"It's just that you never bothered to ask."
Looking at the furious Yoruichi, Ren's voice remained flat.
He wasn't lying—he didn't care to—he simply hadn't told the whole truth.
If Yoruichi had sensed the subtext in their previous interactions and pressed for answers, he would have found it difficult to hide his tracks.
With Yoruichi's personality, she would have certainly opposed his secret arrangements had she known of them.
It wasn't even out of the question that she would have dragged them into the light for everyone to see.
Just as she was doing today.
Ren looked at Yoruichi and shrugged.
"If I had to say, you trusted me too much. For that, I am grateful."
"Ren, you bastard!"
Hearing such nonsense, Yoruichi couldn't contain herself and lashed out.
She suddenly recalled her father's dying words, her eyes widening in realization.
At that time, her father's final wish was for her never to stand against Ren, and preferably to have a child to tether his heart.
Could it be that her father had sensed the hidden darkness within Ren even then?
Thinking of this, Yoruichi said hoarsely, "So that's what Father meant back then..."
How ridiculous.
She had shared a bed with this man for years and had a child with him, yet she had never truly understood his mind.
In the end, she had never truly reached his heart.
At the mention of the late elder, Ren paused for a moment before immediately returning to his usual demeanor.
"I am very grateful for the old master's promotion back then."
"If it weren't for his discerning eye, relying on my own abilities alone, I don't know how much time I would have wasted to reach this point."
Ren's expression became solemn.
"To be honest, Yoruichi, I never imagined things would come to this."
"When I first became a Soul Reaper, my only desire was to have enough to eat and wear, and perhaps a bit of status. Back then, I didn't even dream of becoming a Lieutenant."
"But as I moved forward, step by step, my horizons broadened, and my ambition grew. I became increasingly dissatisfied with the status quo, finally leading to the situation we are in today."
"I hope you can understand, Yoruichi. I never intended to harm you."
Yoruichi froze for a second, then exploded in rage.
"Bullshit! You used me! You have no right to mention my father!"
"My father was deceived by your high-sounding facade! That's why he chose you!"
"And this is how you repay him?! How you repay the Shihoin family?!"
Ren sighed. "Sigh, I knew it would be like this."
He had long anticipated this reaction from her.
No matter how he justified it, he had wronged Yoruichi.
"Yoruichi, I don't want to argue about this right now."
"What's the matter, Ren? Do you not know how to face me anymore?!"
Yoruichi let out a cold laugh, only to hear a low, pained whimper from Suì-Fēng behind her.
She turned around quickly, looking at Suì-Fēng with an anxious expression.
"Suì-Fēng, are you alright?"
"Lady... Yoruichi, don't worry about me!"
Suì-Fēng looked at Yoruichi, her face full of guilt.
It was her own incompetence that had burdened Lady Yoruichi!
Just as Suì-Fēng was about to reach out, a faint, nearly invisible thread flashed through the air with a cold, crystalline glint.
*Squelch!*
Blood sprayed.
Suì-Fēng felt a sudden chill at her wrist as warm blood splattered across her face.
Her eyes widened in shock as she stared at the hand that was no longer at the end of her arm.
*Thud.*
A dull sound followed as a severed hand fell to the ground amidst a pool of blood.
"Ngh—"
A cry of agony began to escape her throat, but Suì-Fēng bit it back with sheer willpower.
She turned her head toward Walter, her blood-stained face contorted with hatred.
"Suì-Fēng, I respect your duty, but I recall warning you not to cause trouble for me."
Walter tilted his head slightly.
The light reflecting off his monocle made his long face appear even more cold and ruthless.
"Walter, you actually dared!" Yoruichi screamed, seeing Suì-Fēng's tragic state.
Her refined face twisted in fury, her eyes erupting with a tempest of rage.
Her fists clenched as she marched toward Walter.
But Walter simply raised a single finger.
With a flick of his hand, a thread whipped through the air and looped around Suì-Fēng's forehead.
Walter gave it a slight tug, and a thin line of blood appeared on Suì-Fēng's brow.
Yoruichi froze instantly.
"Walter, you—!"
Looking at Walter, Yoruichi's eyes were bloodshot with rage.
Her breathing became rapid. Her internal fury was reaching its breaking point, yet she was forced to suppress it for the sake of Suì-Fēng's life.
"Lady Yoruichi, please do not make this difficult for me."
Walter sighed inwardly as he watched Yoruichi struggle to contain her anger.
While Ren was his master, Yoruichi was still his mistress; he couldn't push things too far.
He glanced at Suì-Fēng's stump, which was bleeding profusely.
"Well, let me stop the bleeding for you."
Walter's fingers danced, and several threads wrapped around the fabric of Suì-Fēng's severed wrist, tightening hard.
The bleeding stopped.
Yoruichi turned her head, her gaze piercing through Ren.
"Ren, is this how you do things?!"
"Using Suì-Fēng as a hostage to force my hand?!"
Ren waved a hand dismissively. "It's just an insurance policy."
Not wanting to talk more with Yoruichi, he glanced sideways at Kisuke Urahara.
"Kisuke, your bleeding has stopped. You should be calm now, right?"
"Are you interested in a chat?"
Kisuke's face was pale as he clutched his shoulder.
Behind him, Tessai Tsukabishi was using Kidō to support the severed arm, keeping the cells alive.
After the initial shock wore off, Kisuke began to feel a piercing pain. Cold sweat poured down his white face.
Kisuke endured the pain, his lips trembling.
"I... You've harmed so many people. I have nothing to say to you!"
Hearing this, Ren pointed at Shinji and the others on the ground.
"What about them?"
Kisuke's breath hitched.
"Are you threatening me with their lives?"
"It's not a threat; it's an invitation."
Ren said loudly, "Kisuke, to be honest, I don't care whether they live or die. I could kill them or let them live."
"Right now, Shinji and the others are powerless and undergoing Hollowfication. They aren't a threat. At this level, they aren't even worth my attention."
"The one I care about is you, Kisuke."
Kisuke's eyes flickered, his expression dark.
"Me?"
"Correct."
Ren nodded.
"Kisuke, even though you betrayed me once before, I'm giving you another chance because of that brilliant mind of yours."
As he spoke, Ren slowly reached out his hand, palm open toward Kisuke.
"As long as you join me, I can overlook all your past deceptions and betrayals."
"From now on, I will treat you as a friend again, sharing glory and joy with you."
Kisuke opened his mouth, then turned to look at Shinji and the others.
"And them?"
"Kisuke, your friends are my friends. Friends should naturally help one another."
Ren gave a light chuckle.
"For your sake, I can spare them. I can even help you treat them."
"Well? Is that sincere enough for you?"
Kisuke lowered his gaze, falling into deep thought.
Hiyori bit her lip, looking up with a fierce light in her eyes.
"I—"
Just as he was about to speak, Yoruichi's voice thundered.
"Kisuke, don't agree to it!"
"Have you forgotten? Ren is the one who did this to Shinji and the others!"
Yoruichi stared at Ren, her voice cracking from the strain.
"Even now, you're still playing the saint!"
"Even if you promise Kisuke now, you'll find a way to eliminate Shinji and the others later!"
Ren glanced at Yoruichi and shook his head helplessly.
Seriously, Yoruichi knew him too well.
In fact, Ren did have exactly that intention.
Lure Kisuke to his side first, then there would be plenty of ways to handle Shinji and the rest.
He wouldn't even need to do it himself; a subtle hint here or there, and someone would legally and reasonably wipe them out.
Having suffered through Hollowfication experiments and fallen into such a wretched state, it was inevitable that Shinji and the others would hold a grudge against him, the mastermind.
How could Ren possibly leave such loose ends untied?
Looking at Kisuke, Ren gestured with his hand.
"Kisuke, what are you still hesitating for?"
"If you don't decide quickly, the Hollowfication in Shinji and the others won't hold out much longer."
Kisuke looked at the anxious Yoruichi, his expression softening slightly.
He looked back at Shinji and the others, his gaze becoming increasingly calm.
"Shihoin Ren, your words are persuasive, but I refuse!"
"Hmm?"
Ren looked puzzled.
"Why?"
"Because you are a man who simply cannot be trusted!"
Kisuke's voice was heavy, his eyes locked onto Ren.
In his eyes, Ren's figure seemed shrouded in endless malice—hideous and terrifying.
"Even without Yoruichi's warning, I would never side with you!"
"At the end of the day, you are undoubtedly evil! You are the one who framed Shinji and the others! If I joined you to save them, they would surely blame me when they woke up!"
Ren tilted his head, unable to comprehend.
What kind of bullshit logic was Kisuke using?
What did he mean by saying they would blame him for saving them?
And yet, because of this, Kisuke chose to refuse, essentially letting Shinji and the others die.
Ren truly couldn't wrap his head around this bizarre way of thinking.
"You say I am evil?"
"Kisuke, I never expected such a childish statement to come from someone as intelligent as you."
"Do you think you are good? Or is it that the standard for good and evil is decided by you?"
Kisuke shook his head and said sharply, "I don't presume to judge good and evil, but you are certainly evil!"
"First, you harmed Shinji and the others, framing me and the Grand Kido Chief. Now you've targeted Yoruichi, crippled half the strength of the Gotei 13, and left the Kido Corps leaderless."
"On top of that, you stole the Hōgyoku from me..."
Kisuke paused for a moment.
The look he gave Ren had become incredibly solemn.
"Your goal... is to overthrow the Seireitei and attack the Soul King Palace!"
Kisuke spoke with absolute certainty.
The expression vanished from Ren's face as he fell silent.
Seeing this, Kisuke's heart sank immediately.
"Shihoin Ren, was I right?"
"The Soul King Palace...?" Hearing Kisuke's words, Yoruichi looked at Ren in shock.
She had considered many of Ren's ambitions, but she never imagined they would be so outrageously vast.
After a few seconds, the corners of Ren's mouth curled up, and he began to clap slowly.
*Clap. Clap. Clap.*
"Kisuke Urahara, you really are impressive."
Ren's words were a tacit admission of Kisuke's deduction.
Yoruichi, hearing the confirmation, stood there frozen.
Looking at Ren's nonchalant face, she opened her mouth, but the shock left her speechless.
"So that is your goal?"
Ren ignored Yoruichi, his gaze toward Kisuke becoming more appreciative.
Then, his gaze turned sharp, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes.
"Kisuke, it seems you have no intention of walking the same path as me."
Kisuke said solemnly, "The Soul King is the lynchpin of the three worlds. Without him, the world would be destroyed. If that isn't evil, then what is?!"
"How regrettable, Kisuke. You've chosen the wrong path," Ren said coldly. "And those who choose the wrong path must pay the price."
"Shihoin Ren, you—"
"Shut up. I'm taking it back!"
Before Kisuke could finish, Ren barked an order, cutting him off.
Ren reached out toward Kisuke, his eyes glowing with a freezing intensity.
"Give your power back to me."
Take back what...? Kisuke looked confused.
Before he could react, he felt a sudden wave of weakness wash over his body!
It wasn't the exhaustion from blood loss; it was as if some power within him was rapidly draining away.
"What is this?!"
Before he could investigate, he saw the Zanpakutō at his waist vanishing into thin air like bubbles.
In the blink of an eye, half of it was gone.
Meanwhile, in Ren's hand, a blade was slowly taking shape.
Holding the hilt of the half-formed Zanpakutō, Ren gave it a sudden swing.
The missing part of the Zanpakutō was instantly restored, appearing whole and pristine in Ren's hand.
The bright blade shimmered with a cold, metallic luster.
Kisuke saw this and looked at his own waist where his blade had completely vanished. His face turned pale.
He looked up sharply at the design of the Zanpakutō in Ren's hand, and his eyes widened.
"That's... Benihime!"
My Zanpakutō... how...
In that moment, Kisuke could no longer feel the will of his Zanpakutō.
His own Benihime had been stolen!
"Shihoin Ren, what did you do to me?!"
"That's my Benihime! Give it back!"
Ren's lips curled into a mocking smirk.
"Your Zanpakutō? If you call her name, will she answer?"
"This is clearly *my* Zanpakutō!"
With that, Ren gave a wicked smile.
He raised the Zanpakutō high and softly spoke her name.
"Scream, Benihime!"
His spiritual pressure exploded with a boom as the Zanpakutō in his hand emitted a brilliant white light.
The form of the Zanpakutō rapidly transformed.
When the white light dissipated, the Zanpakutō revealed its Shikai form.
The blade was straight, with a red cord tied around the guard. The hilt curved at the end, trailing a red tassel.
It was indeed Benihime in her Shikai state.
Staring at the released form of Benihime, the horror on Kisuke's face intensified.
"Not only did he steal her, but he can even release Benihime's power?!"
"How... is this possible?" Yoruichi's eyes widened in disbelief.
It was unbelievable!
In her experience, someone like Kōga Kuchiki, who could incite Zanpakutō to rebel against Soul Reapers, was already absurd enough.
But now, Ren had stolen someone else's Zanpakutō right in front of her and performed its release!
"How on earth did he do that?"
"He stole Benihime..."
Kisuke was completely baffled.
Shihoin Ren had simply reached out his hand—without doing anything else—and taken his Zanpakutō.
No!
Shihoin Ren must have done something!
It's impossible that he did nothing!
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]