima behind her: "The spiritual pressure... and that mask... it's all just Hollow."

"Damn it, what on earth happened..."

Hirako slowly drew his sword, "Although I don't quite understand what happened to Kensei... but everyone, draw your swords, otherwise, we might... die here!"

Everyone looked at Quanxi, a moment of hesitation in their eyes.

But it was in this brief moment of lapse that another attacker seized the opportunity.

"Lisa, upstairs!"

Mima's urgent shout made Lisa subconsciously look up, and then she saw the petite black figure leaping high and kicking towards her head.

"white?"

Jiu Nanbai, acting strangely, moved faster than usual. Although Lisa saw her, the distance was too close for her to avoid—

"Nine Luminaries Binding".

Suddenly, a breathless voice rang out from behind the crowd.

Then, nine large black dots that appeared out of thin air surrounded Jiu Nanbai, freezing her in mid-air.

Just then, a fat man with an odd hairstyle arrived, panting heavily.

He breathed a sigh of relief after confirming everyone's safety.

“You guys… ran so fast…” Yushoda Hachigen took a deep breath, “But… it’s good that you’re alright…”

Time was of the essence, and there was no time for formalities. So Hirako simply gave Yushoda Hachigen a grateful look and immediately ordered, "Hachi, go help Hiyori and the person she's carrying. We'll hold them off here for now."

"Okay, I'll go right away."

Finally catching his breath, Hachigen Yuzaki wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, then casually delivered a binding spell to Kensei, who was wrestling with Luo Wu.

Then she immediately turned around and went to Hiyori, who was squatting under a tree.

He quickly glanced at their injuries and nodded.

Then she instructed Hiyori to put down the seriously injured person on her back, put her two fat hands together, and began to use the healing technique of the Kido sect, which was only secretly passed down among the Kido sect.

Great, the worries are temporarily relieved.

Hirako breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Hiyori is mostly alright; with Kohachi's help, the wounded should be able to hold out until Seireitei.

The next step is to figure out how to deal with Kensei in this state...

It seems Kensei has lost his mind right now; he probably won't stop until he's completely incapacitated... The only solution is to break his arms and legs first.

The next instant, Hirako suddenly felt a chill.

A suppressed spiritual pressure suddenly emanated from behind...

The sound of the blade cutting through flesh rang out twice in a row.

Hirako suddenly turned around, but before he could do anything, he saw a face that rapidly magnified.

Then, a sudden, sharp pain shot through my chest.

Is it... the wounded soldier that Hiyori rescued?

He stared in disbelief at the perfectly unharmed figure!

And behind her, slowly collapsing, was Hakugen Ayatsuda.

Hiyori was also slashed in the chest. She struggled to get up, staring at the woman who should have been dying with eyes full of anger, and then collapsed helplessly.

The penetrating wound in his chest quickly robbed Hirako of his strength. He was dizzy and barely managed to lift his knife, but the woman easily knocked it to the ground.

What... happened...?

“That won’t do, Captain Hirako Shinji.” The woman laughed as she pulled her Zanpakuto from Hirako’s chest. “How can you leave your back to a stranger of unknown origin? Did you really see me in the Execution Army?”

"Who... exactly are you...?"

Filled with intense resentment and doubt, Hirako Shinji slowly closed his eyes.

The wounded soldier's true identity is none other than Mima!

This is a very simple strategy—rush out, get hit twice by Kensei without dying, then deliberately appear in front of Hiyori to play the victim, and then stab her in the back once everyone is gathered.

For him, it doesn't matter whether his internal organs are shattered or his bones are broken. As long as he is conscious and his spiritual pressure is still there, all injuries can be easily and brutally removed and healed in one go.

Hirako Shinji is in charge, while Ushōda Hachigen is in charge of healing. As long as he pretends to be on the verge of death, there is a high probability that he can temporarily leave the two of them behind. After all, the ability of the reverse healer is continuous and cannot be dealt with by reducing time. The vice-Kido's methods are even more mysterious and unpredictable. As long as he can find a way to steal the two of them, the remaining people will be easier to deal with.