Chapter 5: Heaven Communicating Talisman Art
Question: What makes a good technique?
Answer: High power, strong effect, low reiryoku cost—and, ideally, flashy visuals.
When he was studying at the Shino Academy, Watanabe Mizuma ran countless experiments.
He categorized more than two hundred kidō spells into four groups: useless trash, average tools, powerful ones, and god-tier masterpieces.
Naturally, his current favorites all came from the last two.
The first type, like Sekienton or Hōshō, were basically filler spells. Maybe useful once in a thousand fights—if the stars aligned.
No one really knew why they existed.
The second, like Gochūtekkan or Tenran, were solid and functional, though mostly overshadowed by higher-ranked spells. Still, they had low reiryoku costs, so using them occasionally could produce surprising effects.
The third, like Sōkatsui or Rikujōkōrō, were his bread and butter—perfect for controlling battle flow.
In gaming terms, they were the mid-tier skills every player relied on constantly.
And the fourth group—spells like Kurohitsugi or Danku—those were absolute monsters. Each had its own broken property, strong enough to decide a battle outright.
As for those who complained these were "too difficult to learn"?
That wasn't the spell's fault. That was user error.
If you can't cast Kurohitsugi, maybe reflect on your skill before blaming the spell, yeah?
To most people in the Gotei 13, Watanabe Mizuma was "the Fifth Seat with the weird Zanpakutō and freakish kidō talent."
They said he could cast nearly every spell below number eighty without chanting.
That wasn't far from the truth—just… understated.
He could chain-cast Raikōhō and Tsuriboshi effortlessly. If he really tried, he could even pull off Kurohitsugi or Senjū Kōten Taihō.
As for Ittō Kasō? Forget it. That one was literal suicide.
So—how could he manage all that?
The answer was simple: the System.
Sixteen years ago, he completed a limited-time mission.
The reward: a so-called "Specialty from Another World."
It was called the Heaven Communicating Talisman Art (Tsūtenroku)—from the world of Hitori no Shita: The Outcast.
After being adapted to this world's laws, its nature shifted.
In its original world, the Tsūtenroku ranked awkwardly among the Eight Miraculous Skills. While others granted immortality or the power to command gods, this one merely allowed you to draw talismans faster.
Basically—an efficiency tool.
People joked it existed just to fill the roster.
But once it arrived here in Soul Society, things changed completely.
The Tsūtenroku granted Mizuma three blessings:
First, faster mastery of kidō.
Second, reduced power loss between chanted and unchanted spells.
And third—the most absurd of all—the ability to store completed kidō and release them later at will.
That was the real cheat.
Combined with daily quest rewards like "Kidō Proficiency +1," Mizuma's progress skyrocketed.
In sixteen years, his mastery reached a level where even the Kidō Corps would've had to acknowledge him.
As for how many spells he had stored now… not even he knew.
If pushed, he could unleash dozens of level-90 spells in a single wave.
No one could withstand that kind of bombardment.
The few small-time Hollows charging toward him now didn't even qualify as warm-ups.
"By the Soul King's grace," Mizuma sighed, "you were the ones who chose death first."
Since his line to Urahara was still open, he made a point of looking professional.
Raising one hand, eyes narrowing in mock solemnity, he whispered,
"Hadō #33 — Sōkatsui!"
A sphere of searing blue fire burst forth like a cannon shell, slamming into the oncoming Hollows. Then a second. A third. A fourth.
Within seconds, Mizuma was firing them off like a spiritual machine gun.
Each blast exploded into waves of flame, consuming the charging Hollows in blue infernos until all that remained was ash drifting in the desert wind.
[Quest 1: Eliminate 10 Hollows during this Hueco Mundo exploration]
[Progress: 4 / 10]
If one shot wasn't strong enough, he'd just spam more.
Sōkatsui barely cost any reiryoku anyway.
If it weren't for the active communicator, he wouldn't even bother calling the spell's name—just fire three per second for more than ten minutes until everything stopped moving.
At that rate, not even a Gillian or Adjuchas could withstand him.
With hundres of different kind of spelss, truly, this is the ultimate hybrid art—the Kidō Gatling Gun. Like a certain Art of Explosion.
"Fifth Seat Watanabe," Urahara's voice came through, edged with concern,
"That's a lot of noise. Remember, this is reconnaissance. Try not to alert the enemy too soon."
"Understood," Mizuma replied calmly. "My zanjutsu and hakuda are pretty hopeless. Against multiple Hollows, kidō is safer."
Everyone already thought he was the frail spellcaster type—charging in with a sword would break character.
The persona had to stay intact.
Still, Urahara was right.
Mizuma lowered his flight height, dampened his reiatsu, and continued toward the direction indicated.
Before long, he crested a dune—and froze.
There, amidst the endless white sand, stood something out of place.
A building.
It was about four or five stories tall, box-shaped and plain, its walls completely white.
If it hadn't been slightly elevated above the desert floor, he might have missed it entirely.
A structure in Hueco Mundo—that alone was extraordinary.
"Captain Urahara, I've spotted a building," he reported, landing softly.
Kneeling, he pressed his palm against the sand and murmured,
"Bakudō #58 — Kakushitsuijaku."
A tracking spell for locating spiritual signatures—but also useful for amplifying one's own sensory range.
Immediately, his awareness sharpened.
There it was—a dense, oppressive reiatsu emanating from within.
Distinctly Hollow in nature.
"There's Hollow reiatsu inside," Mizuma said quietly.
"That's the one," Urahara replied at once. "The source of the residual reiatsu. Proceed with caution, Watanabe Fifth Seat."
"Roger that."
Mizuma unsheathed his Zanpakutō, Ryūgetsu, and pressed one hand to the ground.
A faint pulse of reiryoku rippled outward, causing the sand to tremble like water.
Then, as if diving beneath a lake, he sank smoothly into the desert.
He wasn't the type to charge in recklessly.
If you're going to infiltrate—do it properly.
For instance, by digging a tunnel.