Soul Society (Part 2)

"Mr. Shen."

Kurosaki Ichigo and Uryu Ishida had been anxiously trying to figure out how to deal with the Hollow before them. To defeat the Gillian, the two had even come up with a ridiculous plan: placing Ichigo's Zanpakuto on its head and having Uryu try to fire it like an arrow.

But before they could act, the Hollow's head suddenly exploded. Then, a very familiar figure appeared before them—the school's PE teacher. Though he was still dressed as usual, the golden chain in his hand was clearly identical to the one that had just pierced through the Hollow's head.

"These two really know how to slack off." After glancing at the rather comical Ichigo and Uryu, Shen Fei shifted his gaze to the three people hiding nearby: Kuchiki Rukia, Kisuke Urahara, and Tessai Tsukabishi.

"Mr. Shen, who exactly are you?" Seeing the Hollow vanish and Karakura Town return to peace, Ichigo and Uryu visibly relaxed. They had truly feared that the Hollow would emerge from that black spatial rift. With its enormous size, even casual movement would have caused immense destruction.

While Ichigo, Uryu, and Rukia watched Shen Fei curiously, Urahara studied him with deep, probing eyes.

Having lived in Karakura Town for over a century, Urahara might not have known every last detail about the town, but he knew everything worth knowing. Even Ginjo Kugo and those Fullbringers were known to him. This was a man who could contend with Aizen and had even outmaneuvered him in the end. He was no simple figure.

In some ways, he was even smarter than Aizen. Aizen had eventually stepped out from behind the scenes, but Urahara had remained in the shadows all along, even when Tokinada Tsunayashiro later caused trouble.

"As you can see, I'm just a teacher. But you,