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Chapter 104, Section 101: Entrance (Two-in-One)

"Won't this outfit look too strange?"

"No, this is just traditional aristocratic attire. I've done my research, and this is just right for someone of your status."

"But it feels a bit restrictive —"

"Do you think this thing is meant to be worn for your comfort?"

"—But I'll still have to fight someone later, won't I?"

Soi Fon wrapped a ribbon around Yusuke Matsushita from behind, tied it around his chest, and finally hung a large pom-pom with an unclear purpose.

She clapped her hands, put them together, took two steps back, and then casually placed her hands on her hips.

Ah!

You could tell from her expression that she was very satisfied.

"I know, so just take this off before you go on stage! It's just something to make an appearance, don't worry about it too much!"

Matsushita Yusuke seemed to be both amused and exasperated.

I have no idea what this girl is using her brain for —

With a sigh and a shake of his head, Matsushita Yusuke stepped forward and stood in front of the full-length mirror, giving himself a quick look.

Soi Fon stood behind her, her head held high with confidence.

"How is it? Your outfit this time is definitely one of my proudest creations!"

Looks like someone about to go on stage and perform a grand opera.

"Yeah, you're handsome, thank you."

"I knew you had good taste!"

In short, this matter is temporarily put aside.

The duel was scheduled for 10 a.m., so there was still some time to prepare before then.

Matsushita Yusuke took some time to familiarize himself with his abilities and Zanpakuto, spending about half an hour adjusting before leaving the room again.

Soi Fon had been waiting outside, and now, another figure appeared beside her.

Kichiyo Ōmaeda.

As someone who shares a close relationship with Yusuke Matsushita, simply being here at this moment is enough to demonstrate my stance.

"Matsushita-kun, you—whoa, you're dressed so extravagantly?!"

As soon as she said it, Nozomi coughed twice, awkwardly changing the subject.

"Cough cough cough—uh, actually it's alright. It's okay, I think it's necessary! Yeah, that's all."

Closer to home.

"The captain asked me to ask you if there's anything else you need help with before going on stage?"

In a sense, Yoruichi Shihouin was also a sponsor of Yusuke Matsushita, having put in a lot of effort for him.

"Thank you for your concern, Lord Yoru, but I am already well prepared and do not need any other assistance at the moment."

.

Having said all that, Nozomi wouldn't say anything more. She simply reached out and patted his shoulder, then pressed it down a little harder.

"Take care of yourself."

This is true for older, more experienced colleagues.

Instead of saying a lot of things, it's better to show your feelings through actions.

Feeling the pressure on his shoulder, Matsushita Yusuke smiled broadly and nodded in response.

"Thank you for your concern, Ōmaeda-senpai."

Soi Fon urged him on from behind.

"It's almost time, let's head over. Even if it's just to familiarize ourselves with the venue, that would be great."

Matsushita Yusuke nodded in response, and the three of them left the Second Division's base and headed straight for the location of their duel.

By the way, speaking of this—

Yusuke Matsushita suddenly turned his head and asked.

"Where exactly is it?"

Soi Fon looked around and then pointed westward.

"The area near the edge—though not quite outside Rukongai, it's still quite deserted. And over there—"

Soi Fon hesitated for a moment before her voice faltered.

Her gaze sharpened slightly, and after a moment of contemplation, she revealed a slightly puzzled expression.

She seemed to have some recollection of the location, but not exactly a thorough familiarity with it—fortunately, Nozomi provided timely supplementary information.

"That's the execution platform, a place specifically used to execute those who have committed intolerable crimes."

Matsushita Yusuke raised an eyebrow. After hearing this explanation, relevant information quickly came to mind.

Execution —

Where was Rukia Kuchiki executed in the original work?

He then recalled the instrument of torture known as "Double Punishment".

This thing is in a rather special state. As a torture device, it is not under human control, but it has a release ability similar to that of a Zanpakuto.

The effect is even simpler: it is specifically designed to sever and pierce the body of the Grim Reaper, and after completely penetrating the victim's body, its power expands dozens of times in an instant, engulfing all traces of the executioner with raging flames.

This thing sounds plausible, but in the original story, it was destroyed by everyone working together.

Therefore, its strength is not excessively high.

Even in Yusuke Matsushita's view today.

It should also be a kind of ritual object —

Rather than emphasizing power, what should be highlighted is an unquestionable sense of dignity and authority.

Is deliberately choosing this location as the battleground a warning in some sense?

This contest has only one winner; the loser, whoever they are, will almost certainly have no chance of survival.

If Oni-Iron Castle Kenpachi is defeated, even if Matsushita Yusuke doesn't kill him, the Gotei 13 will have internal procedures to follow—at that point, suffering a fate worse than death will be a minor matter.

Correspondingly, if Matsushita Yusuke were beaten to his knees, given Oni Genjo's personality, he would naturally not let him off the hook.

This is a path of no return.

With a slightly apprehensive feeling, the three of them spent nearly half an hour arriving at their destination.

There were already people present before the three of them.

"Hey, young man!"

The one who greeted Matsushita Yusuke loudly was Hirako Shinko, sporting a head of blond hair.

Standing beside him was Aizen Sosuke, whose expression was remarkably calm—he simply smiled and nodded as he looked this way.

The Fifth Division arrived the earliest.

As for the others—

Rojuro Touhashi, Kensei Rokusha, Rabu Aikawa, and others were also present.

As the backbone of the Gotei 13, these people were clearly quite concerned about the whereabouts of the 11th Division.

Yusuke Matsushita.

It seems that only now has it truly come into the sights of these "high-level" figures.

"Are those the young people we were discussing earlier?"

Kunan Shiro rested his head on Kensei's shoulder and looked at Matsushita Yusuke with a curious expression.

"He looks quite imposing, but why is he dressed so strangely?"

Iba Sente stood beside Fengqiao Loujuro, scrutinizing him for a while with a rather scrutinizing gaze.

He then gave an approving look.

"His attire is quite polite—Lou Shiro, this young man knows more about aristocratic etiquette than you do."

Lou Shilang felt somewhat helpless after being poked in the face by his own vice-captain in public.

The person involved seemed quite exhausted, only managing a slight smile, unsure of how to respond.

"Just how strong is Aizen?"

Hiyori Sarugaki, who had been squatting on the ground, suddenly jumped up and looked at Yusuke Matsushita with an eager expression.

"He must be really strong to be able to fight someone at the captain level! Hey, should I go try him out first, let him practice and warm up?"

Before Aizen Sousuke could respond.

Hirako Shinji delivered a chop to the head of the blond girl and said with disdain.

"Stop making things worse, you brat. With your abilities—going up there would just be feeding them to someone else. You should at least have some self-awareness—Pfft!"

Hiyori was knocked to the ground, but suddenly sprang up and delivered a powerful flying kick to Hirako's lower abdomen.

The posture was standard, and the force was powerful.

"You bald guy! Don't you know you shouldn't hit someone on the head like that? What if you stop growing taller?!"

"Ahem—So you're just going to kick me wherever you want? Aren't you afraid I'll report you?"

"Who cares about you, bald guy!"

Aikawa Rao grabbed Hiyori by the collar and lifted her up like a chick.

"With so many people watching, can't you be a little more discreet?"

Also.

"Why aren't you traveling with your team leader?"

"Huh?! That pervert who stuffs iron blocks in his crotch? How could I possibly go out with him! No way!"

"Who would address their captain like that?!"

The shouts and commotion over there reached Matsushita Yusuke's ears perfectly.

His expression also became somewhat subtle.

Although I had similar thoughts before when reading comics, this situation has clearly been confirmed.

During the Mask Incident, what were the criteria for those captains/vice-captains who were screened out?

Yusuke Matsushita originally thought it was random.

But now it seems—

These are all people who were close to Shinji Hirako.

Aizen's choices of targets were all reasonable. In deciding on his targets, he also took the opportunity to "send away" all the guys who were sticking together.

It's hard to say there's no personal emotion involved.

So the prison guard is quite petty?

"Hey, young man!"

There was a noise coming from behind.

After a brief pause, Matsushita Yusuke blinked, belatedly realizing what had happened.

Is someone calling me?

He turned his head and saw four figures walking towards him.

A decadent middle-aged man under a pink haori, a thin and sickly man with white hair.

Although it was a literal "first meeting," Matsushita Yusuke recognized her instantly due to her distinctive appearance.

Ah ha, they're one of only two dual-wielding swordsmen to appear in Soul Society (no, wait)~

As for the person who spoke up earlier and called his name—

Ok?

Yusuke Matsushita raised an eyebrow, made a pushing motion to the left, and stepped back to one side.

As he made the dodge move, he raised his left hand, and the outline of spiritual particles appeared on his palm. He then swung it to the side.

Bang!!

The flesh collides with the iron.

Yet it produced a sound similar to the clash of metal.

Hearing the echo, Matsushita Yusuke turned around and opened his palm to grab the blade that was "sneaking in".

But before the movement could be fully completed, the latter had already stopped.

The blades flashed for a moment, and then they all converged.

Wearing glasses and with a playful expression, Yadomaru Lisa lightly tapped her toes and retreated, smoothly sheathing her long blade.

"Not bad."

The corners of her mouth turned up slightly, and her tone was full of undisguised admiration.

"He reacted quickly and cleanly—no wonder he agreed to the challenge; he really does have some skill."

Yusuke Matsushita blinked, looking at the woman with a slightly strange expression.

She seems a little erratic—

"You're just a vice-captain at best, how could you think I couldn't withstand your attack?"

Especially since he shouted before he made the move, if he still managed to get away with it under these circumstances, he might as well just buy a block of tofu and smash his head against it.

No, wait—

Yusuke Matsushita quickly realized what was happening.

This wasn't a test, but rather giving Yusuke Matsushita a chance to prove himself.

Almost half of the core members of the Gotei 13 present at the scene had no impression of him.

In this situation, the means to get to know each other become quite limited.

By showing off a skill, one can give others a general understanding of one's abilities.

Without a doubt, Yadomaru Lisa's choice was quite prudent.

A blatant sneak attack, made in a short period of time, best demonstrates the skill and ability of the person involved.

Matsushita Yusuke's response was perfect.

The noisy atmosphere in the distance had disappeared, and everyone's attention was focused on this side.

"Could you have caught that last blow, Hiyori?"

"Huh? Who are you underestimating! Easy peasy!"

"But it was Yadomaru Lisa who made the move?"

"6

'

"It's a little difficult."

"No, it might be a bit more embarrassing."

"Hmm, they might even get hurt."

A joyful atmosphere spread, and some curious people even turned to look at Aizen.

"Sousuke, what would you do in your place?"

The latter waved his hand repeatedly, smiling politely and reservedly.

"Please spare me. I'm terrible at physical confrontations. I might be able to give it a try in other kinds of competitions."

Hirako Shinji heard this and simply gave his vice-captain a meaningful look.

No one knew the secret feelings between the two.

On the other side.

Kyoraku Shunsui smiled and looked at Yadomaru Lisa, asking softly.

"How are you feeling?"

"That's really strong."

As the vice-captain of the 8th Division, this guy might not be that strong in combat, but because of Kyoraku Shunsui's style of doing things—

She is also extremely skilled at surprise attacks.

"Although I gave you a heads-up, I didn't hold back at all—it was already quite an achievement to block it."

Jushiro Ukitake coughed twice and nodded in agreement.

"Is he still a student at the institute? I couldn't have done that at my age."

Standing behind Ukitake was another tall man.

He scratched the back of his head and pondered.

"And it wasn't even with a knife—it was simply using spiritual energy to envelop the limbs, employing a technique similar to 'hand-to-hand combat' to block the attack, right?"

A man who bore a resemblance to Ichigo Kurosaki from the original work, but with a more rugged appearance, gestured as he explained.

"To achieve that level is far more difficult than using a Zanpakuto to block—by the way, I can't do it."

Fukitake coughed and turned around, his expression a half-smile.

"Even you, Haiyan, can't do it?"

Shiba Kaien.

He was the vice-captain of the 13th Division at the time.

PS: If nothing unexpected happens, future updates will start at 8000 and have no upper limit.

Please don't worry, everyone. Trust in the power of the Deadline God of War. I will try my best to make up for the missing updates before 12:00 (wiping sweat).