A Way

Although Lin Nan didn't really understand what the words on the screen meant, he had a vague feeling that they were directly connected to everything he'd been through lately.

He remembered that the last time he fought Unohana, it had also been his first time entering this strange Playback Room. Back then, the screen had displayed the words "Shell Damaged," before beginning "Shell Repair."

"Last time, Unohana cut me three times, but my injuries weren't serious... Maybe she wasn't going easy on me after all. Maybe I was protected by the Rei-Pressure Shell?" Lin Nan turned around and gazed at the bright moonlight reflected in the corridor, lost in thought.

Bloodthirsty killers like Unohana and Zaraki Kenpachi loved nothing more than cutting people and getting cut themselves. How could they possibly hold back once they started fighting? Ordinary people would be lucky to survive against them, let alone keep all their limbs.

Lin Nan grew more and more convinced that his deduction was right.

It was the [Shell] that let him withstand swords and other kinds of attacks. Unohana's blade had been too fierce and powerful, breaking through the Shell's defensive limit. That was why she'd left wounds on him.

Although Iwamoto Raizo had also broken through the Shell's defenses, judging by the prompts on the screen, Lin Nan didn't think that meant Iwamoto was on the same level as Unohana.

After Unohana's attack, the Shell had been left damaged and incomplete, which meant its defensive power was below normal. Iwamoto's attack had likely just exceeded the limit of what the Shell could withstand while it was repairing itself.

After all, Lin Nan had fought Kyoraku all night before that, enduring countless Kido spells, wooden-sword strikes, and punches and kicks.

"Kyoraku couldn't hurt me, but I bet his Kido still put some strain on the Shell while it was repairing. That old bastard Iwamoto just happened to benefit from it." Lin Nan smacked his lips.

"The Shell's function seems to have failed for now. I'll have to focus more on dodging from here on out... And... what does this Reiatsu internal circulation mean?"

After thinking it over for a moment, he stopped dwelling on the terms he didn't understand and returned to the screen to watch the replay of his battle with Iwamoto Raizo.

"Let's see what I can learn from the old bastard. I'll pay you back tenfold when the time comes!"

The fight hadn't been complicated. In fact, it had ended quickly. Aside from the exchange of one punch and one kick, Lin Nan was certain he wasn't a match for Iwamoto Raizo.

He'd been stabbed because he was overconfident, but even if he hadn't made that mistake, he probably wouldn't have lasted three more rounds.

That was because Iwamoto Raizo was skilled not only in Hakuda and swordsmanship, but also in Shunpo.

For a long time, Lin Nan had overlooked Shunpo. The first reason was that no one had used it in any of the fights he'd had in the Soul Society, so he'd ignored how much the skill could help in battle.

It was just like when Kurosaki Ichigo had been casually defeated the first time he met Byakuya: he hadn't understood Shunpo.

The second reason was that Lin Nan had been too confident in his body's toughness. Subconsciously, he'd felt there was no need to guard against a Shunpo sneak attack. With absolute defense, I'm the biggest sneak attacker around. Why should I fear a mere ambush?

"It's a good thing I found out now that the Shell has a damage-reduction limit. Otherwise, if Unohana ever cornered me again, I might end up losing an arm or a leg." The thought made Lin Nan break out in a cold sweat.

He operated the system and slowed down the footage from when his grappling move missed to when he was stabbed in the abdomen, then watched it over and over again.

As he watched himself get stabbed again and again, his emotions shifted from fear to anger, then finally calmed. He began focusing on the movements and techniques involved.

"That old bastard used Shunpo to dodge my grapple, then Shunpoed back and used the momentum to pierce the Shell's defenses." On the screen, Lin Nan scrutinized every movement Iwamoto made while using Shunpo, from his footwork to the way he moved his body, and even the height and angle of his strike.

To make a Shunpo both fast and cover a long distance, you needed a powerful body to support it.

When Iwamoto dodged the grapple, his body had only moved simply back and forth without turning or changing direction. He'd covered no more than two meters, which was why Lin Nan had been caught off guard.

Shunpo: Beginner; Shunpo Proficiency: +1; Total Shunpo Points: 1.

Lin Nan narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked at the words on the screen.

"Even though it says 'Beginner,' I'm still not very confident I can use Shunpo properly," he muttered. "At least my other abilities fall within the range of normal sensory reactions. But this Shunpo thing is practically teleportation. I'm afraid I'll run too far and crash into a wall..."

The moonlight in the corridor seemed to grow a little brighter. Lin Nan turned to look, then said to himself, "That's probably enough. I should head back and check. I hope those guys haven't ransomed us off in the meantime. That would be a real mess."

As he pondered the techniques behind Shunpo, he withdrew his consciousness from the room. Then he heard the sound of a whip cracking beside him, followed by Kyoraku's pained gasps.

"Boss, he's passed out," someone said.

"Stop for now. We still need him, so don't beat him to death." It was Iwamoto Raizo's voice.

"What about the other one who's still unconscious?"

"Change his dressing later. Keep a close eye on his condition. He has the potential to be useful to me, so make sure he's taken care of."

"Yes."

The footsteps gradually faded. Lin Nan's eyes slowly adjusted to the light in front of him.

He was sitting on the floor with his back against the wall, in a dim stone room. There was no furniture, only a thick wooden post taller than a man standing in the middle of the floor, with several oil lamps arranged around it.

"The walls in front of me don't have any windows. If the wall behind me doesn't either, then this is probably a basement."

As Lin Nan wondered about it, he squinted at a figure dragging the unconscious Kyoraku over in front of him.

The light was too dim to see Kyoraku's condition.

The newcomer dropped Kyoraku onto the floor and glanced at Lin Nan beside him before muttering, "You think I'm going to change your dressing? Dream on. If the boss takes you into his service, I'll have gone and found myself another superior."

After saying that, the figure turned and swaggered into the darkness nearby. The sound of wooden sandals on the stairs followed.

Only then did Lin Nan open his eyes. His hands were still tied above his head, so he could only lower his head to check the wound on his abdomen. When he saw that it had stopped bleeding, he quickly turned and softly called Kyoraku's name.

After a long while, Kyoraku finally stirred and answered weakly, "Lin Nan... are... you all right?"

Lin Nan strained to open his eyes wider, trying to see how Kyoraku was doing. But the room was too dark. Aside from Kyoraku's outline on the floor, he couldn't make out a single detail. Everything else was just black.

Lin Nan anxiously called to him in a low voice, "I'm fine! Shunsui, are you badly hurt? Don't sleep! Whatever you do, don't fall asleep..."

Kyoraku spoke in fits and starts. "I... think I... won't die..."

"Huh? Are you sure?"

"Sure... My whole body hurts, but there's nowhere I've lost feeling..."

"Uh... Then maybe you should sleep for a while and get your strength back." Seeing that Kyoraku didn't seem to be in too bad a shape, Lin Nan breathed a little easier.

Kyoraku smiled weakly. "No, Lin Nan... We have to find a way, a way to get out. They... they want to get military, military intelligence about the Seireitei out of me..."

Lin Nan hesitated for a second, then nodded. "If that's the case, they should let you recover. They won't take your life lightly. We can discuss it slowly while you get some of your strength back. But... can you still walk?"

"If I rest... for a while, I should... be able to." Kyoraku's voice came in fits and starts.

"Then rest for now. I'll think of something." Lin Nan suddenly remembered something else. "Kyoraku, is there a lighting spell in Kido? It's too dark in here."

Kyoraku answered, "No..." Then he fell silent.

Lin Nan collected himself and thought about how they could escape. Kyoraku's hands were tied, but he wasn't bound to the wall. If he could get to his feet, he could untie Lin Nan.

But they didn't know how the enemy had set things up, and both of them were injured. Even if they got free, there was no telling whether they could fight their way out.

He sat quietly in the dark for nearly twenty minutes. Only when he heard Kyoraku's breathing grow steady did some of the tension leave him.

Another two hours passed, and all the oil lamps had gone out.

Kyoraku slowly woke. "Lin Nan... are you awake?"

"I haven't slept," Lin Nan answered softly. "This is a basement. There's no sunlight. It might be daytime now, but I'm not tired."

Kyoraku gave a bitter laugh. "You're more badly hurt than I am, and yet you told me to rest."

Lin Nan shrugged. "It's fine. I was unconscious for a long time. Oh, right. I thought of a way..."

Kyoraku immediately perked up. He arched his body off the floor, then inched over to Lin Nan, feeling his way along.

They had only exchanged a few quiet words when footsteps came down the stairs from the darkness, followed by voices.

"How are the two young men doing?"

"Boss, it's been quiet all night. We haven't heard anything else."

A point of light suddenly appeared above and to the right, illuminating several steps.

Kyoraku and Lin Nan tensed and quickly moved apart, pretending to sleep again.

As the footsteps drew nearer, the light tore through the basement's darkness. Iwamoto Raizo and several guards appeared before Lin Nan and Kyoraku like specters.

Iwamoto Raizo stepped forward slowly, his expression as unchanging as stone.

"Good morning, everyone."