Chapter 56: Dangai
Hell Butterflies—despite their ominous name, they carried no sense of terror.
Instead, they were elegant spiritual creatures, their black wings flowing with profound luster under the glow of spirit particles.
As indispensable partners in a Shinigami's work, they not only served as safe beacons guiding passage through the Dangai, but also carried the vital responsibility of transmitting messages within and beyond the Seireitei.
Suoh Tsukasa gazed at the little creature fluttering gracefully before him, curiosity and fondness stirring in his heart. He really wanted to keep one.
Unfortunately, these were Shinigami-exclusive items, rare even within Soul Society.
They were normally kept and managed by specialists within each division, only distributed to corresponding Shinigami when missions required them.
"Everyone must wait at the arrival point when we reach the World of the Living."
"We'll officially begin the Konsō practice only after everyone has arrived!"
"Before receiving clear instructions, no one may leave the arrival point or act independently!"
"Now form up by groups and prepare to depart!"
As his words fell, guide Toyama turned toward the Senkaimon, drawing his asauchi and inserting it into the door's gap.
"Unlock!"
With his spiritual pressure infusion, the two wooden doors opened sequentially as if awakened, revealing a circular portal glowing with spiritual light.
"Follow!"
The three sixth-year students' figures vanished one by one into the portal, led by their Hell Butterflies.
Suoh's group was second. After Toshiro's group entered the portal, they stood in place waiting for their Hell Butterflies' signal.
After a moment, the group's Hell Butterflies suddenly fluttered their wings and disappeared into the portal together.
Following the textbook's instructions, Suoh suppressed his spiritual pressure and entered the portal with his teammates under the butterflies' guidance.
The instant he passed through the circular portal, Suoh felt a slight pulling sensation, then the scenery before him changed abruptly.
The blue sky and white clouds of the plaza vanished, replaced by an endless gray chaos.
Before them stretched a wide corridor, with a glowing circular exit visible at its end.
The walls on both sides churned with dark currents, producing a roar like rushing water.
This was the Dangai's feared Kōryū—the restricting current.
Despite continuous suppression by the Department of Research and Development's equipment, it still instinctively tried to entangle any life form passing through, creating tremendous noise.
Once a life form was completely entangled, they would be forever exiled in the cracks of time, with no possibility of return.
"Ah!"
Takahashi Kenta panicked slightly upon entering and seeing the frightening scene before him.
Combined with the uneven ground at the landing point, he stumbled.
"Steady! Watch your step and follow me!"
Just as he nearly lost his balance, a hand caught his arm in time, speaking calmly.
Suoh steadied him, and once he was stable, released his arm and began following Toshiro's group in the distance ahead.
With his stable performance, the other two team members locked their gazes on the Hell Butterflies while closely following his pace.
After their group had advanced for some time, the next group arrived in succession.
Group after group formed a steady trajectory between the butterflies' faint light and the Kōryū's dark surge, racing toward the exit at the corridor's end.
The instant they passed through the exit, fresh night air hit their faces. The unnerving roar of the Kōryū ceased abruptly, replaced by the unique quiet and bustle of a night in the World of the Living.
"Looks like it's not Karakura Town."
Upon arriving in the World of the Living, Suoh's first impression was the somewhat low density of spirit particles in the air.
Karakura Town was famously spirit-rich in the original story. Their current location was clearly elsewhere.
Still, it didn't diminish his enjoyment of experiencing modern atmosphere.
The distant sound of traffic, the flow of light and shadow between city buildings—everything carried a familiar yet strange vitality.
"Students who arrive first, wait to the side."
As the group reached the World of the Living, guide Toyama's voice came from ahead.
"Yes, sir."
"Hey, Toshiro! What are you looking at?"
Following instructions, Suoh led his team members near Toshiro's group and raised his hand in greeting.
Time in the Dangai flowed far faster than outside—a difference of two thousand times.
Their sprint through the Dangai had taken only a brief moment in terms of time in both worlds.
Though they'd been separated by considerable distance while running through the Dangai, their arrival times in the World of the Living showed little difference.
When Suoh passed through the portal at the end and his feet touched the World of the Living's soil, deep night had already enveloped the world before them.
"Tsukasa, you're here!"
"Look over there—I didn't expect nights in the World of the Living to be like this."
Toshiro had been standing on a concrete block, gazing intently at the distant neon lights. Hearing Suoh's voice, he turned to look, his tone carrying a hint of relaxation.
The night wind tousled his silver-white bangs slightly. His small frame wrapped in the blue and white uniform looked particularly cold and thin in the darkness.
"It really is beautiful."
Suoh walked to the rooftop's guardrail, stopping at the metal barrier to look in the direction Toshiro had been watching, genuinely impressed.
The World of the Living at this time was roughly at the end of its golden age.
Streetlights formed ribbons of light extending infinitely along roads, cutting the city into alternating blocks of light and dark. The commercial district's lights in the distance constantly shifted through captivating colors, particularly striking in the night.
The other students present were immediately attracted by the scenery. After all, except for Suoh, who among them had seen such a sight?
Just then, another night breeze passed, carrying a faint scent of disinfectant to Suoh's nose.
"So we're on a hospital rooftop."
Suoh's nose wrinkled slightly, then relaxed. This familiar smell immediately told him their location.
Looking down, several white buildings stood quietly in the darkness, along with prominent red cross symbols.
He immediately expanded his spiritual perception, quickly capturing dozens of Plus soul fluctuations in the nearby blocks.
In places like hospitals where many people died, more Pluses wandered the surrounding blocks.
After all, too many people left such places with regrets. As a starting point for Konsō practice, it couldn't be more appropriate.
"What's wrong?"
Toshiro noticed the change in Suoh's expression beside him and lightly jumped down from the concrete block to his side.
"Nothing. There are quite a lot of Pluses in this area. If the spiritual pressure fluctuations from Konsō ceremonies occur frequently, they'll easily attract Hollow attention."
"Remember to be extra careful when we disperse for Konsō later."
"You should also expand your spiritual perception to familiarize yourself with the surroundings. Consider it training."
Suoh reminded him, not withdrawing his spiritual perception but maintaining it to sense the Pluses' movements within range, perceiving their emotional states.
These Pluses' emotions contained helplessness, confusion, sorrow, and longing for loved ones. These subtle emotional colors were as clear as ripples on water in his perception.
Tonight's evening practice was impossible now. Training in a different way wasn't without its own appeal.
"Mm, I understand."
Hearing this, Toshiro lost interest in continuing to admire the night scenery and concentrated on expanding his own spiritual perception.
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