Bleach: Reborn — Chapter 323 - Reunion (Patreon)

Genryusai Yamamoto's attitude had made it clear, he had no desire to continue fighting. Whether it was a performance put on for Wayne's benefit, or his genuine intention, Wayne did not care either way. In the face of overwhelming power, all tricks become useless.

The old man had been revived, and on Wayne's end, Orihime Inoue had been enlisted to revive Izuru Kira as well. But unlike the old man, Izuru Kira's Reiatsu was not particularly high, and with the Hōgyoku's assistance, Orihime quickly restored Izuru Kira's body. Working in tandem with the law of life and the Hōgyoku's power, it took only two days before Izuru Kira slowly opened his eyes.

"Hinamori? Big bro?" Kira opened his eyes to find Wayne and a crowd of Hollows gathered around him.

"Got taken out in an instant?" Wayne said with an amused grin, signaling Szayelaporro to shut off the life-support unit.

"I... am I dead?" Kira looked around, then stepped out of the pod.

"Yeah, lucky for you Orihime's ability could restore your injuries." Wayne walked over to Orihime and casually draped an arm around her shoulder. Faced with Wayne's gesture, Orihime did not dare resist in the slightest. "Thank our little Orihime here — if not for her, you'd have gone cold by now."

"Ah-ha, ah-haha. It's nothing, really — it was well within what I could do." Orihime waved her hands quickly. These past several days of sustained ability use had drained her spiritual energy and Reiatsu heavily. Fortunately the Hōgyoku was able to continuously replenish her Reiatsu, but the mental fatigue was not something that could recover so quickly.

"Though I am a little tired, my Reiatsu has been growing really fast." Orihime looked down at her own body, feeling the surge of spiritual energy moving through her. She was quite satisfied with that.

"In that case, you should get some proper rest for that tired body. Shall I send you back to the World of the Living first?"

"About that..." Orihime Inoue started to say something, then held back.

"What is it?" Wayne tilted his head, puzzled. "Not planning to go back?"

"Ah... no, it's not that." Orihime Inoue shook her hands quickly. "I've been here with you all these days and I have no idea what's been happening out there. Kurosaki... is he alright?"

"He went off with Squad Zero to the Royal Palace — he's probably there to get stronger." Wayne did not shy away from the topic. "Do you want to go look for him?"

"That's... not it either." Orihime shook her head. "Knowing that Kurosaki is safe and sound is enough for me. My body is exhausted, but now isn't the time to rest. Wayne, I'd like to go back to Mr. Urahara's side and train under him." As she said it, Orihime Inoue clenched her hand.

"Being here at Wayne's castle these past few days, through the Hōgyoku's effects, I could feel that my Reiatsu has grown considerably. At the same time, I've also picked up on some new applications of Shun Shun Rikka, and I'd like to go back and put them into practice."

"I can understand your wanting to return to your companions, but I'll say it plainly — if you stay here, your training results would be even more remarkable." Wayne spoke with a relaxed air. "That said, our deal is done, and keeping you here in a place full of Hollows isn't exactly fair to you. How about this."

With that, Wayne reached out and placed a hand on Orihime Inoue's shoulder, and the next instant the two of them were back in the World of the Living, at Orihime Inoue's home. Wayne had learned the location of Orihime's home back when he was working undercover under Aizen; after recovering his spatial abilities, he had made use of the time after battles in the World of the Living to deliberately mark the spot. And it was not just Orihime, Wayne had marked the homes of everyone connected to Ichigo Kurosaki.

"For today, come back and rest properly. After you've slept, I'll take you to where Urahara is. Right now more than eighty percent of Hueco Mundo is my territory, and the rest is all within my surveillance range. Finding Urahara would only take a moment."

"Mm... then I'll leave it in your hands, Wayne." Orihime Inoue gave Wayne a bow. After days of uninterrupted ability use, the exhaustion in her eyes was impossible to conceal. Reviving the old man alone had consumed an astronomical amount of spiritual energy, and that was only possible thanks to the Hōgyoku's support on top of everything else. Add in the sleepless nights, and Orihime Inoue had reached the point where she could collapse into bed and fall straight asleep.

"I'll leave a clone of Timd outside your door — once you've rested you can find him at any time." With that, Wayne patted Orihime on the shoulder. "You've worked hard these past few days. Reviving the old man settles your debt to me, and reviving Kira means I now owe you one. If you ever need help with anything, just let me know through Timd."

"Well... it really wasn't a big deal. I grew a lot through this whole thing too." Orihime Inoue scratched her head.

"Anyway, get a good night's sleep first." With those words, Wayne vanished from the spot, leaving Orihime alone in her own living room, staring quietly into space.

"My power... has it grown?" Orihime Inoue reached up and unpinned her Shun Shun Rikka hair clip, lost in thought. And Shun Shun Rikka, as if sensing Orihime Inoue's emotions, began to gradually radiate a brilliant glow.

The following day, Wayne soon received word through Timd that Orihime Inoue wished to return to Hueco Mundo to find Chad and Urahara.

Just minutes after the message came through, Wayne appeared before Orihime Inoue once again.

"Sleep well?" Wayne said by way of greeting.

"Yes! I got plenty of rest." Orihime Inoue said cheerfully, full of energy.

Judging by her condition, Orihime had apparently used Sōten Kisshun on herself, even the dark circles from those consecutive sleepless nights had vanished without a trace. That was one way to apply her own ability, after all.

Hmm... a wellness technique, of sorts.

"Alright then, I'll take you back to Urahara's side." Wayne said nothing more and simply took Orihime's hand, teleporting back to Hueco Mundo near Urahara's temporary research facility.

"Who's there!" The moment they landed, a figure flashed in front of Wayne. It was Grimmjow.

"Oh, it's you." Grimmjow's brow furrowed, not exactly respectful, but not humble either.

"Nice reaction." Wayne was reasonably satisfied with Grimmjow's vigilance. This was the task he had assigned to him, after all. Despite the friction between the two of them, from the look of things, Grimmjow had carried it out properly.

"Where's Urahara?"

"Over there." Seeing that the arrival was Wayne, Grimmjow let his guard down. There was no point picking a fight, this was a gap he currently had no way to bridge, and forcing another confrontation would just mean losing his head.

He led Wayne and Orihime to Kisuke Urahara's improvised research facility, and the moment they stepped through the door, Wayne ran into the lion, deer, and snake trio, still recovering from their injuries.

"Tch." Seeing that it was Wayne, Apache clicked her tongue. It was clear she still held a grudge against him.

"My King..." Unlike Apache's displeasure, Mila Rose and Sun-Sun had already learned their lesson. Or rather, it was because their lady Harribel was still missing, which made the two of them hope to borrow Wayne's power to help search for her.

"You're all alive?" Wayne paid no mind to Apache's displeasure. "Good — alive is what matters. If you'd died, I'd have had no one left to work for me."

"You, " Apache was just about to flare up, but Mila Rose and Sun-Sun each shot her a look that stopped her cold.

"My King, please forgive Apache's insolence." Mila Rose dropped to one knee. After suffering defeat after defeat, Mila Rose no longer dared to defy Wayne. After all, even their lady Harribel's life was held in his hands.

"Don't worry about it." Wayne waved it off.

"My King, may I ask, " Sun-Sun had just started to ask something when Wayne cut her off directly.

"Since you're all here, help Mr. Urahara keep watch over the security of the surrounding area." Wayne spoke bluntly, and at the same time tore open a spatial rift, pulling Harribel, who had still been recuperating, out from within it. "Keep watch over your master. Lose her again and I won't bother saving her."

"Lady Harribel!" The three women rushed forward the moment they saw that Harribel was safe and unharmed.

"You all..." Harribel looked at the three women before her, startled for a moment, then remembered the ability of her King. That explained it, she had been deep in recovery with her eyes closed, yet some force had yanked her here against her will.

"My King, thank you for stepping in to save us." Looking at the three women wrapped in bandages, Harribel understood that she and the trio had all been rescued by Wayne. She dropped to one knee and paid him the salute of a retainer. When she rose, Mila Rose and Sun-Sun also prostrated themselves on the ground. Only Apache still wore a conflicted expression, not wanting to kneel, but having no choice.

"Once you've all recovered from your injuries, guard the surrounding territory. For now, follow all of Mr. Urahara's instructions."

"Yes, my King." Harribel bowed her head and accepted the order.

"Well now, just like that I've gained another powerful right-hand fighter." Urahara appeared suddenly from out of nowhere, raising his folding fan to cover his face, wearing a half-smile. "Ah... four, counting them all. That'll do, barely."

"Mr. Urahara!" Orihime's face lit up at the sight of him. Especially when she spotted Yasutora Sado standing behind him. "Chad, everything's been alright with you?"

"Yeah." Chad answered in his low, rumbling voice. "No problems."

"Phew... that's a relief." Orihime's heart eased a little. When it came to the well-being of her companions, Orihime was always the one who worried most.

"Hmm?" Chad looked Orihime over and noticed her Reiatsu had risen significantly. "Orihime, your Reiatsu..."

"Ehehe, I was helping out with some things at Wayne's place, and before I knew it my Reiatsu had gone up quite a bit." Orihime scratched her head with an embarrassed smile. "It's all thanks to Wayne."

"It was just the Hōgyoku's ability and the old man's circumstances." Wayne said with a light laugh.

"Hmm..." Feeling the dramatic surge in Orihime's Reiatsu, Yasutora Sado fell silent for a moment. On one hand he was happy for Orihime, to be able to raise her Reiatsu by several levels in an instant. On the other hand, a quiet unease settled over him, wondering whether his own current strength would be enough to help Ichigo Kurosaki.

"The old man? Captain-Commander Genryusai Yamamoto? He..." Kisuke Urahara's expression suddenly turned grave.

"Dead." Wayne paused, and after watching long enough to see the shock spread across Urahara's face and his eyes go wide, he continued. "And then revived by me." With that, Wayne laid out the full account of events for Urahara, and the two exchanged the latest intelligence they had gathered.

"I see. To think that while I was researching how to counter the Quincy powers and trying to find a way to reclaim the captains' Bankais, all of this had already taken place." A shadow passed over Urahara's eyes, whether for the Captain-Commander's ordeal or for the deaths and injuries suffered throughout Soul Society, it was hard to say.

"From what you're saying, the enemy has pulled back for now but is organizing a fresh offensive?"

"Yes." Wayne gave a nod. "I caused considerable damage in their stronghold, but I didn't have time to deal with all the bodies. Based on intelligence I've gathered, one of the enemy's Sternritter possesses the power to raise the dead and turn them into undead soldiers. So if they come back, the total number of enemy foot soldiers we'll be facing will climb back to around seventy percent of before. Of course, if we can locate that controller on their side, those revived undead will cease to exist."

"In that case, I can work on building some reverse-tracking devices. It'll be a tight schedule, but I should still be able to make it in time." Urahara's expression was grave. This was a matter of life and death for tens of thousands of ordinary squad members throughout Soul Society, not something to be taken lightly. "By the way, is the Hōgyoku I created really that powerful? Enough to bring the dead back to life."

"You don't even know what your own creation is capable of?" Wayne wasn't sure whether Urahara was playing dumb or genuinely didn't know. "Aside from using the Hōgyoku to complete the power conversion between Soul Reaper and Hollow, what else have you used it for?"

"Well... about that." Urahara scratched his head. "After just that one energy conversion between the two, I sealed it away, heh." Whether Kisuke Urahara was truly playing dumb or not, he gave Wayne no information at all about the Hōgyoku.

"Fine, work out the rest of the research on your own. I have things to attend to, I'll leave a clone of Timd here, so get in touch anytime something comes up."

"Of course, if there's any new intelligence on my end, I'll share it with you at the earliest opportunity." Urahara gave a nod, with no apparent intention of reclaiming the Hōgyoku. To be precise, at Wayne's current level, Urahara had no realistic chance of taking the Hōgyoku back from him, even with his Bankai. Right now, Urahara could not even sense the edges of Wayne's Reiatsu, a feeling he had never experienced even when facing Aizen. But fortunately, Wayne had no intention of making an enemy of him; otherwise Soul Society would be in an even more wretched state than it already was.

"Then I'm off. See you around."

"Wait a moment!" Just as Wayne was preparing to leave through a spatial rift, a deep, powerful voice called out from the side. He turned, it was Yasutora Sado who had stopped him.

"Chad?" Wayne was mildly surprised. "What is it?"

"Well... Wayne, I have a presumptuous request." Chad's expression was serious. "Would you be willing to spare some time to train me? I want to grow stronger under your guidance!"

"Oh?"

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