Seireitei

Aboard Vimana, flying toward the sky above Shin'o Academy.

Gilgamesh sat on his throne, stroking Yoruichi Shihouin in her black cat form as usual.

Before him, Renji Abarai and Rukia knelt, listening intently to Yoruichi Shihouin.

"The Shin'o Academy we're heading to is inside Seireitei."

"Seireitei lies at the center of Soul Society, surrounded by tall walls called the Seirei Wall."

"The Seirei Wall is built from Kill-Spirit Stone, which can block spiritual power."

"Kill-Spirit Stone releases waves that break down spiritual power, creating a spherical protective barrier called the Soul-Shielding Membrane. It protects Seireitei from spirit invasions in every direction, from the sky to underground."

"To break through the Soul-Shielding Membrane, you need enough spiritual pressure and spiritual power."

"So, under normal circumstances, people from Rukongai can't enter Seireitei."

"And if someone from Rukongai wants to enter Seireitei, they have to go through one of the four gates in the east, south, west, or north of the Seirei Wall."

"According to their directions, the four gates are called Blue Flow Gate, Vermilion Hollow Gate, White Path Gate, and Black Ridge Gate."

"Each of these gates is guarded by gatekeepers, chosen from among the outstanding residents of Rukongai in Soul Society."

"If I remember correctly, the guard at the southern Vermilion Hollow Gate we're heading to is named Hiki Nyudo."

"..."

Gilgamesh already knew everything Yoruichi Shihouin was telling them.

So he wasn't listening. Instead, he stroked the cat while focusing on the status panel only he could see.

Gilgamesh's spiritual pressure had already reached 50,000, so he could sense that the closer they got to Seireitei, the higher the concentration of Reishi in the surrounding air became.

This had also caused his spiritual power attribute, which had been stuck at 500, to rise again.

This fact made Gilgamesh sink into deep thought.

He had always been curious why the concentration of Reishi was lower in the more remote districts of Rukongai.

By rights, the Reishi concentration in a world should be uniform. Even if there were differences, they shouldn't be this great.

The concentration was especially terrifyingly low in places at the very edge, like Inuzuri and Tobiume.

As he thought, Gilgamesh couldn't help looking toward Seireitei.

Seireitei was at the center of Soul Society, and it had the highest concentration of Reishi in all of Soul Society.

So here was the question: when Seireitei was first established, had its site been chosen because it had the highest concentration of Reishi, or had they first chosen a location, which then became the place with the highest concentration?

If it was the former, then the site of Seireitei might well be Soul Society's spiritual vein, the source of its Reishi.

If it was the latter, then whoever had built Seireitei must have used some method to draw Soul Society's Reishi there.

Gilgamesh hoped it was the latter.

That way, he could find a way to replicate the method and increase the concentration of Reishi in the Kingdom of Uruk.

The higher the concentration of Reishi in a place, the more likely it was to nurture geniuses with exceptional talent as Soul Reapers.

And the Reishi in the Kingdom of Uruk was far too scarce.

It was so scarce that it couldn't even nurture newborns with the potential to become Soul Reapers.

Renji Abarai and Rukia had the potential to become Soul Reapers because neither of them had been born in Inuzuri.

Before heading to Shin'o Academy this time, Gilgamesh had screened the people in his territory.

But among the Kingdom of Uruk's current population of over a hundred thousand, not a single person had the potential to become a Soul Reaper.

This was a cruel fact, and it would greatly hinder the Kingdom of Uruk's development.

So even if the former was true, Gilgamesh would still find a way to increase the concentration of Reishi in the Kingdom of Uruk.

Before they knew it, Vimana had reached the skies above South Rukongai District 1.

Gilgamesh found an unoccupied spot, guided Vimana to the ground, then returned it to the Gate of Babylon.

A gentleman keeps his weapons close and waits for the right moment to act.

One should conceal one's strength when the time calls for it.

Vimana was far too conspicuous. If anyone spotted it, it would surely invite unnecessary trouble and might even attract the attention of the Soul Reapers and nobles of Seireitei.

It could even lead to a fight with the Soul Reapers and nobles.

That would undoubtedly interfere with their plans to enter Shin'o Academy.

Gilgamesh had confidence in his strength, but he wasn't so arrogant as to think he could take on all of Seireitei by himself.

After they landed, Yoruichi Shihouin said, "Next, I'll take you to the southern Vermilion Hollow Gate. When we get there, tell the gatekeeper, Hiki Nyudo, that you want to take the entrance exam for Shin'o Academy."

As she spoke, Yoruichi Shihouin started walking ahead. "Follow me and don't fall behind. I won't speak again from here on."

Gilgamesh, Renji Abarai, and Rukia followed without hesitation.

South Rukongai District 1 was vast and prosperous, with a steady stream of people coming and going.

Renji Abarai and Rukia looked like country bumpkins seeing the big city for the first time. The wonder on their faces never faded.

They were curious about everything along the way and kept gasping in surprise.

"Wow, there's such a huge river over there!"

"What's that? It smells so good!"

"A restaurant! This must be the restaurant from the stories, where you can eat all kinds of delicious food!"

Seeing how overwhelmed Renji Abarai and Rukia were, the passersby cast curious glances their way.

Suddenly, Renji Abarai seemed to spot something. He pointed at a place, his face flushing as he stammered, "O-over... over... there..."

Gilgamesh and the others didn't understand, so they looked in the same direction.

They saw several scantily clad women beckoning to passersby.

Yoruichi Shihouin and Gilgamesh knew exactly what kind of place it was, and neither of them reacted.

Rukia had clearly never seen anything like it before. Her face turned bright red, but she immediately stepped in front of Gilgamesh and said, "My king, don't look. Those things will taint your eyes."

Then Rukia muttered very softly, "If you want to look, you can look at mine..."

Rukia's last words were so quiet that even Gilgamesh didn't hear them.

But under the light of the Star of Omniscience, he saw through Rukia's thoughts.

His wine-red eyes couldn't help but take in Rukia's figure, and then he pictured Yoruichi Shihouin's tall, graceful form. He couldn't help giving a slight shake of his head.

Although Rukia was still young, in Gilgamesh's memory, her figure didn't improve much when she grew up.

Hmm, perhaps I can help her improve it...