In the Forest of Menos, Ivan’s main body, which had been in the middle of hunting down Menos Grande, suddenly broke into a massive grin.
“It actually worked!” The Rukongai was the very first destination for all deceased souls entering the Soul Society.
Surrounded by a bustling, shoulder-to-shoulder crowd, Ivan’s Clone felt as though he were back in his past life, squeezing onto the early morning subway for his daily commute.
The densely packed sea of people was queuing up to enter a massive, oval-shaped building.
Standing in the middle of the flow, the Clone didn’t even need to walk; he was simply pushed forward by the sheer momentum of the crowd.
He looked up and saw that everyone had to pass through a gate.
In front of the gate sat a long wooden table manned by several Shinigami wearing the standard black Shihakusho.
Every person who passed through the gate was handed a wooden tag.
After waiting in line for ages, it was finally his turn.
The Shinigami sitting at the table didn’t even bother looking up.
“Here is your identification tag.
You’ve been assigned to the East District!” Before the Clone could even ask a question, the man tossed him a wooden tag with the character for “East” carved into it.
“That’s it?
Just like that?” A moment later, the surging crowd shoved him out of the bottleneck.
Following the signs, he arrived at a junction with four massive tunnels marked North, South, East, and West.
He walked straight into the tunnel marked “East.” After walking through the pitch-black tunnel for a long time, a faint glimmer of light finally appeared ahead.
Walking toward the light, he emerged onto an open field and saw a massive portal radiating bright white light.
Once again, the crowd behind him pushed him bodily through the glowing gateway.
The blinding white light forced him to shut his eyes tight.
“Hey, new soul!
What are you dawdling for?
Hurry up and hand over your identification tag for registration!” The Clone slowly opened his eyes, finding himself inside another massive building.
Behind a huge desk ahead of him, a young, white-haired female Shinigami was glaring at him with obvious displeasure.
“Hurry up and register.
Keep dragging your feet and I’ll banish you to District 80!” Swallowing his irritation, the Clone plastered a flattering smile onto his face.
“Coming, coming.” Inwardly, he scoffed.
Damn it, who are you acting so high and mighty for?
If we were in Hueco Mundo, I’d rip you in half alive!
“Name?” The white-haired Shinigami looked at him like he was a piece of trash.
“Makoto Ito!” This, naturally, was the alias he had prepared for himself in advance.
“Time of death: unknown.
Location of death: Karakura Town.
Age at death: nineteen.
You are hereby assigned to the East Rukongai, District 57: Black Snake!” The white-haired Shinigami rattled off whatever fabricated data she had pulled from thin air and officially assigned him his residence.
Just as the Clone was about to say something, the female Shinigami waved him off impatiently.
“Next!” “Keep moving forward, don’t stop!” a guard dressed entirely in white urged from across the hall.
The Clone could only suppress his annoyance and keep walking.
But just as he took a step, a loud shout rang out.
Turning his head, he saw a middle-aged man with a large afro arguing heatedly with the white-haired Shinigami.
“Why does the kid in front of me get to go to District 57, but I have to go to District 78?!” the man with the afro pointed at the Clone indignantly.
“We process everything according to the rules.
If you have an issue with our procedures, you are welcome to file a formal complaint!” The white-haired Shinigami replied with righteous strictness.
At the exact same time, she snatched back the man’s wooden tag and casually crossed out the 78, replacing it with an 80.
Seeing this, the man roared in fury.
“You’re abusing your authority!
I’m going to rep—!” He didn’t even get to finish his sentence before two guards hauled him up by the arms, dragged him away, and casually tossed him through a portal labeled with a massive 80.
Watching the dramatic scene unfold, the Clone’s mouth twitched.
He quickly turned around and walked through the portal labeled 57.
The Rukongai was divided into four main quadrants: North, South, East, and West.
Situated squarely in the center of these four quadrants was the Seireitei, the headquarters of the Shinigami.
Each quadrant contained eighty districts.
The lower the district number, the closer it was to the Seireitei, meaning better public order and a higher standard of living.
Conversely, the higher the number, the worse the living conditions and safety became.
District 80, the furthest from the Seireitei, was the absolute worst.
It was a barren wasteland where food and water were incredibly scarce, and even the Reishi concentration in the air was at its lowest.
The residents of District 80 could only secure their basic right to survival through constant slaughter and pillaging.
The level of bloodshed was not far off from Hueco Mundo itself.
While District 57 couldn’t compare to the pristine inner districts, it at least wasn’t the lawless, blood-soaked hellscape of District 80.
“So this is District 57?” Stepping out of the portal, he found himself on a street lined with low, single-story houses and tiled roofs.
Looking at the layout and cleanliness of the street, the environment was significantly better than District 77 of the West Rukongai, which he had seen in Umi Ito’s memories.
He didn’t rush to follow the directions on his identification tag to his assigned residence.
Instead, he walked over to a nearby stream to check his reflection in the water.
After spending so much time as a Hollow, abruptly regaining a human form felt a bit unnatural.
Reflected in the water was a young man who looked to be around eighteen or nineteen.
He was tall and well-built, with black hair, deep dark eyes, a prominent aquiline nose, and a bright gaze that sparkled like stars.
Looking at a face that was a ninety percent match to his appearance in his past life, he broke into a brilliant smile.
“From now on, this body will be known as Makoto Ito!” Now that his plan had succeeded, with his Clone securing a human form and successfully infiltrating the Soul Society, his objectives were clear.
His main body would remain in Hueco Mundo, hunting down Menos Grande and striving for the Vasto Lorde evolution.
Meanwhile, his Clone would find a way to enroll in the Shin’o Academy, join the Gotei 13, and become a Shinigami.
The two halves would progress simultaneously.
Once both reached their absolute limits, he would recall the Clone and complete his ultimate evolution.
From this point forward, the entity residing in the Soul Society would navigate this world solely as Makoto Ito.