Dim Room

Soul Society. West Rukongai, 64th District, codenamed "Rust Face."

At the entrance of the 26th Street, a commotion broke out. Residents of Rukongai, dressed in tattered rags, gathered in a wide circle from afar, peering at the brawl unfolding at the street corner.

"Bang!" "Crash!"

A burly, stout man was kicked into the air, flying backward until he smashed through a flimsy wall behind him.

Lin Nan took two steps toward where the man had landed, brushed the dust off his clothes, and teased, "Boss of the Kusajishi Group, still want to fight? Do we still need to pay this month's protection money?"

The "Kusajishi Group" was a gang of thugs that had drifted over from the 79th District of North Rukongai, an area codenamed "Kusajishi."

Due to years of constant warfare, the high-numbered districts of Rukongai were synonymous with chaos and death. The gangs that sprouted from these regions were all ruthless and vicious characters.

Since arriving in the Rust Face district, the Kusajishi Group had survived by extorting the local residents. Faced with such brutal thugs, the gentle residents dared not resist.

However, today, they had run into this white-haired youth.

Lin Nan strolled forward, stepping past the dozen or so men lying scattered on the ground. Littered across the floor were various weapons like short blades and hand axes.

These were all the officers of the Kusajishi Group. One minute they were acting arrogant and domineering, and the next, they were out cold.

Under the witness of the residents of Rust Face District 26, this notorious organization that had rampaged all the way from North Rukongai had been taken down by Lin Nan single-handedly.

"You're the ones who beat up the old man from my neighborhood, right? The poor guy is already skin and bones, and you beat him until his face was covered in blood! Are you even human... no, wait, you're definitely not human... do you even have any shame?"

Lin Nan looked back at the helpless old man leaning against the wall, his face bloodied, and felt his anger boil over.

With a "whoosh," a dark, chubby hand suddenly reached out from the broken bricks and rubble.

The fat man struggled to his feet, his round, dark head flushed a deep, plum red from pure rage.

Lin Nan watched the man's defiant expression and lightly pressed his knuckles, causing them to crack with a crisp sound.

"What's this? Still not convinced? We've gone back and forth a few times, haven't you learned your lesson yet?"

The dark-faced fat man pulled an iron mace as thick as an arm from behind his back, his face twisted with murderous intent. "Kid, you're the first one to make me fight seriously! You're going to die here today!"

He swung the massive mace, and suddenly, the air around his clothes began to stir without a breeze. His presence surged instantly!

Lin Nan was slightly taken aback. "Oh? A thug who can actually exert spiritual pressure?"

As a transmigrator, Lin Nan had been a loyal manga enthusiast in his past life, especially a die-hard fan of Bleach. But fate was cruel; he had transmigrated into this manga world only to be dealt the worst possible starting hand.

How bad was it? In the half-month since he arrived, he had already escaped from the pursuit of Soul Reapers five or six times.

Under these circumstances, he hadn't even bothered to change his name.

There were surnames like "Lin" in Japanese names too. Although "Lin Nan" sounded a bit out of place, if pronounced with their accent, it sounded close enough.

Besides, if he were ever hunted down by Soul Reapers again, he could change to a generic Japanese name at any time to avoid being tracked.

After all, the Soul Society didn't exactly have a household registration system.

Now, the dark-skinned fat man before him was radiating a steadily climbing spiritual pressure.

Since transmigrating, Lin Nan had become all too familiar with spiritual pressure. After all, he had to rely on it to judge whether the Soul Reapers had truly left.

In the Soul Society, people with a talent for spiritual power were extremely rare. Those capable of erupting with spiritual pressure were even fewer.

As the fat man's spiritual pressure continued to rise, the air around the iron mace began to ripple visibly to the naked eye.

"This is the serious side of Oniiwajo-sama! Prepare yourself, and then go to hell!" The dark-faced brute bared his fangs and snarled viciously.

The long, narrow iron mace instantly grew more than double its size. The hammer head, which had been the length of a forearm, suddenly expanded into a terrifying weapon of death half the height of a man!

This thing can get bigger. And it got longer, too... Lin Nan felt like he had a mountain of complaints to make.

What kind of trashy weapon are you using?!

But the massive body of Oniiwajo had already lunged forward, the mace carving a blur through the air as it headed straight for his face!

So fast!!

This guy is actually an agile fat man!

Before Lin Nan could dodge, the spike-covered mace whistled down, stopping less than a foot from his face!

The surrounding residents let out a collective gasp, mixed with a few soft sighs of despair.

The "Kusajishi Group" hadn't earned their reputation for nothing, rampaging all the way from North to West Rukongai. Their cruelty and ruthlessness were legendary in Rukongai. It seemed this young man was doomed to a grim fate today.

Everyone closed their eyes, unable to bear watching the carnage that was about to follow.

The mace whistled down.

With a crisp "ding," the air seemed to freeze.

"This... how is this possible... you've got to be kidding me..." Oniiwajo was stunned by the sight before him, muttering to himself in disbelief.

The massive mace had been easily blocked by the young man's slender, fair forearm!?

Lin Nan held the mace steady with his left arm, peering out from beneath its shadow, and tilted his head. "Is that your full power? If so, this next part might hurt a little!"

As he spoke, he exerted force with his left hand, and the massive iron mace was easily flicked away!

Oniiwajo's eyes widened in disbelief. A cry of terror erupted from the crowd of onlookers.

It was even more terrified than when they had seen the fat man flying through the air just moments before.

A seemingly ordinary youth from the Rukongai had actually caught a half-man-tall iron mace without a scratch! And he had even managed to deflect it?

Before the crowd's shock could subside, Lin Nan's fist had already slammed into Oniiwajo's nose in the very next second!

"Clang!" With a crisp sound, Oniiwajo's head snapped back uncontrollably, a spray of blood arching through the air.

Lin Nan's gaze was icy, his fists falling like raindrops onto Oniiwajo's bloated head.

The onlookers were so terrified they fell deathly silent. In the sweltering afternoon air, only the continuous sound of impacts echoed.

"I've taught you a lesson time and again, yet you still haven't learned? You don't believe that I get stronger the more I fight, do you? I'll make sure you remember this today!"

Lin Nan cursed in anger while raining fierce slaps onto that ugly, fat face.

Although with his current strength, a few heavy punches to the fat man's face would likely send him to his next reincarnation.

However, as a law-abiding citizen in his past life, he was still unaccustomed to taking a life the moment he threw a punch.

Amidst the series of resounding slaps, the dark-skinned fat man gradually lost the strength to resist, sagging like a discarded rag doll.

"Stop!" A sharp shout halted Lin Nan's fists.

The watching residents looked toward the source of the voice, turning as silent as cicadas in winter.

The two men who had intervened were dressed in black martial uniforms, each with a long, narrow blade tucked into their waist. At this moment, they wore fierce expressions as they strode toward Lin Nan.

They were Soul Reapers. Nominally, they existed to protect the Seireitei, guide souls between the World of the Living and the Soul Society, and eliminate evil spirits. But in the eyes of the Rukongai residents, they were merely synonymous with calamity.

"Impressive! You took down so many people all by yourself?" one Soul Reaper asked with a smile. "We're from the 11th Division of the Gotei 13. Do you need some help?"

Lin Nan glanced back at the thugs on the ground and nodded. "Sure."

"Good. Then come with us." The two Soul Reapers exchanged a smile and walked toward Lin Nan in unison.

"Hm? Not me. They're the thugs; I'm just a resident here..." Seeing them approach, Lin Nan felt a jolt of alarm and hurriedly tried to defend himself.

Damn it, it looks like I might have to run for my life again.

"Oh, I know that. Don't worry..." One of the Soul Reapers walked slowly up to Lin Nan and explained in a gentle voice, "I know they're the thugs, but we don't care!"

Lin Nan froze, suddenly feeling a sharp sting on his back, followed by his vision going black as he collapsed to the ground with a thud.

Behind him, the other Soul Reaper held a thin needle, laughing shamelessly: "The sedative given by Captain Unohana really works; just a tiny bit on the skin is enough to knock someone out instantly."

The other laughed as well: "Of course. As members of the 11th Division, we must stay consistent with our Captain's fighting style—always ensure both hands have a weapon available!"

Under the silent gaze of the onlookers, the two Soul Reapers quickly bound Lin Nan and hoisted him onto their shoulders.

Lin Nan's head hung low, his consciousness completely gone, leaving him at their mercy.

The two Soul Reapers turned and left with Lin Nan on their backs.

On the road, the two exchanged a glance and burst into laughter:

"We're so lucky today; we finished the mission the Captain gave us in no time. Hey, kid, don't hate us—if you want to hate someone, hate the fact that you're so good at fighting!

Besides, not everyone gets the chance to be kidnapped by us; by rights, you should be thanking us. After all, you should feel honored to be an opponent for Unohana Kenpachi!"