Reconstruct It, World!

An unexpected scene unfolded before everyone's eyes: just as the blade of wind was about to strike, Ichiro grabbed the guard beside him and yanked him by the collar, using him as a human shield!

Watching the blood bloom across the guard's back, the enemy froze. What... was this?

Weren't they on the same side? It felt like he was the villain here, didn't it?

The enemy might have been stunned, but the Absolute Reason-driven Ichiro was not. Seeing the enemy's spiritual pressure surge several times over, Ichiro's eyes flickered. His free left hand rested on his Zanpakuto, and the transmutation circle stained with blood on his sleeve glowed faintly as his consciousness instantly plunged into the inner world of his blade.

When Ichiro opened his eyes, he found himself in a dark void where white specks of light drifted down like snowflakes. The wonder of it was that if you focused your attention on any single "snowflake," you would see something within it—perhaps an animal, a building, or a natural landscape. Every snowflake was unique.

Standing before Ichiro was a young girl in white court robes, tears streaming down her face. Yet, though she wept, these were tears of joy, for behind them lay an even more radiant smile.

"Lord Ichiro... you've finally come..." The girl couldn't help but take a few steps forward. Overwhelmed by immense joy, she forgot that Ichiro, who could no longer even hear her voice, could not possibly have entered this space without her knowing.

She didn't even notice the cold, indifferent look in Ichiro's eyes.

"Snap!"

To the girl's utter disbelief, Ichiro clamped his hand around her throat and slowly lifted her up. The light of a transmutation circle flashed and vanished, and with it, Ichiro's presence disappeared as well.

After Ichiro left, the girl slumped to the ground, a desolate smile on her face. She already understood why he had come inside.

"Lord Ichiro... hehe, hahaha... Lord Ichiro, hahaha, my Lord, hahahaha..."

This woman... had finally gone mad.

(Note: She isn't actually crazy!!! It's just a stylistic choice. Besides, this issue is resolved in the next two chapters. Damn it, I get flamed for foreshadowing two hundred chapters ahead, I get flamed for fifty, and now that I'm doing it for two or three, I'm still getting flamed... Is a newcomer supposed to just write mindless filler?)

Outside, once Ichiro's consciousness returned, he tossed the "meat shield" aside, slowly stood up, and drew his Zanpakuto. He lingered on the cracks along the blade for a moment, but dismissed them. Instead, he held the blade inverted and looked at the enemy, chanting without a shred of emotion: "Reconstruct! World!"

A miraculous scene occurred. The radiance of Reishi rose from the tip of the blade, gradually engulfing the entire length. The shape remained unchanged, but Ichiro's spiritual pressure, which had doubled, proved this was indeed his Shikai.

The enemy braced himself with absolute focus; no Zanpakuto could be underestimated. At that moment, Urahara suddenly shouted, "Ichiro, that guy is a vital combatant, save him!"

Hearing this, Ichiro gave the guard a casual slash before charging at the enemy with an expressionless face.

As he did, a glow of Reishi slowly emerged on the guard's back. Once the light faded, the wounds had miraculously vanished!

The enemy's pupils contracted. A healing-type Zanpakuto? Or something else? Thinking this, he swung his blade, sending a Howling Gale toward Ichiro, while he himself turned to parry the attacks from Urahara and Yoruichi. He continued to tangle with them, all the while keeping a close eye on Ichiro's movements.

On the other side, facing the incoming gale, Ichiro simply waved his Zanpakuto, and the wind vanished into thin air as if it had never existed.

Reconstruct! World: Capable of breaking down all things in the world into Reishi and reorganizing them. It was similar to Reishi Alchemy, but more powerful because it could fundamentally alter matter.

However, if Ichiro had to choose, he would still pick alchemy, even if the Zanpakuto appeared stronger. Of course, under normal circumstances, he wouldn't use such a crude method of selection.

The gale could not hinder Ichiro in the slightest. He quickly broke through to the enemy's side, raised his Zanpakuto high, and brought it down directly toward the enemy's head!

The enemy raised his blade to block!

The blades met, and the enemy's sword snapped!

In the enemy's shocked eyes, Ichiro's blade traced a path of Reishi light, severing both the enemy's weapon and his spiritual pressure defense, carving a massive gash directly across his chest!

Blood sprayed wildly through the air. Ichiro twisted his Zanpakuto, preparing to finish him off, but halfway through the swing, the spiritual light on the blade dissipated. The Shikai had suddenly deactivated. Although the blade still struck the enemy, it lacked the fluidity of a moment ago, leaving only a shallow wound.

"Ha!" The enemy paused, then grinned hideously and kicked Ichiro away. Just as he prepared to pursue, a voice rang out!

"Bind him! Benihime!"

Black and red ribbons of spiritual pressure immediately coiled around him, pinning him firmly in place. At the same time, to strengthen the restraint, Urahara specifically targeted his wounds, intensifying his agony!

"Play with fire! Benihime! Crimson Mist!"

"Boom, boom, boom!"

A series of explosions left the enemy's wounds even more severe, stripping him of the strength to break free from Urahara's binding. Yet, the assault was not over.

The moment the explosions ceased, Yoruichi's figure suddenly appeared above, her right fist raised high!

"Boom!"

"Urgh, ahhhhhh~~"

"Boom, boom, boom, boom~~"

Yoruichi's fist, glowing with white light, struck the enemy repeatedly. The cracks in the ground, originally caused by Ichiro's explosives, began to expand further; if this continued, the entire area might collapse!

Fortunately, his body wasn't that sturdy. After a dozen blows, a round head flew high into the air and landed on the ground. Yoruichi slowly ceased her movements, sitting on the corpse and gasping for air.

They had won...

But it was a pyrrhic victory.

Urahara was covered in sword wounds, some deep enough to expose bone.

Yoruichi, aside from her own lacerations, suffered most severely from her hands, which were covered in burns. Although she had begun researching Shunko, it was still in its infancy and caused significant damage to her body.

Ichiro had suffered minor muscle tears, extensive internal injuries, and multiple bone fractures. The enemy had died a bit too early, before Ichiro could finish his Body Transmutation, and once Absolute Reason ended, the chaotic emotions returned, making it impossible for him to perform such delicate work.

Of course, the greatest damage was to the Zanpakuto itself.

He had made one mistake in this battle: before using Absolute Reason, he had set two parameters incorrectly. First, he had forgotten there was a guard on the battlefield who wasn't a student... leading to the blunder of using him as a meat shield.

Second, he hadn't factored the Zanpakuto into his calculations, which led to him crudely forcing the Shikai name and causing a total falling out with his blade.

Still, only the three of them were severely injured. Although the guard had been "volunteered" to take a hit for Ichiro, Ichiro had patched him up afterward, making him the least injured of the group.

Just like a scene from a movie, the moment the battle ended, the terrified academy guards arrived on the scene...

And on the other side...