Chapter 86

"What, don't you recognize me, Ichigo?" Yoruichi said, hands on her hips.

"You... you're not a cat! You..."

"No cat can talk like a human, isn't that common sense!" Yoruichi retorted mercilessly.

"Alright, there's no time to dwell on this. I'll answer all your questions after everything is over. As for now, you must achieve Bankai tonight, understand? There's no time to waste!"

After speaking, Yoruichi activated her Tenshintai Yoruichi more. Ichigo without saying anything more, simply walking over and silently inserting his Zanpakuto into the machine.

The Shihoin Clan was also bustling tonight. At that moment, a tall figure with long silver hair, just like Xuanxin, walked into the Shihoin Clan.

However, the figure soon left the Shihoin Clan with something covered in a black cloth.

After carefully disguising themselves and proceeding cautiously, Orihime and the others finally met Yoruichi's so-called helper. The helper had long black hair and was wearing a white haori.

Retsu Unohana looked at the shocked group of people before her and said, "Everyone, welcome to the Fourth Division!"

Then Orihime and the others exchanged glances, and only then did they realize that Yoruichi might not be so simple.

Just minutes before sunrise, Ichigo anxiously looked at Zangetsu, which was still standing in the sky. Suddenly, Ichigo remembered what Musashi had told him.

The sword has always been in your own hand.

Suddenly, a glint flashed in Ichigo, and then he Ichigo towards Zangetsu bare-handed. In mid-air, the swords on the ground began to flicker before disappearing.

Suddenly, Ichigo was enveloped by a dark Reiatsu, and even Yoruichi was somewhat amazed by this immense Reiatsu.

As the black Reiatsu dissipated, Ichigo's previously baggy Shinigami uniform transformed into a perfectly fitted black trench coat. His Zanpakuto, also changed. The blade became slender, and a swastika-shaped guard appeared on the sword's edge.

Ichigo charged forward again, slashing his sword at Zangetsu. This time, the Zanpakuto didn't shatter; instead, it struck Zangetsu squarely.

Seeing this, Yoruichi smiled with relief, "You brat, you finally made it."

Meanwhile, in the World of the Living, Karakura Town

Kisuke Urahara stood at the shop entrance, where a completed Senkaimon was quietly shimmering with light. Kisuke Urahara a deep breath and resolutely walked inside.

"I wonder what kind of scolding Xuanxin will give me after all this is over~"

Chapter 86

As the sun rose once again over Seireitei, Xuanxin took a deep breath while watching the rising sunlight and then stepped out of his room.

At this moment, Soi Fon was already standing outside the door, fully armed and waiting.

"Lord Xuanxin!" Soi Fon greeted respectfully.

Normally, Xuanxin would have said something like not to be so formal, but today he didn't say much, just nodded and walked past Soi Fon Xuanxin.

Seeing this, Soi Fon quickly followed behind. The two walked quietly on the road in Seireitei when Xuanxin's voice came from in front of Soi Fon.

"Is everything ready? Are you sure every street in Seireitei is arranged?"

"Yes, Lord Xuanxin. The Executive Militia has been deployed to every street in Seireitei, and the four main gates have been reinforced with extra security."

Xuanxin nodded and continued to ask, "Has the communication system been set up as well?"

"Communications are also in place. The Kidō Corps assigned to each Executive Militia squad have completed the 'Tenteikūra,' ready to transmit messages at any time."

"That's good. Thank you for your hard work, Soi Fon," Xuanxin said calmly.

"No trouble at all Lord Xuanxin, but perhaps our actions are...?"

Soi Fon swallowed her words halfway through. Ahead, the Fourth Division Captain, Retsu Unohana, was waiting with a group of soldiers.

At this moment, Orihime and the others, dressed in Shinigami robes and standing behind Sister Hana, watched Xuanxin walk towards them, so nervous that they dared not even breathe, for fear that Xuanxin would discover something.

Sister Hana's vice-captain Isane Kotetsu, looked at the tense crowd and said gently:

"Don't worry, Captain Xuanxin is a very good person, and besides, Captain Xuanxin and our captain have a very good relationship... well, they're also very good."

Upon hearing this, Orihime could only nod stiffly, silently thinking to herself:

[Is this a matter of how good or bad your captain is? We're wanted criminals! You might see our portraits on the wall at the next intersection!]

As Xuanxin approached, Orihime and the others felt their hearts pounding in their throats.

Chad's muscles were tense, ready to carry the group away at any moment.

Just when everyone was about to succumb to the pressure, a white figure appeared like a savior, standing in front of them.

"Good morning, Lord Xuanxin," Sister Hana said gently.

Seeing Sister Hana approach, Xuanxin's serious expression softened somewhat. After briefly glancing at the crowd behind Sister Hana, a knowing look appeared in his eyes.

Seeing this, the two exchanged a glance and said nothing more.

It wasn't until Xuanxin and Sister Hana started talking that Orihime and the others finally felt relieved. However, they still tried their best to keep a low profile, silently following behind Sister Hana, not daring to make any sound other than their footsteps.

Xuanxin and Sister Hana walked side by side ahead, whispering to each other. As the distance between them grew smaller, Orihime and the others exchanged gossipy glances.

However, out of concern for their own lives, everyone could only gossip about it in their hearts.

"Lord Xuanxin, it's still early before the execution. Why don't we rest for a while?" Sister Hana said gently.

"Alright, let's go to that tea stall and have a cup of tea then." Xuanxin nodded and led everyone toward the tea stall ahead.

When the group approached the tea stall, Orihime and the others realized that this so-called tea stall was just an ordinary roadside stall, without even seats to accommodate them.

When the tea stall owner saw Xuanxin and Sister Hana approaching, he had already prepared tea and seats in advance.

"Shihoin, Unohana, it's been a while since you've come here," the tea stall owner complained to the two.

Hearing the boss's complaint, Sister Hana smiled and said, "The Seireitei hasn't been very peaceful lately, so I haven't been able to come and patronize your business."

Upon hearing this, the boss's face hardened, and he said:

"You two are too kind. If it weren't for Lord Xuanxin, my daughter would have been kidnapped by those nobles long ago, and she wouldn't have been able to enroll in the Spiritual Arts Academy for free. I opened this tea stall just to quench your thirst on your journey."

After saying that, the owner thoughtfully brought a cup of tea to each of Soi Fon and the others who didn't have seats, while also saying:

"It's all those Ryoka' fault for disturbing our peaceful days. Shihoin should catch them as soon as possible."

"Pfft--cough cough!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Uryū choked on his tea and began coughing violently. Seeing this, the owner quickly handed him a towel, then glanced at Uryū and said:

"Really, how could you be so careless? But you guys look familiar; I feel like I've seen you somewhere before."

Upon hearing Orihime and the others broke out in a cold sweat again, but fortunately, the tea stall owner was just saying it casually, and then went on to serve Sister Hana and Xuanxin.

After finishing his tea, Xuanxin tossed some silver coins and said, "Old man, the sun is still too strong today. You'd better pack up and leave early. Thank you for the tea, we'll be going now."

After saying that, he got up and left with Sister Hana. The shop owner was a little confused by Xuanxin's words, but out of trust in Xuanxin, he still began to pack up and prepare to go home.

The two then continued their journey to Sōkyoku Hill.

Meanwhile, Orihime, who was following behind Sister Hana, was drawn to the Zanpakuto at Xuanxin's waist. The Zanpakuto looked very familiar, as if she had just seen them a few days ago, but she couldn't quite place them.

Just as Orihime was still pondering, a loud explosion suddenly came from ahead, interrupting Orihime thoughts.

Xuanxin and Xuanxin companion exchanged a glance and rushed towards the direction of the explosion. However, when they arrived, Kenpachi Zaraki had already clashed with Kaname Tōsen for some unknown reason.

Seeing the two about to engage in a fierce battle, Xuanxin drew his Zanpakuto for the first time in front of Orihime and the others. Xuanxin held the [Shingon] and waved it forward into the air, and a transparent barrier was placed directly between the two.

Kenpachi and Kaname Tōsen, seeing the barrier suddenly appear, calmed down. Sajin Komamura, seeing that the two had calmed down, quickly pulled them apart.

Kaname Tōsen watched the conflict being interrupted.

It turns out that the conflict Kaname Tōsen and Kenpachi was originally Aizen's plan. He hoped that Kaname Tōsen provoke Kenpachi to attract the attention of some of the captains, thus making the plan easier to execute. However, this plan can no longer continue now.

Seeing Xuanxin appear behind him, Kenpachi's face lit up with excitement as he said, "Xuanxin! Perfect timing, you're here! I've had a new idea lately, I want to challenge you!"

Upon hearing this, Xuanxin sighed and said, "The challenge is fine, but I have something to do today. Let's do it another day."

Kenpachi Zaraki, caught up in the moment, ignored all of that and reached out to slash at Xuanxin. However, his Zanpakuto, now broken again, was stopped by Sister Hana.

Then, Sister Hana looked at Kenpachi Zaraki gently and said, "Lord Xuanxin has something to do today, so let's do it another day, Kenpachi Zaraki."

Although Sister Hana's voice remained as gentle as ever, everyone sensed something dangerous in it.

Seeing this, Kenpachi stopped pressing the matter and simply sheathed his sword, turning his head to say, "Alright, I'm going on patrol now. I'll come find you at the Second Division in a few days." With that Kenpachi Zaraki left.

Xuanxin glanced at the two people standing to the side, then beckoned them to go to Sōkyoku Hill together.

Seeing the four haori walking ahead, Orihime and the others were seeing so many captains for the first time, so they became even more cautious, and some even walked with their feet slightly different.

Soi Fon, watching the group walking in unison, couldn't help but think to herself, "[Are these people Lady Yoruichi found really useful? They're already walking in unison, what are we going to do later?]"

Isane noticed their nervousness and slowed down to quietly comfort them.

After a long journey, the group finally arrived at the Sōkyoku Hill.

At this moment, the execution ground was filled with captains and vice-captains, and even the usually weak Jūshirō Ukitake had come to the scene for the first time.

Meanwhile, Orihime was hiding behind Sister Hana, counting the number of captains present. "One, two, three... eight, there are eight captains here! What are we going to do now?" Orihime whispered to Uryū and the others.

Uryū took a deep breath and said, "Then we can only rely on Ichigo and Yoruichi. But if Ichigo doesn't arrive soon, Chad and I will try to hold them off for a while. Ganju, you just take Rukia and Orihime and run away."

Upon hearing Chad nodded, his eyes filled with determination.

After waiting a while, Byakuya brought Rukia to the execution ground.

Rukia looked at the familiar faces standing around her and gave a wry smile. Just as she scanned the Fourth Division, she noticed a few people hiding behind Sister Hana. At that moment, her eyes widened, and her face was filled with shock.

As Rukia was led to the execution ground, the Sōkyoku Spears were completely unleashed, and a large bird engulfed in flames appeared in mid-air.

At that moment, Tōshirō anxiously looked in the direction of Seireitei and thought to himself, "[Why isn't Rangiku here yet? We're going to be too late.]" With that thought, Tōshirō instinctively drew his sword, ready to save the innocent Rukia.

Just then, two figures suddenly appeared in the sky. Yoruichi transformed into a cat and stepped on Ichigo's shoulder. The two of them used Tenteikūra reach the execution ground.

At the same time, Ukitake, who was standing there, suddenly sprang up, took out the Divine Gift Armament of the Shihoin Clan, and with the help of Shunsui Kyōraku, successfully stopped the attack of the Sōkyoku Spears.

Seeing this, Tōshirō also sheathed his sword again, but the slight chill that had just been revealed did not escape the eyes of Sister Hana and Xuanxin.

Then Sister Hana whispered in Xuanxin's ear, "It seems everyone has noticed that something is amiss."

Upon hearing this, Xuanxin nodded and said, "Indeed, it's a good thing the old man isn't here, otherwise he might have been so angry that he would have dragged the entire Soul Society down with him."

Right now, the only ones on Sōkyoku Hill who don't know exactly what happened are probably the honest Komamura and Byakuya Kuchiki, who are stationed there.

Seeing his captains fighting independently below, Ichigo scratched his head in confusion.

He then scooped Rukia, who was still tied to Sōkyoku, aimed, and threw her forcefully towards Orihime and the others!

However, Ichigo regretted it immediately after making the move.

It was only then that he noticed two captains standing in front of Orihime and the others, one of whom was Shihoin Genshin Yoruichi mentioned.

Renji, who had just arrived, was equally anxious. Renji limbs were weak, and he could even see Rukia being cleaved in two by Shihoin's sword.

Unexpectedly, Sister Hana and Xuanxin not only did not stop her, but also stepped aside to prevent Rukia from bumping into them.

Seeing this, Orihime and the others were also a little confused, but they still caught Rukia steadily and then quickly left the scene.

Seeing that the situation had completely deviated from the plan, Kaname Tōsen hurriedly prepared to stop Rukia from leaving and attacked Orihime and the others, but was blocked by Gin Ichimaru.