Blocked

An enormous Senkaimon had opened fully.

Blue-white light filled its frame. Nothing could be seen inside except constantly churning torrents of Reishi.

Kisuke Urahara lowered the brim of his hat, putting aside his usual flippancy for once.

"Everyone, the path inside the Senkaimon is no ordinary road."

"You must reach the Soul Society before the gate closes. Otherwise, you may be lost in the Dangai forever."

With Zangetsu over his shoulder, Ichigo said impatiently, "We know. You've said that three times already."

"Mr. Kurosaki, I'm taking responsibility for your lives."

Kisuke Urahara opened his paper fan and added with a smile, "After all, dying on the way there would hardly be a glorious death."

Uryū Ishida adjusted his glasses.

"Could you not say things like that right before we leave?"

Orihime Inoue clasped her hands tightly, while Chad stood beside her and nodded silently.

Yoriichi Tsugikuni said nothing, merely watching the Reishi flowing inside the gate.

In his vision, the Reishi within the Dangai was unstable. Countless tiny particles collided with one another before some force dragged them deeper inside.

There was something in there.

"Let's go."

Yoruichi charged into the Senkaimon first, and everyone followed close behind.

The moment they entered the Dangai, an intense pressure surged at them from all sides. The path beneath their feet stretched endlessly ahead, flanked by roiling black matter.

"Don't touch the sides!"

Yoruichi looked back and shouted, "If the Kōryū catches you, you'll be trapped here!"

Ichigo gritted his teeth and sped up.

"Why didn't you tell us that sooner?"

"It's not too late to tell you now."

"How is it not too late?"

Before long, a heavy rumbling suddenly sounded behind them.

The path began to shake.

An enormous object shrouded in purple light came barreling out of the depths of the Dangai. Wherever it passed, all the surrounding Kōryū was pushed aside.

Yoruichi's expression changed.

"It's the Kōtotsu! Run!"

Orihime instinctively glanced back, and the sheer size of the thing frightened her pale.

"Mr. Yoruichi, what is it?"

"The Dangai's cleaner. Anyone who touches it will be flung out of their original timeline."

Yoruichi dropped onto all fours and picked up speed again.

"Simply put, if it hits you, you could fall out somewhere in the Soul Society decades into the future."

Ichigo's eyes widened.

"How is that simple?"

Yoriichi stopped.

Noticing him, Uryū Ishida hurriedly shouted, "Tsugikuni, what are you doing?"

Yoriichi looked at the approaching Kōtotsu and asked calmly, "Can it be harmed?"

Yoruichi froze for a moment.

"It can, but there's no need to get tangled up with it. It'll come back to life anyway..."

"As long as it can be harmed. We only need to keep it from bothering us for a while."

Yoriichi gripped his sword's hilt and slowly drew its dark gray blade.

Crimson Reiatsu rose along the blade, instantly lighting the surrounding darkness. Searing heat spread outward, making even the Kōryū within the Dangai recoil.

"Hekyō."

He flicked his wrist and hurled his Zanpakuto.

"Eighth Form: Flying Wheel, Dawnlight."

The crimson blade spun at high speed, instantly becoming a dazzling wheel of light.

Just as the Kōtotsu closed in, the wheel pierced straight through its center. Golden-orange Reiatsu erupted, blasting its enormous body apart.

Boom!

The Dangai fell quiet again.

The spinning Hekyō circled once before landing steadily back in Yoriichi's hand.

Ichigo's steps faltered.

"So you can just cut that thing down?"

Yoruichi fell silent for a moment.

"It can come back to life."

"Oh."

"But it definitely won't catch up this time."

"Then doesn't that mean he cut it down?"

"Just keep running!"

White light appeared ahead.

They rushed out of the Dangai, landing one after another on a stretch of desolate ground.

The houses here were low and dilapidated, and hardly anyone could be seen along the roads. In the distance stood a ring of towering white stone walls, completely sealing off the area within.

Rukongai, East District 80.

Yoriichi looked up toward the Seireitei.

Ever since entering the Soul Society, he had sensed a faint feeling of being watched. The Reishi here was completely different from that of the World of the Living. Even the Reiatsu scattered through the air seemed to be under some sort of restraint.

They had landed in East District 80, near the outskirts and a considerable distance from the Seireitei.

They set off toward the center. By the time they reached Rukongai, darkness had fallen. Yoruichi suggested resting for the night and setting off again tomorrow, and everyone agreed.

The next day, they reached the boundary between Rukongai and the Seireitei.

Yoriichi sensed more than a dozen powerful sources of Reiatsu inside. One was not far from their location and was heading toward them.

Yoriichi knew it was Gin Ichimaru, but there was no danger at present, so he did not intend to tell the others.

"Rukia's in there, right?"

Ichigo pointed at the Seireitei and asked Yoruichi.

Yoruichi nodded. "That's right, but getting through the front gate won't be so easy."

Ichigo did not hear her and charged straight in.

Suddenly, a violent rumbling rang out.

A circular stone wall appeared overhead and rapidly descended toward Ichigo.

Ichigo hurriedly backed away, dodging the falling wall.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The stone walls landed with a deafening noise, sending dust billowing into the sky.

Once the dust cleared, everyone looked ahead.

Directly before them stood a gate bearing the words "Shirahider Gate."

The stone gate rose, and two enormous axes flew out and sank into the ground.

A giant lifted the stone gate, stepped out, and quickly lowered it before walking over to pick up the axes.

Jidanbō straightened and looked down at them.

"You lot planning to force your way into the Seireitei!"

"I guard the Shirahider Gate. If you want to enter, you'll have to defeat me first!"

Ichigo rested Zangetsu on his shoulder.

"Fine by me."

Jidanbō grinned.

"I've guarded this place for three hundred years, and no one has ever forced their way through the Shirahider Gate."

Yoriichi stepped aside, showing no intention of intervening.

Ichigo had been training at the Urahara Shop all this time. Jidanbō's Reiatsu was not particularly strong, making him just right for testing the results of that training.

Yoruichi glanced at Yoriichi.

"You're not going to help him?"

"He can win."

And that was indeed the case.

The fight ended quickly.

Zangetsu shattered Jidanbō's enormous axes one after another, and Ichigo overpowered his massive body head-on.

"I lost."

Jidanbō did not go back on his word. Instead, he walked over to the Shirahider Gate and lifted the heavy stone gate with both hands.

"The victor has the right to pass. Go on in!"

Ichigo was the first to walk through.

But he had only taken a few steps when he suddenly flew backward and slammed heavily into the ground.

"Ichigo!"

Orihime hurried over to him.

Yoriichi raised his head and saw a silver-haired man standing inside the gate. His eyes were narrowed, and an inscrutable smile rested on his face.

The Third Division Captain, Gin Ichimaru.

At the sight of him, all color drained from Jidanbō's face.

"Captain Ichimaru..."

"A gatekeeper letting Ryoka in without permission is a serious offense, you know."

Gin Ichimaru drew the Zanpakuto at his waist, pointing its tip outside the gate.

"Shoot to kill, Shinsō."

The blade abruptly extended.

Silver light shot through the Shirahider Gate, not only knocking back Ichigo, who had just gotten up, but also slashing Jidanbō's arm.

Blood sprayed out.

With its support gone, the Shirahider Gate came crashing down.

Before the final gap closed, Gin Ichimaru raised a hand and waved at them.

"See you next time."

With a thunderous crash, the Shirahider Gate shut completely.

Now they were completely shut out and would have to find another way inside.

Yoriichi walked up to the stone wall and pressed his palm against the Sekki-seki.

Sun Reiatsu slowly seeped from his palm. The stone wall, which could normally break down Reishi, immediately began to make faint cracking sounds.

It could be broken.

With just a little more Reiatsu, he could slash an entrance open here.

Yoruichi approached from behind.

"There's no need to tear down the wall. I know another way into the Seireitei."

Yoriichi withdrew his hand, and the cracks in the wall stopped spreading.

He might have to work with the Gotei 13 in the future.

Tearing down their wall on his very first visit really would be rather inappropriate.