Within Wahrwelt's upper structures, two afterimages raced one after the other through a white corridor.
"Stop right there!"
Ichigo Kurosaki gripped Zangetsu with both hands, veins bulging on his forehead as he shouted and chased at full speed.
The man ahead, with curly black hair and a bizarre parasol-like hat, ran faster than a rabbit.
He was Askin Nakk Le Vaar, the Sternritter designated "D."
"Stop so you can cut me? I'm not an idiot."
Askin glanced back and only quickened his Hirenkyaku. "What I hate most is this sort of crude physical labor. Can't we just sit down, have some tea, and talk?"
"Shut up!"
Spiritual power erupted beneath Ichigo's feet, instantly closing the distance between them. "Getsuga Tenshō!"
A black, crescent-shaped blade skimmed across the floor tiles, cleaving straight through two load-bearing pillars ahead.
Askin tumbled forward in an ungainly roll, narrowly avoiding the attack.
He dusted off his clothes, his voice full of resignation. "Oh dear, young people these days really are hotheaded. You won't even give me a moment's breathing room."
Ichigo snorted coldly and was about to swing again when his legs suddenly buckled without warning.
An indescribable heaviness robbed his entire body of strength.
One second, Ichigo Kurosaki had been brimming with energy; the next, he collapsed face-first onto the cool stone slabs like a heap of sludge.
Zangetsu fell from his hand with a clang beside him.
Ichigo tried to get up, but every muscle in his body was spasming. He could not even lift a finger.
Ichigo ranted furiously in his head, but he no longer had the strength to open his mouth and speak.
"Oh dear, what terrible luck."
Askin stopped, turned around, and strolled leisurely back.
He crouched in front of Ichigo with a somewhat smug smile.
"My ability seeped