12 Chapter: 12

Chapter: 12

"Huh!?"

"Yo."

"Riku nice of you to finally join us," Kisuke said fanning himself

I turned to look at Kisuke after he said that with a deadpan expression.

"You didn't tell me when you were leaving."

"I must have forgot. "

"I'm going to strangle you one of these days, anyways let's get going."

"Hold up wait."

"Yes, Ichigo." 

"How are you even here and better yet how are you a soul reaper?" Ichigo asked.

"Oh that's simple I tracked your reiatsu which you are bad at hiding by the way as for the second question I became a soul reaper at the same time you became one."

"What?" Ichigo asked confused.

"Don't worry I'll explain later but for now we have someone to save don't we?"

My question shook Ichigo out of his confusion and he nodded.

"Right."

"I like your enthusiasm but we don't have much time." A male voice said 

Turning around to find the owner of the voice but instead of a person I saw a black cat, I tilted my head staring at the cat I asked.

"Who is this?"

"That's Mr. Yoruichi."

Before Orihime could finish her sentence Yoruichi was already in my hands while I internally tried to control myself from squealing at how cute the cat was. Yoruichi noticing that he wasn't on the ground anymore asked.

"Can you put me down?"

"No." Was my immediate response.

Yoruichi sighed before squirming out of my grasp jumped onto my shoulder and said.

"Alright time is of the essence let's go."

"Right!" 

"Alright let's go."

With that said the group of me, Ichigo, Uryu, Chad, Orihime, and Yoruichi entered the portal. Stepping out of the portal we entered a dark space with purple walls.

"What is this place?" Orihime asked

"This is the Dangai!" Yoruichi responded

After Yoruichi responded the walls behind us started to collapse and close in. Noticing this Yoruichi turned to the rest of the group who were behind us who were looking around the area and said.

"Come! Don't just stand there run!! The wall of Koryu is coming."

Not needing to be told twice we started running.

'Guys is it just me or is there little to no spirit energy in here?'

"No, it's not just you. We sense it too."

<<Notice: The walls of the space aren't they are stacked layers time currents.>>

'Ah, that would explain it the spirit energy is probably being absorbed by the walls and being sent elsewhere in time.'

I was pulled from my conversation by the shout of Uryu looking back I saw that a part of Uryu's short cape was caught by the wall.

'You're joking.'

"You idiot it's that stupid costume you're wearing!!"

Ichigo shouted while reaching for his zanpakuto from off his back but was stopped by Yoruichi's shout.

"Wait! Don't use the zanpakuto! The Koryu Entangles all spiritual entities if you swing that sword you'll both be swallowed up!!"

"Then what am I supposed to do?" Ichigo asked

Chad then grabbed the part of Uryu's clothing that was caught by the wall tore it off and then picked up Uryu and put him on his shoulder. After that, we started running again.

"Put me down Chad! I can run on my own! Put me…"

The second Uryu stopped talking my sensory ability kickstarted looking behind me at the collapsing walls I sensed something off and Uryu noticed it as well.

'Something is coming.'

"W-wait guys! Something… something is coming!"

Suddenly there was rumbling and light started to pier through the collapsing walls behind us then something that seemed to be made up of the same materials as the walls in the shape of a bullet train, and a golden eye at the upper-center of its body that emits light was coming straight for us.

"What is that thing?" Uryu asked

"It's a Kototsu a cleaner!! It appears once every seven years but why now!?" Yoruichi asked confused.

"Run!! Very fast!! Run for your lives!!"

'You don't have to tell me twice.'

Looking ahead I saw a white space in the shape of a square.

"Hurry! The exit is just ahead!!"

Everyone picked up the pace but the cleaner was catching up.

"It's catching up!!"

Sensing a build-up of reiyoku coming from Orihime I shouted.

"Orihime don't do that! Let me handle it."

Orihime stopped whatever she was planning. I raised my right hand and white energy formed on my hand and with a snap, a white barrier appeared in front of the Cleaner. The Cleaner slammed into the barrier and caused an explosion knocking everyone through the exit. Holding onto Yoruichi I regained my balance in the air and started walking on the air while everyone else crash landed into the ground.

"Well, that went better than I expected."

Yoruichi then gave me the cat equivalent of a deadpan expression. Looking at him I said.

"Oh don't give me that look it could have been far worse you must admit."

"True."

Looking down at the crash-landed quartet I noticed that they were on a triangular orange barrier floating down to them I asked.

"You guys good?"

"Yeah." (Ichigo)

"I'm ok!" (Orihime)

"Hmm." (Chad)

"Ow… what a trip that was." (Uryu)

Uryu then reached into his shirt and pulled out another short cape one that looked exactly like the one he had just torn.

'He keeps spares?'

"Hey! The dust is settling!" Orihime said.

Looking I notice that we are in a town that looks like an older era of Japan.

"This is the soul society?" Ichigo asked.

"Yes," Yoruichi responded.

"This is the slum district commonly known as the Rukongai, The Drifting Spirit Town. It's where souls live when they first come to the soul society. It lies outside the walls of the Seiretei where the soul reapers live. It's the poorest but the freest part of the soul society. The majority of the konpaku live there." Yoruichi explained.

"Really? It looks deserted." Uryu said.

And Ichigo agreed with him.

"Hey? That town looks totally different over there." Ichigo said.

Looking in the direction Ichigo was looking I saw a much more beautiful town so much so to the point it looked elegant.

"Yes… that's-" Yoruichi didn't get to finish as Ichigo cut him off.

"I know! That's where the soul reapers live, right?"

Ichigo asked while running towards the area.

'Please don't tell me he thinks it's going to be that easy? I know that he can't sense the barrier but seriously.'

"King is quite stupid."

<<I agree with Shiro.>>

'Oh Raph your speaking fluently.'

<< No you imagined it.>>

'So you say.'

"Wa… wait you fool!! Don't get too close!! You'll die!!" Yoruichi shouted.

"Huh?" was his genius response.

Ichigo stopped running and looked back at us. Thankfully he did stop as something large fell right behind him and it wasn't the only one multiple large objects fell from the sky creating a large wall and a gate. Ichigo coughed from the dust that was kicked up. Then a voice spoke from behind the dust.

"It's been a while since anyone has tried to crash the Seireimon (The spirit gate) without a permit. At last, I have a customer. Welcome boy!"

Said an extremely large, muscular man, who easily towers above most Shinigami. His hair is tied into a ponytail, which extends down his waist. He has long sideburns, which continue down onto his neck and long enough to be tied up in small pony-tail-like tufts. He wears armor on his left shoulder and upper arm, plus a red hat with tassels. The left side of his chest is left exposed by his uniform with an axe in hand.

"So who is this?" I asked

"That is Jidanbo. He was chosen out of all the giants in the soul society for this job. This is the great white road gate and Jidanbo is its gatekeeper." Yoruichi explains.

"Oh, I see."

"Gatekeeper? So we have to defeat him to get inside…" Uryu said.

"Yes. And it won't be easy. In the 300 years that he has been guarding this gate… no one has ever crashed it."

"He must be strong."

"Extremely. He can kill 30 hollows with a single swing of his axe his strength is legendary."

"How are we even supposed to defeat something like that?"

"We will have to use our wits."

"No, we won't" I interjected.

"What?" both Uryu and Yoruichi asked confused.

"I have gauged his strength that will not be necessary if anything it will be a good warm-up."

I said while taking Yoruichi off my shoulder placing him on the ground and started walking towards Ichigo and Jidanbo stopping Orihime and Chad from rushing to help Ichigo in the process. Jidanbo noticed my approach and slammed his axe into the ground in front of me causing the pavement to crack and tilt and make a barrier. Rolling my eyes I jumped over the barrier landed next to Ichigo and created a chain to pull him back to the barrier standing in front of Jidanbo I said.

"I will be your opponent."

"The boy with orange hair got here first so I was going to fight him first."

"Don't worry about brother he doesn't mind don't you Ichigo?" I asked Ichigo with a sweet smile that was anything but.

"Y-yeah," Ichigo said sweating.

"See."

As Ichigo stuttered his agreement, Jidanbo seemed taken aback for a moment, perhaps not expecting such a calm response from the usually brash teenager. He scratched his head, pondering for a moment, then shrugged.

"Alright then, if the boy's fine with it, I don't mind," Jidanbo rumbled in his deep voice. "But don't think I'll go easy on you just because you're smaller."

"I don't mind."

"Don't say I didn't warn you!"

Jidanbo swung down his axe towards me which I caught with two fingers

and effortlessly stopped its momentum. Jidanbo's eyes widened in surprise at the ease with which I halted his attack. With a swift motion, I pushed his axe back, forcing him to stumble slightly. After Jidanbo regained his balance he started laughing.

"Hohohohoho! You're not bad!! Good! It's been decades since anyone has blocked my axe."

Jidanbo gained a serious expression and then said.

"Alright, then today… I won't hold back!!."

He raised his axe in the air.

"Good luck boy… you're only the third person that ever blocked my first swing but nobody's ever stopped my second move!!"

He swung his axe down towards me before it could reach me I created a thin line barrier that blocked his attack with ease.

"Hah, you're still standing!! But there's more!! Take this!! Juppon Jidan Masturi ( Jidan Ten Strike Festival)!!"

He started to swing his axe back down at me while counting. Each strike was avoided or blocked but not to give credit where it was due each strike shattered the ground when it was dodged and kicked up dust. When he got to ten instead of a downward slash like he was doing previously and now he did a horizontal slash. The slash cut through the pavement that he turned into a barrier to block my previous advance without any real thought I caught the axe with my hand. Jidanbo looked shocked that I stopped his attack.

"Wh…why… you… how come you're still standing?"

"Is that it?"

"N-not yet!! I have another move!!" he said pulling out a second axe.

He raised the axes into the air I sensed a build-up of reiyoku from Jidanbo.

"Here goes my final move!!"

He brought down the axes at me.

'Sigh alright I've had my fun."

"Banzai Jidan Matsuri!! (Jidan Banzai Strike Festival)"

I reached up and caught both axes with a single hand and with a flick of my wrist I snapped the blades off the axes and then threw it to my left without much effort.

"Alright, that's the end of that."

Chapter 12: end