Chapter 21: Shadow
After leaving the Sixth Division barracks, Su Xiao arrived at a sparsely populated street. Confirming no one was around, he leaped into a courtyard.
The courtyard was overgrown with weeds, clearly uninhabited for a long time. A fist-sized skull appeared in Su Xiao's hand. The skull was as exquisite as if carved from crystal.
[Soul Remains]
Quality: Legendary
Type: Special Consumable
Effect: After use, can summon a Captain-level combat-capable Shinigami to assist in battle. Duration lasts until the Hunter leaves the Shinigami world.
Note: This item can only be used within the current world.
...
Su Xiao attempted to activate the [Soul Remains] in his hand. The [Soul Remains] slowly floated into the air.
[Soul Remains has been used.]
[Shinigami composition in progress...]
[Gender random, appearance random, age random, abilities random, combat power: Gotei 13 Captain-level.]
[Composition 1, 2, 3...]
...
The crystal-like skull began to enlarge gradually, and surrounding spiritual particles were slowly drawn towards it.
Based on the current composition speed, it would take about 40 minutes to form a Shinigami. Su Xiao leaped to a high vantage point in a few bounds, closely observing any signs of activity in the surroundings.
About half an hour later, an energy body composed of reishi had appeared in the courtyard. This was the most critical phase of transformation.
Just then, Su Xiao faintly heard footsteps approaching from not too far away.
"It's around here. Reishi is being rapidly absorbed into this place."
"Very close."
"Search the surroundings carefully."
Hearing this brief exchange, Su Xiao knew trouble was coming. He couldn't leave the Seireitei at the moment, and this was already a very remote location, situated within the Eighth Division's territory.
"Found it."
A loud shout came from outside the courtyard. At that moment, Su Xiao leaped onto the courtyard wall. The outer side was a deserted street.
Outside the wall were several lower-ranked Shinigami. They wore standard shihakusho and had Zanpakuto tucked into their belts.
"You are..."
Several Shinigami looked up at Su Xiao.
"Who I am isn't important. What's important is... leave here now."
Su Xiao crouched on the wall. The spiritual particle fluctuations within the courtyard were rapidly diminishing.
A flurry of footsteps approached. A female Shinigami wearing a female shihakusho and rimless glasses was leading a group as she hurried over.
"Vice-Captain."
"It's here, but this person is blocking us from entering. Should we..."
Before the lower-ranked Shinigami could finish, the female Shinigami raised her hand to signal him to stop.
This female Shinigami had considerable standing. Her name was Nanao Ise, Vice-Captain of the Eighth Division. She was a knowledgeable, reasonable, gentle, and refined woman. In fact, she could be considered the most beautiful female Shinigami in the Soul Society.
Nanao Ise's charm wasn't solely in her appearance, but in her demeanor. An apt comparison would be an OL-type beauty with refined temperament, wearing a shihakusho.
"Bai Ye."
Nanao Ise recognized Su Xiao, causing her to frown.
"Vice-Captain Ise, although this is the Eighth Division's territory, I am conducting a very important experiment here."
Su Xiao certainly wouldn't let these Shinigami enter the courtyard. If someone saw the Shinigami that was forming, while not impossible to explain, it would still be very troublesome.
"Experiment?"
Nanao Ise pushed up her glasses, a look of doubt in her eyes. She couldn't figure out why Su Xiao would be conducting an experiment within the Eighth Division's territory.
"That's right. This area has excellent spiritual energy and very good feng shui."
"What?"
Nanao Ise was a bit bewildered. She couldn't understand Su Xiao's words at all.
"If you force your way into this courtyard now, it will cause my experiment to be interrupted. Someone will have to bear the consequences of this outcome."
"I will bear it. No matter what the outcome, I will bear it."
Nanao Ise's tone was very firm. She had keenly sensed that something was wrong inside the courtyard.
"Is that so? All consequences... you will bear them."
A smile appeared on Su Xiao's face. He scanned his surroundings while flexing his fingers, confirming whether there were any other Shinigami present nearby.
"That's right, I will bear them..."
"Little Nanao-chan."
A slightly playful voice came from around the corner. A man draped in a pink floral haori and wearing a straw hat walked over from a distance.
The newcomer's attire was quite flashy, yet he possessed a certain middle-aged masculine charm. It was Kyoraku Shunsui, Captain of the Eighth Division. This guy's strength could definitely rank among the top few within the Gotei 13.
Hearing the playful "Little Nanao-chan," Nanao Ise's expression didn't change, as she was already used to it.
"Bai Ye, what are you planning to do to my adorable little Nanao?"
Kyoraku Shunsui stopped beneath the wall. The straw hat on his head shaded his drowsy eyes.
"I'm just a researcher. What could I possibly do to Vice-Captain Ise?"
Su Xiao relaxed his hand. Nanao Ise was unaware that she had just walked through the gates of hell.
"Is that so?" Kyoraku Shunsui yawned, then turned and walked away. "Let's go back, little Nanao."
"But Captain..."
"Let's go back."
"..."
Nanao Ise cast a reluctant glance at Su Xiao before following Kyoraku Shunsui away.
Watching Kyoraku Shunsui and Nanao Ise walk off, Su Xiao's resolve to join Aizen's faction grew stronger. Joining the Seireitei was indeed latching onto a powerful group, but it was also restrictive. For instance, right now, he needed to summon that Shinigami as quickly as possible, yet he couldn't leave the Seireitei and could only choose remote locations. Even so, he was still detected by the Eighth Division.
As for how to smooth this over, the answer was that no smoothing over was needed at all. Su Xiao could easily brush it off using the excuse of creating a Reishi Sphere. Reishi Spheres don't appear out of thin air; absorbing reishi is perfectly normal.
As long as the Eighth Division personnel didn't enter the courtyard, everything could be explained. If it were exposed, he could claim it was a "new research achievement," but doing so would cost him a combat asset.
The spiritual particle fluctuations in the courtyard had ceased. A man with disheveled black hair, wearing tattered shihakusho, stood in the courtyard. He was the Shinigami Su Xiao had summoned.
This Shinigami's hair was somewhat fluffy, as if it hadn't been groomed for a long time. His eyes were dull and lifeless, and the Zanpakuto at his waist was also in shabby condition.
Su Xiao leaped down from the wall and sized up the Shinigami he had summoned.
"How many fingers am I holding up?"
Su Xiao held up three fingers, testing the other's intelligence.
"Three. Although I must answer, please refrain from asking such idiotic questions."
*Pfft!*
Blood splattered. Dragon-Slaying Flash pierced through this Shinigami's chest.
"Cough, cough..."
The summoned Shinigami coughed up a few drops of blood. His expression didn't change much, as if even if Su Xiao cut off his head, he would remain the same.
"He has intelligence, but is bound by the summoning contract. Not bad."
Su Xiao pulled out Dragon-Slaying Flash and lightly flicked the blood from its blade.
Clearly, in Su Xiao's eyes, this summoned Shinigami was merely a moderately useful cannon fodder, perfectly expendable at a critical moment.
"Name."
"Unknown."
"Is that so? Then you'll be called Shadow."
Shadow showed little change in expression. Or rather, he possessed personal consciousness, but that consciousness was restricted by the contract. With Su Xiao's 92 points of True Intelligence attribute, Shadow couldn't break free from the control over his summoned creature.
Based on Su Xiao's judgment, Shadow's loyalty was low, a result of Su Xiao's Charm attribute. Fortunately, he could forcibly control Shadow. Ignoring loyalty, Shadow was a decent fighter plus cannon fodder. Moreover, when Su Xiao left the Shinigami world, Shadow would disappear, and the summoning contract would automatically dissolve.