C12 You Became the Most Worthless Person on the List

Watching Lucia's face flush with embarrassment, Abarai Renji felt like he was on the verge of losing his mind. Despite the awkwardness welling up inside him, he managed to suppress it and enveloped Taku in a bear hug. Yet, the words that spilled from Lucia's lips nearly convinced Renji he was taking his first steps on Brokeback Mountain.

"Renji, feel it with your heart. You'll discover something special," she said.

A chill ran down Abarai Renji's spine as he quickly realized something was amiss. No, it was more than that; his body was flooded with a delightful sensation. His pores opened up, and the spiritual energy within him stirred to life, flowing more smoothly than ever as he tried to channel it. At that moment, Renji felt an overwhelming urge to cling to Taku like a koala to a tree.

"Okay, Renji, let go already. It's nauseating to watch a grown man cling to a drunken boy. Captain Zaraki has the jug now," Madarame Ikkaku said with an eye roll and a look of contempt.

Renji, who had initially been so resistant to Taku, now seemed ready to latch onto him like a koala. This sudden change of heart was hard for some to stomach. But for Ikkaku, the wine jug in Zaraki Kenpachi's hand was of far greater concern, especially as he remembered the irresistible pleasure he had just experienced, which filled him with an urgent longing.

If not for the sight of the jug in the hands of his deeply respected Zaraki Kenpachi, Ikkaku might have been tempted to snatch it away himself.

"Hmm?" Zaraki Kenpachi sniffed the jug deeply, his eyes suddenly bulging.

Boom! A ferocious surge of spiritual pressure erupted from within Zaraki Kenpachi without warning, like a tidal wave, forcing Lucia and the others to retreat. In the midst of the chaos, with his eyepatch also breaking, Ikkaku was the first to snap to his senses and bellowed a warning.

"Get out of here! Otherwise, you'll be injured!"

As someone who had long admired and followed Zaraki Kenpachi, Ikkaku knew all too well that the eyepatch was the source of his sealed spiritual power. Unless Zaraki Kenpachi chose to unseal it himself, his spiritual energy would remain largely restrained.

However, now, after taking a deep whiff of the alcohol, it had sparked a riot within him.

This was certainly beyond his comprehension.

Bang!

Violent gusts of air wildly swept around.

Zaraki Kenpachi, clearly still buzzed, instinctively lifted his sake bottle to his lips and guzzled.

"Empty?"

Zaraki Kenpachi was baffled.

The unique sensation had abruptly ceased.

When he first caught the scent of the alcohol, he sensed, for a moment, that the limits of his spiritual power were on the verge of shattering.

His instincts whispered that just a bit more stimulation would make everything fall into place.

The bottleneck that had plagued him, akin to constipation, seemed ready to break free in a torrential release.

Regrettably, confronted with the barren sake bottle, all sensations vanished.

The hollow sense of loss made him almost wish he could punch Taku into sobriety.

Yet, as the captain of the Eleventh Division, Zaraki Kenpachi retained a captain's composure and quickly recognized his lapse in decorum.

After licking his parched lips, he closed his left eye and contained the wild spiritual pressure he had unleashed.

Casting another glance at Taku and the empty bottle, a more sinister smile crept across his face.

"This kid is more complex than I thought. His booze packs a bigger punch than Kyoraku's. He's now earned a spot on my 'most worthy of being cut down' list."

"Renji, you and Lucia take this youngster to the assessment. Ikkaku can handle the rest."

"I'm confident this guy won't let me down. As for the report to Old Man Yamamoto, I'll write it myself."

Watching the astonished Captain Zaraki Kenpachi, Abarai Renji was momentarily taken aback, particularly upon realizing that Taku's standing had escalated to such a kill-worthy rank in Zaraki's eyes. His face grew tense as he quickly interjected, "Captain Zaraki, I've already submitted the report to Captain Yamamoto. It's likely already in his possession, and it mentions Sanzhu."

"Three Bamboo?"

Zaraki Kenpachi paused, then with a dismissive wave of his hand, he declared,

"Never mind the details. Even if it's truly Three Bamboo, I'll vouch for him. Should he fail, I'll still recruit him into the Eleventh Division by exception, just to have the pleasure of a good fight. As for Old Man Yamamoto, I'll pay him a visit myself. You two, make it a quick trip back."

Watching Taku stride away with a cruel smirk, he vowed to safeguard him and ensure his place within the Eleventh Division.

A trace of inexplicable bitterness crossed Lucia's face as she glanced at Shiba Taku cradled in her arms.

She was uncertain whether to feel fortunate or sympathetic about the captain's special treatment.

First Division.

The expansive courtyard felt somewhat desolate.

Kyoraku Shunsui, clad in his floral kimono, swayed the sake flask in his hand as he approached the hall's center.

"Old man Yamamoto, you must have had a pressing reason to call me here. Surely it's not about that kid, is it?" Kyoraku Shunsui settled in nonchalantly.

He promptly noticed Sasakibe Chojiro presenting a document.

"Here's the report from the Eleventh Division and Soul Reaper Kuchiki Rukia. Have a look," Yamamoto Genryuusai Shigekuni advised, eyes closed, resting on his cane.

As one of the few students Yamamoto Genryuusai Shigekuni held in high regard, Kyoraku Shunsui's penchant for sake and his unconventional attire were at odds with the old man's conservative ways.

Yet, beyond all that, Kyoraku Shunsui remained Yamamoto Genryuusai Shigekuni's most trusted confidant.

Otherwise, Kyoraku Shunsui wouldn't have been chosen to succeed as the head captain in the original story after Yamamoto Genryuusai Shigekuni's demise.

Shiba Taku!

Slash: Unknown

Ghost: Unknown

Walk: Unknown

Fist: Presumably exceptional

Spiritual Pressure: Three Bamboo

"Exceptional in hand-to-hand combat, yet with spiritual pressure at a mere Three Bamboo level? Could there be a mistake?" Kyoraku Shunsui furrowed his brow.

He was among the first batch of students at Shinoreijutsuin and later became a faculty member.

But a student so lopsided in abilities was a first for him.

"Captain Kyoraku, Shiba Taku is currently intoxicated and confined in a spirit-sealing chamber. We've gauged his spiritual pressure using the black stone, and the readings are consistent," Sasakibe Chojiro clarified.

Regarding the 'White Fist' column, it was marked as 'Suspected to be Exceptional' due to Kuchiki Rukia's account, which stated that Shiba Taku obliterated a soul-mutated evil spirit with a single punch."

"A single punch to obliterate an evil spirit?" Kyoraku Shunsui was taken aback but quickly regained his composure. "If Captain Kuchiki's report is accurate, the ability to destroy an evil spirit with one punch is indeed a remarkable feat."

"However, I suspect that Ojiisan Yamamoto's reason for summoning me this time is more concerned with the issue of the evil spirits," he mused as the captain of the Eighth Division, primarily in charge of intelligence.

Kyoraku Shunsui often seemed carefree, but his strategic acumen and insight were anything but negligible.

"You're not wrong," Yamamoto Genryuusai Shigekuni confirmed, opening his eyes and speaking gravely. "I granted an exception to assess the Shiba Clan, hoping to coax the puppeteer lurking in the shadows into the light once more."

"Unexpectedly, the evil spirits that emerged this time also displayed soul mutations, eerily reminiscent of those from a century ago. Following the incident, Captain Zaraki pursued the fleeing spirits, only to find they had vanished without a trace..."