Byakuya vs. Hu

As dusk falls in Karakura Town, the last rays of sunlight disappear into the horizon.

Rukia leaned against the wall at the street corner, the weight of the Gigai making each step feel like walking through mud.

Footsteps sounded behind me, steady and light, with a rhythm unique to Reishi.

"It's been a long time, Rukia."

She shuddered and stiffly turned her head. In the dim glow of the streetlights, two figures seemed to have walked out of another world. The red-haired man had a blue tattoo on his brow bone, and Zabimaru hung at his waist. Beside him, the black-haired man remained silent, and the Captain's Haori stood motionless in the night wind. The newcomers were none other than Byakuya Kuchiki and Renji Abarai.

"Renji... Big Brother..." Her voice was as dry as sandpaper.

Renji's gaze fell on the artificial Gigai on her body, his brows furrowing. "Hey, Rukia, what's that like?"

Rukia bit her lip and did not answer.

"I'm asking you a question, Rukia!" Renji stepped forward and reached out to grab her shoulder.

"Don't touch me!" She abruptly shook off his hand, instinctively stepping back. This act of rejection left Renji frozen in place, a complex emotion flashing across his eyes.

Byakuya spoke, his voice completely flat. "That kind of thing is irrelevant. Compared to that— Rukia, the fact that you committed a serious crime remains unchanged."

Rukia's body trembled slightly. She wanted to explain, to explain that there were reasons for her transfer of power, but in front of Byakuya's cold eyes, any explanation would be futile.

"Let's go." Having endured numerous interrogations from the Central 46 and faced much criticism from the nobles, Byakuya, weary and exhausted, sincerely hoped that his adopted sister would return without resistance, and truly believed that everything would change once Rukia returned to Soul Society.

However, fate had other plans. A sharp whooshing sound ripped through the silence of the night. A blue spirit arrow, trailing a dazzling tail, shot straight toward Renji. Renji instantly drew his sword, deflecting the arrow, and looked up sharply. On the distant sky bridge, a bespectacled boy was holding Spirit Bow.

"It seems you've done something rather unpleasant to my friend." Uryū, riding his Hirenkyaku, arrived beside Rukia.

Renji drew his sword and began a standoff with Uryū.

Ichigo, Rukia left telling him not to look for her and to hide, sensed something was wrong. He was about to take out his Soul Candy and set off to search for her.

The window in his room was pushed open, and Urahara was seen leaning against the windowsill, his right arm still wet with blood, and the stitches that had just been put back together at his shoulder were clearly visible. He was holding his cane in his left hand.

"Kurosaki-kun, it seems you need some help."

"No, no, no, you're the one who needs help... What happened? Is your injury related to Rukia?" Ichigo retorted, looking at Urahara who was clearly covered in wounds but still trying to look cool.

"Hahaha, it was just a small mistake on my end, nothing serious. But Rukia's situation is much more serious, Kurosaki-kun. You'd better be prepared before you go." Urahara pointed his cane at Ichigo.

"If it's about the resolve to save your comrades, I'll give you as many as you want!" Ichigo Kurosaki deliberately bumped into his cane, transforming into Soul Reaper, and ran towards Rukia.

On Rukia's side

"Overestimating yourself." Renji sheathed his sword.

"Uryū!" Rukia cried out in surprise, trying to rush over, but Byakuya's cold gaze kept her rooted to the spot.

Just as Renji was about to turn back, a chaotic Reiatsu descended from the sky. Amidst the billowing dust, an orange-haired boy carrying a massive Zanpakuto slowly straightened up. His eyes burned with furious flames as he stared intently at Renji.

"You bastard... what did you do to Uryū?" Ichigo Kurosaki's voice was deep and filled with murderous intent. "What are you planning to do to Rukia!"

Renji sized up the human before him, sensing the Reiatsu emanating from the mix of Soul Reaper and a human. A smirk played on his lips. "Oh... so it's you? The human who stole Rukia's Soul Reaper power."

"So what if it is?" Ichigo Zanpakuto over his shoulder.

Renji's gaze fell on the enormous Zanpakuto, and he frowned. "That Zanpakuto... what's its name?"

"Name? Do Zanpakuto have names?"

Renji was completely stunned, then threw his head back and burst into laughter, his laughter full of mockery. "Haha! You don't even know the name of your Zanpakuto Soul Reaper!" His eyes suddenly sharpened, "Then let me teach you what a true Zanpakuto is— the Roar, Zabimaru!"

The Zanpakuto instantly transformed into a snake-belly sword, its blade splitting into several segments that writhed and twisted like Viper. Zabimaru roared towards Ichigo with astonishing speed. Ichigo raised his sword to block, but was forced back by the immense force. Zabimaru's attacks were unpredictable and cunning, each strike coming from an unforeseen direction.

"What's wrong? Is that all you've got?" Renji pressed closer, Zabimaru's attacks like a storm. "You don't even know the name of your Zanpakuto call yourself Soul Reaper?"

A resolute glint flashed in Ichigo. He took a sudden step forward, letting Zabimaru's blade slash across his shoulder, blood splattering everywhere. He burst into Renji's defensive circle, his Zanpakuto slashing down with the force of a whirlwind.

Renji hurriedly parried with his sword, but the terrifying force made his hand go numb. He stared wide-eyed in disbelief—this human's Reiatsu was soaring wildly, chaotic and overwhelming, like a flood bursting its banks.

"How is this possible..." Renji gritted his teeth, only to be sent flying by the slash and crash heavily into the wall.

Ichigo, panting heavily, blood still seeping from the wound on his shoulder, but his eyes remained unwavering. "I don't know the name of any Zanpakuto... but I know Rukia is my comrade! No one can take her away by force!"

With that, Ichigo raised his sword and slashed at Renji. However, as the sword swung down, the blade of Ichigo's Zanpakuto vanished.

"Renji, you were careless. Step back." Byakuya threw the broken blade to the ground, looking at Ichigo as if he were prey.

"But, Captain..."

"Step back."

Renji gritted his teeth, put away the Zabimaru, and stepped aside. Byakuya stepped forward and confronted Ichigo. The two Reiatsu collided silently in the night.

"You are Ichigo Kurosaki." Byakuya's tone wasn't a question, but a statement. "My other purpose in coming here is to completely annihilate you."

"Then let's give it a try!" Ichigo roared, gripping his swords with both hands and slashing down with all his might.

The moment the blade struck, Byakuya's figure vanished like a phantom. The next instant, he appeared behind Ichigo, his hand lightly resting on the hilt of his sword, his voice indifferent to an almost cold degree. "Senka."

A blade of light, too sharp to be seen with the naked eye, flashed past. Ichigo didn't even feel the pain; he only saw a torrent of blood gushing from his chest, and all the strength in his body was drained away in an instant. His Zanpakuto fell from his hand and landed on the ground, where he collapsed to his knees in the blood.

"Ichigo--!" Rukia in anguish, trying to rush over, but Renji held her back tightly.

Byakuya looked down at Ichigo lying in Ichigo of blood, his eyes devoid of any pity. His hand returned to the hilt of his sword.

"Stop!" Rukia broke free from Renji, rushed to Byakuya, knelt down, and gripped his clothes tightly with both hands. Large tears streamed down her face, her voice trembling with despair. "Please... Brother... please don't kill him..."

Byakuya looked down at her, a fleeting flicker of emotion appearing in his eyes. He slowly withdrew his hand from the sword.

Let's go.

Renji stepped forward, wanting to help the distraught Rukia up. But Rukia took one last look at Ichigo pool of blood, tears blurring her vision.

Just then, a powerful Reiatsu rapidly approached. His nearly tattered coat was hastily wrapped around his waist, he was half-naked, his chest was covered in scabs, and Zanpakuto with a dark red scabbard hung at his waist. His hair was half black and half white, his silver eyes flashed with blue light, and he still carried the sharp aura that had not dissipated after his Dangai training.

"... Amber?" Renji's voice was a little tense. "What are you doing here? What happened to you?"

Amber didn't answer. He looked at Rukia kneeling on the ground, at Ichigo and Uryū lying in a pool of blood, and at Byakuya's hand on the hilt of his sword in Senkaimon.

"Captain Kuchiki," Amber said, looking at the situation of the group, "No matter what, hasn't this gone too far?"

Byakuya looked at him, not wanting to say anything more.

"And Renji- senpai," Amber took a step forward, "Are you trying to forcibly take Rukia- senpai back? Do you know what the consequences will be if you take Rukia- senpai back like this?"

Renji's expression turned somewhat pained; he had only learned of Rukia's actions that morning and hadn't had time to process the information.

He had no choice but to answer according to the rules of Soul Society: "If we go back like this, Rukia will be sentenced to prison..."

Ichigo and Uryū, who were lying on the ground, looked surprised. Although Ichigo knew beforehand that Rukia transferring her power was against the rules, he didn't know that it would lead to execution.

He tried to move his body and get up, but unfortunately, his "Saketsu" and "Hakusui" had been broken. The power Rukia had given him was draining away.

"So..."

"Shut up!"

Just as Amber was about to say something, Byakuya, unable to suppress his anger, interrupted her.

Byakuya's eyes were icy. "Whose fault do you think led to this situation?"

"Huh?" Hu was a little confused about what Byakuya meant.

"Since Rukia's arrival, all Regular Contact have been carried out by you." Byakuya drew his sword and attacked Amber.

Amber drew her Jiku'a, and Crow blocked it. The blue light in her silver eyes reignited, and her black and white hair fluttered slightly in the aftershocks of her Reiatsu. "So what if I am!"

"If you hadn't kept quiet about it, things wouldn't have turned out this way!"

Byakuya's knuckles tightened slightly. He was under Restriction Seal. When Captain-level enters the World of the Living, their Reiatsu must be suppressed to 20%. However, Amber's Reiatsu surged, yet there was no suppression whatsoever.

"Scatter, Senbonzakura."

The blade transformed into countless tiny blades, which, in the night, resembled cherry blossom petals fluttering in the air. The petals surged toward Amber from all directions, so densely packed that there wasn't a single gap.

Amber condensed Phantom Blade in her left hand, a blue sword light illuminating her palm, and swiftly thrust it out.

Wherever the sword passed, the petals of the Senbonzakura curled to both sides, like the water being cleaved open by the bow of a ship.

Byakuya's pupils contracted slightly.

Amber gave him no time to think. Shunpo, a lunge, and Phantom Blade slashed horizontally. Byakuya sidestepped, petals forming a shield in front of him. The sword struck the shield, sparks exploded, and the shield shattered. Byakuya was knocked back a step. The second sword followed—a vertical slash. Byakuya raised his hand, petals flanking from both sides, attempting to entangle Amber's arm. Amber gripped the sword in her left hand and continued the downward slash, while her right hand loosened the hilt, her fingers forming a Summoned Swords that materialized in her palm, thrusting straight towards Byakuya's face.

Byakuya tilted his head, and the Summoned Swords grazed his earlobe, severing a few strands of his black hair. He stepped back, creating distance, and flower petals spun rapidly around him, forming an impenetrable barrier.

Amber held the Phantom Blade up to his eyes, gazing at the transparent membrane of light on its blade. He gathered Reiatsu in his right hand once more, placing it against the blade and wiping it from the guard to the tip, bit by bit. The blue light on the sword converged to its extreme, almost turning white. The air at the blade's edge began to distort.

He slashed down with his sword.

The barrier of Senbonzakura) split open from the very center. Petals fluttered down, landing on the ground between the two. Byakuya gripped his sword, watching the scattered petals.

With a sigh, Byakuya's Restriction Seal was broken!

The Reiatsu poured out like a flood. The Captain-level Reiatsu enveloped the entire street. Ishida, lying on the ground, was suffocating under the pressure, Ichigo let out a muffled groan from the pool of blood.

Byakuya looked at him. "Your growth has exceeded my expectations." His voice was calm, "But Captain-level Reiatsu is not a chasm you can cross."

The Senbonzakura burst open once more. This time, the number of petals more than doubled. Each petal was thinner, sharper, and faster than before, sweeping in like a blizzard. Amber swung his sword to block, but there were simply too many petals. No matter how fast his sword was, it couldn't outrun the blizzard.

A petal grazed his left shoulder, and blood seeped out. A second petal grazed his ribs. A third, his thigh. A fourth, his cheek. Each cut was shallow, but the number accumulated. Blood flowed down Amber's fingers, dripping onto the hilt of the Phantom Blade, then down the blade, evaporating into a pale red mist under the blue light film.

Rukia knelt Senkaimon, her hands covering her mouth, tears streaming silently down her face. She watched as Amber was engulfed by the flower petals. Renji stood there, his hand gripping the hilt of Zabimaru, his knuckles white. He wanted to rush forward, but he didn't know who to help.

"Break free from your cage and soar high— Jiku'a!"

As the spatial rift opened and closed, Jiku'a's Shikai was completed, allowing Hu to escape from the petals.

Byakuya's expression shifted slightly as he looked at the lingering light trails left by the converging spatial rifts. He had only just noticed that Amber hadn't Shikai before, but now her aura had completely changed.

Hu didn't give him time to adjust.

Shunpo!

His figure vanished from the spot. Byakuya instinctively turned to the side, and the blade of Jiku'a grazed his sleeve. Byakuya swung his sword backhand, and the petals of Senbonzakura surged from the side. Koko raised his left hand, Beowulf's gauntlet condensed on his fist, before unleashing a punch.

The petals were scattered by the force of the punch.

Byakuya retreated, creating distance. Senbonzakura spun rapidly around him, redeploying its defenses. But Koko had already caught up. With Beowulf in his left hand and Jiku'a in his right, he seamlessly switched between the two styles. Jiku'a cleaved through the petals, Beowulf shattered the defenses. Byakuya's rhythm began to falter.

Hu gave him no chance to regain his footing. He released Jiku'a's sword hilt with his left hand, his five fingers loosely gripping, and five Summoned Swords shot out simultaneously.

Five swords circled around Byakuya from five different directions, blocking his retreat. Byakuya was forced forward, colliding head-on with Koko's attack. Jiku'a slashed vertically. Senbonzakura transformed into a shield to block. The shield shattered!

Byakuya was knocked back three steps, and before he could regain his footing, five Summoned Swords attacked from behind. He sidestepped to block. The five Summoned Swords pierced the ground, their blades humming.

Amber teleported to the nearest Summoned Swords. Byakuya turned around and collided head-on with Beowulf's fist. He hurriedly blocked, but was knocked back, ending up at the position of the second Summoned Swords.

Amber was already there. Jiku'a slashed horizontally, Byakuya barely managed to block it with his sword, before moving on to the position of another Summoned Swords.

Each Summoned Swords landed precisely near the spot where Byakuya would be next, and Amber arrived at each landing point before him.

Byakuya knelt on one knee, with petals of Senbonzakura scattered around him. Some of the petals had been cleaved by Jiku'a- raven, and Reishi slowly seeped out from the cracks. His breathing became erratic.

The Shihakusho bore several knife marks, Ikkaku of his sleeve was shaved off, and a thin line of blood ran down his cheek. He looked at Amber standing before him— Beowulf's gauntlet in his left hand, the blade of Jiku'a in his right, and five Summoned Swords slowly rotating around him. His silver hair fluttered in the night wind, and the blue light in his silver eyes was calm yet sharp.

He had to admit that he was being dominated in his Shikai state.

Byakuya stood up, pointing the tip of Senbonzakura downwards, and gripped the hilt with both hands. His Reiatsu began to surge in a completely different way. The air throughout the street trembled, and the pebbles on the ground were lifted up by an invisible force, suspending in mid-air.

"Bankai."

The blade tip plunged into the ground. The ground collapsed on both sides, the cracks like the gaping maws of a giant abyss, splitting the entire street in two. Rising from the cracks were not the petals of the Senbonzakura, but thousands upon thousands of enormous blades. They were neatly arranged in two rows, their edges pointing upwards, gleaming with a cold, sharp light in the night.

"Senbonzakura Kageyoshi."

Byakuya released the hilt of his sword. The two rows of giant blades shattered simultaneously, turning into billions of tiny blades. The moonlight was completely blocked, leaving only the reflection of the blades, like a silver sea. He raised his hand, and billions of blades surged towards Amber, destroying everything in their path like a tsunami.

"Jingyan· Gokei."

Amber gripped Jiku'a tightly, the blue light in his silver eyes burning at its brightest. The light patterns on Beowulf's gauntlet on his left hand pulsated, Jiku'a's blade on his right. Five Summoned Swords spun rapidly around him. He charged forward in his strongest form.

At the same time, Byakuya also moved.

He Shunpo slashed into the sea of blades, standing in front of Amber. His right hand held a blade formed from condensed blades, gleaming with a cold white light.

"Senkei."

Senbonzakura Kageyoshi transformed into another form—locking Kou and Byakuya together in a cage of blades.

The countless blades suddenly converged, forming a giant spherical cage around the two people. The blades were densely arranged to form a wall, blocking all escape routes from all directions, above and below.

Rukia's pupils contracted. The outer walls of the cage were composed of billions of blades, completely opaque. She could only see the enormous, spherical hemisphere lying upside down, gleaming coldly in the night. What happened inside, no one knew.

A long time passed—perhaps a long time, perhaps just a few breaths. The cage of the blade began to loosen. Slowly, piece by piece, it peeled away. The blade peeled off the outer wall, turning into Reishi and dissipating into the night sky. The entire silver sphere, like a dandelion seed blown by the wind, shattered layer by layer.

The cage completely disappeared.

Byakuya stood in the center, still holding the white sword in his hand. His breathing was heavy, his body was covered in wounds, and his fingers were trembling slightly.

Amber fell at his feet.

The Jiku'a was stuck in the ground beside him, the blade still bearing the remnants of a spatial rift. Beowulf's gauntlets began to dissipate, and all five Summoned Swords shattered, their fragments scattered in the pool of blood like broken blue glass. He was covered in blood, his silver and black hair soaked through and plastered to his forehead.

Byakuya looked down at him, remained silent for a long time, then sheathed his sword, bent down, grabbed Amber's collar, and lifted him from the pool of blood.

"... Take it back."

"Take them back!" Byakuya said, "Both of them."

Renji was stunned. "Captain, he's from the Second Division— "

"I'll explain about the Second Division." Byakuya turned and walked towards the Senkaimon. "Assaulting a captain on official business and obstructing the execution of the Central 46's orders. Is that reason sufficient?"

Renji looked at Byakuya's retreating figure, then at Koko lying in a pool of blood. He bent down and hoisted Koko onto his back; blood seeped from countless wounds, soaking through his Shihakusho.

"... Why did you come?" Renji asked in a low voice.

Hu did not answer.

Before his eyes closed, he was still looking at Rukia in Senkaimon, and at the orange-haired boy lying in a pool of blood. The Senkaimon's light shone brightly, engulfing them.

The streets of Karakura Town returned to silence. The night wind swirled fallen leaves, which landed on the edge of the dried blood pool. Ichigo lay sprawled on the cold ground, his consciousness floating in the darkness.

He heard and saw everything: a sea of blades, the clash of Reiatsu, and the sound of a person being engulfed by billions of blades.

With his last ounce of strength, he dug his fingers into the cracks in the ground, trying to prop himself up. His arms trembled, and blood gushed from the wound in his chest, staining the ground beneath him red. He managed to lift himself up half an inch, only to fall back down. He tried again, and fell again. Again and again.

The light from the Senkaimon completely dissipated. The street returned to silence.

"Stop..." His voice was so hoarse it was almost inaudible, "Stop right there..."

No one answered. The night wind whipped up fallen leaves, which landed on his back. He lay there, his fingers still digging into the cracks in the ground, his nails splitting open, blood seeping from his fingertips. He felt no pain. He only felt resentment.

Urahara, who had been silently watching everything unfold from afar, touched his hat and said, "This is really a disaster. I didn't expect it to be Byakuya Kuchiki who came to arrest people."

Seeing that Ichigo had also completely lost consciousness, Urahara walked over. "There's no other way. Hopefully, Amber can buy some more time after she returns to Soul Society." Urahara gently carried Ichigo and ran towards Kurosaki Hospital.