"Is this what the spiritual particle state is? It feels no different from being human."
After transforming into the spiritual particle state using Kisuke Urahara's converter, Daniel Davis inspected himself and murmured this under his breath.
The Soul Society is a place that ordinary humans cannot enter—only souls or those in the spiritual particle state can. Ichigo's Shinigami form isn't affected by this restriction, but Daniel Davis, Uryū Ishida, Yasutora Sado, and Orihime Inoue can enter without being Shinigami.
"It seems I still need to find a way to acquire the cultivation method of the Extinction Cultists."
To be able to come and go freely in the Soul Society later, mastering the conversion into a spiritual particle state is essential. Only the Extinction Cultists excel in this art, and since Uryū Ishida hasn't yet delved into that area, Daniel Davis must rely on Kisuke Urahara's machine for now.
In the real world, the only Extinction Cultists are Uryū Ishida and his father, Ryugen Ishida. This leaves Daniel no choice but to forgo obtaining their methods—instead, he must secure the technique from within the Soul Society.
"Damn it, it's the Binding Flow and Binding Surge—get out of here!"
When the group emerged through Urahara's portal into the Boundary Zone, before Daniel Davis could thoroughly survey his surroundings, Yoruichi—the black cat who had been trailing them—shouted loudly.
Whether moving from the Soul Society to the real world or vice versa, one must pass through the Boundary Zone. This gap between realms is composed of countless severed pockets of space overlapping together, where time flows at a rate completely different from the outside world—roughly two thousand times faster, if one were to put it numerically.
Before his climactic battle with Aizen, Ichigo had exploited this very characteristic of the Boundary Zone to perfect his final Crescent Moon Blast. It's interesting—apparently, every zanpakutō of the Shiba clan has a variant of the Crescent Moon Blast.
If one can make good use of the Boundary Zone's peculiar properties, it could serve as an excellent training ground. For ordinary humans, however, the trade-off might not be worth it—since it doesn't necessarily extend one's lifespan—but for long-lived Shinigami, it's a fine choice.
Unfortunately, despite its potential, the Boundary Zone is no safe haven. The unpredictable Binding Flow, along with the Binding Surge that occurs every seven days, is lethal to most Shinigami—unless one possesses power on the order of Aizen's, which is the only way to overcome the Surge. But those with such overwhelming strength hardly need to train there in the first place.
One must admit, Ichigo's luck was remarkable—both the Binding Flow and Binding Surge manifested simultaneously.
"I tell you, why wasn't I warned about something this dangerous sooner?"
As the group scrambled in disarray, Ichigo shouted reproachfully at Yoruichi—the black cat sprinting ahead—questioning why he hadn't been informed of this peril. Neither Kisuke Urahara nor Yoruichi had mentioned any of this before.
"Now's not the time for questions—just run for your lives!" Yoruichi barked, not looking back.
"I'll lead them out; you all pick up the pace."
Seeing the Binding Surge closing in, Daniel Davis grabbed Orihime Inoue and Yasutora Sado by the shoulders and, employing Shunpo, dashed ahead at breakneck speed—leaving Yoruichi behind.
Both Ichigo and Uryū Ishida also quickened their pace and charged forward. Previously, they hadn't been running at full speed out of concern for Sado and Inoue—Sado wasn't very fast, and Inoue simply lacked stamina.
"We're at the exit!"
Under the relentless pursuit of the Binding Surge, the group soon spotted a bright light ahead. But as they burst forth from the light, they discovered—with a shock—that they were in mid-air. The sudden change sent Ichigo and Uryū flailing their arms wildly; alas, they are not birds. No matter how hard they flapped, they couldn't stay aloft, and in an instant, both plummeted rapidly downward—thud, thud.
They landed nearly simultaneously on the ground. At that very moment, Yoruichi, as she touched down, leaped onto Ichigo's back and then bounded effortlessly onto a nearby wall without stirring a speck of dust. Only Daniel Davis managed to safely bring Sado and Inoue to the ground.
This outcome caused Yoruichi to cast a deep, appreciative glance at Daniel Davis.
"Damn it—why was the exit up in the sky?"
A visibly irate Ichigo, dusting himself off, shouted.
"How did I end up in such a mess?"
Uryū Ishida grumbled as he rose, noticing he was covered in dust. After a few futile pats to clear it off, he promptly pulled a cloak from his pocket and swapped out his white one.
"There's a striking disparity here."
Ignoring the commotion of Ichigo and the others, Daniel Davis leaped onto a nearby rooftop to survey the area. In the distance, a sharply defined wall cut across the landscape, clearly separating Seireitei from Rukongai—as distinct as the divide between an affluent district and a slum.
"There isn't a soul in sight over there... That must be where the Shinigami reside."
Not only Daniel, but Ichigo also quickly deduced that the area was Seireitei. Without hesitation, he headed in that direction, completely abandoning the original plan. It was as if he didn't even hear the shouts of Uryū and Yoruichi behind him.
"In a way, this reminds me a bit of Luffy," Daniel mused.
Watching Ichigo charge straight toward Seireitei, Daniel Davis couldn't help but feel exasperated. Before arriving, Kisuke Urahara had clearly outlined the plan: the primary objective in entering the Soul Society was to rescue Rukia—not to wreak havoc in Seireitei.
A covert infiltration to quietly extract Rukia—that was Urahara's plan. Whatever ulterior motives Urahara harbored, it was the very plan he had laid out before they entered the Soul Society.
Boom, boom, boom.
The moment the rescue team neared Seireitei, countless towering walls materialized out of thin air, suddenly encircling the area. In the blink of an eye, Seireitei was completely surrounded.
Where once one might have glimpsed the scenery inside Seireitei, now only thick walls could be seen. This wasn't due to Ichigo's actions at all—it was the activation of Seireitei's defensive mechanism.
The moment the group burst out from the portal, they had already been detected by the Twelfth Division's Technical Development Bureau of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. Immediately, the Soul-Sealing Barrier was activated—a shield formed from Aggressive Stone, the very material used to construct the walls around Seireitei, which effectively blocks spiritual particles.
One must admit, Seireitei's defenses were truly grand—a massive wall encircling the entire area, instantly reminding Daniel Davis of the colossal walls in a land of giants.
"Who dares trespass through the Hakudao Gate?"
Amid the smoke from the descending wall, a deafening roar resounded. As the smoke cleared, Ichigo was seen confronting a towering, burly man with a face full of rugged features, wielding a massive axe.
"Uh-oh, that's Sidanfang."
Upon seeing the man standing before Ichigo, Yoruichi immediately shouted, identifying him as the guard of the Hakudao Gate—the western entrance of Seireitei.
Though he isn't a Shinigami and lacks a zanpakutō, his innate strength is such that most Shinigami wouldn't stand a chance against him.
"If you can even block one of my axe swings, then I'll show you my true power!"
After his first strike caused the ground to crack and stones to crumble—yet did nothing to Ichigo—Sidanfang drew another axe from within his cloak.
Then, in a single blow, Ichigo shattered both axes. This outcome left Sidanfang utterly stunned; at first, he thought he was dreaming. When he realized it was real, he broke down in tears. Completely unexpected, Ichigo had obliterated his axes, and he immediately apologized for having destroyed them.
"That certainly convinces them—after all, the protagonist is the protagonist."
After offering his consolation, Sidanfang admitted that Ichigo was a good man—a true hero—and then helped open the Great Gate of the Pure Spirit Wall.
The wall, forged from Aggressive Stone, is impervious to spiritual particles. Under such conditions, there are two ways to open the gate: one is to trigger Seireitei's mechanisms to disable the entire Pure Spirit Wall, and the other is to force it open with sheer brute strength—which is why Seireitei requires four physically powerful gatekeepers.
However, for Daniel Davis, this was no challenge at all—he was strong enough relying solely on raw power. And since someone else had already opened the gate, there was no need for him to intervene.
"Third Division Captain, Ichimaru Gin."
At that moment, as Sidanfang, having just opened the gate, began trembling violently with cold sweat streaming down his face, a figure with a sly, fox-like smile emerged from not far ahead.
When it comes to the typical Shinigami of the Soul Society, none is more fearsome than Ichimaru Gin. In comparison, not even the Captain Commander is as intimidating—after all, the Captain Commander rarely makes an appearance.
"What do you think you're doing, Sidanfang?"
"I—I lost," Sidanfang stammered, confessing his failure.
"That won't do. As a gatekeeper, how can you possibly be opening the door for the enemy? Shoot him down—with divine precision!"
As he spoke, Ichimaru Gin's zanpakutō suddenly lengthened and pierced Sidanfang's right arm, causing him to lose his grip on the gate. The falling gate then landed heavily on his shoulder.
"What are you trying to do?"
Seeing Ichimaru Gin take action against Sidanfang, Ichigo immediately charged forward. This scene made Yoruichi break into a cold sweat, and she then glanced over at Daniel Davis.
Even though Kisuke Urahara held Ichigo in high regard—and Yoruichi had witnessed his training progress—there was simply no way for him to confront Third Division Captain Ichimaru Gin at this moment.
Watching Daniel Davis, who appeared completely detached—as if merely watching a performance—Yoruichi thought to herself that when things get truly dangerous, she might have to intervene to save Ichigo.
But to her surprise, Ichimaru Gin didn't engage Ichigo further. Instead, he used his zanpakutō to fling both Ichigo and Sidanfang from atop the gate, causing the gate to descend once more.
"Ichigo!"
Upon seeing Ichigo being hurled out from the gate, Orihime Inoue rushed forward immediately. She had come to the Soul Society this time specifically to act as a caregiver.
"He's gone—has he already entered?"
Yoruichi, upon verifying that Ichigo was unharmed, let out a sigh of relief. But she soon noticed that Daniel Davis's figure—who had been observing everything from the rooftop—had vanished.
"Seems like Urahara called it correctly, huh."
"Didn't expect someone else to be here."
Just as Ichimaru Gin, who had just hurled Ichigo aside, began sheathing his zanpakutō to retreat, his expression suddenly changed. He turned toward Daniel Davis, who was standing roughly ten meters away, and his zanpakutō immediately locked onto him. Unlike his earlier nonchalance with Ichigo, this time Ichimaru Gin radiated an intense, murderous aura.
"Captain Ichimaru, would you like to cooperate?"
For Daniel Davis, now that he had arrived in Seireitei, he was operating separately from Ichigo—Rukia's safety was no longer his concern. Aizen, when dealing with strangers, is exceedingly ruthless, but with acquaintances, he tends to act in his own peculiar way.
"In order to extract the Collapse Jewel from Rukia's body without causing her any harm, Aizen has been conducting relentless research."
"Cooperation? I don't think there's anything for us to work on together."
"I believe there is—such as how to break Aizen's complete hypnotic Mirror Flower, Water Moon. You've been lingering near Aizen all this time, haven't you? Surely it's all for this very reason. Or perhaps you've already discovered a countermeasure and are now waiting for the right moment."
Always squinting, Ichimaru Gin is a remarkably inscrutable character—his eyes reveal little, and his trademark fox-like smile has become his habit over the years.
"I don't understand what you're talking about."
"You know very well someone's coming. How about we move somewhere more private to talk?"
Just as Daniel Davis was about to continue, he sensed several people approaching. He immediately used Shunpo to vanish from the scene. As for Ichimaru Gin, he wasn't worried about falling behind—even if he already knew how to counter Mirror Flower, Water Moon.
Sure enough, after Daniel Davis left, Ichimaru Gin paused for a moment and then used Shunpo to follow him before anyone else could catch up.
"In a gesture of sincerity, I'll now explain the method to break Mirror Flower, Water Moon. You can compare it with what you've already discovered, but I require one piece of equipment that can conceal spiritual pressure—I know you have it."
In an empty room, Daniel Davis laid out the method for breaking Mirror Flower, Water Moon. Although this information is typically kept secret from others, he wasn't sure if Ichimaru Gin already knew it—so he decided to reveal it to earn his trust.
"The people from the West Branch have also taken notice of Aizen."
Still, Ichimaru Gin's expression remained unchanged.
"That information is not for disclosure."
"What is it you intend to do?"
As he spoke, Ichimaru Gin tossed a small black sphere to Daniel Davis. When Davis caught it, his hand trembled, and the sphere immediately transformed into a black cloak.
"Don't worry—it won't harm Matsumoto Rangiku. Besides, I suspect you don't care about the rest, do you?"
"You certainly know me well."
"I have a general idea. Honestly, I hold you in high regard. Very well—the deal is struck. Oh, and here's a word of advice: if you intend to kill Aizen, do so before he fuses with the Collapse Jewel. Once that fusion occurs, he'll effectively become immortal—and can only be sealed away."
For Rangiku's sake, Ichimaru Gin has truly gone to extremes; if possible, he wouldn't want to see her die.
"Oh, and one more thing—I need a favor from you. The True Spirit Arts Academy is located in the upper region."
Although Kisuke Urahara had previously explained some aspects of Seireitei's layout—mainly the location where Rukia was being held and a rough outline of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads' positions—he hadn't mentioned much else.
What Daniel Davis wanted was a map of the True Spirit Arts Academy and the Noble District.
"Thank you. By the way, let me also tell you that Rangiku has always liked you."
Having obtained exactly what he wanted, Daniel Davis immediately departed.
(End of Chapter)
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