Reforming Rukongai / A Mountain of Corpses and a Sea of Blood

"Good, then this will be easy. How about the two of us talk face-to-face?" Yamabuki Chidori asked tentatively.

"There's nothing for us to talk about. You just want to know my name again, you stinking pervert!" The Blade Spirit's haughty voice echoed in Yamabuki Chidori's heart.

"Men being perverts is perfectly normal! Besides, what's wrong with being perverted toward yourself?" Yamabuki Chidori said with a grin. As long as she kept talking to him, he could use his silver tongue to pry her name out of the little girl.

The next second, Yamabuki Chidori was pulled into his Inner World. The world was transparently pale, stretching endlessly toward a distant shore. Above him, a massive Rubik's Cube rotated irregularly, and the Blade Spirit sat atop it, looking down at him coldly.

"Didn't you call me out because you had something to say? Go ahead and say it now!" The Blade Spirit crossed her long legs wrapped in white stockings and looked at Yamabuki Chidori with arrogance.

Yamabuki Chidori asked gravely, "Your skirt is so short. Are you wearing panties underneath? Won't that sitting position expose you? And you're sitting so high up too..."

Before he could finish, the Blade Spirit kicked him square in the face. With his Lieutenant-level strength, Yamabuki Chidori clearly saw that she was indeed wearing panties—and they were white.

"You bastard, you called me out just to say something like that?" The Blade Spirit viciously ground Yamabuki Chidori's face beneath her white-stockinged foot.

"Don't be mad! My body won't be able to handle this kind of reward. Let's start with the basics. What's your name?" Yamabuki Chidori asked.

The Blade Spirit snorted, then suddenly drew the sword at her waist. That silver-white Saber appeared again. "You want to know my name? Fine! Entertain me! If you can satisfy me, it's not impossible for this lady to tell you my name."

Yamabuki Chidori saw hope and hurriedly drew his sword, fixing his gaze on the Blade Spirit.

"You'd better be careful! Life and death are decided in an instant!" A mocking smile appeared on the Blade Spirit's face. She lightly swung her blade, then sheathed it.

"Hm? What are you doing? Aren't you going to come over and fight?" Yamabuki Chidori asked curiously.

"Fight? What nonsense are you dreaming about? You're already dead!" The Blade Spirit pointed a fair finger at Yamabuki Chidori's stomach. Looking down, he saw that his abdomen had somehow been sliced open, blood continuously pouring out.

Yamabuki Chidori's pupils shrank to pinpoints. When had it happened? Had she injured him in that instant when she drew her sword? He had felt absolutely nothing! As expected, his Zanpakuto's ability was related to speed.

The agonizing pain made him clutch his stomach as he hurriedly used Kido to heal himself. In the blink of an eye, the wound closed. This time, he gave the Blade Spirit no opportunity at all. He Flash Stepped directly toward her and thrust at her chest. His swordsmanship maximized its power through the speed of Flash Step, and he had recently learned two-handed swordsmanship, doubling its force.

Just as his blade touched the skin of the Blade Spirit's chest, she suddenly vanished from before his eyes and appeared where he had been standing moments ago.

Cold sweat slowly seeped down Yamabuki Chidori's forehead. That speed was abnormal, wasn't it? He did not dare claim to be a Flash Step master, but even Shunshun Shidō, the fastest Flash Step user in the Seireitei, could not possibly move so silently and swiftly.

"So slow! You skinny little runt, can you even do this?" The Blade Spirit lightly patted Yamabuki Chidori's shoulder. He hurriedly turned and swept his sword upward, but missed again.

"Kidō #61: Binding, Six Rods Prison of Light!" Yamabuki Chidori instantly activated Kidō. He had learned quite a few practical Kidō spells before, but he had never expected his first real battle use of one would be against his own Zanpakuto. Six blades of light instantly pinned the Blade Spirit in place, but she activated the same Bakudo as well.

"Six Rods Prison of Light!"

Six blades of light pinned Yamabuki Chidori's body as well.

"I forgot to tell you. Everything you can do, I can do too." The Blade Spirit shattered the light blades with her Saber and looked at Yamabuki Chidori with her chin held high.

Yamabuki Chidori also took the chance to break free from the Six Rods Prison of Light. What a joke—he was the Child of Destiny. "Hadō #88, Dragon of Thunder!"

"Bakudo #81, Splitting Void!"

The golden-blue pillar of light slammed into the invisible barrier, Reiatsu scattering in every direction.

"Oh, right. Haven't you always wanted to see this lady's ability? Fine, I'll use it once. Just once. Whether you can master it depends entirely on you. If you survive this strike, I'll tell you my name." The Blade Spirit returned her sword to its sheath and assumed a Sword-Draw Slash stance.

Yamabuki Chidori grinned fiercely. "You said it!"

One strike. Just one strike. His current strength was already very close to Captain-level. Blocking one strike should not be a problem.

His Zanpakuto could finally be released!

The Blade Spirit raised a captivating smile. "Goodbye, my pitiful master!"

The blade was drawn!

Cleaning Up Rukongai

Yamabuki Chidori awoke from meditation, clutching his neck with a terrified expression!

One strike! He had actually failed to block even a single strike! More importantly, his ability was not speed-based at all, but...

No wonder the Blade Spirit had always refused to tell him her name. With his Lieutenant-level Reiatsu, he simply could not control this blade.

"Brother Yamabuki, what's wrong? You look terrible! Should I get a doctor for you?" Sashō Chōjirō asked.

"I'm fine. I was communicating with my Blade Spirit just now, then she slashed me! That damn girl!" Yamabuki Chidori wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. Sure enough, all those flashy tricks were useless. Only increasing his Reiatsu was the true path.

Slashed by his own Blade Spirit? Sashō Chōjirō's expression was wonderfully complicated. He really wanted to know what kind of stories Brother Yamabuki had with his own Blade Spirit.

"Why are you back so early?" Yamabuki Chidori suddenly remembered. At this time, Sashō Chōjirō should have been training at the dojo. Were those people slacking off?

"Brother Yamabuki, did you forget? We're going to patrol Rukongai this afternoon. Didn't you say before that you wanted to clean up Rukongai's public security?" Sashō Chōjirō asked.

Right, he had indeed said that. He had completely forgotten.

"Fine. Go get ready. We'll set off together in a while," Yamabuki Chidori said.

Rukongai had always been an extremely chaotic place. Those who died in the Human World all came to live in Rukongai. Every sort of person mingled there, from all walks of life. Areas closer to the Seireitei had at least some order, but the farther one went from the Seireitei, the worse things became.

Especially those thugs who thought they had a little skill. Robbery and home invasions were commonplace.

Yamabuki Chidori had planned to improve Rukongai's security long ago, but he had always lacked manpower.

For now, he could only bring a few trainees out to intimidate them and make those idle punks cause less trouble. After all, they would need to recruit Shinigami from Rukongai in the future.

Half an hour later, Yamabuki Chidori arrived at the dojo. Besides himself and Sashō Chōjirō, there were three others, all new recruits.

"We won't be doing combat practice today. I'm taking you out on patrol. Once you become official Shinigami, you'll not only protect the Seireitei, but also be responsible for Rukongai's security. Today, I'll let you experience it," Yamabuki Chidori said.

Just like that, the five of them headed directly to Gomukui District, the most chaotic district in East Rukongai.

If the previous district had at least some public security, then this district was no different from a bandit den. Everyone carried a blade. At the slightest disagreement, they would draw their swords and slash someone. A conflict between two sides might begin with no more than a glance, or perhaps the attacker simply disliked the look of you!

Most of the first Shinigami to join the Gotei 13 had been nobles. When had they ever seen such chaos?

When the three new trainees saw bones scattered all over the ground, they immediately felt nauseous.

"You can't even take this? How will you go to war in the future?" Yamabuki Chidori was actually struggling a little himself, but he had no choice. Since he wanted to show off in front of the newcomers, he had to hold on! He absolutely could not reveal a disgusted expression.

Yet after taking only a few steps, the five of them were stopped by a group of thugs.

"Kid, hand over all the food on you. And your swords aren't bad either—leave all of them behind." A particularly burly warrior grinned. "And this little runt. We'll boil him later. Even if his bones are crushed, we can still sell them as rice!"

Sashō Chōjirō saw the vicious-looking man glaring at him with ill intent and shrank behind Yamabuki Chidori in fright.

Only for Yamabuki Chidori to shove him out with a slap. "What are you scared of? Go beat him up! If you can't win, just wait and see how I deal with you when we get back!"

Sashō Chōjirō was still only twelve or thirteen, and compared to this thug, he looked like a bean sprout.

"Brother Yamabuki..."

Yamabuki Chidori completely ignored Sashō Chōjirō's plea.

Seeing there was excitement to watch, the idle thugs by the roadside gathered in a circle and began placing bets on how many moves Sashō Chōjirō could last against the warrior.

Sashō Chōjirō looked back and discovered that Yamabuki Chidori had opened the betting pool.

"Brother Yamabuki... I used to think your unreliability was just my imagination. I never thought you were genuinely unreliable! I'm about to get chopped to death, and you're over there running a gambling ring!" Sashō Chōjirō trembled.

The three newcomers also wore strange expressions.

Yamabuki Chidori said nonchalantly, "Small bets are fun, big bets are harmful. Place your bets, no changes afterward."

"I bet five moves."

"I bet three!"

"You've got a sword, kid, so you should have some skill, right? I bet ten moves."

These thugs did nothing but eat, cut people down, and gamble all day, and they were betting their entire fortunes.

Yamabuki Chidori placed a bet as well.

"I bet one move. My little brother will wipe out the other side in one move!" Yamabuki Chidori took out a money pouch and tossed it down.

The thugs around them burst into laughter. Was something wrong with this man's head? That bean sprout? He could wipe out the other side in one move?

Sashō Chōjirō could not put his misery into words. Brother Yamabuki, aren't you expecting a little too much from me?

"Chōjirō!" Yamabuki Chidori showed a gentle smile like a spring breeze. "If you make me lose money... I'll kill you tonight!"

Sashō Chōjirō could only draw his Zanpakuto.

"Brat, watch my Sword-Draw Slash!"

"Pierce through them, Genryūmaru!"

Lightning flashed, and then the two figures passed each other.

Sashō Chōjirō panted heavily as he turned back stiffly. The vicious warrior's throat had been pierced by a single sword thrust, blood pouring out like a fountain.

The onlookers around them were stunned speechless.

What had just happened? They had not even seen the exchange!

Yamabuki Chidori unceremoniously collected the money from the ground.

Spiritual Power Rank Fourteen was far too much for these lowlife thugs, and he had even made a fortune on the side!

Yamabuki Chidori opened his money pouch and poured out a pile of soybeans. Then, wearing an apologetic expression, he said to the surrounding thugs, "Ah, I'm terribly sorry. I took the wrong pouch earlier. Looks like I forgot to bring money when I left home."

Holy shit! He had taken their money without putting up anything himself!

The thugs flew into a rage and drew their swords.

"Want to play rough? Rough is my favorite! Get them!" Yamabuki Chidori gave the order to his three trainees, and chaos instantly erupted.

The trainees had undergone harsh training. Dealing with these thugs was far too easy. In no time at all, they knocked down a large group of people.

The other thugs saw that things were going badly and turned to flee.

Yamabuki Chidori did not chase them. Instead, he continued leading the group to Kusajishi District, using the same method to scam people.

By then, the trainees had begun to vaguely feel that their instructor might not be very reliable.

A Mountain of Corpses and a Sea of Blood

After winning, Sashō Chōjirō ran over excitedly. "Brother Yamabuki, so I'm already this strong!"

"You call beating one little thug impressive? Young man, set your sights farther ahead." Yamabuki Chidori led his four trainees into Kusajishi District.

But the moment they entered the district, the surrounding noise seemed to vanish. The entire district was deathly silent.

Several crows cawed in the distance, sounding especially piercing.

Before the four newcomers could understand what was happening, Yamabuki Chidori shouted in a low voice, "Everyone, stay alert. Something's wrong."

Kusajishi District was also a particularly chaotic district.

Trying to get those thugs to quiet down on their own was harder than quieting a marketplace. Yet now, not a single sound could be heard throughout the district, aside from the cold wind and the cries of crows overhead.

Where had everyone in this district gone?

Could they have all been eaten by Hollows?

Yamabuki Chidori immediately drew his sword, his expression wary.

The four trainees did not know what was happening, but seeing their instructor's caution, they all drew their Zanpakuto as well.

"Brother Yamabuki... did something happen?" Sashō Chōjirō asked carefully.

Yamabuki Chidori lightly pressed a finger to his lips, telling them not to speak. Then he looked toward the sky and noticed that several crows were flying in the same direction.

"Follow the crows," Yamabuki Chidori said quietly.

The five followed the crows all the way to the edge of Kusajishi District. When they saw the scene before them, they nearly stopped breathing in terror.

Corpses!

Corpses covered the land as far as the eye could see!

This was not merely dozens or hundreds of bodies.

Everywhere they looked, there were corpses, piled into a towering mountain.

Sashō Chōjirō finally could not hold it in and vomited up his lunch. The other three trainees did not look much better.

But Yamabuki Chidori noticed more.

Among the corpses were not only Rukongai residents, but also Hollow bodies. He even saw Menos Grande and Adjuchas among them.

Judging from the wounds on those Hollows, they had been killed with One-Hit Kill attacks during direct confrontations.

The Rukongai residents had also all been killed with One-Hit Kill attacks. Looking at the sword wounds on their bodies, cold sweat seeped down Yamabuki Chidori's forehead. Such a fast blade.