"It's broken! It's all broken! Everything is broken! I broke it all myself! I didn't want to do this, wahhh!"
*He's actually crying...*
*His crying sounds just like a siren...*
*But he really is a bit pitiful...*
"It seems the choice of spirit and medium is indeed directly proportional to the Oversoul's strength. No matter how much Furyoku you inject, once it exceeds the limit of what the medium can handle..."
Asakura Yoh was rubbing his chin as he contemplated the information gained from his recent experiment, only to suddenly feel strange looks coming from all directions.
"Why are you guys looking at me like that?"
Kurosaki Ichigo and Arisawa Tatsuki moved close to Asakura Yoh, both nudging him with their elbows as they whispered.
"Hey, he's crying like that. Maybe you should... go apologize?"
"Eh? No way. Weren't we enemies to begin with?"
"That's true, but the guy hasn't even done anything yet, and you handled him like that..."
"What do you mean 'like that'? Don't make it sound so suggestive!"
"Enough, enough. An apology won't kill you. He doesn't seem like a bad guy anyway."
In the end, unable to win against his two childhood friends, Asakura Yoh was pushed forward to stand before Jidanbo, who had already cried out a small puddle.
"So, uh... sorry. I didn't expect your axes to just shatter like that. Um... if it helps, I can pay you back? You can forge two better ones. Does human money work here? If not... I could burn some spirit money for you?"
Jidanbo looked up at Asakura Yoh. His gorilla-like face was currently smeared with tears and snot, making his fierce features look pathetically miserable. Though he wasn't exactly adorable, it was still enough to make one feel bad.
"You're such a good person!"
*Eh? Me?*
"To think that an enemy would come to comfort a loser like me who didn't even get a chance to make a move... Your heart is truly vast. In comparison, I'm barely a man at all..."
"Ah... it's fine. Don't worry about it too much. The power gap was just too large, so you can't really be blamed..."
"Wahhh! I'm completely convinced! Please, go inside. But there are many powerful people in there, so please be careful..."
Jidanbo wiped away his tears and snot as he spoke, then stepped aside to reveal the scene behind the shattered gate.
At that moment, a group of Soul Reapers dressed in black Shihakusho were staring at Asakura Yoh and the others with wary expressions.
The leader of this group was the Squad 9 Lieutenant—Hisagi Shuhei.
Some joked that he was a man brave enough to tattoo his interests on his face, but in reality, the '69' on his cheek was a tribute to the former Squad 9 Captain who once saved his life, Muguruma Kensei.
"Kira, these Ryoka are definitely not simple. I'll hold them off here; you go get reinforcements. Understand...?"
Hisagi Shuhei gripped the Zanpakuto at his waist, keeping a vigilant eye on the enemies while issuing instructions. His choice was correct; the previous attack clearly wasn't something two Lieutenants or ordinary seated officers and soldiers could block.
However, his words received no response. When he looked back, Kira Izuru was nowhere to be seen.
"..."
Feeling a bit speechless, Hisagi Shuhei could only assume the other man had gone for help immediately and refocused his attention on the Ryoka.
Meanwhile, Kira Izuru was actually following his own Captain, moving forward rapidly with Shunpo.
"Captain, is it really alright to leave them? Lieutenant Hisagi alone might not be able to..."
"Oh my~ That may be so, but without a Release Order, a Captain isn't allowed to release their Zanpakuto for battle within the Seireitei at will."
"But..."
Just as Kira Izuru was about to say more, a general announcement echoed through the sky above the Seireitei.
[ATTENTION ALL CAPTAINS! ATTENTION ALL CAPTAINS!]
[AN EMERGENCY CAPTAIN'S MEETING IS ABOUT TO BE CONVENED!]
[REPEATING...]
...
*Is there no other way? At this point, do we have to force our way in...?*
Though Yoruichi was displeased with Asakura Yoh's impulsive actions, having such a powerful ally gave her a lot of confidence.
"Yoh, you take the lead—huh? Where is he?!"
Yoruichi spun around, searching for the figure that had been there just a moment ago, but found nothing.
It seemed Asakura Yoh had...
Slipped away on his own...
"You bastard! Don't let me find you! You brat!"
...
Meanwhile, Asakura Yoh had already changed into a Shihakusho and was leisurely strolling through the Seireitei.
It had to be said, the spiritual energy in the Seireitei was incredibly abundant. A Quincy could certainly display power far beyond what they were capable of in the World of the Living.
*I wonder if I can scavenge Uryu's glove to use as a medium once he's done with it...*
Asakura Yoh was calculating in his head. To be honest, the moment he saw Ishida Uryu put on that Sanrei Glove, he had taken a liking to it.
He remembered that in the original story, the still-weak Ishida Uryu had used that gear to completely crush Kurotsuchi Mayuri, making him feel it was quite a good item.
Though Kurosaki Masaki had lost her Quincy powers, if she used that as a medium, she might be able to regain the ability to utilize the Reishi in the surrounding environment.
In that case, it would be as if he had indirectly gained the abilities of a Quincy as well.
*Let's do that. It'll be useless to Uryu once he takes it off anyway, so I might as well put it to good use.*
*But first, where should I go for a stroll...?*
"Hey! You! The long-haired guy over there!"
Suddenly stopped by a voice that sounded quite arrogant, Asakura Yoh halted his steps. As he turned to look, his eyes were first caught by something reflective.
Squinting, he realized it was a gleaming bald head.
"What do you want? You, the hairless one over there."
Asakura Yoh mimicked the other's tone as he asked back.
Veins immediately bulged on Madarame Ikkaku's reflective head. His upper lip curled back, and his teeth ground together audibly.
"You bastard! You've got guts! Which squad are you in?!"
Asakura Yoh dug into his ear before glancing at the beautiful man with feathers stuck near his eyes standing next to the baldy.
He had a rough idea of who these two were.
"Squad 9. What is it? Speak up if you have something to say."
"Heh... Heheh...!"
Ikkaku's eyes looked as if they were about to bleed. This was the first time he had encountered an ordinary soldier who dared to speak to him like that.
However, thinking of the massive commotion from earlier, he decided to keep this grudge for now and settle it when the opportunity arose.
"You just came from the west, right? What happened over there? Is it the Ryoka?"
[ Author's Note : If you're loving the story, a power_stone, review or comment means the world!
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