Stardust, Your Shamelessness Has Once Again Shattered My Worldview

Observation

In the small grove, Rukia had already entered a standoff with the Shinigami sent from the Soul Society. Neither side spoke; the unfamiliar Shinigami was observing Rukia.

Rukia, meanwhile, was racking her brain for a way to handle this. After all, transferring Shinigami powers to a human was strictly forbidden by the Soul Society. She only hoped to avoid detection by the Soul Society until her powers were restored.

However, the appearance of this Shinigami already signaled that the Soul Society had grown suspicious of her. Once the matter was exposed, even her older brother, Byakuya Kuchiki, might not be able to protect her.

"Who are you!" Rukia broke the silence first, looking at the strange Shinigami with a cold expression. "Answer my question!"

The strange Shinigami used his index finger to push up the brim of his hat. "How nostalgic. Back at the Shino Academy, Kuchiki Rukia was quite famous. An adopted daughter of the noble Kuchiki clan, a princess born in the Rukongai!"

There was a clear note of sarcasm in the stranger's words, which was hardly surprising. As fellow natives of the Rukongai, they had always been suppressed and looked down upon by noble students at the Shino Academy.

Therefore, those from the Rukongai harbored feelings of jealousy and resentment toward Rukia, the lucky girl adopted by a prestigious family.

The nobles' attitude toward Rukia was much the same; even after being adopted by a noble house, Rukia's lowly origins could not be erased.

It could be said that... while at the Shino Academy, Rukia was completely alienated by both sides, and her only friends were the few she had known since childhood!

"My name is Eijiro Nishido, your senior by two years. You remember me, right?" Nishido touched the brim of his hat, wearing a wide, grinning smile.

Rukia's gaze remained cold. "I don't know you!" Her words were the truth; having been alienated by others at the Shino Academy, she naturally hadn't bothered to remember anyone's name. She barely recognized her own classmates, let alone some senior.

"Is that so!" Nishido pursed his lips, unbothered, though his expression gradually turned serious. "Now, I have a few things I want to ask you!"

Rukia frowned upon hearing this. The tone of his voice and his attire made it clear that this man was definitely not a member of the Gotei 13.

That left only two possibilities: either he was from the Kido Corps or a member of the Onmitsukido. (The Onmitsukido is the Onmitsukido, and the Second Division is the Second Division; they are not the same organization, though Soi Fon is the supreme commander of both.) Since the Kido Corps would never appear here, the identity of the person before her was obvious.

"Are you... from the Onmitsukido?"

Nishido gave an exaggerated laugh at the question and tugged on the strings on either side of his hat. A circular disc, looking much like the depression on a kappa's head, popped up from the top of the hat with two large characters written on it: Correct!

The coldness on Rukia's face faltered, and her mouth twitched as she cursed, "You idiot, stop messing around. What exactly do you want?"

Nishido dropped the playful act and said sternly, "They are quite anxious over there. Why haven't you returned?"

"There were orders. There were Hollows that needed to be purified."

"Is it really that simple?" A wicked smirk curled the corners of Nishido's mouth. "Has Rukia reached that age, then? It's that yellow-haired brat, isn't it? Human emotions are truly strange..."

Rukia understood the implication behind the jerk's words halfway through, and her pretty face darkened. She secretly gathered the remaining spiritual pressure within her body.

Seeing this, Nishido immediately dropped his smirk. He squinted at the spiritual pressure gathering on Rukia's hand, a flicker of surprise passing through his eyes.

However, Rukia, who had been watching him closely, caught that moment. She cursed his keen investigative skills inwardly, but kept her expression calm as she quietly withdrew the gathered spiritual pressure.

"It seems that proposal won't work!" Nishido said flatly. His hand was already gripping the hilt of his Zanpakuto, and waves of spiritual pressure began to churn. "What a pity. I thought it was a decent excuse. If there isn't a good reason to satisfy the higher-ups, I'll have no choice but to take you back by force."

"I'm sorry, but I'm not ready to go back for a while yet!"

"Then there's no helping it!" With those words, Nishido drew his Zanpakuto and held it horizontally before him. Rukia's body tensed up instantly. In her prime, she would not have feared this man, but at this moment, she had less than a tenth of her spiritual pressure left...

"Big sister!"

"Rukia!"

Just then, a call came from near and far, causing both of them to freeze. Rukia looked toward the sound and saw Kon, who had disappeared earlier, bringing Ichigo along from somewhere!

When Ichigo saw Nishido, his brow furrowed. "Who are you!" Although he said that, judging by Nishido's attire, Ichigo had already vaguely guessed his identity.

"You can see me?" A strange look flashed in Nishido's eyes. "Yellow-haired brat, I should be the one asking... who exactly are you!"

"I am..."

Rukia's expression changed instantly, and she shouted urgently, "Ichigo, stop!"

"A Substitute Shinigami!" But her intervention came too late; Ichigo had already spoken the final four words.

It's over!

Rukia's face sank, and she watched Nishido with vigilance.

"Shinigami?" Nishido's expression shifted instantly, followed by a cruel smile. "Interesting. Kuchiki Rukia, this is a grave crime..."

But before he could finish his sentence, a hand suddenly pressed down on his shoulder.

What!

Nishido's pupils constricted. He hadn't sensed a thing, even at such close range.

Who on earth was this person?

"Yapping on and on, it's annoying as hell. Hey, are you strong or what?" A voice full of anticipation came from behind Nishido.

Nishido's expression changed instantly—not because of the words, but because of the terrifying force coming from the hand resting on his shoulder.

It felt like the weight of a mountain, making it impossible for him to even turn around. Cold sweat began to stream down Nishido's forehead.

This is impossible. I didn't feel a single trace of spiritual pressure, so why is this person's strength so terrifying?

"Brother Biao!" Ichigo was delighted, while Rukia's mouth twitched. Although the two hadn't fought, just looking at Nishido's face told them that Nishido was no match for Wu Biao.

If Nishido knew that the person behind him was just a human, one could only wonder what he would think.

Is he someone I know?

Nishido thought to himself, feeling a sense of shock. He couldn't understand why such a strong person existed in the Human World. Based on this strength alone, he was definitely at the level of a high-ranking seated officer.

However, the intelligence report beforehand stated that aside from Rukia, there were no other Soul Reaper seated officers stationed in this area!

"Hey, kid, are you deaf or something? I'm talking to you!" Without a second thought, Wu Biao spun Xitang around, releasing his left hand only to grab him by the collar. "Damn it, I asked you if you were strong or not. I haven't had a fight in days, my body is... hm?"

Wu Biao's expression stiffened as he suddenly looked toward the direction of the cemetery!

Beep, beep, beep—

Rukia's Denreishinki rang at the same time, causing the expressions of everyone present, except for Wu Biao, to change.

"A Hollow!"

"A Hollow?" Xitang's face darkened. Wu Biao also released his collar, a murderous glint instantly surfacing in his eyes.

Kurosaki Ichigo stepped forward as well, asking Rukia, "Where?"

"Very close!"

"Over at the cemetery, Yuzu Kurosaki and the others are in danger!" Wu Biao's tone turned icy, though a hint of anxiety was clearly evident within it.

Kurosaki Ichigo's expression shifted instantly. Without a second thought, he grabbed Kon, pulled the soul pill out of the doll, and swallowed it to transform into his Soul Reaper state, preparing to head out for support. However, someone was even faster than him.

On the other side, Wu Biao bent his knees and crouched down. The muscles in his legs could be seen trembling even through his white lab coat, the friction between them creating a metallic clanging sound.

Bang—

The moment a massive explosive sound rang out, Wu Biao's figure shot forward like a rocket. His speed was extreme; the people present only felt a gust of wind hit their faces before Wu Biao had already vanished from where he stood.

Where he had previously been standing, a massive crater about a meter wide and long appeared, with spiderweb cracks spreading out from the edges of the depression.

Xitang watched the massive crater, his mouth twitching. He pointed a trembling finger toward the direction Wu Biao had disappeared and stammered, "That... that can't be a human, right!"

That was clearly a human, damn it, but... that speed just now, and that strength from before.

Xitang felt like cursing out loud. It was the first time he realized that the Human World was actually this dangerous!!!—

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(End of chapter)