Even If We Conflict (First Update)
Clang!
A series of sparks burst beneath the night sky as two figures retreated one after the other.
Kurosaki Ichigo had barely landed before he looked up, his face wary as he watched Hirako Shinji hovering in midair, seemingly at ease. Their exchange had been brief... but his opponent's strength had far exceeded his expectations!
The spiritual pressure behind each strike had been as unfathomable as the ocean. There was no doubt he was on the level of the Soul Society's captains—and even among them, he would have been one in a million!
"Hirako Shinji, who... are you, really?" Kurosaki Ichigo asked again.
Hirako Shinji smiled, resting his Zanpakuto on his shoulder. "Good grief, are you really that curious about who I am?" As he spoke, he slowly raised his right hand and held his index finger and thumb apart in front of his forehead.
"Can't be helped. If you see this, you should understand!"
A shape resembling a Hollow Mask gradually appeared between Hirako Shinji's index finger and thumb. The moment he saw the mask... Kurosaki Ichigo's expression changed. He had once had the very same kind of mask!
It had appeared when his Shinigami abilities Awakened.
It had appeared again after his fight with Renji, and it had blocked a fatal wound for him.
He had thrown it away twice already, yet deep down, he could sense... that it had never truly left him!
"A Zanpakuto, combined with a Hollow Mask!" Seeing Ichigo's shocked expression, Hirako Shinji's lips curled into a strange smile. "You understand now, right? I'm someone who stepped into the realm of Hollows from the Shinigami side. I'm... a Visored, one of your kind in the future!"
"One of my kind?"
Ichigo's expression shifted slightly as he stared suspiciously