Crossover Anime: Starting with Bankai from Demon Slayer

Chapter 300 The Empty House

"Hey, Asuka! Zhuwa Gate is just ahead!"

Juwa Gate is the starting point of South Rukongai and one of the four gates leading to the Soul Society.

Asuka and Kaien arrived in Rukongai without wasting a single second.

But now, the two of them were lowering their bodies, their brows furrowed, staring intently at the towering, massive stone wall in front of them.

Normally, the four gates of the Gotei 13 are guarded, but not in this situation today.

The massive, murderous stone wall, the Spirit Wall, which usually floats in the air to isolate spiritual pressure, has fallen down today, completely blocking the path to Seireitei.

Moreover... besides the guards at the South Gate, who are all incredibly powerful, there are also many Shinigami patrolling back and forth at the gate.

These Death Squad members worked in groups of three or five, maintaining an extremely tight tactical distance from each other, and appeared very vigilant.

"Kaiyan, check which squad those people belong to," Asuka whispered a reminder.

Haiyan squinted and, relying on her memory, quickly identified the patterns.

"That's... Marigold... and Pieris japonica... are they from the Third and Fifth Divisions? And that's... the Ninth Division?"

Haiyan stared at the daisy emblem of the Ninth Division, increasingly feeling something was amiss: "Strange, the ones responsible for guarding the four main gates are either our Tenth Division or the Sixth Division..."

"Why is this place full of people from the 3rd, 5th, and 9th Divisions today?"

"...I remember you told me that Aizen was the captain of the 5th Division, right?"

19

The thought of having once impersonated someone from the Fifth Division made Asuka feel a wave of bad luck.

Haiyan nodded: "Yes, as for the captains of the Third and Ninth Divisions, they are Gin Ichimaru and Kaname Tōsen, respectively. They are quite close to Aizen, and I often see the three of them acting together."

66

"Feiniao's hand unconsciously went to the sash at his waist."

Do you think this is a coincidence?

Seeing the worried look in Asuka's eyes, Kaien pondered for a long time: "...From the perspective of the invasion by the Refugees, perhaps it's to strengthen defenses and draw manpower from various teams..."

"But now I also feel that something's not quite right..." His expression darkened considerably. "Could it be that our whereabouts have been exposed? Are they waiting for us to walk right into their trap?"

"Hard to say." Asuka's tone was eerily calm, her gaze still sweeping over her surroundings.

From the moment he stepped into District 10, he had a strange feeling.

It's like something is secretly watching you, but you can't find the source.

Upon arriving at the South Gate, this feeling intensified even further...

Haiyan took a deep breath, suppressing the unease surging within her.

He originally planned to reveal his identity as the captain of the 10th Division and swagger in.

After all, in the Soul Society, where seniority and hierarchy are highly valued, a familiar face is often more useful than any pass.

But now it seems that this face is probably a death warrant.

"What should we do then?" Haiyan scratched her hair anxiously. "Should we force our way through? Although I haven't fully recovered, if you help, breaking through this defense shouldn't be a problem."

"No," Asuka refused decisively. "I'm worried that if we fight these people, it will immediately attract Aizen's attention."

"Do you have any connections to sneak into the Spirit Court? Ideally, you could let us meet the Captain-Commander directly."

""

"Infiltrate..." Haiyan rubbed her chin, her mind racing through a map of the Soul Society.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he slapped his thigh.

"Got it! Let's go to West Rukongai!"

"West Rukongai?"

"That's right!" Kaien's eyes lit up with renewed hope: "Back then, for some... uh, rather complicated reasons, our entire Shiba family moved out of Seireitei and settled our residence in West Rukongai."

At this point, Haiyan's face showed a hint of nostalgia: "That's my sister Konghe's territory. Although that girl has a bit of a temper, she's very resourceful. She might have a way!"

"Oh, right, and there's Ganju!" Haiyan said, getting more and more excited. "That brat should have graduated by now. If we can get in touch with him, we can find a way to get him to sneak us through the gates and get us straight to the First Squadron!"

Asuka looked at Kaien's confident expression and said, "...Alright, let's go to West Rukongai then."

Without further hesitation, the two silently bypassed the security perimeter of the South Gate and sped off towards the western streets.

The Rukongai district is extremely large, and even for two people, it would take quite a bit of effort to travel from the South District to the West District.

When they finally set foot on the land of West Rukongai, it was already broad daylight.

There are three hours left until the execution of Shuangji.

Guided by past memories, the petrel led the bird through a maze of alleyways, eventually arriving at an open area at the foot of the mountain.

However, the surrounding scenery made Haiyan frown.

There, the Shiba family's mansion, though no longer as glorious as it once was, should have stood.

At this moment... it was just a ruin covered with moss and weeds.

Amidst the ruins, several stray dogs were fighting over some rotten food.

The gatehouse that once displayed the Shiba family crest, "The Collapsing Vortex of Falling Heaven," is now just half a charred wooden pillar, resembling an unmarked tombstone.

"This...this is my home?" Haiyan stood there, stunned.

Coming to his senses, he rushed into the ruins and searched everywhere, seemingly trying to find even the slightest trace of his family still living there.

But there was nothing there but dust and gravel.

"The place is deserted." Asuka stood behind him, calmly observing the surroundings. "Judging from the degree of abandonment, it's been there for at least ten years."

"...That's impossible!" Kaien looked at everything in disbelief. "Even if we don't get along with the Forty-Sixth Chamber, surely they wouldn't even let us stay in this last home? Where's Kukaku? Where's Ganju? Where did they go?"

Just as the storm petrel was on the verge of exploding, an old woman passing by was attracted by the commotion and looked over somewhat timidly.

Haiyan, as if grasping at a straw, rushed over and grabbed the old man's shoulder: "Grandpa! Where are the people who live here? Where are the Shiba family?!"

The old man was startled by Haiyan's fierce appearance and stammered, "Zhi...Zhibo family? You mean that crazy girl who's always causing explosions?"

"Explosion?" Haiyan was taken aback.

"Yes..." The old man patted his chest with lingering fear, "That head of the family, Konghe, spends all his time doing fireworks experiments at home, and he almost blew this whole area up several times!"

"The neighbors couldn't stand it anymore and moved away. Later... I heard it was because it was too dangerous, and some authority ordered them to relocate..."

""

"Relocated? Where did they move to?" Asuka asked.

"It seems... they moved to a more remote place, somewhere under the river near District Seven... I was only recently reincarnated here, so I don't know the specifics..."

"6

After the old man finished speaking, he took advantage of Haiyan's dazed state to break free from his hand and fled as if he were escaping.

"...So it was you who was being silly. That's good..." Haiyan's expression was a mix of amusement and sadness.

"That girl... she really is a reckless fool."