Chapter 2: Rookie mistakes

Riku's POV

'Two down, a couple more to go.' I muse as I activate my Shunpo from rooftop to rooftop. Preferably, I would use Hirenkyaku or my interpretation of it, to move, but the Shinigami are not known to be all that accepting. Manipulating reishi is already treading on thin ice if the not-so-subtle warning from the Central 46 is anything to go by. Using Quincy techniques before I'm strong enough is probably a good way to get executed. 'I'm not even particularly good at Hohō, since, like Hakuda, mastery of it relies more on spatial awareness, body control, etc, compared to any outstanding reiatsu manipulation. So knowing that I could be stronger than I currently am...' Detracting from that irritating train of thought, I bring my focus to the nearest Hollow around me.

A/N: That's how I think these Shinigami skill work.

As I get closer to the Hollow, I start constructing a Hadō spell. Since I now know that empowering the spell is pretty much overkill, there is no need to release my Shikai. Although I love my Shikai, like all others, there is a significant consumption when I use it. Sōten ni zase though, allows me to reduce that consumption to a minimum. It pretty much allows me to have a downgraded Six-eyes situation.

The Hollow comes into view. "Hadō #33. Sōkatsui". A pale blue flame quickly snakes its way towards the Hollow. Although chantless Hadō are weaker than the chanted version, my abilities minimize that loss of strength from maybe a third of the chanted version to roughly fifty per cent, which should be more than enough for these standard Hollows.

Narrator's POV

As the blue flames blitz towards the Hollow, Riku's confidence falters a bit when the Hollow dodges his spell. His disbelief slows his reaction time ever so slightly, enough that his body can't react in time to a whip-like tentacle slamming into his torso. Luckily his powers are mostly mind based, such that even in its sealed state, Sōten ni zase allows its user to control atmospheric reishi in a one-meter radius from the user. This allowed Riku to hastily command the surrounding reishi to form a barrier at the impact site. The force of the blow is still enough to knock him into and through several buildings.

Riku's POV

"Fuck," I groan as I try to push away the rubble. "I deserved that." Making sure my zanpakutō was still on me, I pat down my shihakushō to get rid of the debris. I see the Hollow roar and make its way towards my landing site. I seriously observe the approaching Hollow. I note the appendage responsible for my banging headache and probably cracked ribs. It probably used one of its tentacles to pull its body out of the way of my spell. "Does this guy think he's Hisoka?" I grumble as I use light touches to probe which ribs will be problematic in the fight. Starting to take the fight more seriously, I unsheathe my blade, "Bask in the essence of creation, Sōten ni zase." I sigh as I feel the exponential increase in my command of surrounding reishi. I randomly note how this feeling of control is probably contributing a bit to my overconfidence.

Shaking the distracting thoughts away, I start constructing a Bakudō spell as I wait for the Hollow to get into my sphere of influence. Feeling annoyed that I got sucker punched, I use a stronger-than-necessary spell, empowering it as well. "Bakudō #30. Shitotsu Sansen." The moment the Hollow set foot in my sphere, three yellow beams yeet it straight out, nailing it to the wall of the ruins behind it. Seeing its three tentacles bound behind its torse caused me to let a smirk slip on my face.

With a quick application of Shunpo, I landed a few meters away from the now-trapped Hollow. Watching the beast writhe in its bindings brought a satisfying feeling of schadenfreude.

Savouring the feeling, I start to chant a Hadō slowly, enunciating every word. "Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings-" The hollow roars and tries harder to break the Bakudō. Its struggles cause cracks to criss-cross the wall. "-ye who bears the name of Man! Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges-" Seeing it struggle, I increase the sound of my voice and make a show of the flame coming into existence. As I near the end of my chant, the Hollow has practically ripped off one of its trapped hands, causing blood to splatter on the wall and the floor. It's futile, however, "-march on to the south! Hadō #31. Shakkahō." With a healthy dose of empowerment, the crimson flame wipes the Hollow and the ruins behind it out of existence.

Idling, watching the smouldering remains Shakkahō left, I'm glad that however much Sōten ni zase resembles Quincy abilities, my attacks do in fact just purify Hollows. Regardless, I probably have a hundred or so years to become strong. It took a while, but I placed my timeline to be roughly three hundred years before Ichigo's journey begins. Meaning that the Quincy have a hundred years to fuck around and find out what the Shinigami will do to them. I don't doubt that the Captain-Commander and/or the Central 46 will have me hang just because I might be some Quincy-Shinigami hybrid or something.

Deciding to move on, I focus on the reiastu of the nearest Hollow. Before I can activate my Shunpo, I sense a large reiatsu heading towards me at speed. 'Yeah, that's probably a big shot.' I muse as I pause my Shunpo, but I also start constructing a Hadō since things could go sour fast. Sensing how large the reiatsu is, I would probably need my maximum effort to have a hope of damaging the individual. As if sensing my worry, Sōten ni zase sped up the spell construction. For a moment, the approaching reiatsu disappeared. I had to suppress the chill in my heart when I felt a tap on my shoulder. In a baritone voice, I heard the individual say, "So you are the rookie..."