Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—!
Several figures landed in the street. The leading woman crouched to check the squad members' condition, then shook her head. "They're still up ahead. There might be survivors."
The woman wore a gray-cherry inner kimono under her haori, her appearance gentle and serene, with long black hair parted in the middle, braided and hanging down the front.
She stood and looked into the distance, her tone slightly nostalgic. "This place is as chaotic as ever."
The young 4th Division Shinigami following her didn't understand—why did their captain seem so familiar with this outermost part of Rukongai?
But the woman said nothing more, simply leading her team onward.
As the medical and support squad of the Gotei 13, the 4th Division's Captain Unohana rarely went out herself, usually staying in the barracks to handle severe cases brought from other squads.
This time, she was returning from a special mission when she received the 5th Division's distress call.
When Unohana and her team landed on a rooftop and looked down, her eyes wavered slightly.
The other squad members were surprised. The distress signal had already gone dead minutes ago, so they expected they'd only be collecting bodies.
Chasing down the rebels wasn't their job; that would be left to squads more suited for battle, like the 2nd or 11th Division.
But the scene below made no sense. The rebels from the intel were all lying in pools of blood, and the only one standing was a vagrant holding an Asauchi—not a 5th Division squad member.
Ten rebel corpses were strewn about the street. The man in the center, in ragged clothes, ran the Asauchi along his cheek, shaving off the last bit of stubble.
Who calmly shaves amidst a pile of corpses?
Under the blazing sun, the rugged, handsome man sheathed the sword, then looked up at the figures on the roof, putting on what he hoped was a friendly smile.
In that instant, the squad members all felt a chill—the scene was just too bizarre.
Unohana leaped down, her haori spreading like butterfly wings, landing silently. She wore a warm smile, eyes gently squinting as she looked at Gusion.
Under her gaze, Gusion's smile faded. For the first time in a long while, he felt a genuine threat of death.
Not the kind that comes with a gun to the head, but real killing intent—the suffocating feeling of being crushed by an overwhelmingly powerful being.
This was the strength he sought. This was the world he longed for.
The earlier rebels, weak in both skill and power, had merely warmed him up. They hadn't given him the joy of real combat.
But before that disappointment could take hold, the woman before him dispelled it. He'd only just arrived—there were many mountains yet to climb, and countless interesting battles ahead.
Just as Endspace had said: he would face unprecedented challenges.
"What is your name?" Unohana asked, the murderous atmosphere instantly melting away, her smile now truly gentle.
"Gusion Paxley," he answered simply. He didn't bother to use a fake name matching local customs.
Judging by the pressure she gave off and her appearance, he was pretty sure she was the Unohana Retsu (Yachiru Unohana) from the original story, Captain of the 4th Division.
With that, he could roughly place the timeline. Since Unohana was already the 4th Division Captain, Yhwach must already be in slumber.
As for exactly how long before the plot began, he'd need more intel.
"Gusion Paxley, huh? Did you kill these people?" Unohana asked, glancing at the corpses.
"The Shinigami were killed by these guys. I was just defending myself," Gusion answered honestly. He didn't want any misunderstandings. He craved battle, but not death—especially now that he'd finally arrived in such an interesting world.
Unohana nodded, readily accepting his answer as if it was nothing surprising for a vagrant to kill ten rebels who even regular squad members couldn't handle.
"Would you like to join the Gotei 13?"
The squad members were stunned. They hadn't expected their captain to invite Gusion herself, and not specifically to the 4th Division, but simply to the Gotei 13.
If she'd taken a liking to his talent, shouldn't she have invited him to the 4th Division?
"The Gotei 13?" Gusion was surprised. He hadn't thought his main quest's first phase would be completed so easily—it seemed all he had to do was nod.
"As long as you're willing," Unohana smiled. "Of course, by the rules, you'll need to enroll in Shin'ō Academy first. Once you graduate, you can join the Gotei 13."
Gusion pretended to consider, then nodded.
Now he understood the mission's difficulty range. If Endspace had a god's-eye view, his current route was the simple one.
In combat, he'd found the ten rebels were weaker than him in every way; their skills couldn't compare, and killing them hadn't even dirtied his clothes.
If he'd left the area and wandered Rukongai alone, he'd have faced more danger, and even then, Shin'ō Academy might not have accepted him.
Now, with Unohana's recommendation, he was sure to get in.
"Then let's go. We're heading back anyway," Unohana said, glancing at the Asauchi in Gusion's hand. "You can keep that."
The squad members weren't surprised. An Asauchi without an owner is just a sharp sword until someone draws out its true name and unlocks its powers.
When a Shinigami dies, their Zanpakuto usually returns to factory settings as an Asauchi, ready to be rebound by someone else (with some exceptions).
Seireitei typically recycles unclaimed Asauchi, issuing them to new students at the academy. As long as the sword remains in circulation, no one minds.
Now that Gusion had one, he wouldn't be given another at the academy.
Gusion hung the Asauchi at his waist and followed Unohana's group. Their business here was done; cleanup would be handled by other squads.
He was inwardly excited. As a martial arts master, he was eager to learn the world's supernatural combat techniques.
Compared to the contractual rewards for mission completion, he was more eager to learn skills directly in this world.
And the Asauchi he had just obtained was, in some sense, a truly legendary weapon.