The Demon King, reborn in Japan as a monk

Of course, we didn't forget about the gains from Ishida Uryu's side.

Chapter 177 Unable to Defend

Of course, while collecting technology, Ishihara Akira did not forget his main task—training!

That is, the Six-Syllable Great Illumination Mantra and sword Zen, plus the enhancement of spiritual pressure.

As for swordsmanship and hand-to-hand combat, Ishihara Sho decided to temporarily abandon them, just as Kotetsu Isane had suggested, and focus all his remaining energy on Shunpo and Kido.

Especially in the Ghost Path, one must exert all one's strength in cultivation.

After all, I've been investing for almost half a year now. How could I possibly not win over Kotetsu Isane before leaving the world of Bleach?

So after paying attention to the affairs of Ishida Uryu and Ikkakusaka Jiroubo, Ishihara Sho completely stayed in his dormitory, studying the contents of the Kido (Demon Path) textbook every day, and using his enormous spiritual power and primordial spirit advantage to quickly cultivate the contents of the Kido.

Moreover, his efficiency was extraordinary. In just three days, Ishihara Akira learned nearly two-thirds of the first 30 sequences of Kido recorded in the book, which is the first 20 Kido.

That means he is making rapid progress at a rate of six serial numbers per day.

However, the initial advantage has pretty much reached its limit. If we want to continue making rapid progress, we can't do it without lifting the restrictions and increasing our spiritual pressure...

However, before he could figure out how to unleash his power to absorb spiritual particles without attracting attention, another major event from the original story finally occurred as scheduled—

Fifth Division Captain Aizen Sousuke was hung from a wall with a sword and died because his spirit core shattered.

Yes, the spirit core, just like the arc reactor that powers Iron Man's armor, is the energy source and foundation for every spirit to survive and move in the world. So if you destroy it, whether you are an ordinary soul without cultivation qualifications or a Shinigami like Captain Aizen Sousuke, your fate will be instant death, there is absolutely no other possibility!

Compared to this, injuries such as broken locks or broken souls are completely negligible.

"Is it finally coming to the final moment...?" Ishihara Sho thought to himself upon hearing the news.

"However, this also solves the problem that has been bothering me: finding a secret place to improve my strength without any scruples."

In the original story, Yoruichi prepared a training plan for Ichigo Kurosaki so that he could master Bankai in the shortest possible time and gain the ability to fight against Captain-level Shinigami.

Although the plan wasn't of much use to him, the secret space that allowed Ichigo Kurosaki and even Renji Abarai to master Bankai was an absolute place that could be used to raise one's spiritual pressure level.

So, in order to catch up with Ichigo Kurosaki and Renji Abarai, Shou Ishihara decided to pause his training in Kido once again, go see Renji Abarai, and try to plant a backup plan on him so that when things start, he can find that hidden space by following the guidance of the living coordinates.

As for the question of whether he would get beaten up if he went over while others were cultivating...

At that time, Ichigo Kurosaki probably didn't have the energy to be distracted, and Yoruichi's mind was also focused on Ichigo. Basically, as long as Ishihara Sho didn't get close to Ichigo or cause trouble, she had no interest in bothering Ishihara Sho.

Of course, follow-up investigations and the like will definitely be necessary...

However, given his performance, it shouldn't be too much of a problem for her and Kisuke Urahara to ignore him.

He's not Aizen.

So in the end, the only one who might stop him is probably Renji Abarai.

After all, he was able to find that place thanks to Renji Abarai. Now that he knows he's been used as someone else's guide, he won't let Ishihara Kaname off so easily...

That would be a good opportunity to have another match and see if I could develop my own Shikai.

As for Bankai...

Ishihara Sho thought that perhaps he could discuss the issue of borrowing the Divine Body with Yoruichi.

Afterwards, Ishihara Akira created another shadow clone to impersonate him within the Seireitei Academy. Taking advantage of the commotion in the Seireitei, he once again scaled the academy's walls and began wandering around the Seireitei...

"I remember the Sixth Division is heading this way..." Ishihara Sho muttered.

Although the location was correct, Renji Abarai, the vice-captain, was not with the team. Instead, he had run off early, seemingly to the Penitentiary.

"This is really bad timing."

Left with no other choice, Ishihara Akira turned around and moved towards the Confession Palace.

Of course, he wasn't foolish enough to actually enter the area of ​​the Palace of Penitence. Instead, he planned to stop when he reached the surrounding area, then wait nearby for Renji Abarai to come out before following him.

So when they got near the Penitentiary, Ishihara Akane decisively stopped, hugged his asagi and leaned against the wall, like a swordsman in a martial arts novel waiting for his opponent to arrive, waiting for Abarai Renji to appear.

Moreover, he didn't have to wait too long. About half an hour after he arrived, Abarai Renji, whose face was expressionless but seemed to carry a hint of anger, walked out of the Penitentiary and headed back to the Sixth Division's barracks.

Naturally, he then saw Ishihara Akira leaning against the wall like a lunatic. He frowned, but seeing that Akira didn't do anything special, he didn't pay much attention to him and walked past him without stopping.

Little did they know, in the instant the two passed each other, Ishihara Akira had already cast his demonic thoughts onto his body, where they lurked in his hair, constantly transmitting various information about him to Ishihara Akira...

Then Ishihara Akira straightened up and waited for Abarai Renji to walk a distance before taking his own steps and following behind him back towards the Shinigami Academy.

Unexpectedly, when he was crossing an intersection, he was stopped by Renji Abarai, who had been walking ahead of him.

"Who are you, and what do you want by following me?" Renji Abarai questioned Sho Ishihara with a stern expression.

"Why did I follow you? You're not exactly a beauty, why would I follow you? It's just that the direction I'm going happens to be the same as yours, okay, Lieutenant Abarai? Have you been too sensitive lately because of the Seireitei's alarms? You see everyone as a wandering spirit?" Ishihara Akira asked Abarai Renji with an amused expression.

"Even if you just happened to be going the same way as me, what's going on at the entrance of the Penitentiary Palace? Don't tell me you also happen to have a friend locked up inside the Penitentiary Palace," Renji Abarai sneered.

This is the real reason why he stopped Ishihara Sho after noticing his unusual movements.

“Then can’t it be that I have a friend who works for the Kido Clan and I go to see him?” Ishihara Akira retorted.

"Sure. But why did you leave as soon as I came out? You can't possibly say that the friend you're talking about is me, can you?" Renji Abarai sneered.

Chapter 178 Disruption

"So, what are you trying to say?" Ishihara Akira asked, his expression hardening.

"Tell me who you are, and why you're following me," Renji Abarai said in a deep voice.

"I told you, we just happened to be going the same way." Ishihara Akira said speechlessly.

"You're quite stubborn. It seems I won't be able to get the truth out of you unless I defeat you and bring you back. In that case, be prepared to suffer." After saying that, Renji Abarai drew his Zanpakuto and launched an attack on Ishihara Sho using Shunpo.

Ishihara Sho keenly noticed the path of Abarai Renji's attack, turned halfway around, and directly drew his sword to block his slash.

"Heh, not bad, you actually managed to block my attack. No wonder you dared to follow me! But if you think you can escape from me now, you're just dreaming." With that, Abarai Renji increased his movement speed again, launching an attack that was even more terrifying, even exceeding the limits of Ishihara Sho's current vision.

But just because his eyesight can't detect it doesn't mean that Ishihara Sho has really lost all his resistance and can only passively take hits! Because both his primordial spirit's perception and the unique life force that has emerged after cultivating the Three Meridians and Seven Chakras can turn a certain range of space around him into his own domain, allowing him to perceive and capture any being that enters this domain.

So as long as his reaction speed can keep up, then Renji Abarai's seemingly powerful attack speed is nothing to him.

Therefore, a faint electric arc also emanated from Ishihara Sho's body.

Although he is different from the real world now, without a physical body, and the so-called chakra activation is complete nonsense for him, he still has seven souls. With the addition of a certain degree of superpower, his reaction speed can barely reach the level that allows him to fight against Renji Abarai.

So the next moment, Renji Abarai's attack was blocked by him again.

"Huh?" Renji Abarai let out a soft exclamation, slightly surprised.

However, Ishihara Sho had no time to reflect on these things. With the restriction of the Seven Wheels half open, the surrounding spiritual particles converged on Ishihara Sho like a tidal storm.

Although it hasn't reached the point of attracting the attention of the entire Seireitei, it's enough to make people nearby, as well as those with keen senses, notice the anomaly here. If he can't deal with Renji Abarai's matter as soon as possible and get out of here, then all his previous pretense and future plans will be in vain.

"Renji!" Just as Renji Abarai cautiously retreated due to the Spirit Tide, Rukia Kuchiki's voice suddenly rang out in the alleyway, startling him and causing him to look in the direction the voice came from—

It really was emitted by Rukia Kuchiki, but where was it located...?

It was the place where the stranger from before, Ishihara Akira, was located.

"Rukia?"

After using illusion magic to disguise himself as Rukia, Ishihara Sho moved swiftly and directly attacked Abarai Renji, who was somewhat distracted, slashing at him with his sword.

"Kill!"

"As expected, you're a fake!" Renji Abarai said angrily.

"Renji, how could you say that to me? What fake? Just because I'm not in the Penitentiary Palace right now, you're starting to doubt me too?" Ishihara Akane used the most basic swordsmanship techniques to slash at Abarai Renji, while simultaneously using the power of the Tenma to bewitch and attack Abarai Renji's mind with various words and emotions, making him reveal weaknesses so that he could launch a further attack.

"Damn it, don't talk to me like Rukia!" As he spoke, Renji's spiritual pressure, which was at the vice-captain level, erupted, instantly blasting Ishihara Sho away.

Naturally, this also attracted the attention of many captains and vice-captains within the Seireitei.

After all, this is spiritual pressure at the vice-captain level, which means that a vice-captain is being attacked by a Ryogoku!

Combined with the initial conclusion reached by the Seireitei that Aizen was killed by a Ryoka, all the lieutenants who sensed Renji Abarai's spiritual pressure or the captains who happened to be nearby rushed over here.

"Damn it..." Ishihara Sho cursed under his breath, and with a sudden thought, in addition to Rukia, whom he was impersonating, Kurosaki Ichigo's figure also appeared abruptly.

"Rukia!" Ichigo called out.

“Ichigo!” Rukia responded.

"What's going on here?" Ichigo asked, looking at Rukia beside him and Renji Abarai, whose spiritual pressure was surging not far away.

"I don't know what's wrong with him. He keeps saying I'm a fake and he's going to kill me to clear my name. No matter how I explain, he won't believe me. He's convinced I'm not me," Ishihara Akira said in a dramatic scene.

"Renji, what on earth is going on?!" Ichigo asked on my behalf.

"Ichigo, why are you here!?" Renji Abarai exclaimed in astonishment.

"Are you stupid? Of course I came here to save Rukia! Now that I've saved her, how come you've become their accomplice and are blocking us?" Ichigo angrily questioned Renji Abarai.

"No, I just saw Rukia in the Penitentiary Palace. There's no way she could have run out of the Penitentiary Palace at this time..." Renji Abarai replied somewhat uncertainly.

"Yes, she couldn't have run away on her own, but I helped her now, right? Her brother wasn't there, and there weren't any other captains guarding the place, so I was able to rescue her easily... Never mind, I'm not going to talk to you anymore. If I keep going, the others will find out what's going on here. We'll talk about it later." After saying that, Ichigo grabbed Rukia's arm, turned around, and used Shunpo to run away quickly.

"Wait..." Renji Abarai opened his mouth to speak, but Ishihara Akira, who did not want to meet the other vice-captains and captains, would not give him the chance. With a few leaps, he completely disappeared from Renji Abarai's sight.

"What on earth is going on?!" Renji Abarai roared helplessly as the two disappeared.

"By the way, the Palace of Penitence. If we go there to check, everything will be clear." After saying that, Renji Abarai turned around decisively and ran back towards the Palace of Penitence.

……

"Huh, where did everyone go? The spiritual pressure reaction was definitely here before." Matsumoto Rangiku, the vice-captain of the 10th Division, who arrived earlier, muttered to herself as she looked at the deserted alley.

Not long after, accompanied by more whooshing sounds, Iba Tetsuzaemon of the 7th Division, Kira Izuru of the 3rd Division, and Ōmaeda Kichiyo of the 2nd Division arrived one after another and joined Matsumoto Rangiku.

"What's going on?" Kira Izuru asked.

"I don't know either. When I got here, everyone had already run away. I guess the battle was over," Matsumoto Rangiku said, straightening up.

Chapter 179 Devouring