Southeast Seireitei

[dem0nzlust]

He listened carefully to what Elk had to say observing the small yet peculiar expressions he made before he started to speak. The strange fact is if he decided to approach Michiya for his assistance on the matter or just ask him to come to the Kido Corp this entire hostile situation could have been simply avoided. His arms remained folded comfortably behind his back with his demeanor unchanged, but his facial expressions showed the further intrigue that was peaked. Any hidden experiments conducted by the 12th division and the fact there was an incident about this that happened before there might be some records that he couldn't access due to his ranking.

"I am game to work in cohesion with you to uncover this, though I may wonder if there might be some information I can't access due to my ranking. The third seat has been quite MIA lately so I might need to improvise a bit. Either way, we have a deal any information I learn on the way I will make sure to report to you unless it is of course classified as privy to only the 12th division then I can just give cliff notes without breaking protocol."

The posture he stood shifted slightly no longer crossing his arms thinking about something that equally interested Elk as a show of goodwill. With it obvious that Elk was not so keen on requesting help and the way things started with the two he felt this be a good opportunity to clear the air between the two. Following directly behind the Kido Corps member he examined the area they were now getting relocated to finding it quite the interesting setup they had for what he could only guess was for safety room designed to test out Kido and train in. Once Elk took a position in the center of the room, he listened to the incantation spoken quickly discerning this was not any known one, but instead one that this individual had to make. Through spiritual sense, as Elk channeled the kido soon formed what appeared to be a black void.

"As a man of knowledge, it is only polite to show you something as well but that is quite a magnificently developed kido. Please do not inform me of what it does I am very eager to see for myself."

With that said Michiya clasped his hands together and then spread them outward with a barrier forming in a bright flash housing what looked like a very intricately crafted smithing hammer inside of it. As the barrier dissipated, he gripped the hilt of the hammer giving it a little twirl before wielding it properly. Understanding that this spell was classified as Bakudo #88, the most respectful thing to do for those who loved kido was not to underestimate it. He held the hammerhead aimed out toward the circular black void created and channeled his kido into the tool that he wielded. Immediately Elk realized how the tool amplified the kido that Michiya was about to use turning the Hado#73 Soren Sokatsui into a much more potent version even with full incantation, and the moment he started the incantation the energy amplified tripled in output putting its power level close to the strength of the Bakudo when used at the proper energy level but when Michiya poured in his spiritual energy to strengthen it further its power output was close to exceeding that of the spell before finally releasing the Hado. The entire room lit up with the azure light emitted from the blue flames that fired out like a concentrated blast straight at the void as he anxiously awaited the results would happen upon the two powerful spells colliding.​

 

[Elk]

He could only nod at the request given to him by Michiya. As Michiya created his barrier, Elk’s arms folded together, confident in his own kidō. His head tilted as he watched the barrier form, only to be met with a sudden flashbang, causing him to squint and blink before finally catching sight of the hammer. Elk’s eyes shifted toward the sheath of Michiya's Zanpakutō, now empty.

“So that’s your Shikai”

curious, he observed as it began to glow, releasing a kidō of its own—Sōren Sōkatsui, a more powerful version of the spell, from what he could tell. It seemed Michiya’s Shikai amplified the kidō with ease. Still, Elk didn’t flinch as the spell flew outward in his direction. Any stray beams released from the main spell gravitated toward Mugen no Shinkai. Even with the spell amplified by the Shikai, it wasn’t long before it fully disappeared, leaving Elk standing with the void hanging above his head as if nothing had happened. A small smirk appeared on his face.

“Figure it out yet?”

His body flickered, reappearing beside Michiya, while the void remained in its original position where it had been cast.

“I developed it while I was a part of the 13th. It was far weaker than it is now; I doubt it would have been able to withstand your attack back then. But thankfully, it’s been refined and lasts quite a bit of time. Feel free to continue firing at it.”

He walked past Michiya to the wall, leaned his back against it, and slid down to sit. He was curious about what Michiya would make of it and wondered how long it would take him to figure out its sole purpose.

​

 

[dem0nzlust]

Once the amplified Kido fully released fired out directly toward its target of the void like Bakudo created to test its strength. He watched the two kido's collide with an intense gaze, waiting for the exact moment of impact. After they contested against each other in that split second, Michiya shunpo closer to the barrier. He fiddled around with his smith hammer in hand while observing closely how the two spells interacted. Utilizing his spiritual control he focused on his eyes to further enhance his perceptual vision to hone in on minute details taking it all in with the intrigue of discovery. By the time the hado spelled he let loose and finally ran his course, from what he gathered to break the inner workings of this custom kido.

"No this is one of the tools I created named Uchide no Kizuchi for the main use of Zanpakuto repair and modification, but I learned of its other properties by chance."

After stating that Michiya reached down to lightly pat his two katana held by his hips by the obi wrapped around his waist securely. The one that stood out the most was his Zanpakuto with the white saya and talisman sealing the sheath from being drawn unless they were broken or released. Lightly gripping the hilt of the other Zanpakuto not sealed up, he calmly drew the blade not in motion for striking but simply to showcase it before placing it back into the sheath.

"My Zanpakuto name is Hakouoki, he is a very fickle one but let's just say I am only allowed to use his abilities sparingly. Most of the time it affects people unbiased because in his eyes we are all just nutrients for him including myself."

The entire time Michiya spoke and showcased his Zanpakuto he did so without looking directly at Elk, but in this moment was not because of sign disrespect. In Michiya's eyes, this was the exact opposite of giving all his attention to something that truly intrigued him like any invention or breakthrough from another scientist. After spending some time examining everything he adverted his gaze toward Elk who stood there proudly with a good understanding of how the spell seemed to work. He lightly scratched under his chin before finally starting to center his thoughts into a singular process.

"From what I can gather your kido spell creates a possible rift in space, or possibly like a pocket dimension. The attack or energy in question is then pulled into this void you created dispersing it in somewhere which ultimately neutralizes it. I must admit it is quite impressive indeed, and I hope your little quibble is over we have more pressing matters to deal with."​

 

[Elk]

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His eyebrow raised at the answer to a question he had never really asked. Did he give himself away? Or was there something else to it? Was he a mind reader? Two questions left him stunned for a moment before he returned his attention to Michiya.

“So you’re a mind reader? What am I thinking about?”

That childish nature of Elk came out, as his thoughts were blank—an empty void. If Michiya truly was a mind reader, all he would find was a white, empty plain. Elk’s expression had been a blank stare for a few moments before hearing the name of Michiya’s Zanpakutō. The news that Michiya’s Zanpakutō was a fickle one made Elk chuckle softly.


“You’re very open about the limitations between you and your Zanpakutō. I wasn’t expecting that.”

Elk’s hand rested on the hilt of his Zanpakutō as Michiya deduced what his kidō was designed for. At that, he snapped his fingers and pointed at the man. As he did, the void quickly collapsed upon itself with little to no aftereffects, making the whole event seem anticlimactic.


“You’re correct! It was made to counter both Shinigami and Hollows. That being said, it’s flawed in that it can also take away your own kidō—both offensive and defensive. A trade-off, but one that can be a boon when used correctly. That’s enough explaining. We do have pressing matters, but for now, we’ll have to part ways here.”

He disappeared from sight, only to return a few seconds later with a scroll, which he tossed to Michiya.

“Enjoy! And thank you again.”

Bowing slightly, he disappeared from the room again. However, anyone who tried to track him wouldn’t have much trouble. He was still within the barracks, just in another section, where he sat writing furiously on a stack of papers about the day’s events—who he had brought to the barracks and why. His expression was one of annoyance as he documented why Michiya was there.

Kidō Corps
Investigation Report
Prepared by: Elk
Suspect: Michiya ███████
The suspect, a 12th Division member known as Michiya ███████ , was followed by myself across the Rukongai and brought in from the 10th Division. He has cooperated with me in the investigation into who has been using forbidden kidō. After examining the usage of the kidō, I have determined that he is not the one who intentionally cast the spell. I suspect that the true culprit might be a member of the traitor faction that has taken refuge within the Rukongai. As to which district, I cannot say, as the case has effectively gone cold.
For cooperating with the investigation, I handed him a scroll containing a high-level defensive spell as a reward for his assistance and to compensate for the inconvenience. He has agreed to continue helping in the search when he is outside the Seireitei. However, I fear it will be like looking for a needle in a very large haystack, and I doubt there will be much cooperation from the Rukongai citizens.

Eventually, he stopped, letting out a long sigh as he leaned back and dragged his hand over his face before slumping to the floor. The thought that the 12th Division might have created a plague over 160 years ago was finally getting to him. He wanted to believe it wasn’t the 12th Division. Yet, his suspicions that the Seireitei might have sanctioned it loomed large. It seemed plausible they would want to cull the Soul Society to maintain balance while preserving
plausible deniability in case anyone stumbled upon the empty lots within the Rukongai.

This veered dangerously close to conspiracy theories he had heard in the Rukongai—rumors of mass murders targeting anyone who got in the way or even looked in the wrong direction. Elk sighed heavily, rolling up the report and sliding it into his sleeve so that he could drop it off later on.




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