" Kurosaki, now that your men have been released, shouldn't you take us to find this Elder Watanabe you mentioned?"
After Sōgo released all of Kurosaki's subordinates, he turned to Kurosaki and asked him a question.
"No, I need to make sure they've left safely."
Kurosaki gently shook his Sōgo, afraid that Sōgo might change his mind.
"Hey! Kid, don't push your luck!"
After hearing Kurosaki's words, Shaoling Fon kicked Kurosaki in the face with her small straw sandals, the terrifying force sending Kurosaki sprawling to the ground.
" Kurosaki- sama!!!"
Seeing Kurosaki, a Pure-Blood Quincy, being kicked to the ground by Soul Reaper, the newly freed Mixed-Blood Quincy immediately shouted loudly, looking ready to fight Sōgo and the others to the death.
"Stop!"
Kurosaki, clutching his swollen face marked with shoe soles, staggered to his feet and stopped the enraged Mixed-Blood Quincy.
"All of you, use the 'Spirit Silk' to retreat."
Kurosaki covered his face and roared at the group of Mixed-Blood Quincy.
"But... Lord Kurosaki..."
Upon hearing Kurosaki's words, the Mixed-Blood Quincy were all stunned into silence. They were Mixed-Blood Quincy, and the combined lives of all of them were far less important than those of a pureblood.
"Retreat, all of you, unless you want me to die here?"
Kurosaki roared at the Quincy Mixed-Blood Quincy and conjured Reishi blade in his hand, aiming it at his own neck.
" Kurosaki- sama..."
"We're retreating!"
"But Lord Kurosaki is still here..."
"Idiot! Don't let down Lord Kurosaki's sacrifices for us..."
Seeing the resolute look in Kurosaki's eyes, the group of Mixed-Blood Quincy ultimately chose to obey Kurosaki orders.
Each Mixed-Blood Quincy's hand lit up, and within about five or six seconds, they all disappeared before Sōgo and the others' eyes.
"Wow~ So this is the unique movement technique of you Quincy the intelligence mentioned? It's said that you can move freely in the Valley of Screams, is it true or not?"
Sōgo watched quietly as the Quincy's bodies emitted light and slowly disappeared, choosing not to make a move. Although he could kill them all in an instant, he wouldn't break his promise to Kurosaki. Besides, he was quite interested in their ability to teleport freely between Valley of Screams.
"It's no use talking about it; this is a technique that no one but us Quincy can use."
Kurosaki looked arrogant.
"Smack!"
"Just say it!"
Shaoling Fon didn't like to indulge Kurosaki's bad habits, so she punched Kurosaki on the head.
"It hurts!"
Why are you hitting me?
Kurosaki covered his head, squatted down, and looked up at Shaoling Fon with a wronged expression, asking her a question.
"It seems you don't realize your current position; you're a prisoner! I hope you can understand your place."
With a cold expression, Shaoling Fon looked down at Kurosaki as she spoke.
"Fine, since Kurosaki isn't willing to answer, let's get going."
" Kurosaki- kun, don't forget your promise to take me to see your Elder Watanabe."
Sōgo pulled Kurosaki up from the ground and began to speak.
"Of course, since I promised you, I won't go back on my word. You guys stick close to me."
As Kurosaki spoke, he used the Hirenkyaku, moving at high speed through the Valley of Screams, seemingly intending to leave the people behind him behind.
"Hmph~"
Sōgo sneered and led the others to follow closely behind Kurosaki.
"So fast!"
"These people are so fast!"
Hearing the whooshing sound behind him, Kurosaki's expression changed slightly. He could feel the Spiritual Pressure pressing tightly against his back. He understood that at this level, it was absolutely impossible to shake off the person behind him and then use 'teleportation'.
Looks like I need to step up my game!
With that thought in mind, Kurosaki increased his speed, using the Hirenkyaku beyond his normal limits.
However, they still couldn't shake off Sōgo and the others behind them.
An hour later...
"I can't take it anymore, I... I need to rest."
Kurosaki stood there, drenched in sweat, his arms resting on his thighs, panting heavily.
"Can't handle it anymore, little bro?"
In contrast, Sōgo and the others behind him all looked at him with relaxed and carefree expressions.
"Damn it... you underestimate me again."
After hearing Sōgo's words, Kurosaki angrily replied, "But it doesn't matter, I will definitely get away from these damned people."
What followed was nothing more than Kurosaki resting, Kurosaki running away, Kurosaki resting again, Sōgo and the others just watching Kurosaki rest, chasing after Kurosaki to prevent him from escaping, and then watching Kurosaki rest again. Time quickly passed and night fell.
The sky over this Valley of Screams gradually darkened.
"Have you transformed this Valley of Screams to this extent? It even has alternating light and shadow?"
Sōgo looked at the changing sky and asked a question.
"Of course... and the time is synchronized with the World of the Living, so that we can better survive here."
Kurosaki nodded slightly and answered smugly.
"I see. It seems you've lived here for quite some time."
Sōgo nodded slightly after hearing Kurosaki's words.
"Forehead..."
Upon hearing Sōgo's words, Kurosaki's face instantly fell. He hadn't expected that a single unintentional remark would reveal so much information.
As darkness fell, the group gathered around the campfire and sat in a circle around it.
"Have you Quincy been hiding in these Valley of Screams ever since you were driven out of Hueco Mundo Soul Reaper?"
Sōgo followed behind Kurosaki, asking questions intermittently.
No comment.
After hearing Sōgo's words, Kurosaki did not Sōgo. He had become a little smarter after his conversation with Sōgo.
"What? It's not like it's a secret worth hiding, so why bother keeping it a secret?"
Sōgo put his arm around Kurosaki's shoulder and asked.
"Hmph! Don't think I don't know what you Soul Reaper are up to! Once you find out, you'll probably immediately send this information back to Soul Society, right? Then, like before, you Soul Reaper will send out a large number of soldiers to wipe us out!"
Kurosaki snorted coldly after hearing Sōgo's words. Although he wasn't smart, he knew that some information could be said and some couldn't. He would never and could not become a sinner of the Quincy clan.
"I've already said it, the order to annihilate you Quincy was given by the current ruling class of Soul Society, it has nothing to do with us~ I actually quite like your Quincy clan, deciding to fight against Hollows as a whole clan. Putting aside the right and wrong of this matter, just in terms of courage alone, you have really done something that many people cannot do, even some Soul Reaper do not have such courage."
After hearing Kurosaki's words, Sōgo spoke nonchalantly, his words filled with admiration for the Quincy clan's decision.
"Is there anything wrong with eliminating Hollows? Hollows shouldn't exist in this world; they are evil! They only know how to kill according to their instincts, they can't understand each other, they can't communicate. Only by completely eliminating them can this world be in the best interest."
After hearing Sōgo's words, Kurosaki broke free from Sōgo's arm, his expression somewhat out of control, and spoke in a hurried and agitated tone.
"Um?"
Lilynette, Tier Harribel, and Szayelaporro, who had been silent until now, frowned upon hearing Kurosaki's words and simultaneously looked at Kurosaki.
"What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that? Am I wrong? Hollows are evil in themselves, and besides, aren't you Soul Reaper doing the same thing as us? You also take it upon yourselves to destroy Hollows!"
Kurosaki felt a little irritated by the stares from Lilynette and the other two, and he spoke to them incessantly.
"You're wrong. The purpose of the Soul Reaper is to purify Hollows, to restore souls corrupted by their inner obsessions to their original form. But you Quincy completely erase Hollows from this world. There's a huge difference between the two. If you Quincy, the balance of souls will eventually be broken, and the entire world will perish as a result!"
After hearing Kurosaki's words Shaoling Fon loudly retorted.
"The world will be destroyed? That's such an alarmist statement..."
Kurosaki responded dismissively after hearing Shaoling Fon's words.
"This is not an exaggeration. The reason why Hueco Mundo, Soul Society, and the Human World can be maintained is because they are all maintained in a balance. If the number of 'inhabitants' in one world decreases unilaterally, causing the number of inhabitants in other worlds to increase rapidly, the burden on the other two worlds will increase. Eventually, it is indeed possible that the world's 'foundation' will be unable to sustain the excessive burden and eventually collapse. Therefore, Soul Society has been monitoring the number of Menos Grande in Hueco Mundo and also deliberately controlling the number of Soul Reaper. However, Quincy do not have this concept. They just keep hunting Hollows and forget that Hollows are also part of this world and are also the choice of human souls."
Sōgo gently shook his head at Kurosaki, interrupting Kurosaki, and began to speak.
"..."
"Are you saying that we Quincy shouldn't exist in the Quincy place? Are you saying that our existence is meaningless? Or are you saying that in your eyes, we who possess special powers and cannot become Soul Reaper or Hollows after death are anomalies in this world?"
After hearing Sōgo's words, Kurosaki frowned. He originally wanted to refute Sōgo, but for some reason, he felt from the bottom of his heart that Sōgo hadn't lied to him. The words he had prepared were left unsaid. Finally, he asked Sōgo, wanting to understand what kind of existence the Quincy were in the eyes of the other party, in the eyes of the Soul Reaper who could be called Quincy enemies.
"Certainly..."
Sōgo nodded slightly after hearing Kurosaki's words, but he didn't finish his sentence.
"As expected?"
Kurosaki's pupils contracted sharply. He didn't know what he was expecting. Now it seemed that all the Soul Reaper were indeed the same.
"... I don't know. After all, I'm not Quincy, Quincy how can I give you an answer? Although I don't know what you're thinking, after all, your Quincy race is also part of humanity, right?! Besides you, there are countless other people with extraordinary abilities in this world, including Soul Reaper, Quincy, and Hollows. Since we all exist in this world, we may be enemies for various reasons, but it is precisely because of this, because of our different ideologies, that each person has their own meaning in this world, isn't it? It's just that your Quincy ideologies are a bit too extreme now..."
" Kurosaki, think about this carefully. When did you start separating yourselves from humanity and treating yourselves as special, outcast individuals? This kind of thinking is strange. Why did you separate yourselves? You are all human beings, yet you insist on living with Hollows and Soul Reaper who have abandoned their human forms. Instead of Quincy the meaning of the Quincy race's existence, try thinking as an ordinary person, as an ordinary human Quincy. When... Hollows and Soul Reaper were still human beings, living as human individuals, start observing and thinking from that point, and perhaps you will find your answer today."
Sōgo cannot give Kurosaki the answer directly. No matter how special he is, he is Soul Reaper grew up in Soul Society. Since he carries the label of Soul Reaper, he cannot give Kurosaki, who is nominally an enemy of Soul Reaper Quincy, the answer. The one who can truly find the answer is Kurosaki himself, who asked the question.
"Thinking like an ordinary human being..."
After listening to Sōgo's words, Kurosaki's brows furrowed slowly as he pondered what he should do... After thinking for a long time, Kurosaki came to a conclusion: just as Sōgo said, perhaps his answer could really be found among the human population. Perhaps, as Sōgo said, the place where Quincy should live is not Hueco Mundo or these Valley of Screams, but the place where ordinary humans live— the World of the Living.
"All that talk is actually irrelevant to the present~ By the way, Kurosaki, the path you've led us on since just now has been correct, right?"
Sōgo looked at the black knight who was gradually deep in thought after listening to his words and asked.
"Certainly..."
Kurosaki answered without hesitation.
"That's good. Let's rest then. You must continue to lead the way tomorrow."
Sōgo approached Kurosaki with a slight smile, then said nothing more.
"Um..."
Kurosaki nodded slightly after hearing Sōgo's words. As the night grew darker, it was time to go to sleep.
Szayelaporro pulled eight sleeping bags from his backpack and distributed them to everyone.
Do I have one too?
Kurosaki looked at the sleeping bag in his hand and asked Szayelaporro.
"Of course, I brought plenty of extra sleeping bags, giving you one is no problem at all~"
Szayelaporro smiled slightly at Kurosaki, his eyes revealing a desire—a desire for Kurosaki to sleep in his sleeping bag.
Thank you~
After thanking Szayelaporro, Kurosaki unceremoniously lay down in his sleeping bag.
midnight...
Just as everyone was immersed in a sweet dream, Kurosaki, who had gone to bed early, opened his eyes.
"Hmph! Foolish fools, I'll teleport away from here right now and see what you do then..."
Kurosaki smiled smugly to himself, thinking he would soon be free... However, when he opened his eyes, he saw a pair of enormous eyes! No, to be precise, it Sōgo wearing an eye mask with huge eyes painted on it. Sōgo was wrapped up in a sleeping bag, with only his face showing, facing Kurosaki.
"Uh... is this guy even asleep?!"
Kurosaki felt the pressure emanating from Sōgo, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. He gripped the teleportation wire tightly in his hand, pondering whether to use it or not.
It will be available tomorrow, July 1st. Thank you all for your continued support, even though I've been getting a lot of criticism.
During this period, I will take some time to post some information and settings related to Soul Reaper, either found online or compiled by myself, in the comments section. This is to help most friends who are unfamiliar with the Soul Reaper setting and to supplement their knowledge. I am also reorganizing the Soul Reaper timeline, which I will also release later. This will help everyone better understand Soul Reaper fanfiction and also help those who plan to write Soul Reaper fanfiction to avoid the same effort I've put in. In short, I wish this book continued success and that there will be more and more Soul Reaper fanfiction on Qidian!
(End of this chapter)