That Adjuchas went out peacefully.
Under the combined assault of Makoto and Saitō, those poor saps barely average even among Adjuchas didn't last a single moment before turning to ash.
All that remained was a bone-white mask.
Not that anyone cared much.
Sure, Shinigami didn't win by numbers alone.
But when it came to the gap between high-seated officers and Adjuchas, sheer quantity could crush them flat.
After dealing with the small fry, Kinroku called a few of them for a meeting.
The rest of the Shinigami set up camp nearby.
The spatial fluctuations here would linger for a while, and in this vast Hueco Mundo, the Shinigami's Reiatsu stood out like a beacon to high-level Hollows.
Running was pointless.
Better to scope out the area first.
As one of the rare sharp minds in the original Gotei 13, Kinroku had already planned ahead.
Snap!
He placed the Automated Task Processor on the table, alongside a gilded scroll.
Unfurling it, Kinroku explained simply, "Our mission this time is pretty straightforward."
"First, using this spatial disturbance as a base, we'll fan out to survey Hueco Mundo's ecosystem and compile a report ASAP. That job goes to..."
He adjusted his glasses, glancing at the drowsy, distracted group.
Finally, he let out a long, pained sigh.
"I'll handle it myself."
"As for you lot, you're on the remaining task."
"Weakening Hueco Mundo's heavy hitters as planned."
The moment 'heavy hitters' hit the air, the group who'd seemed totally checked out snapped to attention.
Perfect.
These murder junkies were only reliable at times like this.
Kinroku continued, placing several bracelets on the table and explaining briskly, "But weakening means weakening."
"The Captain-Commander didn't greenlight you to run wild out here."
"These bracelets cap the total Reiatsu of Hollows you can kill. Once you hit a set amount or take down something strong enough the marker fills up."
"When it's full, you head back."
"Captains take red, Vice-Captains take black."
"Head back?" Makoto latched onto the keyword, jumping in. "We don't have to stay here with you, Captain Kinroku?"
"No way that'd work."
Kinroku spoke matter-of-factly, his tone flat. "You can't drag the whole squad off when you leave! Two or three per group, tops."
"The rest stay here. Their presence alone will draw a steady stream of Hollows looking for a meal."
"I'll handle those."
"Eh! Sneaky!" Saitō's single eye widened, her voice brimming with indignation.
"You're just too lazy to move around, aren't you?!"
"Hmph! What do you know?" Kinroku crossed his arms haughtily. "It's a tactic called to hold the line and strike the reinforcements!"
"Letting the grunts follow you lunatics would just wear them out!"
He shot Saitō a sidelong glance. "Take you, Saitō! Once you start swinging, you forget you even have teammates, don't you?"
"…"
Saitō fell silent.
Makoto's eyes bulged, whipping his head toward this bespectacled, middle-aged burnout of a Captain.
[What a masterful tongue, Captain Kinroku!]
[You even shut down Saitō-chan!]
"It's called hitting where it hurts!"
Kinroku smirked, folding his arms, clearly smug at Makoto the smart one praising him.
See? Smart folks always get each other!
But in his mid-thought, his gaze dipped to the tabi dangling from Makoto's scabbard.
Smart people… can have quirks, sure.
He adjusted his glasses, mentally justifying it, then moved on briskly. "Alright, that's the gist of it."
"Your targets depend on those Automated Task Processors in your hands."
"Grab your bracelets already!"
Kinroku barked, a bit too loudly, as if covering something up.
Makoto didn't catch his odd vibe. He joined the Vice-Captains, picking a black bracelet from the table.
But as he reached to pull back, Kinroku grabbed his wrist.
"Makoto-kun, a lack of self-awareness isn't a good look."
Makoto yanked at his hand, protesting loudly, "I have self-awareness that's why I took the Vice-Captain one! Captain Kinroku! Captain Kinroku..."
No matter how he wailed, he couldn't dodge the high expectations.
Kinroku forcibly snatched a red bracelet and slammed it onto his wrist.
A sharp beep locked it in place.
Makoto's face twisted in disbelief.
What the fuck?!
What's this about?
Kinroku adjusted his glasses, his tone tinged with resignation. "Makoto-kun, I hope you can cut us old folks some slack."
"Unohana? I'd never cross her head-on, no matter what!"
"So when she lays down the law for her disciple, I've got to listen. Makes sense, right?"
"Huh?!"
Makoto gaped at him, incredulous.
What kind of world was this?!
Was the Gotei 13 Yamamoto's squad or Unohana's?!
Why did everyone bow to her?!
Makoto hadn't thought this through.
Otherwise, he'd have easily connected his own repeated submission under Unohana to Senjumaru and Kinroku's mindsets.
They were all just helpless.
Meanwhile, Saitō, the only one unfazed by Unohana, laughed her head off.
"Makoto!"
"You're still trying to slack off, huh!"
"What an idiot!"
Makoto hung his head, utterly deflated.
If he had his way, he'd rather keep doing things as he did in the Seireitei taking it slow in a safe spot, building bonds with others to boost his Reiatsu and four core skills.
"B-But, well, there's no helping it, right!"
As he mulled it over, Katori's soft, perpetually timid voice piped up from behind them.
The bespectacled girl sidled up to Makoto with a gentle smile, a touch of awkwardness in her demeanor. "After all, everyone's probably noticed by now, haven't they?"
"Makoto-kun's Reiatsu is almost blurring the line between Tier-4 and 3."
"If you pay close attention, you can feel it wavering unpredictably sometimes."
Katori explained kindly.
Makoto shot her a discreet glance, catching the glint of intrigue flickering behind her flat-lensed glasses, the hidden yandere shining through.
"Oh! No wonder!"
Saitō finally caught on. "I knew it these past few days, I kept getting this vibe like Makoto was about to level up!"
"So that's what's going on?"
"Really?"
Makoto himself still looked a bit clueless.
"Of course." Kinroku adjusted his glasses, his gaze sharp. "Makoto-kun, your Shunpo and Zanjutsu have reached some kind of special threshold, haven't they?"
"Stepping beyond that shouldn't be too hard."
He regarded the young man calmly.
But only Kinroku knew the storm raging in his chest.
To hone both Zanjutsu and Shunpo to this level at such a young age… no wonder the Captain-Commander held this kid in such high regard.
Even letting Unohana pull these extreme teaching methods without interference.
For an ordinary Shinigami...
Even a so-called genius by normal standards, it'd take at least a century or two, right?
Maybe even less.
But Makoto…
Kinroku didn't let his thoughts wander further.
Compared to those born with raw Reiatsu, a soul climbing to this height at near-breakneck speed was the real freak.
Makoto blinked at that, asking instinctively, "Captain Kinroku if I trained all four skills to that level and broke into Tier-3 Reiatsu, what would happen?"
Almost reflexively, a brilliant spark flashed in Kinroku's eyes. He squinted, musing cautiously, "Your strength might shoot straight up to rival Tier-3, maybe even a Tier-2 Reiatsu."
"That's the true, all-around power of a 'spiritual body,' after all."
"But…"
He probed, "Your other two skills…"
Makoto flashed a cryptic smile.
In an instant, Kinroku lost all interest in pressing further.
Too demoralizing.
"Alright already!"
Saitō, oblivious to the tangled details, slapped Makoto's shoulder with her usual force, her signature wicked grin plastered on. "All-around or not!"
"Winning's what counts!"
"Let's go!"
"This time, I'll show you my real strength!"
Saitō's grin was downright radiant.
This Makoto kid had finally grown enough to make her take him a little seriously!
Time to show him the gap between him and her!
"Then I'll…"
Katori instinctively moved to follow, her weak smile still in place.
"Captain Katori..."
Kinroku shot her a sidelong glance, dragging out his words calmly. "With your strength, you can handle things solo, right?"
"No slacking off on military duties."
Katori's steps froze in an instant.
The bespectacled girl turned her head, and beneath her flat lenses, a faint red glow flickered deep in her eyes as they met Kinroku's, a dangerously vivid hue.
Kinroku stood still.
His hand, though, rested quietly on his sword hilt.
He just gazed at her calmly.
"Y-Yes~"
Seeing his stern readiness, Katori slipped back into her usual lazy, timid demeanor, sighing helplessly. "Captain Kinroku's so strict."
Her tone was resigned, but she ultimately veered off in another direction.
Kinroku watched her retreating figure, muttering under his breath, "What a bunch of troublesome youngsters."
"No idea how much longer these old bones can hold up…"
…
So, he was already that close to Captain-level, huh?
Makoto's thoughts churned slightly as he kept pace with Saitō's Shunpo.
The sensation of being seen as an equal by these old-timers still felt off, he hadn't quite adjusted.
That day when he'd given his all yet couldn't even scratch Unohana's massive water droplet with just a dagger still lingered vividly in his memory, like yesterday.
That helplessness it was practically carved into his bones.
But then again, it made sense.
That was Yachiru Unohana, after all!
Even now, in front of his sensei, he'd probably only manage one strike, right?
Makoto's mind was tangled in complexity.
But in mid-thought, something struck him as off.
"Wait, wait, wait!"
"Saitō!"
"Why's your route matching my Automated Task Processor's direction?!"
"Huh?" Saitō turned, puzzled. "We're walking together, so of course we'd run into the same Hollows!"
"That's not right?!"
Makoto halted, peering down at the mirrored displays on his and Saitō's Automated Task Processor.
The red and green dots on both were identical.
The red dot marked the high-Reiatsu Hollow they were tracking; the green dot represented their allies.
But…
"How could they be the same?" Makoto murmured.
To dodge Senjumaru and Unohana's dirty tricks, he'd instantly hatched a cheating plan to tag along with someone else.
The moment those words left his mouth, a chibi avatar of Senjumaru popped up on his device's screen.
The Senjumaru on the display was an adorably squinting girl, her voice soft as she chimed, "Makoto-kun, no cheating, okay!"
"If the Automated Task Processor detects you and a teammate heading the same way, it'll sync your displays to your unique marker."
"For everyone's sake, please fight your own battles, Makoto-kun!"
With that, the chibi Senjumaru gave a polite bow and vanished back into the screen, leaving only the faint clack of geta footsteps.
Makoto looked up, locking eyes well with Saitō.
"I'm fucked."
"What?! You idiot were trying to cheat off me?!"
"That's no good, right!"
…
While he griped loudly about his foiled cheating scheme.
On the desert's far side, a frantic life-or-death chase was unfolding.
A figure darted through the sands like a fish through water, swift and fluid, while a smaller shadow pursued relentlessly, closing the gap.
Until, at one moment, the humanoid Hollow swung out a pale, blinding arc of light.
It shattered a distant dune.
"Harribel, you can't escape."
***
Bonus Chapter:
100 Power Stones = 1 BC
300 Power Stones = 2 BC
500 Power Stones = 3 BC
700 Power Stones = 4 BC
1000 Power Stones = 5 BC
***
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