Chapter 282: Resolve

"Please, don't kill us!"

"Me too, please spare my life."

"I was forced to capture children. It was all Boss Urahana's fault."

"Same here."

"I can lead you to them. Please, spare me."

"Me too."

"I have a beautiful wife and a lovely daughter. I can't die."

"Me too, please, I'm begging you..."

The two uninjured thugs, hearing that H'el intended to kill them, immediately dropped to their knees, sobbing and pleading for their lives.

Around them, the scene was grim. One thug, his Achilles tendons severed, clutched his legs, his face pale. Two others lay on the ground, their stomachs slashed open, intestines spilling out. They were on the brink of death, barely able to breathe, their eyes half-closed in agony.

Other than the thug with the severed tendons and the two, everyone else was dead or dying. The remaining thugs couldn't fathom their impending fate and were filled with regret for joining Urahana's gang.

This wasn't what the boss had promised. They were supposed to be untouchable, doing whatever they pleased under Urahana's leadership, backed by a powerful figure like a Shinigami. But now, even a child could kill them. It didn't make sense.

No one cared about their regrets now. Their lives were in H'el's hands.

Gin Ichimaru, noticing H'el's calm, chiseled profile, squinted his eyes and grinned wider. He put down his persimmon cake and walked over to the thug with the severed tendons, who was desperately trying to crawl away, his face a mask of fear.

Gin picked up a dirk, his fox-like face smiling. "Could you close your eyes, please?"

"No!!!"

The thug, using both hands and feet, frantically tried to escape, but Gin quickly caught up, raised the dirk, and plunged it into his back, aiming for the heart. Blood splattered onto Gin's pale, fox-like face, giving him a cruel look.

Gin twisted the dirk, ensuring a swift death. Once the thug was dead, he withdrew the dirk and stood up, his smile unchanged.

H'el glanced at Gin, feeling reassured.

In a harsh place like Rukongai, even children needed the ruthlessness and resolve to kill to survive. Otherwise, they'd end up captured by thugs, their fates sealed.

"Now it's your turn," H'el said.

Gin Ichimaru tossed the bloodied dirk in front of Rangiku and said, "Your turn."

Rangiku looked at Gin, his pale face still smiling, then turned to H'el and the two thugs kneeling and begging for their lives. She saw the crimson blood, wrinkled her brow, and showed a hint of reluctance.

"Using a dirk is too bloody. I might get overpowered by these two crying guys. How about I pick up a stone and smash the heads of those two with their guts hanging out? That way, I can prove I'm not that fragile."

The two thugs with their guts spilling out were on their last breaths, weakly groaning. Hearing Rangiku's words, their eyes bulged in shock, staring at her with bloodshot eyes.

They never expected such cruelty from a girl. Even in their dying moments, she wouldn't let them be.

Shocked and holding on to their last breaths, they were literally scared to death by Rangiku's words.

Clearly, even Rangiku, a girl, knew exactly what needed to be done. She didn't foolishly show mercy or kindness to her enemies.

Had it not been for Urahana's gang capturing children, Rangiku wouldn't have had to flee the village. Life in the village, though harsh, was survivable, and she could occasionally get enough to eat.

But since Urahana's gang arrived, Rangiku had no choice but to leave the village, scavenging nearby for food until she could no longer survive and was prepared to die.

Given this background, if she had forgiven the two crying thugs, she would have been a saint destined to die, not Rangiku.

However, Rangiku genuinely felt that getting close to the two thugs would be dangerous, so she suggested an alternative.

H'el had wanted to see their reactions. Seeing it now, it was better than he expected. He thought Rangiku might hesitate, trembling and unable to kill. But hearing her speak, it was clear she had logically assessed the situation and her capabilities.

Impressive. A keen mind.

Seeing this, there was no need to force Rangiku to kill directly. As long as she could make her own judgments, it was enough. H'el, with his sword on his shoulder, walked towards the two regretful, sobbing thugs.

"Turn your heads. It'll be quick," H'el said, waving his hand to indicate they should turn away, showing a final bit of kindness to these helpless villains by making their deaths quick.

"No, please!"

The two wailed, hugging each other and trembling.

With a swift motion, H'el's blade flashed.

H'el effortlessly drew Sakura's Fall with his right hand, the scabbard flying off his back and spinning like a fan. The blade glinted in the sunlight as it sliced through the necks of the two thugs with precision, cutting cleanly at the joint. Their heads flew off, and blood spurted three meters high.

With a swift motion, H'el sheathed the sword back into the spinning scabbard, which landed on his shoulder. He avoided the spray of blood and walked towards Urahana's headquarters in the village.

Behind him, Rangiku began picking up stones, intending to smash the heads of the two thugs with their guts hanging out, showing that she had the same resolve to kill as Gin Ichimaru. However, she was too weak and had already digested the persimmon cakes she had eaten. Unable to lift the stones, and with her stomach growling, she gave up on the bodies and asked Gin for another persimmon cake. Then, she followed H'el towards Urahana's headquarters.

The villagers, having witnessed the violent events, peeked through the cracks in their windows, watching them with complex and worried expressions.

"How foolish. They killed the vice-president of Urahana and aren't even trying to escape. The boss of Urahana is much stronger than Watanabe though." someone inside a house spoke loudly, intending to warn them to run. The boss of Urahana was reputed to be formidable.

H'el's gaze swept over the source of the voice, his expression remaining calm as he continued towards Urahana's headquarters.

The headquarters was a simple structure, just slightly larger than the surrounding wooden huts, standing out like a tortoise among mounds of dirt, with a plaque displaying "Urahana" in large characters.

A thug stood at the entrance, his face indifferent, a faint sneer on his lips as he saw H'el approaching. H'el, without a second thought, drew Sakura's Fall. The thug's head fell to the ground, his face frozen in bewilderment, never understanding why he was killed so casually—he was just a gatekeeper.

Inside the house, Urahana Jiro heard the commotion outside. His hands, tired from polishing his sword, moved more slowly and deliberately. He felt a sense of relief.

Finally, he had arrived.

Urahana Jiro meticulously wiped his blade, listening to the footsteps entering the room. He raised his eyes nonchalantly and said in a calm voice, "You're here."

Why is he wearing clothes?

°°°

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