Encountering the enemy

The enormous ball of spiritual power shot into the sky, and the Seireitei rapidly grew larger before their eyes.

Inside the sphere, Ichigo Kurosaki gritted his teeth and struggled to keep his breathing steady.

"Don't lose control! Keep to the rhythm from before!"

Ganju Shiba formed hand signs, cold sweat already beading on his forehead. As he looked at the soul-blocking barrier right before them, his heart nearly leaped into his throat.

Once they passed through, they would officially have broken into the Seireitei.

But if they failed...

Ganju did not want to think any further.

The next instant, the ball of spiritual power struck the barrier, and the entire sphere began shaking violently. The outer curtain of light compressed, throwing everyone's spiritual power into disarray.

"We're about to break through!"

The moment Ichigo shouted those words, his breathing faltered.

On the other side, Chad's body swayed as well. He immediately adjusted his breathing, but both men's spiritual power had already gone out of control at the same time.

A crack appeared on the surface of the sphere.

Then the cracks rapidly spread.

Uryū Ishida's expression changed.

"Kurosaki, stabilize your spiritual power!"

"I'm working on it!"

"It certainly doesn't look like it!"

"Is this really the time to argue?"

Orihime Inoue clutched her head and cried in panic, "Everyone, stop arguing! I think the ball's about to explode!"

Everyone looked up at once.

Cracks already covered the entire sphere.

Boom!

Violent spiritual power exploded in midair, and blinding white light instantly swallowed them all. The shock wave hurled them in different directions, leaving nothing but the howl of wind in their ears.

Yoriichi Tsugikuni had sensed it before the explosion occurred.

He reached out and grabbed Orihime, who was closest to him, then pushed off with his foot and caught Chad, who had been thrown in another direction.

As for the others, the explosion had already sent them flying in different directions.

"Kurosaki-kun!"

Watching Ichigo grow more and more distant, Orihime instinctively reached out.

"He isn't hurt," Yoriichi said calmly.

Hearing that, Orihime felt a little reassured.

"What about Ishida and Mr. Yoruichi?"

"They're still alive too."

"And Ganju?"

Yoriichi glanced into the distance.

A scream came from that direction.

"He should be alive too."

His tone was not particularly certain.

The three of them were falling rapidly.

Chad looked down at the fast-approaching rooftop and said in a low voice, "We're going to hit it."

Yoriichi released Chad and held Orihime in his right hand, lightly tapping his foot against the air.

A ring of Reiatsu spread out beneath his foot.

Their descent rapidly slowed, and they finally landed on a rooftop. The tiles made only a faint sound, without alerting anyone nearby.

Orihime steadied herself and patted her chest.

"We're safe."

Chad looked around.

"The others aren't nearby."

"The explosion separated us."

Yoriichi let go and looked toward the center of the Seireitei. The white tower in the distance stood out clearly, completely enclosed by a powerful barrier.

If Rukia was still alive, she was most likely there.

Orihime followed his gaze and asked softly, "Tsugikuni-kun, what do we do next?"

"Keep moving."

"What about Kurosaki-kun and the others?"

"They'll head there too."

Yoriichi was not worried about Ichigo. Though he was prone to acting impulsively, an accident of this magnitude would not stop him.

The three dropped from the rooftop and walked down the street.

The buildings inside the Seireitei were neatly arranged, their white walls stretching together in an unbroken expanse. Strangely, even after walking for a long time, they still saw no sign of anyone nearby.

Orihime looked from side to side, the tension gradually disappearing from her face.

"It seems pretty safe here."

Chad nodded.

"There really is no one around."

Yoriichi suddenly stopped.

Walking behind him, Orihime did not react in time and nearly bumped into his back.

"What's wrong?"

"Someone's ahead."

Chad's expression immediately grew serious.

He could not sense any Reiatsu, but he trusted Yoriichi's judgment. Ever since he had met Yoriichi, the other man had never been wrong about something like this.

"Are they strong?"

"Very strong."

Anyone who earned that assessment from Yoriichi had to be at least a Captain-level Soul Reaper.

Yoriichi looked toward an alley beside them.

"Hide for now."

Orihime asked worriedly, "Are you going alone, Tsugikuni-kun?"

"Yes."

"But..."

Chad raised a hand and placed it on Orihime's shoulder, saying in a low voice, "Staying here will only distract him."

Orihime opened her mouth, but ultimately nodded.

"Please be careful, Tsugikuni-kun."

Yoriichi turned and walked ahead.

Chad led Orihime into the nearby alley, and they soon disappeared behind the wall.

Up ahead.

Yoriichi Tsugikuni rounded a corner and entered a long, narrow street.

A few flower petals drifted slowly down through the air.

At the other end of the street, a tall man strolled toward him. He wore a woven bamboo hat, his long brown hair tied behind his head, with fine stubble along his jaw.

Over his open black Soul Reaper robes, he wore a pink women's outer robe covered in floral patterns. Two Zanpakuto, one long and one short, hung at his waist, and he carried a flask in his hand.

The man raised the flask and took a drink, a casual smile on his face.

"What a bother. I was just hoping to find somewhere to drink, and here I run into a young ryoka."

Yoriichi Tsugikuni did not answer.

The man took another two steps forward.

"No need to be so tense. My name is Shunsui Kyōraku, captain of the Eighth Division. What's your name, young man?"

Yoriichi still said nothing, slowly resting his right hand on Hekyō's hilt.

Shunsui Kyōraku stopped and sighed helplessly.

"Are all young people this serious nowadays? Keep scowling like that, and you'll grow old before your time."

Still no response.

Shunsui Kyōraku looked around, only then noticing that the petals drifting down a moment ago were gone.

He turned and called toward the rooftop, "Nanao-chan, why did the petals stop? The atmosphere was just right."

Nanao Ise stood on the rooftop, a white gleam flashing across her glasses.

The next instant, the basket holding the petals dropped straight out of the sky.

Thump.

The basket landed over Shunsui Kyōraku's head, and all the remaining petals spilled into his collar.

Shunsui Kyōraku removed the basket and shook the petals off his clothes.

"Nanao-chan, that's rather mean of you."

"The ryoka have already broken into the Seireitei, and one is standing right in front of us."

Nanao Ise adjusted her glasses and said coldly, "Captain Kyōraku, please take this seriously."

"All right, all right."

Shunsui Kyōraku put away his flask. His smile remained unchanged, but his presence grew heavy.

He looked at Yoriichi and rested his hand on the hilt at his waist.

"It may seem a little unkind, but I have my duties."

"Young man, I can't let you pass."

Yoriichi Tsugikuni finally spoke.

"I know."

Shunsui Kyōraku raised an eyebrow slightly.

Yoriichi gripped Hekyō and watched him calmly.

"So I wasn't planning to simply walk past."