Anime/Manga: Bankai Starting with Demon Slayer

Using the narrow passageways piled with clutter and the low walls, the birds constantly changed direction.

Xu roared angrily from behind.

Its enormous size became an obstacle in these narrow places, and the sound of breaking bricks and stones was incessant as it rudely approached the two.

Moreover, after running at high intensity for only a short while, the body started to sound an alarm.

My breathing was heavy, my muscles ached, and my heart was pounding.

"Damn profiteers! Couldn't they at least build a cybernetic body for combat?!"

He was no longer the swordsman who could fight continuously at high intensity without sleep.

Under Xu's pursuit, he suddenly veered off course and ended up rushing into a dead-end alley.

"Uncle... there's no way out!" the little boy cried out.

"Who's the uncle?"

Just as they were getting anxious, the illusion finally crashed through a wall and stood in front of them.

The boy was so frightened that he collapsed at the feet of the bird, trembling with fear.

The bird panted heavily, looking around.

There are no weapons here, and no terrain to use.

"Hey, if you two don't come out soon, we're really doomed," he roared to himself.

It let out a mocking snort, seemingly laughing at this presumptuous food.

It slowly lowered its head, and the enormous black shadow loomed over the fan-shaped structure.

Just as the bird was preparing for its final gamble, a clear bell rang out in the air.

"The Fourth Binding Rope: This Rope!"

A golden, rope-like light suddenly appeared, instantly locking the void's movements.

The creature let out a painful and horrified scream, but no matter how much it struggled, the light rope remained completely still.

Asuka's eyes narrowed, and her body tensed even more.

This is... Death has arrived!

Chapter 137 The Black Cat's Invitation

With the appearance of the Kido technique, which only Shinigami can use, Asuka dared not linger any longer.

He immediately rolled over and hid behind the shadow of an abandoned water tank, gesturing to the boy not to reveal his presence.

The bird held its breath and peered out through the gaps in the water tank.

A figure dressed in a black shihaka outfit nimbly leaped down from the rooftop.

"Why does it feel like there are more and more Hollows in Karakura Town lately...?"

He was a very ordinary-looking Grim Reaper, and Asuka didn't feel as much about him as she did about Arai that night.

Death did not notice the bird hidden in the shadows; he merely frowned and looked at the trapped Hollow.

Then, he pulled out the sword from his waist.

puff-

With a swift and clean slash, the illusory mask was sliced ​​open vertically, and the entire body gradually disintegrated into fine black smoke under the impact of that spiritual power, dissipating into the air.

The crisis has passed.

The bird felt a sudden surge of irritation.

If I can't even handle an enemy of this caliber... how am I supposed to get revenge...?

But now was not the time to think about that. He concealed himself and watched as death approached the boy, who was too terrified to move.

"Don't worry, it's all over now." Death's words were somewhat formulaic, but they did have a reassuring effect at this moment.

He crouched down and placed the hilt of the Zanpakuto against the boy's forehead.

"There will be a place over there that's more suitable for you. Go there."

A blue-white light emanated from the hilt of the sword.

In that light, the bird saw the boy's expression gradually change from fear to peace.

His body transformed into countless shimmering points of light, slowly rising into the air before finally disappearing completely.

Before the boy completely disappeared, he turned his head slightly towards the direction where the bird was hiding and gave a grateful smile.

That is... soul burial.

After their souls ascended to heaven, the Shinigami members simply wrote something casually in their notebooks before disappearing from the spot with a Shunpo.

The bird hid in the same spot for a long time.

Only after confirming that the deathly pressure had completely dissipated did he slowly stand up.

He looked down at his hands, which were covered in dust and red marks from dragging the boy.

He suddenly felt like laughing.

"What's this? Do you think you're the Grim Reaper? Mind your own business."

"Hey! Sir/Madam! What's wrong with you all of a sudden!"

A housewife's voice came from the alley entrance: "Your bicycle is on the ground, and your packages have all fallen out!"

The bird suddenly came to its senses.

"Ah... here it comes."

He responded, ran back to the alley entrance, and picked up the bicycle that had fallen to the ground.

"Now Urahara is going to nag me again."

Feiniao dusted off her apron, climbed back onto the seat, and pedaled off into the street.

After all, he still had orders to deliver.

In the afternoon in Karakura Town, everything seemed unchanged.

Except for a black cat with bright, intelligent eyes in the corner, who witnessed everything.

"Oh? He's a loyal lad, interesting."

...

Urahara Store.

Feiniao braced herself on her feet and deftly picked up the remaining empty paper bags from the bicycle basket.

He pushed open the wooden sliding door, his face sullen, and habitually said, "Sorry to bother you, the delivery is back."

However, the man who always waved a small folding fan and wore a fox-like smile did not appear in the store.

The area behind the counter was empty, with only the afternoon sunlight filtering through the narrow shop.

"Manager Urahara?" Asuka frowned slightly, her gaze sweeping over the shelves piled high with inexplicable miscellaneous goods.

"Xi Zhu went to the Spirit Particle Gathering Point in the mortal world to buy materials. He won't be back until later."

A deep, slightly hoarse voice came from behind without warning.

The bird looked in the direction of the sound and found a cat, entirely black except for its golden eyes, crouching on the steps behind it.

The black cat licked its paws elegantly, its golden eyes exuding an air of superior authority.

"A cat?" Asuka was slightly taken aback, looking at the black cat with some disbelief: "The cat can talk?"

"I'm the assistant manager here, just call me Yoruichi." The black cat stopped what he was doing, his voice hoarse like that of a middle-aged man who had been drinking for years, casual and nonchalant.

Asuka's eyes revealed obvious suspicion: "...Assistant manager? A cat?"

In this world filled with death and monsters, he probably shouldn't be surprised by a talking cat.

However, the title of assistant store manager on an animal does create a strong sense of incongruity.

"Hey, what kind of look is that? Didn't Kisuke teach you not to judge a book by its cover—or even a cat by its cover?"

Black Cat Yoru leaped lightly onto the counter, getting closer to Asuka, its tail tip swaying gently: "Asuka-kun, although you are an ordinary person now, your vigilance is much higher than I imagined."

Asuka relaxed her tense muscles, placed the paper bag aside, and calmly replied, "Since Mr. Urahara isn't here, I'll leave these delivery slips here for now."

"Don't rush off." Yoruichi called out to him, her golden pupils staring intently into Asuka's eyes: "This afternoon, in that dead-end alley in the west city, you did something pretty outrageous."

The bird's movements stopped.

He never expected that his actions would be seen by the cat.

Where were you then?

"Ah, just passing by."

Yoruichi shifted her position, squatting on the counter: "A guy who's lost all his spiritual power and can barely protect himself actually dares to provoke a Hollow for the sake of a complete stranger's wandering spirit..."

"Should I praise your courage, or say you're a bit dim-witted? What were you thinking at the time?"

Asuka spoke without much thought: "I just heard someone calling for help, so I moved. That's all."

"Is that all?" Yoruichi let out a low, almost laughing groan. "You couldn't even scratch that thing, yet you dared to provoke it..."

Then, his tone suddenly became serious: "Asuka, reality is cruel."

"Today is your day to die. If that Grim Reaper had arrived ten seconds later, or if that Hollow had been a little higher level, you and that brat would already be nourishment for that monster."

Asuka clenched her fist, but then helplessly let it relax.

"But I personally do not dislike your spirit."

Yoruichi stood up and shook her fur: "Come with me."

"Where?"

"Stop talking nonsense and come on over."

Yoruichi jumped off the counter and led Asuka to a secluded room deep inside the shop.

After passing through several seemingly ordinary wooden sliding doors, Yoruichi stopped in front of a secluded tatami mat in the backyard.

It extended its paw and pressed down at a specific angle.

With a few muffled cracking sounds, the floor slowly split open, revealing a bottomless sloping passage.

The bird followed the black cat downhill.

As we went deeper, the view suddenly opened up before us.

This is an underground training ground that is almost ridiculously large.

Above is a towering artificial dome, complete with simulated sunlight lighting. The ground is made of hard, dry rock, and a few scattered houses can be seen in the distance.

Asuka knew that this was where he had woken up and then been dragged up there by Urahara.

However, he didn't understand why Yoruichi had brought him here.

“This is Kisuke’s secret base.” Yoruichi walked to the center of the area and turned to look at Asuka. “Here, you can do whatever you want without worrying about being discovered by humans in the human world or being caught by Soul Society’s surveillance.”

"Right now, you're just a mortal wearing a cyborg. In this Karakura Town, without any means of self-preservation, I don't think you'll even live to see the day you return to normal."

"Training?" Asuka looked at the open space and seemed to understand Yoruichi's thoughts.

“That’s right.” Yoruichi squatted down and tilted her head to look at him. “I plan to teach you some self-defense techniques. Since you don’t have spiritual power, let’s start with pure physical combat.”

Asuka paused for a moment, then shook her head. "If that's the kind of training, I know. I have swordsmanship skills, and I also have breathing techniques that coordinate with my body movements. All I need is a suitable sword..."

"No." Yoruichi interrupted him without hesitation.

Why?

"This is the present world, the civilized society of the 21st century, Asuka-kun."

Yoruichi's golden eyes gleamed with a hint of mockery: "You are a legitimate 'deliveryman,' an ordinary citizen."

"If you walk down the street every day with a long knife tucked into your waistband, you'll be arrested by law enforcement officers in modern society for illegally possessing a controlled knife in less than five minutes."

"By then, just getting you out of there will take an unknown amount of effort."

The birds were silent.