In a dark corner of the Dangai, dozens of ragged people made their home.
Their gaze never wavered, constantly vigilant of the churning Kōryū surrounding them.
“Chief, look!”
Suddenly, one of them cried out.
A white-haired man looked up and discovered that the Kōryū around them was rapidly vanishing.
At the same time, a terrifying Reiatsu—like a bottomless abyss or a living hell—surged from the distance, piercing through even the barriers of the Dangai.
“This is…”
A flash of golden light flickered and vanished, and the oppressive Reiatsu disappeared instantly.
Most of the nearby Kōryū had also vanished.
The white-haired man closed his eyes to sense the environment carefully, and after a moment, a look of wild joy crossed his face.
“The Kōtotsu…
it’s gone!” The white-haired man waved his hand, exclaiming with excitement, “The Kōtotsu was destroyed by some unknown powerhouse!
It took so long to form on its own!
The Kōryū is no longer a threat!
Use this time to rest!
Once we’ve recovered, we can finally begin working toward our ambitions!”
“Yeah!!”
…
“Heh!
I knew it wasn’t such a big deal!”
Grinning widely, Ichigo looked at his handiwork with smug satisfaction.
Just as he had felt, so-called rules weren’t unbreakable; it was simply a matter of the person lacking the strength or being strictly forbidden from doing so.
“You brat!” Yoruichi couldn’t help but jump up and swat Ichigo with a cat paw.
“What on earth is going through your head?!
That was incredibly dangerous!”
“It was fine…” Ichigo rubbed his head in pain.
“I only swung because I felt like I could cut it.
I’m not actually an idiot…”
“You’re pretty close!” Yoruichi roared, though she couldn’t help but mutter to herself, ‘I feel like this guy has made another leap in progress…
That was a Kōtotsu, a genuine product of the world’s laws.
I didn’t expect it to be that simple…
Maybe he really could try taking on the Gotei 13 by himself…’
Despite her thoughts, Yoruichi maintained her stern cat persona, commanding the group to hurry through the Dangai.
With the delay caused by Ichigo, the time they had originally planned for was nearly up.
Soul Society, West Rukongai, Outskirts.
As usual, it was very peaceful here.
Not far away lay the Seireitei, where the Shinigami resided.
For one thing, because Shinigami frequently passed through, the area was largely free from the harassment of criminals and Hollows.
Although life was still impoverished, it was far better than in the lower-ranked districts.
*Sizzle—*
A strange sound broke the silence.
A portal suddenly appeared in the sky, and in the next instant, four people and a cat leaped out.
“Whoa—!”
Being in mid-air upon arrival, they let out a few cries of surprise, but the group quickly regained their balance and drifted slowly down to the ground.
“Is this the Soul Society…?” Looking around, Orihime whispered, “It doesn’t seem that different from the world we come from.”
“Not different?” Uryū pushed up his glasses and said flatly, “The disparity in treatment is glaringly obvious—the commoners versus the Shinigami.”
The ground beneath their feet was yellow dirt, and they were surrounded by houses that looked like grass huts.
The architecture around Ichigo and his friends belonged to a previous century; in the living world, only the most destitute of families would live in such houses.
However, not far in the distance, the scene changed completely.
The ground there consisted of polished stone slabs, and the buildings were clearly modern.
Although there was still a gap between them and the skyscrapers of the human world, compared to the grass huts, it was like heaven and earth.
“That is the Seireitei, the area where the Shinigami and nobles live,” Yoruichi explained calmly.
“Outside the Seireitei is the Rukongai.
Ordinary souls can never enter the Seireitei to live in their entire lives.
The further back the district, the more dangerous it becomes, as they are frequently plagued by Hollows and criminals.”
“Hmm…
how should I put it?
It feels pretty primitive, this so-called Soul Society.” As a human of the new era, Ichigo shook his head.
“I actually thought the Soul Society would be something special.
I didn’t expect it to be like this.”
With that, Ichigo began walking toward the Seireitei with an air of casual confidence, as if he were simply heading home.
“Be careful, Ichigo.”
*Rumble—*
Before the words had even finished, massive stone slabs suddenly plummeted from the sky, forming a colossal wall that completely severed the connection between the Seireitei and the Rukongai.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a brat brave enough to try and enter the Seireitei without a Seireitei Entry Permit!”
Along with the stone slabs, a massive gate descended from the sky, and a giant nearly ten meters tall suddenly leaped out.
Holding two enormous axes, he spoke with an arrogant tone.
“I haven’t stretched my muscles in ages…
Attack from wherever you like.
Come at me, brat!”
“Hoh—it’s been a while since I’ve met someone more arrogant than me.” Ichigo bared his teeth in a grin and couldn’t help but laugh.
“In that case, I’d be happy to—”
A deep voice interrupted him.
Hearing the familiar tone, Ichigo looked back to see Chad stepping forward.
“A strength-based opponent is the perfect way to test the results of my training.” Standing side-by-side with Ichigo, Chad said, “Besides, an opponent like this doesn’t require the general to step in.”
“…Heh!
Sounds good!”
Sensing his companion’s eager spirit, Ichigo stepped back.
While the giant in front of them lacked foresight, Ichigo could see clearly—this giant looked fierce, but he was just a loudmouth.
“Oh oh!
The opponent changed from a boy to an uncle!” The giant swung his axes, saying nonchalantly, “Doesn’t matter!
No matter who the opponent is, I, Lord Jidanbō, can handle them!”
“…I’m fifteen,” Chad said helplessly.
“Yasutora Sado.
That is the name of the person who is about to defeat you.”
“Stop joking around, brat!”
With a roar, Jidanbō swung his massive axe.
His arms were larger than an average human’s entire body; with that combination of speed and power, the impact of this strike was absolutely not to be underestimated!
“Too slow.”
Rooted to the ground like a mountain, Chad’s feet didn’t move an inch.
He simply raised his right arm and blocked the strike above his head.
*Boom!*
The giant axe crashed down with a thunderous roar, kicking up clouds of dust that momentarily obscured everything.
“Too light.”
A deep voice slowly spoke.
As the dust cleared, it was revealed that the giant axe had been stopped dead by Chad’s right hand.
The violent strike had merely ripped the sleeve of Chad’s shirt, exposing the brown skin beneath.
“This…
how is this possible!”
Lifting his axe and looking closer, Jidanbō found that his attack hadn’t been completely useless, but it had only left a shallow red mark on the skin, which looked as if it would vanish naturally in a short time.
“How is this possible!!”
Jidanbō roared.
The scene before him defied all logic.
Someone who wasn’t even a Shinigami…
how could he block a strike from Lord Jidanbō!
“Tenfold Jidan Strike!!”