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Human World, East Karakura Town, Urahara Shop.
A Kuroneko nimbly leaped from a large tree outside the window, directly into a room filled with various instruments. It walked gracefully towards the figure in the room.
"Kisuke, when did you develop a peeping habit?"
The Kuroneko sat beside the man it called 'Kisuke', looked at the large screen, and said, "And your target is a man."
The large screen showed a young man crouching in front of a bush, and behind him stood three Shinigami in shinigami uniforms. It was Ishikawa Katori and the other three in West 7 District.
"Hahaha, Miss Yoruichi, your words are really unpleasant." Urahara Kisuke rotated the brim of his hat. "I'm just very curious about the structure of his body… Ah… I really want to go to Soul Society to see it with my own eyes. It would be even better if I could bring back a piece of his flesh."
"Ew—"
The Kuroneko moved a few steps away with a look of disgust, then looked at the large screen with some curiosity and asked, "Can you even monitor Soul Society now?"
"When he came to the Human World last time, I really couldn't resist. During his battle, I secretly integrated monitoring bacteria into the Reishi he absorbed."
Urahara Kisuke looked at the black-haired young man on the screen, his eyes full of investigative intent. "However, it's limited to West Rukongai, which serves as our base. If he goes to the other three parts of Rukongai, or enters Seireitei, which has the Seireitei Wall, monitoring becomes impossible."
"Fortunately, he lives in West Rukongai, which makes it convenient for me to observe him. However, the monitoring bacteria have a limited lifespan, and a week ago, something happened to him, and he suffered serious injuries in Seireitei. Now I can only see the picture, but not hear the sound, and even the picture is intermittent."
"Should I call the police?" The Kuroneko looked at Urahara Kisuke with disdain. "To research something that pries into other people's privacy, you really should be locked up."
"I didn't research this, you know."
Urahara Kisuke chuckled. "Monitoring bacteria are Kurotsuchi Mayuri's research achievement. I just 'borrowed' them."
"...You two are birds of a feather."
The Kuroneko complained, then turned to the screen. "Speaking of which, what are they doing?"
"I don't know." Urahara Kisuke shook his head. "I can't receive sound here, but it looks like they're searching for something."
"They're moving, aren't they?"
The Kuroneko suddenly said. On the screen, the four people who had been talking finally began to move, rapidly speeding towards the direction of the mountain.
…
Outside West 7 District, in the mountain range, four figures rapidly sped through the forest.
"How did you determine this direction?"
Ikkaku Madarame looked at Ishikawa Katori, who was leading the way. "Didn't the person who abducted that kid erase all traces?"
"He did indeed erase all traces, but…"
Ishikawa Katori looked into the distance, a strange glint in his eyes. "My improved 'Kakushitsuijaku' will spread a Reishi net centered on me again and again once it's released. When it sweeps over a person with Reishi, no matter if the other party has concealed their Reishi, it will trigger the Reishi net."
"And if I encounter Reishi I've touched before, I'll be aware of it immediately."
Although it was a failed product, this Kido was created by Ishikawa Katori to deal with 'Kyōka Suigetsu'. When he used it in the Human World, he even detected a certain grocery Izakaya owner hiding in Karakura Town for an instant.
However…
The moment he discovered the other party, Ishikawa Katori gave up on investigating, because he always felt that that guy, like Kurotsuchi Mayuri, belonged to the type of extremely dangerous research maniacs. Unless absolutely necessary, he didn't want to interact with these two people who 'you never know what they're secretly up to'.
Getting back to the point.
Although the person who abducted Kosuke erased their own traces, Kosuke's own Reishi triggered Ishikawa Katori's Reishi net. Even though it was interrupted instantly by the abductor, Ishikawa Katori successfully determined the other party's location.
It's just that…
A hesitant look flashed across Ishikawa Katori's eyes.
Should he really continue to track them?
Just erasing one's own traces doesn't indicate the other party's strength, because that can be done with a spiritual tool. But immediately sensing his search and instantly interrupting Ishikawa Katori's investigation, that's something a spiritual tool can't do.
Given Emi's favorable impression of him, Ishikawa Katori wouldn't refuse any request within his capabilities.
But for requests beyond his ability, Ishikawa Katori needed to carefully consider whether it was worth it.
Moreover, unlike the time with Himura, taking on a life-threatening commission could provide him with a large amount of experience points to enhance his strength.
Even if Emi's favorability increased, he wouldn't gain much experience. Even if it broke through '60' points and was multiplied by ten, it would only be a mere 160 points. There was no need to take risks for such a small amount of experience.
Thinking of this, Ishikawa Katori's Shunpo suddenly stopped.
The three behind him stopped simultaneously, immediately entering a state of alert and observing their surroundings.
"Don't be nervous, the other party isn't here."
Ishikawa Katori first explained, then, facing their puzzled gazes, continued, "My search was obstructed. Although I can grasp the general direction, there's one thing I must make clear: the only possibility for someone to instantly obstruct my investigation is that the other party's Reishi intensity is several times stronger than mine!"
Reishi intensity several times stronger than Ishikawa Katori's!?
Upon hearing this, Ikkaku Madarame and the other two couldn't help but change their expressions.
In terms of Reishi intensity alone, Ishikawa Katori was in the middle tier even among the Vice-Captains of the Gotei 13. And someone with Reishi several times stronger than him… A top-tier Vice-Captain? Or a Captain-level Shinigami!?
Looking at their expressions, Ishikawa Katori didn't urge them. Whether they continued the pursuit or not, this point had to be communicated to the three of them.
On one hand, it was to mentally prepare them and prevent them from taking a dismissive attitude; on the other hand, it also implicitly told the three that it was not worth it to become hostile with a Captain-level Shinigami for a child from Rukongai.
In fact, Ishikawa Katori had already guessed this before coming, otherwise he wouldn't have brought the three of them along.
Although he couldn't confirm the other party's identity, if it was just a Captain-level Shinigami, even if the four of them couldn't win, surviving wouldn't be a big problem. If Ikkaku and Kiyone were willing to go all out, they even had a chance of winning. This was Ishikawa Katori's initial confidence.
However, Ishikawa Katori had only brought the three along with the 'worst-case scenario' in mind, not really believing that they would encounter a Captain-level enemy. He just thought it was a regular missing person's request.
But now, the situation was developing towards the 'worst-case scenario'…
Coupled with realizing Kosuke's strangeness after arriving here, Ishikawa Katori realized that this matter had exceeded his 'capable' scope.
"I'm going to keep chasing."
To Ishikawa Katori's surprise… the first one to step forward and declare his stance was actually Abarai Renji, which made Ishikawa Katori look at him in confusion.
Among the three, Abarai Renji was the least familiar with Ishikawa Katori. Normally, in a situation where they might face a Captain-level Shinigami, there would be no need for him to get involved further.
"If I give up on the rescue just because the other party might be a Captain, knowing someone has been abducted, then for the rest of my life, this day will always be my nightmare!"
Meeting Ishikawa Katori's gaze, a complex look flashed in Abarai Renji's eyes. "And I've always had a goal. I'm genuinely afraid of him from the bottom of my heart. Even if I grit my teeth and relentlessly chase his back, every time I only dare to look at him from afar, not even daring to step on his shadow."
"So, no matter what, I will continue to chase!"
If a stray dog like himself, who came from Rukongai, didn't even dare to bite a Captain whose identity was unknown, then how could he be qualified to catch up to that person?
Ikkaku Madarame glanced at Renji, a smile appearing on his face.
When Renji asked him to teach him Bankai training, Ikkaku Madarame already knew his goal.
This step, though taken too early, Ikkaku was not at all surprised that Renji would make such a choice.
Even though he had always humbly considered himself a stray dog, he never lacked the courage to overcome fear and move forward.
Shaking his head, Ikkaku Madarame looked at Ishikawa Katori and said simply and directly, "Being afraid of death on the battlefield is an insult to a warrior."
Ishikawa Katori curled his lip, offering no comment, and turned to Kiyone.
"I have already reported the entire incident of a 'suspected Captain-level Shinigami abducting a child with spiritual power talent from Rukongai' to the Onmitsukidō."
Ayasegawa Yumichika shook the Denreishinki in his hand. "Involving a Captain-level Shinigami, the Onmitsukidō takes this matter extremely seriously, because the Onmitsukidō often receives reports of Rukongai residents with 'potential to become Shinigami' going missing, but every investigation yields nothing."
"Moreover, according to the Onmitsukidō's reply, Central 46 is very concerned about similar incidents, seemingly because they have happened before, so they have always been very sensitive to this."
After speaking in one breath, Ayasegawa Yumichika said in a serious tone, "The Onmitsukidō's reply was sent in Captain Soi Fon's name, which means that the Onmitsukido, under Captain Soi Fon's jurisdiction, has already been dispatched. This is no longer your personal action. Even if you don't go, we will continue to investigate."
Ayasegawa Yumichika's words made Ikkaku Madarame and Abarai Renji both look at Ishikawa Katori.
"…" Ishikawa Katori's mouth twitched slightly.
These three initially followed along just to pass the time because of him, but how did it suddenly turn into him being forced by the three to continue the investigation?
Shouldn't I be the one to decide whether to continue?
Ishikawa Katori looked at Ayasegawa Yumichika with a dark expression, 'Could your mouth be any faster?'
Beep, beep, beep, beep…
The Denreishinki's ringtone sounded again. Ayasegawa Yumichika looked at the Denreishinki in his hand and said, "It's a message from Captain Soi Fon. She said she's already tracking you via the communication permit you're carrying, and she wants you to continue the pursuit no matter what until she arrives!"
After relaying the command, Ayasegawa Yumichika said with a surprised tone, "How come I feel Captain Soi Fon is taking this matter a bit too seriously?"
"Hmm?"
Ishikawa Katori's originally somewhat unpleasant expression instantly improved significantly, turning into one of contemplation.
Ishikawa Katori had previously received life-threatening commissions from Himura.
As he once said, although Ishikawa Katori restrained himself from seeking trouble, when trouble actively sought him out, trouble would become a key, unlocking the lock named 'restraint'; allowing Ishikawa Katori not to think about escaping, but to convince himself to face it with various reasons.
But whether this lock could be unlocked depended on the value of this 'key'.
Gritting his teeth slightly, Ishikawa Katori glanced at the value after Soi Fon in the system's favorability interface, and gritted his teeth again: "Send a message to Captain Soi Fon, tell her that even if the opponent is a Captain, I will definitely catch up to them, and I hope Captain Soi Fon can arrive as soon as possible to provide support!"
Ayasegawa Yumichika looked at Ishikawa Katori strangely, then did as he was told.
Seeing this, Ishikawa Katori looked at the favorability interface in his mind again, waiting for the result.
[Soi Fon Favorability +1, gained 320 experience points. Current Favorability: 2]
[Soi Fon Favorability +1, gained 320 experience points. Current Favorability: 3]
[...]
[Soi Fon Favorability +1, gained 320 experience points. Current Favorability: 7]
The favorability, which he had been unable to increase, began to grow, making Ishikawa Katori's eyes light up.
But…
I've put my life on the line, and your favorability only increased by 6 points. Isn't that a bit too much?
"Go!"
Saying a single, concise word, Ishikawa Katori stood up and once again sped into the mountain.
The three immediately followed.
…
Beep, beep, beep—
This was a room with no light at all, but it wasn't dark, because there were instrument lights flickering everywhere in the room, and in the very center of the room, there was a huge display screen.
"Captain Tosen seems to have run into trouble."
The voice came from the darkness, filled with a playful tone, as if it was very pleased with the current situation. "At their speed, they are very likely to find Captain Tosen's location before he extracts the 'Soul King Fragment' from the child's body."
"Also, the Onmitsukidō has already been dispatched. Should we notify him to retreat first?"
In front of the screen, a figure stood tall, looking at the large display screen. The shadows on their face, illuminated by the light, curved into a slight arc.
"A very interesting Bakudo."
A gentle voice sounded. "However, it's not trouble yet, just a small interlude to add to the fun. Just let them resolve it."
"What if they can't resolve it?"
"There's nothing that can't be resolved; the only difference is the method used."
…
West 3rd District, Shika Mountain, inside a hidden cave.
"The degree of fusion is even tighter than expected." A murmur came from the dark cave. "It will take at least another half an hour to completely extract the fragment."
The voice stopped, and the speaker seemed to be hesitating about something.
The plan had gone awry.
He had performed the extraction of 'Soul King Fragments' from spiritual bodies many times. Although it would damage the soul of the extracted person, it would not cause death.
The Vice-Captain of the Tenth Division was the biggest example.
According to the original plan, he would have been able to extract the fragment completely within a few hours, while the child's family rushed to District 38, with ample time to return the child to his original position. At that time, even if someone came to investigate, they would only think that the child had suffered some danger after getting lost, and thus was a bit weak.
But unexpected events kept happening…
First, the child's fusion degree exceeded expectations, slowing down the extraction speed; then, the young man named 'Ishikawa Katori' detected them too quickly, and because he hadn't anticipated being discovered, the other party's detection-type Kido also caught him off guard.
Unlike that lord, he didn't like such surprises!
join p atreon.com/KeyofStars and become a Sequence 9: Reader for dozens of advance chapters for over a dozen fics | Every 100 powerstones = 1 extra chapter