The Arrival in Soul Society

After dying and arriving in this world, Natsuki experienced a series of coincidences.

First, he was attacked by a Hollow, only to be saved by Soul Reapers on an expedition to Hueco Mundo.

After those Soul Reapers fell in battle, he had no choice but to pick up a discarded Zanpakuto to survive the crisis, swinging the blade purely on instinct.

The moment he swung that Zanpakuto, he was no longer an ordinary soul; he had become a Soul Reaper.

His luck held out afterward, as he encountered the rest of the expeditionary force. Under the tutelage of Watanabe Yuji, he learned many fundamental Soul Reaper abilities. Now, relying solely on his Asauchi, he could easily slay Gillian-class Menos. Such strength, within the Gotei 13, might not be enough to aspire to the rank of Captain or Lieutenant, but it was more than sufficient to serve as a seated officer.

However, there remained one major issue regarding Natsuki.

His status as a Soul Reaper was recognized only within the expeditionary force.

Natsuki's name did not appear in the Gotei 13's official registry of all Soul Reapers, so he needed to go and register.

Natsuki was not Kurosaki Ichigo from the original story. Because Kurosaki Ichigo was human, he had no interest in joining the Gotei 13 to become a formally registered Soul Reaper despite gaining those powers by chance. Conversely, the Gotei 13 at the time had to rely on Kurosaki Ichigo's power due to various crises, so they proactively granted him the status of Substitute Soul Reaper.

Natsuki was not human; he was a deceased soul.

Having arrived in this world of spirits—a place that was exceptionally dangerous—becoming a true Soul Reaper was his only choice.

According to Watanabe Yuji, while cases like Natsuki's were rare, they were not unheard of. One simply needed to return to Seireitei, explain the situation clearly, fill out an enlistment application, and register.

As for which division to join, Natsuki had no choice.

The 11th Division was the only option available.

There was no helping it; he was not a "properly trained" graduate of the Shin'o Academy.

Had he been a graduate of the Shin'o Academy with excellent grades, he might have received invitations from multiple divisions upon graduation.

Of course, that is not to say that "wild-path" Soul Reapers could only choose the 11th Division.

The primary reason was simply that Watanabe Yuji was a member of the 11th Division.

Aside from those who joined the expeditionary force to atone for their sins, the Soul Reapers who voluntarily chose to venture into Hueco Mundo were almost exclusively from the 11th Division. The 11th Division was a combat unit; whenever Hollows appeared, they were always the first to charge in.

This was true when defending Soul Society against Hollows, and it was equally true when the need arose to expedition into Hueco Mundo.

Both Watanabe Yuji and Ashido were very decisive men.

Soon, Ashido took over command of the expeditionary force.

Watanabe Yuji, accompanied by several other Soul Reapers and Natsuki, arrived at the location where Ashido and his group had previously opened a Garganta. Utilizing special equipment held by the expeditionary force, they contacted Soul Society.

Soul Society reopened the Garganta.

A rift suddenly appeared in the void, and like a mouth opening, it stretched toward both sides, revealing a pitch-black passage before Natsuki.

Watanabe Yuji led the way, and Natsuki, along with the other Soul Reapers, stepped inside.

After entering the Garganta, Watanabe Yuji gave Natsuki some special instructions.

"The passage from Hueco Mundo to Soul Society is different from the one between the Human World and Soul Society. The passage from the Human World has been modified over many years and is very stable. Hueco Mundo is different. Under normal circumstances, Soul Reapers rarely come to Hueco Mundo, so inside the Garganta, we must use our own spiritual pressure to construct a path beneath our feet, letting the path built of spiritual energy carry us forward..."

The other Soul Reapers were not walking through the Dangai for the first time, so Watanabe Yuji did not say much to them. Only Natsuki was different; this was his first time in the Dangai, so he taught him with extra care.

Thanks to his powerful control over spiritual energy, Natsuki easily mastered this little trick once he understood the principle.

Soul Society and Hueco Mundo were very far apart.

After all, they were two completely different worlds.

However, even if they spent a lot of time in the Dangai, there was no need to worry too much.

The flow of time in the Dangai was extremely fast—one thousand times faster than the outside world. A thousand years passing in the Dangai corresponded to only one year in reality.

Logically speaking, such a special world would actually be very suitable for cultivation.

At first, some Soul Reapers had tried to do so.

But they later discovered that unless one engaged in specific types of training, normal cultivation was difficult to improve one's strength here. This was because there were no Reishi here—or rather, while Reishi existed, it was difficult to support a Soul Reaper's cultivation.

Ultimately, it was a special world formed by the accumulation of broken world fragments, serving as a buffer zone between Hueco Mundo, the Human World, and Soul Society.

Furthermore, the Dangai was not without its dangers.

There were Kotsutotsu and Kototsu. Every so often, Kotsutotsu would destroy everything foreign within the Dangai; it was a cleaner in the truest sense of the word.

Because the journey was very monotonous and boring, Watanabe Yuji told Natsuki many things.

Natsuki was truly grateful to Watanabe Yuji.

Even though he had some understanding of this world after remembering what it was, his memories were distant, and he only knew the broad outlines. Without Watanabe Yuji's guidance, it would have been very difficult for him to integrate into this world so quickly.

Dazzling light flooded his eyes.

A completely different sensation washed over him, and Natsuki knew that they had left the Dangai and arrived in Soul Society.

He was certain of this because he could perceive the Reishi filling the surrounding air.

However, in terms of concentration, the Reishi density here was still inferior to that of Hueco Mundo.

Having stayed in Hueco Mundo for so long, Natsuki felt somewhat unaccustomed to this environment.

"Let's go. I'll take you to Seireitei."

Watanabe Yuji said to Natsuki and the other few Soul Reapers.

"So, this isn't the Seireitei?" Natsuki asked, feeling somewhat puzzled.

"Of course not," Watanabe Yuji explained. "Because the passage to the Human World is relatively stable, it can be opened within the Seireitei, but Hueco Mundo is different. To prevent Hollows from potentially seizing the opportunity to invade the Seireitei through the Garganta, any opening of passages related to Hueco Mundo is conducted outside the Seireitei."

And so, Natsuki continued on his way.

After Watanabe Yuji revealed his identity, the group easily entered the Seireitei through the White Way Gate.

Afterward, Watanabe Yuji led them toward the direction of the 11th Division.

Before long, Natsuki finally laid eyes on the strongest Kenpachi mentioned by Watanabe Yuji and Ashido: Kuruyashiki Kenpachi.