The Dangai.
Azashiro Sōya and Tōsen Kaname sped through the Dangai, following behind the currently active Shinigami.
They had received an early graduation trial mission.
"Kaname, once this mission ends, we'll finally be Shinigami!"
Azashiro Sōya was brimming with excitement—he was finally becoming a Shinigami.
"Sensei said not to speak of things that haven't happened yet."
Tōsen Kaname wasn't nearly as eager about graduating.
After all, the thought of Azashiro joining the Kido Corps made him feel like Kakyō was slipping further away from him.
Still, Tōsen hadn't followed Azashiro's footsteps and applied to the Kido Corps.
He had chosen a division without a captain.
'If I could become a captain… maybe Kakyō would see me in a new light.'
As a blind man, he sometimes felt inferior in front of her. He believed her rejection was because he wasn't good enough yet.
"I'm not taking this mission lightly!"
Azashiro patted his Reishi Pocket, showing he was fully prepared.
Shinigami were often dispatched to the World of the Living, and today, they were tagging along with a patrol squad.
Two Kido Corps Shinigami were also present, scheduled to conduct a routine inspection on the defenses of a Shinigami outpost in the human world.
Since Azashiro had applied to the Kido Corps, these two would also serve as examiners for his Kido proficiency.
"That's the World of the Living up ahead. Don't fall behind! You two aren't official Shinigami yet—without a Hell Butterfly to guide you, or the ability to open a Senkaimon, you'll be stuck if you get separated!"
Shiba Isshin, the 8th Seat of the 10th Division, slowed his pace and reminded them to stay close.
Though he had only graduated a few years prior, Isshin's outstanding performance in the Live Blade Tournament had earned him quick advancement in the 10th Division.
He was leading this patrol mission.
The Gotei 13 valued individual ability—nepotism didn't factor into promotion.
That meant Isshin was also the lead examiner for Sōya and Tōsen's graduation assessment.
"Yes, sir!"
Both answered in unison.
Isshin opened the Senkaimon, and the group stepped into the World of the Living.
"So this is the World of the Living? Huh. Not that impressive… what a barren place."
Sōya frowned.
He meant "barren" in terms of Reishi density—it was far lower than Seireitei.
"This is actually a pretty rich area."
Tōsen replied calmly.
"Compared to places like Suzuka District in the Rukongai, this is practically a high-spirit zone."
"Is that so…?"
Sōya scratched his face awkwardly.
"Kakyō never let me visit those places. I've only been to Suzuka… and the density felt about the same as here."
"Tch. Did you learn nothing in your General Studies classes?"
Tōsen scoffed.
"Even though Suzuka is considered spiritually barren in Soul Society, it's still a high-Reishi area overall."
Suzuka was where Tōsen and Kakyō were from—he knew it well.
"You're not wrong," Isshin said with a smile.
"The World of the Living isn't like Soul Society. High-Reishi zones are rare. A place like Naruki already counts as a good one."
Their destination today was Naruki, a high-Reishi city in the World of the Living.
It was densely populated, and due to its spiritual richness, the probability of Hollow appearances was high.
Thus, a long-term Shinigami outpost had been established there.
Under Isshin's lead, the group soon arrived.
Naruki was divided into three zones: Inner City, Outer City, and Outskirts.
The Shinigami outpost was located on a mountain in the outskirts.
"Why is there an abandoned shrine beneath our outpost?"
Sōya looked around curiously.
"This shrine looks abandoned. It must be warded with Kido to repel humans, right?"
The structure was large, yet deserted and silent.
"Correct… and good eye spotting the Kido barriers,"
One of the Kido Corps Shinigami nodded.
"Reinforcing those barriers is one of our objectives."
"Such a large shrine just left to rot…"
Tōsen frowned.
"It seems wasteful. We could've built the outpost somewhere else."
"I know a bit about that."
Isshin chuckled.
"It actually involves your sister, Sōya."
Sōya blinked.
"My sister?"
"There are some humans in the World of the Living with spiritual awareness. They can see spirits—but most can't pose a threat to Shinigami or Hollows."
Isshin explained slowly.
"But over time, some do witness us purifying Hollows or performing Soul Burial. And then… well, rumors begin."
"Wait, don't we have tools to erase memories? How'd we still get found out?"
Sōya asked, confused.
"And what's that got to do with my sister?"
"We do erase memories… but accidents happen."
Isshin sighed.
"There used to be just a small shrine here, dedicated to some local deity called Mitsu-sama…
One day, your sister Kana-senpai passed through and ate some of the shrine offerings.
That wouldn't have been a problem—except a little shrine maiden saw her."
At first, the girl thought a ghost had stolen the food and said nothing.
Kana thought the child had no spiritual awareness and didn't erase her memory.
Later, the girl saw Kana again purifying Hollows in the city.
From there… rumors spread that Mitsu-sama had appeared in the flesh.
The wealthy elites built a grander shrine, and more believers came flocking in..."
To avoid exposing the Shinigami outpost, they cast Kido to repel humans—thus the shrine was abandoned.
"My sister really…"
Sōya sighed.
"She even wanted to taste someone's offerings..."
They ascended the mountain path.
Scarlet torii gates lined the trail—leftovers from when humans rebuilt the shrine.
Many of these gates had Kido runes visible only to those with spiritual power.
Ordinary humans would unknowingly steer away from the area.
Their pace was slow, as the Kido Corps members needed to inspect each gate's seals.
"Azashiro-kun, explain the key points we look for when examining these barriers..."
While inspecting, the Kido Corps members tested Sōya's knowledge.
"The main function of human-repelling wards is… First, we examine the core of the array…"
Sōya answered fluently.
After a moment, the Kido examiners nodded with approval.
"No issues here. Let's move on to the outpost."
Just then, a voice called out—
"So many gods all at once!"
Sōya looked up the steps and spotted a girl in miko robes.
"Isshin-bro..."
Sōya scratched his face.
"Is this… the girl you mentioned?"
"That's her..."
Isshin sighed.
"Our Kido only affects non-spiritually aware humans. This little shrine maiden still lives here. Since she can see spirits, she often waits here to ask passing Shinigami for help..."
Near the outpost, a Reishi Barrier blocked access. Even someone like the shrine maiden, with spiritual awareness, couldn't enter.
She could only wait along the trail.
"Why not erase her memory?"
Tōsen asked.
"We did. But she constantly interacts with spirits—it reawakens her memories. Since she's so eager to help guide wandering souls, we let her be," Isshin said.
The current method of memory erasure was a memory seal.
But since the girl had spiritual power and frequent exposure to souls, the seal weakened.
The shrine maiden rushed over.
"Great gods! I found a soul in the Outer City whose Chain of Fate is almost worn through! Please help guide him to the afterlife!"
Ever since she'd encountered Kana, she felt a sense of duty—to help the "gods" find souls in need.
"The Chain of Fate is nearly gone? A Hollowfication is imminent—we need to hurry," Isshin said, turning to his juniors.
"You two haven't seen a Soul Burial, have you? Come on. I'll show you."
"Not yet," Sōya replied.
"We should study it." Tōsen nodded.
They were both souls born in Soul Society—this was their first time in the human world.
Isshin told the others to escort the Kido Corps members to the outpost.
Meanwhile, he, Sōya, and Tōsen followed the shrine maiden into Naruki's Outer City.
"Human cities sure are dazzling..."
Sōya was wide-eyed.
Though the Reishi density wasn't impressive, the architecture rivaled Seireitei in scale.
"A bit noisy," Tōsen muttered, frowning.
He relied mostly on Spiritual Perception and sound.
But in crowded cities, ambient noise interfered with his senses.
As for Reishi, he could only detect some wandering souls.
"'Reishi Bodies'... they really interfere with sensing the souls inside..."
To him, it was like invisible figures making constant noise.
"Great gods! The soul I mentioned is over here!"
The shrine maiden darted into a bustling street.
The three followed.
"It's in that well!"
She pointed at a courtyard well from atop the wall.
"Why are there so many women here?"
Sōya climbed up and peeked through a window—inside were many colorfully dressed women.
"Ahem…"
Isshin coughed lightly, seeing the scene.
"Sōya, this kind of place is… a bit early for you."
"You hang out here?" he asked the shrine maiden.
This was clearly a pleasure district, not somewhere a girl like her should be.
"Thanks to the gods, I've gotten some fame in Naruki. They invited me here for exorcism..."
She explained matter-of-factly.
The townsfolk had started seeing her as an expert in banishing spirits, and requests came regularly.
"Last month, a maid sleepwalked into the well and drowned."
She told them,
"Her soul remains, unwilling to leave. Every night, we hear her crying..."
"I see..."
Isshin sensed the well and detected Hollow energy.
"Looks like she's turning. I'll take a look."
Whoosh
Isshin appeared beside the well.
To normal humans, it was just clean water—the maid's body had been recovered already.
But to Isshin, a vacant-eyed soul hovered above.
"Yeah… she's almost turned."
A gaping hole had formed in her chest, the Chain of Fate barely a few centimeters long.
Classic signs of Hollowfication.
"No big deal. You two handle it. They taught you this at the Academy, right?"
Isshin waved them over.
"Got it. I'll go first!"
Sōya leapt down.
He approached the maid's soul and drew his Zanpakutō, aiming to perform a Soul Burial.
But as he neared, his spiritual pressure agitated her.
Her eyes rolled back, and her body trembled.
The chest wound expanded; the chain rapidly disintegrated.
Her face began to form a white Hollow mask.
"Turn into a Hollow? Not on my watch!"
Sōya acted fast, shifting from hilt tap to a clean slash.
Slice!
The half-formed mask shattered and faded.
"If you weren't joining the Kido Corps… your exam would be over already."
Isshin rubbed his temples.
"Didn't they teach you? You're supposed to communicate with the soul first. Use Soul Burial whenever possible—it's less painful."
Sōya was still under evaluation.
Proper conduct earned higher scores.
But since he planned to join the Kido Corps, Soul Burial wasn't his main focus.
"She was turning into a Hollow…"
Sōya scratched his head awkwardly and sheathed his blade.