Bleach: From Rugum to Thousand-Year Captain

Next up is the gold draw.

The golden ticket transformed into a hellish butterfly, and a bull-headed mask appeared before him in a flash of black light.

Tianyue Quezhai's pupils contracted slightly, and his eyes widened.

"I actually drew you! It's the Minotaur...!"

Chapter 17 Bull Mask

That's right! It's you! The Hollow with the Bull Mask, Luther Ben!

Amatsuki Sussai was overjoyed at thinking he had drawn the card "Ushi-no-Ichigo" (the bull-headed ninja). However, he quickly came to terms with it, since the level unlock for a card is related to one's own strength and level.

With his current level of power as a vice-captain, it would be impossible for him to draw a captain-level character card.

This indirectly proves that the Arrancar Luther did not have captain-level combat power, but his spiritual pressure was decent, considered top-tier among vice-captain level spiritual pressure.

Luther the Arrancar was originally the captain of the No. 61 Extermination Squad, and like the Vasto Lorde Minotaur Ichigo, he wore a bull skull-shaped mask.

The main mission of the Burial Squad is to hunt down fleeing enemies and collect samples. The squad members are all created by him through his Resurrection Blade and have the ability to regenerate infinitely.

Of course, infinite regeneration is just a nice-sounding boast; in reality, it still consumes spiritual pressure to create.

Luther King Jr.'s record was mediocre. He was defeated by Rukia Kuchiki in his Shikai form but did not die. After his Thousand-Year Blood Brotherhood was defeated and turned into Soul King, he organized the remaining Arrancar to resist the Quincy remnants of the Hueco Mundo Hunting Corps.

[SR Arrancar Ludburn]; Skills: Super Regeneration, Resurrección; Skull Legion, Cero, Resonance

The Skull Legion; by releasing their swords, branches extend from their backs, bearing fruit that gives birth to their subordinates, and they can create an infinite number (consuming their own spiritual pressure).

Boom! Boom! Boom! Luther's skills and spiritual pressure were instantly superimposed on Tengetsu Sukusai. The spiritual pressure within his body doubled, and even more spiritual pressure overflowed without being controlled or contracted.

The wandering spirits around them suddenly felt their bodies go limp, and they collapsed to their knees, unable to rise again.

Tianyue Quezhai calmed his spiritual pressure and used his spiritual energy channels to sense the changes within his body.

"My spiritual pressure surged, but it was still filled with my own soul-stirring red spiritual particles. It seems my previous worries were unnecessary; the Hollow card attributes won't affect me." He didn't want to run around under the Hollow's spiritual pressure, lest he be mistaken for a Hollow and killed by a Captain-level Shinigami who appeared out of nowhere.

Luther Ben's ability to regenerate super speed is like his super armor, seemingly innate, and is a very useful combat skill along with Cero and Sonido.

The Skull Legion's Tengetsu Chosai, however, looked down on it. He believed that the Resurrection Blade was only good for clearing out weaker enemies; against high-level combatants, it would only result in being killed. Moreover, there was an old saying among the Grim Reapers: the uglier you are, the faster you die; the more handsome you are, the more likely you are to win. Style is king.

Furthermore, Tengetsu Sussai experimented with it. Using his Zanpakuto Shintei as a medium, he was completely unable to use Luther Ben's Resurrection Skull Army.

To use the Skeleton Army in real life, you need to first deploy Ludburn as your main character. Deploying Ludburn as your main character is fine; he's the strongest card among his decks. As for using Resurrection, it's unnecessary.

Moreover, the Skeleton Army's weaknesses are too obvious; its stationary minions become easy targets for attacks.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the story, Kirinji Tenjiro...

He stroked Asauchi, continuously channeling immense spiritual pressure into the blade; the surging spiritual pressure within him nearly overturned the bathhouse. However, Kirinji Tenjiro paid no attention to whether the building would collapse, focusing entirely on Asauchi.

The weapon was able to completely withstand his spiritual pressure output, and the feeling of them blending together was truly intoxicating. It was as if Asauchi was an extension of his arm, a part of his spiritual power.

The air hummed softly, like a roar or howl. After channeling his spiritual pressure into his body for a while, Kirinji Tenjiro finally wiped the sweat from his face.

"This Asauchi is indeed remarkable in many ways, but how do I unleash my Zanpakuto? It seems that the dialogue with my Zanpakuto cannot be rushed. My pressure is still too low to allow for a quick Shikai. My Zanpakuto, what is your name?"

"I really miss the urge to swing my sword again."

If Tengetsu Sussai saw Kirinji Tenjiro's expression, he would be shocked. Kirinji, who loves taking baths every day and hates sweating, actually spends most of his time and attention on asauchi, practicing sword Zen and sword fighting on the cliff top above his own bathhouse.

Kirinji Tenjiro, inspired by a single asabu, has the desire to move forward!

......

Inside the courtyard, Iwabuchi Ichiki was sparring with Tengetsu Sussai, holding a wooden sword. No longer wanting to be dominated by the fear of death, his only thought now was to do everything in his power to catch up with Tengetsu's leader.

*Smack! Smack!*

Tengetsu Quesai easily slapped Iwabuchi Ichiki away, and Iwabuchi Ichiki was unable to get up after being hit by this tremendous force.

"I didn't use any spiritual power at all, Iwabuchi Ichiki! I just taught you a lot of sword techniques and methods for releasing spiritual power. How come you didn't use them? I told you you could die at any moment, don't be careless, Iwabuchi Ichiki!"

"Yes...yes!!! Boss Tianyue, cough cough..."

Seeing that Iwabuchi Ichiki had reached his limit so quickly, Tengetsu Sussai felt somewhat bored. In the end, it was simply because Iwabuchi Ichiki's power growth rate was too fast, something that an ordinary spiritual power user like Iwabuchi Ichiki could not catch up with.

"How about we go back to Qilin Temple for more torture?" Tianyue Quezhai put down his wooden sword, took a sip of tea, and then ignored Yan Yuanyimu, staring blankly at the pond in the courtyard.

Iwabuchi Ichiki was panting heavily and lay on the ground for a long time.

By afternoon, the scorching sun beat down on the earth, making the refugees drowsy and sleepy. People on the street sought refuge from the heat and rested. The noisy and chaotic Rukongai finally quieted down for a while, falling into an eerie tranquility.

A dozen or so former gang warriors, now subordinates of Iwabuchi Ichiki. A group of warriors, some leaning, some sitting, one of them sitting on the edge of the wooden hut, wiping his katana as he spoke.

"What do you guys think of this new Tianyue Gang leader? He has a lot of rules and has cut a lot of our warriors' tribute. I'm not convinced. What do you brothers think?"

"Thoughts? Everyone witnessed it on the battlefield a few days ago. That day, Yue Que Zhai unleashed a strange lightning bolt that killed two big shots. You would be killed if you met him. What are your thoughts? Do you want to take his place? Forget it, I certainly don't dare to step forward."

“Yeah, Okita, you’re in charge of those villages over there with the Darkwater Gang, so you don’t know about the situation in the Rukongai area within the Untaxed Gang’s territory, do you? That day, Boss Yue led the killing of the troublemakers, killing them all, one by one. Those who weren’t killed were turned into human pigs by us brothers, and our Rukongai dragged them through the streets. See that red ground outside? That’s bloodstained.”

"Huh? Is it that terrifying? To be chopped into a human pig and tortured like that!" Upon hearing this, the samurai named Okita Tobi immediately castrated himself.

"You'd better not talk nonsense. Okita, your strength is only so-so. Those guys in the corner won't give you a second thought. If they hear you talking about treason, you'll be arrested and killed."

"Hey, that Iwabuchi Ichiki from your Darkwater Gang is really lucky. He's the deputy to the boss of Tengetsu, he gets all the perks. If it were me, I'd have someone prepare an unlimited supply of ramen for me, I'd eat it forever."

"What? I thought you'd be thinking about women, but I didn't expect you to be such a shallow person, tch! Traitor!"

Makita Shichinosuke shook his head; "You're wrong to think that way. Boss Tenzuki is a very terrifying person. Iwabuchi Ichiki is being taught a lesson all the time. I've seen it outside."

"Oh, I see..."

As time went by, Tianyue Quezhai had gotten used to staying at home all by himself, provided he had some form of entertainment.

Without a cell phone, Tengetsu Sukusai was already missing his mistress. After all, compared to something like Asauchi, a cell phone was true love. They ate and slept together, were inseparable day and night, completely trusted each other without reservation, and shared their little secrets and websites.

Isn't that just talking about cell phones?

Lightly mark with an X, then mark with a √ for mobile phone.

Divine Truth; therefore, love will disappear, right?

After drawing the powerful card Luther Ben, Tengetsu Sussai used him as the main character, with Yamada Hanatarou as support, and a skinny Arrancar, a regular Arrancar, plus two ranged Venom Hollows and Frog Hollows. Once he had all six characters, he could leave the game running automatically.

He doesn't need to do anything in the normal levels; they're very easy. He can easily clear levels 20 to 30, but level 30 consists of three Hollows and three Centipede Hollows.

Luther Ben was a piece of cake here; a few Cero flashes were all it took to wipe out the mini-boss.

As before, a normal level costs one normal ticket, while a mini-boss level costs three normal tickets and one gold ticket.

Tianyue Que Zhai is not planning to open the gold voucher directly now, but wants to try the 10-pull guarantee to see if they can get a gold voucher.

There's no need to save the ten regular tickets; just start drawing!

Ten Hell Butterflies swept through the recruitment bureau's passageway, instantly transforming into cards.

Rewards received: [Prosthetic Arm (Shiba Kukaku Version)], [Infiltration Drug], [Flesh Replenishment Agent], [Shinigami Suit], [Substitute Shinigami License], [Shinigami Investigator], [Regular Female Shinigami], [Stealth Mobile Suitcase] x3

Surprisingly, the Death Knight set was a guaranteed card in every ten pulls. When Tianyue Quezhai opened his inventory, he was surprised to find that the Death Knight set also added a lot of defensive attributes.

Rather than the mismatched agent outfit, Tengetsu Quezhai opted for the Death Knight outfit and wore it. At least, there was no risk of the bird slipping through.

The infiltration medicine was created by Kisuke Urahara during the Thousand-Year Blood War to help the captains of the Sternritter, whose Bankai had been stripped by the Quincy, to retrieve their Bankai.

The principle is that everything in the Hollow is poison to the Quincy. A Shinigami who touches the Hollowing Drug will become Hollow for a brief moment, thereby disrupting the Quincy's state of being deprived of Bankai, and may even seriously injure the Quincy.

Needless to say, the flesh-repairing potion is Mayuri Kurotsuchi's everyday set, repairing wherever it's damaged, Nemu Kurotsuchi's favorite.

Everything else is beneath us, so let's skip it. Just let the level progression run in AFK mode, and take a quick look at it when we fight the boss, Tianyue Quezhai.

......

Chapter 18 Assassin Organization

In the center of Rukongai, at Seireitei.

This is the center of Rukongai, a place of great spiritual energy. The residences of the five noble families and their subordinate noble families are located here, with their houses scattered about in rows.

Specifically, besides the five noble families residing in the inner court, some lower-ranking nobles also extend their influence to the first dozen or so districts. Whether the major nobles were involved in this is unknown.

The reason this is the center of Rukongai is because the Seireitei was built here.

Because the Spirit King is right there in the heavens!

Within the vast and empty Seireitei, a colossal wooden structure, sixty or seventy meters tall, stands. Inside, a large and spacious area, in the center, stands a group of Shinigami dressed in black Shinigami uniforms, their captains wearing haoris and their faces displaying ferocious expressions.

From the outside to the inside on the left front are: the first captain of the 13th Division, Saizo Gakuto; the first captain of the 11th Division, Yachiru Unohana; the first captain of the 10th Division, Yuuki Otogawa; the first captain of the 8th Division, Hakunsai Shikato; the first captain of the 6th Division, Fumio Saito; and the first captain of the 2nd Division, Senji Shihouin.

From the outside to the inside on the right front are: the first captain of the 12th Division, Zenjoji Yubin; the first captain of the 9th Division, Hisamii Ente; the first captain of the 7th Division, Shigeki Taketsuna; the first captain of the 5th Division, Obana Danjiro; the first captain of the 3rd Division, Ikuhara Kinroku; and the first captain of the 4th Division, Shishima Chigiri.

And standing in the middle, with his hands at his sides and his hair tied up, is a middle-aged samurai, Yamamoto Shigekuni, who served as the first captain of the First Division and concurrently as the captain-commander of the Gotei 13, and is known as the strongest sword demon.

Yamamoto Shigekuni glanced at the captains of the various squads and said coldly, "Let's begin the captains' meeting. Not long ago, the Soul King's Palace sent an order. The Zero Squad of the Royal Guard conveyed the mission, requiring me to form the Gotei 13 to protect the Seireitei."

"You are all heroes I recruited from Rukongai, and your strength is considerable. Becoming a Shinigami is your honor, and you cannot fail in your duty to the Gotei 14."

"And look at what you've done now. How long has it been? You haven't even recruited or formed a decent squad. What are you talking about when you say you're going to protect the Teiyuu?" Yamamoto Shigekuni slammed his Blazing Sword into the ground, creating a small dent in the wooden floor. His raging fiery spiritual pressure flashed past and swept towards the twelve captains.

"Oh dear, Captain-Commander Yamamoto's anger is truly terrifying. Please calm down, Captain. We're just country bumpkins from the countryside. We don't know anything about setting up a squad or anything like that. This is our first time here." Second Squad Captain Shihouin Chihiro said with a forced smile, but everyone could hear the sarcasm in his voice.

Chihiro Shihouin is the captain of the Second Division. He was recruited by Shigekuni Yamamoto in Rukongai, or rather, everyone encountered Shigekuni Yamamoto in Rukongai. However, Chihiro Shihouin also has another identity: he comes from the Shihouin family, a family of the Five Great Noble Families, and his words are clearly a mockery of the others present.

Yamamoto Shigekuni knew that, through the Soul King's order, the Zero Division had informed him that he had established the Gotei 13 to perform the duties of the Gotei 13. This was done entirely bypassing the eyes of the Five Great Noble Families and the Central 46 Chambers, and was established directly.

Oh, to be precise, they are the four great noble families. The Shiba family already felt indebted to the Soul King, and one of their family missions was to manufacture and manage the Heavenly Pillar Carriage and to be responsible for guiding the Zero Division of the Royal Special Forces.

Yamamoto Shigekuni glanced at Shihouin Sennichi, knowing that he would need to withstand the pressure and resolve all the troubles from the nobles.

Why recruit only powerful figures from Rukongai to form the Gotei 13? Because recruiting captains from among the nobles would likely result in them being disobedient and having their power usurped by the nobles.

Why recruit Senhi Shihōin from the Shihōin family and Danjirō Obana from the Shiba family? Because it's necessary to maintain communication with the nobles, and one day we'll have to face them directly.

Let these two become a bridge between Yamamoto Shigekuni and the nobles; otherwise, forget about the Gotei 14, just let Yamamoto Shigekuni unleash his full power and kill them.

Having had lengthy conversations with the Royal Special Forces Zero Division and the First Soldier of the Monk's Guard, Yamamoto Shigekuni knew these secrets, coupled with the Soul King's orders. Even with his immense power, Yamamoto had no choice but to compromise. Or rather, to compromise with this world.

It's not about compromising with the nobles, it's not about compromising with the Zero Division, it's not about compromising with the Soul King.

Rather, it is this hard-won world that needs to be protected. And he, possessing this immense power, must bear the corresponding responsibility. Otherwise, he would be failing that blazing tomorrow.

"Second Division Captain Shihouin Senri, you need not say more. The Gotei 14 system must continue, and no objections are allowed!"

"As for the nobles, I'll take care of them when I get back."