NOVEL NEXT Chapter 20: Chapter 20
Facing the aggressive Suì-Fēng, Uehara Shiroha sighed and muttered, "As expected of Captain Suì-Fēng, your heart is even more venomous than a wasp's sting."
Then, his expression turned fierce as he straightened his back.
"In that case, I have no choice but to fight. On the honor of Captain-General Yamamoto of the First Division, I must survive your hands!"
Suì-Fēng scoffed, a trace of disdain flashing in her eyes. "That's it?"
Uehara Shiroha paused, then added with a smirk, "And if I do, I'll spread the news of your secret love for the wanted criminal, Shihōin Yoruichi, throughout the entire Soul Society!"
"You damn bastard!" Suì-Fēng's body stiffened, her face turning pale for a brief moment before her rage erupted. Her eyes burned with fury, practically glowing red.
At that moment, she wished her Zanpakutō was Ryujin Jakka. If it were, she could reduce the man in front of her to ashes in an instant.
Without hesitation, Suì-Fēng raised her right hand and released her Zanpakutō. "Sting all enemies to death, Suzumebachi!"
In an instant, a golden, needle-like blade extended over the middle finger of her right hand. At the same time, an overwhelming pressure, laced with palpable killing intent, crashed down upon Uehara Shiroha.
Looking at the furious woman before him, Uehara Shiroha cursed internally, Seems like I went a little too far... Tsk tsk, how amusing. The tsundere has completely transformed into a yandere.
Not daring to waste a second, he turned and fled.
Suì-Fēng sneered. "Showing off Shunpo in front of the Onmitsukidō's commander and the top assassins of the Punishment Force? Ridiculous."
However, her confidence didn't last long.
Because—Uehara Shiroha was fast.
More importantly, he seemed to be familiar with her movement patterns, dodging her pursuit just in time every single time.
Thus, the two darted through the dense jungle of Rukongai, one relentlessly chasing, the other desperately fleeing.
"You really don't feel the cold?" Uehara Shiroha called out in exasperation. "Did your heartbreak freeze your emotions, turning you into a cold-blooded creature?"
Throughout their chase, he had used the power of White Album to freeze her, but it was completely ineffective.
Suì-Fēng gritted her teeth, her speed increasing further.
If not for the last sliver of rationality she held onto—and the fact that he was fast enough to keep his distance—she might have already used her Bankai to blast him to smithereens.
The two crossed paths for a brief moment.
A second bee crest appeared on Uehara Shiroha's shoulder.
Technically, the marking resembled a black butterfly, but according to Suzumebachi's ability, if the marked area was struck twice, it would result in an instant kill.
Sounds deadly, Uehara Shiroha thought, but in the entire series, has this ever actually worked?
The only time it did, it was just to glorify Aizen, making him utter that iconic line: "The battles of Soul Reapers are battles of spiritual pressure."
So, despite the danger, Uehara Shiroha wasn't particularly worried. Instead, he observed Suì-Fēng closely.
It was then that he noticed—her entire body was coated in an incredibly dense layer of Reiatsu.
This layer acted as a protective barrier, allowing her to resist the effects of his White Album.
"I see… This is the deeper application of high-density Reiatsu—possibly the prototype of Shunko." Uehara Shiroha nodded to himself.
In the Bleach world, Reiatsu and physical strength determined everything.
The higher one's stats, the greater their resistance to abilities, and the stronger their combat prowess.
Suì-Fēng, through sheer physical conditioning and mastery over her Reiatsu, could withstand his freezing attacks.
However, this wasn't without consequence.
For one, the cold was slowing her movements.
For another, her Reiatsu was being consumed rapidly.
With this in mind, Uehara Shiroha smirked and began to feign exhaustion—sweat forming on his brow, his breathing becoming labored.
"He's sweating! He must be nearing his limit!" Suì-Fēng thought, feeling relieved.
She was the captain. No matter what, a mere Seventh Seat of the First Division couldn't possibly surpass her in Reiatsu.
With this confidence, she slowed her pace, planning to exhaust him in a battle of attrition.
Time passed.
Soon, Uehara Shiroha's Reiatsu seemed depleted, his breaths ragged. He looked on the verge of collapse.
Suì-Fēng was already picturing the satisfying moment when she would finally take him down.
Five minutes later, Uehara Shiroha was panting like an exhausted ox, swaying as if he could fall at any moment.
Suì-Fēng smirked, further convinced her plan was working.
Ten minutes later, his face was pale, his body trembling, seemingly about to drop.
Fifteen minutes later, Uehara Shiroha still hadn't collapsed.
Twenty minutes later, he was still running.
"You liar! You shameless liar!" Suì-Fēng snapped, realizing she had been tricked. She had chased him from the Twelfth District to the First District, yet rather than exhausting him, she was the one wasting energy.
Suddenly, a thought struck her.
"The First District—damn it!"
Ahead of her, Uehara Shiroha had already reached the Black Ridge Gate.
"Murder! The Captain of the Second Division is trying to silence me! Captain Aizen, help!" Uehara Shiroha bellowed as he dashed through the gate.
As he did, he turned back and launched an [Ice Ball], sealing the entrance behind him.
A shadow flickered—Suì-Fēng, wrapped in her white haori, had also passed through the gate into the Seireitei.
Behind her, ice crystals gently descended, reflecting an eerie glow.
Watching Uehara Shiroha vanish into the distance, her expression turned ice-cold, her eyes blazing with killing intent.
She had chased him all this way, and yet—she couldn't continue any further.
The First Division's territory lay ahead. Even as a captain, she couldn't act recklessly here.
A Seventh Seat, and I still couldn't do anything to him?
Suì-Fēng clenched her fists in frustration.
Not long after Uehara Shiroha's return, an outrageous rumor spread like wildfire across the Seireitei.
"Did you hear? That guy Uehara Shiroha got chased and nearly cut to pieces after flirting with Captain Suì-Fēng!"
"Nah, I heard he abandoned Captain Suì-Fēng after having an affair with her!"
"Wait, what? Someone told me she got pregnant…"
At a teahouse on Flower Street, Uehara Shiroha listened to these absurd rumors and cursed internally.
"Damn it, I didn't even start spreading rumors yet, and I'm already the main character of one. Is this what it means to bully an honest man?"
Despite his ongoing feud with Suì-Fēng, he wasn't worried.
With the First Division backing him, what did he have to fear?
That was exactly why he had joined the First Division.
Old Man Yamamoto was in great health—he could take the blame for anything.
Just as Uehara Shiroha was about to enter his usual tavern, a lazy, playful voice called out to him.
"Oi~ isn't this the 'Captain's Wife,' Uehara Shiroha?"
Looking up, Uehara Shiroha saw Kyoraku Shunsui lounging with his usual casual elegance, his flashy kimono and bamboo hat as eye-catching as ever.
The man grinned. "When's the wedding?"
Uehara Shiroha narrowed his eyes. Noticing the faint dark circles under Kyoraku's eyes, he smirked.
"Speaking of weddings," Uehara Shiroha replied smoothly, "last night, when I passed by Keiko's room, I heard someone yelling, 'I'm not like this usually, you have to believe me!'—You've had it rough lately, huh, Lord Kyoraku?"
Hearing this, a few elegant geishas nearby giggled, covering their mouths in amusement.
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