Chapter 23

A powerful explosion blasted solid earth into the air and swept through the surrounding area. The shock wave snapped trees in half in a fan-shaped swath.

"Pssh."

Wisps of smoke drifted skyward, and the charred crater radiated considerable heat.

Haruto crouched down.

He pinched up a few traces of black plant ash.

"Tsk."

"As expected of advanced Kidō."

Haruto looked at the fine powder on his fingers.

"If Shakkahō's destructive power is equivalent to a hand grenade used by an individual soldier, then this Raikōhō—"

"A crater fifteen meters in radius and four meters deep."

"Even without the added effect of 'shrapnel,' its lethal radius alone is already comparable to that of a 155mm self-propelled howitzer."

Haruto had successfully used Raikōhō in the underground space at Shin'ō Academy before, but the defensive Kidō there had been so effective that he had lacked sufficient reference points to observe its destructive power.

"And this is only an advanced Kidō in the low sixties."

Haruto shook out his wrist.

"The ones with higher numbers increase in power exponentially... I really want to see what kind of visual effect a Hadō numbered above ninety can produce."

The numbness gradually faded from his forearm.

Before taking the Heavenly Bedding Pill, Haruto's arm would have given out before he could even release Raikōhō.

As for this little side effect now...

Although it had not produced immediate results as Byakuya had said, Haruto had a feeling that its subsequent effects seemed much better than what Kuchiki Sōjun had experienced.

Raikōhō.

This was the first wide-area offensive Kidō Haruto had mastered.

Byakurai, his specialty, had tremendous penetrating power and was extremely effective against a single target, but it was not suited to fighting groups.

And even if he considered destructive power alone—

"Releasing Kidō through the palm really does produce a much stronger Reiatsu output than using a finger."

In fact, many intermediate Kidō were released through the palm, but those techniques were not even as difficult as an enhanced Byakurai.

Haruto could use them without having to worry about any negative effects on his body.

"Advanced Hadō lives up to its name, but Byakurai is still more cost-effective."

He had no Zanpakuto to release, and he had not accomplished much with Shunpo or Hakuda yet, so he could devote all his Reiatsu to Kidō in battle.

Raikōhō might consume far more than Byakurai, but putting his physical condition aside, even if Haruto released Byakurai nonstop for twenty-four hours, his Reiatsu would not be consumed as quickly as it recovered.

"What a shame."

Haruto shook his head and stood up on the charred ground.

"I'm not proficient enough with Raikōhō yet. I'll have to keep studying it."

The effects of a single Raikōhō on his body would soon fade.

Even so, it was best not to fire them in succession, especially when combining one with a Bakudō of the same number: rapidly releasing combination techniques of this level in a short time caused the Reiatsu surging inside his body to put unnecessary pressure on his nerves and muscles, easily damaging them.

"Compared to Raikōhō..."

Haruto nudged the end of the hilt at his waist with his palm.

"My progress with Zanka no Tachi has been a little slow."

The Ise Clan's old man had made Zanka no Tachi sound easy to master, but actually using it was another matter entirely.

When he concentrated completely, Haruto could indeed use Zanka no Tachi, but the technique was far too inefficient:

He had to chant for seven seconds without a stray thought, then swing his Zanpakuto to send out a Kidō blade that would dissipate completely before traveling half a meter from the sword...

Regardless of how powerful it was, Zanka no Tachi seemed unlikely to serve its intended purpose in actual combat for now.

As for Eishōhaki...

It had to be said that Haruto truly was a genius at Kidō.

With the vast majority of Kidō, he could use the Eishōhaki version as soon as he mastered them. But for advanced Kidō on the level of Zanka no Tachi, the destructive power it displayed after Eishōhaki was not even as great as an Ōkasen Haruto released casually—

That power was probably less than one-twentieth of the normal version's. Worse still, the Eishōhaki version of Zanka no Tachi could not even send its highly concentrated Reiatsu Kidō blade flying free of the Zanpakuto.

"I have a long way to go."

"I probably won't be able to use Zanka no Tachi as my trump-card Kidō for a long time."

A Kidō that could only be used at close range had too many limitations.

"At most..."

Haruto looked down at the plain Asauchi at his waist.

"I can use it to get familiar with my Zanpakuto."

Just as he had realized at the Ise Clan's home.

Compared with training in Zanjutsu, using his Zanpakuto as a medium to release Kidō and letting his Reiatsu come into full contact with it did seem better at helping him become familiar with the soul-related personal weapon in his hand.

The Zanpakuto remained as unresponsive as ever.

But when he gripped the hilt, Haruto did feel as though "this is an extension of my arm." Although it had not reached the point of being "an extension of my soul," it was at least a little progress compared to before.

"I won't ask for more."

Haruto pulled the Zanpakuto, sheath and all, from his waist, then slid it straight through the middle of his rolled-up bundle as though making a carrying pole.

The souls of Rukongai could not tell the difference between an Asauchi and an ordinary sword.

Although Soul Society had no explicit law against carrying swords, anyone wearing a long sword at their waist in Rukongai was generally assumed to be a Shinigami—or at least a "Shinigami in training" from Shin'ō Academy. Since it served as proof of status to some extent, impersonating a Shinigami was a dangerous act that fell into a gray area.

After all, in Soul Society, where Shinigami did not retire, apart from nobles who were able to "inherit" Zan

pakuto, they were rarely left behind in places like Rukongai.

"As long as it can make up for my shortcomings."

After seeing Byakuya's Shikai with his own eyes yesterday, Haruto had shown little reaction on the surface, but he was actually full of anticipation for his own Zanpakuto's release.

At the same time.

Although Haruto was skilled in Kidō, he did not want his Zanpakuto to be Kidō-type too... Even if it was not a rule-type, it could at least supplement his abilities in some way, and preferably not take too much thinking to use.

The former was like Momo Hinamori's Tobiume:

Even if Shakkahō were an ultimate enhanced Plus Max Pro version, it still could not escape the fact that it was not very useful.

Of course, it was hard to say whether the reason was that Momo Hinamori's Reiatsu was too weak. Otherwise, if every shot from Tobiume could unleash the destructive power of Ittō Kasō... Forget it, he should stop dreaming. If Tobiume could really deal that kind of damage, Hinamori, its wielder, could probably use Eishōhaki with Hadō #99.

The latter was like Sōsuke Aizen's Kyōka Suigetsu:

When it came to illusion-type Zanpakuto, Haruto considered himself fairly clever, but compared with highly intelligent people like Kisuke Urahara or Sōsuke Aizen, the gap was still rather large.

Even if Haruto were given Kyōka Suigetsu, he figured all he could do with it was "make enemies kill one another through the diffuse reflection of mist and flowing water."

So.

All Haruto really wanted from his Zanpakuto was for it to "supplement" his own abilities. It would be even better if it were a little stronger than his current level of Kidō.

"Hadō #57."

Haruto picked up his bundle and slung it over one shoulder like a shoulder bag.

Then he took hold of the Zanpakuto hidden in its center and tapped it lightly against the ground in front of him—

"Daichi Ten'yō!"

The earth beneath his feet surged like waves.

The crater Raikōhō had just blasted open quickly filled with broken wood and fallen leaves knocked down by the shock wave, then was packed and leveled by the earth that followed at an even faster pace.

"Thump, thump."

Haruto stomped hard on the ground.

"Not bad. Pretty solid."

Although this was the wilderness, Shinigami patrols occasionally passed through the area around Rukongai's District 40, and it would be a nuisance, however big or small, if they found it. If they mistakenly thought a Hollow was lurking nearby, it would inevitably affect the lives of the surrounding residents as well.

This sort of thing, just like cleaning up poop while walking a dog, was a sign of ci

vic responsibility.

"It's getting late."

After Daichi Ten'yō buried the crater, the sky around him had also begun to grow noticeably dar

ker. A cool summer breeze passed through the woods, raising a few rustles and lending the place a somewhat eerie air.

Haruto made a light jump and landed on a branch of the tallest tree nearby.

"That direction..."

Looking into the distance, he could see bright lights clearly through the gathering night despite the considerable distance.

"Is the nearest part of Rukongai to the northeast?"

"...Looks a little lively. It doesn't seem like a Rukongai district in the forties."

Haruto had already been traveling for two days. When he had stopped for the night yesterday, he had already reached East District 18—he had spent quite a bit of time practicing the new Kidō he had learned along the way. Today he had spent more time traveling to make up the distance, while also getting used to the differences his changed physical condition brought to his Shunpo training.

Unless something unexpected happened, the place he stopped for the night would definitely be past District 40.

"Forget it."

"Whoosh!"

Using his still-unpolished Shunpo, Haruto headed toward Rukongai.

"If it's this lively at night, the gang running this district must be doing a decent job. I probably won't have to fight and kill."

"Following the rules is easier than sleeping with a sword for a pillow at night. At worst, I'll just have to spend a little more money."

The "Gotei" in Gotei 13 said enough about their duties. In these parts of Rukongai far beyond Seireitei's sphere of influence, the nobles' control was quite weak, and powerful gangs were practically autonomous.

Their strength was insignificant to Shinigami, but if gang members who already had nothing to their names fought with their lives on the line...

It would still be a nuisance.

So.

Haruto had indeed originally planned to replenish his funds here, but if he could spend the night in peace, that would not be a bad thing either.

"Whoosh."

But that thought vanished completely when he reached Rukongai and saw the name of the area—

"East District 45, Yoshiwara."

"..."

"No wonder it's so lively. This really is... not a good place to sleep."

Previous volume: 015, distinguished CadilXac owner

"Bright lights and revelry."

Haruto walked along the streets of Yoshiwara District.

"As expected of the most famous pleasure district in Soul Society."

Pink and red lights mingled and reflected everywhere, while costly gauze and silk fluttered like curtains in front of the shops lining both sides of the street.

An overpowering scent of rouge, the pungent smell of tobacco and alcohol, and the unrestrained sounds of men and women rising from deep in their throats, made without any thought of holding back, drifting over occasionally... no, frequently.

"It's every bit as prosperous as the highest-ranked districts of Rukongai."

This was the nighttime street in Yoshiwara, Rukongai's District 45.