"We're running out of time!"
Dressed in black robes, Ichigo Kurosaki hurried toward the Sōkyoku, his face etched with anxiety.
"You've only just mastered Bankai. Charging in like this is far too reckless. We should wait until Soi Fon and I have drawn more of the captains away. That'll make it easier for you to rescue her."
A fit, athletic beauty with healthy, sun-kissed skin kept pace beside Ichigo, calmly reminding him.
"But we don't have time to wait. They'll execute her if we're any later."
"How dare you speak to Lady Yoruichi like that? Show her some respect!"
After a chase that had ended with Yoruichi beating her into switching sides, Soi Fon was now beside them, bristling like an angry cat as she scolded Ichigo.
Yoruichi had once been the captain of the 2nd Division, and Soi Fon had been her devoted admirer since childhood. It was only after Yoruichi suddenly defected from the Soul Society that Soi Fon had turned against her.
Now that they'd cleared up the misunderstanding after a bit of chasing, Soi Fon had immediately gone back to fawning over her.
Faced with such a fanatical stan, Ichigo didn't argue at a time when every second counted. He simply set his jaw, determination shining in his eyes.
Just then, Yūichi Katō's voice came through Tenteikūra into Soi Fon's ear.
The news left her stunned. She quickly relayed it to Yoruichi.
"Aizen, huh? That's not surprising at all. He was the one who framed us and drove us out of the Soul Society back then."
Yoruichi remained calm, hardly surprised by the news Soi Fon had received.
As the head of the Shihōin Clan, one of the Five Noble Clans, Yoruichi knew better than anyone how foolish and corrupt Central 46 was.
Her rebellious streak