Chapter 893: Chapter 894: Using Newly Trained Characters to Play Dungeons
It was only a short ten day crash course, and time passed in the blink of an eye.
Since no one knew what kind of situation they would face after entering the Soul Society, they deliberately left these young people one day to recover and rest. Even if their bodies were fine, their minds still needed some adjustment.
After Ichigo and the others left Urahara Shop, only Kisuke, Yoruichi, and Ethan remained, silently looking at the completed Senkaimon.
"All the preparations are complete. Now it depends on how the young people perform."
Yoruichi stayed silent for a moment. She had already decided to accompany Ichigo and the others. In her black cat form, she did not need to worry about being recognized by acquaintances in the Soul Society. Moreover, her concealment ability was even stronger than it had been a hundred years ago. Now she was confident enough to wander around the First Division barracks, even right in front of the Captain Commander, without her identity being discovered.
"It’s a pity the time was a bit short. Otherwise Ichigo could have been trained even stronger."
"Oh dear, he’s already very strong."
Kisuke did not expect Ethan to become so invested in training, but considering Ichigo’s current results, they were much better than he had originally predicted.
The next day, the young people preparing to depart gathered again at Urahara Shop. Except for Ichigo, who could enter the Soul Society in his Shinigami form, the others had to pass through a special Senkaimon to transform their state of existence before they could enter the Soul Society.
Ishida Uryu, who had not participated in the special training, also appeared this time. This meant the group going to the Soul Society to rescue Rukia was no different from the original plot.
The biggest difference was probably that the protagonist, Ichigo, had finally learned how to initially use his power during the past few days. It was only usage, not yet real control.
Zangetsu, the Zanpakuto Ethan had shattered earlier, had already returned to its original state. Its appearance had also changed slightly.
Learning to restrain and control spiritual power from Ethan was not completely useless. At least now the Zangetsu on Ichigo’s back was no longer the cleaver shaped blade without a guard or handle. It was closer to the Zanpakuto he used at the beginning, a relatively large Zanpakuto.
According to Ethan, if Ichigo continued this training, he could eventually shrink his Zanpakuto to a normal size. Only then would he reach a level of control comparable to a regular Shinigami.
In other words, Ichigo’s current spiritual power control was roughly the level of a student at the Shin’o Academy, perhaps even worse. In any case, do not expect him to use any Kidō for now, not even the lowest numbered ones.
As for swordsmanship.
There was no time to learn sword techniques in such a short period. During these few days, besides learning how to mobilize and use spiritual power, Ichigo mostly sparred with Ethan in real combat. Through actual fighting, he learned how to apply his strength in battle. Getsuga Tensho, Zangetsu’s only ability, had also been mastered and could now be used freely.
"Alright, let’s go."
After listening to Kisuke explain the Senkaimon and the Dangai, Yoruichi prepared to enter the Soul Society with Ichigo and the others. Only after they stepped into the Senkaimon did Kisuke turn to look at Ethan.
"Aren’t you going?"
He had originally thought Ethan would definitely go as well, since this matter also involved another of Ethan’s students, Byakuya.
"Your two disciples are about to cross swords. As their teacher, you must feel very conflicted."
Kisuke held his hat with his fan and spoke teasingly.
"Maybe your two disciples will be badly injured in this battle, or even kill each other."
Before he could finish speaking, Kisuke immediately drew his Zanpakuto to block Ethan’s sudden slash.
"Oh dear, I was just joking."
"I know. Otherwise I wouldn’t have used so little force."
The Zanpakuto in Ethan’s hand slowly faded away, as if it had never existed. He stood again in front of the Senkaimon and finally decided to go take a look.
"Although it’s only a few minutes later, there might still be a noticeable difference in arrival time. You should know that."
"I know."
The Dangai exists in a completely different space, and the flow of time inside it differs entirely from other spaces. However, such things had little impact on Ethan.
After making the decision and chatting with Kisuke for a few moments, Ethan stepped into the Senkaimon and quickly passed through the Dangai, arriving in the Soul Society.
Unlike Ichigo and the others, he encountered no trouble inside the Dangai. After arriving in the Soul Society, he did not go searching for them. Instead, he cast a nearly constant Hikari spell on himself, hiding his presence.
Ordinary Shinigami using Hikari could at most make themselves or a stationary object invisible. Ethan, however, could cast this Kidō on himself without affecting his movement, and it produced almost no noticeable fluctuation. This prevented ordinary Shinigami from detecting him.
Of course, Captain level Shinigami could still sense something unusual. Experts like Aizen or Captain Commander Yamamoto Genryusai would immediately notice something wrong.
However, one of those two would not leave the First Division barracks unless something major happened, while the other had his own conspiracy to deal with. As long as Ethan avoided running into other Captains and did not deliberately test their spiritual perception, it would be almost impossible for him to be discovered.
"Ichigo and the others. What are they doing now?"
According to the plot, as soon as Ichigo arrived in the Soul Society he would fight Jidanbo Ikkanzaka, the guardian of Shiratōmon, one of the four great gates of the Seireitei. After gaining Jidanbo’s recognition, the giant would open the gate for him.
Thinking about this, Ethan felt like complaining. Was something wrong with that guard’s head? Why would he think someone who was not even a Shinigami was qualified to decide who could enter the Seireitei?
Because of this, Jidanbo deserved to be cut down by Ichimaru Gin, who just happened to pass by.
After fighting Jidanbo, Ichigo and the others would be taught a lesson by Gin. They would then go find Shiba Kuukaku and, with her help, invade the Seireitei from the air.
Ethan was not very interested in meeting Kuukaku. After observing the surroundings, he entered the Seireitei directly, preparing to quietly wait for the start of the plot inside.
Between the Seireitei and the Rukongai stood a massive wall made of Sekkiseki, Spirit Reducing Stone. This special wall also generated a spherical barrier that covered the entire Seireitei. For ordinary people, entering the Seireitei without permission was almost impossible.
Even the few methods capable of breaking through the barrier would cause huge disturbances, allowing the Gotei 13 to immediately realize intruders had arrived and respond in time.
For example, the disturbance caused by Ichigo and the others invading from the air was impossible to ignore. That was why chaos spread across the Seireitei. The Gotei 13 mobilized together to eliminate the invading Ryoka, intruders who enter the Soul Society without guidance from a Shinigami and are considered bringers of disaster.
In Ethan’s opinion, the performance of this generation of the Gotei 13 was embarrassingly poor.
Although Aizen deliberately stirred up chaos and Gin gave an excellent performance that distracted the Captains, it still could not hide how poorly the current Gotei 13 handled the situation.
Ethan did not have to wait long. After silently infiltrating the Seireitei, he soon saw Ichigo and the others make their appearance.
Because of a slight operational mistake, the group failed to land together as planned. Instead they were scattered through the air and fell into different areas of the Seireitei. Their separation made the Gotei 13’s response even more chaotic.
Ethan glanced toward a certain direction in the sky and moved straight toward Ichigo.
With his speed, he arrived even before Ichigo landed. He found a place with a good view and quietly watched the upcoming events.
Just like in the original plot, the landing Ichigo and Shiba Ganju encountered Madarame Ikkaku, the Third Seat of the Eleventh Division, and Ayasegawa Yumichika, the Fifth Seat.
Ganju immediately chose to turn around and run, drawing Yumichika away in pursuit. Ethan had no interest in their chase. He stayed where he was, waiting to watch the fight between Ichigo and Ikkaku.
In the original plot, Ichigo, who had poor control over his power, defeated Ikkaku with very little difficulty.
But now, Ichigo had undergone Ethan’s training and had been beaten by him every day. The combat ability he displayed was far stronger than in the original story.
"Who is your teacher?"
After exchanging several blows with Ichigo, Ikkaku quickly realized this opponent was strong. Curious about who had trained someone like this, he casually asked.
He did not expect Ichigo to answer, nor did he expect to hear a name he recognized. Yet the name Ichigo spoke surprised him.
"He only taught me for a very short time, less than a week." Ichigo held his Zanpakuto. The previous exchange had been easy for him, and he had not even been scratched. He clearly felt the results of that training. "I don’t know if he counts as my teacher."
"Who is that person?"
"His name is Ethan."
What Ichigo did not expect was that the moment he said this name, Ikkaku’s expression suddenly became strange. There was shock, and something that looked like excitement.
"I didn’t expect you to be that person’s disciple. This is truly wonderful."
(To be continued.)
