One week later, at the Central Spiritual Arts Academy.
Kana Azashiro, Kensei Muguruma, Shinji Hirako, Jin'emon Tsubaki, Sōjun Kuchiki, and Nozomishin Ōmaeda stood before Katori Sora, listening as he explained the rules of their examination mission.
"Your examination mission is to follow a transport squad and deliver military supplies to the Hueco Mundo Expeditionary Force."
"During this process, the members of the transport squad and I will be grading your performance. Only those who pass will be allowed to graduate early."
"Hueco Mundo is different from the Seireitei and the World of the Living. You may encounter danger at any time. I hope you will not let your guard down."
"Move out!"
"Yes, sir!" the six replied.
This batch of support supplies was being sent from the 3rd Division. Katori Sora first led the six exam participants to the 3rd Division to assemble.
The Shinigami of the 3rd Division were bustling with activity.
"Vice-Captain Iba, I've brought the examinees," Sora said, finding the vice-captain, Chiyari Iba.
"Ah, Department Head Katori has arrived. The supplies are ready. Take these students over there to get them. Each student will take one pack," Chiyari pointed to a pile of backpacks in the corner.
These backpacks contained a compressed reishi space, filled with the supplies that needed to be transported to Hueco Mundo.
The six students each chose a supply pack and put it on.
A moment later, the 3rd Division Shinigami were also ready.
Besides Sora and the six students, eight official Shinigami were also participating in the transport mission.
The leader of the transport squad was the 4th seat of the 3rd Division.
"I am Akane Saitō, the leader of this transport mission," Akane said. Her long, black-purple hair was tied back neatly with a ribbon, and a red sash was tied around her waist.
"Miss Saitō, I am Katori Sora, a Professor from the Spiritual Arts Academy. These are the students participating in the examination mission. We are in your care," Sora introduced himself and the six students.
Akane Saitō nodded lightly. "Just stick close to me."
She opened a Senkaimon, revealing the Dangai inside.
Hueco Mundo was surrounded by the Dangai, so they would be entering through it this time as well.
"So this is the Dangai... it looks dangerous," Kana Azashiro said, seeing the occasional reishi turbulence swirling within the pitch-black space.
The Dangai was different from the Precipice World. There was only reishi turbulence and a vast emptiness here, with no footholds. To move within the Dangai, one had to first lay a path of reishi.
"You must be careful. If you miss your step and fall here, you will be swept away by the reishi turbulence into an unknown space," Sora warned.
"Within the Dangai, no matter what happens, stick close to me! Let's go!" Akane took the lead, stepping into the Dangai. Reishi gathered under her feet, forming a path made of spiritual particles.
The others also entered the Dangai through the Senkaimon.
With Akane leading the way, it was much easier for the others, as they could walk on the reishi path she created.
The group followed her closely, moving forward quickly.
"There's reishi turbulence up ahead! Be careful not to fall behind! Speed up and pass through it before it fully arrives!"
Akane, at the front of the group, suddenly shouted.
To their left, a pale blue torrent of reishi was surging towards them.
The official Shinigami were used to this and all increased their pace, but the six students grew nervous. It was their first time encountering reishi turbulence in the Dangai.
As the turbulence hit, they subconsciously slowed down, raising their hands to block the violent spiritual particles.
But the official Shinigami squad did not slow down and continued to press forward quickly.
The students' pause caused them to become separated from the main group.
Just then, the core of the turbulence reached the students' position, blowing away the reishi path beneath their feet.
They scrambled to control the reishi and create a new path, but this resulted in all six of them fighting for control of the same reishi, making it impossible to form a stable path.
The distance between the six and the squad rapidly widened, and they were swept away by the reishi turbulence.
Sora noticed the students had been separated from the squad. Reishi gathered under his feet, and he immediately broke away from the group, rushing towards the six students.
However, as the squad exited the turbulent area, both Sora and the six students had vanished.
"Fourth Seat Saitō, the people from the academy are lost!" a Shinigami noticed what had happened behind them.
Akane raised her hand, and the entire squad came to a halt.
She looked back, but the seven from the academy were nowhere to be seen.
The group had been in the middle of the turbulence, making it difficult to sense others' spiritual pressure, which was why they had only just now realized the academy group had been separated.
"They may have been swept into a nearby 'Valley of Screams'..." Akane thought for a moment, then tossed her backpack to a black-haired man. "Sixth Seat Nagashima, you lead the team and continue with the supply transport. I will go look for them!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
The squad continued onward, while Akane broke off from the group and headed back into the turbulent area.
...
The reishi turbulence tore open a Valley of Screams, pushing Kensei and the others into it.
Seeing this, Katori Sora also rushed into the valley.
After the reishi turbulence swept into the Valley of Screams, it raged within the space.
But once the turbulence subsided, the reishi would remain in the valley.
This was why some Valleys of Screams had such dense reishi.
The group was scattered by the turbulence, landing in different places.
"Wake up, will you!!!"
Kensei watched in horror as the ground grew closer and closer.
He was being crushed by Nozomishin Ōmaeda's massive body, plummeting at high speed.
Thud, thud, thud—
With a series of sounds, the group crashed to the ground.
"You fatso, you almost crushed me to death!" Kensei kicked Ōmaeda off of him and scrambled out of the crater, looking disheveled.
He quickly surveyed his surroundings. Being inexplicably brought to this strange space by the reishi turbulence had left him very panicked.
This area was a valley, with only rocks and stones and no sign of green life.
"It's endless... aren't the books supposed to say that 'Valleys of Screams' are usually small?" Kensei climbed a rocky peak and looked into the distance.
Whoosh—
Sora's figure suddenly appeared beside Kensei.
"Professor!" Seeing him, Kensei's heart was put at ease.
"The reishi turbulence scattered everyone," Sora's spiritual sense could only detect three people nearby. Jin'emon, Shinji, and Sōjun had been swept too far away.
With Kensei's effort, Ōmaeda also woke up.
"Where is this?!" Ōmaeda said, clutching his swollen face.
"This should be a Valley of Screams. We were brought here by the spiritual pressure turbulence," Kensei said, rubbing his hands.
"Let's go. We'll find our companions first, then leave this place," Sora said.
Sora led Kensei and Ōmaeda towards Kana Azashiro's location.
Kana was not far from here, but Sora sensed the presence of other high-spiritual-pressure individuals in this valley, and they were near her.
When Sora arrived at the scene, he saw Kana fighting two Shinigami in green armor.
"Why are there Shinigami here?" Sora frowned, but the green armor reminded him of something.
These two were likely exiled nobles.
Sora quickly drew his sword, and a stream of light cut through the valley.
A Shinigami who was about to sneak attack Kana was stunned to find his vision spinning. Then, he saw a headless body.
"That body type... looks like mine..."
A thought flashed through the head in mid-air. It wasn't until it hit the ground that he realized he had been beheaded. But before he could think any further, he fell into eternal darkness.
The remaining man was greatly shocked to see his companion suddenly fall.
While he was distracted, Kana lunged forward, raised her sword, and delivered a swift thrust.
Katori Style: Shungeki!
The Zanpakutō pierced through the middle of his throat. The green-armored Shinigami clutched his throat and slowly collapsed.
"Professor!" Kana said, shaking the blood from her blade.
"What's with these two? How did you end up fighting?" Sora asked.
"They claimed to be from the Ryūdōji family. They attacked me as soon as they saw me," Kana replied.
"Ryūdōji? They must be nobles who were exiled in the past, right?" Sora stroked his chin. He had some impression of the green armor, but couldn't recall the family name.
"The Ryūdōji clan? I know of them. Like the Kasumiōji family who were exiled not long ago, they are a family that was exiled in the past. I believe their crime was treason," Ōmaeda said.
"The Ryūdōji family holds a grudge against Shinigami. It seems this 'Valley of Screams' is very unsafe. We should leave as soon as we find the others," Sora said.
Sora picked up the long swords of the two green-armored Shinigami to inspect them. They were not ordinary Zanpakutō.
"Chaotic spiritual pressure fluctuations..." Sora could sense a messy mix of spiritual pressures on the blade, completely different from a Zanpakutō.
He condensed spiritual pressure in his hand, and the blade was shattered by the terrifying force.
Several souls in white robes flew out from the fragments of the long sword.
"A weapon made from 'Blanks'..." Sora understood.
Valleys of Screams were formed by souls that were accidentally sucked into the Dangai during the process of reincarnation between the World of the Living and the Soul Society.
These souls that resided in the valleys were called 'Blanks.'
The green-armored Shinigami's weapons were made from many 'Blanks' and possessed some peculiar abilities.
...
"Cough, cough—" Shinji Hirako climbed out of a crater, spitting out a mouthful of sand. "What is this place?"
"We must have fallen into a 'Valley of Screams'," Sōjun Kuchiki said, standing on high ground and gazing into the distance.
"It's just the two of us here? Were we scattered by the reishi turbulence?" Shinji used Shunpo to appear beside Sōjun.
Sōjun raised his hand and pointed to the west. "I just sensed a spiritual pressure fluctuation over there. It was that Akane Saitō's. There were a few other unfamiliar fluctuations, but I lost them quickly."
"There's nothing there..." Shinji didn't sense anything. He continued, "They might have hidden themselves already. Let's go check it out. In a strange place like this, it's always good to have another companion."
A moment later, Sōjun led Shinji to the place where he had sensed the spiritual pressure, but they didn't find Akane.
"Kuchiki, there's blood here," Shinji said with a grave expression. "It seems this 'Valley of Screams' is not safe at all."
Shinji found a blood-stained rock. The blood was fresh, likely left not long ago.
Sōjun took out a small bottle from his pocket, opened it, and poured a little powder on the blood.
Upon contact with the blood, the powder turned into red reishi, which condensed into a thread in the air and extended into the distance.
"The owner of the blood went in that direction," Sōjun said after putting the bottle away.
"Let's follow it. It might be our examiner," Shinji said.
The two followed the red reishi thread, moving at high speed.
"This doesn't seem good."
As they got closer, Shinji sensed the spiritual pressure fluctuations ahead. "Akane Saitō's spiritual pressure is very weak. She must be seriously injured."
"There are many enemies," Sōjun frowned. "I think we've been discovered."
They sensed that the spiritual pressure fluctuations ahead had split, and three were rapidly approaching them.
The enemy had been able to take down even Saitō, so their strength was not to be underestimated. The two didn't dare to be careless and immediately released their Zanpakutō:
"Collapse, Sakanade!"
"Bloom, Senchidō!"
Just as they finished releasing their Zanpakutō, three red fireballs shot towards them.
When Shinji saw the red fireballs, his pupils trembled slightly. "Shakkahō?!"
He could also use Shakkahō and was very familiar with the Kidō. He would definitely not mistake it.
Boom, boom, boom—
Sōjun controlled the swarm of butterfly blades to block the three fireballs.
"Our enemies are Shinigami?" Sōjun looked with a solemn expression in the direction the fireballs had come from.
Soon, three figures in green armor appeared before them.
"What's going on today? So many 'guests'," said a green-armored Shinigami carrying two boxes on his back.
"That looks like the uniform of the Spiritual Arts Academy. Was the one we just caught their Professor?" said the green-armored Shinigami holding a crossbow.
"Their swords are in Shikai. Don't be careless. Take them down quickly!" The one carrying a greatsword raised it and charged at Shinji Hirako.
"Oh my, coming for me, are you... you've picked the wrong person!" Shinji's Zanpakutō spun in his hand.
The Shinigami with the greatsword was shocked to find himself running in circles on the spot.
Then, the swarm of butterfly blades swiftly surged towards him, and he was unable to create any distance from it.
The swarm quickly engulfed the greatsword-wielding Shinigami.
"Ah!!!"
"Stop!" The crossbow Shinigami and the box-carrying Shinigami were both furious and launched attacks at the two, trying to stop them.
The boxes on the back of one shot out more than a dozen darts connected by wires.
The crossbow Shinigami also fired an arrow at the same time.
These darts and arrows exploded on contact.
Boom, boom, boom—
A continuous series of explosions rang out, and dust filled the air.
---
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