Chapter 005
Question: What are the criteria for a good skill?
Answer: High value, strong effect, low mana consumption, and preferably cool special effects.
When he was studying at the Shin'ō Academy, Kazuki categorized over two hundred Kidō spells after numerous experiments, dividing them into four types: worthless, ordinary, impressive, and god-tier. Now, the skills he was proficient in mostly fell into the last two categories.
Spells in the first tier-such as Red Flame Run or Hanging Star-had little practical use beyond very specific situations, their value in combat nearly negligible.
Those in the second category-like Five Pillar Iron Gun or Kōtanden-were useful but generally replaceable by stronger high-level Kidō. However, their low reiryoku consumption gave them unique advantages when used strategically.
Third-tier techniques-such as Blue Fire, Crash Down or Six Rods Light Prison-could strengthen combat flow and provide crucial support. In gaming terms, they were the dependable core skills most often used by any player: reliable and indispensable.
Finally, there were the god-tier spells-like Black Coffin and Danku-each powerful enough to decide the outcome of battle. As for their high difficulty to master... that was the user's problem. If you couldn't learn them, it wasn't the spell's fault.
In most people's eyes, Tone Kazuki was considered "a Kidō master with strange Zanpakutō abilities," capable of releasing almost any Kidō under level 80 without incantation. The truth differed only in degree. Continuously casting Raikōhō and Kachōsen without chanting was already extraordinary for most seated officers. Kazuki, however, could invoke Kurohitsugi or even Senjū Kōten Taihō through sheer force of will-though doing so placed severe strain on his body. So why could he manage this?
It was because of the system.
Fifty-six years ago, he had completed a limited-time mission that granted him a "specialty from another world": the Tongtianlu from Hitorinoshita: The Outcast.
In its original world, due to the talisman system's limitations, Tongtianlu was considered unimpressive among the Eight Great Skills-others could summon gods or cultivate immortality, while this one merely boosted talisman drawing speed. Yet in the world of Soul Society, its function changed completely.
Tongtianlu granted Kazuki three abilities:
1. Accelerated learning speed for Kidō;
2. Minimized power difference between chanted and unchanted spells;
3. The ability to store Kidō for later release.
Combined with mission rewards that occasionally improved his "Kidō Proficiency," his growth over sixteen years had been staggering. At full power, he had earned his place among Soul Society's most formidable Kidō users.
Most important of these was the last ability-storing Kidō for immediate use when needed.
How much had he accumulated over the years?
Even he wasn't sure anymore. If truly pressed, he could unleash dozens of level 90 Kidō back-to-back, annihilating nearly any opponent who stood in his path.
As for the lesser Hollows charging toward him now-they hardly warranted attention.
"The Soul King bear witness," Kazuki exhaled softly. "It was you who tried to kill me first."
Maintaining his communication link with Urahara Kisuke, he raised his hand slightly, eyes narrowing as he whispered, "Hadō #33: Sōkatsui!"
Blue flames gathered in his palm and shot forward in rapid sequence. One orb, then another, and another-each detonating into violent bursts of reiryoku that tore through the oncoming Hollows. Within seconds, clouds of ash scattered into the wind.
[Mission 1: Eliminate ten Hollows during the Hueco Mundo exploration.]
[Current count: 4/10]
When power alone wasn't enough, he compensated through precision and repetition. The reiryoku cost of Sōkatsui was low enough that he could sustain continuous casting. If he weren't maintaining contact with Urahara-taichō, he wouldn't even have bothered calling the spell's name aloud. Using it three times per second for ten straight minutes was possible-and deadly. Even Menos Grande or Adjuchas-class Hollows would crumble before that onslaught.
It was Kidō functioning as pure suppressive fire-a "Kidō machine gun."
"Fifth Seat Kazuki," Urahara's calm tone came through the communicator, "that level of commotion is excessive. We are conducting reconnaissance. Avoid drawing unwanted attention next time, please."
"Roger," Kazuki replied with a nod before adding, "Since my Zanjutsu, Hakuda, and Hohō are lacking, Kidō is the safest method against multiple Hollows."
Others might see him as physically weak-someone who relied on spellcraft rather than swordsmanship-but that was simply his style. Charging headlong with his Zanpakutō wasn't his way.
Yet Urahara's warning was valid. He adjusted his altitude, keeping his presence low while continuing along the intended route, suppressing his reiatsu to avoid detection.
After scaling one last sand dune, the endless desert finally changed.
Before him stood structure-a building nearly four to five stories tall, rectangular, with clean white walls devoid of decoration. It stood elevated from the surrounding ground, easily missed by the casual eye but unmistakably artificial. In Hueco Mundo's barren emptiness, its very existence was abnormal.
"Captain Urahara, I've found a building," Kazuki reported as he descended. Kneeling, he placed his palms flat against the sand and whispered, "Bakudō #58: Kakushitsuijaku."
Lines of reiryoku spread out beneath his hands as the spell activated. Normally used to trace specific signatures or enhance reiatsu perception, it immediately amplified his awareness. Within moments, he sensed it-an immense spiritual pressure emanating from within the structure.
"There's strong reiatsu inside," he said under his breath.
"...Right there!"
Both his and Urahara's voices echoed simultaneously through the communicator.
"Fifth Seat Kazuki," Urahara continued in measured tone, "the residual reiatsu you're detecting belongs to our target. Proceed carefully."
"Received."
Kazuki drew his Zanpakutō, Nagareru Tsuku, and pressed its hilt against the ground. A low vibration rippled through the sand, followed by waves that spread outward like water disturbed by raindrops. As the ground softened beneath him, his body gradually sank below the surface.
Stealth was not merely about disappearance-it was integration.
And for Kazuki, that often began beneath the ground itself.
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