[Soul Society Arc] Part 59: The Gatekeeper

- Oh, all of us dream

That we are flying the skies

With our eyes open -

# Soul Society - Seireitei #

Seiteirei was enjoying a rare moment of tranquility, the atmosphere serene as the sun's gentle rays filtered through the branches of cherry blossom trees. But in an instant, the tranquil air was shattered as the shrill wail of emergency bells pierced the calm. The scene transformed into one of urgency and action, a stark contrast to the previous serenity.

[Distortion detected in the western slums! Alert regions three through eight! I repeat! Distortion detected in the western slums! Alert regions three through eight! I repeat!]

Renji: "Huh?! What's going on?!"

# Dangai #

In their daring quest to reach Soul Society, Ichigo, Yato, Tatsuki, Orihime, Chad, and Uryu sprinted through the treacherous Dangai, a precipice world caught in a time-bending flux. Their footsteps echoed loudly as they navigated the otherworldly terrain, their hearts pounding with a mix of determination and apprehension.

Uryu: "The walls... they're collapsing!"

Yoruichi: "Don't look back! If the Kōryū swallows us, we're done for!" - The black cat hollered, dashing ahead of the teens.

The gang kept sprinting through the Dangai, and just like in the original story, Uryu's cape got snagged by the Kōryū. But Chad was lightning-fast, ripping the cape and hoisting Uryu onto his shoulder as he ran, seemingly unfazed.

While they ran, Yato resumed his mental conversation with his fullbring Cheshire.

Cheshire: 'I managed to get the Gigai and the Gikongan you wanted. I stashed them in my private world along with your physical body.'

Yato: 'Thanks a bunch, Cheshire.'

Cheshire: 'So, what's the deal? Why do you need those things?' - The red feline's voice echoed in the teenager's mind.

Yato: 'I remembered a few things that might help me delay Aizen from getting the Hougyoku, at least for a while.'

Cheshire: 'For a while?'

Yato: 'Yeah…because even if it works, I can't guarantee anything if Aizen tries it again…which I have no doubt he will…'

Tatsuki: "Hey, you guys hear that noise…?" - Her voice caught Yato's attention.

Uryu: "Guys…something's coming!" - The Quincy shouted while being carried by Chad.

Suddenly, something gargantuan came barreling towards them. It looked like the same material that made up the Precipice World but molded into the shape of a bullet train, with a golden eye at the upper center of its body.

Uryu: "What is that!?"

Yoruichi: "It's the Kōtotsu, the cleaner!! It appears once every seven days…but why now!? Run faster!! Hurry! The exit is just ahead!!"

Tatsuki: "Damn it! It's catching up to us!!"

As everyone ran as fast as they could, Orihime suddenly turned to face the Kōtotsu.

Ichigo: "!?"

Tatsuki: "Orihime!!"

Orihime: "Hinagiku! Baigon! Lily! Santen Kesshun! I reject!"

When the Kōtotsu made contact with the shield Inoue created, the impact sent the teens flying towards the exit, and they landed in comical poses on top of Orihime's shield, which had cushioned their fall.

Yato: "..... Not our smoothest landings…."

Tatsuki: "Oh really…?"

Orihime: "Whoa! Are you all okay?"

Yato: "I'm so twisted up I feel like Dhalsim…" - He slowly got up.

Tatsuki: "I'd laugh at you if I weren't in the same boat…"

Orihime: "Wow! That's a cool landing pose, Kurosaki-kun!"

Ichigo: "Shut up…"

Uryu: "This journey was worse than I imagined…I can't believe I have to haul out my spare cape already…"

Ichigo/Chad/Tatsuki: 'He brought a spare…?'

Yato: 'You could've brought… I don't know… more Quincy weapons too…?' - He thought, annoyed.

Orihime: "I'm just glad nobody got hurt!"

Yoruichi: "What were you thinking!?!" - The black cat yelled and headbutted Inoue's eye.

Orihime: "My eye….!!!"

Yoruichi: "Didn't you hear a word I said!? Luckily, only your shield touched the Kōtotsu because if any of your six flowers–"

Ichigo: "You're being too hard on her! We'd be dead if she hadn't done that."

Uryu: "Hey! The dust is settling."

The teenagers found themselves amidst a scene straight out of old-school Japan, with a district filled with rundown houses and narrow, twisting streets that had seen better days. The buildings bore the charm of a bygone era, showcasing traditional Japanese construction, but now they were covered in layers of dust and dirt.

The entire place had a somewhat neglected and unkempt feel, as if no one had bothered to maintain it in years. It was far from the picture-perfect image of the Soul Society they might have imagined. Instead, it exuded a sense of simplicity and faded grandeur.

Ichigo: "So…this is Soul Society…?"

Yoruichi: "Yes."

Tatsuki: "This place looks pretty worn out…"

Yoruichi: "This is the slum district, better known as Rukongai. This is where souls go when they first enter Soul Society. It lies outside the walls of Seireitei, where the shinigamis live."

Yato: "If this is heaven…I don't wanna know what hell looks like…"

Ichigo: "Hey! The town looks totally different over there!"

Upon hearing Ichigo's words, Yato walks over to Tatsuki's side and speaks in a hushed voice.

Yato: "Wanna bet he's gonna dash over there without even thinking?"

Tatsuki: "Doesn't even count as a bet, it's obvious the moron's gonna do just that." - She crossed her arms, waiting for Ichigo's impulsive actions.

It didn't take long for Ichigo to dash towards Seireitei, brushing aside Yoruichi's warnings.

Yato: "Should we stop him...?"

Tatsuki: "Nah... let him screw up a bit... maybe he'll actually learn something."

When Ichigo was just a few steps away from Seireitei, massive walls descended from the sky, blocking the teenager's path.

The walls of Seireitei are constructed from a stone known as Sekkiseki, a material renowned for its ability to nullify all Reiryoku, akin to magnetic lodestones. This stone also forms a spherical barrier around the city, preventing anything of a spiritual nature from breaching its defenses.

In front of the gates of Seireitei, a man standing at 988 cm appeared, positioning himself squarely before the entrance.

Jidanbo: "It's been a while…since anyone tried to crash the Seireimon without permission… At last, I have a customer. Welcome, boy."

Without much delay, Jidanbo seized an axe and struck the ground, causing the earth to tremble and a cloud of smoke to rise from the impact.

Jidanbo: "Hohohohoho…Now! Show me what you're capable of… boy!"

In the distance, the group observed the unfolding situation.

Uryu: "A giant!? He can't be human! What is he!?"

Yoruichi: "His name is Jidanbo. He serves as the gatekeeper of the great white road gate. In the 300 years he has guarded this gate... no one has dared to crash it. He can take down 30 Hollows with a single strike."

Without waiting for further information, Chad and Inoue rushed to assist Ichigo.

Yoruichi: "Get back here!!!! What do you think you're doing!?" - The cat shouted.

As they approached, Jidanbo made a motion as if he were about to attack Chad and Inoue. However, at an astonishing speed, Tatsuki appeared in front of Inoue, grabbing her and swiftly moving away, while Chad was slightly pulled back thanks to the red threads that Yato had manifested and used to remove Chad from the danger zone.

Yato: 'I already knew Jidanbo wouldn't attack them, but rather shatter the pavement and make it tilt so that no one interrupts the fight.' - He glanced briefly at Tatsuki. - 'Tatsuki's Bringer Light has evolved significantly... Well... she trained with Yoruichi, so it's no surprise she's getting faster...'

Jidanbo: "You folks have bad manners... listen, in Seireitei, we have rules. Rule number one... wash your hands before entering, number two... don't eat stuff off the ground, number three... only two people should be dueling. The orange-haired kid got here first, so I'm gonna fight with him. You all just wait patiently until I smash him."

Chad: "Inoue... I'm gonna create a hole in this rock... when I do that... you shoot Tsubaki through the hole at that guy." - He whispered.

Jidanbo: "Huh? Who's Tsubaki?"

Chad/Orihime: 'His hearing is incredible!'

Ichigo: "Hey... Chad, Inoue..." - His voice echoed from within the stone walls.

Orihime: "Kurosaki-kun!? Are you okay!? Did you get hurt!?"

Ichigo: "Nah... I'm fine. You and Chad just stay there and don't do anything."

Orihime: "Huh? Why, Kurosaki-kun!?"

Ichigo: "Don't worry! Just wait there!"

Uryu: "No! I refuse! I don't know what kind of training you went through in these ten days, but our time is limited!! We need to face this guy together to make it easier!"

Ichigo: "... I didn't know you were there, Ishida."

Uryu: "I've been with you all this time!! I'm not in the mood for your foolishness, Kurosaki!!!"

Ichigo: "Shut up..."

Orihime was about to say something, but fell silent after Tatsuki placed her hand on her shoulder, looking towards where Ichigo was with a smile.

Tatsuki: "Relax, Orihime."

Orihime: "Tatsuki-chan...?"

Next, Chad approached the stone wall with a focused expression.

Chad: "...Can you do it?"

Ichigo: "...I think so…"

Uryu: "You THINK?! That's not good enough!!"

Ichigo: "Aw man… Don't worry. You yourself said you don't know what kind of training I went through, so let me tell you something…"

Uryu: "Huh?"

Ichigo: "The initial plan was for me to use the ten days to fully recover my Shinigami powers. But I managed to recover my powers in just five days, so… what do you think I was doing during the last five days?"

Uryu: "What were you doing...?"

Ichigo: "Fighting! For five days and nights against Hat-and-Clogs… And to make things worse, during those days, Yato was forced to train alongside me, which made Hat-and-Clogs fight more seriously…"

At this moment, everyone briefly turned their attention to Yato, who had been silent until then, with a rather calm expression.

Uryu: "I understand... so during those days, that man taught you some combat secrets…"

Ichigo: "No. He didn't teach us anything at all... but, I gained stamina and guts! It's hard to explain... ask Yato, he's better than me at analyzing that kind of thing." - He said as he finally took hold of the huge zanpakuto on his back.

Jidanbo: "Are you done talking?"

Ichigo: "No, but I didn't ask you to wait."

Jidanbo: "You must be a country boy too… you have bad manners... If someone waits for you," - He raised his giant axe. - "Show gratitude!!"

The guardian's colossal arm descended, the gigantic axe aiming to crush Ichigo in a single earth-shaking blow. The impact reverberated once again, the earth quaking beneath the force and a shroud of smoke enveloping the battlefield.

Meanwhile, Uryu turned his attention back to Yato as Orihime looked worriedly in Ichigo's direction.

Uryu: "What did he mean by that, Yasakani?"

Yato: "Ishida-san... do you play video games?" - He said calmly while putting his hands in his pockets.

Uryu: "Huh?"

Yato: "Imagine a scenario where you're a level 2 character and constantly facing off against someone who's level 100. Even if you can't defeat that person, repeatedly facing them will still earn you experience, right? If you're gaining experience to face a level 100 opponent... what challenge would you have if you faced someone who's level 10?"

Chad: '...I get it… What Ichigo gained from that guy is as important as stamina and guts… The crucial thing that shinigamis have and Ichigo doesn't... is experience!!'

Orihime: "I see!! So you're saying Kurosaki-kun gained more level UPs than the giant!!" - She said pointing her index finger upwards as if she had made a fantastic discovery.

Tatsuki: "Couldn't you explain that in a simpler way?" - She scowled at Yato. - "You could have just said that any one of us here... could defeat that giant even if we fought alone."

After the tomboy's words, the smoke curtain around Jidanbo and Ichigo dissipated, revealing that Ichigo had blocked the gatekeeper's axe by raising his zanpakuto with just one hand.

Jidanbo: "What? Wha... what are you?!"

Ichigo: "You attacked before I was ready. Isn't that bad manners too?"