As Asano Kiyoshi's words fell, the scroll that had been tightly shut within his mind slowly unfurled.
The contents of the scroll flipped rapidly—paths of eerily brilliant flowers like fire, rivers flowing skyward filled with bones and wandering souls, colossal stone pillars towering like supports of the heavens...
One breathtaking scene after another flashed before Kiyoshi's eyes, and the desolate, vast aura seemed to tear his soul apart.
Fortunately, at the very last moment, all the images vanished—leaving only one scene glowing with a thick, blood-like hue.
Asano Kiyoshi looked closely, and sure enough, what appeared before him was a grand, ancient, and deeply eerie archway.
Across the arch were three bold characters, written with a vigorous and powerful hand: "Gate of the Underworld".
On the crimson pillars flanking the arch, three more characters were inscribed on each side. Focusing in, he read:
"Ten enter, nine never return."
The blood-slick characters seemed to drip fresh crimson. If one listened closely, it was as if faint wails could still be heard emanating from within.
Countless skulls were piled into hills surrounding the Gate, the ground covered in bone. Stepping on them would make a sharp crack like dry leaves being crushed. Long white mourning ribbons hung from the rooftop like the sigh of death itself, and scarlet lanterns flanked the entrance, glowing like the eyes of the Underworld.
The moment the Gate fully materialized, Asano Kiyoshi felt an icy power surge through his entire being. The chilling force coursed through his veins, spreading through every sinew, every bone, transforming his body from the inside out.
Even though he had experienced something similar when advancing from first-grade to second-grade spiritual pressure, this was far worse.
There was no other way to put it—it was agonizing. The coldness from deep within his soul threatened to freeze him solid. His thoughts dulled, his body grew numb, yet his sense of pain was magnified infinitely.
Clenching his teeth, he trembled violently. Veins bulged across his pale face, forming twisted patterns of agony.
Time became a blur—whether it was an instant or an eternity, he couldn't say. At long last, Asano Kiyoshi awoke.
Though it was early spring and the afternoon still carried a hint of chill, the cold wind brushing against him now felt like the perfect painkiller.
The breeze swept across his hair as he slowly sat up, supporting himself on the ground. His head was spinning, but oddly, his body felt revitalized. He looked around and noticed something new—faint blue particles now danced through the air like playful spirits.
Drawn by curiosity, he reached out and caught a handful of the glittering specks. Most passed right through his hand, but a few lingered on his palm, tingling like a solidified spark or a cold shard of ice. The sensation was... pleasant.
These blue particles, he knew, were Reishi—the fundamental particles that made up the world of the Soul Reapers.
When he had second-grade spiritual pressure, he couldn't sense them at all. No wonder the Shino Spiritual Arts Academy only accepted students at third-grade and above—how could someone control Reishi if they couldn't even perceive it?
Kiyoshi took a deep breath, then mentally summoned the scroll again. This time, instead of appearing in his mind, the scroll materialized as a ghostly projection in the real world.
He froze in surprise. Attempting to retract it into his mind did nothing. The scroll floated before him, unfurling once more, black characters forming as it displayed his current spiritual stats:
Host: Asano Kiyoshi
Zanjutsu (Swordsmanship): 14(Your improved spiritual body enhances the force behind your strikes.)
Hakuda (Hand-to-Hand): 13(Your Reishi-built body grows stronger, allowing greater physical output.)
Kido (Demon Arts): 7(Feel those playful Reishi? They're the building blocks of reality.)
Hoho (Agility): 15(A deeper sensitivity to Reishi makes replenishing energy easier.)
Reiryoku (Spiritual Pressure): Third Grade – 1%(You've just begun to lift the veil of this world. Now, you truly have the right to enter it.)
Overall Evaluation: 49(Still weak, but now you have potential. Even if that potential has a visible ceiling.)
Shikai Phrase: ???
Bankai Phrase: ???
Currently Unlocked Ability: Gate of the Underworld
His eyes naturally gravitated toward the newly unlocked ability. As he focused, another line of blood-red text appeared beneath the Gate of the Underworld:
Ability Overview: Gate of the Underworld
Ability 1: Upon activation, the Gate generates a domain that overlaps with a spatial-temporal zone belonging to the underworld. Within this domain, all ability-based rules can be ignored, depending on the output of the host's spiritual pressure.(Note: Ignoring abilities requires immense spiritual pressure to counteract and erase rules. Use with caution.)
Ability 2: The Gate suppresses evil spirits and souls of countless dead worlds. As such, all Bakudo/Kido binding-type spells gain a 20% power boost.(Based on base power. Fully chanted spells will be enhanced based on their fully chanted power.)
Note: The scroll is visible only to the host. There is no need to worry about being discovered.
As he read, Kiyoshi could feel his heart thundering in his chest like it was ready to leap from his throat.
Just these two abilities alone were monstrously powerful. Even if not quite on par with the absurd techniques of certain Quincy monsters, they were already terrifying in their own right.
In fact, if his spiritual pressure ever grew high enough, he might even be able to nullify Yhwach's Almighty ability within his domain!
But... that was all theoretical. Right now, with his meager level of spiritual pressure, he probably couldn't even maintain the domain for more than a few seconds...
Thinking this, Kiyoshi chuckled bitterly and steadied his breathing. Glancing at the time, he noticed the growling of his stomach. Smiling wryly, he said:
"First things first—gotta fill up my belly~"
The wind swept across the sky of Soul Society, stirring faint but unmistakable ripples in the air.