Kurosaki Masaki

"Scum, have you... decided how you want to die!"

Wu Biao looked down at the Grand Fisher, who lay motionless beneath his feet as if already dead. "Since you like playing dead so much, I'll make sure you're thoroughly dead!"

He lifted the foot that had been pinning the head of the Grand Fisher and brought it down in a simple, ordinary stomp, yet no one would dare underestimate the power behind that strike.

Damn it!

The Grand Fisher, lying on the ground, had intended to wait for the moment Wu Biao relaxed to launch a surprise attack, but it never expected this terrifying madman to deny it even that chance, moving to crush it without a second of hesitation.

With no time to waver, the fur all over its body bristled and condensed into a thick, several-meter-long spike, thrusting upward to meet Wu Biao's descending foot, while the Grand Fisher used the split second of impact to flash away and escape the range of the strike.

BOOM—

The spike made of fur lasted only a few seconds under Wu Biao's stomp before being shattered by the force, and the moment that foot hit the ground with a thunderous roar, Wu Biao shot forward like a cannonball.

Under the extreme speed, his white lab coat fluttered violently.

"Where on earth did this monster come from!" The Grand Fisher glanced back while fleeing, its heart jumping as it cursed; it had never even heard of a human this strong, let alone seen one!

Every punch and kick that landed felt like being hit by an intercontinental ballistic missile—how was it supposed to fight this?

Feeling the humanoid monster closing in behind it, the fur that had been kicked off the Grand Fisher's body grew back once more, extending into a sky full of spikes, but this time it didn't attack Wu Biao.

Instead, the spikes scattered, drilling into the forest surrounding the graveyard, uprooting massive, towering trees one by one, and hurling them all toward Wu Biao.

It had already lost the will to fight and wanted to use this chance to escape into a fissure.

"Furry dog, you stop right there!"

Furry dog?

The Grand Fisher's mask visibly twitched.

CRACK—

Wu Biao's fists turned into a blur of afterimages, and while chasing the Grand Fisher, he smashed every incoming giant tree into smithereens.

For a moment, wood chips flew and leaves drifted endlessly.

However, Wu Biao's speed was indeed affected to a certain degree, and for the time being, he couldn't catch up to the Grand Fisher, which was running at full tilt while creating obstacles. The man and the Hollow began a chase across the small mountain.

Wherever they passed, the air was filled with drifting leaves and deafening roars; looking at the mountain path from afar, one could see new roads being carved out one after another.

"If this keeps up, this little mountain is going to be stripped bare!" Xitang watched the paths being carved out in the distance and hesitated before saying, "Should we... go help?"

Rukia rolled her eyes. "If you want to go, go yourself. I haven't gotten enough use out of this Gigai yet!"

Interfering in the battle of that combat idiot was a sure way to end one's life.

"..." Xitang blinked, immediately snuffing out the thought he had just raised. He knew that if it weren't for the appearance of this Hollow, he would be the one being chased all over the mountain right now...

RUMBLE—

The Grand Fisher looked at the massive crater Wu Biao had stomped out behind it, cold sweat dripping down its mask as it desperately used its fur to drag and throw trees backward.

But Wu Biao was closing in tighter and tighter. If it stopped throwing things now to open a fissure and escape, it would definitely be dragged out by Wu Biao before it could fully enter, which was exactly why it dared not open a fissure just yet!

"You can't kill me!" The Grand Fisher shouted, its pace not slowing, its voice hurried. "If you kill me now, that yellow-haired brat will lose his chance to avenge his mother forever!"

"I don't think I'm killing you to help Ichigo!" Wu Biao said coldly.

The Grand Fisher sneered, "If he wasn't a match for me, would you have stepped out?"

"I never thought Ichigo wasn't a match for you. I can feel it... Ichigo is strong. I don't know why it hasn't shown, but I can still feel that he is strong."

The Grand Fisher looked at him with nothing but disdain. That yellow-haired brat was called strong?

"Be a good boy, stop and I won't kill you!"

"..." Grand Fisher.

This was the classic "Big Bad Wolf tricking the Little White Rabbit" scenario. Who the hell would believe that? It was certain that the moment it stopped, the madman behind it would tear it into pieces.

Besides, this guy's stamina was just too monstrous. After a full-speed chase, the Grand Fisher's own breathing had become heavy, yet the guy behind it didn't even look flushed or out of breath. Clearly, the plan to exhaust his stamina could be declared a failure.

"I'm telling you, if you don't stop, I'm going to eat you once I catch you!"

Wu Biao shouted viciously, growing impatient with the chase, his eyes beginning to glow with a faint green light.

This was undoubtedly the green light of hunger...

Brother Biao was truly starving; he hadn't eaten for half a day and had been running all over the mountains for so long. For someone who ate a whole pot of rice in one sitting, this was equivalent to a normal person starving for days.

If the Grand Fisher kept running like this, the starving Wu Biao might actually just take a bite...

The Grand Fisher felt that incredibly hungry gaze on its back and cursed internally. That look was so similar to the one it had when it was feeding.

Is this guy for real?

That hungry look—he wouldn't actually eat me, would he?

The Grand Fisher suddenly felt like a disgrace to all Hollows. Other Hollows chased humans to eat them, but it was being chased by a human who wanted to eat it. The most depressing part was that it couldn't even beat the madman behind it...

However, after dashing a certain distance, the Grand Fisher, in its panic, ran back onto a path it had already traveled. Anxiety welled up in its eyes as it scanned for trees to grab.

But the nearest tree was over a hundred meters away, leaving the Grand Fisher in despair. Before it could come up with a countermeasure, Wu Biao lunged forward with a savage, wild laugh.

He looked just like a low-life thug trying to corner a young girl, finally having trapped her in a dead end!

"Hahahaha, let's see how you escape this time!"

The moment Wu Biao landed, he stomped his foot, his body exploding forward like a cannonball. He curled his frame and slammed his shoulder directly into the back of the Grand Fisher.

The terrifying impact hit the Grand Fisher, and blood erupted from its mouth. It felt as if its internal organs had been displaced by the force of the collision. Its body flew forward nearly ten meters, then tumbled like a rolling gourd for several more meters before finally coming to a stop.

But before it could even stand up, Wu Biao had already mounted its neck.

"Furry dog, I told you to stop running!"

BANG—

Before he could finish his sentence, Wu Biao smashed his fist directly into the Grand Fisher's mask. After a dull thud, fine cracks appeared across the mask, and the Grand Fisher let out a shrill, miserable shriek.

"Don't kill..."

BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG—

Wu Biao ignored it completely, swinging his fists left and right, smashing down blow after blow. Blood sprayed upward, splashing onto Wu Biao's face.

The Grand Fisher's screams grew weaker and weaker, until finally, only the sound of spraying blood remained.

With a final, violent smash from Wu Biao's right arm, the Grand Fisher let out a sorrowful cry before dissolving into starlight and drifting away.

Wu Biao's movements ceased. Bathed in the rain of blood, he savored the massive surge of heat flowing into his body. His previously exhausted spirit and physique vanished without a trace under the influence of this warmth.

However, Wu Biao had not forgotten his original goal. He controlled that massive surge of heat, not letting this strange energy simply merge into his body, but instead searching through it.

Finally, within the heat, he sensed a familiar scent—the scent of Kurosaki Ichigo.

Wu Biao attempted to do what he had done with Inoue's Brother, carefully separating this faint soul fragment from the heat. The process was unexpectedly smooth, and without much effort, he managed to isolate it from the energy flow.

Sensing that almost imperceptible warmth—which could also be called the soul fragment of Ichigo's mother—a look of what could only be called hesitation appeared on Brother Biao's face.

If Shyarly and the others could see this expression, they would surely rub their eyes in disbelief, shocked that a reckless, carefree, fearless, and chuunibyou battle-maniac like Brother Biao could actually feel hesitation.

But Wu Biao was indeed hesitating, hesitant because of what he intended to do next.

"Wu Biao!!!"

A deafening roar reached him. Wu Biao looked toward the source of the sound and saw Ichigo charging toward him, his face twisted in fury, with Rukia and Xitang unable to hold him back!

Rukia's face was filled with worry. At this moment, because the murderer of his mother had been killed by Wu Biao, Ichigo's dignity and mental state were on the verge of collapse. It was fair to say that Ichigo was capable of anything right now.

And just as she had feared, upon seeing Wu Biao covered in blood, Ichigo shoved the two of them aside and rushed at Wu Biao, throwing a punch directly at his cheek.

"Ichigo, no..." Rukia screamed at the sight, but before she could finish, she saw Wu Biao take the punch without any resistance, causing her to swallow the rest of her words of intervention.

He didn't fight back?

On the other side, Wu Biao was pinned down by Kurosaki Ichigo, who was raining punch after punch onto his face.

Wu Biao didn't even groan, nor did he attempt to block; he simply endured the attacks of the enraged, maddened Ichigo.

Rukia couldn't figure out why Wu Biao wouldn't fight back, but she instinctively wanted to step forward to stop Ichigo, only to be held back by Xitang, who shook his head at her gently.

"You knew exactly what I was thinking, so why did you have to interfere!"

BANG, BANG...

"That was my fight. My mother... she was killed by that Hollow because of me."

BANG...

"Why..."

Kurosaki Ichigo's cheeks were already streaked with tears—tears of humiliation and resentment. Just as Ukitake Jushiro had said, there are some battles that... absolutely must not be interfered with.

The previous fight was one such case. Wu Biao understood this, yet in the end, he had still chosen to intervene.

"Fight back! You're so damn good at fighting, why aren't you fighting back!" Kurosaki Ichigo stopped his assault, grabbed the collar of Wu Biao's lab coat, and hauled him up, glaring at him with bloodshot eyes.

"Ptoo..."

Wu Biao spat out a mouthful of blood and foam to the side, not even looking at Ichigo: "I'm hungry, too lazy to move!"

Ichigo froze at these words. He stared at Brother Biao's profile for a long moment before releasing his collar and throwing one more punch. However, he didn't follow up; instead, he stumbled back and sat down on the ground.

Tears flowed uncontrollably down Ichigo's cheeks, finally dripping onto the ground.

Seeing this, Wu Biao slowly pulled a cigarette from his lab coat pocket, but when he went to light it, he remembered he had crushed his lighter.

He couldn't help but pout, then stepped forward and sat down beside Ichigo.

"I'm hungry, I don't have the strength to fight back now. If you don't hit me again, I'm going home to eat."

Ichigo naturally didn't move to strike again. He wiped the tears from his face and turned his gaze back to Wu Biao, who was now dangling an unlit cigarette from his lips: "I don't understand... why you, who supported me from the start, would choose to intervene."

Wu Biao grinned foolishly, revealing a mouth full of blood-red teeth: "Because of this!"

As the words left his lips, Wu Biao reached out slightly. A milky-white halo began to emerge from his palm. As the light expanded, even before its form was clear, Kurosaki Ichigo could already feel the sensation of flesh and blood connection emanating from it.

"This is..." Ichigo stood up abruptly, looking with joyful surprise at the soul body gradually condensing beneath Wu Biao's palm.

It wasn't just him; even Rukia and Xitang were filled with shock.

"How on earth did you do that?" Xitang asked, leaning in, dumbfounded.

"I don't know!" Wu Biao replied casually.

He truly didn't understand; he just instinctively felt that doing so was the right thing. So, despite some hesitation, he unconditionally trusted his instinct.

When he was being beaten up by Kurosaki Ichigo just moments ago, he made a choice: to channel all the heat energy transformed from that Hollow into the soul fragment of Ichigo's mother.

It could be said that through trial and error, Wu Biao had found the most correct method, or perhaps it was a method only he could achieve.

If it were anyone else, it would be impossible to separate such a minuscule soul fragment, and even if they could, they wouldn't be able to make that soul fragment devour other energy.

But Wu Biao could. Being able to perfectly manipulate the heat energy within his body, he controlled that wisp of a soul fragment to devour the other heat energy without being backlashed by it—this was something no one else could do.

Of course, there was one more crucial point: Kurosaki Masaki had been devoured by this Hollow for six years, so she had long since adapted to this type of energy. If it were any other Hollow, even if it could devour her, the soul fragment would never have been able to withstand it.

Simply put, it was a form of nourishment, or perhaps a reverse-devouring.

In short, through a coincidence that couldn't be more coincidental, Wu Biao gave this completely, absolutely, and impossibly recoverable soul fragment a chance at restoration.

Returning to the matter at hand, as the halo gradually condensed, a woman in a pink dress lay on the ground with her eyes closed (I don't need to explain why she's wearing the clothes she died in, right?), and it was none other than Kurosaki Masaki.

"Mom!"

Kurosaki Ichigo rushed forward, looking excited. He wanted to reach out and touch her, but he was afraid of disturbing Wu Biao. He was like an ant on a hot pan, restless to the extreme.

"Alright!" The milky-white halo on Wu Biao's hands gradually dissipated, and the other three immediately gathered around, staring intently at Ichigo's mother.

"Brother Biao, why hasn't my mom woken up?" Ichigo asked with an anxious tone.

Wu Biao shook his head: "I don't know!"

"..." The three of them were all speechless. Even though Wu Biao was the one who saved her, this guy couldn't even explain how he did it.

Rukia sighed and used basic medical Kido to perform an examination, her brows furrowing involuntarily.

"How is my mom? Rukia."

Rukia shook her head: "She's very healthy, but I can't figure out why your mom hasn't woken up."

Ichigo's expression dimmed upon hearing this.

"However... that person might have a way!"

"That person?"

"In short, there is such a person!" As Rukia spoke, her gaze shifted toward Xitang. After all, the person she was referring to was a criminal wanted by the Soul Society. With a member of the Onmitsukido present, she couldn't speak clearly!

Xitang was startled at first, then chuckled and shook his head: "I have to go back and report in too!" As he spoke, he glanced at the somewhat nervous Rukia and said, "Don't worry, I'll just make up some excuse. Besides, the truth will come out sooner or later anyway!"

Rukia choked up: "Thank you!"

Xitang didn't say anything else and turned to leave immediately!

After he left, Rukia looked at the spirit body of Kurosaki Masaki on the ground and said: "Ichigo, take your mom and come with me to a place!"

"Yeah!" Ichigo nodded hurriedly, stepped forward, and carefully picked up Kurosaki Masaki.

Seeing this, Wu Biao tilted his head: "Ichigo, you should tell the boss!"

"Huh?" Kurosaki Ichigo was clearly stunned, then shook his head: "I don't want my dad to know. Besides, he doesn't have spirit vision; even if I told him, he wouldn't believe it!"

"That may be your mom, but she's also the boss's wife. Anyway, I think he has the right to know, and... it seems like he already knows everything he needs to know!" Wu Biao said, calling out toward the distant woods: "Boss, stop hiding, or your wife will run off in a minute!"

Hearing his words, everyone was stunned and looked in the direction Wu Biao was shouting. Sure enough, they saw Kurosaki Isshin walking out from behind a tree.

At this moment, his face was filled with disbelief and anticipation. Although he couldn't see Ichigo and Masaki, he had understood what happened through the previous conversation between Wu Biao and Rukia.

He had long since stopped caring about hiding and wanted to rush out to ask for details, so after his presence was exposed by Wu Biao, he simply stepped out.

"Where is Masaki?"

As soon as Isshin walked up to Wu Biao, he asked with an anxious face. The Hollow inside Ichigo hadn't awakened yet, and his own Shinigami powers hadn't been restored, so naturally, he couldn't see the spirit body.

"Dad?" Ichigo looked at Isshin in a daze.

However, his question was destined to go unanswered!

Wu Biao pointed to his side: "Your eldest son is holding her!"

Upon hearing this, Kurosaki Isshin looked toward Ichigo's position with a face full of envy. That look made Ichigo shiver involuntarily.

However, Isshin immediately withdrew his gaze and looked at Rukia: "You're planning to go to Urahara Kisuke's place, right? Wait for me to go tell Kon, let him take Yuzu Kurosaki and Shyarly home first, and I'll go with you."

Kurosaki Ichigo and Rukia were both shocked. Neither of them expected that Kurosaki Isshin would even know about the existence of Kon.

Rukia was the most shocked of all; one had to know that she hadn't even told Ichigo about the existence of Urahara Kisuke!

"Let's go!" Isshin didn't explain and took the lead, heading toward where Shyarly and the others were.

After Rukia and Ichigo exchanged a look, they followed behind.

"Hey, sister, lend me a light!" Wu Biao leaned in with a cheeky grin.

Rukia helplessly condensed a wisp of flame to help Wu Biao light his cigarette.

"Brother Biao, why didn't you say anything earlier?" Ichigo asked, looking at Wu Biao, who was smoking leisurely beside him.

Wu Biao blew a smoke ring and grinned.

"Brother Biao didn't handle things properly this time, so getting beaten up was deserved!"

Ichigo was stunned for a moment, then shook his head with a wry smile; he really didn't know whether to call Brother Biao smart or foolish.

However...

"Thanks, Brother Biao!"

"It's only right!"

--

Xiao Jiao is feeling depressed. To be honest, I hesitated for a long time before writing this book. After all, Bleach is a niche subject nowadays, and I even thought about whether I should switch to a different world.

But I didn't expect it to be this niche. Most of the readers from my old books haven't watched the Bleach anime, and many of the book list curators I know also said they haven't seen it, so I didn't add...

The editor isn't optimistic about it either. Originally, in the first week of changing the status, there should have been a test recommendation on Friday, but as it turns out, this book didn't even get a test recommendation today.

But it's too late to say anything now. Since I've started writing it, I have to finish it. Xiao Jiao will try to increase the update frequency, write faster, and strive to get it listed on the first of next month to start earning the full-attendance bonus. I'm not asking for great results anymore.

So, I have to rely on all of you to help me push it up a bit further. Right now, the new book ranking is the only exposure opportunity this book has.

Hey, I'm asking for recommendation votes! Anyway, I've already finished writing books that were free the whole time, so I'll be content just getting the full-attendance bonus!

(End of chapter)