Chapter 391

2-in-1 chapter:  

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“Yah!!”

Ichigo’s small body trailed black afterimages as he attacked Kaelith from every direction.

Kaelith remained where he was, twisting and bending like a soft-bodied creature to dodge the blows, while shouting out taunts:

“What’s with this swing? Why is it so messy and so slow!?”

“Come on, Ichigo, I’m about to fall asleep over here.”

“Hey, do you walk this slowly all the time? When your classmates walk home with you, do they have to stop every few steps and wait for you?”

Hearing Kaelith’s running commentary, Ichigo’s blood pressure shot through the roof.

“Damn it, damn it, damn it!!”

Fueled by fury, his speed kept climbing.

If a Soul Reaper from Soul Society had been observing their training from start to finish, they probably would’ve had their eyes pop out.

An eight-year-old kid, starting from zero, had reached the spiritual pressure level of a low-seat officer in just over a week!

This rate of growth was explosive, even by Soul Society’s historical standards.

In fact, even Kaelith himself found it a bit absurd.

He already knew Ichigo was overpowered, but this was way beyond reasonable.

Did Ichigo come out swinging this hard when he first got his powers in the original story?

Well… thinking about it, it was pretty close.

After receiving Rukia’s powers, Ichigo could handle minor Hollows in one strike.

Regular Soul Reapers couldn’t manage that—at minimum, that was low-seat officer territory.

As Kaelith was lost in thought, Ichigo’s eyes lit up.

A chance!

He went all in, unleashing his full power, stepping in with a flash step, and slashing toward Kaelith’s chest!

Clang!!!

To Ichigo’s shock, Kaelith suddenly ducked and caught the incoming blade with his mouth.

Ichigo pushed forward—nothing.

Tried pulling it back—still nothing.

Kaelith bit down on the Zanpakutō and gave Ichigo a toothy grin.

Ichigo looked visibly disturbed.

“Let go! That’s disgusting!”

After struggling to reclaim his sword, he held it up to inspect the blade. Only after confirming there were no bite marks did he breathe a sigh of relief.

Kaelith chuckled smugly:

“Relax. Zanpakutō aren’t made from ordinary metal. There’s no blade oil—nothing dirty will get on me.”

Ichigo went silent for two seconds.

He was worried about his sword getting dirty....not Kaelith’s teeth.

Still, saying that out loud would likely earn him some... intense education, so he kept quiet.

As the city’s hourly bell chimed in the distance, he quickly returned to his body and said goodbye to Kaelith.

If he didn’t get home soon, he’d miss curfew.

His old man was absurd—irresponsible himself, yet always enforcing rules on others.

If Ichigo didn’t listen, the guy would run straight to Mom to tattle.

So unfair.

As he ran home, Ichigo couldn’t help feeling a bit exhilarated.

He wasn’t the same as before.

Now he could control his spiritual energy well and wield his Zanpakutō properly.

Even though Kaelith never admitted it outright, his expressions and tone clearly showed he was pleased.

Just thinking about Kaelith’s stubborn attitude made Ichigo laugh aloud.

That strange guy who had suddenly barged into his life might be unreliable—but Ichigo had to admit, he enjoyed being around him.

And so, Kurosaki Ichigo, a fifth-grade elementary student, stepped into another world.

Every day, he attended school seriously during the day.

After dinner, he’d go study with Kaelith.

Occasionally he’d perform soul burials or fight Hollows—great fun all around.

Once, out of curiosity, Ichigo asked Kaelith where he usually lived and what he did.

Hearing that, Kaelith looked a bit sentimental.

He reached to support his back, coughed, and said:

“I’m a wanderer. Normally, I just find a couple of trees, tie a rope between them, and sleep on it. It’s normal that you can’t find me…”

Ichigo didn’t really buy it—but had no proof to counter him.

In the blink of an eye, a month had passed.

That evening, after dinner and letting his family know, Ichigo headed to the usual spot to meet Kaelith.

On the way, he encountered a Hollow attacking an innocent soul. He transformed into a Soul Reaper and instantly dispatched it with a single slash.

After performing a quick soul burial, he returned to his body and resumed his route.

Then, he saw some delinquent middle schoolers bullying a small group of elementary kids. Frowning, Ichigo stepped in and beat all three delinquents down.

Amid the shocked and grateful stares of the children, he kept walking.

Checking the time, he realized he was running a little late.

His study sessions with Kaelith were something he truly enjoyed—he didn’t want to waste a minute unless something urgent came up.

Looking around to make sure no one was watching, he activated his spiritual energy and, still in human form, began to sprint at high speed.

Before long, he reached the meeting place.

From afar, he saw Kaelith sitting under a tree, playing a handheld console.

Ichigo smiled and was just about to call out—

But then he noticed someone standing next to Kaelith.

Seeing this person, Ichigo was a little surprised.

It was a girl—her features exquisite, more beautiful than any TV celebrity.

She wore a white uniform that resembled a military outfit, complete with a white peaked cap.

Long black hair flowed freely down her back.

She stood beside Kaelith, smiling as she chatted with him.

Kaelith, still playing his game, occasionally nodded in response.

Seeing the two of them, Ichigo's first thought was that they must be a couple.

For some reason, Ichigo felt slightly uncomfortable.

Like a child from a single-parent family suddenly seeing his father bring home a stepmother.

Like forming a deep bond with a friend, only to discover that he had many more “life-and-death” friends besides you.

While Ichigo stood frozen in thought, Kaelith seemed to notice something and looked over in his direction.

From afar, he waved.

Ichigo nodded and jogged over.

Seeing Ichigo, the girl in the military outfit gave him an intrigued look.

“Oh… so this is the kid you’ve taken a liking to?”

“Mhm. The child of fate, second only to me in this world—pure incarnate of fortune itself!” Kaelith said cheerfully.

Sitting on the ground, he looked up and said to Ichigo:

“Yo, Ichigo. What’d you have for dinner?”

“Cream stew…”

Ichigo answered reflexively.

Then he looked toward Kaelith and asked:

“Mr. Kaelith, and she is…?”

“Hm? Her?”

Kaelith looked up at the girl standing beside him.

Today, Bambietta had, for the first time in a while, put on her Quincy uniform.

Ever since fully betraying the Wandenreich, she hadn’t worn it again.

Only during certain “activities” with Kaelith—for fun—would she occasionally put it on.

Wearing that Quincy-styled uniform, draped in a white cloak, and topped with a peaked cap, she radiated a fierce aura.

Who would have thought that this same girl would look so very different by night?

Just recalling these past days of living at Bambietta’s place—endless “activities”—made Kaelith’s back ache a little.

He stood up:

“Her name’s Bambietta. Starting today, she’s your new discipline instructor… cough, I mean your new teacher.”

“New teacher?”

Ichigo frowned slightly.

“Then what about you, Mr. Kaelith?”

“I’m still your teacher… it’s just that we’re teaching different subjects.”

“I’ll continue teaching you about the Shinigami.”

“And Bambietta will teach you about the Quincy.”

“That includes how to use Quincy powers—and how to fight against Quincy.”

Ichigo looked a bit lost.

“Quincy…?”

“Yes, Quincy.”

Kaelith nodded and turned to Bambietta.

She understood and smiled.

Looking at Ichigo, she said:

“Hey kid, watch this!”

As she spoke, Bambietta spread her arms, and a blue spiritual bow formed in midair.

Under Ichigo’s gaze, an arrow shot out with a whoosh, striking a mountain in the distance.

BOOM!!!

The arrow exploded upon impact, releasing a dazzling flash of blue light!

Even from so far away, Ichigo could feel the terrifying pressure behind that single shot!

That day, for the first time, he realized that in this world, there were spirit-users other than Shinigami.

Under Bambietta’s instruction, he began training in this new power system.

Sitting on the ground, Ichigo frowned in concentration, trying to locate the power within himself.

He carefully followed Bambietta’s guidance, stimulating the key points inside his body with spiritual energy—but found nothing.

When Kaelith had taught him to use Shinigami powers, he had quickly grasped the method.

Clearly, he was still better suited to learning from Kaelith… this new teacher…..

No. He couldn’t get distracted—he had to find the new power, quickly.

The more he tried not to be distracted, the more stray thoughts filled his head.

Suddenly, Ichigo showed a confused expression.

He seemed to sense a man with long hair, an unshaven face, and sunglasses, standing before him—blocking his path to accessing Quincy powers.

Who was this man?

Why was he stopping him?

Ichigo tried to speak to the man, but the latter just silently shook his head and said nothing.

At that moment, Kaelith suddenly stood up and walked over.

“Jeez, it’s just about finding your Quincy energy nodes. Let me walk you through it once—just memorize it, and you’ll get it naturally after that.”

As he spoke, he reached out his hand toward Ichigo.

In the vision, Ichigo saw the man in sunglasses suddenly look uneasy as Kaelith approached.

The moment Kaelith’s hand was about to touch his body, the man vanished.

With his disappearance, Ichigo instantly connected with the energy points he had previously been unable to reach.

BOOM!!!

Under Kaelith’s slightly surprised gaze, a wave of blue spiritual pressure suddenly erupted from Ichigo.

Different from a Shinigami—this was purely Quincy power.

Seeing the display, he nodded in satisfaction.

As expected, being the son of Kurosaki Masaki, a pure-blood Quincy, Ichigo also possessed Quincy potential.

In the original storyline, this kid didn’t have access to Quincy powers at all.

Thanks to his own brilliant guidance, Ichigo now had such a useful ability!

Bambietta looked a bit surprised.

“It actually worked... So there really is someone besides Kaelith who can wield both Shinigami and Quincy powers...”

At first, when Kaelith had praised Kurosaki Ichigo, she thought he was just making it up and being boastful like usual.

But now, it actually seemed to hold some weight.

However, at this point, she no longer cared about factional struggles or power politics.

The only thing she wanted—was Kaelith.

Whether it was her body or soul, she already belonged to this man beside her. Even if Yhwach himself appeared, it wouldn’t change her resolve.

With a flick of her cape, Bambietta looked at Ichigo with the same expression one would give an insect:

“Prepare to throw away your life in training... Kurosaki Ichigo!”

Sensing the terrifying aura emanating from Bambietta, Ichigo felt fear—something he hadn’t felt in a long time…

.......................................

.............

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As the bell rang to signal the end of class, Ichigo stretched and stood up.

He pulled out the lunch his mom had packed from his desk and headed up to the rooftop.

Training in both Shinigami and Quincy powers simultaneously was a bit of a strain.

To avoid being mocked by Kaelith’s annoying smug face, he decided to eat lunch while practicing Quincy spiritual manipulation techniques.

He quietly opened the rooftop door, walked over to a vent shaft, and set down the cloth-wrapped lunch box.

Just as he was about to sit, he suddenly sensed something and turned his head.

He saw a boy about his age silently standing on the edge of the rooftop fence.

The boy wore glasses, and though his face still held a hint of youth, it bore an expression of solemnity and seriousness that didn’t match his age.

Judging by the uniform, he attended a private elementary school in a neighboring town.

Only kids from very wealthy families could attend that school.

Given the unfamiliar school uniform and the faint spiritual pressure the boy exuded, Ichigo instantly realized—this guy was here for him.

“You’re looking for me?”

He raised an eyebrow and asked.

The boy adjusted his glasses.

“My name is Ishida Uryū, fourth grade, Naruki Elementary.”

“I’m—”

“I know your name, Kurosaki Ichigo. I verified your information before coming here.”

“I came today to ask you something.”

Under Ichigo’s gaze, he said in a low voice:

“Are you a Shinigami?”

Although Ichigo had already sensed spiritual pressure from Ishida Uryū, hearing the question out loud still surprised him a little.

He nodded.

“Yeah.”

“I see. That’s good.”

Ishida Uryū lightly jumped down from the railing to the rooftop.

He stretched out his hand and pointed at Ichigo:

“Shinigami, I challenge you!”

“A challenge?”

“That’s right!”

Ishida Uryū pushed his glasses up again:

“My father always told me, if you encounter a Shinigami, never provoke them. Even if you’re at a disadvantage, you must endure.”

“I never understood why he said that. Every time I asked, he said he’d explain in the future.”

“But honestly, I don’t need him to explain—I already understand.”

“The reason he says that must be because he thinks Shinigami are powerful— to the point that they are unbeatable.”

“In that case, I’ll prove with my own actions... that I’m stronger than a Shinigami!”

As he spoke, he swung his arm into position—already taking a battle stance.

Watching the boy who didn’t wait for an answer and had already prepared for a fight, Ichigo tilted his head.

What was with this performance...?

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