Damn, That Was Close-I Almost Didn't Make It (An 8,300-Word Mega Chapter)

Damn, that was close—I almost didn't make it (an 8,300-word mega chapter)

Outside the Shiba family home in West Rukongai.

Beside the towering cannon barrel—or, more accurately, the giant smokestack—Ichigo and the others had gathered. At last, it was time to invade Seireitei. A fierce battle was surely waiting for them.

Their faces were all grave, and the atmosphere was oppressive.

Yoruichi walked forward slowly. Looking at the boys and girls, all of them only fifteen or sixteen, she couldn't help sighing inwardly. I wonder if it was really right to drag these children into this.

But it was too late to change anything now. She pushed aside her guilt and looked over everyone before speaking. "All right, is everyone here?"

"Wait!" A shout rang out from the distance. Turning toward it, they saw Shiba Ganju hurrying toward them, holding a small folded notebook and breathing hard. He was winded from running, but he was also nervous and afraid of the decision he'd made.

"What are you wearing?" Ichigo asked, eyeing Ganju's clothes.

Ganju grinned proudly. "This is the Battle Suit specially designed for the great Ganju. Pretty cool, huh?"

Battle Suit?

Everyone present was taken aback. Even Kūkaku Shiba, seated on the cannon platform, frowned to herself.

"Battle Suit?" Ichigo, who was only a little smarter than Wu Biao, was the last to realize Ganju's intention. "Weren't you here to see us off?"

Ganju didn't answer. Instead, he walked up to Ichigo, stared him in the eye, and said word by word, "My big brother was... killed by a Shinigami!"

"Ganju! You little..." Kūkaku Shiba, standing off to the side, could no longer stay quiet. She rose to reprimand him.

Before she could finish, Ganju's angry shout cut her off. "Even if you're my big sister, just shut up and listen!"

Kūkaku froze. Ganju, who had always been terrified of her growing up, had actually interrupted her loudly. It came as a surprise. But after recovering, she sat back down, wanting to hear what he had to say.

"My big brother was a genius. He got into Shino Academy on his first try and had spiritual power of the sixth grade. He was at the level of a Gotei 13 lieutenant. Then he completed the six-year curriculum in just one year, graduated, and joined the Thirteenth Division. In only five years, he became a lieutenant. But..."

Ganju's gaze lowered slightly, settling on Ichigo's Shihakusho. Sorrow and hatred showed in his eyes.

"My big brother was killed. He was killed by a Shinigami who used to be his comrade. I was just a little kid back then, and I can't remember much. But I remember two faces very clearly: the face of the Shinigami who killed my brother, and...the face of my brother, who was still happy to thank her even as he was dying."

"Why did he do that? Why was he so happy? I still don't understand!" Ganju let out a long breath, steadying himself before continuing. "But I know my brother never hated the Shinigami. I want to know why. If I go with you, maybe I'll find out what made him do it!"

The atmosphere grew heavy. No one had expected a streetwise little punk like him to have gone through something like that.

Ichigo grabbed Ganju by the collar and curled his lips into a grin. "Then I'm counting on you!"

"You damn..."

Kūkaku slowly stood and slapped the cannon barrel beside her. A gap large enough for one person to enter opened up. "Since you've all made up your minds, get inside!"

She didn't try to stop Ganju. He understood better than anyone how dangerous Seireitei was, yet he was still going without hesitation. That question must have been weighing on him for years.

Rather than let him keep bottling it up, she'd let him go find the answer!

Once everyone had entered the cannon, Kūkaku looked up at the sky. A faint strip of dawn had appeared in the distant east. As soon as morning came, they would fire the cannon!

"Listen. Once you're inside Seireitei, don't split up. If you see a captain, run. Don't get into a fight with one under any circumstances!" Yoruichi, inside the cannon, gave them one last warning. "Whatever happens, remember that our goal is to rescue Rukia. Nothing else. Don't take any unnecessary risks!"

The darkness gradually receded and the sky grew bright. Kūkaku finished tracing the incantation around the cannon with a final stroke.

"From beyond, the copper-red desire seeks thirty-six degrees of control. Seventy-two pairs of illusions, thirteen pairs of horns. The monkey's right hand grasps the stars." Kūkaku pulled the bandage off her head, wrapped it around her arm, and set it alight. Once the flame caught, she continued chanting, "Embrace the twenty-five suns. The cradle of sand is bleeding. Second cannon—Kukaku-style Shooting Method—Bloom of Binding!"

With Kūkaku's final shout, she slammed down her flaming right hand. Fire instantly engulfed the area around the cannon and shot upward like a firework with its fuse lit.

Boom—

With a tremendous explosion, Ichigo and the others, already packed together like a cannonball inside the launch platform, shot into the sky and hurtled toward distant Seireitei!

"Emergency alert! Emergency alert! A new group of intruders has been spotted above Seireitei. All divisions, enter a state of heightened alert. Repeat..."

As soon as the cannonball reached the skies above Seireitei, the 12th Division monitoring station issued another announcement throughout the entire Court.

A captains' meeting was underway in the 1st Division, though not everyone had attended. Ukitake Jushiro, captain of the Thirteenth Division, was recovering from an illness in his barracks.

As for the Fifth Division Captain, Aizen Sōsuke, he had gone missing last night and his whereabouts remained unknown.

And Kenpachi... was probably still sprinting through northern Seireitei under the little girl's guidance!

"Another group of intruders?" Captain-Commander Yamamoto furrowed his brows. A murderous glint flickered in his imposing eyes. The successive disturbances had clearly enraged the legendary old man.

"I hereby declare..." Captain-Commander Yamamoto tilted his head slightly, looking at the ceiling. If the ceiling had been removed, it would have been clear that he was looking in the direction of Ichigo and the others. "The restrictions on Level One prohibited measures are lifted. Under the wartime special order, captains are permitted to use Bankai within Seireitei!"

"A wartime special order!"

"How could this happen? Have the Ryoka really caused that much damage?"

"What do you think? More than a thousand injured are already lying in the Fourth Division. The lower-ranked members of every division have suffered losses, and casualties among seated officers below lieutenant rank are as high as forty percent. Hinamori Momo, the Fifth Division's lieutenant, is also recuperating in the Fourth Division."

The speaker was a huge man wearing a straw hat. Brown fur covered the hands protruding from his sleeves.

"My, my. Things really have gotten out of hand!" The middle-aged man beside him, dressed in a patterned coat, adjusted the brim of his hat. His expression, too, turned grave.

"The most important thing is..." Ichimaru Gin still wore his foxlike smile, his eyes narrowed until his pupils were almost invisible. "All this was done by a single Ryoka. And now that Ryoka has reinforcements. Even if they aren't as strong as him, we absolutely can't underestimate them."

"You have no right to say that!" Tōshirō's face was dark with anger. He glared at Ichimaru Gin. He remembered the last time he'd run into Aizen the day before, and what Aizen had said to him. Since then, Tōshirō had been keeping an eye on Ichimaru Gin, and he'd begun to feel that something about him was off.

"If you hadn't encountered the Ryoka and chosen not to act, how could things have turned out like this?"

"Ah, you're right. It is my fault. Who could have guessed that...a mere Ryoka with no spiritual power would be so formidable? Did any of you take him seriously from the beginning?"

"..."

Everyone's breathing hitched slightly at his words. After all, neither the first nor the second alert had caught the captains' attention. They hadn't thought a mere person with no spiritual power, someone who had barely defeated a Gillian, was worth worrying about.

But none of them had expected things to turn out this way.

"Ahhhhh—!"

Just then, terrified screams suddenly rang out from outside the 1st Division. Everyone froze, then exchanged glances and hurried out of the barracks. Captain-Commander Yamamoto was among them.

They all used Shunpo to move. After leaving the 1st Division barracks, they followed the screams to the East Great Holy Wall. The sight on the wall of that building left even them stunned and disbelieving.

"Aizen?"

"How is that possible?"

"Looks like we can go ahead with the wartime special order!"

"..."

Ichimaru Gin looked at Aizen's corpse on the high wall, his foxlike smile growing more pronounced.

So the plan changed?

Just as expected of that man. He actually chose to stage this in front of so many captains. How arrogant...

But isn't this a little too soon?

In truth, he had no idea that Aizen had been forced to change his plans. According to Aizen's original intentions, he'd wanted to spend at least two more days playing a thoroughly malicious game.

He'd planned, for instance, to turn certain people's suspicions toward Ichimaru Gin, and to leave a letter in the barracks that would set Hinamori Momo and Tōshirō against each other. But Wu Biao had accidentally ruined all of that.

By sheer coincidence, the first place Wu Biao had reached was the Fifth Division barracks. He'd turned it into a ruin and sent the entire division to the Fourth Division barracks.

After all that, there was no point in going to the Fourth Division just to indulge in those malicious games.

The Fourth Division Captain, Unohana Retsu, was, after all...aside from Captain-Commander Yamamoto, the only person he currently feared.

He might as well get straight to the point and begin carrying out his plans.

The crowd's shock didn't last long. A disturbance in the skies above Seireitei soon broke through it. The Reishi Cannonball was clashing with Seireitei's defensive barrier, and it looked ready to break through and enter the city.

"Aizen's death can be discussed later. The immediate priority is to eliminate the Ryoka inside the Court." Captain-Commander Yamamoto turned around slowly, an aura of terrifying authority radiating from him.

"Any Ryoka encountered...may be killed or captured!"

In an abandoned 3rd Division barracks in western Seireitei, Wu Biao suddenly opened his eyes.

"They're here?"

Wu Biao sat up and instinctively reached to fix his hair, but his hand stopped midway.

Right. I'm bald now...

"Damn it. I wonder when my handsome middle part is going to grow back."

After resting for several hours, most of the injuries on Wu Biao's body had healed. Some of the lighter wounds had already faded to shallow scars. He scratched his gleaming bald head, stood, and went to the window to look up.

He spotted the conspicuous ball of light in the sky at once, and his eyes blazed with stars.

"Holy crap, now that's how a hero makes an entrance! So flashy, so over-the-top! I should've come with them. Now it feels like I'm just some lackey who cleared the way, while the heroes show up at the last minute!"

As Wu Biao stared up with shining eyes, the sphere in the sky suddenly burst apart, splitting into four streams that hurtled toward the southeast, southwest, northeast, and northwest of Seireitei.

They'd split up?

Wu Biao stared, baffled. "Are you kidding me? Where am I supposed to go now?"

But Brother Biao didn't know that this was actually safer for Ichigo and the others.

After Brother Biao's rampage last night, most of Seireitei's forces had gathered in the west. In other words, the other three directions were relatively safe.

By contrast, those who landed in the west would likely be surrounded by a tide of Shinigami as soon as they hit the ground!

High above western Seireitei, there were only two unfortunate people knocked off course into the west: Kurosaki Ichigo and Shiba Ganju.

The patrol teams combing the entire western district for Wu Biao converged on the two boys' landing site almost simultaneously.

Boom—

With a muffled crash, Ichigo and Ganju landed in the sandpit Ganju had made. A cloud of dust rose up and got into their mouths and throats.

"Cough, cough... Thanks to that weird spell of yours, we made it out alive...ugh..." Ichigo coughed the dust from his mouth, still shaken. But before he could finish, he stopped short!

"What do you mean, weird spell—" Ganju looked up, about to retort, but the sight around them made his face turn green. "Hey...did I hit my head so hard I'm hallucinating?"

Ichigo ignored him, his mouth twitching as he looked at the Shinigami packed around them. "Are there just Shinigami everywhere in a place like Seireitei?"

At that moment, Shinigami covered the rooftops and the streets in every direction. They stretched as far as the eye could see, a sea of black...Ichigo and Ganju had been surrounded the moment they landed.

"How is this possible..." Ganju's mouth twitched. "Even in Seireitei, there can't be this many Shinigami in one area!"

He turned to look at Ichigo, suddenly enlightened. "I get it! You damn Shinigami are a traitor! You must've sent them a message in advance. Otherwise, how could we possibly have been surrounded the instant we got here?"

"How could that be, you idiot!"

"..."

The Shinigami surrounding them exchanged glances, their expressions solemn. The two Ryoka clearly weren't the ones who had rampaged through western Seireitei last night, but they still didn't dare underestimate them.

"Now that's lucky!"

Two figures stepped out of the crowd. The one who'd spoken was bald.

They were Madarame Ikkaku, Third Seat of the 11th Division, and Ayasegawa Yumichika, Fifth Seat of the 11th Division.

Ichigo frowned. Before they'd set out, Yoruichi had said their main goal was to rescue Rukia. But...getting out of here alive was already a huge problem!

"You might not be the person we're looking for, but you've still fallen right into my hands. Now that's lucky!" During the time it took to say that, Ikkaku had spent ages walking around on his toes.

Judging by the looks of it...he was doing some bizarre kind of dance.

"..." It wasn't just Ichigo and Ganju who were at a loss for words.

Even the Shinigami surrounding them couldn't help twitching at the corners of their mouths. Was this bald guy here to make them laugh?

But...

That person?

Ichigo's face filled with a bitter smile. "I think I know why there are so many Shinigami here the moment we arrived!"

"Why?"

Ichigo shook his head. "I'll explain after we break out!"

"Break out?" Yumichika Ayasegawa seemed to hear the biggest joke of his life and burst out laughing. "Hahahaha! You two think you can break through? You've got some nerve... I almost feel like you're looking down on us."

"Just surrender. If you're with that man, we can use you as bait!" Ikkaku sneered.

"That guy..." Ichigo's face showed his anger, but his eyes had already turned serious. There were simply too many of them.

So what?

He'd known before coming that this might happen. There was only one plan: fight their way out!

"Get ready to break through!" With that, Ichigo wasted no time. After warning Ganju behind him, he gripped Zangetsu's hilt. His spiritual pressure surged in an instant, pressing down on everyone present!

Ikkaku's toe-tapping dance came to a halt. He slowly turned, his gaze settling on Ichigo as a smile gradually curled across his lips. "I see. Looks like you're not bad yourself!"

Shiba Ganju stood resolutely behind Ichigo...though only because they were surrounded on every side. Otherwise, he'd have run off long ago.

It turned out this guy wasn't stupid. He knew that if he wanted to stay alive, he'd be safer sticking close to Kurosaki Ichigo.

The Shinigami all stepped forward together, their faces cold and murderous. They'd spent the whole night chasing the Ryoka who'd rampaged through Seireitei, only to fail to catch him and get so many of their people beaten down.

They were all sitting on a load of pent-up anger with nowhere to let it out. These two Ryoka were perfect punching bags.

Clang—

Ichigo and Ikkaku vanished from where they stood almost at the same time. Sparks flew between them.

"Not bad!" Ikkaku sneered.

"Likewise!" Ichigo sneered back, his eyes growing more serious. He hadn't expected the first opponent to be this strong.

If everyone here was as strong as this guy, he might really die here!

"Ahhh!"

"Watch out!"

"It's that guy! That human!"

"..."

Just then, a commotion broke out beyond the encirclement. Ichigo and Ikkaku used the force of their clash to leap backward at the same time. Once they'd landed, both looked toward the commotion.

"Pegasus Meteor Fist!"

A sudden yell rang out, calling a move only Ichigo understood.

Ichigo covered his face. There was no need to guess. Even in Soul Society, the only person who'd shout the name of such a bizarre move with that much confidence was...Brother Biao!

The commotion didn't last long. It wasn't because the newcomer had been stopped; it was because the Shinigami in that direction had all been sent flying. A fierce figure charged straight into the battlefield.

There he was: a shirtless man with only one pant leg left, half his butt cheek exposed, standing proudly before Ichigo and Ganju. His bare upper body was covered in knife scars, and a savage, beastlike aura struck everyone around him in the face!

A few seconds later, the newcomer turned around and immediately struck a pose with both hands raised to his shoulders. With fiery passion on his face, he shouted, "Wahahahaha! You disgusting, ugly-as-sin bald freaks! Picking on people with superior numbers is against the rules of combat! Prepare to face the righteous punishment!"

"..." Ichigo and Ganju!

"..." Ikkaku's veins bulged, while Yumichika Ayasegawa wore a strange expression!

"..." Every Shinigami stared at the newcomer's head.

The scene fell silent. Brother Biao held the pose for a while, but no one responded. The corners of his eyes twitched.

Awkward silence?

This is awkward, isn't it?

Why aren't they saying anything?

Are they stunned by my heroic bearing?

Brother Biao blinked, slowly lowered his arms from his chest, and awkwardly scratched the half-exposed cheek of his butt. "Hey, I'm talking to you! Are you all deaf?"

"..."

No one paid him any attention. In the end, Kurosaki Ichigo had to step forward and quietly tap Wu Biao on the shoulder. "Brother Biao, your hair..."

"My hair? What about it?" Wu Biao froze for a moment, then finally realized. His expression changed instantly. "That's right! I'm fucking bald too!"

So you're only realizing that now?!

The Shinigami couldn't help grumbling to themselves...

Brother Biao slapped the top of his head, his eyes bloodshot as he glared at the Shinigami and roared furiously, "You bastards set me up like this! You actually sent a bald guy to mess with me, making me insult myself! What a scheme! How devious! How shameless!"

"..."

Madarame Ikkaku was now tempted to use Bankai. Could he just kill this guy? Where the hell had this idiot come from?

"You're that Ryoka who caused a ruckus in the west, aren't you?" Yumichika Ayasegawa asked from the side.

Wu Biao looked over at the sound of his voice, then froze. He stared intently at Yumichika.

Yumichika felt a chill run through him under that stare, and cold sweat trickled down from his temple.

Could this guy be captivated by my beauty?

Of course, Brother Biao had no interest in men. Actually, he wasn't interested in women either. Otherwise, he wouldn't have done something so heinous to Hinamori Momo.

To be precise, Brother Biao was staring at Yumichika's head—in other words, his hair. With an envious look, he said, "That's a great hairstyle!"

Was he complimenting me?

Yumichika instinctively ran his fingers through his hair, which parted to either side. He said proudly, "Naturally. The beauty I pursue is perfection!"

"Give it to me!"

"..." Yumichika's hand stopped mid-motion. Then he roared furiously, "As if that's going to happen, you bastard!"

Brother Biao blinked and pleaded, "Please!"

"..."

Yumichika didn't even want to speak anymore. The bastard in front of him was definitely crazy. What good would begging do? There was no way he'd give away his hair!

"Enough nonsense!" Madarame Ikkaku interrupted Wu Biao before he could continue begging. He fixed his gaze on Wu Biao and said, "You've managed to hide for quite a while. But now that you've come out, you've saved us the trouble of searching for you. Surrender quietly!"

"Bald—uh, idiot! When has your Brother Biao ever run away? I just took a nap nearby!"

He'd been about to call him "bald," right? He definitely had...

Veins bulged across Ikkaku's bald head. He gritted his teeth and glared at Wu Biao. "You're dead! Today, I'm going to chop that shiny bald head right off!"

"Brother Biao... Stop fooling around. Sado and Ishida got separated from me. The most important thing now is to make sure they're safe. If they've also..." Ichigo trailed off, looking up at the growing number of Shinigami around them, worry written all over his face.

"Don't worry!" Wu Biao grinned smugly. "There aren't many people in the other directions!"

"What do you mean?" Ganju cut in before Ichigo could say anything.

"Who's this guy?" Wu Biao asked, glancing at Ganju.

"I'll explain later. Now's not the time!" Ichigo said gravely, watching the Shinigami around them prepare to attack.

"Don't worry. Pretty much all the Shinigami in the Seireitei came over here to hunt me down. There aren't many people elsewhere!" Brother Biao said nonchalantly.

"..." Ichigo and Ganju's faces darkened.

They understood now. They finally understood why they'd been surrounded as soon as they landed. It was all because of the guy standing right in front of them... What on earth had he done to draw so many Shinigami?

"Though I'd really like to fight you one-on-one, but..." Spiritual pressure gradually rose around Madarame Ikkaku. His gaze turned cold as he continued, "You've caused more than enough trouble. You have two choices now. Either surrender, or... die here!"

"Tch!"

Wu Biao shot Madarame Ikkaku a disdainful glance. "My target is that pretty boy, so I choose a third option: knock all of you flat, then get out of here!"

"Big talk!"

The moment the last word left his mouth, Madarame Ikkaku sprang forward and charged straight at Wu Biao.

A ferocious grin tugged at Wu Biao's lips. He strode forward and threw a punch at Ikkaku, who had appeared right in front of him.

A boom rang out, and one figure was sent flying backward.

When they saw who it was, every Shinigami present grew solemn. The man was none other than Madarame Ikkaku, Third Seat of the 11th Division.

"Just as the reports said... He really is strong," Madarame Ikkaku muttered, looking at his trembling right hand. He couldn't help feeling shaken.

"Let's break through first!"

Wu Biao glanced at the growing crowd around them, his expression turning serious. These weren't the petty thugs he'd fought in the Human World. After beating so many people in a row last night, even his freakish stamina was starting to give out.

Even Wu Biao knew they couldn't afford to meet force with force yet.

"Yeah!"

Ichigo tightened his grip on Zangetsu, showing no trace of fear. With Brother Biao here, he was ready to fight these Shinigami—and even without him, he'd still dare to face them.

"Attack! The Captain-Commander's orders are to take them dead or alive!"

At someone's shout, a sea of Shinigami charged toward the three of them.

Ichigo and Ganju instinctively prepared to break through, but Wu Biao stopped them.

"Back up!"

The two froze in surprise, but Ichigo still pulled the confused Ganju back a couple of steps.

"How arrogant. You're not even going to team up with them? How do you expect to break through on your own?" Yumichika sneered, and his Zanpakuto instantly shifted into Shikai.

"Hmph, I don't need to team up with them!" Wu Biao crossed his arms over his chest and howled at the sky. "You scoundrels can all come at me together! You still won't be able to do a thing!"

"Uh... Ah..." As soon as Brother Biao finished speaking, he dropped into a wide-legged stance. His face reddened as sweat beaded on his forehead. He looked as if he were using every last bit of strength to unleash some kind of ultimate technique, and let out a hoarse cry: "Kannon-style secret technique..."

Ichigo's face darkened. He'd already had a bad feeling as soon as he saw that pose. The moment he heard "Kannon-style," all he wanted to do was smack Brother Biao over the head with his Zanpakuto.

You're seriously using that useless move as your big finishing attack?

"Brother Biao, maybe we should—uh!" Ichigo had just been about to stop Wu Biao's pointless theatrics when his eyes nearly popped out of his head. A basketball-sized ball of spiritual energy had actually appeared in Wu Biao's right hand.

Is he for real?

"Kannonji-dan!" With a roar from Wu Biao, the Kannonji-dan shot straight into the oncoming crowd.

A tremendous explosion rang out, followed by a series of screams. The Shinigami caught in the blast were sent sprawling in every direction!

There was no denying it: the explosive power of the Kannonji-dan made dealing with ordinary squad members ridiculously easy!

"That brutal?"

The charging Shinigami weren't the only ones stunned. Ichigo and Ganju were both left gaping for a good while.

"What are you standing around for? Hurry up and run!"

Wu Biao cursed at them, jolting the two out of their shock.

At his words, Ichigo hurried after Wu Biao, sprinting ahead.

"Stop them! Don't let them escape!"

The Shinigami ranks were thrown into disarray for a moment, but they quickly regrouped. One after another, they charged fearlessly at Wu Biao and the others.

"Watch out!" Ganju called urgently as a squad of Shinigami suddenly rushed out from the road to their front left.

"I've got this!"

Ichigo roared, and as he ran, spiritual pressure surged skyward around him.

Whoosh—

But just then, a ball of spiritual energy shot past him and crashed into the middle of the Shinigami squad. A tremendous boom followed, and more than half of the Shinigami to their front left were blasted away.

Ichigo's mouth twitched. He nearly tumbled to the ground, but after managing to steady himself, he glared at Wu Biao. "Brother Biao... Why didn't you yell... uh... ah... just now?"

"Are you stupid? There wasn't time. Why would I yell?"

"..."

That actually made sense, but...

"Isn't your move supposed to require you to strike that constipated pose, gather spiritual pressure for ages, then roar out the name of the technique before you can use it?"

Wu Biao gave Ichigo a look like he was an idiot. "When did I ever say it worked like that?" As he spoke, Wu Biao casually reached into the air and forcibly pulled the spiritual energy in that area together into a ball, then tossed it behind them.

"See? That's all you have to do!"

Smack—

Ichigo slapped Brother Biao on his bald head.

"Then why do you always make those pointless movements? And why do you turn bright red every time, like you're using all your strength? Why do you do that?"

"Because it looks cool! Don't you think it gives you that feeling of, 'Ah, my Cosmo's exploding! I'm about to unleash my ultimate move'?"

Thud! Thud—

After two consecutive dull thumps, Ichigo and Ganju both stumbled and fell flat on their faces.

A whopping 8,400-character chapter! I barely made the deadline. Not sure if there are any typos; I'll upload it first and edit it later!

(End of Chapter)