Chapter 699 Marry a Chicken, Follow The Chicken... Marry a Dog, Follow The Dog

Kyoraku flicked the brim of his straw hat with his pinky, but his tone shifted abruptly, his expression turning cold, "Oh, and I should call you the heinous traitor Aizen now."

Ukitake said nothing, simply aiming his Sogyo no Kotowari at Aizen.

Aizen didn't mind Kyoraku's choice of words, maintaining his usual smile. "Two senior Captains coming to deal with me alone. Isn't that a bit much? The Soul Society's combat power must be quite limited now."

Not to mention that Aizen's own defection had already cost the Gotei 13 four Captains in one go. On top of that, Makoto's side had a massive number of Vasto Lorde-level combatants locked in battle with the remaining Captains.

If two of the most senior Captains, Kyoraku and Ukitake, were both allocated to deal with him, then who would hold back the numerically superior Arrancar Army under Makoto?

"Don't worry. After we defeat you, we'll take care of the others one by one."

"The Flowery Winds Become Disturbed, The God Of Flowers Sings, The Heavenly Winds Become Disturbed, The Devil Of Heaven Sneers. Katen Kyokotsu!"

Kyoraku Shunsui spread his twin blades at his sides. The blades of Katen Kyokotsu gleamed coldly in the lingering heat of Zanka no Tachi.

"All Ye Waves, Become My Shield. All Ye Thunder, Become My Blade. Sogyo no Kotowari!"

Ukitake also released Sogyo no Kotowari. The two symmetrically shaped Zanpakuto formed a sea-wave starting pose in his hands.

These were the only two paired Zanpakuto currently existing in the Soul Society.

Kisuke, standing on some nearby ruins, warned the two Captains, "Captain Kyoraku, Captain Ukitake, please be careful. The Zanpakuto ability Aizen has publicly announced is probably not the truth."

Even after being imprisoned in the Great Underground Prison for nearly a century, Kisuke's vigilance toward Aizen had never waned.

He still clearly remembered that when Aizen framed him, he had tried every means to plead with Central 46 and Yamamoto, insisting that Aizen was the true mastermind behind the Hollowfication Incident.

But everyone told him... Aizen had been in the 5th Division's barracks handling division affairs the entire night, and this had even been personally confirmed by Captain Kyoraku at the 5th Division's barracks, with multiple division members able to testify for him.

After repeatedly analyzing all possibilities, Kisuke arrived at only one conclusion: Aizen's Zanpakuto had some ability to perfectly forge an alibi.

Aizen had previously announced that his Zanpakuto ability was 'a water-type Zanpakuto that creates mist to cause hallucinations in enemies, leading them to kill each other'.

But Kisuke was almost certain that the true power of Aizen's Zanpakuto, Kyoka Suigetsu, was far more than what he had publicly claimed.

"As expected of Captain Urahara." Aizen nodded slightly, not denying it, but clearly had no intention of continuing the topic.

Then his gaze shifted past Kyoraku and Ukitake, landing on Yoruichi, who had been standing at the edge of the battlefield since the start without making a move. "But rather than fighting me, shouldn't you have someone you'd rather fight?"

Yoruichi, called out in public, froze for a long moment, then mentally cursed Aizen's ancestors for eighteen generations.

'Damn it!'

'I hadn't wanted to fight at all. Why did he have to call me out?'

Hearing Aizen's words, Kisuke was visibly conflicted.

His reason told him not to bother with Yoruichi.

Yoruichi hadn't attacked a single Shinigami since the battle began. It was clear she didn't want to participate in this war that would decide the Soul Society's fate.

To provoke her at a time like this would be to personally push another Captain-level combatant into the enemy's camp.

But the problem was, although Kisuke's personality was calm, he was still human.

He couldn't escape the bonds of earthly desires.

Recalling Makoto's intimate display with Yoruichi in front of both armies, his usually lazy face showed a rare, barely concealed bitterness.

He eventually used Shunpo to appear before Yoruichi.

"After I was thrown into the underground prison... what happened between you and Nishikawa Makoto?"

Kisuke's voice didn't show much anger, but carried a powerless frustration that had been suppressed for too long.

Hearing Kisuke's direct question, Yoruichi felt her scalp tingle.

This was exactly what she had least wanted to face. It had finally happened.

In fact, before departing from Las Noches, she had considered that this situation might arise, which was why she hadn't wanted to come in the first place.

But on second thought, this battle would determine the shape of the Soul Society for the next ten thousand years.

So she had come after all.

However, standing face to face with Kisuke, Yoruichi found that all the explanations and apologies she had prepared were now stuck in her throat.

If Makoto hadn't done that earlier, she might have been able to bluff her way through. Now, it seemed like coming clean was the only solution.

But she couldn't very well say, 'I slept with him, it felt great, so I thought, marry a chicken follow the chicken, marry a dog follow the dog, and decided to spend my life with him. Sorry, Kisuke, you're history', could she?

If she actually said that, Kisuke would probably cough up blood and die on the spot.

In the end, Yoruichi could only squeeze out a reply that even she found weak:

"I'm sorry, Kisuke. In the future, I'll make sure he becomes a good Soul King."

Kisuke was silent for several seconds, then slowly tightened his grip on his Zanpakuto's hilt.

A flicker of complexity passed through Yoruichi's eyes. Her face, which had grown even more alluring under Makoto's influence, showed a hint of reluctance:

"Don't do this, Kisuke?"

But Kisuke had already fully drawn his Zanpakuto, Benihime.

"He's not a good man. And he definitely won't become a good Soul King."

Kisuke knew the full truth of the Zero Division and the Soul King Palace system.

But he had chosen to accept this order, because in his view, the chain reaction of overturning it might be even more terrifying than the evils of maintaining it.

This was also why, in the original work, Aizen so despised Kisuke.

In Aizen's view, Kisuke possessed the insight and wisdom to see the world's truth, yet chose submission and compromise.

Seeing that Kisuke had clearly assumed a combat stance against her, Yoruichi finally gave up her last illusions.

She let out a deep sigh, then raised her right hand, slowly covering her palm over her face.

Seeing this gesture, both Kisuke across from her and Sui-Feng, who was fighting Nel in the distance, widened their eyes.

This gesture was all too familiar. Just moments ago, Tosen had used the same starting move.

The next second, an unsettling Reiatsu surged from Yoruichi's palm, covering her face.

She swept her hand down, and that Reiatsu coalesced into a mask.

But unlike the wild, primal form of the Hollowfied Masaki, Yoruichi's mask was more refined to her own temperament.

It was a cat-faced bone mask.

Two curved cat ear outlines sat on her forehead. Golden eyes gleamed eerily behind the mask.

Yoruichi's entire Reiatsu instantly surged.

"Sorry, Kisuke. Just take a nap for now."

The moment Yoruichi finished speaking, her form turned into a black afterimage, appearing before Kisuke like a phantom.

Her right fist, wreathed in a fusion of Hollowfication and Shunko's berserk Reiatsu, came down.

A single punch, the ultimate expression of pure speed and power.

Kisuke couldn't even bring Benihime fully up to block. His entire body was sent flying by the terrifying force of that punch.

His body crashed like a cannonball into the ruins behind him. Crumbling stone and broken beams collapsed, burying him beneath the rubble.