Toshio Perspective
SMACK.
My shoulder hit the tree hard enough to shake leaves loose and indent it, the sting radiating from my shoulder down into my ribs. I grunted, gritting my teeth as I slid down into a crouch. Damp dirt cushioned the fall, but not by much. The bitter scent of cracked bark and cool air filled my lungs as I pushed back to my feet. Why did trees keep hitting ?
I huffed in frustration. I wasn’t irritated because it didn’t work. I was irritated because crashing into trees and blowing up my own foot had beco my version of a morning routine. tal Muscle helped—thank god for that skill—but even with it, the accumulated ache wasn’t sothing I could just shrug off like cartoon logic. I had to force myself to unclench my jaw. Once would have been fine. Not one dozen.
Sweat clung to my brow despite the chill. I took a mont to sit down, breathing slow, and reached for the thermos inside my inventory. The frosted tal was cold against my fingers, but the water went down smooth. Nice and cold, since the inventory kept things the sa way they were entered in.
Across the clearing, Kuroka was stretched out across the little stone platform I’d made for her, her black tail flicking lazily. Her head rested on her paws, golden eyes fixed on with that casual, almost predatory glint.
There was sothing unreadable in that look. Sharp, but not hostile. Curious, maybe? I wasn’t sure. She didn’t seem like the type who’d camp out here every day just to ogle during pushups. But I wasn’t exactly an expert in the psychology of sultry nekoshou spies. And sotis I could swear she was snickering at my failures. Though, if I watched a guy smash into a tree repeatedly, even I might laugh.
"Better not be taking notes," I muttered to myself.
I wiped my face dry with a towel and stood again, the fatigue dull but familiar in my limbs. Thanks to my physique, it quickly faded.
The next attempt had to be perfect. Creating magic circles under your feet instead of your hands required a different kind of focus—more instinctive, more spatial. Like trying to draw with your toes while sprinting.
I lowered into a runner’s stance, eyes closed, pulling on my reiryoku. I pictured the circle in my mind: the exact radius, the energy distribution lattice, the precise shape of each rune segnt. I tightened the spell, adjusted the orientation—corrected the output modulation from the previous failure—and prayed I wasn’t about to faceplant again.
A breath. Then—activation.
The sigil flared underfoot. A sharp, solid kick of energy launched forward, and this ti, my balance held. My form held. I streaked across the clearing, covering thirty feet in just over a second. I dug my heels in and skidded to a halt, eyes wide.
It worked!
Then the system chid.
{Congratulations! You created the unique spell skill: Speed Step}
{Compatible skills detected: Fuse Shunpo and Speed Step?}
My pulse quickened.
"Yes," I thought, not hesitating.
{New fused skill unlocked! Runic Shunpo (Rank ?)}
{Notice: Does user wish to increase fused skill rank to match current Shunpo rank, or push Shunpo to rank 10, then begin Runic Shunpo at Rank 1? Caution: Starting at rank 1 will reduce speed significantly from current ability.}
I stared at the prompt, brows furrowed.
This was a bigger decision than it looked.
There was no guarantee that Shunpo Rank 10 would unlock anything. But if it did? That could be a permanent upgrade. But if it didn’t, then I’d have to basically restart all that work I had put into shunpo. The system prompting like this though gave a gut feeling I couldn’t ignore.
I took a breath.
"Push shunpo to 10, then we’ll start Runic at 1."
{Shunpo increased to Rank 10!}
{New skill unlocked! Extre reflexes (Rank X): Allows user to have heightened reflexes and react to stimuli faster. Allows Hohō breakthrough to grade S.}
{New fused skill unlocked! Runic Shunpo (Rank 1):
A high-speed movent technique that fuses the principles of magic circle propulsion and spiritual flash step. By generating compressed runic footholds mid-air through calculated magic formulas, the user can launch themselves in sharp, unpredictable bursts of speed with precision control. Unlike standard Shunpo, which relies on raw reiryoku and footwork, Runic Shunpo allows sudden changes in angle, elevation, and midair trajectory by placing footholds on instinct.
The magic circles appear only for a fraction of a second—visible only to those attuned to spell structure—and emit a faint sigil flare as they collapse. Drain is moderate, scaling with frequency of use and movent complexity. Ideal for battlefield repositioning, aerial pursuit, and multidirectional evasion.
Note: Spell compression level must match the user’s current casting tier for stable performance. Misalignnt may result in recoil or spell flicker.}
Following my gut feeling paid off. Runic shunpo is actually insane. All the benefits of flash step but now in mid-air.
Extre reflexes was like Altered Muscle Density.
Even though it was just potential S, it allowed to get another stat to that grade. Zanjutsu would be next. Hakuda, well it was Hakuda. I know I shouldn’t neglect any of my stats, by I really wanted to master one combat style before moving onto another, and that would be zanjutsu.
Now for the real test.
I activated Runic Shunpo.
The magic circle beneath my foot glowed—smaller, sharper, more refined than before. The second I pushed off, the world blurred. Not as fast as my old Shunpo, maybe Rank 3 or 4, but it was smooth. More than speed—it gave leverage.
Mid-run, I triggered the new Shunpo upward. Air cracked around as I burst above the trees, into the open sky.
Then I used the new spell again.
A runic circle ford in midair beneath my foot, solid enough to push off of. I shifted my weight and launched downward at an angle, a missile aid straight at the ground.
I didn’t think about landing before I did this.
I hit the dirt hard, rolling once, twice—before ending flat on my back, staring up at the sky.
My body was mildly sore, but tal muscles took most of the strain off.
I started laughing.
"Yes!" I wheezed. "Hell yes!"
I sat up, grinning like a lunatic.
Runic Shunpo worked.
Reishi didn’t exist in this world—no footholds in the air, no Bleach-style midair parkour. But this?
This was my version of it. A workaround that used pure spellwork to mimic the technique. Once I mastered it, I’d be able to fight on every axis. I’d be faster, more agile, harder to predict. I’d break Ghom’s rhythm. I’d beat the demon’s speed.
I dusted myself off, still beaming. Fireball was nearly ready to hit Rank 10. Once it did, this would be next. If I could get runic shunpo to rank 10, my agility and overall speed would skyrocket.
I glanced over at Kuroka.
She hadn’t moved, but her ears were perked. She was staring intensely at , possibly with eyes reflecting shock.
I smirked to myself. It was a pretty unique application of magic after all.
I couldn’t help but feel a little smug. Her shocked expression was exactly what I’d been hoping for. After all, it wasn’t every day soone invented a technique that defied the natural limitations of human movent.
"Like what you see?" I called out, unable to resist.
Kuroka’s ears flattened montarily before perking back up, her tail swishing with what I interpreted as either annoyance or interest. Maybe both. She stretched languidly, extending her front paws before settling back into her lounging position, trying to look unimpressed. But I caught that initial reaction. The way her eyes had widened, pupils dilating as I’d launched myself skyward.
I walked over to her stone pedestal, my legs still tingling from the aftereffects of the magic. Standing over her, I reached down to scratch behind her ears.
"I think I’ve just revolutionized magical movent," I said conversationally. "Not bad for a self-taught human, right?"
She responded with a purr that seed almost reluctant, like she was admitting sothing against her better judgnt. I pulled another chocolate square from my pocket—this one infused with a hint of cayenne—and unwrapped it for her.
"Special batch," I said, holding it out. "Thought you might appreciate sothing with a kick."
She sniffed it carefully before taking it, her golden eyes never leaving mine. As she chewed, I could’ve sworn I saw approval in those feline features.
I sat down beside her stone, leaning my back against it. My muscles ached pleasantly, the kind of fatigue that ant progress rather than injury. The forest around us was quiet except for the occasional rustle of leaves and distant birdsong. It was peaceful.
"I think I can make this work," I said, more to myself than to her. "Get the runic formula tight enough, and I could chain these movents indefinitely. Imagine that—no more being grounded. Complete three-dinsional mobility."
I closed my eyes, picturing it. The applications were endless. Not just for fighting Ghom, but for everything. Combat. Rescue. Exploration. The ability to move in any direction, at any angle, without needing solid ground beneath .
"This changes everything."
My mind was already racing ahead, refining the formula, calculating the most efficient distribution of force. With proper training, I could probably reduce the magic circle’s visibility to almost nothing—just a montary flash of light as I pushed off. And if I could increase the compression ratio...
I was pulled from my thoughts by the pressure of sothing warm against my side. Kuroka had silently moved from her perch and was now pressed against , her small form radiating heat in the cool morning air.
I blinked in surprise. This was new. Usually, she maintained a careful distance—close enough for treats and pets, but always on her terms. This deliberate contact felt significant sohow.
"Well, hello to you too," I murmured, gently stroking her back. Whenever I got near her tail, she would do that cat thing and raise it up.
She settled more comfortably against , her purr deepening. For several minutes, we just sat there in companionable silence, watching the forest. Her fur was impossibly soft beneath my fingers, and I found myself oddly content despite the morning’s bruises and frustrations.
"You know," I said quietly, "I’m glad you keep coming back. It’s nice having soone to talk to, even if you don’t answer."
Her ear twitched, and she tilted her head to look at with an expression I couldn’t quite read. There was sothing almost human in that gaze—sothing that made wonder, not for the first ti, if she knew I knew what she was.
I smiled while I continued to pet her.
The mont was broken by the sound of my phone vibrating. I pulled it from my pocket, surprised to see Rias’s na on the screen. Reception out here was spotty at best, and we hadn’t spoken since she left for the Underworld.
I answered imdiately. "Rias?"
"Toshio!" Her voice ca through, warm and clear despite the distance. "I wasn’t sure if you’d pick up."
"Reception’s not great out here, but I’m glad you called." I felt a smile spreading across my face. "How’s the Underworld?"
"Sa as always. The training is going well—Akeno’s been pushing herself harder than I’ve ever seen." There was a brief pause. "We all miss you."
"I miss you too," I admitted, feeling Kuroka shift against . Was it my imagination, or had she just rolled her eyes? "How’d you manage to call? My phone isn’t interdinsional."
"My brother gave one to give to you, which I swapped out a day before I left. And don’t worry, I didn’t go through your texts." She giggled. I checked over the phone. It looked exactly the sa as before. And when had she swapped it? I’m sure I would have noticed.
"Stop worrying about how I managed it." Another giggle.
"Anyway, I called..." She hesitated, tone growing a bit more serious. "I wanted to check on you. To make sure you were okay."
The concern in her voice made sothing warm bloom in my chest. "I’m doing great, actually. Making real progress with my magic. I’ve created so new spells that I think you’ll be impressed by."
"Really? Tell !" I couldn’t help but smile at her enthusiasm.
I launched into an explanation of my training, describing Fireball and the newly created Runic Shunpo. I’m glad a version of Bleach didn’t exist in the universe otherwise she might have been suspicious. As I spoke, I could hear the excitent building in her voice, her questions becoming more technical, more engaged. This was one of the things I loved about Rias—her genuine intellectual curiosity, the way her mind worked through problems and possibilities. She was hailed as a genius for a reason. She always scores high in school despite never really trying.
Her kind of intelligence was attractive, sothing I always found desirable in a romantic partner. And her kind is certainly much better than a certain Sitri kind.
"That sounds incredible," she said when I finished. "Using magic circles as midair platforms to launch off of? I’ve never heard of anyone doing that before. Using them as standing platforms is common, but this sounds really innovative!"
"It still needs work," I admitted. "But the potential is there."
"It’s incredible you were able to create sothing like that so soon after learning about magic. You must be a magic prodigy." I couldn’t help but hear the admiration in her voice.
"Maybe. Human magic is based on math and physics, mostly. I’m just pretty good at both of those subjects, so it was pretty intuitive."
"Look at you being mister humble~" Her tone sounded a bit, sultry. "I can’t wait to see it when we get back." There was another pause, longer this ti. "Toshio... about Ghom..."
I tensed. "What about him?"
"My brother says the barrier is holding steady, but..." She took a breath. "He’s concerned. Whatever’s happening in there, it’s not normal. The energy readings are fluctuating wildly. He thinks Ghom might be... evolving sohow. Or at the very least is throwing a tantrum. It’s probably starving."
"Well that doesn’t sound good," I said flatly. She sighed.
"No Toshio, it isn’t. If you’re still determined to face him yourself—"
"I am," I said firmly.
"Then be careful. Please. We’ll be back in a few weeks, please wait until then, we can help—"
"I appreciate the concern, Rias, but this is sothing I need to do." I softened my tone. "I’ll be ready. I promise."
She sighed, a mix of resignation and worry. "Just... don’t do anything reckless. Not until we’re there to back you up."
"I won’t," I assured her, though I wasn’t entirely convinced by my own words. "How’s everyone else doing?"
The conversation shifted to lighter topics—Koneko’s training progress, Kiba’s latest developnts with his sacred gear, the politics of the Underworld. As we talked, I found myself relaxing, the tension in my shoulders easing. It felt good to hear her voice, to reconnect with the world beyond my training grounds.
It was really nice to hear her voice, just listening to it brough an indescribable feeling of contentnt. Sohow, the real deal was better than listening to Jamie Marchi, which was difficult to process.
Unfortunately, she eventually had to go. "I need to get back to everyone," she explained regretfully. "But I’ll call again soti before we return."
"I’d like that a lot," I said. "Give everyone my best."
"I will. And Toshio?"
"Yeah?"
"I..." She hesitated. "I really do miss you."
My smile widened. "I miss you too, Rias. See you soon."
The call ended, and I sat there for a mont, phone still in hand, feeling both lighter and heavier than before. Lighter because hearing her voice had lifted my spirits; heavier because of what she’d said about Ghom.
Being a demon of gluttony, not being able to eat must be sending it manic. As much as I derived a sort of sick pleasure at the thought of it suffering like that, it’s possible that it will be even more dangerous than before.
Kuroka was watching intently, her golden eyes unblinking. I scratched under her chin absently, my mind racing with new urgency to get stronger.
"Looks like my revenge may have just gotten a bit more complicated," I told her. "If that foul demon is getting riled up, I need to be ready for any surprises."
She tilted her head, as if considering my words. She probably didn’t know what I was referring to.
"This ans more training," I continued, standing up and stretching my sore muscles. "Let’s see if we can get Runic Shunpo to at least Rank 5 by the end of the week."
I walked back to the center of the clearing, ntally reviewing the spell formula. If Ghom was becoming even more dangerous, I needed to get better, outpace the monster.
I set my stance, focusing my energy into a tight, controlled stream. The magic circle began to form beneath my feet, more precise than before, the runes aligning with mathematical perfection.
"Here we go," I muttered, and launched myself skyward.
This ti, I was prepared for the midair transition. As I reached the apex of my jump, I ford another circle directly above , inverted the polarity, and used it to change direction—shooting horizontally across the clearing like a bullet. A third circle appeared at my intended landing point, cushioning my descent and allowing to land in a controlled crouch.
No stumbling. No crashes. Just smooth, directed movent.
The system chid imdiately.
{Runic Shunpo has increased to Rank 2!}
I grinned. That was unusually quick. The system seed to recognize the quality of execution rather than just repetition. Perfect. If I could maintain this level of precision, I might be able to push it even faster than I’d hoped.
I turned to look at Kuroka, unable to hide my excitent. "Did you see that? Three transitions, zero crashes!"
She was sitting upright now, her posture alert, eyes tracking my movents with newfound intensity. There was sothing different in her gaze—a sharpness, an evaluation that went beyond casual curiosity.
I laughed, the sound echoing through the clearing. "I’ll take that as a complint."
With renewed determination, I turned back to my training. The sun climbed higher in the sky as I practiced, refining the technique with each attempt. By midday, I was chaining five, then seven, then ten transitions in rapid succession, dancing through the air with increasing confidence.
When I saw that contemptuous monstrosity, I’d be ready. Ready to kill it.
XXX
4 weeks into Spring break
Toshio Perspective
The wind tore past in jagged sheets, cool with the early Spring air, as I tore across the southern outskirts of Tokyo. Blurred rooftops, skeletal construction scaffolds, rusting fences and concrete lots streaked by beneath my feet. I was fast enough now that the wind barely reached my face before I was already gone again.
No human saw . No cara tracked . Maybe a passing dog barked at the sudden disturbance in the air, but that was it. I was a phantom, a blur of movent and magic.
This was Runic Shunpo, Rank 6.
After hitting Rank 10 in Fireball—which, unfortunately, didn’t give any new skill, likely because it was a custom-created spell—I had turned to refining my movent techniques. Runic Shunpo had beco my obsession. And Tokyo and the surrounding cities had beco my training grounds.
Every rooftop, alleyway, underpass, and industrial zone beca an obstacle course. It reminded of those high-speed drone racing videos where pilots zipped through ruined buildings with impossible precision. That was now—only faster.
The constant use had paid off. My creativity with the spell expanded. I could now redirect my montum mid-air, even ending a Runic Shunpo at bizarre angles and launching again in a completely different direction. It was sothing I’d co to call ’montum shift’.
Each footfall beca a springboard, and each rune circle a launch pad. My movent defied gravity and inertia, letting careen across cityscapes in ways no devil, human, or yokai ever had. It was beyond any flash step I’d seen in Bleach or any other ani.
And it was significantly faster than my old Shunpo. The skill hitting rank 5 bumped my Hohō to S- grade.
This in turn, brought my Agility stat to Rank 10. This unlocked sothing extrely interesting.
{New skill unlocked! Pursuit of the Flash Goddess (Rank 1)}
The description had been vague, referencing "she who dances faster than lightning and leaves no footprints behind." But I didn’t need a full explanation. The na alone told what it was. A nod to Yoruichi Shihōin. The fastest woman in Bleach. But due to the vagueness, I had absolutely no idea how to rank it up. Keep getting faster maybe?
The skill ca with a massive boost to my overall movent speed. And my Hohō jumped straight from S- to S .
Now, when I used Runic Shunpo, I didn’t just blur—I vanished. My transitions were cleaner, my landings sharper, my trajectories almost artistic in how tight and calculated they’d beco. When I moved without any skills or body enhancing effects, just relying on my human form, I could run faster than Usain Bolt, dodge blows faster and more accurately than pri Mike Tyson. I was now faster and more agile than any non-supernatural human.
Between my base strength and speed, I was probably stronger and faster than most entry level low-class devils. Now throw skills into it, mid-tier at least. Though, I’d probably still struggle against mid-tier devil abilities and magic. But hey, we were getting there.
At the mont, I was tearing through the shattered guts of a half-built nuclear reactor on the coast south of Tokyo. It seed fitting. The structure was abandoned—long empty due to mismanagent, budget cuts, or both. But it was perfect. Endless rooms, narrow corridors, spiraling stairwells, half-installed turbines, and broken catwalks. A death trap to any normal human.
To ? A playground.
I darted down a pipe corridor, spun around a corner, fired a burst to redirect my montum through an open chamber, and then sprang off a wall-mounted beam. Each Runic Shunpo left a crisp, flickering sigil of glowing lines that shattered a second later. The tighter the angles, the more satisfying the execution.
I hadn’t reached this point without issues. Early on, I’d suffered from extre tunnel vision—moving too fast for my brain to keep up. But I rembered what so characters in certain ani did, enhance perception to keep pace with speed. So I experinted, channeling reiryoku into my eyes.
And that’s when the system responded.
{New skill unlocked! High-Speed Perception (Rank X): Scales with your speed. Removes tunnel vision at high velocity. Grants enhanced awareness of movent, reaction windows, and the ability to perceive beings up to 20% faster than you.}
It was like the world slowed down. Objects that once blurred into the periphery were suddenly sharp. Threads of frost, fluttering leaves, the gleam of rusted pipes—I could track them all. It wasn’t just reaction ti. It was anticipation, clarity, and confidence. I knew what would happen before I even finished the thought.
The difference was night and day.
I kept at it. Practiced nonstop. Spent entire days flying through Kuoh and the neighboring towns. A blur through alleyways and rooftops. At first, I stuck to rural areas, but eventually I’d venture into empty subway tunnels, construction sites, and finally this reactor.
This wasn’t just training for speed. This was battlefield supremacy. Runic Shunpo let fight in three dinsions like no one else. Launch. Shift. Pivot. Dive. Strike.
I spent another hour carving through the facility like it was a massive jungle gym until the sun started dipping behind the ocean horizon.
Ti to go.
I blurred northwest, my route a zig-zag of cities and rural sprawl. It really felt like flying, speeding through the air. When I used montum shift in tight spaces, like where I had just co from, I felt like Lee using the 8 gates to bounce and dart around. It felt exhilarating.
It took about ten minutes to return to the forest I’d beco so familiar with.
By train? That’d be over an hour. But to , it was just a warm-up.
I burst from the treeline at the edge of the clearing I always trained at—and saw her.
Kitty kat Kuroka.
Sa spot as always. Lying like a queen on the elevated stone slab I’d made her weeks ago with Create Earth. Her eyes tracked the mont I hit the edge of the forest.
Definitely not good at acting like a normal cat. Honestly, was she evening trying at this point?
She didn’t move. Didn’t flinch. Just stared, head tilted, her tail twitching in slow, deliberate waves. Still pretending to be aloof.
I had told her a few days ago that I wouldn’t be around, since I would be practicing my new spell, but I’d be back by the weeks end. It was surprising that she had been waiting for . It kind of made happy too, for so reason.
I approached and pulled sothing from my inventory—a pristine white box tied with golden ribbon.
"Made it back in one piece," I said, holding it out. "I found a high-end confectionary in Tokyo. Figured you’d appreciate the gesture."
Her nose twitched. She sniffed delicately, then sprang forward with alarming speed and snatched the box, settling imdiately into a crouch to open it.
Inside were glossy chocolates: dark shells filled with caral lava, spiced truffles rolled in cinnamon, candied violets wrapped in sugar. She pounced on the assortnt like she hadn’t eaten in days.
I chuckled, leaning against a nearby tree. "That good, huh?"
She didn’t answer, obviously. Just purred.
I stayed beside her for a mont longer, watching her lick lted chocolate from her paw.
But I had sothing I wanted to test. Lee had inspired .
I stepped back into the clearing and drew my Zanpakuto, which now never left my side. Thanks to the illusion skill I got after getting create minor illusion to rank 10, Illusionary Object (Rank 1), I could have my sword appear as a simple belt charm or sothing else innocuous. The mont she left the sheath, I dropped into a stance.
Let’s see how far I’ve co with this skill.
I launched forward.
Rune. Flash. Slash.
I didn’t just move. I attacked. A full-body offensive. I fired forward, slashing past one tree, shifted upward midair, bounced diagonally down, slashed again. My trajectory was now fully under my control. I could even bounce backwards, let inertia drag around a target like I was tethered to them by gravity.
Within seconds, a tree trunk bore four identical cuts from different directions, each barely an inch apart.
That kind of precision would overwhelm any opponent.
And I wasn’t done yet.
I launched into another chain, this ti practicing feints and trajectory reversals. My blade flicked past imaginary targets, my boots ringing off runic footholds like cymbals. My breathing was sharp but controlled. Every muscle responded instantly.
I then concentrated my efforts around one tree, bouncing around it like Lee did to Gara, or Haku to Sasuke. My blade slashing branches as accurately as I could manage. I kept going, forming a do of death around the poor sap. When I stopped a few dozen seconds later, every branch and twig had been cut off from the main branches. These poor trees.
{Runic Shunpo has increased to Rank 7!}
When I landed, panting slightly, I smiled at the notification. I had figured this skill would have been more difficult to rank up, but my obsession was paying off I guess.
And then I looked back.
Kuroka was sitting up now, ears alert, golden eyes watching my every move. Not relaxed this ti. Intense. Almost suspicious. Like she wasn’t sure if I was human anymore.
I gave her a lazy wave and walked over.
"Miss ?" I joked again. "Hope you saved so chocolate."
She flicked her tail and didn’t respond. But I saw her expression.
She was impressed. It was clear on her cat face, so my new skill must be sothing of note even to soone as strong as her.
Good.
Now it was ti to see what this new level of movent could really do in a fight.
Because the next ti I saw Ghom, I wasn’t just going to fight him.
I was going to carve him into the earth. Form 2 didn’t stand a chance.
Probably.
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