After parting ways with Yoruichi Shihōin, Harry turned a corner and stepped onto the stone path leading back to the Tenth Division.
Suddenly, he sensed an abrupt burst of Reiatsu blooming from a certain direction.
His steps paused. His green eyes narrowed slightly as he focused on the details of that Reiatsu.
Among the many Reiatsu signatures, some powerful, some weak, Harry relied on his extraordinary perception and directly locked onto that particular fluctuation.
That sluggish Reiatsu should belong to the Third Seat of the Eleventh Division, Ikkaku Madarame.
And in Harry's perception, Third Seat Madarame was now so weak it was as if half his strength had been drained away.
Right. Just now, Ikkaku Madarame's Reiatsu seemed to have clashed with Ichigo Kurosaki's. Could Ikkaku Madarame have been defeated by Ichigo Kurosaki?
The characteristics of the other Reiatsu beside Third Seat Madarame were also very distinct. It carried a precise sense of control. There was no doubt it belonged to the captain of the Twelfth Division, Mayuri Kurotsuchi.
Beside Mayuri Kurotsuchi, there was another slightly weaker but equally cold Reiatsu. It should be his lieutenant, Nemu Kurotsuchi.
"Why would people from the Twelfth Division be with Ikkaku Madarame at the Fourth Division General Relief Station?" Harry murmured.
Mayuri Kurotsuchi had always treated the relief station as nothing more than an observation point for experimental materials. Unless there was a special specimen that piqued his interest, he would never go to the Fourth Division. After all, his own squad members were already enough to serve as experimental consumables.
And Ikkaku Madarame was the troublesome Third Seat of the Eleventh Division. Unless absolutely necessary, Mayuri Kurotsuchi would never choose him as an experimental subject.
Then why had Ikkaku Madarame gotten tangled up with Mayuri Kurotsuchi?
Harry immediately thought of Ikkaku Madarame's clash with Ichigo Kurosaki. Could Mayuri Kurotsuchi be planning to obtain information about Ichigo Kurosaki through Ikkaku Madarame?
That would not do.
Harry's body vanished from where he stood as he headed toward the Fourth Division General Relief Station.
Inside the Fourth Division General Relief Station, Ikkaku Madarame lay on a hospital bed. His right arm was wrapped in blood-soaked bandages, and although his face was pale, he still gritted his teeth and glared at Mayuri Kurotsuchi beside him. He struggled to grab the Zanpakutō by his pillow, but the spiritual arts rope released by Nemu Kurotsuchi had bound him tightly, leaving him unable to move.
"Hmph, hmph, hmph, hmph…" Mayuri Kurotsuchi smiled without warmth, staring fiercely at Ikkaku Madarame. "It seems you're determined not to talk no matter what, aren't you, Ikkaku Madarame?"
Mayuri Kurotsuchi was already growing impatient. He had wasted ten minutes here with Ikkaku Madarame, and time was extremely precious to him.
At that moment, a member of the Fourth Division poked his head in from behind the door and said awkwardly, "Captain of the Twelfth Division, please don't interrogate patients in the Fourth Division General Relief Station. You're putting us in a very difficult position. This kind of behavior is strictly prohibited here!"
It was obvious that this Fourth Division member's warning had no effect on Mayuri Kurotsuchi whatsoever.
If the captain of the Fourth Division were here, perhaps he would have shown some restraint. But right now, he only wanted to obtain information about the Ryoka from Ikkaku Madarame.
Mayuri Kurotsuchi waved his hand slightly and fired a no-incantation Shōtenkyū, striking the wall beside the Fourth Division member and blasting a small hole into it.
His gaze became even colder as he warned, "Quiet."
That directly scared off the gentle Fourth Division member.
Seeing this, Ikkaku Madarame said helplessly again, "I already told you, it's not that I don't want to say anything. I really don't know the Ryoka's destination, their purpose, or anything else."
Mayuri Kurotsuchi clearly did not believe him. He questioned him, "Then what is this? You encountered the Ryoka and immediately drew your sword to fight, yet obtained no intelligence at all, and then you simply came back after being defeated. Is that really all?"
Ikkaku Madarame turned his head to the other side. "That's right, that's exactly it. And while I'm at it, I'll tell you that I don't even know what the enemy looks like. I didn't hear his voice either. So I have nothing to tell you."
Ikkaku Madarame's evasiveness completely enraged Mayuri Kurotsuchi. "Fine. In that case, you will have to accept the punishment you deserve for dereliction of duty."
Mayuri Kurotsuchi's white-gloved hand slowly pressed down, his fingers rapidly approaching Ikkaku Madarame.
His voice carried a sickening ferocity. "The body of a third seat is a rare experimental subject. But to avoid going too far, I'll only extract a small bone marrow sample. I won't leave you lying in bed for too long."
Just as Mayuri Kurotsuchi's hand was about to touch Ikkaku Madarame, a pale blue Reiatsu suddenly surged in from the doorway. Like an invisible hand, it precisely wrapped around Mayuri Kurotsuchi's wrist.
That Reiatsu was not violent, but it was extremely resilient. It forcibly stopped Mayuri Kurotsuchi's fingers in midair, preventing them from trembling even once.
Mayuri Kurotsuchi's expression changed abruptly, and he whipped his head toward the door. "Who is it?!"
A moment later, the door was gently pushed open. Harry appeared in the doorway, the usual warmth gone from his green eyes, leaving only cold scrutiny.
He stepped into the room. At the same time, his fingertips tightened slightly, and the Reiatsu wrapped around Mayuri Kurotsuchi's wrist abruptly constricted.
With a soft crack, Mayuri Kurotsuchi's fingers immediately fractured, producing a crisp sound.
"The captain of the Tenth Division?" Mayuri Kurotsuchi narrowed his eyes. He ignored his own broken fingers, as if he had no sense of pain at all, and said with displeasure, "I am conducting necessary research. On what grounds are you interfering?"
Harry ignored his question. His gaze swept over Ikkaku Madarame, who was bound on the hospital bed, then landed on Nemu Kurotsuchi.
The source of the binding spiritual art on Ikkaku Madarame's body came from the Reishi gathered in her palm.
Harry moved his fingertip, and another streak of Reiatsu shot out, precisely cutting through the spiritual arts rope so quickly that even Nemu Kurotsuchi could not react.
"Necessary research?" Harry's voice became even colder as he slowly walked into the ward. The Reiatsu spreading from him was like a fine net, silently covering the entire room. "Binding an Eleventh Division member with spiritual arts and forcibly extracting his bone marrow, is that what you call research? Or is it torture for a confession?"
Mayuri Kurotsuchi's expression darkened further. Dark purple Reiatsu condensed in his palm, and he tried to throw it at Ikkaku Madarame. It was a poison-mist Kidō unique to the Twelfth Division, capable of corroding any spiritual body it touched.
"Harry Potter, stop meddling in other people's business! Ikkaku Madarame knows the Ryoka's purpose and motives. This concerns the safety of the Soul Society. I have the right to…"
"You don't." Harry interrupted him. A dot of pale blue Reiatsu gathered at his fingertip. With a light flick, that Reiatsu turned into a shield and appeared in front of Ikkaku Madarame's hospital bed, just in time to block the poison mist Mayuri Kurotsuchi was about to release.
"The Fourth Division is a relief station, not your laboratory. Ikkaku Madarame is a member of the Eleventh Division. If there is to be an investigation, it should be conducted by the Eleventh Division or Central 46. It is not the Twelfth Division's place to act on its own."
He walked to the bedside and placed his hand on Ikkaku Madarame's shoulder, slowly injecting gentle Reiatsu into him.
Ikkaku Madarame's originally chaotic Reiatsu gradually calmed, and his wounds began to recover quickly.
Seeing that Harry had not only stopped him but was also ignoring him to heal Ikkaku Madarame on the bed, Mayuri Kurotsuchi's anger burned even hotter. He no longer bothered to hide it. The Reiatsu in his body surged toward Harry like a wave as he threatened him.
"Isn't Captain Harry sticking his nose into too many things today? You should know that even captains need to respect their seniors."
"It seems I'll need to teach you today that even among captains, there are vast differences."
Mayuri Kurotsuchi drew his Zanpakutō and immediately prepared to attack Harry.
After all, in his mind, Harry was merely a young Soul Reaper of fifty or sixty years old. Although he was extraordinarily talented and had quickly become captain of the Tenth Division, his strength was definitely at the bottom among the captains. There was no way he could threaten him.
The dark purple Zanpakutō Ashisogi Jizō sprang from its sheath. Lingering poison-mist Reiatsu still coiled around the blade. Mayuri Kurotsuchi's hand tightened around the hilt, veins bulging from anger as his figure suddenly lunged toward Harry.
He had not expected Harry to show him so little respect. He refused to lose face in a Fourth Division ward, and at that moment, he only wanted to thoroughly teach this ignorant junior a lesson.
The blade cut through the air with a piercing hiss. Poison mist spread along the sword, and even the surrounding Reishi sizzled as it was corroded.
But just as the blade was only half a foot away from Harry's shoulder, Mayuri Kurotsuchi suddenly felt his wrist sink, as if it had been clamped by an invisible iron vise. He could not push forward even a fraction of an inch.
He abruptly raised his head and met Harry's cold green eyes.
There were no extra movements and no complicated Kidō, only a vast, suffocating Reiatsu surging from Harry like rising seawater, instantly enveloping the entire ward.
That Reiatsu was not violent or scorching, but it carried absolute control. It pressed against Mayuri's chest until it felt tight. Even breathing became difficult, and the fingers holding his sword began to tremble beyond his control.
"How… how is this possible?!" Mayuri Kurotsuchi's voice abruptly changed, sharp with disbelief. "Your Reiatsu… how can it be this strong?!"
He desperately drove the Reiatsu inside him, trying to break free from that invisible restraint. The Twelfth Division's research had given him control over his own Reiatsu far beyond that of an ordinary captain, and he could even temporarily amplify his combat power through drugs.
But at this moment, his Reiatsu was like a stone thrown into the deep sea. It could not even stir a ripple. Instead, it was forcibly pressed inside his body by Harry's Reiatsu, and even the poison mist at his fingertips began to disperse.
"This is impossible!" Mayuri Kurotsuchi roared again, his eyes filled with shock and panic. "You're clearly just a captain who took office not long ago… The Reiatsu you usually release isn't even comparable to some lieutenants. How could you have this much power?!"
He remembered the Harry he had seen before at the captains' meetings. He always stood gently in the corner, his Reiatsu restrained until it was nearly transparent. Everyone had thought this captain of the Tenth Division was merely a support type with mediocre combat power. But the scene before him had completely overturned his understanding.
The poison mist on the blade was completely suppressed and scattered. Mayuri Kurotsuchi's hand holding the hilt began to go numb. Cold sweat slid down his temple and fell onto the hilt.
He could clearly feel Harry's Reiatsu like a fine net. It not only bound his movements, but was also silently probing the Reiatsu pathways inside his body. Even the various tools hidden in his sleeves were locked onto by that Reiatsu, leaving him without even a chance to activate them.
"You… who exactly are you?" There was now a trace of fear in Mayuri Kurotsuchi's voice. Other than the Captain-Commander, this was the first time he had ever felt this kind of overwhelming pressure from a captain of the Gotei 13.
At this moment, the Reiatsu on Harry was even more terrifying than Kenpachi Zaraki's. It was a suppressive power from an entirely different dimension, rendering all of Mayuri's schemes and inventions meaningless.
Without a doubt, Harry's Reiatsu had already reached first-class spiritual power.
Harry did not answer. He only tightened his fingers slightly.
Mayuri Kurotsuchi felt a burst of severe pain in his wrist. Ashisogi Jizō fell to the ground with a clang. The blade stabbed into the floor and continued trembling faintly.
But even after Mayuri Kurotsuchi dropped his Zanpakutō, the enormous Reiatsu still pressed down on him, making his knees weaken until he almost collapsed to the ground. Only by supporting himself against the floor could he barely remain standing.
"I told you, don't act here." Harry's voice was calm, but it carried unquestionable power. "Now take your Zanpakutō and leave the Fourth Division. If you dare touch Ikkaku Madarame again, don't blame me for being impolite."
Mayuri Kurotsuchi stared at the Zanpakutō on the ground, then looked at Harry's calm green eyes. The shock in his heart gradually turned into unwillingness, but he no longer dared make even the slightest move.
He knew he had utterly lost today. This seemingly gentle captain of the Tenth Division was hiding a vast Reiatsu powerful enough to make even the Captain-Commander take notice.
And that power had probably already surpassed the vast majority of captains. It might even be approaching the Captain-Commander's level.
"I'll remember you, Harry Potter." Mayuri Kurotsuchi gritted his teeth, struggled to pick up his Zanpakutō, staggered around, and fled the ward in a miserable state, even forgetting to call Nemu Kurotsuchi.
Not long after Mayuri Kurotsuchi left, Ikkaku Madarame thanked Harry. Suddenly, the ward door was thrown open again with a bang.
A tall figure walked into the room, and on his shoulder sat a pink-haired little girl.
The two of them had clearly already learned what had happened inside the room. The captain of the Eleventh Division, Kenpachi Zaraki, spoke in his signature fierce voice.
"Hey, Tenth Division! Thanks!"
But Harry felt no joy at being thanked. The moment he saw Kenpachi Zaraki, he immediately realized something was wrong.
After all, Kenpachi Zaraki was the battle maniac known throughout the entire Seireitei. Now that he had learned part of Harry's true strength, how could he possibly not want to fight him?
Sure enough, when Ikkaku Madarame saw his captain arrive, he braced himself against the hospital bed and sat up, just about to speak, only for Kenpachi to wave him off.
Kenpachi Zaraki's attention was entirely on Harry. In a few steps, he walked up to him. His Reiatsu suddenly climbed, and even the surrounding air trembled.
"But putting that aside, your Reiatsu is pretty interesting. It's completely different from what I sensed before."
"Just now, even I felt that pressure from outside. So, how about it? Want to fight me?"
He raised a hand and removed his eyepatch, his scarlet pupils full of excitement. Nozarashi trembled faintly because of its master's battle intent, its blade gleaming coldly.
"I want to see just how strong the Reiatsu that could completely suppress that bastard Kurotsuchi really is."
Harry looked at the fighting spirit dancing in his eyes and smiled faintly. "Sorry, I'm not interested."
Kenpachi Zaraki's movements abruptly stopped, as if he had not expected to be refused. His scarlet pupils shrank slightly.
"Not interested? Are you scared?"
He stepped forward, and his Reiatsu grew even stronger, almost stirring the Reishi in the ward into chaos.
"Or do you think I'm not qualified to be your opponent?"
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