Under the moonlight, the boy's shadow, carrying the girl on his back, stretched long. The two walked silently, step by step, toward the Kurosaki Family.
"Humans, put me down."
The girl gently stroked the boy's back, speaking in a cold voice to him. She didn't understand why the boy beneath her could see her, nor why he was helping her when he could have simply left her there...
"That's the only thing I can't do."
The boy answered the girl, his attitude firm, just as he said. He would absolutely not abandon the girl here. As for his reasons for helping her... whatever the reason, maybe he couldn't bear to see her injured, maybe it was something else, but he was determined to save her today.
"Incomprehensible, they're just mere humans..."
The girl was ruthless in her words, hoping the boy would leave her there. As an excellent Soul Reaper, her current predicament was entirely her own fault. She had seen things she shouldn't have seen, and it was a the Miracle she was still alive. Or rather, even if she died there, it would be her own responsibility. If her problems dragged down a human being, then that would be her problem, and she would feel immense regret even if she fell into Hell after death.
"Enough with the nonsense. Right now, the one carrying your back... is that mere human you look down on."
Although the boy had some strange feelings for the girl, these feelings were not a reason for him to indulge her. He retorted to the girl without holding back.
"Huh? Just a mere human. If I were in my prime, one punch... no, just a glance would be enough to make you tremble with fear."
The girl was not one to be wronged, even though she was seriously injured and her life was hanging by a thread, like a candle flickering in the cold wind, she still put on a brave face.
"Yeah?"
As the boy spoke, he gripped the girl's legs tightly against his back.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid... you idiot!"
Where exactly are you touching?
The girl felt the sensations on her buttocks and legs, and her face flushed involuntarily. She genuinely felt that the boy's behavior of taking advantage of her injury was utterly shameful. He should wait until she was healed before doing it to her face!
"Hey, woman..."
The boy stood still, as if he had something to say to the person on his back.
"Huh?! Don't call me 'woman, woman,' I have a name, call me Rukia, Rukia Kuchiki!"
The girl, perched on the boy's back, spoke angrily, her face slightly flushed, and told the boy her name.
"Sigh, you can call me whatever you want, so woman, listen to me..."
After listening to the girl, Rukia Kuchiki, the Soul Reaper, the boy continued speaking somewhat impatiently.
" Rukia! It's Rukia!"
However, the girl was very attached to her name, as if she would never let the boy go if he didn't call her Rukia.
"Okay! Okay! Rukia, listen to me, who's that guy up ahead?!"
The boy sighed helplessly, but in the end he gave in to the girl.
"That person up ahead..."
After hearing the boy's words, Rukia looked up and happened to see the Visored man in white standing under the streetlight, sneering at her.
"Human, listen to me! Put me down right now, then turn around and run away. No matter what happens or what sound you hear, never look back."
Upon seeing the man in white, Rukia felt a chill run down her spine. The reason she had suffered such severe injuries was because of this man.
"Ha ha ha ha..."
"Long time no see, little kitty~"
"You even scratched my hand, that's not cute at all~"
"Master, I'll punish you properly in a little while."
The man in white smiled sinisterly as he faced Rukia, who was lying on the ground. He gently stroked his frostbitten right arm, and his snake-like eyes constantly contracted and shifted, staring intently at Rukia, radiating a dangerous aura.
" Rukia, hold on tight to me."
Facing the terrifying presence that sent shivers down his spine, the boy took a deep breath and then whispered to Rukia, who was clinging to his back.
"Hey! Human, what do you want to do? Don't do anything dangerous or unnecessary. Just do as I say and put me down here... You don't need to do anything else..."
Rukia's expression changed after hearing the boy's words. She had a vague premonition that the boy beneath her was about to do something dangerous.
"What do you mean by 'unnecessary'? You idiot!"
The boy made a sharp turn and then ran away, giving the girl on his back no chance to say anything.
"Hey! What are you doing? We'll all die if you do this!"
Rukia on the boy's back and spoke.
"Shut up, hold on to me!"
"Also, stop calling me 'human'! I have a name too! I'm Ichigo, Ichigo Kurosaki! Remember that name! That's the name of the person who saved you today!"
The boy, an orange-haired boy named Ichigo Kurosaki, loudly proclaimed to the girl named Rukia Kuchiki on his back that he would definitely save Rukia.
"Idiot, you idiot..."
"You're just a human being..."
Rukia gripped Ichigo Kurosaki's shoulders, her eyes slightly misty. She didn't want what happened to the Thirteenth Division to happen to her again. She didn't want to see others die in front of her because of her weakness.
"Then watch and see how humanity saves you."
Ichigo Kurosaki smiled slightly. Today, he would teach Rukia a lesson and show her just how powerful humans truly are!
How powerful is the force that humans unleash when facing danger and using it to escape?!
Where are you running off to?
Just as the two were moving forward at high speed, the figure dressed in white suddenly appeared in front of them, blocking their path.
"This speed..."
Ichigo Kurosaki's eyes narrowed. He realized one thing: with his own strength alone, he absolutely could not escape the pursuit of this strange person. Therefore, there was probably only one thing he could do now, and that was...
"I'm sorry, Rukia."
As Ichigo Kurosaki thought this, he Rukia off his back and gently placed her on a stone bench beside him, his eyes gradually sharpening.
"It's alright, this is fine."
After being put down by Ichigo Kurosaki, Rukia felt a dull pain in her heart, but she still forced herself to smile faintly at Ichigo Kurosaki. Faced with an enemy she couldn't fight, leaving her here and escaping alone was the right choice. She didn't blame Ichigo Kurosaki; to be precise, it was already a the Miracle that he could carry her this far.
"Oh? Giving up on running away, little mouse~"
"Or are you planning to abandon this girl and run away alone?"
The man in white smiled slightly and asked Ichigo Kurosaki.
I haven't given up on any of them; I'm going to defeat you here.
"Then leave from here openly and honestly."
Ichigo Kurosaki faced the man in white and assumed an attack stance.
"Pfft? Hahahaha... A mere human? A mere human dares to say he can defeat me here? Are you kidding me? What do you take me for, someone who gained power from... that great one and has now completely surpassed a Hollow, even Menos Grande?"
The man in white laughed, a ferocious laugh. He was the most powerful being, even surpassing Hollows and Menos Grande, becoming an even more formidable being. Even the Soul Reaper couldn't compare to him, let alone humans, who were merely at the bottom of the food chain.
" Iron Mountain Lean!"
Before the man in white could finish his mockery, Ichigo Kurosaki instantly closed in on him and unleashed the ultimate martial art technique, the Bajiquan Iron Mountain Lean of Li Shuwen, the master of Bajiquan, which could even collapse houses.
"Puff..."
In an instant, the man in white spat out blood and flew backward like a kite with a broken string.
"Um?"
For a moment, Ichigo Kurosaki was stunned.
"What?"
Rukia Kuchiki was stunned.
How is that possible?
The white-clad man who had been knocked away by Ichigo Kurosaki was also stunned.
How can you be so weak?
Ichigo Kurosaki was utterly perplexed. In his mind, his opponent should have been invincible, and Ichigo Kurosaki to sacrifice himself.
How can you be so strong?
Are you really human?
The man in white slowly stood up from the ground, his eyes filled with confusion and a hint of fear as he looked at Ichigo Kurosaki.
"Me? I'm a genuine human being."
When asked by the man in white, Ichigo Kurosaki nodded slightly. Although he had learned all the techniques in the world for fighting humans, there was no doubt that he was human.
Yes, although Ichigo Kurosaki's body is a fusion of the power of the Shiba Clan, one of the five great Shinigami Soul Reaper families of Soul Society; the power of the Kurosaki Clan, one of the purest-blooded Quincy families; the work of Quincy Sōsuke Aizen; the power of White, whose strength Menos Grande that of Vasto Lorde; and even the innate enhancement of Fullbring in his soul, there is no doubt that Ichigo Kurosaki is human...
Okay! At least at this moment, Ichigo Kurosaki is wearing a human shell! He can barely be considered a person.
You call this human?
The man in white pointed to his sunken cheek and angrily questioned him.
"Genuine product!"
Ichigo Kurosaki nodded vigorously. Although he was a bit stronger and faster, strong enough to knock out a middleweight black boxing champion with a single punch despite being a featherweight, to the point that no one dared to challenge him to a boxing match across weight classes, forcing him to retire from the boxing world, he was still human!
"Hahahaha... Very well, you forced me into this. Now I'll show you my true power."
The man in white laughed loudly and drew the samurai sword from his waist.
" Ichigo, watch out, that's how I lost before."
Rukia Kuchiki frowned and called out anxiously as she watched the white-clad man draw his katana.
"My Resurrección..."
The man in white shouted loudly, and suddenly the mask on his face shattered, revealing his ferocious appearance.
"Aren't you... human?"
Kurosaki Ichigo looked at the man in white with his broken mask and ferocious appearance, and his forehead was covered with beads of sweat.
"Of course not..."
As the man in white spoke, he transformed into a blur and appeared behind Ichigo, sending Ichigo flying.
"Both the speed and the strength are completely different from before; this power is no longer human."
Ichigo Kurosaki knelt before Rukia, who was lying to one side, and spoke to the Roar monster.
"Of course it's not human! You idiot!"
"After fighting for so long, you don't even know what you're fighting, yet you just blindly rushed in? Are you an idiot?"
Rukia looked at Ichigo Kurosaki, who had just discovered that the man in white was not human, and made a helpless comment.
"Nonsense! That guy looks perfectly normal, no different from anyone else, okay? How could I possibly tell the difference?!"
Ultimately, it's because you didn't tell me about the problem, so the responsibility lies with you.
Ichigo Kurosaki poked Rukia's head with his finger, logically and persuasively deflecting responsibility from his own position.
"Ha?"
What does this have to do with me?
Although Rukia couldn't find a point to refute Ichigo Kurosaki, she knew in her heart that while she was indeed wrong, Ichigo Kurosaki also bore some responsibility.
"In short, you need to apologize to me." Ichigo Kurosaki Rukia, "I want you to live, and then apologize to me sincerely!"
"..."
"If we both survive, I'll apologize to you."
Faced with Ichigo Kurosaki's unreasonable questioning, Rukia Kuchiki smiled faintly and nodded slightly.
"Good."
After receiving a response from Rukia, Ichigo Kurosaki approached the monster.
"Die! Die!"
The monster roared angrily and swung its weapon at Ichigo's head.
"The attacks are too monotonous."
Ichigo easily dodged the monster's attack and punched it in the head.
"Die, die, die..."
A force exceeding one ton struck the monster's face, yet it remained completely unharmed.
"Roar!!!"
Not only that, after being beaten up by Ichigo Kurosaki, the monster's entire body swelled up by more than one size.
"Damn it..."
" Fierce Tiger Climbs the Mountain!"
Ichigo Kurosaki mustered all his strength and unleashed his strongest technique, striking the monster's body.
"Roar!!"
The legendary power that could shatter rocks only caused the monster to take a half-step back after it struck. At the same time, the monster's body swelled to over ten meters tall... resembling a colossal beast that could devour the heavens and the earth.
"There's no other way now. As a human being, I have my limits."
Looking at the colossal beast that had already transcended human form, Ichigo Kurosaki's eyes were filled with helplessness. Humans have their limits, and even Ichigo Kurosaki, who had already reached the limits of human beings, was still helpless against such a gigantic monster.
"Now, there's only one way... and that is to turn Ichigo into..."
Rukia Kuchiki's gaze sharpened as she watched Ichigo Kurosaki. Only by having Ichigo Kurosaki break through the limits of humanity could they possibly deal with that monster.
(End of this chapter)