The Battle in the World of the Living

In the World of the Living, inside Urahara Shop, three people and a cat were sitting around a table. Urahara said with a grin, "I see. So that's why you and Mr. Abarai came to the World of the Living Ye Yang?"

"What else did you think?" Ye Yang rolled his eyes at him and continued, "I heard you've already fought the Arrancars Aizen sent this time. What do you think of them?"

Urahara's usual smile vanished. "According to my calculations, the Hōgyoku experiment should take about a year. Judging from the two Arrancars that were deployed this time, they should already be in their complete forms. It seems Aizen is progressing much faster than I anticipated."

"Don't forget, Aizen also has an Hōgyoku. He probably cooperated with Hueco Mundo a long time ago. Although his Hōgyoku isn't complete, it's enough. Aizen's research on Arrancars isn't something that happened overnight. After obtaining your Hōgyoku, becoming a full- Arrancar will naturally be no problem."

Urahara nodded slightly, Ye Yang turned to Yoruichi and asked, "Sis, are you hurt?"

Yoruichi the Black Cat raised her injured front paw. "It's alright, I can still get around to daily activities without any problems, but I'm finding it a bit difficult to fight with this hand anymore. Not being able to make direct contact with the Arrancar while in Shunkō was my fault..."

Yoruichi suddenly stopped because an unknown Spiritual Pressure descended upon Karakura Town. Judging from the Spiritual Pressure, it was likely Arrancar, and there were quite a few of them.

Urahara's expression was grave. He had expected them to return sooner or later, but he hadn't anticipated their arrival so quickly. "There are six Arrancar. They're still searching for Spiritual Pressure. Judging from their appearance, they intend to eliminate everyone in this city who possesses Spiritual Pressure. They've split up, and one of them is even heading this way."

Two of them went to Inoue's place, since Tōshirō and Rangiku were there. Another went to Ikkaku and Yumichika, who should be fine with their strength. A third went to Chad, while the one with the strongest Spiritual Pressure remained where he was.

Ye Yang recognized the Arrancar with the strongest Spiritual Pressure; it was Grimmjow!

Hearing that one was heading this way, Renji immediately picked up his Zanpakuto and walked out. "I'll go," he said, leaving only those words before heading straight out.

Urahara asked, "Should we go out and help him? This guy who came this time is probably not easy to deal with, after all, this is our territory, isn't it?"

"It's good for him to get some experience. We'll only step in if he's really struggling," Ye Yang replied.

Urahara nodded seriously. "That's good. It wouldn't be right for Mr. Abarai to be eating and staying here for free. We treat him like family, and now that we have an enemy in our home, Mr. Abarai, as family, will naturally have to protect our home."

"Hey, hey, hey, is this really okay?" Yoruichi retorted mercilessly...

The Arrancars who came this time were incredibly powerful; they were all Adjuchas evolved from Arrancar. It was quickly discovered that one of their Spiritual Pressures had vanished. Judging from the Spiritual Pressure, he was the weakest Arrancar among them. Only Ichigo and Rukia remained; it seemed one of them had taken him down.

However, Ikkaku was caught in a fierce battle. Unlike the one that had just been defeated, this one seemed to be much stronger. Moreover, Ikkaku insisted on fighting it himself, so Yumichika, who knew Ikkaku's personality, naturally stepped aside.

Suddenly, an astonishing Spiritual Pressure erupted from Ikkaku. Ye Yang turned his gaze to that Ikkaku, a slight smile playing on his lips as he murmured, "I didn't expect him to be so well-hidden."

That kind of Spiritual Pressure must be Bankai. I didn't expect Ikkaku to have learned Bankai so early, but I don't know why he never uses it in front of others.

If things were like this on the other Ikkaku, Renji, Tōshirō, and Rangiku were in an even worse state. This was because Soul Society had a rule that captains Vice-Captain-level had to have a Spiritual Pressure limit when they came to the World of the Living. In other words, their Spiritual Pressure was only one-fifth of what it was normally, so Rangiku and Renji were just struggling to hold on.

Only Tōshirō was evenly matched with his opponent, but his situation was not optimistic either. Because 80% of his Spiritual Pressure was sealed, he lacked the support of strong Spiritual Pressure. Tōshirō's Bankai could not be sustained for long, and the problem of the time limit of Tōshirō's perfected Bankai reappeared. If it continued, it would be extremely disadvantageous for him.

The battle had been going on for half an hour, and both sides were panting heavily. At this point, Renji and Rangiku were in dire straits, since their strength was not yet at the Captain-level, and using only one-fifth of their power was too much of a strain.

Although Tōshirō showed no signs of defeat, only four of the twelve Ice Flowers on his head remained. At most, Tōshirō's Bankai would be forcibly deactivated in about ten minutes.

At this moment, these Arrancar successively released their Zanpakuto. The so-called release of the Arrancar is actually the release of their original form. In other words, the Zanpakuto of the Arrancar is the core of their power sealed. Releasing the Zanpakuto means releasing the seal of the core and restoring the original form. Moreover, their power and defense will be greatly enhanced. This is the difference between the release of Zanpakuto by Shinigami and the release of Zanpakuto by Arrancar.

Then the Hollow that was fighting Tōshirō also released its Zanpakuto and launched a surprise attack, but Tōshirō dodged the attack by relying on his instincts.

"As expected of Captain-level figure, you managed to dodge such an attack. However, next time it won't be so easy. I'll show you what the difference in strength is." The Arrancar who called himself Arrancar Number 11 Shawlong Koufang, remained full of confidence.

At this moment Tōshirō asked, "Your name is Shawlong Koufang? I have something I want to ask you. You said you are the eleventh Arrancar, does that mean your strength ranks eleventh among the Arrancar?"

He seemed certain of his victory, and readily replied, "No, our numbers aren't arranged according to strength, but rather by the order of our birth." He paused, then continued, "However, only someone like me, a lowly person, is suitable for such an explanation."

"We were the first Arrancars to be Arrancar by the Hōgyoku. We were ranked from eleventh to the next in order of birth. Then, ten Arrancars with outstanding killing abilities were selected from among us and numbered from one to ten according to their strength. These ten selected Arrancars are called the Espada! They have a mark imprinted on their bodies somewhere and have the authority to control all Arrancars below number ten. By the way, the Espada's strength is on a completely different level from ours!"

"What!" Tōshirō was shocked. This Arrancar was already able to fight him to a draw even when he had sealed 80% of his power. Moreover, from what he said, this Arrancar was just born a little too early, which meant that he was not the strongest among the Arrancars after Android 11.

The so-called Espada is even more troublesome. Judging from what he said, the Espada's combat power far exceeds theirs, and each of them probably has the combat power of Captain-level.

"Oh, by the way, among the Arrancar who came to the World of the Living with us, one is a member of the Espada, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, the sixth Arrancar bestowed upon us by Lord Aizen!"

Suddenly, an unusual Spiritual Pressure erupted, and a sky-blue pillar of Spiritual Pressure shot into the sky. This Spiritual Pressure far exceeded the Spiritual Pressure of everyone else before.

That direction is towards Ichigo's side. It seems Ichigo is in trouble. Judging from the Spiritual Pressure, it should be that so-called Espada.

Urahara and Ye Yang remained silent, sharing the same thought: letting Ichigo train wouldn't cause any problems, and it would even stimulate Ichigo's potential and promote his rapid growth. At worst, they could intervene when Ichigo's life was threatened.

The battle here is on the verge of destruction. Only Tōshirō is still holding on. Rangiku and Renji are both in dire straits. Just as Rangiku is about to be killed, she seems to be holding something in her hand.

She said to the item in her hand, "Thank you," and then blocked the Arrancar's kick. She then said to Tōshirō and Renji, "The Gentei Kaijo has been approved!"

A black team badge appeared on the right chest of Rangiku Renji and Tōshirō, and the three of them shouted at the same time, "Gentei Kaijo!"

The Spiritual Pressure of the three people had clearly changed, and the three Arrancar were also shocked, not knowing what the Gentei Kaijo that Tōshirō and the others were talking about meant.

Renji explained, "The Gentei Kaijo. In order to avoid causing unnecessary harm to spirits in the World of the Living, the captains and vice-captains of our Thirteenth Division must have Spirit-Limiting Seal bearing their respective division insignia engraved on a certain part of their bodies before coming to the World of the Living. This greatly restricts their Spiritual Pressure."

Tōshirō continued, "And the limit is 80%! That means your power is five times what it was before!"

The three people who were freed from their limitations were clearly different. Renji directly overwhelmed his opponent with a powerful attack, leaving him with no chance to fight back, and even finished off his opponent with a single Hikotsu Taihō.

Previously, Rangiku was completely overwhelmed by the Arrancar's Sonído, but now she used Shunpo to deliver a fatal blow. The remaining Arrancar sensed the danger and turned to flee.

Tōshirō, however, was not about to let him go. He unleashed an ice dragon from his blade, shouting, "Ice Dragon Breath!" The ice dragon opened its mouth wide, and a sheet of frost stretched out in the air towards the Arrancar, freezing him instantly. Then the ice shattered, and the Arrancar vanished along with the ice.

The battle here is finally over, but the situation on Ichigo's side is not good. Even though Ichigo has Bankai, he is still being overwhelmed in every aspect. He is far inferior in strength, and he has not even gained the upper hand in speed, which is Ichigo's greatest strength. So far, he has been knocked away by being backed down more than once.

It was less of a battle and more of a one-sided massacre, and Ye Yang and Urahara still refused to intervene, wanting to see just how long Ichigo could hold out.