Chapter 65

The Zanpakuto named "Kaleidoscope" took on the appearance of a long-barreled musket after liberation: it was held in one hand and spun to launch projectiles.

Uji sheathed his second Zanpakuto at his waist, and a silver-black bullet magically appeared from the fingertips that had been gripping the sword.

"Living in Reality, Modifying the 2D World"

The anime/manga crossover work by the old man behind the scenes is so high-quality that I don't need to elaborate. A brief introduction wouldn't be enough to capture its essence; in short, it can be summed up in one word:

Strength!

Volume 1: Chapter 042, The Kōten Taihō

"It's very troublesome to make."

There is a limit to the amount that can be stored.

Uji raised his arm high, examining the bullet in his hand as if admiring a work of art.

"But it is precisely because of these troublesome preparations..."

"Only my Zanpakuto can unleash power completely different from a inferior product like yours."

"Gurgle."

A sound like bubbling lava rang out.

With Uji his wrist, the bullet held between his fingertips instantly transformed into a brass-colored eggshell nearly ten centimeters long.

Deep blue Reiatsu was etched onto the surface like runes.

"This is the power of my Zanpakuto."

"It can unconditionally translate any knowledge that can be read and copy it by consuming my Reiatsu."

"Whether it's Kidō Orb or a secret message written in a coded text containing Reiatsu, they're all the same in front of this Zanpakuto."

"Click!"

With a flick of his right hand, Uji the gun, and the bullets, filled with Kidō, were ready to be loaded.

This was the perfect opportunity for the Senju to launch an attack, but unfortunately, there was also the Tsunayashiro Mamoru on the sidelines— the Tsunayashiro Clan was different from the Kuchiki Clan; they didn't follow the rules of others, and in their eyes, they themselves were the rules of Soul Society.

"You should understand what I mean..."

"Faced with this familiar Kidō Reiatsu..."

The dark muzzle of the gun was pointed at the Senju Shinran.

Senju knew very well that Uji was not bluffing. As soon as the other party pulled the trigger, the fireball formed by the Hadō #91 would hit him instantly.

Shunpo might be able to dodge the direct hit, but the aftershocks and impact of the explosion... Senju wasn't confident he could withstand this attack, which should have required Captain-level.

"The Shinzen."

"Selling the family's secret No. 91 advanced Hadō shows that even without the Shibari of family rules, you're still not living a very happy life."

If the family still existed, let alone the direct heirs, even the head of the family would not be qualified to sell this level of secret knowledge.

Since Senju Shinran dared to sell it alone, the Senju Clan is probably just a name now; moreover, he couldn't even protect the traditional Kidō that was passed down in his own name, which not only shows that Senju Shinran has no talent in Kidō, but is also the best evidence that he is living in poverty.

"What a boring life."

Isn't ending it a kind of liberation?

Uji a lot of nonsense, but when it's time to make a move, he doesn't hesitate at all and just goes straight to the attack.

"Bang."

The trigger was pulled.

The faint light flashed and disappeared.

"Beep!!"

The explosion of the Kōten Taihō was calm, but its cleanup effect was exceptionally good: apart from the deep crater where even grass roots and mud were wiped away, nothing was left at the impact site.

But--

What happened?

Tsunayashiro Mamoru approached the path with a displeased expression.

"Nothing."

Uji's expression wasn't very good either.

"It's just Dankū."

"A one-time-use spiritual artifact that infuses the creator's power into a spirit paper talisman by imbuing it with Kidō and Reiatsu —given his Kidō talent, he couldn't possibly use the Dankū' technique. This spiritual artifact, created using a long-lost technique, is probably the Senju Shinran's last trump card."

Uji explained to Tsunayashiro Mamoru.

"Moreover, because of its great age, the spiritual tool doesn't have much Reiatsu left. Even just one Kōten Taihō would be enough to seriously injure him."

"I just didn't expect this guy to be so ruthless to himself, daring to use the impact of the explosion to run far away."

Tsunayashiro Mamoru frowned and said:

"Is it hard to find?"

"How could that be? He's kept the Soul Gold marked with Reiatsu perfectly safe. After all, without that money, his life would be no different from being dead."

Uji laughed and said.

"And with such injuries, how much speed can he still retain with his Shunpo?"

"Snap!"

Uji swung the gun barrel, and wisps of smoke rose from the dark opening. The Heat cartridge cases were quickly ejected to the ground.

"Although time was limited, only two of the Senju Kōten Taihō were loaded with explosives."

A new bullet appeared in Uji's hands.

"But it doesn't matter, we won't need any more of this level of Kidō Bullets to deal with that guy."

The fact that Uji time to chat idly here shows that he is confident enough in taking down the Senju Shinran —it is precisely because he recognizes this that Tsunayashiro Mamoru has not urged him to take action.

"Whoosh!"

Two sounds of Shunpo movement rang out simultaneously, and Uji and Tsunayashiro Mamoru stood in mid-air.

The former lowered the black barrel of his gun, aimed at the distant dark forest, and slowly moved the muzzle.

This is an additional ability of the Kaleidoscope, which can greatly enhance the holder's perception after liberation.

"Huh?"

Uji did not fire immediately, but instead made a curious sound.

"What's wrong?"

"Our friend... it seems the plan has failed."

Senju Shinran, from room number 30, left the room early under the pretext of staying overnight; otherwise, she wouldn't have encountered Tsunayashiro Mamoru from room number 1 ahead of time.

It's common for people to leave early at auctions.

Unfortunately Haruto and Byakuya, being novices, didn't understand the intricacies involved, which is why they waited so long foolishly.

The fact that Tsunayashiro Mamoru was able to accurately learn about the attendees' departures suggests that he must have had an inside contact at the auction.

In fact.

The reason this host dared to attack Haruto and his group was because of Tsunayashiro Mamoru's promise—that even members of the branch families of the Four Great Noble Clans were not people that his superior nobles behind the scenes would dare to easily provoke.

How is that possible?

Tsunayashiro Mamoru couldn't believe it.

"He's Vice-Captain-level of Fifth-Class Reii level, and he can't even take down two junior members of a mere mid-level noble family?"

Having power doesn't guarantee becoming a nobleman, but power is the most basic requirement for maintaining a noble title—these are unwritten rules among nobles, even though there are no explicit legal requirements.

Can't reach it?

Someone will naturally take his place... This period will last at most a dozen years.

I don't know.

Uji shook his head.

"Whether it was an ambush or a sneak attack, he's seriously injured right now, otherwise I wouldn't have noticed such unstable Reiatsu."

"Then we--"

Tsunayashiro Mamoru was interrupted by Uji halfway through his sentence:

You want to save people?

"... What's the meaning?"

After all, he wasn't from the main family of Seireitei. Although Tsunayashiro Mamoru considered himself a ruthless person, he was still a bit lacking in experience compared to the well-traveled Uji.

"These two retreated in almost a perfectly straight line... I think I can save a Kidō Bullet."

Uji's tone suggested that he genuinely cared about the amount of ammunition.

"But isn't he our ally?"

"At the same time, you could also become a traitor who exposes our secrets... Mamoru, if you want to establish yourself in the Tsunayashiro Clan, you still have a long way to go in terms of both what you need to learn and the capital you need to accumulate."

Uji's eyes gradually turned bloodshot.

To snipe an opponent from such a distance, and to do so with a single, decisive blow, requires an extra significant amount of Reiatsu.

"I don't want to die with you."

--Uji didn't finish the last half of his sentence:

His nominal bodyguard position was a trump card prepared by the Tsunayashiro Clan for all potential heirs in order to "select" the family head.

If he wins, he will henceforth Tsunayashiro; if he loses, he will lose everything, including his life.

"Bang."

Uji pulled the trigger on the Kaleidoscope for the second time tonight.

"Beep!!"

"Whoosh."

Long feathers billowed in the wind.

Tsunayashiro Mamoru landed following Uji's Shunpo.

"Attacks targets at such a distance, yet the destructive power remains undiminished."

Looking at the deep pit before him, Tsunayashiro Mamoru couldn't help but sigh.

The host, whose ashes were completely burned to the point of being invisible, clearly had a slightly higher Rei'i Grade than Tsunayashiro Mamoru, yet he died so inexplicably from the Zanpakuto attack, which truly made him realize the gap in skill.

"It would be strange if it didn't produce this effect after consuming more than half the Reiatsu of the Kōten Taihō."

The bloodshot in Uji's eyes was gradually fading.

Clang.

The barrel was swung forcefully, and the cartridge case, its inscriptions scorched red, bounced off the breech and fell to the ground with a crisp clanging sound.

"Let's look for it."

Uji looked at the ravaged and battered ground.

"Our good ally, though there's not much to squeeze out of him, must have accumulated some wealth over the years."

"These are the foundations for your future."