Aizen and the Hollow!

As the Senkaimon emitted a dazzling white light, Asano Kiyoshi and the others entered the Dangai under Miyako Shiba's lead.

The moment he entered the Dangai, Asano Kiyoshi caught a faint fragrance in the air. It was hard to describe—something like the scent of laundry detergent, slightly intoxicating to breathe in. Just then, Miyako Shiba's gentle voice reached them:

"Everyone, stay close to the Hell Butterfly and do not lose your way. Time flows differently in the Dangai than it does outside, so absolutely do not get separated. Otherwise, by the time you leave the Dangai again, many years may have already passed."

Hearing Miyako Shiba's words, the students of Shin'o Spiritual Arts Academy all grew slightly nervous. As they looked at the Dangai's purple-red walls and scattered rocks, a hint of gravity settled in their hearts.

Asano Kiyoshi also reined in his wandering thoughts somewhat. After all, time did not merely pass differently in the Dangai; Kogotsu also swept through it once every seven days. He had no desire to be disposed of as trash by Kogotsu.

Following behind the official members of Gotei 13, the group hurried through the oppressive purple passageway.

Behind them, three figures clad in black cloaks slowly emerged from the side. They watched the departing Shinigami in the distance, their hooded faces expressionless. One of them, a silver-haired man, spoke in an exceedingly frivolous tone:

"Oh my~ It's another rare trip to the Living World. I wonder whether we'll run into anything interesting this time. Don't you think so, Captain Aizen?"

Before Aizen could speak, Kaname Tōsen, who had purple dreadlocks, addressed Gin Ichimaru first:

"This is an experiment in the Living World concerning the Reishi composition and limits of Hollows, not a trip for amusement! Correct your attitude, Gin!"

Hearing Kaname Tōsen's words, Gin Ichimaru merely maintained that crafty, eyes-closed smile before speaking softly:

"Don't be so serious, Tosen Captain. With Lord Aizen here, there's nothing for me to worry about."

As he spoke, Gin Ichimaru's narrowed eyes opened by the slightest sliver, and the reflection of a refined man appeared in his beautiful, star-like pupils.

Their conversation did not affect the man wearing black-rimmed glasses. Aizen ignored them, merely looking at the departing students with a faintly mocking smile on his face. Then, together with the other two, he vanished from the spot once more.

The appearance of those three drew no notice from any Shinigami or student. After roughly fifteen minutes of swift travel, a bright light appeared before Asano Kiyoshi. At its center stood a traditional Japanese sliding partition door.

As the Shinigami approached, the sliding door opened on its own. Before they went through, Miyako Shiba specifically reminded them in a gentle voice:

"Remember to form Reishi supports beneath your feet when you go out. The Senkaimon's exit point is random, so you might step out into the sky. Be prepared, or you may fall straight down."

At Miyako Shiba's reminder, all the students formed Reishi footholds beneath their feet.

Sure enough, when they stepped into the Living World, they appeared high in the sky. Below them lay a stretch of buildings generally only two or three stories tall, with very few rising above five floors. They looked roughly like they were from the 1950s or 1960s.

Yet to these students, whose everyday cultural knowledge extended only to the Heisei era, those buildings and the cars moving along the streets were still remarkably novel.

Seeing the students' excited expressions, Miyako Shiba smiled faintly before addressing them:

"Everyone, divide yourselves into groups of three. Each group will follow one official member and practice Soul Burial under that member's supervision. The remaining members will accompany me on a purification mission in Karakura Town! Remember, if anything unexpected happens, contact us immediately through Kido! You are absolutely forbidden from handling it on your own! What you carry is not merely your own lives, but the future hope of Soul Society! From the moment you accepted this mission, your lives no longer belonged to you alone! Do you understand my orders?!"

The Shinigami looked at the valiant Miyako Shiba, Third Seat, and shouted in reply:

"Understood!"

After a brief round of grouping, Yumichika, Ikkaku, and Asano Kiyoshi naturally formed a team. The one assigned to accompany them was Gotei 13's Twelfth Seat, a middle-aged man named Bannai Daigo, whose overall stats totaled 180.

Bannai Daigo had short hair and a long scar across his face. His expression was stern and cold, making him seem like the sort who was not easy to talk to.

Looking at the three who had already formed their group, Bannai Daigo spoke in an unsurprisingly indifferent voice:

"Let's go. At the Seven O'Clock Direction, there is a soul that needs a Soul Burial. Remember, I am not only responsible for protecting you—I am also responsible for grading this course. If your performance is poor, I will report it truthfully."

The moment Ikkaku heard Bannai Daigo's words, the pressure on him instantly shot through the roof. With unease in his heart, each group began this Soul Burial practice.

Soul Burial itself was not difficult. It was just that Ikkaku's Reishi control was still far too poor at the moment, leaving him unable to fully complete the entire Soul Burial process much of the time. However, after several days of alternating instruction from Asano Kiyoshi and Yumichika, he was more or less capable of handling the exam.

To keep Ikkaku from feeling too much pressure, Asano Kiyoshi and Yumichika deliberately had him take the Soul Burial test first.

The soul Ikkaku performed Soul Burial on was that of a somewhat downcast man. Though he failed twice during the process, on his third attempt, Ikkaku finally succeeded in sending the man to Soul Society.

After Ikkaku finished, Yumichika passed in a single try as well. Then, once Asano Kiyoshi had completed his turn, the three-person team had fully finished this exam. However, just after Asano Kiyoshi performed Soul Burial on the Plus Soul assigned to him, an utterly frenzied and violent spiritual pressure suddenly surged over them like a tidal wave, swallowing them whole!

It was a spiritual pressure none of them had ever felt before!

No matter what, a Shinigami's spiritual pressure always carried a trace of emotion—anger, happiness, calmness...

But the spiritual pressure that had appeared just now contained not the slightest hint of emotion. All it held was bloodlust driven to the utmost madness and hatred suppressed to the extreme!

Along with that spiritual pressure came a roar that seemed to rise from the depths of the earth, filled with strangeness and despair!

Then, an enormous figure wearing a ghastly white bone mask appeared before them with extreme abruptness!

The figure radiated a violent and sinister aura. Its bloodshot eyes stared fixedly at them, and from those eyes, they could read only absolute desire and hunger!