"See you when school starts!"
"Mm. Travel safely!"
Early the next morning, Haruto bid farewell to the Ise household and began the journey toward his distant "home" in the Rukongai.
To be honest, he had not returned there in a very long time.
It was not because his feelings toward the place had grown stronger or weaker. The truth was simply that the distance was too great to travel back and forth within a short period. This year, however, his strength had improved significantly, and thanks to Tenjōmaru, his physical condition had undergone a fundamental transformation.
Because of that, Haruto finally felt confident enough to return for a visit.
To avoid unnecessary trouble along the road, Haruto rolled up his Shin'ō Academy uniform together with the travel rations he had prepared and tied them into a bundle carried on his back.
He wore a dull gray linen shirt—neither new nor old. The shoes on his feet had been freshly woven by the elderly lady of the Ise family and given to him as a parting gift.
With that, he set off toward the East Sixty-Sixth District.
Although it was not as dangerous as the districts ranked beyond seventy in the Rukongai, the desolate natural environment of District Sixty-Six meant the security situation was hardly better.
Competition for food and water was intense.
"In the first twenty districts, food and water are basically not a concern."
"Those areas are close to Seireitei, and the Gotei 13 operate there fairly often. As long as you have money, most problems can be solved."
Haruto did not take the official road.
Although the round trip would take only fourteen days, he had no intention of wasting that time simply traveling. Instead, he continuously practiced the two advanced Kidō spells he had recently decided to master.
Well… now there were three.
Relying solely on absorbing spirit particles from the atmosphere was far from enough to sustain his spiritual pressure consumption. That meant Haruto also had to consider food and water along the journey.
While the first twenty districts had relatively good security, they were nowhere near peaceful enough for valuables to lie untouched in the streets.
Especially after nightfall.
Even if he did not encounter bandits, there was always the possibility of Shinigami coming out to extort a little "extra income."
According to the information Haruto knew, the Tenth Division, which was responsible for patrol duty in the Rukongai, did not exactly have the cleanest internal culture.
To reduce trouble, Haruto planned to travel during the day and spend a bit of money at night returning to the streets to find somewhere to sleep.
Once he passed beyond the twentieth district…
There would be little hope for outsiders to buy supplies normally.
Leaving aside the principle of not flaunting wealth, the only way to obtain resources would be to establish connections with the local gangs.
Of course, for Haruto, this was actually good news.
After all, if simply making friends could secure sufficient supplies, that sounded like a very profitable arrangement.
These Rukongai gangs might bully local residents with ease, but when facing actual Shinigami, they were usually humble to an almost ridiculous degree.
It was not that they could not defeat ordinary Shinigami.
Rather, it simply was not worth losing everything just to preserve their pride.
Unless absolutely necessary, Shinigami of the Gotei 13 rarely came to these districts. If a little money could send them away, it was a perfectly reasonable deal for the gangs.
It also avoided attracting unwanted attention from Seireitei.
Haruto understood these gangs very well.
Although he had been "born" in District Sixty-Six, before entering the Shin'ō Academy he had often ventured toward the earlier districts to challenge them.
With his current Seventh-Class Spiritual Power, even if he resorted to underhanded methods, these gangs could never be his opponents.
So naturally—
Whenever Haruto saw them, he greeted them with the utmost friendliness.
"Boom!!"
A powerful explosion blasted solid earth into the air. The surrounding space trembled as the shockwave snapped trees in a fan-shaped arc.
"Hiss…"
Thin strands of smoke drifted upward as a blackened crater radiated lingering heat.
Haruto crouched beside it.
His fingers picked up a pinch of charred plant ash.
"Tsk."
"As expected of advanced Kidō."
Haruto examined the fine powder in his palm.
"If the destructive power of Red Fire Cannon is comparable to a grenade used in infantry combat…"
"Then a single Raikōhō—"
"A crater fifteen meters in radius and four meters deep."
"Even without fragmentation effects, that lethal range alone is comparable to a 155mm self-propelled artillery shell."
Haruto had successfully cast Raikōhō once inside the underground training area of Shin'ō Academy.
However, the defensive Kidō protecting that space had been too powerful, leaving no reliable reference points to observe the spell's true destructive capability.
"And this is only an advanced Kidō in the sixties."
Haruto shook his wrist.
"The ones beyond that number probably increase in power exponentially…"
"I really want to see what kind of spectacle a Hadō above ninety would produce."
The numbness gradually faded from his forearm.
Before taking Tenjōmaru, Haruto's arm would have collapsed from strain before the Raikōhō even finished forming.
But now…
Although the effect was not as immediate as Byakuya had described, Haruto still felt that the long-term improvement to his body was even greater than Kuchiki Sōjun's experience had suggested.
Raikōhō was the first large-scale offensive Kidō Haruto had mastered.
His most proficient technique, Byakurai, possessed tremendous piercing power and excellent single-target efficiency, but it was not suitable for group combat.
And even purely in terms of raw destructive output—
"Casting Kidō with the palm really does produce more spiritual pressure output than using the fingers."
Many intermediate Kidō were cast using the palm.
But those techniques were far less difficult than reinforcing Byakurai.
Haruto could perform them without worrying about physical backlash.
"Advanced Hadō truly live up to their name. Still, Byakurai has a better efficiency."
Since he had not yet released his Zanpakutō and had little progress in Shunpo or Hakuda, Haruto devoted all of his spiritual pressure to Kidō combat.
Even though Raikōhō consumed far more energy than Byakurai, Haruto's spiritual pressure recovered faster than it was spent—even if he cast Byakurai continuously for twenty-four hours without rest.
"Unfortunately."
Haruto shook his head and stood up from the scorched ground.
"I'm not proficient enough with Raikōhō yet. More practice is needed."
The physical backlash from a single Raikōhō disappeared quickly.
However, repeatedly casting it in succession was not advisable—especially when combining it with Bakudō of the same level.
Executing such high-level linked techniques in rapid succession would cause violent turbulence in spiritual pressure within the body, easily compressing nerves and muscles and causing unnecessary damage.
"Compared to Raikōhō…"
Haruto tapped the pommel of the sword at his waist with his palm.
"My progress with Zhanhualun has been much slower."
The old man from the Ise family had spoken as if Zhanhualun were easy to master.
But the actual practice proved otherwise.
With full concentration, Haruto could indeed cast Zhanhualun.
The problem was its extremely poor practicality.
He needed seven seconds of incantation without distraction…
Only to swing his Zanpakutō and release a Kidō blade that dissipated less than half a meter from the sword.
No matter how powerful it might be, such a technique was extremely difficult to apply in real combat.
As for casting it without incantation…
Haruto truly was a genius when it came to Kidō.
Most spells he could cast without incantation almost immediately after mastering them.
But for a high-level Hadō like Zhanhualun, the destructive power of the incantationless version was not even comparable to the Yellow Fire Flash Haruto could release casually.
Its power was probably less than one-twentieth of the normal version.
And worse still, the incantationless Zhanhualun could not even launch the condensed spiritual pressure blade away from the Zanpakutō.
"A long road ahead."
"For quite some time, I probably won't be able to rely on Zhanhualun as a trump card."
A Kidō that could only be used in close range had far too many limitations.
"At best…"
Haruto glanced at the plain Asauchi hanging at his waist.
"I can use it to get familiar with my Zanpakutō."
Just as he had realized at the Ise household—
Rather than training swordsmanship directly, using the Zanpakutō as a medium to cast Kidō allowed his spiritual pressure to interact more closely with the blade.
That seemed to help him understand the weapon connected to his soul.
The Zanpakutō still offered no response.
But when Haruto held the hilt, he could at least feel that it was an extension of his arm.
Not yet an extension of his soul—but it was progress.
"I won't ask for much."
Haruto unsheathed the blade along with its scabbard and tucked it into the middle of his rolled travel bundle like a shoulder pole.
Souls living in the Rukongai could not distinguish between an Asauchi and an ordinary sword.
Although Soul Society had no formal weapon prohibition law, anyone carrying a sword in the Rukongai would almost automatically be considered a Shinigami.
At the very least, a Shin'ō Academy trainee.
Impersonating a Shinigami was a dangerous act that walked the gray line of social order.
After all, in Soul Society—where Shinigami never truly retire—Zanpakutō rarely end up lost in the Rukongai.
"Just compensating for my weaknesses will be enough."
After witnessing Byakuya Kuchiki's Shikai yesterday, Haruto had said nothing outwardly.
But internally, he was filled with anticipation for the day his own Zanpakutō would awaken.
At the same time, despite his mastery of Kidō, Haruto hoped his Zanpakutō would not be Kidō-oriented.
Even if it was not a reality-warping type, he at least wanted something that could complement his abilities.
Preferably without requiring too much complicated thinking.
For example—Momo Hinamori's Zanpakutō, Tobiume.
Even if Red Fire Cannon were strengthened to some absurd ultimate level, it would still remain relatively limited.
Though perhaps Hinamori's spiritual pressure was simply too weak.
If every strike from Tobiume produced the destructive force of Ittō Kasō…
Well.
That was clearly impossible.
If Tobiume could deal that kind of damage, Hinamori herself would probably be capable of casting Hadō No. 99 without incantation.
On the other hand—
Take Sōsuke Aizen's Kyōka Suigetsu.
Haruto considered himself fairly intelligent.
But compared to geniuses like Kisuke Urahara or Sōsuke Aizen, the gap was still enormous.
Even if Haruto possessed Kyōka Suigetsu, he would probably only use it to make enemies kill each other through mist and reflected water.
So truly—
All Haruto wanted from his Zanpakutō was to fill the gaps in his current abilities.
If it could be slightly stronger than his current Kidō level, that would be perfect.
"Hadō No. 57."
Haruto slung the bundle over one shoulder.
Then he gripped the Zanpakutō hidden inside and gently tapped the ground in front of him.
"Earth-Turning Dance."
The soil beneath his feet surged like waves.
The crater created by Raikōhō quickly filled with shattered wood and fallen leaves before being compressed by fresh soil.
Thump. Thump.
Haruto stomped his feet firmly.
"Good enough. Quite solid."
Although this was a remote wilderness area, Shinigami patrols occasionally passed near the fortieth district of the Rukongai.
If discovered, it would be a troublesome misunderstanding.
If someone assumed a Hollow had appeared nearby, it might even disrupt the lives of nearby residents.
Cleaning it up was simply a matter of basic courtesy.
Like picking up after a dog.
After the crater was buried, the sky had grown noticeably darker.
A cool summer breeze rustled through the forest, carrying an eerie whisper.
Haruto leapt lightly onto the branch of the tallest nearby tree.
"That direction…"
In the distance, bright lights shone clearly through the darkness.
"The nearest Rukongai settlement should be northeast."
"…Looks lively."
"Doesn't seem like a district in the forties."
Haruto had been traveling for two days.
He had already reached the East Eighteenth District the previous night.
Because he spent time practicing his new Kidō, his travel pace had slowed.
Today he had hurried to make up the distance while also adjusting his Shunpo training to accommodate his improved physical condition.
If nothing unexpected happened, tonight's stop would certainly be beyond the fortieth district.
"Whatever."
"Whoosh!"
Using his still-imperfect Shunpo, Haruto headed toward the Rukongai settlement.
"If it's this lively at night, that means the local gang probably maintains good order."
"Hopefully there won't be any need for violence."
"Following the rules is much easier than sleeping with a sword under your pillow."
"At worst, I'll just spend a little more money."
The Gotei 13's name alone revealed their duty to protect.
But in these distant districts beyond Seireitei's influence, noble authority was extremely weak.
Powerful gangs essentially held autonomous control.
Their strength meant nothing to the Shinigami.
But when desperate men fought for survival…
Even Shinigami could find it troublesome.
So originally, Haruto planned to replenish some funds here.
But if he could simply spend the night peacefully, that would be even better.
"Whoosh."
However, that thought vanished the moment he arrived at the Rukongai and saw the district name.
East District Forty-Five — Yoshiwara.
"…."
"No wonder it's so lively."
"This really… isn't a place for sleeping."