Chapter 8: The Disappearing Prison
"System, convert this entire door into sake."
Kuroha's eyes gleamed. He was finally ready to test the limit.
As a modern, practical-minded person, he firmly believed in one truth: practice is the only way to find real answers.
Ding! Detected convertible material…Ding! Conversion complete. Obtained one jug of Supreme Spiritual Sake. Grade: Divine.
Consumption Effect: Host's reiatsu will be significantly elevated. Weaponized Effect: As an attack item, it can strip the target of all reiatsu for a duration of 24 hours.
The ethereal system notification rang out.
In his hand appeared a sake jug as pitch-black and deep as the stone itself. Kuroha instantly lost his composure. Even the muscles at the corners of his mouth began to twitch uncontrollably.
Obtaining a divine-grade sake through Alcohol God's Hand was genuinely thrilling. But when he looked up—
The black-stone cell he had been locked in had vanished into thin air.
No— The entire row of connected black-stone cells had simply disappeared.
Kuroha was no longer calm.
He had only intended to convert the black door into sake. He never imagined the system would go full bandit mode and turn the whole damn prison block into alcohol.
On second thought… maybe a single door wouldn't have been enough to produce divine-grade sake. There were probably hidden mechanics at play.
But staring at the now-empty space, Kuroha's head began to ache. How the hell was he supposed to explain this?
He really didn't want to finally reach the Seireitei only to get kicked out the next day.
No matter how hard he racked his brain, he eventually let out a helpless sigh. Looked like he had no choice but to own it. Maybe he could negotiate with the system later—see if he could turn the divine sake back into a prison.
But right now, there was a more urgent problem: The moment the black prison vanished, the previously restrained oni and criminals inside began stirring restlessly.
When he had beaten the mutated oni earlier, it had been fueled entirely by drunken bravado. Now that he was finally sober, with Extreme Hakuda at his command, he could finally test his limits properly—without relying on alcohol every time.
Going up the mountain too often eventually meets the tiger. Kuroha had no intention of ending up as someone's "pick-up" prize.
Outside the black prison, Renji Abarai saw Rukia approaching and his eyes lit up—though he quickly masked it with his usual cool demeanor.
"Rukia, you finished the report already? Looks like you really care about that guy. There's still over ten minutes until his detention period ends. How about we chat a bit?"
Both he and Rukia came from South Rukongai District 78. They had entered the Shin'ō Academy together—true childhood sweethearts. If Byakuya Kuchiki hadn't suddenly appeared and taken Rukia into the Kuchiki Clan as an adopted daughter… Renji had once believed he'd had a real shot. That was why he'd harshly pushed her away, even selling out their closeness. After that, he deliberately kept his distance. It had been decades since they last truly spoke.
"Renji… thank you so much for coming to support me this time. I feel guilty that you had to stand guard over the detention block too," Rukia said, bowing sincerely.
"But Shiba Kuroha is under Captain Ukitake's personal guarantee, and he's connected to the Shiba Clan. According to the Captain-Commander's orders, he has the right to take the Shinigami assessment. I just want to finish the task quickly. And… I'm worried that guy might cause some kind of trouble."
Rukia's breathing quickened slightly as the image of mutated oni being obliterated with single punches flashed through her mind. But more than that—she had seen the shadow of Kaien Shiba in Kuroha when he stepped in front of her. She didn't know whether his actions had been fueled by pure drunken instinct or genuine intent. Still, leaving him locked in the black prison gave her an inexplicable sense of unease.
"Rukia, relax," Renji said. "When he was brought in, I checked his reiatsu. With only three-bamboo-level power, there's no way he can break out of the black prison. As long as he stays inside, no matter how bad his drinking habit is, he can't cause any real waves."
"And honestly… with reiatsu that low, he probably doesn't even qualify for the Shin'ō Academy entrance threshold. Even if you said he one-punched a mutated oni—that might earn him some extra points and barely scrape him into the academy—but his future achievements won't be anything special."
Renji had always been calm, composed, and a little rough around the edges. But this time, even he didn't understand why he was talking so much. Seeing his former childhood companion suddenly show so much concern for some random boy made his heart feel strangely unsettled.
"Three bamboo…?" Rukia murmured. A flicker of disappointment passed through her eyes.
"Renji, no matter what you say, today is the last day of the Shin'ō Academy entrance exam. I have to carry out my duty and take Shiba Kuroha to the assessment. Please don't interfere. This is Captain Ukitake's direct order."
Renji's expression shifted slightly at the mention of Ukitake. He gritted his teeth. "Fine. I won't get in your way. But remember—he and you are from completely different worlds. You're part of the Kuchiki Clan now. He's just a fallen noble who might not even graduate…"
He didn't finish the last sentence. He and Rukia were also from different worlds now. That was exactly why he kept pushing himself—so one day he could catch up to her pace. In his eyes, a nobody with only three-bamboo reiatsu who had suddenly appeared had zero chance.
"Renji, I'm just doing my job. Whether he graduates or not has nothing to do with me. But… I have a bad feeling. There's no alcohol in the black prison, right?" Rukia's brow furrowed slightly as she spoke the last part.
"Alcohol?" Renji sighed. "This is the black prison. There's no sake here. And with only three-bamboo reiatsu, he can't cause any real trouble anyway. Inside the black prison…"
As he spoke, Renji deftly released the seal on the massive door.
The deep corridor beyond should have been lined with rows of sealed cells. Instead—nothing.
The entire block of black-stone cells had simply vanished.
Renji froze. The words on the tip of his tongue died in his throat.
Gone. The black prison had disappeared right under his nose.
"Quick—get inside and check!" Rukia dashed forward without hesitation.
When she stepped into what should have been the prison, her face drained of color.
Scattered along the corridor lay dozens—maybe hundreds—of unconscious prisoners, sprawled in every direction. At the far end, one unsteady figure was slowly walking toward them.
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