The Blazing Sun Across the Sky

The sky split open.

A pitch-black rift stretched across the sky above Karakura Town. Dense Reiatsu poured out of it, making it difficult for ordinary people nearby to breathe.

Uryū Ishida looked up at the rift, his face already pale.

The Lure Drug could indeed attract Hollows.

But no matter what, it should not have drawn so many Gillians.

This was no longer a competition.

It was a disaster.

"How could this happen...?"

Uryū Ishida tightened his grip on the Quincy Cross, his knuckles whitening slightly.

Beside him, Ichigo Kurosaki stood frozen as well.

Images of Yuzu, Karin, and the ordinary people in Karakura Town who could not see Hollows at all flashed through his mind.

If these Gillians fired their Ceros together, half of Karakura Town would be destroyed.

"Can we stop them?"

Ichigo's voice sounded a little strained.

For the first time, the sword in his hand felt so heavy.

"Leave the rest to me."

A calm voice came from behind them.

Ichigo spun around and saw Yoriichi Tsugikuni standing a short distance away, his left hand resting on the Gray-Bladed Uchigatana at his waist.

"Yoriichi?"

After a brief flash of delighted surprise, Ichigo immediately grew frantic.

"What are you doing here? It's dangerous! Hurry up and find somewhere to hide!"

Uryū Ishida quickly raised his Spirit Bow as well, watching Yoriichi warily.

He had not noticed at all when Yoriichi had appeared behind them.

"Yoriichi Tsugikuni, this is no ordinary supernatural incident anymore."

"If you stay here, you'll only get yourself killed."

Yoriichi raised his head and looked at the rift in the sky.

Through the Transparent World, he saw countless chaotic Reishi gathering deep within the rift. That bottle of Lure Drug had merely been the trigger. What was truly drawing the Menos Grande here was another power, concealed extremely well.

That power's target was not Ichigo.

It was him.

"This disturbance probably started because of me."

With that, Yoriichi took a step forward.

Reishi naturally gathered beneath his feet, supporting his body.

He slowly walked toward the sky until he was level with the pitch-black rift.

"He's walking in midair?"

Uryū Ishida's pupils contracted.

Ichigo opened his mouth, momentarily at a loss for words as well.

Just then, more than a dozen enormous, deathly white masks emerged from the rift.

Red light gathered in their mouths.

Cero.

And more than a dozen Ceros were being fired at once.

"Yoriichi, get out of the way!"

Ichigo hoisted his Zanpakuto onto his shoulder and was about to charge forward.

But the next instant, he stopped.

Yoriichi drew the sword at his waist.

"Draw breath from the sun, burn away the filth of all Hollows."

The dark gray blade swiftly turned crimson. Golden-orange flames flowed along its edge, instantly igniting the cold, chaotic Reishi nearby.

" Hekyō."

Boom!

Scorching Reiatsu soared into the sky, dyeing the entire expanse crimson.

Ichigo's Shihakushō flapped wildly, while the Spirit Bow in Uryū Ishida's hand shook violently, nearly collapsing on the spot.

"This Reiatsu..."

Uryū Ishida gritted his teeth, barely managing to remain standing.

Was this really power a human could possess?

In front of the rift, more than a dozen Ceros descended at once.

Yoriichi's expression did not change in the slightest. He simply gripped his sword with both hands and slashed diagonally forward.

"Ninth Form: Flowing Clouds Scorch the Heavens."

A massive crimson crescent swept across the sky.

The instant the Ceros touched the slash, they were cleaved in two. The remaining force did not dissipate, continuing into the rift and cutting through the dozen or so Gillians at the front as well.

Flames clung to their severed Soul Bodies, burning them to ash in the blink of an eye.

But deeper inside the rift, there were still more Gillians.

White masks crowded together, one after another, with almost no end in sight.

Uryū Ishida was utterly speechless.

Just moments ago, he had been proud of the number of Hollows he had eliminated.

Now, that achievement seemed hardly worth mentioning.

"It's not over yet."

Ichigo stared at the rift and tightened his grip on Zangetsu again.

Yoriichi had also seen the Menos Grande farther back.

Had whoever sent them here done so to test his strength, or could they no longer wait?

Whichever it was, he had no intention of letting these Hollows enter the World of the Living.

Yoriichi raised Hekyō, and Sun Reiatsu rapidly condensed along its blade.

"Twelfth Form: Flame Heaven: Severing Destruction."

The blade fell.

A crimson-gold pillar of light cleaved vertically into the rift from the sky. The Gillians in its path could not even scream before the searing Reiatsu incinerated their Soul Bodies.

Boom!

A violent explosion rang out from deep within the rift.

Flames spread through the tightly packed Gillians, disappearing into the farthest darkness in an instant.

The remaining Menos Grande finally began to retreat.

They shoved one another, scrambling to flee deeper into Hueco Mundo. The enormous rift that had stretched across the sky rapidly closed as well.

Soon, the last trace of darkness vanished.

Peace returned to Karakura Town.

Yoriichi sheathed his sword and walked down from the sky, step by step.

Ichigo and Uryū Ishida still stood where they were.

"Are you two all right?"

Ichigo was the first to recover, then promptly plopped down on the ground.

"I'm fine. I just need a little rest."

Yoriichi examined his injuries and nodded only after confirming that he was in no danger.

Uryū Ishida, however, kept staring at Yoriichi.

"Who exactly are you?"

"Yoriichi Tsugikuni."

"I know your name!"

A vein twitched on Uryū Ishida's forehead.

That was clearly not what he had been asking.

Yoriichi did not answer further, merely turning to survey the area. The Wandering Souls nearby that had been drawn here by the Hollows had already quieted down. They had not been affected by the Sun Reiatsu.

Ichigo pushed himself up with Zangetsu and stood in front of Uryū Ishida.

"Enough. If he doesn't want to tell you, stop asking."

"Kurosaki, aren't you curious at all?"

"I am."

Ichigo looked at Yoriichi's back and grinned.

"But he came to save us. That's enough."

Uryū Ishida fell silent.

He lowered his head to look at the Lure Drug in his hand, the pride in his heart already gone.

This disaster had started because of him.

If Yoriichi Tsugikuni had not appeared, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

On a distant rooftop.

Kisuke Urahara covered half his face with his Paper Fan, his eyes beneath his hat brim unusually grave.

"My, my. How astonishing."

The Black Cat beside him licked her paw.

"Those flames reminded me of Old Man Yama, but they also felt different. And where on earth did this kid's power come from?"

The Black Cat turned to Kisuke Urahara.

"Have you found anything?"

"No."

Kisuke Urahara closed his Paper Fan, the smile on his face fading a little.

"Every part of his life before high school was as normal as an ordinary person's. No, not like an ordinary person's. He was an ordinary person."

"All we know is that his powers awakened on the same day as Ichigo's."

"Do you think..." He paused. "Could the Reiatsu leaking from Ichigo have stimulated him and awakened his powers? I hadn't put that thing inside Rukia yet back then!"

The Black Cat flicked her tail and said calmly, "The kid doesn't look like a bad person to me. He was even saving people near the school before!"

"Let's go. With all the commotion today, Soul Society probably already knows."

"And there's Rukia. They'll probably send someone over soon. We need to hurry back and get ready!"

Kisuke Urahara opened his Paper Fan again, returning to his usual shady merchant demeanor.

"My, my! It looks like we'll have no shortage of trouble from now on, Yoruichi-san."

Several dark lines appeared on the Black Cat's forehead.

"Don't address me in that disgusting tone."

The next second, she pounced straight onto Kisuke Urahara's face.

"Ow, ow, ow! Yoruichi-san, stop!"

"Serves you right."

The man and cat left the rooftop, bickering.

Soul Society.

In a quiet courtyard, Sōsuke Aizen set down the records in his hands, an inscrutable glint flashing behind his glasses.

He had ordered someone to release those Gillians.

He simply had not expected that even enough Gillians to nearly empty the entire Forest of Menos would fail to force his opponent to use his full strength.

Aizen walked to the window and gazed at the distant sky.

"Did you like the gift I gave you, Yoriichi Tsugikuni?"

"But that power really is astonishing!"

"How many more surprises will you bring me next?"