Journey to the Human World

Meanwhile, Ginrei Kuchiki was also grieving.

The son-in-law he had chosen for his daughter was far more powerful than he had ever expected, and it had brought his daughter's life close to its end.

After losing his son, Ginrei Kuchiki would now have to endure the pain of losing his daughter as well.

Once a soul began to weaken, it was like a leaking barrel—an irreversible process.

Even if Ailin stayed away from Haruko Kuchiki from now on, she would still die in a little over ten years.

So, between a few years and over a decade, Haruko Kuchiki chose the former.

More importantly, Haruko Kuchiki wanted to leave Ailin with an heir while her body could still hold on for these next few years.

Unfortunately, that wish had yet to come true.

"Who says our Haruko is useless?"

Ailin smiled and lightly scratched Haruko Kuchiki's nose. "You know how boring a Shinigami's work can be, Haruko."

"Waking up every morning and seeing Haruko gives me a good mood for the whole day. Coming home and seeing Haruko eases away the exhaustion of the day too..."

As Ailin spoke softly, a happy smile appeared on Haruko Kuchiki's face.

Being able to meet Ailin, understand him, and stay by his side had truly been wonderful...

After soothing Haruko Kuchiki to sleep, Ailin went to find Ginrei Kuchiki.

"Father-in-law."

"Mm. You went to see Haruko?"

Ailin nodded, a trace of regret flashing through his eyes. "I did. Haruko's condition is even worse than I expected."

If only he had noticed Haruko's condition sooner.

Ever since Captain Unohana had offered that suggestion, Ailin had stopped forging weapons.

Yet Haruko Kuchiki's condition had continued to worsen.

"Ah..."

Ginrei Kuchiki let out a sigh.

She was his daughter.

When it came to grief, he felt no less than Ailin did.

"You came here instead of staying with Haruko. Is there something you need?"

After a long while, Ginrei Kuchiki composed himself and asked Ailin.

"Yes. Captain Yoruichi asked me to assist her in carrying out a mission in the Human World."

"I want to take this opportunity to let Haruko rest for a while."

"So I agreed."

"For the next few days, I'll have to trouble you to look after both Haruko and the Sixth Division, Father-in-law."

"Mm, I understand."

After bowing to Ginrei Kuchiki, Ailin left the room. He glanced in Haruko Kuchiki's direction, then vanished from the Kuchiki Clan estate with Shunpo.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Captain Yoruichi, Captain Ukitake."

By the time Ailin arrived at the Second Division training grounds, the Shinigami of the Second and Thirteenth Divisions had already been waiting for quite some time.

"Haha, we haven't been waiting long."

"Now that Captain Ailin is here, let's depart."

Though they were both captains, each division had its own duties. Under normal circumstances, unless they were personally close, captains did not interact much with one another.

Ailin was not familiar with Jūshirō Ukitake, so after smiling and nodding at him, Jūshirō Ukitake immediately ordered the Shinigami under his command to prepare the Senkaimon.

"Yes, Captain Ukitake."

Two Shinigami pressed their hands to the ground and poured Reiatsu into it.

At once, a tightly shut wooden lattice gate emerged from the ground between them. Once it had fully solidified, the two doors swung open to either side, revealing a passage radiating white light.

This was the spatial passage from Soul Society to the Human World—the Senkaimon!

Officially, all Senkaimon connecting Soul Society to the Human World were controlled by the Soul Technology Development Bureau of the Twelfth Division. Any Shinigami wishing to travel to the Human World required the Captain-Commander's authorization before the Twelfth Division would open a Senkaimon for them.

Furthermore, everyone at Vice-Captain rank and above was branded with the seal of Restricted Reiatsu, preventing the powerful Reiatsu of high-ranking Shinigami from oppressing the souls of humans in the Human World.

Of course, in secret, many nobles possessed Senkaimon that led from Soul Society to the Human World.

And entering the Human World through the Senkaimon under their control did not subject one to Restricted Reiatsu.

This differed from the Pluses in Soul Society, who had only souls remaining.

Without the nourishment of physical bodies, their souls would gradually weaken under pressure.

Humans in the Human World, protected by physical bodies, could develop Reiatsu if subjected to powerful Reiatsu for extended periods.

For the Pluses in Soul Society, possessing Reiatsu was a good thing. After all, it was the most basic requirement for becoming a Shinigami.

But for humans in the Human World, possessing Reiatsu was a nightmare.

With Reiatsu, they could see "spirits" that ordinary people could not see.

This caused tremendous disruption to their lives.

At the same time, Hollows that came from Hueco Mundo to feed on souls in the Human World favored these souls with Reiatsu the most.

Although Shinigami were stationed in the Human World as well, they might be able to save you once or twice—but could they save you for the rest of your life?

Being able to see terror while lacking the power to resist it was undoubtedly the most tragic thing of all.

This time, because they were going to eliminate the remaining Quincy forces of the Light Empire, none of Ailin's group had been given the seal of Restricted Reiatsu.

Captain Ukitake led the way, with Shihoin Yoruichi and Ailin following behind him. The remaining Shinigami followed closely as they entered the Senkaimon.

"So this is the Human World?"

Without anyone interfering, Soul Society's Senkaimon was quite reliable.

At the very least, Ailin and the others did not encounter anything like a Gokuto while traveling through space.

As he stepped out of the Senkaimon, Ailin sensed that the concentration of Reishi in the Human World was several times lower than in Soul Society.

In other words, exerting the same level of strength in the Human World would consume more of one's spiritual power, while recovery would take longer as well.

Ailin and the others appeared deep within a densely forested mountain range. There was no sign of human habitation within ten li.

After emerging, Shihoin Yoruichi winked at Ailin. Ailin gave a slight nod and walked toward Jūshirō Ukitake.

"Captain Ukitake, this is my first time in the Human World. Is there anything we need to watch out for?"

After Ailin drew Captain Ukitake's attention away, Shihoin Yoruichi and Urahara Kisuke quietly disappeared at some point. Only Sui-Feng, wearing a Vice-Captain's armband on her right arm, remained, constantly issuing orders for the Second Division Shinigami to advance along the traces left by the intelligence unit.

Meanwhile, through his conversation with Jūshirō Ukitake, Ailin also learned more about the Human World's current situation.

Among the Gotei 13, the Thirteenth Division was the purification division. Its primary responsibility was to purify souls remaining in the Human World and guide them to Soul Society. It was also responsible for slaying Hollows that came from Hueco Mundo to feed on souls in the Human World.

In all of Seireitei, no division understood the Human World better than the Thirteenth Division.

In this era, war raged throughout the Human World. The people lived day to day, never knowing whether they would survive until tomorrow, and this had spawned many Hollows filled with malice.

Under such circumstances, the Shinigami of the Thirteenth Division stationed in the Human World were completely overwhelmed, and they had even suffered considerable casualties.