Chapter 2: The 78th District of Rukongai |
Soul Society.
Seireitei.
Standard black-clad Shinigami moved through the courtyard of the Gotei 13, surrounded by an array of majestic structures.
Behind the gates engraved with the numeral "5" lay the headquarters of the Fifth Division.
In one of the rooms on the division grounds, a man in a white haori was relaxing.
He was the Captain of the Fifth Division.
Shinji Hirako.
"How boring..."
Shinji placed his hands behind his head and muttered lazily.
Sosuke Aizen!
"...The Hollow King left this world after the creation of Soul Society and Hueco Mundo, while the Soul King remained to regulate the flow of souls, gradually shaping the world into what we know today."
Aizen paused in thought, then asked with interest while keeping his eyes on the open page, "Captain Hirako, what do you think the world was like before the two kings?"
"How should I know?"
Shinji, resting in the adjacent room, glanced toward the open door. "Why are you even reading those children's books? Aren't they just simple bedtime stories? I don't know if this world was created by the Soul King, but this so-called Hollow King simply doesn't exist. As far as I know, there isn't a single trace in Hueco Mundo indicating he ever was."
Aizen carefully closed the book and adjusted his glasses with a finger. "Captain Hirako, it seems you don't have much respect for the Soul King?"
"There's no one else here but us, anyway!"
Shinji smirked.
Soul King?
Hollow King?
At the moment, he just wanted to stave off boredom and enjoy life, not fret over such matters.
Aizen was far too capable as a Lieutenant. He organized the division's activities so efficiently that Shinji's life had become almost too peaceful and routine.
Aizen shook his head at Shinji's lazy reply and returned to his reading, maintaining his friendly and soft aura.
But as Aizen continued to read quietly...
Wail—!
An alarm suddenly pierced the air across the Gotei 13 grounds.
Aizen immediately snapped the book shut and stood up, heading for the office exit.
Shinji sprang to his feet and rushed toward the door, shouting, "What happened?!"
A Shinigami ran toward them and immediately reported to the Captain. "Captain Hirako! The alarm was sounded by the Eighth Division! An anomalous Reiatsu has just been registered in Rukongai!"
"...And that's it?"
Shinji asked, confused. "Does registering an anomalous Reiatsu warrant a general alarm?"
Beads of cold sweat formed on the Shinigami's forehead. "No... according to the information from the Eighth Division, it's not just an anomalous fluctuation... they claim they've never registered this type of Reiatsu before..."
"Now that's more interesting..."
Shinji narrowed his eyes. "Hey, Aizen, let's go take a look!"
"Very well, Captain Hirako."
Aizen nodded politely and followed Shinji.
By the time Shinji and Aizen arrived at the Eighth Division headquarters, several Captains and Lieutenants from other divisions had already gathered.
"What kind of anomaly could trigger a general alarm?!"
Yoruichi Shihoin, the current Captain of the Second Division, entered the headquarters and immediately addressed the Eighth Division members present.
Following Yoruichi, Captain Ginrei Kuchiki of the Sixth Division, Captain Love Aikawa of the Seventh Division, Captain Shinji Hirako, and other high-ranking Shinigami entered the room.
"Captains! Please, follow me immediately!!"
Nanao Ise, the Lieutenant of the Eighth Division, bowed to the gathered officers and led them into a neighboring room filled with various monitoring equipment.
The atmosphere in the room was exceptionally heavy and grim. Cold sweat rolled down the faces of nearly every Eighth Division member present. Even Captain Shunsui Kyoraku looked remarkably somber and tense.
"So, what in the world happened?!"
Shinji immediately questioned Shunsui.
The Eighth Division Captain spoke slowly, his eyes never leaving one of the many screens in the room. "An anomalous Reiatsu has been registered within Soul Society, showing an unprecedentedly massive fluctuation! In all our history, the Eighth Division has never recorded Reiatsu of this magnitude!"
"And just how large is the range of this so-called unprecedented Reiatsu?"
Yoruichi crossed her arms and looked at Shunsui.
Shunsui slowly swept a strained gaze over the assembled Captains, then took a deep breath and said, "All... all of Soul Society!!"
*
Southern Region of Rukongai.
78th District, Inuzuri.
In the middle of a dilapidated, ancient street, a golden radiance flared. Within that glow, Yeruashi's illusory figure appeared, gradually solidifying into a material state.
"Finally..."
Yeruashi took a quick look around and sighed, surveying his surroundings as his flow of time gradually synchronized with the world around him.
Countless battered buildings filled Yeruashi's field of vision. His gaze then swept across all eighty districts of the Southern Region before turning toward Seireitei, located at the very heart of the vast Rukongai.
However.
As Yeruashi calmly surveyed Soul Society with the perception of his Eyes of God—making no attempt to hide his presence—the moment his time synchronized and he fully entered this reality, powerful fluctuations erupted from his body.
Soul Society and Hueco Mundo were composed of five percent of Yeruashi's own power. Thus, the moment he returned after a million years, the entirety of Soul Society began to tremble in excitement, as if welcoming its creator.
Yeruashi frowned and suppressed his presence, but it was already too late to neutralize the disturbance his arrival had caused. It was as if a ripple had spread across a tranquil lake, triggered by the fall of a single droplet of water.
Dust settled on the roofs of countless Rukongai buildings was tossed into the air, and strong ripples appeared on the surfaces of numerous rivers and lakes.
The world shuddered.
After a few minutes, the vibration echoing through Soul Society gradually subsided.
'Hmm... the main plot involving Ichigo Kurosaki hasn't started yet, but many familiar faces are already present in the Gotei 13... this works out perfectly.'
Yeruashi whispered thoughtfully as the golden light in his pupils slowly faded.
Just as Yeruashi raised his hand, intending to separate Lilith from himself, he suddenly jerked his head and looked in a specific direction with surprise.
There, he saw a young girl looking around in confusion, clutching an infant in her arms.
"What's happening?"
The infant in the young girl's arms was her younger sister. The two had arrived together in the 78th District of Rukongai after their deaths. Because this district was located on the outskirts of Rukongai, it was a place of total chaos and ruin. Ordinary souls here struggled even to find water, a basic necessity for survival. The girl had just realized she couldn't keep surviving here with a baby in her arms, and with a heavy heart, she had decided to abandon her sister.
But at the exact moment she was about to leave her sister behind, the world trembled, and ripples visible to the naked eye appeared in the air around her.
Was the world angry with her?
The girl stood frozen, unsure of what to do in such a situation.
"What are you doing here?"
As the girl stood there in a daze, an unfamiliar voice reached her. She wasn't frightened, however, because the voice was soft and friendly, a sharp contrast to the harsh, crude voices of the people she had encountered since arriving.
"No... nothing..."
The girl answered dryly and slowly turned her head.
Her eyes met a young man with silver-white hair, dressed in a simple black kimono. Behind him stood a girl roughly her age with crimson eyes.
The girl fell into a stupor again; Yeruashi's appearance was vastly different from anyone she had ever seen in this district of Rukongai. After a few seconds, she snapped out of it and tried to run away, still clutching her younger sister.
However.
After taking only a few steps, she felt a wave of weakness wash over her and fell forward.
The girl squeezed her eyes shut in fear, but the expected impact with the ground never came. A hand caught her just a moment before she hit the dirt.
Yeruashi smoothly helped the girl up and reached behind his back. When he offered his hand to her with a smile, a fragrant, steaming bun was resting in his palm.
"..."
The girl was speechless once more.
She hesitated for a long moment before taking the bun and whispering her thanks. "Thank you... thank you so much..."
Unlike the living world, one could survive on water alone in Soul Society, but water sources were incredibly rare in this part of Rukongai. Souls here were forced to fight and claw for just a simple glass of water, let alone something as substantial as a real meal.
Yeruashi smiled gently, bringing a sense of peace to the girl's heart. "What is your name?"
"Hi... Hisana..."
It was as he thought.
In terms of age, this girl looked to be about the same as Lilith, and her appearance was strikingly similar to Rukia Kuchiki.
Even without peering into the future, Yeruashi had already suspected her identity, and her answer confirmed it.
Hisana Kuchiki.
The older sister of Rukia Kuchiki.
They had only just arrived in Soul Society and hadn't yet met Byakuya Kuchiki. For now, they weren't Hisana and Rukia Kuchiki—just Hisana and Rukia.
With Hisana's identity confirmed, there was no doubt about the infant.
Hisana was indeed holding her younger sister, Rukia.
As Yeruashi reflected on this, Hisana began to eat the bun.
All of Soul Society was made of Reishi, including food and the souls themselves. When food composed of Reishi was consumed by a soul, it was digested and replenished the soul's own Reishi in a matter of seconds.
"Are... are you a Shinigami?"
Hisana asked cautiously.
In the Inuzuri district, only a Shinigami would give food to a stranger without hesitation. Not to mention, this man looked clean and well-kept, which was unheard of among the local residents.
In the eyes of Inuzuri's inhabitants, even a rank-and-file Shinigami of the Gotei 13 was incredibly successful. To hold a Zanpakuto and eat real food every day was a luxury beyond their wildest dreams.
"No."
Yeruashi shook his head.
Hisana asked in surprise, "Then... did you just arrive in Soul Society?"
She hesitated as she asked, knowing that a soul who had just arrived shouldn't possess such valuable food unless it had been given to them by the Shinigami who sent them here.
"Something like that."
Yeruashi thought for a moment and nodded.
He had indeed just arrived, at least regarding this current version of Soul Society.
"Just as I thought..."
Hisana nodded understandingly.
It couldn't be any other way.
This person had just arrived in Soul Society and simply didn't know the value of food. Otherwise, how could he have given away such a precious meal so easily?
Upon realizing this, Hisana looked away, torn between the impulse to run before he realized his mistake or to find a way to compensate him.
After a few seconds, Hisana looked back at Yeruashi. "Since you've just arrived, please let me show you around this place."
Yeruashi smiled and nodded. "I would appreciate that."
Hisana sighed and introduced her younger sister. "This is my sister, Rukia..."
"Nice to meet you. My name is Yeruashi."
Yeruashi smiled and patted Lilith's head, as she had been standing silently beside him. "...And this is my younger sister, Lilith."
Hisana was surprised at how similar their situations were, but she didn't ask about their cause of death. In Soul Society, it wasn't customary to ask about one's past life; a completely new life began here.
Hisana hugged Rukia and turned to Yeruashi. "We are in the largest part of Soul Society, called Rukongai."
"Rukongai is divided into four major regions—North, South, West, and East. Each region has eighty districts, with Seireitei located at the very center."
"As you get closer to Seireitei, the district numbers go down, and the quality of life goes up. We are in the 78th District, one of the farthest from Seireitei..."
As she spoke, Hisana gave a bitter smile. "Our luck is quite poor, isn't it? Ending up in such a remote and miserable district?"
"No."
Lilith, who had been silent until then, suddenly spoke up. "Actually, you're quite lucky."
Hisana sighed helplessly. "You're right. We're actually very lucky compared to the residents of the remaining two districts..."
Lilith gave Hisana a strange look, knowing she had meant something entirely different, but chose not to elaborate.
Soon, Hisana led them to a very dilapidated house and continued her explanation once they were inside. "Soul Society is much larger than the living world. Most souls of the deceased are sent here, and a soul's lifespan is far longer than a human's. Additionally, you can start families and have children here just like in the living world, so the population of Rukongai far exceeds the number of people living on Earth."
"Because of the distance and the terrible living conditions, the 78th District doesn't have many souls compared to the rest of Rukongai, but even this district alone has a population equal to about a tenth of the Earth's. It's a massive territory. Traveling to another district on foot would take a tremendous amount of time."