"Kakaku Shahō #2・Kūzaku!"
Accompanied by a fierce wave of heat and a deafening roar, the cannonball carrying Ichigo and the others was launched into the sky. Kūkaku stared up at the heavens, now marked only by a single wisp of white smoke, her face entirely devoid of the joy of success.
"Be careful out there, Ganju..."
Shiba Ganju might have guessed that his stubborn sister would worry about him, but right now, he didn't dare distract himself with such thoughts. After all, he had a mission to complete.
Ichigo had been wondering about one thing: since Shiba Kūkaku's launchpad was built vertically, the cannonball it fired should also ascend vertically. But if that were the case, how were they supposed to hit the Seireitei, which was located far off to the east?
Were they supposed to rely on the planet's rotation and freefall to drop straight back down to the ground? Just how high would they have to fly to pull that off? And would that really go off without a hitch?
Things seemed to be progressing exactly as he had feared. Ichigo felt their ascent gradually slowing down, slower and slower, until they came to a complete halt...
"Hey!"
Ichigo couldn't help but cry out. Just as he was about to warn Shiba Ganju that something seemed to have gone wrong, the seemingly powerless cannonball suddenly accelerated. It made a sharp ninety-degree turn in midair, carrying them hurtling toward the east.
It completely defied the laws of physics, but considering a place like Soul Society existed, science could be set aside for the moment...
How could a mere fireworks launch be worthy of the name 'Kakaku Shahō'? The second form, developed by his older sister, had its trajectory predetermined from the very moment of launch. How could the Rukongai's premier fireworks master be anything but the real deal?!
However, this was as far as Kūkaku's involvement went. Ganju pulled his sister's scroll from his robes. The midair acceleration and axis adjustments had to be controlled by his second-stage incantation. He absolutely could not afford to drop the ball now.
"Listen up! The key to safely breaking into the Seireitei lies in stabilizing the cannonball's axis! To do that, every one of us needs to adjust the amount of Reiryoku we're releasing so that it matches perfectly," Ganju explained with utmost seriousness. "I have to activate the spell, so I can't adjust to match you. Therefore, you all must match my Reiryoku!"
Although everyone present—aside from Yoruichi—didn't understand the specifics of the spell or axis stabilization, they could grasp the concept of maintaining a consistent Reiryoku output. Seeing no issue with this, they all nodded in agreement.
Seeing this, Ganju kept his eyes on the incantation written on the scroll, using it to sense whether the cannonball was deviating from its set course, all while maintaining the Reiryoku output from his left hand. Multitasking to this degree was already pushing his limits.
Fortunately, everyone was cooperating quite well, sparing him from having to divert more focus to stabilize his own Reiryoku. Though there were slight fluctuations, they remained within acceptable parameters.
"Ku-Kurosaki, yours is a bit too high..."
"Sorry." Hearing Inoue Orihime's warning, Ichigo tried his best to reduce his Reiryoku input. Just as he thought he had it right, Ishida Uryū called out nervously from the other side, "Kurosaki, lower it more!"
"I know, I've already lowered it a lot!"
Ichigo was starting to get anxious as well. It had already taken him a long time just to learn how to use the Reishūkaku. Mr. Hat-and-Clogs—or rather, Urahara—had mentioned that while his innate Reiryoku was immense, his control over it left much to be desired.
"Ichigo, you still need to lower it," Chad couldn't help but add. His expression remained relatively normal, but a bead of sweat sliding down his cheek proved that he was doing his best to endure the strain.
Also enduring the strain was Shiba Ganju. Multitasking between two things was already his limit, yet now he was being forced to juggle three...
"Ichigo, it's still not working..."
"I know! I'm lowering it! Just give me a second!"
Ganju constantly reminded himself not to get distracted, but their voices kept drilling into his head. The words even seemed to manifest before his eyes, obscuring the dense text of the incantation.
"A thousand ashes, a thousand wisdoms..." Ganju suddenly froze. Why did this line sound so familiar? *A thousand ashes, a thousand wisdoms, the measure of white clouds... I think I...*
"Damn it! I read it backward again!"
Ichigo was already frustrated, and Ganju's outburst completely ignited his temper. "What?! Is this my fault too?!"
"No kidding! It's because you keep blabbering that I got distracted!" Ganju shot back, refusing to show weakness. "Now everything's ruined! I have no idea where this thing is going to fly. You'd better pray we don't just become a shooting star streaking over the Seireitei for people to make stupid wishes on!"
Wind direction, cloud cover, and various other factors could all affect the cannonball's trajectory and speed. For the Kakaku Shahō #2, which was specifically designed for long-distance apex launches, even the slightest deviation along the way could result in a massive error.
Therefore, while the first stage responsible for the launch and initial route was important, the second stage responsible for mid-flight adjustments and speed was far more demanding. How could such a crucial task possibly be entrusted to Shiba Ganju?!
Yoruichi stood calmly atop the Reishūkaku, watching Ichigo and Ganju as they nearly came to blows. Before they left, Kūkaku had secretly entrusted the second-stage adjustments to her. Looking at the situation now, it had truly been a wise decision.
As for the scroll Ganju was holding, it was nothing more than an older sister's test for her younger brother. From the looks of it, she could go ahead and give him a failing grade.
Then there was Kurosaki Ichigo. Not only had he grabbed her tail earlier, but he was also making a fool of himself now. It seemed Urahara Kisuke had been too soft on him. She would definitely have to make this kid suffer a bit when the time came!
At this moment, Ganju still didn't realize that when Kūkaku warned him she would never forgive him if he embarrassed her, she hadn't just meant inside the Seireitei—she had been evaluating him from the very moment of launch.
If he hadn't been clinging to the last shred of hope that his sister's initial settings were flawless, he probably wouldn't have even bothered keeping his hands on the Reishūkaku, even knowing that it would explode if the Reiryoku fluctuations became too severe.
*So what? Let it explode. If we don't all die, maybe we'll have time to start over from scratch...*
"Look outside!"
Yoruichi's sudden voice cut through the chaotic mix of arguing and peacemaking. The five of them, who had been on the verge of a brawl, all turned their heads in unison. When it came to settling disputes, these brats still had a lot to learn.
The thick clouds parted to the sides like sliding doors. The city beneath the clouds was incredibly conspicuous even from high in the air. No, they felt as though no other city in existence possessed such a massive scale. Even from this altitude, their field of vision could barely encompass it all. This city seemed to span the entire earth!
"It's... the Seireitei!"
*Still no movement?* Ichimaru Gin strolled leisurely down the street. According to Aizen's predictions, the group he had repelled would undoubtedly use Shiba Kūkaku's help to break into the Seireitei. Calculating the time, they should have arrived last night; the margin of error between their arrival and the sounding of the alarm shouldn't have exceeded two hours.
*Was there some other method of invasion? If so, Captain Aizen would probably have a headache for a while.*
Gin could never have imagined that the reason Yoruichi and the others had been delayed for nearly half a day was simply because Ichigo couldn't control his Reiryoku. Sometimes, it was the most basic things that were easiest to overlook.
Right now, many people were probably feeling quite perplexed. After all, they had been searching all night and still hadn't found the so-called intruders. An inside job was practically the only logical explanation.
However, this was inevitable. Unless the intruders had arrived at the exact moment the alarm sounded, any delay would naturally lead people to suspect that they had a mole inside the Seireitei.
Gin knew that he was supposed to play the role of this mole. But that was only the original plan. Now that there was such a massive discrepancy in the Ryoka's arrival time, the title of 'schemer' seemed far more fitting for him.
"The sun is already up. Is the Seireitei wall too high, which is why we can't see the sun yet?"
Kira Izuru was just about to reply when a sudden sound echoed from behind them, like the whistling of an arrow piercing the air. Turning his head, he saw a white dot growing larger and larger. "What is that?"
Gin glanced back, a faint smile inevitably surfacing on his lips. The morning sun in the east was blocked by the wall, but it seemed the setting sun in the west was falling right on schedule.
"The morning sun in the east, the setting sun in the west... one of them was bound to show up eventually."