章 238: Chains of Heaven

Soi Fon was stunned.

She had known for some time that Ailin had received an invitation from the Royal Guard. If he accepted, he would ascend to the Soul King Palace, becoming one of their members. To her knowledge, the Royal Guard was an organization that transcended even the Central 46 and the Gotei 13. They resided in the Soul King Palace, a realm floating high above the Seireitei.

They served the Soul King directly.

It was said that while the Royal Guard only had a handful of members, their combined strength surpassed that of the entire Gotei 13, a testament to their individual power.

That Ailin had received such an invitation meant his strength was far beyond that of most captains.

However, this was the first time Soi Fon had witnessed Ailin's true speed.

She couldn't help but compare it to Yoruichi Shihōin's. In her mind, Yoruichi, known as the "Goddess of Flash," possessed the fastest Shunpo in the Soul Society. But now, seeing Ailin's display, Soi Fon had to admit that perhaps, in terms of pure speed, even Yoruichi might be outmatched.

"Well, well, Captain Ailin is the 'Strongest Shinigami,' after all. It's not surprising that he possesses such speed," Shunsui Kyōraku chuckled, attempting to lighten the mood, despite his own astonishment.

"However, Captain Soi Fon, we just made a rather bold claim. If we don't hurry, Captain Ailin might be laughing at us right now…"

Soi Fon's expression hardened. With a shout, she unleashed another burst of power.

"Infinite Shunkō!"

Boom!

The lightning bolts behind her dissipated, replaced by swirling tornadoes of reiatsu that danced around her limbs.

In a flash, she vanished, her speed even greater than before. Kyōraku stared, dumbfounded.

"My, my, those youngsters these days… They're quite something, aren't they?" He shook his head, then disappeared like a white streak cutting through the air.

…

Swoosh!

Ailin's speed was incredible. Within a few dozen breaths, he had traversed several districts of Rukongai, arriving above the Shiba Clan's estate.

The battle below was raging.

Koganehiko and Shiroganehiko, battered and bruised, were barely holding their own against four or five seated officer-level assassins. Kaien, covered in blood, his spear, Nejibana, creating waves of crimson water, fought desperately against seven or eight assassins, their spiritual pressures exceeding that of seated officers.

Rukia's situation was relatively stable. Surrounded by six assassins, she focused on defense, gathering information while avoiding injury.

On the ground, Miyako lay lifeless before Kukaku and Ganju Shiba. Kukaku, her left arm severed at the elbow, glared at the assassins with hatred in her eyes. She shielded her terrified younger brother, chanting Kidō incantations, unleashing blasts of energy to keep the assassins at bay.

Buzz!

Suddenly, golden spatial ripples appeared in the sky, bathing the battlefield in a blinding light. The combatants paused, their gazes drawn to the heavens.

A towering figure, clad in a white captain's haori that billowed in the wind, descended from the golden light.

"Teacher!" Rukia gasped.

Kaien, hearing Rukia's exclamation, instantly knew the identity of the newcomer. However, after discovering Miyako's betrayal, he couldn't be certain if this man, Ailin, was friend or foe.

"Captain Ailin!"

The assassins, seeing Ailin's captain's haori, panicked. As the leader of the 11th Division, one of the strongest captains in the Gotei 13, they knew they stood no chance against him. They exchanged glances, then scattered, attempting to flee.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

They used Shunpo, their figures blurring as they vanished in all directions.

"Trying to escape in my presence?" Ailin's arms were crossed, his expression cold.

"Chains of Heaven!"

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

Golden spatial ripples appeared around them, above, below, even in the air itself. Golden chains shot out from the ripples, ensnaring the assassins. Not a single one escaped, their bodies dangling helplessly in mid-air, bound by Ailin's Chains of Heaven.

Ailin had created Chains of Heaven, a binding-type Zanpakutō, after replicating Shūhei Hisagi's Zanpakutō.

Battles between Shinigami were battles of spiritual pressure. Sufficient power could nullify even the most potent abilities.

However, some abilities were simply too absurd to be overcome by sheer reiatsu.

Hisagi's Zanpakutō, Kazeshini, was one such weapon.

Hisagi's Bankai, "Fushi no Kōjō," transformed his Zanpakutō into a massive, chain-bound sphere. Two chains extended from the sphere, one connecting to Hisagi, the other to his opponent.

These chains linked their spiritual pressures, forcing them to share their reiatsu.

This meant that anyone bound by Hisagi's Bankai, even the Soul King, would find their spiritual pressure reduced to Hisagi's level.

Until their reiatsu was depleted, neither combatant could die, even if fatally wounded. They would simply be resurrected by the shared spiritual energy.

However, each injury and resurrection consumed reiatsu.

Unless Hisagi chose to release them, the Bankai would only end when both combatants were completely drained. At that point, devoid of reiatsu, they would be utterly helpless, easy prey for anyone.

Hisagi's Bankai essentially turned him into the "Equalizer" of the Soul Society.

No matter how strong an opponent might be, once Hisagi activated his Bankai, the battle would become a stalemate, a war of attrition.

Ailin had created Chains of Heaven based on the "guaranteed hit" nature of Hisagi's chains.

The moment Chains of Heaven was released, the target was destined to be bound.

After securing the assassins, Ailin gently landed on the ground.

Buzz!

A golden spatial ripple materialized behind him, and a white bandage shot out. It circled Kaien, Kukaku, Ganju, Koganehiko and Shiroganehiko, bathing them in a soothing green light.

Their wounds, even Kukaku's severed arm, healed instantly.

Their torn and tattered clothing was also restored.

Kukaku, staring at her newly regenerated arm, flexed her fingers, her face etched with disbelief. It felt like a dream.

"Teacher."

Rukia sheathed her Zanpakutō and approached Ailin, bowing her head respectfully.

"Rukia, you're being too rigid."

Ailin shook his head. Rukia, despite facing six seated officer-level assassins simultaneously, hadn't sustained a single injury. Her performance was far more impressive than Kaien's. It was clear that her "Data Kendo" had progressed significantly. She had quickly created preliminary models of her opponents, predicting their attacks and avoiding harm.

"In a standard battle, analyzing your opponent's data completely is the right approach. But in that situation, you didn't need to gather all their information. You could have easily killed them based on your initial assessment.

Rukia, remember this: The ultimate goal of any ability, whether it's Data Kendo or something else, is self-preservation and the elimination of your enemy.

Data Kendo allows you to understand your opponent and yourself. It can be a weapon, but it can also be a cage. You must master it, not be mastered by it!"

Rukia, chastised by her teacher, recalled her actions during the battle. Cold sweat trickled down her back. She had been so focused on gathering data, so obsessed with perfecting her models, that she had forgotten the purpose of combat.

She should have prioritized eliminating the immediate threat, then focused on rescuing the others.

"I'm sorry, Teacher. I've disappointed you." She bowed her head, shame washing over her.

"Don't worry, Rukia. Even if I hadn't pointed it out, you would have eventually realized it yourself." Ailin dismissed her apology, then turned to Kaien, who sat silently, cradling Miyako's lifeless body.

"It seems we meet again, young Shiba."

Kaien looked up, his gaze hollow. He knew that if not for this man's intervention, the Shiba Clan's lineage would have ended with him. It was Ailin who had healed their wounds, even restoring Kukaku's severed arm.

Sadly, Miyako's cold body remained lifeless.

Meeting Ailin's gaze, a spark of life flickered in Kaien's eyes. He knew, from Rukia's address, that this man was her teacher, the captain of the 11th Division, Ailin.

This wasn't their first encounter.