“How…
is this possible?!”
The scene before him defied Renji’s understanding.
Even while in a Limiter, Ichigo’s Reiatsu when erupting at full power reached the level of a Lieutenant, yet the man before them was…
“Step back, Renji.” Byakuya’s expression became incredibly solemn; the strength of this human defied common logic.
He spoke calmly, “I am requesting to release my limiter.”
“Yes, Captain!”
Renji complied immediately.
With his Zanpakutō destroyed, his combat effectiveness had dropped by at least seventy percent; rushing into the fray now would only make him a liability.
“Don’t fight, Ichigo!
Nee-sama!” Rukia screamed weakly.
Her greatest fear had finally come true.
“‘Brother’?
This guy is your brother?” Ichigo paused for a moment, then looked at Byakuya.
“Byakuya Kuchiki, right?
I’ve heard of you.
Why are you trying to take Rukia back?”
As he spoke, Ichigo casually tossed the fragments of Zabimaru onto the ground.
He stared sternly at Byakuya; if the answer was unsatisfactory, he was ready to settle this with his blades.
“What does that have to do with you, human?” Byakuya said indifferently.
“You are merely a human.
Why do you insist on interfering in the affairs of us Shinigami?”
“Heh…
are you backing down already?” Uryū sneered.
“You were just lecturing us about the crime of a human attacking a Shinigami.
Why stop now?”
“…”
“So this is a Shinigami Captain…
nothing more than a man who bullies women.”
“You bastard!” Renji couldn’t help but roar.
“Rukia conspired with a criminal of the Soul Society!
She deserves to be taken back for investigation and trial!”
“A criminal of the Soul Society?
Who?”
“Kisuke Urahara!”
“…”
Hearing that familiar name, Ichigo fell into silence.
He had known for a while that Urahara, the man who trained him, was no ordinary person and that there must be a reason he ended up here, but he hadn’t expected it to be this.
“It seems you are also connected to Kisuke Urahara,” Byakuya said, tightening his grip on his hilt.
“Or should I say, for humans—including that Quincy—to possess such power…
is this his handiwork?”
“Who knows,” Ichigo smiled.
“What, are you planning to take us back for investigation and trial too?”
“Oh—I see.
Makes sense.
After all, it’s the world of the Shinigami; it doesn’t really have much to do with us humans.” Ichigo cracked his neck, loosening up his muscles.
“Are you done yet with that ‘limiter’ release thing?”
“…Arrogant human.” Byakuya’s eyes turned cold.
“If you wish to die, I can grant that wish right now.”
“Heh—” Ichigo drew both his blades.
“I’d like to see what a Shinigami Captain is made of…
don’t worry, I’ll hold back.”
‘Dual blades…?’
As this thought crossed his mind, Byakuya knew that in the vast Soul Society, only two Shinigami currently wielded dual blades.
Both were Captains, and their strength surpassed even his own!
Boom—!
An invisible wave of Reiatsu erupted violently.
Rukia staggered, nearly collapsing to the ground, while Chad and Inoue’s expressions shifted.
Uryū and Ichigo, however, looked intrigued—especially the latter, who was already itching for a fight.
“Bankai—”
Taking no chances, Byakuya unleashed the maximum Reiatsu his current state could provide.
Even while Restricted, it was the quintessential Reiatsu of a Captain!
Holding the hilt—now devoid of a blade—in a reverse grip, Byakuya whispered the command and let go.
The hilt fell straight down, but instead of hitting the ground, it vanished as if sinking into water.
“Senbonzakura Kage…?!”
Just as his Reiatsu reached its peak and the hilt completely disappeared, white bandages suddenly appeared, tightly winding around the hilt.
In the next instant, the bandages yanked the hilt right back out.
With lightning-fast reflexes, Byakuya caught it once more.
“That’s enough—!!”
The newcomer had long, pale-purple hair tied in a ponytail.
She was stunning, with sensual brown skin and a black tight-fitting bodysuit that accentuated her curves.
In her hand, she held the white bandages that had interrupted Byakuya’s casting.
“Yoruichi?” Ichigo blinked, surprised.
“What are you doing here?”
“Yoruichi Shihōin…
disappeared for over a hundred years, and you truly are with Kisuke Urahara.” Byakuya spoke coldly.
“And now, what exactly is it you want?”
“What do *I* want?!” Yoruichi put her hands on her hips, looking ready to scold him.
“The question is, what were *you* thinking?!”
“…”
“A Shinigami Captain!
Releasing your Zanpakutō in the living world is one thing, but you actually wanted to use Bankai against a human?!” Yoruichi blasted the two idiots.
“And you!
Didn’t we agree you’d be the big boss of Karakura Town?!
Do you really want to start a war with a Shinigami Captain right here?!
Huh?!”
“It’s not like I couldn’t…” Ichigo muttered under his breath. This chapter was copied from novelping.com without permission.
“Even if a guy like that were a few times stronger, I could take him down in a couple of hits.”
“And then what?!” Yoruichi snapped.
“The Shinigami will just keep sending more Captains, and you’ll just keep slashing them, right?!”
“Well…
I guess I could just fight my way over there.”
“Ichigo…
you need to understand one thing.” Yoruichi walked over to Ichigo and patted his shoulder.
“The world isn’t just about fighting and killing; it’s about social graces and connections.”
“…Huh?”
“Oh—!” Ichigo seemed to have a sudden realization.
“So what you’re saying is, right now is the time for me to recruit troops and gather underlings!”
“No—your head is the only thing gathering!” Yoruichi angrily smacked Ichigo on the head.
“I meant you should negotiate properly!
Use your brain!”
“Oh, right—”
‘…Ichigo (this human) is definitely the product of this woman’s teaching…’
Without exception, the same thought surfaced in everyone’s mind.
“A farce.” Shaking his head, Byakuya sheathed his Zanpakutō.
“Let’s go, Renji.
Let us complete our mission.”
“But Captain…”
“Do you still not understand?” Byakuya said indifferently.
“There is no point in continuing this commotion.
We will report the events in full and await orders.”
“…Yes, Captain.”
“Hey, hey, hey—don’t just act like this is normal!
Rukia is—”
“Ichigo!”
A clear voice interrupted him.
Rukia looked at Ichigo with a serious expression; there was no fear or regret in her eyes, only acceptance.
“…I see.
This is your own choice.” Ichigo seemed to understand and nodded.
“I get it.
I respect your decision.”
“Thank you, Ichigo.” Rukia smiled happily.
Unlike her smile from earlier in the day, this one was genuine.
“Thank you for taking care of me all this time.”
Boom—!!
“…However…”
A low voice resonated as a terrifying surge of Reiatsu flashed momentarily.
Ichigo stared intently at Byakuya, his eyes filled with an oppressive intensity.
“If anything happens to Rukia…” Ichigo said, enunciating every word, “I will come pay you a visit.”