246 Chapter 209 - Ready for War.
If you wanna read ahead go to https://www.patreón.com/cornbringer
Right now I'm on chapter 223 in Patreôn
Discord Server: Invite needs to be updated. Will get on that today.
I had a problem with my bank, which had me on a 5 day hiatus with some stuff. This week there won't be offers and stuff, not having access to my bank fucked some of my stuff.
I will update daily this week.
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[Adam C. POV.]
The moon hung low in the sky, casting an eerie glow over the training grounds. Right now, my body felt like it was forged from iron, and my reflexes sharpened to their peak. Over the last few weeks, every bone broken, every 'death', every wound received, had pushed me past my limits, over and over again.
Be it against the old man, or my current adversary, Unohana.
As I moved, I could see my opponent moving.
Unohana's fierce, bloodthirsty nature was a force to be reckoned with, that much I had learned during my time training with her. Her initial cold smile, seemingly endless styles of the blade and relentless attacks had almost caught me off guard multiple times, with the times they had, ending in a clear reset, as Unohana would put it.
But tonight, as our blades clashed one again, I felt a change, a rhythm, a flow, and before I knew it, I'd disarmed her with a swift maneuver, delivering a deep gash on her chest, before slamming her head to the ground, creating a massive crater.
The First Kenpachi, defeated.
She looked at me, a mixture of pride and pleasure evident in her eyes. "You've grown stronger," she admitted, breathing heavily.
I offered her a hand, pulling her to her feet before kicking her away. "Thanks to you."
I don't forget what I learned. And last time someone offered a hand to someone, it ended with pain for one of the parts involved.
A heavy hand clapped on my shoulder, and I turned to see Captain-Commander Yamamoto, his gaze piercing yet not unkind. "It seems your training is complete," he rumbled. "What you need to learn next can't be taught through sparring. It's life or death that will be your next teacher."
I nodded, understanding the weight of his words. Despite how dangerous my training with them had been, there was always tomorrow, meaning there was never a real sense of danger, at least with him.
With Unohana I knew that if I failed, I would truly die, but with the old man, that wasn't the case. He would bring me close to pearly gates, but never through them.
"You didn't forget," Unohana muttered slowly; walking towards me, revealing a knife under her hand, indicating that I had failed to kick her away, she would've 'killed' me again.
Smiling at her, I turned to the old man. "I still haven't defeated you, are you sure my training is complete?"
Yamamoto frowned, as if insulted by my expectations for what this training would give. "You are foolish to think you can surpass me in such a short period of time."
I chuckled, there was no real bite to his scolding. But fair is fair, he wasn't lying. Even with this training, I still considered it would take me a couple of years of hard training to reach his level.
That being said, I had no idea how long it would take me to surpass him.
That's how powerful the old bastard was.
"Well, if that's all, I need a shower," I said, turning around to make my way back to the Fifth Division.
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[A few hours later.]
The next day, or a few hours for me, in a room filled with the captains and lieutenants of the Gotei 13, we began to strategize the impending invasion of Hueco Mundo, something that if we wanted it to go smoothly, we needed every capable hand, I couldn't just fight Aizen's entire army by myself.
I mean, I probably could.
But, it would be a waste of precious energy, energy that I needed for Mr. All Part of the Plan, himself.
In front of me, and everyother Captain, there were maps spread out on the meeting table, maps conveniently provided by Urahara, each one having markers indicating key locations.
As strategies were being tossed around, and I remained silent, hearing them all, a thought struck me. "What about the Visoreds?" I mused aloud.
The brisk air of the strategy room seemed to grow even colder after I dropped those words, as if I had spoken out-loud about a most forbidden taboo.
The very suggestion sent immediate ripples of shock through the room, and all chatter halted without delay. I didn't remember a lot from the anime, but from what I could remember, The Visoreds, were a group of individuals with a unique blend of Hollow and Shinigami abilities, who were considered outcasts, especially now that it was confirmed about their unwilling association with Aizen, and his experiments making them a very touchy subject.
However, it was Yamamoto's reaction that was the most palpable. His sharp eyes immediately locked onto mine, and the air grew so thick, I felt the moisture in the nearby air vanish completely.
"Adam," his voice deep and laced with a controlled rage, "You suggest we align ourselves with those... aberrations?"
I held his gaze, feeling the weight of every captains' eyes on me. "They have a reason to want Aizen defeated as much as we do. If they can help us achieve that, then why not consider it? Besides, shouldn't it be obvious that their supposed crimes weren't really their crimes after all, or are you still blind to that fact?"
Urahara, sensing the tension, attempted to mediate. "It's a valid consideration, Head-Captain. The Visoreds, as Adam says, are innocent, and have a vendetta against Aizen. Their power could tip the scales in our favor."
Yamamoto's gaze, still sharp as a blade, shifted to Urahara, though he made no comment about what he thought about the subject.
Shunsui sighed, scratching the back of his head, "Yama-ji, they didn't betray the Soul Society, we betrayed them in their time of need, and while I can admit, enlisting them it's a gamble, you have to admit that these are unprecedented times, and therefore we need every asset we can get."
The Captain-Commander's jaw tightened. "The Gotei 13 has stood for centuries without the need for such... compromises."
"Yet, here I am, a compromise," I waved at him, meeting his gaze.
A tense silence filled the room, each captain lost in thought.
Finally, Yamamoto exhaled deeply. "True, but seeing we can't come to an answer, this will be put to vote. We will decide based on the majority."
"I agree with Adam's motion," Toshiro said, going straight to the point.
"I vote against it," Sui-Feng said, crossing her arms as she glared at me.
I had no idea why she had a vendetta against me, we barely even talked, and she looked at me as if I was the devil incarnate.
"Same as Toshiro," Shunsui smiled, before leaning back on his chair.
"I agree with Shunsui," Jushiro nodded.
"I vote against it," Komomura replied. "If the Head-Captain deems their interference unnecessary, I am no one to debate his decision, and perhaps that is something other Captains should learn."
Hm, that almost felt like a comment directed at me.
"I agree with Adam," Mayuri grinned, his eyes shining with interest. "After all, if one of the Visored is defeated, I would be able to experiment with their bodies."
Of course, he agrees for the worst possible reason.
"I agree with Adam as well," Unohana replied, in her usual kind demeanor. Not that said demeanor made me see her any different, for me, she was a wolf in sheep's clothing.
"I agree with Captain Adam," Byakuya nodded, his eyes closed. "In war, one does not have the luxury of wasting resources."
Huh, I did not expect that from him. I was under the impression he didn't like me, then again, it could be that that is just his normal expression.
"I don't fucking care," Kenpachi barked, slamming his fist on the table. "As long as I get to fight someone strong, I don't give a crap about who comes with us."
It seems the results were in favor of my proposition. Overwhelmingly so.
Yamamoto, true to his word, nodded. "Very well, we will proceed with this plan. But be warned, any betrayal, any misstep from them, will be on your head."
He's one stubborn bastard. Old dogs don't learn new tricks, and he's the embodiment of that saying.
Toshiro piped in, "Now that we agree on a course of action, how do we get them on our side? I don't think they will be very open to the idea of working with us, seeing our last interaction."
I looked at Urahara, knowing he shared some history with them. "We need to appeal to their sense of vengeance against Aizen."
Urahara smirked, waving his fan around his face. "Don't you worry, leave that to me. I have some rapport with them. But be prepared, they might want to be pardoned for the crimes they didn't commit."
Yamamoto grunted, as if both angered by Urahara's mock, and embarrassed about the remark. "We will see after the fight, and if they prove worthy to serve under the Gotei 13 again."
