Swish—Swish—Swish—
Several figures landed on the street. The leading woman bent down to check on the condition of the squad member, then shook her head. "They're still ahead, there might be survivors."
The woman speaking wore a haori with a grey cherry-coloured lining, her appearance gentle and serene. She had black hair parted in the middle, braided and hanging down in front.
After standing up, she looked into the distance, her tone slightly melancholic. "This place is as chaotic as ever."
The young Shinigami from the Fourth Division following her were puzzled. Why did their captain seem so familiar with this outermost district of Rukongai?
However, the woman didn't say more, she just led her team forward.
As the medical support unit of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, the Fourth Division, led by Captain Unohana, rarely went out. She usually stayed in the division's quarters, dealing with severe injuries brought in by other divisions.
This time, she had just returned from a special mission when she encountered a distress call from the Fifth Division.
When Unohana and a few team members jumped onto a rooftop, they paused, looking at the scene below, their eyes flickering with emotion.
The other team members were somewhat surprised. The distress signal had been cut off a few minutes ago, and they had expected to retrieve corpses upon arrival.
The task of pursuing rebels wasn't for the Fourth Division but for other combat-specialized divisions like the Second or Eleventh Division.
But the scene before them was puzzling. The rebels mentioned in the intel were lying in pools of blood, while a vagrant holding an Asauchi stood among them, not a member of the Fifth Division.
On the street, ten rebel corpses lay scattered. The man standing in the centre was dressed in tattered clothes.
With his Asauchi, he shaved off the last bit of his beard.
Who would shave so calmly amidst a pile of corpses?!
Under the blazing sun, the man with a strong, handsome face sheathed his sword, looked up at the figures on the rooftop, and flashed what he thought was a friendly smile.
At that moment, the members of the Fourth Division felt a chill. The scene was indeed eerie.
Unohana leapt down, her white haori spreading like butterfly wings, landing silently and gently, with a warm smile on her face as she squinted at Ren.
Ren's smile gradually faded as he felt a real threat of death for the first time in a long while.
It wasn't the feeling of a gun pressed to his head, but a true killing intent—a living being's overwhelming power suffocating him.
Yes, this was the power he sought, the world he pursued.
The rebels' subpar skills and power had only slightly warmed him up; they hadn't given him the thrill of battle.
But this disappointment didn't last long, as the woman before him dispelled it. He had just arrived in this world, with countless mountains to climb and interesting battles to fight.
As the EndSpace had said, he would face unprecedented challenges.
"What is your name?" Unohana asked, the killing intent dissipating. Her smile was genuinely gentle.
"Ren Hoshino."
Ren replied simply. He didn't see the need to adopt a pseudonym according to local customs.
Judging by the pressure from the person before him and her appearance and attire, he could roughly determine that she was the original Fourth Division Captain, Unohana Retsu (Yachiru).
He could also roughly figure out the timeline. Since Unohana was already the Fourth Division Captain, it meant Yhwach was already in slumber.
How long before the main storyline began could only be determined with more information.
"Ren, did you kill these people?" Unohana asked, glancing at the corpses.
"The Shinigami were killed by these guys. I was just defending myself," Ren said honestly. He didn't want any misunderstandings. He craved intense battles but didn't seek death, especially now that he was in such an interesting place.
Unohana nodded, easily accepting Ren's explanation. It seemed she wasn't surprised that a vagrant could slay ten rebels that even ordinary Shinigami couldn't handle.
The team members following Unohana were surprised. They hadn't expected the captain to invite Ren, and not just to the Fourth Division, but to the 'Thirteen Court Guard Squads.'
If the captain saw potential in Ren, she should have invited him to the Fourth Division.
"The Thirteen Court Guard Squads?"
Ren was stunned. He hadn't expected his main quest to progress so quickly. It seemed he just needed to nod.
"If you are willing," Unohana smiled and nodded. "Of course, according to the rules, you must first enrol in the Shin'ō Academy and complete your training before joining the Thirteen Court Guard Squads."
Ren pretended to think, then nodded.
He roughly understood the difficulty range of his quest. If the End World had an omniscient view, the path he was on now was the easier route.
After all, he found that the ten rebels' overall attributes were lower than his, and their combat skills were no match. He killed them without even dirtying his clothes.
In contrast, leaving the area and wandering Rukongai alone posed greater risks, and enrolling in the Shin'ō Academy through normal procedures was uncertain.
With Unohana's recommendation, admission was guaranteed.
"Then let's go. We're heading back," Unohana said, glancing at the Asauchi in Ren's hand. "Keep that Asauchi with you."
The Shinigami were not surprised by Unohana's arrangement for the Asauchi. After all, an Asauchi is a Zanpakuto that has not yet "accepted" a master.
Before its master calls out its true name to release its Shikai, an Asauchi has no special abilities; it is merely a very sharp sword.
When a Shinigami dies, their Zanpakuto usually "resets," turning back into an Asauchi. At this point, it can be "reassigned" to another individual. (Of course, there are exceptions to this, which we'll set aside for now.)
Therefore, in Seireitei, masterless Asauchi were typically recycled and given to students at the Shin'ō Academy for further development. As long as an Asauchi circulates within Seireitei's system, no one will specifically inquire about it.
Now that Ren has received this Asauchi, the academy will not issue him another one upon enrollment.
Ren fastened the Asauchi to his waist and followed Unohana and her team. The subsequent handling of the situation was no longer their concern; other teams would take over.
Internally, he felt a rush of excitement. As a martial arts expert, he was very interested in this world's various extraordinary combat techniques.
Compared to the rewards promised for completing the contract's task, he was currently more eager to learn the skills he could acquire directly within this world.
The Asauchi he just obtained could, in a sense, be considered a divine artefact.
------
T/N - Please don't hesitate to let me know if you find any problem with the translation. Any kind of suggestions are appreciated.