Anime/Manga: Bankai Starting with Demon Slayer

He felt it was no big deal; in his logic, preserving one's life was always the most important thing.

But he still reached out and tried to cover Shinobu Kocho with his spiritual pressure.

With Asuka's help, her body quickly stabilized, and a plain white kimono made of spirit particles without any patterns wove into shape on Shinobu's body.

Although it was just the simplest style, and even the belt looked a bit rough, it finally gave this extremely embarrassed girl a huge relief.

"Make do for now." Asuka released her embrace, but still held her hand to prevent her from being carried away by the surrounding dark purple quicksand: "This is the Broken Boundary, not a place to talk."

"...I'm sorry, Asuka, I was just too excited."

"It's alright, I understand."

Butterfly desperately clutched the collar of the plain white kimono, feeling the lingering spiritual pressure and warmth of Asuka, her face turning bright red.

She took a deep breath and, trying to appear calm, assessed her current state.

"What is this...?"

Shinobu lowered her head, her fingertips touching a thin, metallic-looking chain.

The chain, about the thickness of a thumb, extended directly from her chest.

Without the obstruction of a physical body, the chain appeared exceptionally glaring.

It seemed to be deeply rooted in the depths of her soul, while the other end broke in the void, making a soft clattering sound with her movements.

"Asuka, I have a chain on my chest... Is this some kind of mark after death?" She looked up, her eyes filled with inquiry.

The bird in front didn't stop. It looked back, paused for a moment, and said, "It's called the Chain of Cause and Effect."

He didn't know that this was the answer he had given in his mind.

"When a person's soul leaves the body, one end will be embedded in the chest of the soul, while the other end will be connected to the body."

“Once it is severed, the person’s soul cannot return to the body, which is what we call—death.”

"If a dead soul is not given a soul burial ceremony, and its chains are completely corroded or forcibly broken... then the soul will undergo a terrible mutation and become a monster called a 'Void'."

Upon hearing Mujina's explanation, Asuka sensed that Shinobu's situation might not be good.

At this moment, only a cold snort came from the depths of the soul, as if someone were saying—

I've said it before.

"The chains of cause and effect..." Shinobu Kocho gently stroked the cold iron ring, a faint look of confusion in her eyes: "I thought that when a person dies, they are completely free. I didn't expect that I am still bound by something."

"I'm not entirely clear on the specific principles either," Asuka Suzumi shook her head.

His knowledge of Soul Society was limited to his vague memories of struggling to survive on the edge of Rukongai.

As for spiritual power and Zanpakuto, he mostly relied on instinct and made wild guesses.

"Even you don't understand? Then it seems our current situation is no easier than when we were facing Wuchan."

A sarcastic smile played on her lips as she tried to lighten the mood: "Asuka always likes to take girls to dangerous places. That kind of personality isn't exactly endearing."

Asuka didn't reply; his expression suddenly became extremely serious.

Having detached from his physical body, his five senses were more acute than ever before.

In this silent, desolate realm, he heard a sound.

It was a heavy, ancient... and enormous noise accompanied by a mechanical boom.

It looked like some kind of giant crushing machine was speeding through this narrow tunnel.

They're here! It's Kota Kinabalu!

The sound of the raccoon exploded in my mind.

[Kid, run! Those are the scavengers of the broken realm, monsters created by the will of this space!]

If you get hit by it, your soul will be instantly broken down back into its particle state; even that thing can't save you!

"run!"

Before Asuka could even explain a single word, she gripped Shinobu's wrist tightly and swung her Zanpakuto relentlessly, forcibly carving a path through the viscous congealed flow!

"Huh? What's wrong?"

Before Shinobu could react, she was nearly lifted off the ground by the opponent's immense force.

But the next second, she understood what had happened without needing any explanation from Asuka.

Behind them, the previously hazy space was forcibly torn open by a beam of intense light!

It was a colossal creature that defies accurate description.

It looks like a giant train made up of countless huge wooden stakes and gears, but it also has strange, lifelike arthropods.

Wherever it passed, the restrictive currents that would have made it difficult for ordinary spirits to move were instantly emptied, creating a vacuum zone.

It has no eyes, no consciousness, and its sole purpose is to cleanse all impurities that enter the realm of annihilation.

At this time, Asuka and Shinobu Kocho are the most conspicuous impurities.

"What is that... a monster?" Shinobu Kocho turned around in astonishment.

She had never seen such an illogical existence before. The aura emanating from that thing was not the evil killing intent of a demon, but rather an unshakeable absolute order.

"Don't turn back!" Asuka whispered.

"I told you, you're just asking for trouble." The black-haired youth's voice rang out again: "The boundary you crossed is special, equivalent to a unique existence formed by the overlap of several boundaries... How dare you be so arrogant!"

Normally, the opening of the boundary gate would not cause the strange phenomena seen on the bird.

But the problem is that he's not normal.

Under that almost frozen time law, he seemed to be fighting against the gravity of the entire space, and every step he took required a huge amount of physical strength.

The tractor is like a heavy truck speeding wildly on the highway; it's just too fast.

As they closed the distance, the suffocating feeling of being squeezed caused Shinobu's spirit to begin to dissipate.

The white kimono that had just been formed rustled in the strong wind, as if it might shatter at any moment.

"Mr. Asuka, please let me go."

Shinobu's voice was so faint amidst the roar, yet it was incredibly firm: "Take me with you, you can't escape! I've already died once, I'm not afraid of disappearing..."

"Quiet!"

The bird didn't look back and kept running wildly, its face full of stubbornness.

"I went through so much trouble to get you out of here! Don't give up so easily!"

He suddenly stopped and turned around.

Under Shinobu Kocho's horrified gaze, he actually drew his sword at the mountain-like, collapsing guts!

"Roar, Raccoon!"

The crimson and black slash tore through the air and shot away!

This power, which had once made even the Ghost King tremble, struck the grayish-brown shell of Jutu, but only delayed it for a few seconds, unable to stop its advance at all!

But those few seconds gave the bird a chance to survive.

Using the recoil from the strike, he forcibly changed direction in the confined flow.

Ahead of them, an exit faintly emitting a white light was already faintly visible.

"Walk--!"

He used all his strength to fling Shinobu Kocho toward the exit.

"Asuka!!"

Shinobu Kocho let out a gasp.

She reached out, her fingertips brushing against the bird's palm, but due to the immense airflow from the sudden attack, she could only watch helplessly as the boy's figure was swept into a distorted purple vortex.

The massive body of the Jutu grazed and rolled past the bird's side, causing a violent tremor.

In that instant, the timeline of the broken boundary distorted.

Asuka felt as if her soul had been thrown into a giant mixer.

Intense pain emanated from every inch of his soul, and his consciousness began to rapidly dissipate.

In a daze, he saw the white figure pass through the light.

He himself was completely thrown out of the boundary by a violent and irresistible centrifugal force.

That brat... he's causing trouble again...

This was the last muttered word he heard from the thief before his consciousness sank into darkness.

.....

When the bird felt cold again, he found himself lying on the cold cement floor.

This kind of cold is different from the snowy days in Hayama.

It carries a faint industrial scent, with the smell of rubber and waste.

He struggled to his feet, utterly exhausted.

He looked up and was greeted by a world he had never imagined.

The massive reinforced concrete buildings rise up like a forest, their colorful neon signs flashing blindingly in the night.

On the flat and wide black road, countless cars with their headlights on are speeding by, and the air is filled with a noisy and busy rhythm that is called modernity.

He looked at the utility pole beside him, on which was a somewhat worn advertisement.

Beneath the complex characters, he managed to make out a few Chinese characters.

——Naruki City.

Chapter 120 The Grim Reaper of Naruki City

Naruki City... Did I not enter Soul Society?

It asked the Zanpakuto in its hand, but received no response.

Asuka drew her scythe, her gaze turning serious.

It was in a sorry state again, with dark red rust covering the entire blade.

Not only did it lose its original sharpness, but even the blade edge became jagged, making it look like a piece of scrap metal that had been abandoned in the wilderness for decades.

This made Asuka feel as if she had returned to a few years ago, to that snowy night when she had just woken up and was waiting to die in the dilapidated temple at the foot of Hayama.

Loneliness, helplessness, and confusion about the unknown.

Was the problem caused by crossing the boundary, or is there something wrong with me...?

"Tolerate...."

The bird suddenly realized something, and its pupils, which had been dilated due to dizziness and confusion, suddenly contracted.

He turned his head and looked around for that patch of pure white.

"Rin! Where are you?"

Only his echo reverberated through the empty streets.

Apart from the endless stream of steel boxes and cold, impersonal skyscrapers, he saw nothing else.

Damn it, didn't I throw her towards the exit? She didn't even come to the real world?!

In the turbulent currents of that broken world, Shinobu Kocho's already fragile spirit was unable to withstand any impact.

If she ultimately fails to escape, if she falls into the crevice of the boundary, if she...

The bird dared not think any further.

He began running through the streets, searching everywhere for Shinobu Kocho.

The weather was terrible today; dark clouds hung over the empty streets, making it feel like a downpour was imminent. There were hardly any pedestrians on the road.

However, he should be in a spirit state now, so ordinary humans cannot see him. Even if someone is there, he doesn't need to worry about being discovered.

Although that person said that excessive spiritual pressure would affect the souls in the mortal world, he couldn't care less about that.

This isn't some other world; the spirit particle cycle is managed by someone else, so finding Shinobu Kocho is a priority.