Chapter 96

Then he looked up at the Shinji of thugs and said:

"Alright, it's all superficial injuries, nothing serious. As for what Xuanxin said, I can only tell you that what he said is true, and Aizen was also defeated and fled to Hueco Mundo. However, how you choose to act is your own business. But I hope that if Aizen really does come to the World of the Living, you can still lend a hand."

Upon hearing Kisuke Urahara's words, Shinji Hirako and the others, knowing the relationship between Shihoin Genshin, Yoruichi Shihōin, and Kisuke Urahara, thanked him and then left the store with the still unconscious Kensei Muguruma.

At that moment, in the abandoned warehouse that was only a step away from the ruins, Kaname Tōsen indeed appear on the scene.

The white egg reappeared, and Kaname Tōsen examining its condition, knew that it had only been a few days since it hatched.

Thinking of this, Kaname Tōsen took out a bottle of potion from his bosom, the same color as the light on the white egg, and slowly dripped it onto the egg.

After the white egg came into contact with the medicine, the light around it flickered more and more frequently, and the wounds that Xuanxin had unconsciously made were healing rapidly.

Seeing this, Kaname Tōsen satisfaction. Suddenly, footsteps sounded outside, and Kaname Tōsen vanished into the darkness once more.

As the footsteps grew louder, a gigantic figure appeared, with four fleshy ridges on its head and a thick, bony jaw covering its chin. Upon closer inspection, one could also see a tattoo of the number "10" on the burly man's left shoulder.

The burly man, nearly two meters tall, immediately spotted the white egg still in the center of the room when he entered the warehouse.

He first looked around, and after confirming that everything was normal, he left the warehouse.

Seeing Yammy leave, Kaname Tōsen finally emerged from the shadows. After all, their goals were different, so it was best not to let him know of his existence.

Similarly, having witnessed the strength of the Visored Gang, Xuanxin no longer held much hope for Shinji Hirako and the others.

As mentioned before, their lives in the World of the Living have made them too complacent. Even after gaining the ability to Hollowfication, they can only be said to have barely reached the level of a qualified captain.

Instead of relying on these few Visored to do the heavy lifting, it would be more important to spend that time training promising young people like Tōshirō and Rangiku.

Thinking of this, Xuanxin looked at Rangiku, who had temporarily ceased hostilities, and then said:

"Rangiku, I've made up my mind. We can't waste these few days before we return to Soul Society! Special training will start early tomorrow morning!"

Rangiku, who was standing to the side holding a beer can, nodded in response to Xuanxin's words, though she looked shocked.

"Yes, Lord Xuanxin!"

Seeing Rangiku's performance, Xuanxin nodded in satisfaction.

However, Yoruichi was somewhat displeased upon seeing this situation. She then stood up, picked up Xuanxin, and walked directly into the house, turning off the room lights as she did so.

Rangiku was left alone, sitting outside, somewhat at a loss.

She had clearly already prepared a series of words to show her loyalty and improve Xuanxin's opinion of her.

But because of Yoruichi's interference, none of these words could be spoken, and they all became mere fantasies.

"There is still a long way to go and a heavy responsibility to be undertaken."

After saying that, Rangiku looked up, finished her beer, and walked towards her room.

Sure enough, early the next morning, Xuanxin stood in the courtyard looking down at Rangiku, who looked helpless, and Rukia and Renji, who were full of energy.

As expected, Yoruichi didn't get up, and Rangiku, upon noticing this, felt her joy reach a new level—this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be alone!

But before she could be happy for long, Rukia and Renji also came out of their rooms.

Seeing the two on the training field, Rukia asked if she could also give Renji some pointers.

Xuanxin, adhering to the principle that it's the same whether you're herding one sheep or a flock, readily agreed to their request, which led to the scene we see today.

However, Xuanxin's teaching method is different from that of the other teachers in the academy. Because Yoruichi, who should also be a coach, was absent due to her "intense work" last Yoruichi, Rukia and Renji had to change their sparring partner to Rangiku had already mastered Bankai.

Xuanxin would occasionally jump onto Rangiku and Rukia's shoulders to direct them in battle and explain why they were doing it that way.

However, when it was Renji's turn, Xuanxin just stood by and shouted.

Renji quickly expressed his dissatisfaction, questioning why he wasn't given the same teaching methods as Rukia and Rangiku.

But all that Renji received in response were Xuanxin's few light words:

"I don't want to."

Upon hearing this, Renji had no choice but to give up pursuing the matter further and silently accepted Xuanxin's differential treatment. Xuanxin's last few days in the World of the Living passed by in this ordinary routine.

Furthermore, Rangiku took advantage of her free time to obtain World of the Living identities for herself and Unohana through Uryū's father. As for why she also needed to obtain one for Unohana, that was naturally Rangiku's little trick.

Soon the day of Xuanxin's departure arrived. Looking at Ichigo and the others who had come to see him off, Xuanxin said:

"Alright, no need to see me off. After I return, the first batch of officially stationed personnel will arrive. If you need to contact me urgently, or if you discover any trace of Aizen, you can either go to Kisuke Urahara or come to this base."

Upon hearing Ichigo, Orihime, and the others nodded and prepared to see Xuanxin and the others off.

Just as Xuanxin's forepaw stepped into the passage, a sudden surge of Reiatsu rose into the sky once again.

The Reiatsu fluctuations were so intense that even the ordinary citizens of Karakura Town instinctively looked towards the location of the abandoned warehouse.

Seeing this, Xuanxin jumped onto Yoruichi's shoulder, then Yoruichi a glance with her before heading straight towards the warehouse. Ichigo and the others quickly followed.

When everyone arrived, they found that the warehouse had been completely reduced to ruins, and a "monster" covered in white bone plates was wandering around aimlessly, carrying a giant sword.

When Xuanxin saw the item on the monster's chest, Xuanxin pupils contracted sharply. He then raised his paw to look at it, and only when he saw a pair of pink paw pads did he remember that he was still standing on Yoruichi's shoulder.

Then, transforming back into human form, she looked at her wrist. Relieved to feel the weak fluctuations there, she turned to Kisuke Urahara and said:

"It seems that was also Aizen's work."

Kisuke Urahara nodded solemnly. He was arguably the most knowledgeable person present about the "Hōgyoku," and if this wasn't the Hōgyoku, then what was it?

Just then, the monster also noticed Xuanxin, who had transformed into human form.

"Kūgo Ginjō" hesitated for a moment, then his originally pale eyes suddenly turned red, and his Reiatsu became increasingly violent. He was heard roaring something.

Immediately, he shot directly towards Xuanxin, and everyone scattered upon seeing this.

With a loud "bang," the ground beneath Xuanxin's feet instantly cracked like a spider web, and a violent shockwave spread outwards from Xuanxin as the center.

"Ukitake... Jushiro..."

A hoarse voice reached Xuanxin's ears; it turned out the monster had mistaken him for Ukitake. But this wasn't surprising, given that both of them had long white hair and wore Captain's Haori.

As the smoke cleared, everyone was finally able to see the two people in the center of the battlefield.

Xuanxin's attention was now drawn to the power emanating from the Kūgo Ginjō, which was currently teeming with a complex and varied power.

Although the power was mixed, the force was so great that bricks flew everywhere. At this moment Kūgo Ginjō's power had already surpassed that of an ordinary captain.

Then, Xuanxin exerted force with his wrist and flicked it, sending Kūgo Ginjō flying.

But before even landing, Kūgo Ginjō twisted his body in mid-air to straighten it, and without any leverage, charged forward once more.

Just as he approached Xuanxin sensed a faint, dark yellow light flash across the monster's body, and then his speed increased several times over.

"Whoosh!"

The cross-shaped sword slashed horizontally across the waist with a piercing sound!

"So fast!"

Ichigo and the others, who were standing at a distance, couldn't help but gasp in surprise.

However, relying solely on speed would not be enough to defeat Xuanxin. Xuanxin effortlessly blocked Kūgo Ginjō's attack with a single Zanpakuto.

Seeing that his first attack had failed, Kūgo Ginjō once again wielded his greatsword, while Xuanxin continued to defend, but this time there was no sensation of swords clashing.

Before the greatsword made contact with Xuanxin's blade, it twisted strangely a few times, then passed over the blade and headed straight for Xuanxin's blind spot at an odd angle.

Xuanxin raised an eyebrow upon seeing this, a hint of interest stirring within him.

[This feeling... is it similar to the abilities of those people from that night? Could it be...?]

As the blade drew ever closer, Xuanxin parted his lips slightly, and then the giant sword was blocked by an invisible barrier.

Hidden in the shadows, Kaname Tōsen watched this scene with a startled heart. He had never seen anyone use the Kidō of Dankū to such an extent.

Kūgo Ginjō was also somewhat confused at this moment. He didn't know why he couldn't continue cutting, even though he was so close to Jūshirō Ukitake's neck!

While Kūgo Ginjō was still confused, Xuanxin suddenly switched to a defensive stance and slashed at Kūgo Ginjō with his twin swords in a spinning motion.

Kūgo Ginjō hurriedly stacked spatial distortions to stop Xuanxin's twin swords, but these spatial distortions were easily sliced through by Xuanxin as if they were butter.

"Roar--!"

Suddenly, Kūgo Ginjō let out a bloodcurdling roar and was blasted backward.

A huge wound appeared on Kūgo Ginjō's neck and chest, and blood was flowing out continuously.

Ichigo and the others could even see Kūgo Ginjō's trachea, but the wounds began to heal rapidly, and even a thicker layer of bone would grow on the healed wounds.

However, Xuanxin remained calm. Just then, Xuanxin suddenly felt a strange fluctuation coming from his wrist.

Xuanxin observed carefully and finally came to a conclusion.

It seemed that the Hōgyoku on his wrist was "communicating" with Kūgo Ginjō, or more accurately, the Hōgyoku on his chest!

This unexpected turn of events made Xuanxin find the monster before him even more interesting.

Chapter 96

Although it was only a fleeting feeling, Xuanxin was certain that it was a signal emitted by the Hōgyoku in his hand.

What is he doing? Is he complaining, trying to persuade someone to surrender, or pleading for help?

Standing opposite him, Kūgo Ginjō stood there with a ferocious expression after the Reiatsu was released, seemingly struggling to regain control of his body.

The muscles all over his body and the bone plates covering his skin began to tremble and rub violently. He was in excruciating pain, yet he still couldn't make a sound.

Unfortunately, this struggle was ultimately futile; the outcome was already predetermined when he abandoned his companions and chose the path of power.

Gradually, the white and crimson in Kūgo Ginjō's eyes began to be slowly eroded by purple, and the rage in his blood-red eyes slowly dissipated along with his last vestiges of consciousness.

His entire body quickly stopped trembling, and his expression once again became cold and mechanical.

The monster tilted its head, then moved its hands, which were covered in bones, and its joints made a series of cracking sounds.

He then naturally picked up the greatsword stuck in the ground, lowered his center of gravity, and made the starting move that Kūgo Ginjō usually used.

Moreover, as the monster adopted this starting stance, its previously chaotic and mixed Reiatsu the Miracle became smooth and fluent, and everyone felt that its Reiatsu was more condensed than before.

After noticing the subtle changes occurring in "Kūgo Ginjō," the expressions on everyone's faces became more serious.

Standing at Ichigo looked at the monster in the center of the arena and said, "Manager Urahara, why does that guy seem to move more smoothly than before?"

Upon hearing this, Kisuke Urahara nodded seriously and then said, "You're right, this battle probably won't end easily either."

Just as Yoruichi was about to explain something, with a "whoosh," the monster launched an attack on Xuanxin.

"So fast and... so quiet!" Ichigo exclaimed in surprise as he looked at Kūgo Ginjō, who had suddenly appeared in front of Xuanxin.

The same person, the same knife, the same movements—although only the timing and angle of the strike were changed, the overall effect was completely different.

Previously, Xuanxin could sense the anger in Kūgo Ginjō's sword, but now he only felt a cold attack.

If before, the swords in his hands gave Xuanxin the feeling that they were on par with Ichigo's, and that he was just relying on brute force, then now he has at least evolved to the level of swordsmanship that a captain should have.

The greatsword swung in a smooth arc in mid-air, heading straight for Xuanxin's vitals. But just before it made contact with Xuanxin's blade, it twisted strangely again. This time, the spatial distortion was so great that even Xuanxin didn't feel any Reiatsu fluctuations.

Seeing the greatsword so close to him, Xuanxin's weariness vanished, and after deflecting the greatsword, he assumed the starting stance of the Niten Ichi-ryū.