"Captain-level involvement?"
Hearing this, both Rosse and Kyoraku Shunsui's expressions turned serious, and all the drunkenness on their faces vanished without a trace.
"Talk as we go."
The captain of the Thirteenth Division was Ukitake Jushiro, and he was Kyoraku Shunsui's good buddy.
Leaving behind only this hurried sentence, Kyoraku Shunsui rushed off in the direction of the Thirteenth Division.
Ukitake Jushiro was not like the other captains. Because of his illness, although his raw strength was not inferior to Kyoraku's, most of the time he couldn't maintain his peak state, and it was already good if he could perform at about Sui Feng's level on an ordinary day.
If it happened to be when his illness flared up, he might even be weaker than some vice captains.
In this situation, for the Thirteenth Division to send out a request for captain-level reinforcements already showed how serious the problem was.
If they were late, Kyoraku figured he might be going there just to collect Ukitake Jushiro's corpse.
"Vice Captain Ise, stay behind and guard the Eighth Division. We'll go over there," Seeing this, Rosse looked at Ise Nanao and said that, then wrapped an arm around Matsumoto Rangiku and leaped up, quickly catching up with Kyoraku Shunsui.
At the speed of two vice captains, they could barely keep up with Kyoraku Shunsui in normal times, but in an emergency like this, they probably wouldn't even catch a glimpse of his back.
"The captain really is something," Ise Nanao sighed and shook her head. Looking at Rosse and Matsumoto Rangiku's figures, a trace of envy flashed through her eyes.
By now everyone knew the two captains of the Tenth Division were like a couple of immortals, showing off their love every day inside Seireitei.
Even in an emergency like this, they still had to rub it in everyone's face. It was honestly a bit too much to take.
On the way, Matsumoto Rangiku rested peacefully in Rosse's arms as she explained the situation, "Captain Kyoraku, Captain. According to the distress message we received, Shiba Miyako of the Thirteenth Division has been corroded by a mysterious Hollow and has already lost her sanity. Right now Vice Captain Shiba Kaien is fighting her, and he's showing signs of not being able to hold out."
"Even Kaien is having trouble...", Kyoraku Shunsui, flying ahead, frowned.
Shiba Kaien was on the same level as geniuses like Hitsugaya and Ichimaru Gin. It was just that he had to handle the Thirteenth Division's duties, which slightly delayed his training.
But in terms of strength, Shiba Kaien was definitely among the strongest of the captains and above, and he wasn't far from reaching Third-Class Spiritual Power.
In his eyes, a situation like this was no coincidence.
Not long ago he had just asked the Shiba family to move against the Feng family, and soon after that, Shiba Kaien's wife, Shiba Miyako, was corroded by a Hollow. How could there be such coincidences in this world?
As they drew closer to the Thirteenth Division, Kyoraku Shunsui's frown deepened.
He was fairly familiar with Shiba Kaien's spiritual pressure, but he couldn't sense Kaien's reiatsu at all now. There was only a presence that seemed very similar, but was completely different in essence.
An ordinary Shinigami might not be able to tell the difference, but he could easily distinguish it. That spiritual pressure did not belong to Shiba Kaien.
'Just what has happened?'
With Kyoraku Shunsui and Rosse's speed, they practically crossed several kilometers in an instant and arrived at the Thirteenth Division's grounds.
The Thirteenth Division was situated in a wild mountain forest area suitable for recuperation, but the forest was already devastated, and injured Thirteenth Division members lay all over the place.
Kyoraku Shunsui didn't have the time to bother with the wounded. A few flash steps carried him straight into the battlefield where the fighting was still going on.
As soon as they reached the battlefield, they heard a sorrowful cry.
"Big Brother Kaien!"
Under their gaze, Shiba Kaien was brandishing his Zanpakuto and charging at a petite, somewhat panicked female Shinigami.
Kyoraku Shunsui frowned.
"Captain Rosse, I'll trouble you to protect Ukitake."
As his words fell, Kyoraku Shunsui flashed in front of the petite female Shinigami and swung his blade to block the crazed Shiba Kaien.
"Hey, can you still hear me?"
Kyoraku Shunsui tried to wake Shiba Kaien up, his sword constantly blocking the other side's attacks, producing ping-pang clanging sounds.
"Captain Ukitake, what exactly happened?"
Rosse landed beside Ukitake Jushiro with Matsumoto Rangiku.
Ukitake Jushiro was clearly a bit short of breath, and from the looks of it he seemed to be in a sick state.
No wonder he had to request help from other captains despite his strength.
"Captain Rosse, thank goodness you came so quickly."
Ukitake Jushiro let out a breath of relief, then hurried to explain, "Earlier, Miyako was corroded by a Hollow. From what that Hollow said, it can merge with Shinigami and control their bodies. Once someone is corroded by it, they have actually already died."
By the time he finished, an obvious look of reluctance and sorrow was on Ukitake Jushiro's face.
"So that means Vice Captain Shiba is already beyond saving?", Rosse looked toward Shiba Kaien, his eyes showing a hint of pity.
This incident had nothing to do with him. It was entirely Aizen's new experiment.
He simply knew about it and used the chance to make a move.
Of course, he wasn't as heartless as Aizen. As compensation for having schemed against Shiba Kaien, he would help take care of Kaien's family.
"In theory, yes. But if it's you, Captain Rosse, there might still be a chance."
Thinking of Rosse's Shikai ability, Ukitake Jushiro couldn't help but feel a spark of hope.
As far as the outside world knew, Rosse's Zanpakuto had the power to purify everything and possessed a certain degree of healing ability.
Given Shiba Kaien's current condition, it might really have an effect.
"Captain Ukitake, it's better not to be too optimistic. My ability is purification, removing abnormal conditions. But if Vice Captain Shiba has already been swallowed, then the main body here is that Hollow. If I use purification..."
Rosse didn't finish the sentence, but Ukitake Jushiro already understood what he meant.
If the main body was already the Hollow, then the part that would be purified should be Shiba Kaien's.
"Captain Rosse, no matter what, please purify Big Brother Kaien."
The petite onion-head girl Shinigami from earlier walked over, her face full of sorrow.
"Who are you?"
Rosse glanced at her and pretended not to know.
As one of this world's female leads, he of course knew who she was.
But with her being just an ordinary Thirteenth Division Shinigami, she strictly speaking had no right to be ordering him around like this.
"Captain Rosse, she's my squad member, Kuchiki Rukia," Ukitake Jushiro introduced from the side.
"Kuchiki... you're the adopted daughter of the Kuchiki family?", Rosse sized up the petite onion-head in front of him. He didn't feel anything special, he was just looking at an ordinary stranger.
Even if she was a heroine, he wasn't someone who couldn't tell meat from vegetables.
Compared to someone plain and unremarkable, he preferred women with obvious feminine charms.
If Sui Feng weren't jumping around in front of him every day, he really would have had no interest.
"Yes. I'm asking Captain Rosse, no matter what, please purify Big Brother Kaien," Kuchiki Rukia took a deep breath and bowed to Rosse.
She'd been fortunate enough to hear about Rosse's Shikai from Kuchiki Byakuya, which was why she made this request.
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