Under The Soul Society

"Rei, you're here!" Ino had a strange look on her face but seeing Rei enter the room, it disappeared. "Sorry for the delay. So how did things go?" Rei looked towards Ino and then Ren, who was sitting in a chair not too far away. Compared to how Ino perked up, he had a complicated expression on his face.

Seeing that look on Ren, of all people, could only mean that he discovered something. And it probably meant it wasn't good. "Well, she's technically fine. But at the same time, her being has undergone a change." Hearing Ren was speaking about what he had discovered, Ino's face turned a bit grim as she stepped back.

"In what way?" Ren responded to Rei by grabbing a book that was lying on top of his desk. It was one of his many journals where he wrote down concepts and whatnot. "Not including yourself, there are three different types of people in the world. Humans with bodies coursing with Chakra, Souls which when given form in the Soul Society have bodies made of Reishi and only capable of imitating Chakra but not wielding it."

Turning the page in his book Ren continued. "Then you have me, Seiki and Fuyumi." They were more like half breeds between the two. They were alive and fully human when Rei turned them into Shinigami. So they were both Human and Shinigami capable of using Reiryoku and Chakra to the same degree.

"By all means, Ino should be a normal human. But from what I've heard, she's not only been directly exposed to Spiritual Energy while outside of her body, but she's also been exposed to a Hollow's mind and soul." Rei frowned as he looked back at Ino, who remained silent. "So she's like you now?"

Ren shook his head as he closed the book. "No, her body does not contain any Reishi whatsoever. It wasn't reconstructed through becoming a Shinigami nor changed in any way. But still, she has the power of multiple Hollows bottled up In her body. For the most part, the power is passive right now, but they completely block out any foreign Reiryoku. I could barely scan her successfully."

Ren explained the rest in a simple manner because even he was confused past this part. All he knew for sure was that Ino was different now. She had managed to resist being fully corrupted by the mind of a Hollow but absorbed its power indirectly. Her mind, body, and soul are adapting to the change and growth, but it does not manifest itself forcefully.

"Basically, she's a Hybrid. As for why the Hollows did not attack her… Either her control lingered behind, or maybe it has to do with her changes. Honestly, I'm not sure." Ino's voice caught Rei's attention as she said something. "Does… Does that mean I might turn into one of them?" She had heard Ren say this before, but he didn't go into detail.

Now that she had heard it, she felt a sense of terror well up inside. Something was in her body changing her, and she couldn't tell at all. Hearing that, Rei gave a reassuring smile. "Of course not. I'm going to be personally looking for a way to change you back to normal. Until then, we just have to keep you away from any Hollows to avoid further change."

Rei said this to keep her spirits up but also reinforced a point. The Hollows had to be dealt with and quickly, and he was going to make sure of it. Ino felt a little better as she decided to trust Rei. After a while, she left to check on Fuyumi, leaving both Ren and Rei alone. "When we come back from dealing with the Hollows, there's something I want to give you."

Ren's words caused Rei to remember something he wanted to ask about as he spoke with a hint of worry. "You know you have been rather reclusive as of late. I barely see you around other than when I call you. Are you doing alright?" Ren gave a tired smile as he nodded. "Ya has just been busy with something as of late. Once everything settles down, I'll be fine."

Rei trusted what Ren said, and soon he left Ren's study. "The faster we deal with this, the better. But Ino really is a wild card, I wonder..." Ren whispered to himself as he stared at the door Rei left through. Two whole weeks passed by swiftly. Hollow's had surprisingly quilted down, but the Soul Society was quite literally up in arms.

Thanks to Rei ordering Kushina to prepare for a large-scale battle ahead of time, things moved smoothly. Thousands of Shinigami made their way to the center of the Soul Society, preparing for the date set by Rei. Lieutenants of every rank were summoned, and no one was left behind. Haku, Shisui, and Zabuza all focused on mastering their Zanpakutos during that period as well.

There had never been so much military force mobilized in the Soul Society before, so the citizens were stunned. At this point, Hollow's existence was both a myth to citizens and a reality. The idea that they were quarantined to a region of the Soul Society made people feel safer. But at the same time, the concept of monsters invading their paradise was horrifying.

But now that he was mobilizing in such force, Rei didn't bother to hide it. He didn't announce it publicly, but the Shinigami who began to gather were free to speak. So as the news spread and the day finally came, every Shinigami was ordered to meet in the same area. Rei gave his speech to the first batch of souls that arrived.

A sea of people dressed in black looking up towards figures dressed in white coats was quite an awning scene. Standing at the front of the group was Rei, obviously with every one of Captain Rank standing beside him and all Lieutenants lined up behind them. "Looks like that's everyone." Shisui saw no more Shinigami were arriving as Rei scanned the people below.

Clear signs of nervousness were present as Rei's eyes swept past people. "Bakudo #22: Omuniboisu." Casting a spell, Rei's voice echoed through the Plaza, demanding attention. "All of you have gathered here for one purpose. The Soul Society acts as a resting place and the afterlife. However, the peace this place should bring has been disrupted."

Everyone knew Rei was referring to Hollows as they listened. "Over the next week, we will do everything in our power to get rid of that disruption. Acting as the vanguard me along with the Captains and Lieutenants, we shall exterminate every Hollow underground. Your jobs are to destroy any stragglers left behind."

Hearing that, some of the Shinigami looked shocked. Rei had basically said that they would be taking care of a majority of the Hollows themself. Meaning they were only there as reinforcements, if anything. Rei continued to speak briefly about a few other matters before he finished speaking. Everyone understood the weight behind their jobs even more than before.

"I hope you know just because we'll be leading doesn't mean you can let your guard down. There will be a lot of potential dangers, so I expect your best. Understood?" Every Shinigami looking at Rei responded. "Yes!" Seeing they were prepared, Rei smiled a bit and deactivated the Bakudo he had cast on his voice.

The horde of Shinigami began moving into formation as all of the Lieutenants and Captains behind Rei began to move. The only person left standing next to Rei at this point was Seiki and Ren, the former of which looked excited. "If I didn't know for a fact how bad you two were at listening to plans, I would tell you to get information with them."

Seiki just smiled as he and Ren followed Rei and the two of them quickly jumped down in front of the groups. Landing on the ground, Rei raised his hand and began manipulating the Reishi of the area around everyone. "Now then, it's time to get started." The ground began to split open as Rei manipulated the floor of the Soul Society.

His body tensed up as an immeasurable amount of Reishi split and gathered, forming a massive staircase in the ground leading into the caverns Rei had spotted before. "Should we be preparing for an ambush, all things considered?" Seiki looked down the dark tunnel in front of them that was wide enough to fit hundreds of people.

'I hope they do. It'll save us the hassle.' Thinking that, Rei raised his hand. "Alright, let's go!" Walking headfirst, he was followed by over ten large groups of Shinigami, being led by Captains and Lieutenants alike. Everyone's senses and guards immediately went up the moment they started entering the dark.

A few held out their hands and used Kido to light the way, making the situation even eerier. Shisui spoke to the ground, following him along with everyone else. "The cavern has no natural light, so it'll be dark. Cooperation is important, so don't hesitate to speak about any details." Rei already had his senses pushed to the max.

He was ready to sense a Hollow the moment it came within range of them. But still, he couldn't help but have a weird feeling about things. As they continued to walk down the long stairwell, Rei finally felt flat ground. The sound of footsteps walking on the rocky ground became numerous as he raised his hand.

A large blue of pure Reiryoku appeared in his hand, being big enough to eclipse a Hollow. Its light immediately drowned out the darkness in their surroundings, giving everyone a better sense of ease. The people already using Kido to light the way stopped what they were doing as they looked around.

The cavern looked fairly normal from what they could see, but the fact there was no echo even from thousands of footsteps which gave an indication of how big it was. Everyone had their eyes peeled as Zabuza spoke to Rei. "So what should we do? That light is going to attract a lot of attention." A light in a place filled with darkness was bound to bring in Hollows.

"Good." Rei's voice was low as he continued to walk forward, with everyone following behind him. "What's that?" With everyone being rather quiet, someone claiming they saw something immediately caught attention. Rei turned his head to the west of the group as he spotted something. "Looks like they're even faster than I thought."

Dozens upon dozens of yellow dots could be seen in the distance. They were slowly growing in size, showing they were getting close. Shinigami immediately prepared to fight, but Shisui, Zabuza, Haku, and everyone else told them to stand down. Using Flash Step, Rei vanished and appeared in the air on their west side.

"Like moths to a flame." Grabbing Ryujin Jakka's hilt, Rei was slightly hesitant as a thought ran through his mind. Taking a deep breath, he removed it from its sheath. Immediately fire erupted from the blade surrounding Rei. A massive amount of Reiatsu was released from Rei's body as the Shinigami watching from below felt heat wash over them. This was the first time almost any of them had seen a Shikai let alone Rei's.

"What is that."

"There's so much fire…"

"It feels like I'm suffocating just standing here."

"Is he… Flying?"

Rei reigned in flames, keeping them from approaching the ground behind him, and he stared at the approaching swarm of Hollows. In reaction to him releasing Ryujin Jakka, multiple roars from Hollow's echoed out. It was like a demonic choir causing a chill to run down everyone's spine. "Taimatsu."

Narrowing his eyes, Rei swung Ryujin Jakka at full force, and immediately, a heatwave shot in every direction. The wind being pushed out of the way due to the fire caused everyone's eyes to nearly close as their clothes ruffled. What looked like a wall of flames was released in front of Rei. It devoured everything in its path like a rolling tide.

With everything down here being rock and stone, Rei didn't have to hold back. The flames seemed to light up everything in a massive radius as everyone's eyes widened. There was a swarm of Hollows approaching them, now visible. However, they were engulfed the next moment. Ryujin Jakka's flames reduced them to ash without a chance for them to resist.

Seeing so many Hollows destroyed with one attack, everyone seemed frozen. Rei's gaze remained neutral as he spoke to everyone. "Let's continue to move. Well, sweep every inch of this place until every Hollow is taken care of." Flying back down to the ground, Rei landed in front of the group again and began to walk.

'Now, where are you? Adjuchas or Vasto Lorde? Whichever you are, you'll come out eventually.'