Satoru's expression twisted with anguish.
Urahara, oh Urahara… Who would've thought even someone as steadfast as you would betray the Gotei 13!
After a brief moment of lamentation, Satoru turned to Yoruichi.
"Cousin, now!"
The instant his voice fell, Yoruichi vanished from her spot.
"What?"
Urahara froze, not immediately grasping Satoru's meaning.
But seeing Yoruichi suddenly use Shunpo, he instinctively guessed their intent.
A jolt of alarm shot through Urahara as he yanked out his Zanpakutō.
"Damn it, you're turning on me?!"
His eyes darted rapidly, trying to track Yoruichi's movement.
Soon, he caught sight of her figure.
She had appeared midair, creating a temporary foothold with reishi to hover.
Simultaneously, her hands flew over the scroll chamber's control panel.
As Yoruichi input one spiritual pressure marker after another, the chamber's locks emitted a series of clicks, unlocking one by one.
Mayuri widened his eyes, seemingly lost in thought.
The next second, his pupils suddenly contracted.
"...No, no!"
"You two aren't sent by the rebels!"
"That place was where Captain Kirio stored her research materials years ago. It hasn't been opened in all this time... The data on artificial souls definitely isn't there!"
"Bastards! Who the hell are you?!"
Gripping his Zanpakutō with both hands, he roared at Satoru.
"Since you've asked so sincerely, I'll generously enlighten you."
Satoru chuckled and drew his own Asauchi.
"I am Pain, leader of the Akatsuki!"
"And that over there is my wife, Konan!"
"After learning of your collusion with the rebels, we came here specifically to thwart your wicked scheme!"
Yoruichi: "?"
While working on disabling the mechanisms, she couldn't help but glance over and roll her eyes at Satoru.
Mayuri blinked in confusion. "Didn't you just call her your cousin?"
"Oh, my mistake." Satoru deadpanned. "She's not my wife—she's my cousin, Shinichi Kudo."
Mayuri: "?"
How do you mix up your wife and cousin?!
Then, another realization struck him.
"You expect me to believe that?! You're clearly stealing things too! How could you possibly be here to stop me?!"
Mayuri gnashed his teeth, his blood pressure skyrocketing.
"Ah, busted already?" Satoru lightly tapped his head, attempting a playful head-tilt and tongue-stick-out gesture.
However, clad in his ninja garb with his entire face masked, the motion fell flat.
Though baffled by Satoru's antics, Mayuri knew he'd been duped.
These two unidentified intruders were definitely not sent by the rebels.
If they escaped, his betrayal of the Gotei 13 and his collaboration with the rebels to steal research would be exposed!
Cold determination flashed across his face as he decisively struck—
"Open your claws, Ashisogi Jizō!!"
The moment the release command left his lips, his Zanpakutō gleamed and transformed.
The guard morphed into the face of an infant.
The blade split into a golden trident.
Gripping his Shikai, Mayuri thrust straight for Satoru's chest without hesitation!
His blade was laced with a potent neurotoxin—a mere scratch would paralyze his opponent completely.
To exploit this ability, Mayuri had honed a unique swordsmanship style.
His strikes deliberately left glaring openings, baiting opponents into blocking or deflecting.
But this was his trap.
This thrust carried only half his strength.
If Satoru took the bait and parried, Mayuri would seize the chance to abandon the lethal strike and instead slash Satoru's shoulder at blinding speed.
Once paralyzed, Satoru would become his new plaything!
The thought of strapping this masked fool to his dissection table made Mayuri bare his teeth in a predatory grin.
Yet, the smile froze halfway.
To his utter disbelief, Satoru's figure vanished before his eyes.
"Ashisogi Jizō... Yikes, I'd rather not get touched by something so dangerous."
The voice came from behind him.
Mayuri's entire body tensed.
In that split second, this guy had actually moved behind him?!
What kind of insane speed was that?
Gritting his teeth, Mayuri swung his golden blade in a wide arc toward the figure at his back—
"Too slow, far too slow!"
While taunting, Satoru thrust his sword forward, piercing straight through Mayuri's shoulder.
The latter let out a muffled groan, staggering from the impact.
"Got what we came for!"
Yoruichi snapped the scroll compartment shut and called out to Satoru.
Satoru nodded.
He leaped backward, creating distance from Mayuri before landing beside Yoruichi.
Reunited, the two flashed away using shunpo, reappearing outside the archives.
Satoru rushed to the doorway and yanked hard on a hanging rope.
BOOM!! BOOM!!
Deafening alarm bells reverberated throughout the entire 12th Division!
Simultaneously, Satoru cleared his throat and shouted in an exaggerated tone, "Intruders! Intruders! Thieves have breached the archives!!"
Hearing this, nearby patrolling Shinigami and off-duty 12th Division members all froze in shock.
Hands flying to their zanpakutō, they sprinted toward the archives.
Once confirming they'd drawn enough attention, the two shadows darted across rooftops.
"We need to move—once reinforcements arrive, we're trapped," Yoruichi warned.
Satoru grunted in agreement.
Just as they prepared to leave, his eyes suddenly widened in alarm.
"Dodge!"
He violently elbowed Yoruichi aside while simultaneously drawing his asauchi in a sweeping slash—
CLANG!!!
Sparks erupted like fireworks in the darkness!
Yoruichi stumbled but caught her balance.
Her pupils contracted at the scene before her.
A man clad in a white haori, his messy black hair framing a languid face, stood with his zanpakutō locked against Satoru's blade!
"Hmm?"
The man arched an eyebrow, genuinely surprised his ambush had been parried.
Moonlight glinted as he casually brushed stray hairs from his forehead.
"To detect my presence and block a sneak attack... intriguing."
"That outfit—are you from the Onmitsukidō?"
"No... similar aesthetic, but not their uniform. Just ordinary nightwear, then."
"Regardless, your identity matters little. I'll simply eliminate you."
With that, he disengaged and swung down with reinforced strength!
"Watch out!" Yoruichi shouted. "That's the 3rd Division Captain—Rennosuke Kamikawa!"
As her warning echoed, Satoru's body swayed imperceptibly, narrowly evading the slash as if he'd predicted it.
In the same motion, he gripped his asauchi with both hands and unleashed an upward crescent slash.
A crescent-shaped blade pressure tore through the air.
BOOM!!!!
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