Encountering Grand Fisher Again

The Imperial Princess's voice was gentle yet firm as she posed a question that went straight to the heart of the matter, "If you were the only one who could go back in the future, what would you choose?"

Liu Hao didn't answer immediately. He gazed at the night view of Karakura Town, the streetlights twinkling in the distance like stars in the night sky. After a long while, he slowly spoke, his voice carrying a gentle yet firm tone. "Then I'll try my best to bring you all back. After all, although that world is something I yearn for, what's the point of being alone?"

He smiled, a smile that held both nostalgia for the past and appreciation for the present, "Besides, I've become a part of this world. I've built bonds here, and I have people and things to protect. If I really had to leave, I wouldn't want to sever all of this."

The Imperial Princess gazed at him quietly, her bright eyes seeming to see into the deepest recesses of his heart. She nodded slightly, revealing an understanding and gratified smile, then her figure gradually faded, disappearing into the night like morning mist.

Liu Hao looked down at the Imperial Sword at his waist, his fingers gently tracing the exquisite patterns on the hilt. A faint tremor emanated from the sword, as if in response to his touch.

"Don't worry," he whispered, as if speaking to his sword, or perhaps to himself, "Without you all these years, I might have gone mad. After all, you're the only one who truly understands me."

The Imperial Sword trembled once more, emitting a barely audible hum. It was the Imperial Princess's response, the unique tacit understanding between the Zanpakuto and its master.

Liu Hao turned and left the rooftop, strolling alone along the riverbank. The night breeze rippled the water, reflecting the moonlight and the lights on the shore. His thoughts drifted with each step, recalling his experiences since coming into this world—from initial confusion and bewilderment to gradually adapting; from Loneliness observer to a participant building bonds; from simply seeking survival to proactively taking on the responsibility of protecting others.

Each time he recalled something, the Imperial Sword at his waist would emit a soft sword hum, as if echoing and resonating with him. Unconsciously, Liu Hao felt his power change once again—not a quantitative increase, but a qualitative evolution. His control over his own power became more refined, his perception of the surrounding Reishi became more acute, and he could even vaguely sense certain hidden fluctuations in space.

This evolution is silent, yet profoundly significant.

Two nights later, Liu Hao sensed Ichigo Kurosaki's Reiatsu fluctuations again. This time, Rukia seemed to have pulled him out to "handle business" again. But what caught Liu Hao's attention was that the Reiatsu of the Hollow confronting Ichigo Kurosaki was unusually familiar.

He quietly approached the vicinity of the scene and hid in the shadow of a building. When he saw the Hollow's appearance, Liu Hao was shocked—it was Grand Fisher, the special Hollow that attacked Masaki Kurosaki and Ichigo Kurosaki many years ago.

[No way, Masaki Kurosaki isn't dead? And this thing still managed to be touched by Ichigo Kurosaki? This world doesn't have its own will, it's probably correcting something.] This thought flashed through Liu Hao's mind, and he felt a little uneasy.

If some kind of "fate-correcting force" truly exists, attempting to pull a deviated trajectory back onto the "right track," then his intervention might face even greater resistance. But this also proves that his actions are indeed changing the future; otherwise, there would be no need for "correction."

On the battlefield, Rukia Kuchiki was explaining the situation to Ichigo Kurosaki: "Ichigo, this Hollow is the Grand Fisher, the target that Soul Society has been pursuing for nearly 50 years. It has been constantly repelling Soul Reaper and is a very difficult opponent."

Ichigo Kurosaki stared at Grand Fisher, his brow furrowed. "I feel like I've seen this guy before."

"What? You've seen it?" Rukia looked at him in disbelief. "You weren't the Soul Reaper before, how could you have seen it and survived?"

Ichigo Kurosaki tried hard to recall, but his memory seemed shrouded in a thin mist. "I don't know either, I just feel like I remember it, but it feels like it happened a long time ago..."

Before he could finish speaking, Grand Fisher had already launched an attack. Its movements were strange and swift, its tentacles like flexible whips, striking from all sorts of unexpected angles.

Ichigo Kurosaki managed to keep up. Although his fighting skills had been trained by Liu Hao and Isshin Kurosaki, they still seemed immature when facing a seasoned veteran like Grand Fisher.

After a few rounds, Grand Fisher suddenly released a decoy—the image of a seemingly weak and helpless little girl, but in reality, she was a normal undead.

Looking at the bait, Grand Fisher said in a hoarse, triumphant voice, "At first, I smelled a very delicious scent from this spirit, like the scent I smelled on a boy many years ago. That was the first time I wanted to eat a boy, but I was stopped."

It paused, its gaze falling on Ichigo Kurosaki: "Do you know how excited I was when I smelled that scent on this girl?! But after I devoured her, I realized that the scent wasn't actually hers."

Grand Fisher's tentacle pointed at Ichigo Kurosaki: "I just didn't expect that the little boy I haven't seen for so many years would become Soul Reaper. But even so, it doesn't matter, I'll reluctantly change my taste this once."

These words made Ichigo Kurosaki freeze. He recognized her—the little girl was someone he had helped before; he had even given her flowers and comforted her, telling her not to be afraid. And now, she had been devoured by the Grand Fisher, becoming bait.

Anger burned like a flame in Ichigo Kurosaki's heart. He ignored Grand Fisher's mention of the attack on him "years ago," focusing all his attention on the little girl—if he had been more vigilant back then, if he had noticed the danger sooner, perhaps this innocent soul would not have met such a fate.

"You bastard!" Ichigo Kurosaki roared, brandishing his massive Zanpakuto as he charged toward Grand Fisher.

But anger did not bring power; instead, it made his attacks chaotic and disorganized. Grand Fisher easily dodged the attacks while using bait to constantly distract Ichigo Kurosaki.

"Save me... don't hurt me..." the bait cried out in a pitiful voice, exactly the same as the little girl's when she was alive.

Ichigo Kurosaki's movements became even more hesitant. With each swing of his sword, he worried about accidentally harming that innocent soul; with each dodge, he thought about how to save the trapped spirit.

This distraction made the battle even more difficult. Grand Fisher's attacks were as cunning as venomous snakes, leaving wounds on Ichigo Kurosaki's body. Rukia anxiously used Kidō to support him from the side, but Grand Fisher was clearly familiar with the Soul Reaper's fighting style and was always able to skillfully avoid or neutralize Kidō attacks.

Liu Hao observed everything from the shadows. When he saw the bait Grand Fisher released, he immediately recognized the little girl—it was the same girl Ichigo Kurosaki had helped before. He had initially thought that the Hollow was attracted by Ichigo Kurosaki's Reiryoku tainted in the little girl's soul, but he hadn't expected that the soul had already been devoured by Grand Fisher.

[This world is indeed correcting something.] Liu Hao confirmed his previous guess. Even if Masaki Kurosaki did not die, Grand Fisher still appeared in front of Ichigo Kurosaki in some way and devoured everything that had come into contact with Ichigo Kurosaki.

On the battlefield, the fierce battle between Ichigo Kurosaki and Grand Fisher continues. Although anger clouded his judgment, years of training still paid off—his Reiatsu was stable and powerful, allowing him to recover quickly even from injuries; his combat instincts were sharp, enabling him to evade fatal attacks even when distracted.

Rukia's Kidō support also proved effective. While her Hadō and Bakudō couldn't directly defeat Grand Fisher, they effectively restricted its movements, creating an opportunity for Ichigo Kurosaki.

Just as the battle reached a stalemate, a Soul Reaper walked over from a distance. He was dressed in standard Shihakushō, with Zanpakuto at his waist, and looked like an ordinary patrolling Soul Reaper. When he saw Ichigo Kurosaki and Rukia fighting, he let out a soft "Eh," and then joined the battle.

With the arrival of a third party, the battle situation immediately changed. Grand Fisher clearly hadn't expected other Soul Reapers to appear; it became more cautious, and its attacks were no longer as unrestrained as before.

"This kid's a stranger." The new Soul Reaper said, attacking Grand Fisher while sizing up Ichigo Kurosaki.

Rukia tried to explain, but the Soul Reaper had already seen through her. "Oh, I see. Rukia Kuchiki, you actually gave your power to an ordinary person."

"What do you mean?!" Ichigo Kurosaki frowned and questioned.

Soul Reaper smiled, a smile that carried a serene acceptance of everything, "Nothing. Just stating a fact."

He said no more and continued to focus on the battle. The combined attack of the three gradually put Grand Fisher at a disadvantage. Finally, after a fierce onslaught, Grand Fisher chose to retreat. It quickly broke free from the entanglement, opened a temporary Garganta, and disappeared into the distorted space.

After Grand Fisher escaped, the Soul Reaper sheathed his Zanpakuto and looked at Ichigo Kurosaki and Rukia again. His gaze shifted between the two, finally settling on Rukia: "Don't worry, I won't say anything. But your secret will be discovered soon, so you'd better think about how to deal with it."

After saying that, he turned and left, leaving Ichigo Kurosaki and Rukia looking at each other in bewilderment.

After fleeing the battlefield, Grand Fisher arrived at a remote, Abandoned Factory in Karakura Town. Just as it was about to open the Garganta to return to Hueco Mundo, it suddenly found itself unable to move—the surrounding air seemed to have frozen, and space was sealed off by some invisible force.

"Who sent you?" a calm voice came from the shadows.

Grand Fisher turned his head in horror and saw a man dressed in ordinary human clothing emerge from the darkness. The man looked unremarkable, but Grand Fisher could sense that this person was extremely dangerous, more terrifying than the three Soul Reapers combined.

"What? Who sent me? Who are you?" Grand Fisher tried to hide his fear, but his voice still trembled uncontrollably.

Liu Hao didn't answer its question, but repeated his own inquiry, "Don't ask who I am, you're not qualified to know. Who sent you to attack that brat just now?"

"Nobody! Really nobody!" Grand Fisher protested urgently. "I just smelled his scent, that's why I wanted to eat him!"

The Imperial Princess's voice rang in Liu Hao's ears. "It seems it doesn't know."

Liu Hao pondered for a moment, "It seems that some kind of force guided it here. Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence? Masaki Kurosaki isn't dead, and it didn't come because of Yuzu Kurosaki and Karin Kurosaki."

"Perhaps it's just a coincidence?" the Imperial Princess suggested another possibility.

"Coincidence?" Liu Hao shook his head. "I never believe in coincidences in these kinds of things. Let's ask Kisuke Urahara; he might know more."

"Then what should we do with it? Let it go?" the Imperial Princess asked.

Liu Hao looked at Grand Fisher with a cold gaze. "What's the point of keeping this kind of trash around? Just get rid of him."

As his words fell, the Imperial Princess's figure appeared in the air. She extended her slender finger and gently touched Grand Fisher.

In an instant, several sword lights as thin as hair appeared out of thin air from all directions. These sword lights were not physical entities, but were composed of pure Reishi, each containing the power to tear space apart.

Grand Fisher didn't even have time to scream before his body was sliced into countless fragments by the sword light. His mask shattered, his core collapsed, and his massive body began to turn to ash, drifting away in the wind.

However, as Grand Fisher completely dissipated, an unexpected scene unfolded—dozens of faint points of light flew out from its disintegrating body. These points of light flickered in the night sky, gradually coalescing into the form of a woman's soul.

Among them were young girls, mature women, and elderly women. Each soul had been devoured by the Grand Fisher, becoming part of its bait or power. Now, with the death of the Grand Fisher, they finally gained their freedom.

These souls hovered in the air for a moment, as if confirming that they had truly regained their freedom. Then, they began to disperse in all directions, turning into specks of light and returning to the cycle of Reishi.

Several of the spirits seemed to notice Liu Hao. The spirit of a young girl bowed slightly to him, a grateful smile on her face. The spirit of another little girl waved lively, as if saying goodbye.

Liu Hao watched all this silently, a complex mix of emotions welling up within him. He had originally acted only to eliminate a threat, but had inadvertently freed so many trapped souls. Was this a form of atonement? Or merely a side effect of the battle?

"Will they go to Soul Society?" Liu Hao asked.

The Imperial Princess replied, "Most will. But some may be too weak and dissipate on their way to Soul Society. However, at least they gain their freedom instead of being trapped in Hollow bodies forever."

Liu Hao nodded and said nothing more. He watched the last glimmer of light disappear into the night sky, then turned and left the Abandoned Factory.