Although Kyoya didn't release his Reiatsu during his fight with Byakuya, making it impossible for Ginrei to determine whether Kyoya had already broken through to the 2nd-class Reiryoku, one thing was clear just from the way Kyoya blocked Byakuya's Zanpakuto with a single finger… his strength far surpassed that of an ordinary captain, even if his Reiryoku hadn't reached the 2nd-class.
If Byakuya stubbornly insisted on defeating Kyoya, did that mean he would have to remain in the 11th Division indefinitely?
Kyoya didn't particularly care about Ginrei's concerns.
In the end, this was just a bit of mischief on Kyoya's part.
Whether Byakuya would join the 11th Division or not made little difference to him.
…
"So boring..."
Lying on the roof of the 11th Division's Captain's quarters, Kyoya muttered under his breath.
After some time adjusting, Kyoya had now fully mastered the ability to bear the weight of his Shihakusho and Captain's Haori without affecting his surroundings.
With the aid of his Observation Haki, he could even align himself with the direction of the breeze, making his Shihakusho and Haori flutter lightly as if carried by the wind.
Similarly, if someone touched him or if his clothes brushed against something, they wouldn't crush it the way they had when he accidentally collapsed the Kuchiki Clan's courtyard wall.
For the most part, aside from the weight they imposed on his body, his clothes were no different from any other Shihakusho or Captain's Haori.
Right now, Kyoya was working on making this state second nature.
However, this fell within the scope of his Life Return, and he just needed to maintain that state continuously.
But with nothing else to do, Kyoya found himself growing bored.
He had already explored the Seireitei and met most of the notable figures he could remember…
As for missions in the 11th Division, the moment one appeared, the division's members, which are now significantly stronger, would fight over them, leaving no room for Kyoya to step in…
It seemed like all he could do now was laze around somewhere and space out.
But even spacing out grew tiresome after a while, and Kyoya started craving some excitement.
"Just a few years, and I can't stand the boredom…"
"If this keeps up, I might end up taking the stage in the Seireitei before Aizen even starts his performance."
Kyoya shook his head, forcing down the urge to stir up trouble with great effort.
In the One Piece World, every experts with Conqueror's Haki was someone who refused to live an ordinary life.
To uphold their convictions and expand their horizons, they would charge toward their goals relentlessly. Unless they reached their limits or had their spirits broken, those who possessed Conqueror's Haki were either causing chaos or on their way to do so.
Though Kyoya's Conqueror's Haki was a reward from the One Piece Achievement System, its influence had subtly reshaped his will, amplifying his decisiveness dozens of times over compared to before.
In other words, before awakening Conqueror's Haki, Kyoya would have carefully considered the consequences of his actions… or simply abandoned them out of laziness or inconvenience.
But after possessing the Conqueror's Haki, as long as Kyoya has a thought, this thought will quickly make Kyoya put it into action.
Not using Observation Haki to scan the Kuchiki Clan's estate beforehand was one example.
Offering to teach Byakuya swordsmanship to make up for destroying the wall was another.
And luring Byakuya into joining the 11th Division to challenge him was yet another.
A king is free… doing as he pleased, unrestrained.
A king needed only to act.
As for the consequences? So what?
What did a king have to fear from challenges?
Still, Kyoya believed that all his abilities should be under his complete control, just like his Observation Haki and Armament Haki. Conqueror's Haki should be no exception.
While he didn't reject this 'impulsive' tendency, he refused to be ruled by it. In Kyoya's eyes, he was his own 'king'… even Conqueror's Haki had to bow before him.
His current 'lazy' demeanor was his way of taming his Conqueror's Haki.
This can also be considered as Kyoya testing his own 'capacity'.
If he couldn't even subdue this aspect of Conqueror's Haki, how could he hope to transcend the Bleach World?
"Tch…"
"No good…"
"I have to do something."
After lying on the roof for a while longer, Kyoya abruptly sat up.
The longer he stayed idle, the more thoughts swirled in his head… suppressing one only made another sprout.
The cycle repeated until even Kyoya could feel his temples throbbing.
"Let me think… Is there anyone interesting left in the Soul Society, or anything fun to do…"
He smacked his own head, as if to physically knock the thoughts away, and racked his brain for information about the Bleach world.
"Ah..."
Suddenly, Kyoya's eyes lit up as if he had remembered something.
"How could I forget about those guys?"
"They should still be in the Zaraki District, right?"
Once the thought struck him, Kyoya didn't hesitate. With a flicker of movement, he vanished from the rooftop of the captain's quarters.
"..."
Inside the Captain's office, Rangiku, sensing Kyoya's Reiatsu disappear, sighed but had no choice but to continue handling the 11th Division's paperwork. After all, she wasn't particularly interested in training.
Besides, the 11th Division's training grounds were filled with men… not a single female Shinigami in sight. No matter how carefree Rangiku was, she still felt uncomfortable there.
It was much better to stay in the Captain's office, helping Kyoya with his duties while occasionally enjoying the ice in the room to cool herself down.
"It's been so long, yet the Rukongai hasn't changed at all."
Walking along the main road, Kyoya couldn't help but sigh.
It had to be said… the upper echelons of a world determined its direction.
A million years ago, the Soul Society had looked exactly like this.
And unless something unexpected happened, Soul Society would still look the same tens of thousands of years from now.
But what about the Living World?
Right now, it might still lag behind the Rukongai, but in just a hundred years, its systems, resources, population, and culture would surpass the Soul Society in every way, entering the 'modern' era Kyoya was familiar with.
Even if, a century later, the 12th Division under Kisuke replicated the technology of the Living World, bringing the Seireitei into a semi-high-tech era, it would still be limited to the Seireitei alone.
Though both the Rukongai and the Seireitei were part of the Soul Society, the towering walls surrounding the Seireitei effectively divided them into two separate worlds.
People in the Seireitei rarely ventured out into the Rukongai.
As for those in the Rukongai, only those with the potential to become Shinigami could enter the Seireitei by passing the Shin'o Academy's entrance exams.
Under normal circumstances, the only Shinigami who frequented the Rukongai were those from the 11th Division, hunting Hollows that preyed on its inhabitants.
Even so, over ninety percent of the Rukongai's residents had never seen a Shinigami in person.
For them, the Seireitei was just a rumor… something they had heard of but never witnessed.
Perhaps out of nostalgia for his own life in the Rukongai eighteen years ago, Kyoya retraced the path he and Rangiku had taken, moving outward from the inner districts.
Though his goal was to find those few individuals in the Zaraki District to alleviate his boredom, he didn't use Kido or Observation Haki to locate them directly.
After finally finding something to pass the time, why would he rush to complete it?
The journey itself was part of the fun.
Well, more importantly, if he finished too quickly, he'd just end up bored again. So it's better to spend a little time each day searching for them… treating it as a leisurely stroll.
"Urahara, you truly are a sinful man."
"Hurry up and finish that gravity device!"
"Otherwise, I might just replace Aizen and stir up some chaos in the Seireitei out of sheer boredom..."
Kyoya's muttered complaints caused Kisuke in the 12th Division to sneeze abruptly.
"This shop… I remember they gave Rangiku and me two buns."
"This household… They gave us a bowl of water..."
"Here… Rangiku and I rested for a while..."
"This house has fallen into such disrepair? We once took shelter from the rain in that corner..."
"I stole steamed buns from this place..."
"This one… I got nothing, and they chased us for..."
As he walked, Kyoya reminisced about the hardships he and Rangiku had faced on their journey to the Seireitei.
At first, a faint smile lingered on his face.
But the further he traveled back, the heavier his expression grew.
The closer one got to the Seireitei, the safer and more prosperous the Rukongai became. People there had enough to spare for orphans and wanderers.
But the further out you went, the scarcer resources became. To survive, people stole, fought, and did whatever they had to.
Most residents had no Reiatsu and could survive on just a little water. Otherwise, the outer districts would have likely erupted in rebellion long ago.
…No, perhaps they had.
But given the overwhelming power gap, dispatching a single seated officer from the Seireitei would be enough to suppress any uprising.
And beyond seated officers, the Gotei 13 had Lieutenants, Captains… and above them all, the strongest of all, the Captain-Commander.