The Experience of Soul Egress

Seireitei, 8th Division barracks, a room adjacent to the captain's quarters. A single elegant painting on the wall served as the room's only decoration.

Lin Nan lay quietly on the bed, his eyes tightly shut and his body wrapped in bandages. Four figures stood by the bedside, examining him with curious gazes.

"Is this the person who came in through the Negacion?" asked Yan Yuan Jinle, captain of the 3rd Division, looking at Lin Nan on the hospital bed with great interest.

He had a thin, elongated face, hair styled in a side-part, and wore gold-rimmed glasses. His somewhat sinister eyes made him look like a strategist for a criminal gang.

"That's right. My squad members have been searching privately for nearly ten days. He kept slipping away at first, but fortunately, I was nearby when the riot broke out in District 26 today. After hearing the report of an anomaly from my squad, I followed him all the way to the 11th Division and managed to intercept him," Katori replied in a low voice.

Her expression was grave, and her sparkling peach-blossom eyes lacked the playfulness and casual air she showed in front of Unohana Yachiru, replaced instead by a sense of authority. "Does Old Man Yama already know?"

Yan Yuan Jinle shook his head. "Not yet, but I suspect... it will be difficult to keep this from him."

Katori shook her head slightly and smiled softly. "I didn't intend to hide it forever, I just wanted to see him in person before reporting it. After all, I've been a Shinigami for over two hundred years and have never seen a soul emerge alive from the Negacion."

Yan Yuan Jinle nodded in agreement and said solemnly, "Indeed, it is unheard of. Right now, the four great noble clans, the newly established Central 46, and the Captain-Commander have yet to reach a consensus on this person's identity."

"Some speculate he is a spy from Hueco Mundo; others suspect he is a rebel scout captured by a Menos Grande; and some even believe he is just a lucky Ryoka..."

As Yan Yuan Jinle spoke, a hint of worry seeped into his calm voice. "In any case, we must handle this with extreme caution. Are you truly prepared to hide this person?"

Katori adjusted her glasses slightly. "I am. I have carefully examined his spiritual pressure, and there are no traces of a Hollow. Besides, if I don't say anything, who would know he is the mysterious person from the Negacion? I can easily pass him off as a talented resident of the Rukon District."

The three captains present exchanged glances, remaining non-committal.

"I will train him as a warrior in private, then create an opportunity for him to distinguish himself on the battlefield. With meritorious service, I can promote him to a member of the 8th Division on the spot, and then gradually advance him to a seated officer—this path should be flawless."

Yan Yuan Jinle thought for a moment and asked, "Then, what are the capabilities of this 'Rukon District resident'?"

Katori pointed to Lin Nan on the bed and said softly, "Yesterday, he sparred with Kenpachi in swordsmanship. They exchanged three strikes. Kenpachi was wounded by one of them; you have all seen the result."

As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of the three captains shifted. For someone below the captain level to survive a bout with Kenpachi was already a miracle.

Yet this kid was not only alive, but his limbs were intact! Furthermore, he had actually managed to land a counter-strike!?

"Of course, perhaps Sister Retsu was holding back, as the wounds on his body didn't reach the bone. The unconsciousness is likely due to the shock of being hit by such immense spiritual pressure," Katori added quickly, seeing the stunned expressions on their faces.

She had wanted to mention that the strike which wounded Kenpachi had occurred while two other captain-level individuals were intervening, but that might sound too bizarre for these three, so she decided against it.

Yan Yuan Jinle pondered for a moment, pushed the bridge of his glasses with his finger, and said, "That hypothesis is the only logical one; otherwise, it would be too terrifying."

Across from him, a rough, gravelly voice agreed. "In terms of pure swordsmanship, I'm afraid that in the current Soul Society, aside from Old Man Yama and yourself, no one can gain an advantage against Unohana!"

The speaker leaned back carelessly in his chair. His messy, upward-spiking hair was wrapped in a haphazard headscarf, and his lean, iron-like face was covered in a coarse black beard. His appearance was intimidating; it was the captain of the 7th Division, Zhi Xing Nai Wu Gang.

Facing Zhi Xing's sincere praise, Katori's beautiful eyes remained calm as she shook her head faintly. "In a pure swordsmanship duel, I am not confident I could draw with Sister Retsu—"

"My 'Cloud Style' is neither as rigid and fierce as Captain Yamamoto's 'Gen Style', nor as flexible and varied as Sister Retsu's, which draws from all schools."

Hearing this, the bald captain sitting across from Yan Yuan Jinle—whose lower face was covered by a golden skull mask and who wore slightly comical small round glasses—gave a thumbs up and hummed indistinctly, using his actions to express his support.

"Give it a rest, Kumoi! We know you like little Katori and always want to flatter her. But you can't even open your mouth, so stop humming around here. That sound always reminds me of roasted pork in the Rukon District," Zhi Xing Nai Wu Gang immediately retorted mercilessly.

"Though, little Katori's swordsmanship is indeed formidable; that much we have all witnessed."

The 9th Division captain, Kumoi Entetsu, who had been undermined, turned to look at him and raised a middle finger, humming in dissatisfaction. Zhi Xing did not back down, sticking out his tongue to make a face, making his already unfortunate appearance look even more ridiculous.

Yan Yuan Jinle looked sideways, helplessly saying, "At least show some restraint in front of Captain Katori! Zhi Xing Nai Wu Gang, stop teasing him."

Zhi Xing Nai Wu Gang, still making a face, complained, "Why use my full name? So serious, are you three 'glasses-wearers' ganging up to bully me?"

Katori lowered her head and coughed softly. "Don't drag me into this, let's talk business!"

Inside the dim space of the playback room.

Lin Nan pressed his ear tightly against the wooden door, listening intently to the sounds coming from behind it.

The sounds gradually shifted from muffled to clear, until finally, it felt as if someone were standing right behind the door talking.

"Is there really someone outside?!" Lin Nan looked at the door in disbelief, then subconsciously glanced back toward the playback room.

His notes contained nothing about what this door was.

"Maybe I should open it quietly and see; perhaps I can discover the truth of this space..." He turned back and gently pushed the door open a crack.

Pale gray mist poured in from behind the door. Lin Nan instinctively covered his nose and mouth, backing away, but he didn't smell the pungent odor he had expected.

"It's just ordinary fog after all..." Lin Nan breathed a sigh of relief and quickly peered through the crack.

Except for the thick fog, he could see nothing.

The voices outside didn't seem to notice the door opening and continued their conversation.

Without delay, Lin Nan turned back to the playback room to grab his pen, wedging it into the door crack. Then, keeping his body low, he turned and slipped into the thick fog.

The moment he was fully submerged in the mist outside, the scene before his eyes suddenly changed.

In front of him was a simple room where another version of himself lay quietly on the bed, wrapped in bandages, while he himself stood by the bedside. Opposite the bed sat four people wearing white haori.

Lin Nan stood in the open space in front of the four, yet they looked right through him as if he were transparent.

"This... I..." The scene once again exceeded Lin Nan's imagination. "What happened to me? Did my soul leave my body? These people are wearing haori—are they captains?"

Just then, he saw the thin captain with narrow-rimmed glasses part his lips: "Is this the person who came in through the Negacion?"

Zhi Xing Nai Wu Gang shed his playful expression, picked up the teacup before him to take a sip, cleared his throat, and said solemnly, "For this kid to last three rounds against Kenpachi without losing an arm or a leg, it shows his soul strength is quite high. It looks like your squad is about to gain another fierce warrior!"

"Hard to say. I have a feeling those upstart nobles will make an issue out of this." A hint of worry appeared on Yan Yuan Jinle's lean, gaunt face. "After all, the Central 46 is intentionally limiting the strength of the Court Guard Squad and finding trouble for us all day long."

"Those idiots. They've lived in peace for a few days and forgotten who they are. The moment they hear about rebel forces, they're all ready to wet their pants." Zhi Xing Nai Wu Gang spat impatiently.

Yan Yuan Jinle glanced at him and sighed softly, "These upstart nobles were only granted power because they swore death-defying loyalty to the Four Great Noble Houses. Naturally, they cannot be mentioned in the same breath as the old nobles who dared to go head-to-head with the Four Great Houses."

"However, our Court Guard Squad is currently restricted by the Central 46. To the Central 46, only when the Court Guard Squad's strength wanes do they have room to seize more power."

"So, if we want to keep this person, we must first clear his background of any ties to the rebels; otherwise, the Central 46 will definitely throw a wrench in the works."

Hearing this, the several captains fell into a brief silence. A moment later, Katori Batsunsai sighed lightly, "I hope Head Captain Yamamoto can handle it when the time comes!"

Zhi Xing Nai Wu Gang poured himself a full cup of tea and scoffed dismissively, "What are they worth? They can't fight, they can't lead troops, they just have a bit of filthy money!"

The bald captain, Kumoi Entetsu, grunted in agreement.

Yan Yuan Jinle shook his head, "No. Although they don't have the influence of the Four Great Noble Houses, once they obtained the tacit approval of the Four Great Houses, they began to control most of the government offices in the Government Office District to cultivate their own power. They cannot be underestimated."

Katori Batsunsai chimed in, "That's right. It's said that even the textbooks at the Shino Academy have omitted the mention of the 'One King Five Dukes.' It seems the world today is truly not what it used to be. However, with that fellow from the Shihoin family around, perhaps the pressure on our Court Guard Squad will be a little less."

Zhi Xing Nai Wu Gang maintained his indifferent expression and spread his hands, "Regardless, back when the nobles were embroiled in civil war, it was our Court Guard Squad that stepped in to quell the rebellion, which is why they have what they have today. If they make me unhappy, I'll just cut them down with one slash..."

Kumoi Entetsu grunted twice with force and extended a thumb to show his support for Zhi Xing Nai Wu Gang. The two exchanged a look and high-fived.

Lin Nan stood to the side, listening in stunned silence.

They actually know I'm connected to the Menos Grande Invasion incident? They're deliberately trying to keep me—what are they planning?

The Seireitei of several hundred years ago is this chaotic? If they keep me here, they aren't going to use me for something, are they?

Too much information swirled through his mind. Since his transmigration, this was the first time he felt truly at a loss.

Just as he began to feel anxious, he saw the gazes of the four captains sharpen simultaneously, all looking in his direction in unison.

"Awake so soon?"