Renji and Ichigo's Battle

"I'm not worried that Renji will really go all out," Liu Hao said, gazing at the White Tower below, his voice low. "What I'm worried about is Aizen interfering and using this battle for his own purposes."

The Imperial Princess's figure was faintly visible in the moonlight. "Aizen should still be observing from the shadows and won't easily reveal himself. Besides, with you protecting him in the dark, even if he wants to do something, you can stop him in time."

As the two were talking, the situation below changed. Ichigo Kurosaki, Ganju Shiba, and Hanatarō Yamada emerged from a hidden entrance near the White Tower —clearly having arrived here through an underground passage.

Almost simultaneously, Renji Abarai slowly descended the stairs of the White Tower. He wore his signature goggles, his hand resting on his Zanpakuto at his waist, clearly having been waiting for some time.

Liu Hao Imperial Princess stopped talking and watched the standoff below with bated breath.

"Long time no see, do you still remember me?" Renji's voice broke the silence, carrying a complex emotion.

Ichigo Kurosaki immediately recognized the Soul Reaper he had met once before in the World of the Living: "Renji Abarai!"

"Not bad, you have a good memory, you still remember me." Renji's tone was ambiguous, neither praising nor sarcastic.

"Thank you for the compliment," Ichigo Kurosaki replied, his gaze wary.

Standing nearby Ganju Shiba sensed the powerful Reiatsu emanating from Renji and asked in shock, "Who is he?!"

Hanatarō Yamada's face turned grim. "Renji Abarai... Squad Six Vice-Captain!"

"Vice-Captain?!" Ganju Shiba gasped. In Soul Society, Vice-Captain level Soul Reaper was an existence most people could only dream of. Seeing Ichigo Kurosaki walking towards Renji without any fear, he hurriedly shouted, "Ichigo, don't go! That's Vice-Captain level Soul Reaper!"

But Ichigo Kurosaki did not stop.

Renji watched as Ichigo Kurosaki approached and continued, "It really surprises me. I thought you were already dead at Captain Kuchiki's hands." His voice was calm, but the complex emotions hidden within could only be detected by listening closely.

He drew his Zanpakuto and walked towards Ichigo Kurosaki: "No matter how you survived, this ends here. I said I would kill the person who stole Rukia's power. As long as you live, Rukia can never regain her original power!"

These words enraged Ichigo Kurosaki: "Didn't you want to take her away to kill her in the first place?! What's the point of saying all this now?!"

Anger turned into action, and the two accelerated towards each other almost simultaneously. Blades clashed in mid-air, producing a crisp metallic clang and sparks flying.

Liu Hao observed the battle from the shadows. He could see that Ichigo Kurosaki's swordsmanship had improved significantly compared to a few days ago. His attacks were more precise, and his defense was more solid. However, he was still at a disadvantage against the experienced Renji.

"Not bad, your strength has improved a lot," Renji commented during the match.

"You're still far from it!!" Ichigo Kurosaki roared, forcefully pushing Renji against the wall.

With his back against the wall, Renji suddenly asked, "How are you going to rescue Rukia?"

"How can we save him?" Ichigo Kurosaki aback by the question.

Renji continued, "Even if you defeat me, there are still eleven Vice-Captains, and above them, thirteen Captains. Unless you defeat all of us, you won't be able to rescue Rukia."

"Of course!" Ichigo Kurosaki answered without hesitation. "How many Vice-Captains are there? How many Captains are there? What does that have to do with me? If they dare to stop me, I'll defeat them all!"

These words caused Liu Hao, hiding in the shadows, to frown slightly. [Too naive,] he thought to himself, [but within that naivety lay an undeniable determination.]

Renji was clearly enraged by these words: "Where do you get your confidence? You've only been through one or two life-or-death battles, and you dare to be so self-important?!"

He Zanpakuto violently, sending Ichigo Kurosaki flying, and roared angrily, "The Roar! Zabimaru!"

The Zanpakuto was unleashed. Zabimaru transformed into a nimble serpentine blade, which suddenly extended as Renji swung it, striking Zangetsu hard in the side. The immense impact sent Ichigo Kurosaki flying, crashing through a wall and disappearing into the dust.

"Ichigo!!" Hanatarō Yamada and Ganju Shiba cried out in alarm.

Renji withdrew his Zabimaru and said coldly, "It seems you think you understand my strength after just one exchange. Let me tell you—any Soul Reaper of Vice-Captain rank or higher who goes to the World of the Living will suppress their power to the extreme to avoid causing unnecessary harm to the souls World of the Living. And now, my Reiryoku is five times its original strength. No matter how powerful you are, you have not even a one in ten thousand chance of defeating me."

As soon as he finished speaking, Ichigo Kurosaki staggered out of the ruins. He was covered in dust, with blood at the corner of his mouth, but his eyes remained resolute.

"Is that so? So this is your true strength." Ichigo Kurosaki stopped and took a deep breath. "If there were eleven guys with your strength, I think I could handle them."

This arrogant declaration made Renji laugh and curse, "You bastard! You were so arrogant before, and now you can't even stand up straight!"

After saying that, Renji leaped directly at Ichigo Kurosaki, unleashing his full power with the Zabimaru, which transformed into a giant serpent composed of countless blades, and slashed down fiercely. Ichigo Kurosaki barely managed to dodge to the side, but under Renji's relentless attacks, he could only passively defend and retreat continuously.

Liu Hao clenched his fists in the shadows. He could see that Ichigo Kurosaki was nearing his limit, but Renji's attacks showed no mercy. In a battle of this caliber, the slightest mistake could be fatal.

[What is Renji thinking?] Liu Hao wondered. [He shouldn't be the kind of person who would actually kill Ichigo Kurosaki, but his current offensive...]

The Imperial Princess's voice echoed in his mind, "He's testing me, and he's forcing me. Forcing Ichigo Kurosaki to reveal his true strength, and testing just how firm his resolve is."

Liu Hao understood. Renji hadn't used his full power, but every strike was enough to severely injure his opponent. He was forcing Ichigo Kurosaki to push his limits, and also verifying the answer to that question—how far would Ichigo Kurosaki go to save Rukia?

The battle continued. Under Renji's relentless pressure, Ichigo Kurosaki was finally cornered with nowhere to retreat.

"You're really troublesome," Renji said fiercely. "Do you really want to save Rukia that badly?!"

"It's not that I want to save him," Ichigo Kurosaki replied, enunciating each word clearly, "It's that I absolutely have to save him!"

These words caused a complex emotion to flash in Renji's eyes, but his attack intensified. "You're the one who stole Rukia's Reiryoku, you're the one who caused Rukia to be convicted of a serious crime. Don't you understand? It was your actions that killed Rukia, and you had the audacity to say you wanted to save her! What right do you have to save her?! How laughable!"

With that, he slashed Ichigo Kurosaki hard. Blood splattered, but Ichigo Kurosaki did not fall.

Ichigo Kurosaki forcefully blocked Renji's blade as it swung down again, roaring, "Of course I know! I'm the one who killed Rukia, that's why I had to save her!"

Their blades clashed once more. This time, Ichigo Kurosaki used the force of the impact to create distance between himself and Renji, and then began counting the number of attacks Renji made.

Liu Hao noticed this detail. Ichigo Kurosaki was observing, analyzing, and looking for an opportunity to counterattack. This was not a blind battle, but a strategic duel.

As Renji's ranged attack reached its third strike, and Zabimaru withdrew his attack, Ichigo Kurosaki moved. He rushed in front of Renji with astonishing speed, unleashing Zangetsu with all its power.

Renji merely shifted his body slightly to the side, dodging the fatal blow. Then, with a swift motion, he slashed at Ichigo Kurosaki, causing blood to gush out once more.

"Attacking during a gap in the continuous attacks is the right thing to do, but why was I able to dodge?" Renji said coldly, "There's only one answer: you're slower than me. The difference in our strength is enormous."

After saying that, he raised the Zabimaru again. This time, the killing intent on the blade was even more intense.

Liu Hao's body tensed instantly, his hand already resting on the Imperial Sword. If Renji were to actually kill him, he would immediately intervene.

"So you can't save Rukia!" Renji roared, Zabimaru slashed down fiercely.

But in that instant, Ichigo Kurosaki's Reiatsu suddenly surged. He stretched out his left hand and actually caught the blade of the Zabimaru that was slashing down with his bare hands!

Blood gushed from his palm, but Ichigo Kurosaki paid no heed. He slowly stood up, his Reiatsu continuing to rise, forming a visible shockwave that dispersed the surrounding dust.

"Renji, you've been waiting a long time, haven't you?" Ichigo Kurosaki's voice was calm and firm. "My resolve."

Renji Abarai tried to pull back the Zabimaru, but Ichigo Kurosaki gripped the blade tightly. To his even greater shock, the Reiatsu emanating from Ichigo Kurosaki pressed down on him as if it were a tangible force, causing him to involuntarily retreat.

At that moment, Ichigo Kurosaki raised Zangetsu and slashed it down at Renji.

This was no ordinary slash, but a massive crescent-shaped Reiatsu attack— Getsuga Tenshō!

This is Zangetsu's true power, the embodiment of Ichigo Kurosaki's determination and will.

Renji immediately swung his sword to counter, but the Zabimaru shattered the moment Getsuga Tenshō. The powerful impact sent Renji flying, crashing heavily into the wall, leaving a gruesome wound on his chest.

The battle is over.

Renji lay among the ruins, staring at the shattered Zabimaru in his hand, his eyes filled with resentment and... relief?

He struggled to his feet and staggered toward Ichigo Kurosaki. Every step was difficult, blood gushing from his wounds, but he did not stop.

Liu Hao held his breath in the shadows. He didn't know what Renji was going to do, but he was prepared to intervene at any moment.

Renji walked up to Ichigo Kurosaki, but instead of attacking, he grabbed Ichigo Kurosaki with his blood-stained hand. This action almost prompted Liu Hao, who was hiding in the shadows, to intervene, but what happened next was completely unexpected.

"Kurosaki..." Renji's voice trembled, tears mixed with blood streaming down his face, "I know it's shameful to beg like this, but..."

He choked up for a moment, then uttered the words that shocked everyone. "Please, you must rescue Rukia."

Ichigo Kurosaki was stunned. He looked at the opponent who had just been fighting desperately, but now seemed to have lost all defenses and was only left with the most sincere plea.

After a moment of silence, Ichigo Kurosaki answered firmly, "Of course."

Two words, yet they carry the weight of a thousand pounds.