At the same time, at the Shin'o Academy.
Jing Bing, wearing a sixth-year student uniform, with delicate features, a good figure, and a youthful vibrancy, found the equally stunning ice beauty Xin Na, who had an exotic charm.
"Xin Na, for the upcoming event, shall we team up?"
Hearing this, Xin Na's eyebrows furrowed slightly. She said somewhat helplessly:
"Haven't you heard the news from the Seireitei? Xiguo players like me are practically persona non grata now. There's no need for you to stick with me, right?"
"Heh, what does that matter?" Jing Bing intimately wrapped her arm around Xin Na's, pulling it against her chest, then trapping it with her ample assets.
"Those in the Seireitei are the bad Xiguo players. And now player killing is prohibited. Someone as beautiful as you, Xin Na, no one will give you trouble!"
"Besides, how could I possibly abandon my darling Xin Na and let you face those ferocious monsters alone?" Jing Bing smiled sweetly.
Looking at her friend, Xin Na helplessly rubbed her temples.
"You, with a name meaning 'Ice', yet you have no icy feeling at all. You're like a Husky." (T/N: In Chinese, Bing means Ice.)
"Hehehe, who told you to skip grades at the same time as me, so the school arranged us as roommates? You can't escape my clutches, Xin Na!"
Laughing, Jing Bing and Xin Na together temporarily put aside their imminent graduation studies, took leave, and walked out of the Shin'o Academy.
"By the way, Xin Na, have you thought about which division you'll join after graduation?"
"Hmm, that..."
Their voices faded into the distance.
And in the 11th Division, leading the 11th Division players, Sister Mei also accepted a period of Rukongai patrol duty.
Although the 11th Division was a combat division, they occasionally patrolled the Rukongai, so going out wasn't a problem.
They just didn't know what the situation with this event would be.
All players granted participation qualifications by the game began to move.
But none of them had considered that those moving weren't just the players granted participation qualifications.
West Rukongai, Zaraki District. In a dilapidated tavern, a blonde man suddenly slammed his fist on the table before him!
"Damn it, I refuse to accept this! Why can only those with strength equivalent to a Shinigami division member participate in the event?"
"We just didn't manage to grab a Shinigami initial identity. But is that our fault? Clearly, the game gave too few slots!"
"This is unfair! The game is discriminating against us ordinary players! I protest!"
Hearing the blonde man's words, a black man stood up. "Right! Protest! Demonstrate! Loot! If you won't let me participate, then I'll force my way in!"
"Bi Lu, how about we organize a group and forcibly charge in when they're happily doing their event?" The black man suggested.
Hearing his words, Bi Lu's eyes lit up. "Oh, Di Zhao, that's a great suggestion!"
"Then let's do just that! After all, players can't kill each other now, right?" As long as it doesn't kill you, do it to death. That's what Bi Lu, who had shit-stirrer personality, should do.
"Good, let's act! I'll go gather my brothers!" Di Zhao and Bi Lu split up, starting to gather people. Thus, all players began to move.
And in Hueco Mundo, the army of the nine Bounts was initially formed.
Before the group, multiples of fire dolls, multiples of golden snake dolls, multiples of steel dolls, multiples of flying parasitic dolls, multiples of water dolls, multiples of stone whale dolls were densely arrayed!
"Hahaha, look! This is our peerless army!"
Looking at the numerous dolls ahead, Kariya laughed heartily. The secret technique he accidentally obtained was truly a gift from heaven!
After all, for Bounts whose entire strength lay in their 'Stands', being able to replicate their own Dolls… what kind of concept was that?
Now, they had nothing to fear!
"Now start attempting to open a Garganta to the Soul Society. I remember how to do that, the data had it too, right?"
"Yes, leader!" Ichinose nodded, then got busy.
…
'Huh?'
Living World, Urahara Shop.
Ichigo gradually accepted the fact that he had been tricked by the game.
But he was still a bit puzzled. "Shopkeeper, how did you know what these Bounts intended to do?"
"Because I caught one person and encountered another!" Kisuke clapped his hands. Soma Yoshino walked out again.
Simultaneously, Kisuke brought out a surveillance video.
It was of a Bount member named Ugaki.
Kisuke explained: "Not long after you returned, Miss Soma Yoshino found us and revealed the existence of the Bounts."
"Also, from Miss Soma Yoshino, I learned they possessed a very troublesome secret technique."
"They could use Reishi to mass-produce Dolls with abilities. And depending on the amount of Reishi infused, the Dolls' strength varied."
"Such a method would allow these Bounts to become one-man armies."
"Miss Soma Yoshino didn't want to see people suffering, so she wanted to cooperate with us."
"So I captured this man, learned the specifics. And the path to Hueco Mundo was something I deliberately told them."
Hearing Kisuke's explanation, Ichigo understood and said calmly,
"You didn't want these people absorbing ordinary human souls in the living world, so you threw them into Hueco Mundo, planning to create some trouble for Aizen?"
Kisuke nodded: "Yes. We don't know how effective this secret technique is. Putting it in Hueco Mundo is most suitable."
However, hearing his words, Ichigo sighed.
Kisuke thought the Bounts would clash with Hueco Mundo, but didn't consider that their goal was always the Soul Society.
But Ichigo still had one question, so he asked in doubts:
"Then what are these Mod Souls for?"
But to this, Kisuke smiled without answering.
Clearly, the one-to-one, fully realistic Mod Souls created using the Bounts' Reishi had other uses in Kisuke's hands.
This seemed to be a backup plan Kisuke habitually prepared.
However, for some reason, Ichigo felt a sense of unease.
The original Bounts were trashy… just slightly weaker, not sufficient as event targets for players.
But now the game had personally intervened and borrowed Kisuke's power. What kind of monsters this would create was completely unclear.
Ichigo remembered the game he played before crossing over.
There, idiot designers would always create some new champions with overpowered stats.
This time, the game carefully calculated, avoiding Ichigo in the Living World who could affect it, and borrowed Kisuke's influence. But if it also created something completely unmanageable, what then?
Ichigo grew concerned.
Also, not getting much information from Kisuke, Ichigo chose to leave.
"I'm leaving!"
But he hadn't gone far when he turned back.
"Wait, open a door. Send me to the Soul Society!" Ichigo said.
"What are you going to do?" Kisuke was very puzzled.
"I'm going to the 13th Division to grab two Shinigami to come to the Living World, to handle my daily Hollow-extermination work!"
Ichigo explained: "Otherwise..."