Chapter 29: Rukia: Why Are Soul Society's Reinforcements So Fast?
Late June, on the rooftop of the Spirit Arts Academy's main building.
All the first-year students of Class 1 had gathered, chatting in groups of three or five. Among them were no shortage of nobles with impressive pedigrees and striking looks.
Yet in terms of presence, they were all overshadowed by the four young people standing quietly in one corner.
Even with their spiritual pressure perfectly suppressed, the heavy sense of legend around them made them the center of attention just by existing.
Many groups seemed to be talking among themselves, but their eyes kept drifting over. Their real topic of conversation rarely strayed far from that corner.
The four at the center of it all, however, had no star-like airs.
Ichigo was squatting lazily, eyes half-closed. With his blond hair and perpetually scowling face, he looked exactly like a delinquent who had somehow wandered onto the rooftop.
Rindo Yu stood expressionless, watching a small bird perched calmly on his fingertip. His entire bearing radiated an icy distance, making him seem like someone completely unapproachable.
Hachihara, on the other hand, looked like she had walked out of a trendy Human World fashion magazine.
In the last few days she had even quietly altered her academy uniform, making it less stiff and more stylish, just right for a fashionable high school girl.
The only one who seemed relatively "normal" was Shimiya Takeru.
…As long as you ignored his sense of humor.
"So many people going to the World of the Living at once for soul burial practice, and at night no less." Takeru crossed his arms, speaking in a relaxed tone. "If those so-called 'festival traditions' are not just rumors, we might run into people burning offerings. We may have to respond accordingly. It would give the living some peace of mind. In fact, that's the true essence of a soul burial. The meaning of our work is instantly elevated."
"Oh, come on. You'd just scare people half to death," Ichigo said. "We chose nighttime to reduce our impact on the Human World."
"Oh? You remember that so clearly," Takeru replied. "Sounds like you don't intend to use this chance to say hello to your family."
"…I never planned to," Ichigo muttered, eyes dimming slightly. "I'm already dead. I shouldn't disturb the living. At most, I'll just take a quick look from afar, and that will be enough."
"I see," Takeru said noncommittally.
"But what about you?" Ichigo refused to be the only one on the spot.
"Unlike you," Takeru said calmly, "I don't have anyone left in that world I care about."
"…"
The blunt answer left Ichigo speechless.
Just as he was about to awkwardly apologize, a small commotion broke out nearby.
Three unfamiliar students, also wearing academy uniforms, had appeared at the rooftop entrance.
"Everyone, are you ready?!"
A clear, youthful voice carried across the roof.
The speaker had slightly tanned skin, fine features, and a neutral, almost androgynous beauty. His slender frame made him look no different from a middle schooler in the Human World, without a trace of visible muscle.
"Who's that…?" Ichigo stood up, a little surprised. It wasn't just because the newcomer looked like a girl. What truly caught his attention was the unusual spiritual pressure he sensed.
"That's a sixth-year," Hachihara said, immediately recognizing him. "The next heir of the Shihōin family, one of the Four Great Noble Houses. From the Heavenly-Gifted Armaments Bureau… Shihōin Yushiro."
"The two beside him are also high-ranking nobles," she added, "but in status, position, and strength, they can't compare to him."
"I don't really get all that status and position nonsense," Ichigo said, frowning, "but I can tell he's strong. I didn't think the Academy had anyone this formidable besides us."
"The heir of one of the Four Great Noble Houses is in a completely different league from the nobles you've seen so far," Takeru said.
He watched Yushiro as the older student stood at the center, explaining the rules and precautions for the upcoming soul burial practice.
"I've heard he rarely shows up to class. The fact that he's leading this soul burial exercise… it's probably because of us."
He instantly saw through the Academy's intentions.
There was no helping it; this year's elite class was simply too outstanding.
Leaving aside Hachihara and Rindo, who were already extraordinary, the existences known as Shimiya Takeru and Ichigo were outright abnormal.
To protect these geniuses and ensure their growth, they needed a more reliable leader.
With that in mind, the Headmaster had painstakingly recalled Yushiro, who had basically been absent from school for years, to lead the group.
Of course, Yushiro himself likely had his own reasons for agreeing.
"So they're afraid we'll cause trouble?" Ichigo scoffed. "The Headmaster's looking down on us. Are we really the kind of people who just love to stir things up?"
"That's hard to say," Takeru replied. "The person next to you has 'wants to cause trouble' written all over her face."
Ichigo subconsciously turned his head to look at Hachihara.
Hachihara immediately exploded.
"Who wants to cause trouble!"
Her anger came and went quickly.
The furious expression on her face melted instantly into a mysterious smile.
"Forget that. Haven't you noticed anything different about me today?"
Takeru, Ichigo, and Rindo all turned to study her.
They looked carefully for a while.
"…You don't look like usual?" Ichigo ventured.
[No sword]
Rindo silently traced the characters in the air.
"Rindo has some eye," Hachihara said, wagging a finger smugly, "but only 'some'."
"How can you come to soul burial practice without a sword?" Takeru rolled his eyes.
"She didn't not bring a sword, and she didn't hide it," he added. "She unlocked her Shikai. It changed form into something we'd hardly notice, like… nail art."
"That's my soulmate, Takeru!" Hachihara said, pumping a fist in delight.
"Nail art?!" Ichigo was stunned.
"How can a Shikai take that kind of form?!"
"Hmph. Got a problem with my Zanpakuto?" Hachihara sniffed. "Even if you do, I'm not accepting complaints. I'm very satisfied with it. Now I can finally use my full strength!"
She stared gleefully at the lacquered patterns on her ten fingernails, looking genuinely overjoyed.
"So you're planning to stay in Shikai all the time?" Takeru asked.
"Do you even need to ask?"
"…You really are something," Ichigo said, utterly convinced.
"Now you know how amazing I am, right? Anyway, the weakest one among us definitely isn't me anymore. After all, Rindo hasn't even achieved Shikai—"
She was cut off.
Rindo quietly wrote another line in the air.
[I have also mastered Shikai]
Hachihara's triumphant smile froze.
Her voice died in her throat.
"Hmm," Takeru murmured, looking between the two of them. "In that case, it's still up for debate which of you is stronger."
"I'm putting a thousand Ryo on Rindo," Ichigo said, barely suppressing a grin.
"Then let's find out right now…!" Hachihara's cheeks flushed red, and a dangerous light flashed in her eyes.
The nail art on her fingertips gleamed with a cold shine.
Fortunately, the Senkaimon opened at that exact moment, neatly interrupting her impending rampage.
…
World of the Living, Karakura Town.
Under a lone streetlamp in Karakura Love-Love Park, a Hollow lunged toward the bloody spirit of a little girl.
At that moment, a figure dropped from the sky.
With a massive sword that could only be called a giant cleaver of a blade, she cleanly cut the Hollow in two.
"Phew! Good thing I made it in time!"
"Inoue, what's the situation?"
"Huh?"
"No need to ask. I can see it."
Rukia, dressed in casual clothes, jogged over. She paused at the sight of the Hollow's dissolving remains, then let out a soft breath of relief.
"Little sister, are you alright?"
The orange-haired girl in Shinigami robes looked at the spirit standing under the streetlamp with gentle, sorrowful eyes.
From her appearance, the ghost seemed to be a child who had died in a car accident.
It reminded her of another accident she had heard about a few months earlier.
Tragedies unfolded constantly in this world, in countless places she did not know.
Even he had not escaped that vortex.
But so long as someone survived, a new life was guaranteed to begin somewhere.
With that sincere blessing in her heart, Inoue Orihime raised her sword and gently performed the Konsō, sending the little girl's soul toward Soul Society.
Rukia, who had been watching quietly, finally spoke, her voice tinged with relief and a faint complexity.
"Inoue, you're becoming more and more like a Shinigami."
"Oh, it's all thanks to Miss Kuchiki's excellent guidance," Orihime said, smiling shyly.
Her black robes and the oversized sword in her hands clearly showed her current identity.
A Substitute Shinigami.
"After all, I gave you my power and forced you to shoulder the responsibility of protecting Karakura Town when I lost my own strength," Rukia said, lifting her chin slightly, her expression composed and mature. "Teaching you was only natural. But I admit, your rate of growth surprised me."
"For a human who became a Shinigami like you, just being able to fight Hollows would normally be impressive. Yet with your current abilities, even ordinary Shinigami would be no match for you."
"With a student like that, teaching really is much less troublesome. Of course, the most important factor is your personality. If you were some arrogant, unruly, spiky-haired boy, I'd have a headache every day."
Orihime's face reddened at all the praise.
"Miss Kuchiki is also very kind," she said earnestly. "You didn't hesitate to use your power to save my life, and you even helped me resolve the misunderstanding with my brother. I owe you too much. I don't know when Miss Kuchiki's power will recover, but I really want to fight side by side with you someday."
"Even though Miss Kuchiki says I'm amazing, when I fight alone, I always feel anxious."
"Fighting alongside each other, huh…" Rukia murmured. "I don't know when my power will recover either."
Her delicate brows knitted together; just thinking about it gave her a headache.
Two months ago, when she was chasing Inoue Orihime's brother, Inoue Sora, Orihime had been dragged into the incident and Rukia herself had been badly injured. She had been forced to give Orihime half of her Shinigami power, turning her into a Substitute Shinigami.
The situation had turned around and the incident had ended well.
But for some unknown reason, after she switched into the gigai sold by Urahara's shop, not only did her lost Shinigami power fail to return over time, even the remainder she still possessed had begun to steadily dwindle.
That change had thrown her into a difficult dilemma.
If her power returned, then everything would be fine. She could pretend nothing had happened, and Orihime could simply lie low.
But since her power had not recovered, she could neither perform her duties properly nor dare return to Soul Society.
All she could do was maintain the status quo and wait for a turning point.
Out of a sense of responsibility, Rukia hid her unease carefully, deliberately putting on a stern face.
"Is that so? Then we should use that as our focus in special training. If you don't train seriously, no dessert."
"How could you!" Orihime's eyes went wide in horror.
"Hmph."
The cold snort cut across them so suddenly that Rukia's heart skipped a beat.
"Who's there?!"
Her gaze snapped toward a shadow not far away.
Calm footsteps approached, and a white-clad figure slowly emerged into view.
He wasn't trying to hide at all.
On the contrary, there was an oppressive intensity to his presence, as if he were deliberately trying to overshadow theirs.
"I apologize. I did not intend to eavesdrop," the boy said. "But if I may be honest, you two Shinigami have really given me a huge surprise."
"You are… Ishida Uryu?"
"Kurosaki? Why are you here, and dressed like that?"
Neither Rukia, who had transferred into Karakura First High, nor Orihime was unfamiliar with the newcomer.
"Do Shinigami nowadays not even recognize a Quincy's attire?" Ishida said coldly. "It seems I was too subtle. I should have been more direct from the start."
He adjusted his glasses, eyes filled with open hostility.
"You have disappointed me completely."
"With just the likes of you… can the Shinigami really protect this world?"
"Quincy…" Rukia muttered. "I feel like I've heard that name before. But more importantly, what exactly are you trying to do?"
Even without her powers, she could clearly sense the malice in his Reiatsu.
"Relax," Ishida replied. "Though I bear a grudge against Shinigami, I will not attack you directly."
"That said, it would also be impossible for me to simply do nothing."
He took out a small silver cylinder, no bigger than a fingertip, and held it up with a calm, confident smile.
"This will attract a large number of Hollows."
"Let's have a contest. Let's see whether Shinigami or Quincy are superior… and which side is truly qualified to protect this world."
"Wait!"
Rukia's pupils shrank, but she could not stop him in time.
She did not have the power to stop him as he scattered the silver dust.
Watching the particles dissolve into the air, she felt a chill creeping up her spine.
"Miss Kuchiki…!"
Orihime's face had gone pale, and her fingers trembled around her sword hilt.
In her ears, or rather within her perception, she could hear the cries of Hollows.
And that sound was swelling at an alarming speed, merging into an overwhelming, bestial roar.
Crack.
Thin fractures split open in the air above the park, one after another.
Hollows of all shapes and sizes began to pour out, floating over Karakura Town.
"Well then…"
Ishida Uryu summoned his spirit bow and was just about to unilaterally announce the rules of his "competition" when, without warning, several of the fractures widened dramatically.
The rifts linked together, forming a massive tear in the sky that stretched between heaven and earth.
A colossal body began squeezing its way out.
Boom.
"?!"
Ishida's expression froze. He jerked his head around to look behind him.
A hulking black body.
A long, pointed mask.
Like a giant wrapped in a black cloak.
"How is this possible…?" Rukia's voice shook. "Even a Menos Grande… even a Gillian can be drawn out? Ishida, did you ever stop to consider the consequences of what you're doing?!"
"No… No, wait. The Hollow bait I prepared doesn't have that kind of strength!" Ishida protested.
Rukia was forced to admit he had a point.
Because after his shout, even more fractures began to tear wide. From the wide vantage point of the park, they could clearly see multiple Gillian-class Menos descending over Karakura Town in the distance.
The bait was undeniably effective, but at most it should have only served as a trigger.
It should not have been able to attract prey so far beyond the user's own power.
"Miss Kuchiki, what do we do now?" Orihime asked in a panic.
Rukia opened her mouth, but no sound came out.
What do we do?
She wanted to know the answer to that more than anyone.
At this point, the only thing she could think of was to wait for reinforcements from Soul Society.
Boom.
This sound was not the heavy footfalls of a Gillian, nor was it a Hollow's explosion.
But its scale was no smaller, as multiple spiritual pressures erupted in unison somewhere in Karakura Town.
"Is this… Soul Society's reinforcements?"
Rukia's body trembled. She instinctively turned to look toward the source.
Did they really arrive that quickly?
<><><><><>
[P@treon Christmas Discount: 20% OFF]
[Check Out My Patreon For +40 Advance Chapters On All My Fanfics!]
[[email protected]/FanficLord03]
[Every 100 Power Stones = +1 Bonus Chapter]
[Join Our Discord Community For Updates & Events]
[https://discord.gg/MntqcdpRZ9]