章 19: Encounter

Ailin's Zanpakutō was "Unlimited Blade Works."

Because it was his inner world, and Ailin himself knew the true name and function of this ability, as long as Ailin's Reiatsu reached the level where he could materialize his inner world, which was captain-level Reiatsu, he would be able to unleash his Bankai - Unlimited Blade Works.

That would be when Ailin could fully utilize his strength. Admittedly, due to some special reason in Soul Society, they did not allow two identical Zanpakutō to exist at the same time.

But Ailin's Bankai - Unlimited Blade Works, it could erode the real world with his inner world, tear apart and create a new "space" from the real world. This "space" and Soul Society could be considered as "two worlds".

By then, Ailin only needed to pull his enemies into his inner world. Inside his own world, Ailin would be able to use all the Zanpakutō.

What Ailin needed to do was kill the enemies pulled into his inner world, and prevent the information of his Bankai from leaking.

In the past, Ailin could only move within the area of the 2nd Division. Now that he knew the "loophole for leaving", Ailin's range of activity had suddenly expanded by thousands of times, practically encompassing half of Seireitei.

"Well then, captains of the Gotei 13, let's have a pleasant encounter!"

A few breaths later, Ailin left the tranquil mountain peak and came to the bustling commercial street.

"The area I can currently move around has the 3rd Division, 5th Division, 8th Division, 10th Division, 13th Division...

Among these divisions, the captain-class powerhouses are, Tenjiro Kirinj, Shinji Hirako, Sosuke Aizen, Shunsui Kyoraku, Shiba Isshin, and Jushiro Ukitake, a total of six people.

As for the others, I can only rely on luck to meet them on the street. However, I remember that the Captain of the 8th Division, Shunsui Kyoraku, has always liked drinking in izakayas and brothels...

For now, get familiar with the izakayas and brothels in this part of the commercial district..."

As expected, Ailin did not meet any captain that day. But he didn't come away empty-handed either.

There were five more lieutenant-class Zanpakutō. As for the Zanpakutō of ordinary Shinigami, there were over a hundred more. Forging these Zanpakutō boosted Ailin's Reiatsu a bit more.

***

"Cheers!"

Inside the Moonlight Tavern, Ailin sat at the same table with a girl wearing her smooth long hair in a spiky bun and haphazard makeup on her face. On the table, aside from some snacks, there were all kinds of drinks.

"Cheers!"

Clink!

The two glasses collided, spilling some of the wine inside due to the impact, but this did not affect the mood of the two drinking buddies at all.

Gulp Gulp...

"Ah..."

After a period of investigation, Ailin was still unwilling to let his guard down and visit the brothels, choosing instead to drink in the tavern. Unfortunately, perhaps Ailin was unlucky. After a few months, he still hadn't met any captains in this tavern.

Ailin was about to switch to another tavern, but a few days ago, a girl who suddenly broke into this tavern forcibly made Ailin stay in this tavern for another month.

How to put it, the moment Ailin saw this girl, he knew that if something happened to her in this tavern and it was discovered later that he was also present in this tavern but did nothing, Ailin would most likely get into big trouble.

As the Vice-Captain of the 2nd Division, Ailin handled a lot of intelligence every day. Although the girl had tied her smooth long hair into a spiky bun and put on messy makeup on her face, Ailin recognized her at first glance.

She was Haruko Kuchiki, the young daughter of the current Kuchiki family head!

Although he didn't know why the little princess of the Kuchiki family would dress like this and come to a tavern far from the 6th Division, Ailin could not let anything happen to this girl right in front of him.

So Ailin invited Haruko Kuchiki to sit at his table before anyone else. Afterwards, Ailin could feel the tension and worry in the heart of the girl who had entered the tavern for the first time.

It took a good while for her to slowly calm down, curiosity taking over. But after all, she was still a little shy. Aside from whispering a "thank you" to Ailin, she kept her head lowered while tasting the wine.

On every subsequent day, the girl would take the initiative to sit at Ailin's table. The two didn't have much communication, just tacitly drinking a little wine and eating some snacks. When they felt like it, they would occasionally clink glasses.

After a month, the total exchange between them didn't exceed thirty-five sentences. What made Ailin curious was that the girl was very proactive today. They had already clinked glasses three times.

"I won't come anymore starting tomorrow. Thank you for your shelter during this period."

When she was leaving, Haruko Kuchiki bowed to Ailin in thanks.

At this moment, even with the mismatching hairstyle and makeup, Haruko Kuchiki exhibited the upbringing of a distinguished clan. Just looking at her manners, no one would think such a refined existence would appear in a tavern.

After Haruko Kuchiki left, Ailin sighed. He finished the wine in his cup in one gulp, settled the bill, and followed behind her.

During that month, it was Ailin secretly escorting Haruko Kuchiki home every time. On the way, Haruko Kuchiki's appearance would undergo some changes at every corner.

The bun on her head scattered, the rebellious spiky hairstyle turned into smooth, waist-length hair. The exaggerated makeup on her face was swiftly wiped off, restoring an elegant subtlety. The gaudy clothes were discarded, revealing a pure white kimono inside.

After just a few corners, a girl impulse and rebellious had turned into a gentle, Yamato nadeshiko-like woman, exuding tremendous feminine charm.

The first time Ailin sent Haruko Kuchiki back, he was so shocked that his eyeballs almost fell out. After watching Haruko Kuchiki enter the gates of the Kuchiki residence, Ailin was about to return.

The distance from the 6th Division to the 2nd Division had already exceeded Ailin's safe range. If an emergency order was encountered at this time, Ailin's situation would be very dangerous.

However...

"Who's there?"

Resting his hand on his Zanpakutō by his waist, Ailin shouted coldly into the depths of the alley. Ailin never expected that on the last night after escorting Haruko Kuchiki back, he would actually encounter enemies.

Such powerful killing intent!

Thud thud thud thud...

Footsteps sounded as two sets of footsteps entered Ailin's ears. When these two people walked from the darkness into the moonlight and were seen by Ailin, his pupils suddenly contracted.

Damn it!

He had actually met these two at such a time. One had white hair and beard, looking about the same age as Captain-Commander Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto. He wore a white captain's haori.

The other wore black Shinigami attire, a pair of eyes burning with fury, seemingly wanting to incinerate Ailin.