Chapter 91

"Once all this is done, we'll work together to find traces of the Void Transformation... While carrying out the first two tasks, keep an eye on your surroundings, but be careful not to attract the attention of the fully formed Void Transformation, since we can't be sure how strong it is."

"It would be even worse if they had any special abilities; the three of us working together would at least be safer."

"Good."

"I'll listen to you."

Gori's suggestion was unanimously approved by the three-person team.

――――

"A-Qing."

At the top of an office building in Naruki City.

Not only does it have enough roof space to accommodate a helipad, but there's even enough space in the middle of the huge, eye-catching sign to accommodate several people sitting side by side.

"Is it alright to just let them act on their own?"

The heavy snowflakes were swept away, leaving just enough space under the eaves for two people to stand.

"The Shin'ō Academy doesn't have any relevant regulations either."

The snowfall made the city's daytime atmosphere quite gloomy, and the interiors of all the buildings in the area were lit up.

"That's true, but there are generally established rules..."

"Nanao, is there something you're worried about?"

Haruto asked, getting straight to the point.

"..."

Do you remember our last Konsō practice?

"Of course I remember."

Haruto nodded.

"The last two tasks you assigned were indeed not difficult, but the first one..."

Nanao's brows furrowed tightly, as if she were recalling some unpleasant experience.

"Are you worried that they'll 'open holes' for spirits?"

"... right."

Don't worry.

Haruto smiled and ruffled Nanao's soft hair.

Once the soul begins its transformation towards emptiness, this process is irreversible; but...

Before this step begins, for those wandering spirits who only have a chance of becoming Hollows, there is actually a way to quickly achieve Hollowfication—

The chains that Shibari the soul are "pulled" out, leaving only Hollow Hole.

During Haruto's previous Konsō internship, a "senior" used this method to complete the first type of Konsō that Haruto had just mentioned.

Here's where the problem lies:

The soul that is forcibly created Hollowfication very quickly.

Although the Hollow that had just undergone transformation could not fully adapt to its own power, the magnitude of the evolution was so great that, while its Visored Zanpakuto, it also bit off the head of the sixth-year senior who had no time to react.

This incident left a deep shadow on Nanao.

But...

Because the situations faced by Konsō and Hollow Slaying are quite complex, the Soul Society does not prohibit such behavior in order to avoid unnecessary casualties; however, from a moral standpoint, Soul Reaper generally do not do so.

I got them insurance.

Haruto raised his index finger, and the ink-black runes were slowly rotating.

"The Tenteikūra?"

Nanao looked down at the back of her hand and found that the same mark had been left on it without her noticing.

"Right."

Haruto smiled and removed his other hand from Nanao's head.

"I added it to them when I released the Byakurai earlier."

Haruto couldn't silently complete the incantation for the advanced Bakudō number 77; he had to incorporate it into other Hadō using Twofold Incantation.

"Although my perception range isn't that far, through Tenteikūra, nothing they plan can escape my ears."

"... Won't we be discovered?"

Nanao was still somewhat uneasy.

Although Tenteikūra is only a functional Bakudō, using it on students without their knowledge still raises some procedural issues; perhaps only when one reaches Mayuri Kurotsuchi's level will one be free from repercussions.

"Leaving aside whether they even know about Tenteikūra, before I told you, Nanao, would you believe Tenteikūra would be like this?"

"That's right."

Nanao suddenly realized that their current class was quite different from the traditional Class 1 of the Shin'ō Academy —it wasn't just that one student was outstanding, but that they were good enough to form a powerful team... provided that Byakuya was included, of course.

Setting up a special "Class Zero" for them wouldn't be too much to ask.

So, what do we do now?

"First, we'll visit the Seated Officer of the Thirteenth Division, after which we'll have free time to shop."

Hell Butterfly with fluttering insect wings appeared above Haruto's shoulder without him noticing.

"Ayaka just contacted me."

The primary function of Hell Butterflies is location tracking, and the messages they can transmit are mostly quite simple; however, with the support of Tenteikūra, seamless communication between Hell Butterflies becomes possible... as long as they know the Reiatsu fluctuations recorded by the other party within the Hell Butterfly.

"She said the Soul Reaper are watching more closely right now."

"Send me his older brother, Zennosuke Kurumadani, his contact information later. That way, we'll have a way to get the Gigai and Gikongan."

The normal activities of the Soul Reaper in the real world cannot be separated from the help of these two things—the former serves as a vessel for the soul, and the latter is used to temporarily control the Gigai during the Soul Reaper's battles.

What about the money we use in this World of the Living?

"Borrow some money from Brother Che Gu first, and pay it back with gold coins."

For Soul Reaper, funds earned from World of the Living activities are ultimately just temporary assets; money in the Soul Society holds its value much better.

I imagine the other party won't refuse this suggestion.

――――

Volume 1: Chapter 58, Mysterious Journey on a Dangerous Road

"Should we wait for Ayaka to join us?"

Nanao suggested.

No, thank you.

Haruto shook his head.

The coordinates recorded on the Hell Butterfly caused each Soul Burial Squad to arrive at a different location in the World of the Living after passing through the Senkaimon.

Although the security may be somewhat compromised, it ensures that the area under the jurisdiction of the East Branch Bureau will be covered every few cycles.

To ensure that no task is overlooked in the work of any of the World of the Living squads.

Now.

It's hard to say how far apart they are, and getting rid of the responsible Soul Reaper is a troublesome matter, so there's no need to force it.

They can take care of any souvenir you want.

However, it seems that the "preferential treatment" we had in mind wasn't for the entire class, but only for their group...

Or rather, Haruto himself.

"Oh?"

While the two were still talking, the Hell Butterfly suddenly flapped its wings a few times in a very rhythmic manner.

"Ayaka's speed is pretty fast; she probably sent the message secretly."

Haruto flipped his hand over, causing the Hell Butterfly to land on his knuckles.

Let me see...

Haruto began using his Reiatsu to read the message, but less than two seconds had passed—

"..."

His expression turned somewhat strange.

"What's wrong?"

Nanao noticed that Haruto's expression was off, so she quickly came over and asked.

"... only static is coming through."

"Huh?"

Haruto handed the Hell Butterfly to Nanao, who then received the same answer:

"Is there a problem with the Hell Butterfly?"

"I have no idea."

Haruto shook his head.

The Hell Butterfly possesses incredibly powerful abilities; this bio-artifact can even traverse the Gates of Hell, which separate the two realms.

Unless artificially blocked or the holder dies, the natural environment will generally not affect the Hell Butterfly's communication.

Neither of these scenarios is good news for Haruto.

Just then—

"Ah!!"

Suddenly, screams of agony rang out from the Tenteikūra the three-person group.

"Help!"

During the brief moment Haruto was distracted, several locations in Naruki City emitted auras far exceeding those of ordinary Hollows!

Damn it!

Haruto couldn't help but swear.

"A-Qing?"

Although Nanao had never seen a wild adult Hollow, the eerie Reiatsu around her still gave her an extremely ominous feeling.

"Hold on tight!"

Haruto grabbed Nanao's waist and hoisted her onto his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

Nanao cannot use the Shunpo because her fear of Hollows, honed from her previous Konsō internship, cannot be eliminated in a short time.

Fortunately, Nanao is petite.

While bringing her along might affect their combat effectiveness, leaving her unattended would cause even greater problems, so Haruto had no choice but to adopt this compromise.

"There's trouble everywhere..."

Haruto had planned it all out, hoping that through this Konsō practice, Nanao could emerge from the shadow of the past.

However, it now seems that the plan is quite different from what was imagined.

"I was saying that when I passed through the Senkaimon, it felt so familiar... It wasn't the city name that felt familiar, but rather the faint, lingering atmosphere here!"

Able to conceal its presence and control its own kind to fight in coordinated battles, this is definitely Giant Hollow with a high level of intelligence.

Even Gillian is not out of the question.

"It's not that this city is without Soul Reaper, it's just that this unfortunate soldier was wiped out before we even arrived!"

"Whoosh!"