Two Matters

This feeling was something Wu Biao had never experienced before; it was a sense of having absolutely no chance of victory.

In other words... no matter what, he was currently no match for the person, or perhaps some unknown creature, possessing that terrifying aura. He couldn't even manage to sense the direction it was coming from.

Wu Biao's face turned serious without him realizing it. Beside him, Ururu and Jinta, who had been startled by his sudden movement, exchanged glances, both seeing confusion in each other's eyes.

They didn't understand what was wrong with this glutton, or why his expression had suddenly become so solemn.

Wu Biao pulled a cigarette from the clothes Urahara had lent him, lit it, and asked the two children with a deep frown, "Where is the white-and-green hat?"

The two children were slightly taken aback. Jinta gave Wu Biao a puzzled look before answering, "The shopkeeper? He just went out."

Wu Biao frowned slightly. Although he didn't know where that aura that made him feel so threatened was coming from, he had to admit...

He was excited!

Even though his instincts were screaming in fear, his heart was filled with excitement and anticipation, to the point where his hands were trembling with agitation...

This was the kind of battle Wu Biao had been looking forward to all along—an opponent that could make him feel fear!

If he could have sensed the location of the person emitting that pressure, Wu Biao probably would have already rushed out...

This anticipation and excitement, mixed with an instinctive fear he had never felt before, made Wu Biao feel like an ant on a hot pan, unable to sit still.

Meanwhile, at the Kurosaki residence.

After writing a letter and placing it on Ichigo's desk, Rukia shouldered her backpack. Taking one last lingering look at the room where she had stayed for several months, she turned resolutely and jumped out the window.

The chaos caused by Hollows yesterday, and even the appearance of a Gillian-class Menos in the Human World, meant that the Soul Society would certainly not turn a blind eye. The fact that she had transferred her powers to a human would surely be discovered by whoever they sent.

Therefore, before they arrived to apprehend her, she had to leave Ichigo's home. No matter what... she could not let Ichigo get involved!

However, the flustered Rukia did not notice that in the sky behind her, two figures were standing there!

What she couldn't have imagined was... in order to capture her, the Soul Society had actually dispatched a luxury lineup consisting of a captain and a lieutenant!

So, when those two familiar figures appeared before her eyes, Rukia couldn't help but be terrified: "Renji Abarai, Byakuya-taicho." Suddenly, Rukia's pupils constricted, and she immediately retreated, a blade flashing past her eyes and taking away a few strands of hair from her forehead.

Renji Abarai, with his red brow tattoos, appeared where Rukia had been standing just a moment before.

But he did not pursue; he simply stood there, looking at Rukia with a cold expression.

Rukia, still in shock at the lineup the Soul Society had sent to capture her, failed to notice the concern Renji was hiding beneath his cold exterior.

Renji Abarai and Rukia had grown up together in Rukongai, so he naturally held deep feelings for her.

If he could, he wouldn't want to raise a hand against Rukia, but... the current situation left him no choice. If he didn't act, the one who would inevitably act was the man behind him, Byakuya Kuchiki.

Although Byakuya Kuchiki was Rukia's brother in name, Renji could be certain... Byakuya, who valued the honor of the nobility above all else, would absolutely show no mercy.

Not to mention that Rukia was merely an adopted sister.

"The pursuit team from the Soul Society has already arrived. Even if that is just a Gigai, it's only been three months—aren't you being a bit too careless?"

A flash of killing intent crossed Renji's eyes, but the target of this intent was not the Rukia before him, but rather...

"Confess, Rukia! Where is the person who took your powers?"

That person was the reason for the killing intent in Renji's eyes. Rukia's state was far too obvious; one could tell at a glance that her spiritual pressure had been taken by someone else.

Just then, cherry blossom petals drifted across their field of vision. Without either of them noticing, Byakuya Kuchiki had already appeared behind Rukia.

Rukia turned her head with difficulty, her eyes filled with terror: "Byakuya... brother!"

Across from Rukia, Renji's pupils constricted. As a flicker of worry crossed his face, his body lunged forward in an instant, his Zanpakuto carving a silver arc through the air.

The target of his strike was none other than Rukia!

Rukia's expression shifted slightly, and she retreated sharply, easily dodging the blow—which was not intended to kill, but to force her away from Byakuya's side. Seeing Rukia dodge successfully, Renji cast a glance at Byakuya out of the corner of his eye.

"Transferring Shinigami powers to a human is a grave crime. Rukia, speak quickly! We are here to capture the one who took your powers and kill them!" Renji emphasized the words "capture you" in his speech.

On the surface, he was stating the charges, but in secret, he had already begun to provide an excuse for Rukia. Only by claiming her powers were "forcibly" taken could Rukia be spared from... a heavy sentence!

"Stop shielding him!"

Renji's voice grew colder. Feeling the icy gaze of Byakuya Kuchiki behind him, he couldn't help but feel a sense of urgency: "The initial strike and the one just now—you didn't dodge those on your own; I made you dodge them. If you don't reveal the whereabouts of the person who forcibly took your powers, I won't be so polite!"

Whoosh—

Just then, a blue arrow gathered from spiritual energy shot out from the depths of the darkness. Renji's expression changed slightly as he dodged to the side.

"Two grown men wielding weapons to bully a defenseless woman—that really makes me sick."

At Kurosaki Ichigo's home, thanks to Kon's reminder, Ichigo finally learned why Rukia had disappeared.

Just as he was about to extract the Mod Soul from Kon, a voice suddenly came from nearby: "Looks like you're in a bit of trouble!" Before the words faded, the cane in the speaker's hand tapped Ichigo, knocking his Shinigami-form spirit body out of his physical shell.

Ichigo didn't have time to wonder why Urahara Kisuke had appeared in his home. Once his spirit body was released, he immediately followed the path. Rukia hadn't actually escaped very far before being intercepted by Renji.

Therefore, the location of Rukia and the others wasn't very far from Ichigo's home. Coupled with the guidance of Ishida's spiritual arrow, he arrived at the battlefield before long, but what met his eyes was the sight of Uryu lying in a pool of blood.

Urahara Shop!

Snap—

The bandages on Wu Biao's body were torn away instantly. The excitement and anticipation in his eyes vanished, replaced only by worry, because just a moment ago... he had suddenly felt a massive fluctuation in Ichigo's presence.

It was as if he were caught in a brutal battle, and when combined with the memory of that aura which had filled him with dread, Wu Biao's heart was flooded with anxiety. Ignoring Ururu and Jinta who tried to intercept him, he bolted out of the Urahara Shop.

However, the moment he stepped outside, a black cat blocked his path.

"You felt it too, didn't you!"

Yoruichi didn't waste any words. Looking at the anxiety in Wu Biao's eyes, she spoke to herself: "Urahara said that although you lack spiritual pressure and cannot sense fluctuations in spiritual power, you possess a beast-like instinct. I imagine you must have sensed how terrifying that person is."

Wu Biao's figure came to a halt, and he looked down at the black cat at his feet without saying a word.

"Stay here. If you go, you're just throwing your life away."

"Probably!"

Wu Biao gave a slight nod, not bothering to refute Yoruichi's words, but a faint smile curled at the corners of his mouth: "I'm a man with no grand pursuits or ambitions. There are only two things I care about."

"The first is to fight against the strong, and the second..." Wu Biao raised his head to look into the distance, where Ichigo's presence was raging. The smirk on his face gradually turned ferocious.

"...is that I cannot let those I cherish die before me! Both of the things I care about are over there, so how could I possibly sit still!" Before his voice had even fully faded, Wu Biao's figure had already vanished into the night.

Yoruichi stared at the spot where Wu Biao had disappeared for a moment before shaking her head.

"In other words... you'd rather die before those you cherish than witness their deaths..."

Yoruichi paused, turning to walk back into the shop, though a faint voice echoed through the night.

"Tch, that kid's brain really is, just as Urahara said, quite problematic..."

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(End of chapter)