Kurayashiki Kenpachi waved at the squad members:
"Fight among yourselves for a while first."
He then strode over to Ashido, took the novel from him curiously, and casually flipped open the first page.
His gaze fell upon the prefatory poem titled Blood Blossom.
At that very instant—
"Boom!"
Kurayashiki Kenpachi's spiritual senses seemed to be dragged into an illusion!
An endless sea of blood surged out from between the lines, carrying an overwhelming killing intent and bone-chilling despair that swallowed him in an instant!
The crisp sound of a throat bone being crushed seemed to ring beside his ear, while a thick, lingering stench of blood coiled around the tip of his nose!
Yet in the face of this terrifying impact of artistic conception, Kurayashiki Kenpachi showed not the slightest panic. Instead, he slowly pulled back the corners of his mouth, revealing a smile filled with fighting spirit and interest.
"Heh... This is kind of interesting."
He sat down cross-legged on the spot, ignoring the thunderous battle cries and the clashes of Reiatsu around him. Holding the thin novel in both hands, he began reading it page by page with complete concentration, as if immersed in another world.
After who knew how long...
"Buzz!"
A massive, wild, terrifying Reiatsu, like that of a primordial beast, erupted from Kurayashiki Kenpachi's body without warning! A tangible weight crashed down upon the entire training ground!
"Thud!""Ugh!"
The squad members who had still been struggling to hold on had no power to resist before this Captain-level Reiatsu. Like wheat flattened by a violent wind, they were all crushed face-first onto the ground in an instant, unable to move even a finger!
"Captain Kurayashiki..." Ashido had no choice but to call out a reminder.
"Huh? Oh!" Only then did Kurayashiki Kenpachi abruptly return from the world within the book. He looked at the squad members sprawled across the training ground.
He hurriedly reined in his Reiatsu, rubbed the back of his head, and gave them an apologetic, hearty smile:
"Sorry, sorry! I got too absorbed in the book and couldn't help myself. Hahaha!"
He handed the novel back to Ashido, stood up, brushed the dust from his clothes, and asked with a grin:
"The 'Meteor City' mentioned in this book actually refers to 'Rukongai,' right?
"And the descriptions of the streets and their surroundings look exactly like they're alluding to Zaraki District. In other words..."
Ashido nodded calmly. "That should be correct. The author most likely based the story on Zaraki District."
Sharp light instantly burst from Kurayashiki Kenpachi's originally gentle eyes.
He bared his teeth and let out a booming laugh:
"Hahaha! There haven't been any major matters in the squad lately anyway! Ashido, make some preparations. We're going to Zaraki District to 'take a look'!"
Ashido nodded again, his cold face showing no surprise.
If Zaraki District truly concealed a "Killer" like the one described in the book, then that happened to meet the recruitment standards of the Eleventh Division.
Whether the other party was a Killer or an evil spirit, as long as he was strong enough, the Eleventh Division would take him in without exception!
The Thirteen Court Guard Squads, Fourth Division Barracks.
Unlike the grim or fervent atmosphere of the combat divisions, the Fourth Division was a medical and rescue division, and its Squad Barracks were always filled with an air of tranquil peace.
In an elegant and cozy Japanese-style room, several Fourth Division squad members who had finished their work were leisurely enjoying a rare tea break.
Seated in the place of honor was a woman whose bearing was as gentle as water.
She wore a pristine Captain's Haori over her Shinigami uniform. Her posture was graceful and dignified. She was none other than the Fourth Division Captain—Unohana Yachiru.
At that moment, she was leaning slightly forward, completely focused on arranging the flowers before her. Her slender fingers gently adjusted the angle of a camellia, her gaze intent and peaceful, as if nothing around her had anything to do with her.
However, a faint yet continuous "click, click" sound shattered the tranquility.
Unohana Retsu's hands paused slightly, and she slowly turned toward her side.
The Fourth Division lieutenant sitting beside her—Yamada Kiyonosuke—was holding a book, his face pale as his body trembled uncontrollably.
Unohana Retsu could clearly sense intense emotional fluctuations of "fear" and "trembling" from him, which stirred confusion in her heart.
This was the very heart of the Fourth Division Barracks, quiet and peaceful, thousands of miles away from the slaughter in Hueco Mundo.
What was Kiyonosuke... afraid of?
Her gaze fell upon the cover of the book in his hands—The Killer of Meteor City.
The cover's dark-toned design exuded an ominous air.
Was he reading some kind of horror novel? How could it have made him lose his composure to this extent...?
Seeing that Yamada Kiyonosuke's trembling not only failed to subside but showed signs of worsening, Unohana Retsu gently set down the flower branch. She slightly parted lips that always held a gentle smile, and though her voice was not loud, it carried a peculiar reassurance and authority that reached straight into the heart:
"Kiyonosuke, compose yourself."
Those two brief words were like cool spring water, pouring over Yamada Kiyonosuke's disordered mind.
He jolted violently. His fiercely trembling body instantly went rigid, and only afterward did he let out a long, heavy breath, as if all his strength had left him.
Only then did he realize that his back had long since been soaked through with cold sweat, the chilly sensation clinging tightly to his skin.
He noticed the concerned gazes of his fellow squad members around him, as well as the calm yet questioning look in his captain's eyes.
A trace of embarrassment flashed across Yamada Kiyonosuke's face. He hurriedly raised the novel in his hands and explained somewhat incoherently:
"S-sorry! I lost my composure! It's this... Teacher Zhi Ge's new work, The Killer of Meteor City. The contents... they're just... too, too frightening!"
Unohana Retsu's gaze remained gentle as she spoke softly:
"They are merely fictional characters and stories created by a novelist. Why take them so seriously and become so deeply immersed?"
Yamada Kiyonosuke lowered the novel with lingering fear, as though the book were burning hot. His voice still trembled with dread:
"But Captain... I don't know why, but I keep feeling... I keep feeling that this 'Killer'... truly exists!
"Like a real evil spirit that crawled out of hell, standing there silently and eternally in the middle of a sea of blood piled high with countless corpses... Just imagining that scene is enough to make one's blood run cold!"
"Oh my, Lieutenant Kiyonosuke, if you find it frightening, then don't read it!"
"Exactly, exactly. Why not read Hell Girl to change your mood? It's a pity Teacher Zhi Ge doesn't seem to be updating it anymore. Sigh..."
Seeing this, several female squad members nearby hurriedly offered words of comfort, with a hint of complaint toward the author in their voices.
Their conversation instead stirred a faint curiosity in Unohana Retsu.
For the normally calm and self-controlled lieutenant to experience such an intense physical reaction, and even firmly believe that the character in the book truly existed—
This book seemed somewhat unusual.