After experiencing it firsthand, Ling Qing found that, just as he'd sensed, using spiritual flight here was indeed easier than in the Soul Society. He didn't know if it was because his power had increased after successfully achieving his sword's release.
If flying before felt like being a fighter jet that had to break through a wall of wind, flying now felt like a sailboat with the wind at its back, pushing him forward.
The spiritual pressure in his body surged. A blackish-purple, smoke-like aura seemed to seep from under his skin, but due to his high speed, it trailed behind him like the contrails of an airplane.
This time, it wasn't inertia throwing him toward the ground. Ling Qing actively changed his posture, descending from a great height toward the circular platform below at an incredible speed.
However, just before landing, Ling Qing frowned slightly. He keenly sensed a large, even terrifyingly large, number of gazes fixed on him. But looking down from above, he couldn't see anyone.
And these gazes were different from the one he felt when passing the Soul King's inner sanctum. They didn't have that indescribable feeling or give him a headache, but for some reason, they made his hair stand on end…
Meanwhile, below, hidden in the darkness, some were already poised to rush out and give their grandest 'welcome'.
But the leader, the one with the shining teeth, also frowned in the darkness. As Ling Qing got closer, he noticed something was off—Ling Qing's landing posture.
Never mind the comical way Ling Qing was supposed to land, his near-vertical descent and the clear blackish-purple trail he left in the sky…
It was a little different from what he had imagined… A bad feeling quietly sprouted in his heart.
Regardless of what the person about to land or the people waiting for him felt or thought, the distance wasn't great, and the time wasn't long. It was only a matter of seconds.
With a thunderous roar, the ground seemed to tremble slightly. Dust was kicked up by the downdraft, obscuring the view and making it impossible to see what had happened.
Someone's eyes widened, and just as he was about to say something, his ears were filled with an even greater clamor. With a chorus of feminine cries, a dense mass of figures suddenly appeared, rushing toward the center of the dust cloud without a second thought, like a terrifying tide!
"Something's not right, wait a minute…"
His words were drowned out before he could finish. He was the only one left, and only then was he exposed from the darkness, revealing his true appearance.
He had partially long, black punk-style curly hair, while the rest of his short hair was light green. He wore wide-framed sunglasses, a grass-green shirt, and slippers. His haori was a long, sleeveless robe. His whole vibe was anachronistic and out of place with the style of the Soul King's Palace—very hip-hop.
But his voice was fated to be lost in the chaotic environment. In the lingering dust, one could only see figures flashing by continuously, but no one knew what was happening.
"Damn it!!!"
He stared blankly at his outstretched hand for several seconds before letting out an unwilling cry. He fell to his knees, punching the ground forcefully, and roared in frustration.
"Now I can't see anything!!!"
Even a handsome guy would lose all his cool if he landed on his face! But the problem now was that even if Ling Qing did land on his face, the thick dust made it impossible for anyone to see his pathetic state! Not to mention the girls had all joined the fray, completely different from his vision of them stopping in disgust!
Didn't this mean his carefully planned 'Operation: Restore Lord Nimaiya's Popularity as the Most Beloved Zero Squad Member' was a complete failure?! Not only had it failed, but he had also handed over all the benefits! This was a loss so great he'd lost his pants!
"Indeed, now you can't see anything."
A voice agreeing with Nimaiya Ōetsu came from his side.
Surprised that someone had stayed behind, Nimaiya Ōetsu looked up, tears of gratitude welling in his eyes. He was about to say something, but the words got stuck in his throat.
Because the person beside him was not one of the cute girls he had imagined, nor was it one of his closest guards. It was a man that even Nimaiya Ōetsu had to admit was incredibly handsome and whom he had never seen before.
The man's gaze returned from the chaotic 'grand scene' in front of them, his bluish-green eyes meeting Ōetsu's. A gentle and confident smile played on his lips. His shoulder-length silver hair swayed slightly in the wind. The yukata he wore was loose, but it couldn't hide his tall, handsome, model-like figure—a body that could only be described as 'every man's dream'.
With a faint smile, Ling Qing extended a hand to Nimaiya Ōetsu and said with some emotion, "Even when their target disappears from right in front of them, they can't figure out the situation for a while. Just like now. I'm Ling Qing. Um… Shihōin Ling Qing."
In the instant before landing, Ling Qing had keenly sensed something was amiss. So he changed his landing plan at the last moment. Before he touched down, he used his spiritual pressure to grab some 'wind' and slammed it onto the ground as he landed.
It was a bit different from what Ling Qing had expected. He had intended to shatter the ground, but when the 'wind hammer' struck, a faint light appeared on the ground's surface. It was a sign that the ground was reinforced with spiritual pressure or spiritual veins and couldn't be easily destroyed.
But it was fine that the ground wasn't destroyed. Ling Qing's goal was achieved: the kicked-up dust served as cover, giving him a moment to react.
Then Ling Qing noticed the dark figures swarming toward him. He dodged them before he could even see clearly what they were. The sheer force of their charge was terrifying enough.
Because Ling Qing had slipped through the gaps between the descending figures, more than one person had seen him—but only for a fleeting moment—so they mistakenly thought he was still in their encirclement. They probably wouldn't realize Ling Qing had vanished until the smoke cleared.
"Ni-Nimaiya Ōetsu."
Nimaiya Ōetsu awkwardly took Ling Qing's hand and was pulled to his feet. His voice lacked confidence, sounding a bit weak.
"Phew."
Ling Qing, however, didn't pay attention to these minor details. He looked back at the swirling dust cloud, which, instead of settling, seemed to be expanding due to the movements within. Logically, the amount of dust kicked up should only decrease...
Had the people inside managed to dig three feet into the ground that even his wind hammer couldn't break?
"How terrifying," he said with a sigh.
"...Y-yeah, it is."
Nimaiya Ōetsu wiped away non-existent sweat. Even someone as thick-skinned as a castle wall corner felt a bit ashamed. He had been scheming against Ling Qing with a belly full of bad intentions, and now Ling Qing was comforting him? What a good person, sob.
Why did his sense of failure feel even more severe? It felt like he had been completely crushed on all fronts.
"Although I don't know what's going on, it feels like it's better not to get close right now."
"Y-yeah..." Nimaiya Ōetsu awkwardly agreed. The normally eloquent man who controlled the party rhythm was now, due to his self-inflicted humiliation and shame, reduced to a heartless repeating machine.
"Kirinji-san said my Zanpakutō is with you, and that you have something to say to me?"
"Y-yeah... ah, that's right." Nimaiya Ōetsu glanced at the still-raging scene and made a resolute decision to cut ties with it. He put on an expression as if he had no idea what was going on and said, "Come with me. We can ignore this for now."
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