219 Chapter 186 - Science vs. Power.
If you want to read ahead go to https://www.patreón.com/cornbringer
Discord Server: https://discord.gg/3dAF3qMP
As promised. The extra chapter, the sexy corn promises and delivers!
———————————————————————————-
[Third Person. POV.]
[Mayuri's Lab.]
The chilling sound of Mayuri's laughter echoed through the dimly lit laboratory, making Adam frown. The walls around them, were adorned with various instruments of torture and experimentation, perhaps a mix of both.
It didn't take Adam long to come to a conclusion about this place, thinking that there was something deeply unsettling about this particular setting.
Adam's eyes narrowed as he focused on a particular aura that felt strangely familiar, the moonlit dragon. Selene. A gentle yet potent pulse that contrasted sharply with the spiritual energies that surrounded them.
Now it made sense how he had arrived here. At least part of it, he thought.
"Seeing you decided to return out of your own accord I will let you name yourself!" Mayuri declared, his grin stretching unnaturally across his face. His eyes, behind those bizarre golden lenses, glinted with a mix of amusement and malevolence. "After all, I'm quite pleased that my lost experiment decided to waltz back into my lab."
Adam snorted. "Not only you're ugly, but delusional as well?"
Mayuri pointed with his slender finger toward a nearby jail cell, its bars reinforced with what seemed like layers of spiritual seals. "And here I was being nice, oh well, meet your new roommate," he sneered. "I'm sure she's been dying to see you."
Adam glanced at the cell. To his eyes, it was empty, void of any presence. He could detect some traces of Selene's magic, but he couldn't see anyone there. "Ugly, the cell is empty," he declared, tilting his head.
Mayuri's laughter resumed, this time with a mocking undertone. "Oh, how naïve! Perhaps you're simply blind? Or maybe, just maybe, you haven't tapped into the full potential of your senses."
If Mayuri's taunts had any truth to them, then Selene's presence was being masked, hidden from plain view. But somehow Adam doubted that was the case.
"This is one of my finer works," Mayuri boasted, tapping the bars of the cell with a gloved finger. "I've managed to imprison her very essence, transmuting her soul!"
Adam sighed, unsheathing his blade. "Would you please, shut up, and fight already? I already met my quota with mad scientists with Kisuke."
Mayuri gritted his teeth. "Very well then, let's begin the experiment."
—---------------------------------------------------------------
[Third Person. POV.]
[The Rukongai.]
As the group moved through the Rukongai, Yoruichi felt a massive surge of reiatsu from afar, and though she was leading Ichigo and the others stealthily through the alleyways of the Seireitei, the undeniable clash of energies pulled at her senses, making her momentarily pause.
The group behind her continued to move, their urgency clear. But Ichigo, sensing Yoruichi's distraction, glanced back at the black feline with a questioning gaze.
"Is something wrong, Yoruichi-san?" Orihime asked, noting the cat's attention was fixated somewhere distant.
"It's Adam," Yoruichi murmured, her voice tinged with concern but also confidence. "He's engaging Mayuri."
Uryu froze.
Chad frowned, "He's a captain, right?"
"Rukia said that he was a scientist of some kind," Ichigo replied.
Yoruichi's tail twitched in thought. "Mayuri is not just a scientist; he's a madman, as for why Adam is here, well, I suppose it has to do with whatever he felt before leaving us." She paused, listening intently, her sharp senses trying to decipher the flow of the battle. "Don't worry though, Adam is strong, very strong, and while Mayuri might be cunning, and resourceful, I have no doubt that he'll be okay."
Ichigo's grip on his zanpakuto tightened. "In that case, we need to hurry and complete our mission. The sooner we get to Rukia, the sooner we can regroup with Adam."
Yoruichi nodded, "Right. Stay close. We're getting close."
—-------------------------------------------------------------------
[Third Person. POV.]
Gin Ichimaru's snake-like eyes gazed out over the Seireitei. From where he was, he and Tosen could feel the intense reiatsu emanating from Mayuri's quarters.
He smiled.
"Who do you think will emerge victorious, Gin?" Kaname Tosen asked, his voice calm and collected.
Gin's lips curled into his trademark grin, the one that sent shivers down many a spine. "Mah, ya really think Mayuri's intellect can win against that overwhelming force?" he drawled lazily.
Tosen's face remained impassive. "Mayuri's mind is his most dangerous weapon. If he can outsmart the boy, overpowering him becomes easier."
Gin chuckled softly, the sound almost eerie in the otherwise quiet day. "Power and intelligence have their places, Tosen. But sometimes, pure, raw power can bulldoze even the smartest strategies. From what I've seen, Adam has that sorta power, kinda scary ya know?"
Tosen's brow furrowed slightly. "It's a dangerous combination, especially if he learns to harness it."
Gin's grin widened, a glint flashing in his eyes. "Oh, it's gonna be fun watchin' how things unfold. But if I were to place bets, my money's on Adam. No amount of intelligence can truly stand up to that sorta strength."
Silently, the two captains continued to observe, feeling the pulses of reiatsu and waiting to see how the conflict would pan out.
—-------------------------------------------------------------------
[Third Person. POV.]
[First Division.]
The headquarters of the first Division was a place of stillness and absolute respect. It was where the most critical decisions concerning the Seireitei were made, and where the most powerful Shinigami to have ever existed resided.
Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto, Captain-Commander and founder of the Gotei 13, sat behind his desk, a scroll spread open in front of him.
Suddenly, his usually calm demeanor shifted ever so slightly. The room seemed to drop several degrees as a chilling wave of reiatsu spread from the twelfth division into his own.
It was a power that was raw, wild, and undeniably potent. Yamamoto's eyes narrowed as he felt it, this reiatsu was new.
His lieutenant, Chojiro Sasakibe, who had been meticulously organizing scrolls on the side, paused, sensing the change in the atmosphere. With a concerned expression, he approached the Captain-Commander. "Sir, what do we do?"
Yamamoto didn't reply immediately. He allowed himself another moment to truly gauge the strength and intent behind the reiatsu he had just felt. It felt like an unstoppable storm, threatening to engulf everything in its path, it reminded him of the days of his youth, of the days of the first generation. "Nothing."
Chojiro clasped his hands, anxiety evident in his posture. "But… what if Captain Kurotsuchi can't contain it... what then?"
The Captain-Commander's gaze hardened, an old fire igniting in his eyes. "If Mayuri fails to address the threat that has infiltrated his division, then I shall intervene," he declared. "The Seireitei has stood for thousands of years, and I will not let it be jeopardized by the incompetence of a brat."
By brat, he meant Mayuri.
His lieutenant nodded, fully understanding the gravity of the situation. "Let's hope it doesn't come to that, sir."
Yamamoto leaned back, gazing at the ceiling. "Indeed, Chojiro."
In the old days, he would've rushed to meet this threat, eliminating without wasting a second. But now, he was letting others try to do that before him.
The old shinigami couldn't help but wonder, was he going soft?
