Chapter 690 Kanae; How Selfish Can You Be?!

But when Megumi, Kotonoha, Asuna, and the other players got a good look at the massive creature, their shock was completely different from the other members'.

They were shocked because they recognized this dog.

"Pochi—"

Shinobu nearly blurted out a name. Her lips were already half-open, but Megumi discreetly stepped on her foot, making her swallow the second syllable before it could escape.

That's right, they all recognized him.

This was the Dragon-level Anomaly, Pochi, who had been personally subdued by Makoto during the Anomaly Association raid years ago.

Though Pochi's body was now much larger, and he had a strange white bone mask on his head, those distinctive six eyes—

There was no mistake. It was him!

"Hm?"

Pochi, who had been dozing at the palace gate, twitched his nose, catching the scent of several unfamiliar Reiatsus. The six eyes beneath his mask slowly opened.

He stared intently at the group of uninvited guests being escorted to his door, letting out a low, questioning growl.

Just that low growl made Rukia, Isane, and others' faces pale even further.

"I'm taking them to see Makoto-sama."

Ulquiorra looked up and said to Pochi.

Hearing the name 'Makoto-sama', Pochi tilted his massive head, his six eyes narrowing as he studied the trembling Shinigami.

After a long moment, apparently deciding they weren't a threat, he slowly shifted his enormous body, barely clearing a narrow passage for them to pass.

But upon hearing the name Ulquiorra had mentioned,

Megumi and the others' shoulders began to tremble uncontrollably.

'Was it him? Was it really him?'

Noticing the uncontrollable trembling of these female Shinigami, Yoruichi, Rukia, and Isane were slightly surprised.

'Were they that scared?'

'But it made sense. The first time seeing a super Vasto Lorde like Pochi, it was impressive enough not to faint.'

Then, under Ulquiorra's escort, the Hueco Mundo Expedition Team walked through the empty corridors.

Harribel and Nel, who had already achieved Arrancarization and looked no different from ordinary human women, were standing by the corridor, chatting quietly.

Seeing the Shinigami being escorted in, they stopped their conversation and looked over with curiosity.

Immediately, Megumi and the others ran into another familiar face.

Beam, whose upper face above the nose was covered by a white shark mask, was walking out from the corridor corner ahead.

When he looked up and saw the Shinigami team being escorted through the corridor, his pupils beneath the shark mask contracted sharply. "..."

And Megumi's group was inwardly elated.

'So Beam was here too.'

Since Pochi and Beam were both here, the person they were looking for was undoubtedly the master of this palace.

"What's wrong?"

Ulquiorra noticed Beam's strange reaction, his dark green eyes scanning between Beam and the Shinigami behind him, his brow furrowing slightly.

Beam quickly recovered, letting out a deliberate cough and exaggerating his tone: "Nothing. Just surprised that Shinigami made it this far in."

Ulquiorra stared silently at Beam for a few seconds, clearly not entirely satisfied with the explanation, but he didn't press further.

"According to Yoruichi, these people have come to pledge allegiance to Makoto-sama. Though I find it hard to believe, I'll leave it to Makoto-sama to decide."

After a brief explanation, Ulquiorra continued toward the throne room.

During those few seconds as Megumi and the others passed by Beam, Megumi lowered her gaze, quietly raising her index finger to her lips, making a shushing gesture at Beam.

Finally, the expedition was brought before the throne.

When they saw the figure seated on the throne, Asuna nearly cried out loud.

He was a man in pure white robes, the left half of his head covered by a cold white chainsaw-like bone mask.

'It was him! It really was him!'

Fortunately, Megumi quickly raised her foot and stepped hard on Asuna's shoe.

As for Darkness, the moment her eyes fell on that man, they turned into two hearts, drool uncontrollably dripping from the corner of her mouth.

Thankfully, Kotonoha reacted quickly, reaching over and pinching her waist. Darkness winced and hissed, barely managing to get her expression back under control.

And Makoto, seated on the throne, upon seeing the Shinigami forced to kneel below, felt his own pupils contract uncontrollably.

Seeing several of his wives, Makoto immediately understood.

So when they had first transmigrated, it wasn't that they hadn't been chosen by the Reincarnation Game. They had just been sent to a completely different place than him.

Just then, Ulquiorra, kneeling on one knee, reported in his usual calm tone: "Makoto-sama, these Shinigami claim they've come to pledge allegiance. However, I don't trust them."

Yoruichi quickly jumped out from beside Megumi's feet, pacing up to the throne steps. "Don't you like pretty girls? I thought these Shinigami girls were all pretty good-looking, so I brought them here."

As she spoke, Yoruichi frantically consoled herself in her mind.

Even if it benefited that bastard Makoto, at least she was keeping these brats alive for now.

She'd find a chance later, when he wasn't looking, to sneak them out.

"How shameless!"

Nel, standing by the massive pillar, puffed out her cheeks angrily. She and Harribel had often had foursomes with Yoruichi. She hadn't expected Yoruichi to stoop to acting as a pimp.

Makoto could naturally guess Yoruichi's little scheme.

Hell, they'd known each other for nearly a hundred years. Who didn't know who?

"Alright."

Makoto rose from the throne, casually pointing at Megumi, Darkness, and Kotonoha, then gestured vaguely toward the adjoining bedroom. "You, you, you... come here."

Ikkaku, Kira, and the others, who had been forcibly kneeled on the ground, changed expressions dramatically.

'Damn, so eager?!'

The three who had been named lowered their heads, their bangs covering most of their faces. The surrounding Shinigami comrades didn't notice that all three of their mouths were curling upward uncontrollably.

Damn it, they'd held out for nearly ninety years. Today they could finally get some action.

Just then, Shinobu suddenly broke free from her escort and stood up abruptly.

"Why didn't you choose us?!"

As soon as she said this, the air in the throne room went silent.

Back when Makoto's group had first transmigrated to the Demon Slayer World, they had arrived just as Doma was about to kill Kanae.

Makoto had casually dealt with Doma, saving Kanae from her tragic fate.

This had made Shinobu eternally grateful to Makoto.

Though she wasn't entirely sure whether that gratitude had reached the level of romantic affection, as a woman who repaid kindness, upon learning that Makoto had saved her most important sister, Shinobu had always wanted to find a way to repay him.

But in the real world, she had never found the right opportunity. Makoto simply had too many women around him.

She had originally planned to wait until after the Anomaly Association raid, pick a day when all the other sisters had their periods, wash herself clean, and lie down in Makoto's bed.

But then the Reincarnation Game had flung her into the Soul Society, and she had been stuck here for nearly ninety years.

Hearing Shinobu's words, Rukia and Kotetsu Isane were completely dumbfounded.

'Wait, sister, you're offering yourself up?!'

Hearing this, Makoto was also briefly stunned, then said with a hint of amusement, "Alright, you come too."

Rukia and Isane, still kneeling nearby, were utterly dumbfounded.

They couldn't understand why Shinobu was doing this.

Noticing the strange looks from the two beside her, Shinobu realized she had been too excited and nearly revealed her true intentions.

She quickly put on a look of righteous sacrifice, pointing at the stunned Kanae beside her, her voice carrying a note of tragic heroism: "If you sleep with me, you can't sleep with my sister."

Hearing this, Renji, Kira, and the others had a sudden realization, silently gaining a newfound respect for Shinobu.

'So she had stepped forward to protect her sister.'

'Using her own body to ensure her sister's safety... such a deeply moving display of sisterly love.'

'That made sense. That explained everything~'

Meanwhile, Kanae stood frozen, her usually gentle face was filled with disbelief.

She stared at her sister's back as she followed Makoto toward the bedroom.

It was hard to say whether Shinobu's feelings for Makoto were genuine affection or purely gratitude.

But Kanae's feelings for Makoto were certainly real.

She had simply been too reserved, and with so many women around Makoto, she had carefully hidden those feelings away.

And now her little sister had pulled this stunt.

Under the guise of 'protecting her sister', she had actually stolen her sister's chance.

What was the meaning of this?!

Renji, meanwhile, let out a long sigh of relief.

'At least Rukia hadn't been chosen.'

But immediately, he noticed the King of Hueco Mundo's gaze fixed directly on him.

Renji felt a chill run down his spine.

'Wait, did this King of Hueco Mundo have some kind of special fetish?!'

What Renji didn't know was that the reason Makoto was looking at him was because he recalled that, due to his interference, Ichigo would most likely never be born.

That meant Renji had just lost a predetermined romantic rival.

By that logic, the guy owed him a thanks.

Soon, Megumi, Kotonoha, Darkness, and Shinobu were led by Makoto to the bedroom adjacent to the throne room.

The other members of the Hueco Mundo Expedition Team were escorted by Ulquiorra and Yammy to the underground cells of Las Noches.

Rukia walked beside Kanae, noticing her tightly pressed lips and slightly reddened eyes, and felt a pang of sympathy.

She assumed Kanae was heartbroken over her sister's sacrifice.

After all, for an older sister, having her younger sister offer herself to a terrifying Hollow king to protect her was an unbearable burden.

Little did they know, the redness in Kanae's eyes was purely from anger.