Bleach : I Need To Rizz To Become Stronger ?!-Chapter 80: The World of the Living

In a small town of the World of the Living—

Kuritani, a Shinigami of the 13th Division stationed here, was struggling to hold off two unusually powerful Hollows. Alone, he stood no chance. He had already sent a distress signal to Soul Society, but in the meantime, his body was bloodied and his spirit flagging.

He had intended to lure the Hollows toward the outskirts, but quickly realized that without the cover of buildings, his odds of survival were even slimmer.

"Why's backup taking so damn long!?"

Kuritani hid inside a low building, breath ragged, heart hammering in his chest.

BOOM!

The roof collapsed above him with an earthshaking roar. Chunks of stone rained down, and a massive, pale-white hand crashed through the debris, trying to grab him like a toy.

Ignoring the pain from falling rubble, Kuritani scrambled away desperately.

Behind him, the Hollow let out a thunderous screech. Kuritani ran until another towering shadow loomed ahead of him.

"Shit!"

He pivoted, only to find the first Hollow had already blocked his retreat.

The creature, tall as a building and shaped like a white-masked ape, actually spoke with a deep, guttural voice:

"Why'd you stop running, Shinigami?"

Kuritani swallowed hard, hand trembling as he reached for his Zanpakutō.

"Tch tch... Been ages since I tasted a Shinigami. And after all that running, you'll be extra tender."

No way out now.

Gritting his teeth, Kuritani prepared to draw—only for a calm voice to suddenly echo through the air:

"Is Shinigami meat really that tasty?"

Both Kuritani and the Hollow froze. The beast turned, eyes narrowing.

Someone was standing on its shoulder.

A man in a standard shihakushō, with a Zanpakutō at his waist. Another Shinigami—when had he gotten there?

The ape-like Hollow roared and swatted its own shoulder with a palm the size of a cart. But its strike hit nothing.

The man had already appeared on its hand, pointing a single finger toward the Hollow's mask.

His lips moved.

The Hollow only caught two syllables:

Byakurai.

ZAP!

A white bolt of lightning lanced through the creature's head, vaporizing it on the spot.

Kuritani hadn't even processed what had happened before he heard another voice chant:

"Shoot to kill—Shinsō!"

Another flash—this time a piercing white spear that shot through the other Hollow's chest like a god's lance.

Dead. Instantly.

Backup had arrived.

Kuritani collapsed to the ground, panting in relief.

Moments later, two Fourth Division medics appeared at his side with Shunpo.

"I'm Iemura Yasochika of the Fourth Division. Are you alright?"

"I... I'll live," Kuritani answered, voice shaking.

Floating above, Tachikawa Shin calmly surveyed the surrounding reiryoku signatures. Clear.

"Impressive work, Shin-kun," came a smooth voice beside him—Ichimaru Gin, stepping up with his trademark smile.

"You dropped a Hollow like that using Byakurai. No wonder they say you've slain a Gillian-class Menos."

Shin returned the smile politely.

"Compared to you, Lieutenant Ichimaru, I'm still far behind."

He remembered—Ichimaru was due to become 3rd Division Captain soon. That meant he probably already had Bankai.

Shin followed Gin and the two 5th Division Shinigami down to the street where Kuritani and Iemura stood.

Gin glanced over Kuritani's injuries and said:

"You're Kuritani Yoshinosuke of the 13th Division, correct? Where's your partner?"

Kuritani's face fell.

"Dead. There were three Hollows. We barely managed to kill one together. If only you'd gotten here sooner..."

The air turned somber.

Shin glanced sideways at Gin.

Gin met his look, his voice still calm:

"Are you blaming me, Shin-kun?"

The joint rescue ops were led by 5th Division and supported by the 4th. As soon as the alert went out, they'd mobilized. But before crossing the Dangai, the 12th Division had insisted on inspecting Gin's Limiter Seal, delaying them.

The seal was required for any seated officer or captain-class Shinigami to safely enter the World of the Living, and 13th Division had strict protocols about tampering.

Shin had grumbled about the bureaucracy earlier, saying those delays put lives at risk—only to be scolded by Iemura for speaking out of turn.

"No," Shin said now, evenly. "It's not your fault."

He turned toward Kuritani and said:

"Let me take care of it."

Iemura nodded and stepped aside.

Kuritani's injuries weren't life-threatening. Shin examined him briefly, then unsheathed his Zanpakutō and gently placed it on Kuritani's shoulder.

A soft field of spiritual light enveloped the man. Within moments, the wounds closed.

Gin's perpetually squinting eyes opened slightly as he watched.

Kuritani blinked, shocked by how quickly he felt whole again.

"Wait—you're from Fourth Division too?"

The precision and lethality of Shin's Byakurai, plus the lack of a healer's toolkit, had made Kuritani assume he was from the 5th.

Shin grinned.

"Tachikawa Shin."

Kuritani's eyes lit up.

"I've heard of you!"

Kuritani's fallen partner had been completely devoured—nothing left but a single dropped Zanpakutō. After returning through the Senkaimon, Gin and the others exchanged a few words with Iemura, then departed to file their mission report.

Kuritani left with them. There was nothing more for Fourth Division to do.

Watching them go, Shin muttered,

"First real mission, and there's already a death. Feels like shit."

Iemura clapped a hand on his shoulder with a weary sigh.

"It's part of the job. Every 13th Division Shinigami deserves respect."

He looked Shin in the eyes.

"And don't ever say what you said in front of the Dangai again. The laws of the 13th Division are strict. You're still a regular Shinigami. You don't get to question protocol."

"Understood."

Shin didn't argue.

The Limiter Seal wasn't a simple matter. If one thought it through carefully, it made a kind of twisted sense.

He himself had benefitted from it in the past.

"Still," Iemura added, grinning, "you're damn impressive, Shin-kun. I think you could handle solo missions in the future."

Normally, the 4th Division had to rely on 5th or 11th Division for combat support during deployments. They healed; others fought.

But Shin could do both.

Shin chuckled.

"Please, I'd rather not die of overwork."

Iemura burst out laughing.