NOVEL WEB Chapter 133: [133] Lucky
"Tch."
"He died that easily?"
Shigyō Nobutsuna stood rooted, gazing at the distant horizon, surrounded by the guttural roars and screams of Shinigami clashing with Quincy lines.
But in that instant, the distant explosion drowned out all else.
The captains, already alert to Obana's vanished Reiatsu, realized his fate the moment the sound hit.
"Noisy to the very end…"
Shigyō Nobutsuna dug a long-nailed pinky into his ear, flicking it clean with a puff.
"Die!"
A reckless Quincy charged forward.
Before his 'Soul-Cleaver' could swing, he was hacked into eight pieces, eyes wide.
Shigyō shook the blood from his blade, scoffing, "Nonsense!"
"I'm not upset!"
---
"Oh my, oh my."
Saizō stood wreathed in black, smoke-like insect mist, his wrinkled eyelids drooping, his cloudy lenses reflecting Quincy swallowed by the haze.
"The loudmouth kid's finally quiet."
But as he muttered, a tall figure approached.
Saizō chuckled low, "Fine."
"Let this old man see what this 'Soul King's power' is made of."
---
Bang!
Chika Shihōin led the charge, his limbs clad in Raiōken, smeared with blood.
Sensing the distant Reiatsu vanish, his eyes widened, and he griped, "No way, seriously?"
"That massive Reiatsu, gone just like that?!"
As the yet-to-mature head of a former Great Noble House, he'd only just touched the edge of tier-2 Reiatsu.
"What a dangerous bunch."
Thwack!
He floored another attacker with a fist, irritated, "Fuck off!"
"Can't you see I'm annoyed?!"
---
Every battlefield felt Obana's final blaze, reactions varying.
Though Makoto had warned the Gotei 13 about the 'Soul King's power,' raw strength gaps weren't bridged by caution alone.
Worse, the Quincy wielded elusive 'rule-based' abilities.
Having read the original manga and witnessed the founding captains' battle against Yhwach, Makoto knew the brutality of this 'thousand-year-ago' war and was mentally prepared.
But for those living in this era, acceptance wasn't so easy.
The Seireitei's wars, spanning years, had claimed only single-digit high-tier casualties, most by Yamamoto's unmatched hand.
This was a different beast.
The Soul Society's disdain for Living World forces was a secondary factor.
Now, perhaps only Makoto remained calm.
Noticing his demeanor, Katori turned to him, her plain, wide glasses glinting with curiosity.
"Makoto-kun."
"Did you foresee this?"
"Not at all." Makoto shook his head, honest. "But after seeing that Quincy's ability, and being a 'rule-based' type myself, I had some guesses."
"If most Quincy are similar, there's a high chance some… monsters will emerge."
He struggled for the right word to describe them.
"Like my zanpakuto, rules are unbound by limits."
"If applied correctly, they can unleash attacks most can't counter."
"Such 'rules' can likely only be fought with other 'rules.'"
His voice carried a muted weight.
Though he'd anticipated the casualties and, to avoid the Soul King detecting his 'anomaly,' selfishly withheld his full foreknowledge, the real loss of someone familiar stirred his emotions.
A touch of regret.
Katori, hearing him, murmured thoughtfully, "Rules… huh?"
Her fingers instinctively brushed her Zanpakutō's hilt.
They spoke softly, stepping through the grand doors.
When Obana's Reiatsu vanished, they'd received Yamamoto's summons.
As expected.
Entering the 1st Division barracks, they found Yamamoto seated, his blade across his lap.
Without preamble, he cut to the chase.
"Makoto."
"With your ability, can you take that one down?"
Makoto replied frankly, "It's a matter of luck."
"If our rules counter each other, that's ideal."
Yamamoto fixed the young man with a rare, solemn stare, silent for a long moment, as if gauging his resolve through their locked gazes.
Makoto met his eyes unflinchingly, steady.
Finally, Yamamoto sighed low, "If only you had more time to grow."
He'd always believed, given time, Makoto's talent could rival his own.
But this world wasn't so kind.
Sensing the turmoil beneath Yamamoto's words, Makoto smiled lightly, "No worries, though."
"Old man."
Sasakibe, behind Yamamoto, stiffened at the term but sighed, resigned.
Yamamoto's sharp features softened slightly.
It was the first time Makoto had addressed him so casually.
Makoto grinned, "My luck's always been pretty good."
"So, leave it to me."
Yamamoto's expression hardened, not out of indecision, but because he'd never been one to overvalue any life, including his own.
"Vice Captain Makoto, heed my command."
"Hai!"
Makoto knelt.
Yamamoto declared, "Proceed to the 5th Division's frontline and intercept the enemy!"
"Hai!"
...
On the other side, the Seireitei was in chaos due to rapid frontline redeployments.
Mobilizing multiple squads and commanding thousands should have been routine for the Gotei 13, fresh from recent wars.
But the influx of new recruits slowed everything down.
"Hurry, hurry!"
"You lot, where are your packs and canteens?"
"Are the supplies ready?"
"Report! This is the 13th Division reserve… oh, that's the 9th over there."
Voices jumbled into a cacophony.
The Gotei 13 lacked standardized procedures, with most operating independently.
In this chaos, a group of uninvited guests slipped silently into the city.
"Hey, Jugram."
"Is this really okay?"
Bazz-B trailed Jugram, whispering, "That's the Shinigami's main base up ahead, right?"
He glanced at the ragtag group beside them, hesitating.
"Not that I'm scared or anything…"
"But with this bunch of small fry, how are we supposed to face those monsters?"
Bazz-B's voice was hushed, though it hardly mattered.
The leader, Schrift B, Bambara, hadn't restricted their actions from the start. As long as they followed, they could throw a party on the way, and no one would care.
Yet, the group, whether Sternritter candidates or elite Reishi soldiers chosen to forge the new empire, were all mainstays of the original forces.
Even now, only a few, like Bazz-B, spread unease through the ranks.
Jugram glanced at him, speaking low, "His Majesty has no need to send us to our deaths."
"But…"
His gaze swept over their group, lingering on familiar faces, his eyes darker than Bazz-B's.
"This war… we're likely to lose."
"Hey, hey, hey!"
Bazz-B hurriedly covered his mouth. "I was just talking! Don't say stuff like that!"
He whispered, glancing nervously at the front.
Bambara walked silently ahead, showing no sign of turning.
Bazz-B exhaled in relief.
But Jugram didn't relax, stating facts quietly, "Haven't you noticed?"
"Including us, everyone in this unit is a rising Quincy star, prime talents worthy of His Majesty's investment."
"By numbers, we match a full Sternritter roster."
"Yet we've been assigned to Bambara-sama."
At his words, Bazz-B caught on, ignoring the trailing Reishi soldiers and studying the unfamiliar faces around them.
Still skeptical, he said, "But if we're worth training, why send us… wait, are we hostages?!"
"Don't be dense."
Jugram shook his head. "Between Shinigami and Quincy, only one survives."
"Then…"
Bazz-B tried to press.
Jugram lifted his gaze to the approaching Seireitei skyline, saying abruptly, "The most dangerous place is the safest."
"Right?"
"…"
"Huh?"
Bazz-B froze.
Before he could speak, Bambara halted.
Staring at the Seireitei, his masked, cloth-covered face emitted a muffled voice, pointing ahead.
"Shadow."
"Invert!"
The moment his words fell, black light engulfed their vision.
From the Soul King's Palace, one might see space ripple, solidifying in the shadow Bambara indicated, a massive outline, spanning the Seireitei and kilometers beyond, carved abruptly into the 'shadow.'
The world flipped in an instant.
Yet every Shinigami in range, including Yamamoto and Makoto, noticed nothing.
Only the young Quincy behind Bambara faltered.
Then, the concept of up and down reversed.
They plummeted like rain into the void of the shadow-land.
Whoosh,
Jugram landed with Hirenkyaku.
He looked up, his gaze lingering on the familiar yet alien structures, lost in thought.
In that moment, he realized.
They might spend their lives in this 'invisible' empire.
---
"Hah… hah…"
"What a monster."
Chika Shihōin gasped, propped on one hand, his pale short hair framing eyes wary with dread.
Talk about bad luck.
The slender, pure-white figure advanced silently toward him.
Despite avoiding Obana's death site, their rapid-response unit had unluckily collided head-on with this unknown foe.
They'd been targeted, plain and simple.
Fortunately, since Louise hadn't exterminated all Shinigami near Obana, and Obana had uncovered most of her abilities, Chika at least knew how to counter her.
Without that, they'd have been done for on contact.
Lost in thought, he saw Louise press her chest, her calm gaze sweeping the Shinigami line.
Thud! Thud!
The sound of falling bodies echoed.
Against such a rule-based ability, most Shinigami, inexperienced, couldn't evade her gaze.
Chika's veins bulged as he charged silently from her blind spot.
But Louise, as if divinely guided, snapped her head back.
Chika's heart skipped.
Shunpo - Utsusemi!
As she turned, his form vanished.
Only a scarf remained.
He saw it, the moment Louise looked, the floating scarf erased from its center, wiped blank.
Before he could reorient, she turned again.
Her crescent-porcelain pupils nearly caught his reflection, her gaze tinged with faint disdain.
Done for!
The thought surged in Chika's mind.
The next moment...
Boom!
A streak of light, trailing wind, crossed a hundred meters in a deafening roar, smashing a foot into Louise's sculpted face.
Her face crumpled like wadded paper, rippling in waves.
She crashed into rubble dozens of meters away.
Chika stood stunned.
Beside him, Makoto's teasing voice rang out.
"Hey, you up to it?"
***
Bonus Chapter:
100 Power Stones = 1 BC
300 Power Stones = 2 BC
500 Power Stones = 3 BC
700 Power Stones = 4 BC
1000 Power Stones = 5 BC
***
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