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Looking up at Seireitei before him, Ishikawa took a deep breath, then, as usual, stepped onto the white stone-paved streets of Seireitei.
From this moment on…
He would be a Ryoka!
"Hoo—"
Standing at the junction of Seireitei and Rukongai, Ishikawa exhaled a turbid breath, adjusting his state to the optimal level.
Infiltrate and investigate?
Putting aside the heavy guards, even if he reached the center of Seireitei, entering Central 46 would still require breaking through thirteen barriers.
These barriers were constructed to mimic the barrier between the Soul King Palace and Soul Society, though their strength was far from the seventy-two barriers leading from Soul Society to the Soul King Palace.
However, even a Captain-level Shinigami attempting to force their way through these barriers would not be able to do so quickly. The commotion caused by a forced breakthrough would be detected by the entire Seireitei immediately, and the person attempting to break into the Central 46 would be surrounded before the barriers were even breached!
Only by breaking through the Thirteenfold Barrier could one reach the underground assembly hall of Central 46.
Behind the assembly hall, that cluster of tower-like buildings was the 'Pure Cleanse Tower Forest Residence,' where forty sages and six judges resided. It was also the only area in Soul Society that was completely forbidden to enter, for any reason whatsoever. Even if a sage living there invited their own family, it was not allowed!
However, according to the information provided by Nayura, the sages and judges who resided there long-term were, without exception, lonely individuals with no relatives; sages and judges with relatives generally only lived there when there was an external invasion, otherwise, they lived with their families.
Because of this, the identities of the sages and judges in the Central 46 were not completely confidential; instead, some were confidential and some were publicly known. Those with confidential identities were mostly the former, meaning those who lived long-term in the Pure Cleanse Tower Forest Residence, while those with public identities were the latter.
This was also to prevent the complete annihilation of Central 46 if someone intended to harm it, though from the outcome, it didn't seem to be of much use…
Walking on the streets of Seireitei, Ishikawa showed no abnormalities, simply using Shunpo at a moderate pace to travel.
Leaving the Outer Circle, entering the middle circle, and heading towards the inner circle.
Along the way, Ishikawa encountered not the slightest obstacle.
This was because, apart from the Nobility Street and some critical areas, Ishikawa could freely enter and exit other regions without any hindrance.
To avoid inadvertently stepping into forbidden areas, Ishikawa had memorized the entire Seireitei's structural map, so he knew precisely how far he could safely go.
Upon reaching the inner circle, the number of pedestrians had significantly decreased, while the patrolling Onmitsukidō Patrol Corps Squad Members and the public security police force, the Tenth Division Squad Members, gradually increased.
After entering the inner circle, to avoid suspicion, Ishikawa did not continue to use Shunpo to travel, but instead walked unhurriedly along the street, and responded to each Patrol Corps member who greeted him.
His demeanor…
It was less like an invasion and more like a leisurely stroll.
But as Ishikawa walked, a vast map appeared in his mind.
The very center of the inner circle was where the Central 46 were located, and surrounding the Central 46 were various critical areas.
The south, southeast, and southwest directions were residential areas for nobles, and outside the noble areas was the Sixth District, where the Sixth Division was located;
North of the Central 46 was District 1, and the cluster of buildings in the far north, resembling a hanging temple, was the headquarters of the Gotei 13 and the First Division barracks.
The Sixth Division and the First Division were located in the far south and far north respectively, blocking all enemies outside the inner circle. The possibility of breaking through their defenses was zero.
However, precisely because of this, they were not close to the center where Central 46 was located. After the news of his forced entry into Central 46 was released, it would take approximately five minutes for the Captains of the two Squads to reach the scene.
Of course, this time was estimated by Ishikawa based on his own standards; it might be faster or slower.
East of the Central 46 was the Eighth District, and its barracks were also not close to Central 46.
Finally, to the west, was the path Ishikawa was currently on. A little further ahead, he would reach the 7th District. That was the end of the area Ishikawa could travel to. The Seventh District was the Inner Court Guard Squad, and this 'Inner Court' was precisely Central 46.
Therefore, the Seventh Division's barracks were located not far west of Central 46, and they could be said to be the biggest obstacle to Ishikawa's forced entry into the Central 46.
Ishikawa had not had much contact with the Seventh Division; he had only met their furry Captain once during a Captains' meeting.
But to reach Central 46, he had to pass through the 7th District.
…
Soon, Ishikawa had already arrived at the outskirts of the 7th District, where a petite girl stood. It was Amakado Nayura.
Today, she was not wearing her white robe, but rather a black, form-fitting outfit that allowed for easy movement.
"Yo—!"
Ishikawa waved with a smile.
Seeing this, Nayura's gaze immediately became somewhat strange.
Did this guy really understand what he was about to do?
Before she went to the Everything Store, she had already thought that her request had a high probability of being rejected. However, besides Ishikawa, she really couldn't find anyone who could help her, which was why she went to the Everything Store in Rukongai with a try-it-out mentality.
Anyone who wasn't crazy wouldn't accept her request.
However…
She never expected that Mr. Ishikawa, who usually appeared gentle, kind, and extremely well-behaved , would actually risk his life to help her.
Of course, she was very touched.
But…
What was with this leisurely stroll?
What he was about to do was to go against the entire Seireitei. Wasn't he nervous at all?
She had imagined many scenarios of Ishikawa appearing before her.
For example, appearing out of thin air like a ghost before her;
Or, like in novels, being suddenly carried by him without her realizing it, then the surrounding buildings flying by, and the people trying to stop him not even seeing his figure…
She even imagined Ishikawa covered in blood, being chased all the way, and then smiling slightly at her as if nothing had happened.
But Nayura truly had not expected this scene of him walking so openly on the main road, waving at her with a smile.
"…You just walked over like that?"
"Otherwise?"
Ishikawa said with some confusion, "You don't want me to get a rickshaw to pull you, do you? Hmm… I know you are of noble status, you probably haven't been carried before… But pulling you to the Central 46 in a carriage, while it wouldn't expend physical strength, would be a bit too arrogant for an invasion."
So, you walking openly on the main road leading to the Central 46, to invade the Central 46, isn't arrogant, right?
Nayura's originally extremely solemn little face couldn't help but crumple.
"Forget it, how are you going to take me to the Central 46?"
"Don't worry."
Ishikawa chuckled, pulling a bundle of straps from inside his black work jacket. "I had someone buy fabric from Nobility Street yesterday and personally made this baby… cough, high-end carrier. It has a hip seat, you can sit or stand, absolutely comfortable; and to prevent you from being involved in combat, I had many Spiritual Crests and barriers inscribed on the carrier."
"And it can be unbuckled instantly, allowing you to escape the battlefield immediately, while simultaneously deploying a barrier to block out the aftermath of the battle, ensuring your safety."
"…"
Nayura's eye twitched. Ignoring Ishikawa's slip of the tongue with the word 'baby,' she said with a hint of helplessness, "I'm asking how you plan to break through the Seventh Division's guards, get to Central 46, and then break through the Thirteenfold Barrier."
"Force our way in!"
"Hmm?"
"You put on the carrier first, then wait for me for a moment."
Ishikawa didn't explain, but instead tossed the carrier to Nayura, then pulled out his Denreishinki from his pocket. He first composed a message, selected a few contacts, and sent it as a group message.
Then…
He dialed a number.
Beep beep—
After only two Kan, the call was answered, and a cold female voice came from the receiver.
"What is it? Speak quickly."
"Captain Soi Fon, I want to report something to you."
"Speak."
"There's a Ryoka attempting to invade Central 46."
"What!?"
Soi Fon's originally cold tone suddenly became agitated. Ishikawa faintly heard the sound of a chair falling in the receiver, clearly indicating she had accidentally knocked it over while standing up.
"Is the information accurate? What are the Ryoka's physical characteristics? Where are they now? Has the Ryoka's identity been confirmed?"
"The information is one hundred percent accurate. As for the physical characteristics…"
Ishikawa looked at his own clothing: "Handsome appearance, short black hair, wearing black work clothes, a long sword in a black cloth bag at his waist, and black high boots; he is currently on the outskirts of the 7th District, preparing to pass through the 7th District to Central 46."
"Outskirts of the 7th District!? That's impossible, how could an invader silently infiltrate so deeply… Hmm?"
Her voice abruptly stopped.
And Ishikawa's voice came out at the opportune moment:
"The invader's name is Ishikawa, the owner of a small Everything Store in Rukongai's West 38th District. He is heading to the Central 46 due to a certain request. Captain Soi Fon, please come and stop him in time!!" With that, Ishikawa didn't wait for Soi Fon's reply. He tightened his grip on the Denreishinki, and with a 'snap,' the Denreishinki was instantly crushed into pieces.
"…What are you doing?"
Nayura, who had already put on the carrier, looked at Ishikawa with a bewildered expression.
She really couldn't understand what Ishikawa was trying to do. He hadn't even committed a crime yet, and he was already confessing?
"Nothing, I just feared that those monitoring me wouldn't immediately transmit the news of my public invasion of the Central 46."
Ishikawa said as he put Nayura on his back.
"There isn't much time left. If everything goes smoothly, I'll explain to you then!"
Tightening the carrier and ensuring it was secure, Ishikawa slowly looked up at the distant tower forest, taking a deep breath.
The next second.
Buzz—
The void trembled, and a terrifying Reiatsu surged skyward, stirring the clouds into a furious rotation, spinning like a vortex, as if the sky were collapsing.
All the Reishi in the entire area surged towards Ishikawa at that moment, forming a visible Reishi storm.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh—
The wild winds raged, and the surrounding buildings began to sway as if they were about to be uprooted.
The smile gradually disappeared from his face, replaced by a corpse-like tranquility, as if he had discarded all emotions.
Almost at the instant the Reiatsu fluctuation emanated, the entire Seireitei was startled, and countless eyes turned towards Ishikawa's location.
Nayura looked at his close-by profile, her confusion gone, replaced by determination.
Although she didn't know what Ishikawa's plan was, she ultimately chose to trust Ishikawa, believing that he could help her enter Central 46.
Ishikawa gazed into the distance.
His goal, from beginning to end, had only been one: to…
Force Aizen to defect!
This was an idea he had had for a long time.
Aizen's power was indeed terrifying, but without the Hōgyoku, he did not have the strength to contend with the entire Soul Society.
And what Ishikawa wanted to do was to expose him early, not giving him the chance to obtain the Hōgyoku. As for how the Hōgyoku would be dealt with afterward, that was not Ishikawa's concern; that was Urahara Kisuke's concern to guard against.
For this, Ishikawa had considered many methods, but ultimately abandoned them one by one.
He had also thought about directly informing the Captains about Aizen's massacre of the Central 46, but after careful consideration, he gave up on this idea.
Because no one would believe it. Even if someone, with a try-it-out mentality, went to investigate, they would only see the members of Central 46, healthy and well, gathered in the underground assembly hall for a meeting.
Ishikawa clearly remembered…
Even Unohana Retsu only vaguely sensed something was amiss after a long period of contact and examination of Aizen's corpse, and she couldn't even confirm it.
With short-term contact, no one would discover anything wrong.
No matter how eloquently Ishikawa spoke, it would be far less effective than a command personally issued by a member of the Central 46.
At that time, he, who spread the news, would instead be executed for it.
So, from beginning to end, Ishikawa had never thought of revealing Aizen's crimes himself.
In his opinion, the best method was actually to let the other Captains discover this on their own, and then initiate an investigation, with himself serving as a catalyst to make them realize something was wrong, without providing any information.
But doing so also carried enormous risks.
Without a retreat, Ishikawa was unwilling to take the risk of forcing Aizen to defect. Instead, he preferred to remain outside the situation and let everything develop naturally.
However, the possibility of everything developing as he expected was actually very low…
Because he and Aizen had already crossed paths. Even if Aizen was magnanimous and didn't bother with a small bug like him, sparing his life, His defection would still have an impact on him.
At least, the next generation of Central 46 members, having learned from the complete annihilation of the previous generation, would absolutely not allow any unstable factors to exist; if Ishikawa were them, he would definitely deal with the unstable factors in Rukongai, which was right on their doorstep, after dealing with Aizen.
Although Nayura was the next sage, once the successor of the Central 46 was determined, the successor's name would be reported to the Soul King Palace; because of this, to strip her of her qualification to become a sage, only the Royal Family could descend to Soul Society, otherwise, even the current Central 46 could not strip her of it.
But…
Could the current Central 46 invite the Royal Family down?
Impossible!
Even if they did, the one who would suffer would certainly not be Ishikawa.
So, for Ishikawa, Nayura's friendship was incredibly important.
As long as she was there, Ishikawa, as long as he didn't break the law, would not be regarded as an enemy due to the Central 46' apprehension.
Although it was somewhat deliberate, Ishikawa did not feel guilty, because…
What he was about to do now, even if it was deliberate, was enough to earn Nayura's friendship.
After all…
He could now be said to be declaring war on all Shinigami for Nayura's sake!
Ishikawa didn't know if the plan would succeed, but with a fallback plan already in place, Ishikawa was completely willing to take a chance.
As for the potential impact after success, Ishikawa didn't care at all.
Anyway, it was nothing more than everything deviating from his memories.
But from beginning to end, Ishikawa had only regarded his memories as information, and had not equated memories with the world's developmental trajectory.
The reason was simple…
He lived here!
Let alone a living person, even if a dead pig appeared out of nowhere, it could allow a group of people who should have starved to death to survive… If it were even more exaggerated, perhaps their descendants might even produce Captain-level individuals who could influence the entire Soul Society, thereby saving the world.
Although it was just a hypothesis, even if the probability was close to zero, it was absolutely not completely impossible!
His very existence here was already the biggest change.
Ishikawa stepped, then landed.
The moment his right foot touched the ground, a deafening roar erupted.
Boom!
The wide white stone street exploded without warning, endless dust and smoke surged skyward, and as the dust rose…
A blurry flash of lightning, in the blink of an eye, had already crossed nearly half of the 7th District!
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