The flames soared, and dust swirled, almost burying the street.
Nanao Ise looked at the astonishing scene of the explosion in front of her, and even her delicate face turned pale.
She knew the level of her Reiatsu. Such an impact was something she couldn't endure.
Hadn't Tokikaze pulled her away...
The unusual warmth from the slender waist made Nanao Ise's cheeks blush involuntarily.
Just as she was about to speak up, Tokikaze unexpectedly let go, and the sudden emptiness left her with a lingering feeling.
Suppressing the dangerous thoughts in her mind, Nanao Ise took a few quick steps and followed Tokikaze.
The swirling dust gradually dispersed, revealing a massive crater on the old street. The surrounding soil turned black under the high temperature from the explosion.
The burly assailant from earlier was completely gone, not even a single hair was left. Even the residual spiritual particles in the air were so sparse that they were barely detectable.
"Judging from the explosion, it's somewhat similar to Mayuri Kurotsuchi's doing."
Tokikaze crouched beside the crater, picked up a small handful of soil, and observed it, "No traces of Kido, as if his body was detonated."
"The advantage is its extremely high concealment. Ordinary people's thought processes wouldn't even consider the possibility of residents in Rukongai exploding. The Seated Officers who came here for investigation likely fell victim to this."
While there were a lot of souls with the potential to become elite Soul Reaper in t Rukongai, most were rejected by the Shin'o Academy or Gotei 13 due to their aggressive nature.
Except for Zaraki Kenpachi, of course.
On top of his wild appearance and countless killings on the surface, Zaraki Kenpachi was even worse in reality.
Before joining Gotei 13, Zaraki Kenpachi single-handedly created a literal mountain of corpses and a sea of blood in Zaraki district.
Numerous criminals met their end by his blade.
Captain Commander Yamamoto Genryusai was willing to let even someone like that join Gotei 13. This could only be explained by the Captain Commander's personal considerations.
Perhaps it stemmed from confidence in his own strength?
Or maybe it was a tribute to the original Gotei 13, who "killed anyone that's deemed dangerous?"
Tokikaze shook his head, continuing to observe the scene of the explosion, searching for possible clues or traces.
After a few more minutes of investigation, he gave up this futile effort.
"A simple self-destructive act has no investigative value."
Tokikaze looked up, gazing into the depths of Zaraki District, "Going further would likely be extremely dangerous. Nanao, what do you think?"
Since the incident where Nanao Ise used paperwork to threaten him, Tokikaze had no choice but to concede, promising not to use the nickname "Nanao-chan" again.
After all, looking across the entire Seireitei, there probably wasn't a more skilled secretary than Nanao Ise.
As for why Nanao Ise hated the nickname so much, Tokikaze couldn't quite understand and decided to let it slide.
"I'll follow the Captain's orders." There was a hint of confusion in Nanao Ise's eyes, then she shook her head forcefully.
Previously, Kyoraku Shunsui sent his own Vice-Captain, Lisa Yadomaru, into a trap where she suffered a miserable fate of being Hollowfied. Since then, she had been exiled to the Human World, and he hadn't heard a word from her.
He believed that it was it was all his fault, which led to the moment when his sister-in-law entrusted Nanao Ise to him.
To avoid Nanao Ise participating in any battles, Kyoraku Shunsui did his best to eliminate any dangers. However, as a Soul Reaper, there was a limit to such strategy.
At that time, Kyoraku Shunsui realized this and decided to let go, allowing Nanao Ise to join the Ninth Division.
As for whether it would turn out to be a losing deal, Kyoraku Shunsui was quite confident. After all, Ise Clan's reputation was well-known, and Tsunayashiro Clan that was responsible for handling the Great Archive, couldn't possibly be unaware.
Unless Tokikaze was not afraid of Ise Clan's curse, Kyoraku Shunsui would probably give his blessings.
Going off-topic.
It was precisely due to excessive protection that Nanao Ise rarely participated in missions involving actual combat. Consequently, faced with the current situation, she was somewhat at a loss.
So when Tokikaze asked for her opinion, it was equivalent to asking nothing.
"Okay, understood."
Tokikaze waved his big hand, "Let's continue the investigation."
Although it wasn't clear who was behind this, the covert actions suggested that the forces in the shadows weren't yet ready to challenge Gotei 13 directly.
Otherwise, why not initiate a war like Quincy did?
Most importantly, during the recent survey of the scene, Tokikaze speculated based on the remnants that he might have a lead on a possible truth.
This conjecture could potentially become the ultimate revelation in this incident.
The two continued to delve deeper into the Zaraki District, and by now, the streets were empty.
The residents who were wandering moments ago had hidden in the shadows during the explosive attack.
Countless pairs of eyes stared in the darkness, their gazes fixed on the two figures on the street.
Soul Reaper weren't uncommon in the Zaraki District.
As the most chaotic area in Rukongai, with almost zero law enforcement, Garganta appearance leading to Hueco Mundo or Human World were not uncommon.
Many residents in the Zaraki District had even seen Grand Hollows.
As a result, the residents of this district feared the Gillian or Adjuchas more than the Soul Reapers, even the members of the Eleventh Division were no exception.
Tokikaze was aware of this, and he didn't react to it.
On the other hand, Nanao Ise felt somewhat uneasy and subconsciously moved closer to Tokikaze's side.
In this dangerous environment, sticking close to the Captain was the safest option.
That was how Nanao Ise comforted herself.
After walking through several streets, the environment became increasingly hostile, with visible fluctuations of Reishi occurring more frequently.
In normal areas of the Soul Society, Reishi usually roamed the atmosphere in a stable state. However, in areas with poor spatial stability, they could form turbulent flows.
If an ordinary Soul Reaper was caught in it, they would likely be instantly disintegrated into Reishi.
Executing missions in the Zaraki District required extreme caution.
Buzz—
The space trembled, and several Reishi turbulences formed, converged, expanded, directly swallowing a dilapidated building at the end of the street, decomposing it into countless fine spiritual particles that disappeared into the atmosphere.
"Spectacular scene." Tokikaze stood still, and in the depths of his eyes, a green Reiatsu seemed to linger and ripple, "It would be even better if there were no other people's Reiatsu, though."
Understood Tokikaze's unspoken words, Nanao Ise pushed her glasses up and extended her right hand, and her Reiatsu surged:
"Sprinkled on the bones of the beast! Sharp tower, red crystal, steel ring."
The golden sparkling electric current danced continuously on her fair palm. The atmosphere around her emitted a faint burnt smell due to the high temperature.
"Move and become the wind, stop and become the calm. The sound of warring spears fills the empty castle!"
Nanao Ise's gaze was firm, and her shihakusho fluttered in the wind, revealing her slender arm in the emerging lightning:
"Hado #63: Raikoho!"
A golden sphere of light instantly condensed in her palm, continuously emitting lightning in all directions. Following her voice, the lightning gathered, forming a thunderous beam of light, rushing towards the Reishi turbulence.
Boom!
The thunder erupted, instantly engulfing the spiritual particle turbulence. The dazzling lights canceled each other out in a spectacular vortex.
The ground collapsed, bricks and stones shattered, and dust was all swept into it.
When the light of Raikoho subsided, a new Reiatsu erupted within it. A dense purple color exploded in the sky, scattering into endless dust.
"Hado #39: Enkosen."
Quick and decisive, Tokikaze, amidst the surge of Reiatsu, used Enkosen, protecting himself and Nanao Ise.
At the same time, the dilapidated street stirred up a violent wind.
What was strange, however, was that the purple dust in the sky completely disregarded the blowing wind. It directly landed on the Enkosen.
Under the surprised gaze of the two, the purple dust seemed alive, crazily absorbing the Reiatsu on the barrier. The moment it reached a certain limit, it exploded, turning into even smaller spiritual particles, disappearing into the air.
Then, there was nothing left.
The Enkosen stood strong despite all that.
"What is this exactly?"
Nanao Ise had never seen such a situation, and there was no relevant information in her memory.
At this moment, a hoarse and strange voice came from behind.
"So, this is the strength of the new Captain of Gotei 13?"
"It's disappointing, like an unfinished product."
"I don't see any reason to see you as a threat. Or maybe you should become the Captain of the Eleventh Division?"
Tokikaze turned around, and a slightly hunched figure came into view.
The iconic shihakusho and sleeveless Captain haori; the face was marked with age spots, and the overall demeanor was very gloomy. The green eyes were filled with disdain for Tokikaze.
"Young one, your eyes are quite disrespectful!"
The old man drew the Zanpakuto hanging at his waist, pointing it at Tokikaze. "Didn't Genryusai teach you to respect your elders?"
Tokikaze laughed at his words. "You're working with the rebels, and you're talking to me about respecting elders."
"Are rebels as dense as you, former Captain of the Third Division, Ichibei Tatsumi!"
This rebel was different from the ones Tokikaze dealt with earlier, as they belonged to a noble faction and were exterminated in the Human World.
Ichibei Tatsumi was the former captain of the Third Division before Rojuro Otoribashi. He served for nearly a century before mysteriously disappearing during a mission in Rukongai.
After numerous unsuccessful searches, the Soul Society classified him as deceased.
Later, he appeared on a battlefield and became an adversary to Gotei 13, vowing to destroy the Seireitei he once protected.
From that point on, Ichibei Tatsumi's records were marked with the rebel emblem.
Any Captain who encountered him was allowed to use Bankai and eliminate him. Those who could not beat him would choose to commit suicide, avoiding the risk of their information falling into rebel hands.
If escaping was impossible; they might be able to preserve some dignity through suicide.
Itwas worth noting that the enemies of Soul Society weren't just the Quincy and the Menos Grande.
Besides them, there were Shinigami who claimed to have discovered the true nature of the world, individuals with inherently malicious natures, or those deceived by enemies.
They spontaneously formed various degrees of rebellion, launching riots across Rukongai, attempting to plunge the Soul Society into chaos.
Furthermore, some would appear in the Seireitei through unknown methods, causing disturbances.
Their malevolence wasn't much different from that of the Menos Grande.
Usually, the task of dealing with them fell on the front lines of the Eleventh Division, occasionally with support from the Third, Fourth, and Fifth Divisions.
"Young one, I won't bother with you."
Ichibei Tatsumi snorted. "Because of your recklessness, this unequal battle has already ended."
"You can kill the Ise kid next to you and join us. Or, I can personally kill both of you here!"