"Roar!"
Roars and Spiritual Pressure mingled together, dominating the sky above the Court Guard Second Division. Countless members of the Second Division skillfully hid in the prepared air-raid shelters, as if this was not the first time such a thing had happened.
"So why did we also hide here?"
Orihime Inoue and the others were mixed in with the members of the Second Division, not daring to breathe loudly.
"There's nothing we can do about it, isn't there?"
"In that situation, not hiding would have meant certain death."
Uryū Ishida recalled the earth-shattering, seemingly otherworldly monsters, several levels above them, who were exchanging flashes of light, and shrugged helplessly.
The moment the violent Spiritual Pressure enveloped the entire Second Division, Second Division Second Division who had previously been lying dead and those who were fighting them fiercely and seemingly evenly matched suddenly burst forth with astonishing speed. As if they had gone mad, they stood up, took off running, and fled towards the hidden air-raid shelter.
The well-trained demeanor of these Second Division members left Uryū Ishida Uryū Ishida. Their skillful movements also stirred feelings of pity in him.
Uryū Ishida simply couldn't fathom how many disasters like today these people had experienced to possess such swift reactions and such perfectly synchronized steps.
As soon as the members of the Second Division entered the air-raid shelter, they seemed to freeze up, hugging their legs together as if they had shut themselves off, ignoring everything around them, quietly and patiently waiting for the fierce battle outside the air-raid shelter to end.
"Is that really Ichigo Kurosaki-kun?"
Orihime Inoue sat on the ground, hugging her legs and rubbing her calves. She recalled the terrifying Shihakusho and wielding a sharp, black blade, and a wave of fear washed over her, causing her body to tremble uncontrollably.
As she looked at Ichigo Kurosaki, who had transformed into a minotaur, images of her brother in his monster form kept flashing through her mind. She was afraid, she was terrified, but she was truly worried about Ichigo Kurosaki, worried that he would leave her forever like her brother.
"Probably."
Yasutora Sado nodded slightly. Judging from Spiritual Pressure alone, the figure that resembled a god of destruction was undoubtedly their classmate, a man named Ichigo Kurosaki. This was a fact they could not change, whether they admitted it or not.
"Yo~"
"So you guys hid here too?"
Just as the group was discussing Ichigo Kurosaki, who was displaying his berserk power in the Second Division like a god of destruction walking among humans, a voice that was extremely familiar to them rang in their ears.
"It's Big Sis Kūkaku and Mr. Yoruichi."
Approaching them were Kūkaku Shiba, Hōshō Ryo, and Yoruichi, the black cat being held in Hōshō Ryo's Yoruichi.
"Have you come here to seek refuge too?"
When Uryū Ishida saw that even Kūkaku Shiba, the captain of the Gotei Thirteenth Division, had come to take refuge, he was shocked and gasped. Just how high had the battle gone that it would cause the captain of the Thirteenth Division, one of the thirteen people who were said to stand at the pinnacle of Soul Society, to come to take refuge?
"How rude of me!"
"It's as if as a squad leader I can't avoid trouble. I'm right that choosing to temporarily avoid a powerful enemy is the correct strategy."
After hearing Uryū Ishida's words, Kūkaku Shiba raised an eyebrow slightly, looking displeased with Uryū Ishida.
"Uh, I'm sorry, that was rude of me."
Upon hearing Kūkaku Shiba's words, Uryū Ishida immediately bowed slightly, fully embodying his innate spirit of humility.
"Sister~"
Squatting to the side, Ganju Shiba, his body filthy, awkwardly nodded slightly to his older sister.
" Ganju, you didn't run away!"
You've really grown this time!
Kūkaku Shiba looked at Ganju Shiba with eyes full of emotion. Seeing her good-for-nothing younger brother grow up a little bit, the emotion Kūkaku felt was something she couldn't explain to anyone else.
"Hmph, no matter what, I'm still a member of the Shiba Clan! I still have that much courage."
After hearing Kūkaku's words, Ganju Shiba gave a haughty snort.
" Captain Kūkaku, is that really Kurosaki-kun up there?"
Orihime Inoue gently stood up, bowed slightly to Kūkaku Shiba, and asked.
"Um."
Kūkaku Shiba nodded slightly, which was taken as admission.
"Is it really true?"
After receiving Kūkaku Shiba's affirmation, Orihime Inoue no longer harbored any illusions. She knelt on the ground, feeling a strange and indescribable emotion.
" Kūkaku, you don't seem surprised at all!"
"Did they already know that Ichigo Kurosaki possessed such immense power?"
Yoruichi the black cat gently sniffed the fragrance in the air with her small nose; it was the scent of conspiracy.
"This happened many, many years ago..."
Kūkaku Shiba spoke of past events without giving a clear answer.
"In short, that guy is the reason why Uncle Isshin left Soul Society."
Kūkaku Shiba told Yoruichi a long, long story, vividly recounting the tale of Isshin Shiba Yoruichi.
Meanwhile, Orihime Inoue and the others took this opportunity to listen intently to the story that Kūkaku Shiba told Yoruichi about White and Ichigo Kurosaki.
"So, is Kurosaki really your brother?"
Uryū Ishida curled his lip. Although he had suspected it before, now that it was confirmed, it still felt incredibly far-fetched...
"Why do you Kurosaki-kun look so alike, Captain Kūkaku Shiba?! Is that what you're like?"
Orihime Inoue still remembers when she first met Kaien Shiba, she thought she saw Ichigo Kurosaki! It really gave her a fright.
"Yes, Ichigo Kurosaki is our true brother, and he's also a member of our Shiba Clan."
Kūkaku Shiba nodded slightly, emphasizing the relationship between himself and others and Ichigo Kurosaki.
"Seriously, is it really okay for us to hear such secrets?!"
Uryū Ishida took out a handkerchief from his pocket and gently wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"They won't assassinate us after they hear this, will they?!"
Orihime Inoue clutched her head, speaking in fear.
"Hey! Hey! Hey!"
"Assassination is such an exaggeration, isn't it?"
After hearing Orihime Inoue's words, Uryū Ishida couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
"But isn't that how it's always portrayed on TV?"
"A story about an ordinary person who overhears a large family's secrets and is ultimately drowned at sea."
Orihime Inoue recounted the story nervously.
What TV dramas are you watching?
Uryū Ishida questioned the taste of the drama series starring Orihime Inoue.
"It's the kind of TV series that's suitable for high school girls to watch~"
Orihime Inoue explained the types of TV dramas she watched.
"No, no, no, that's definitely not a TV series that high school girls should watch."
Uryū Ishida questioned the type of TV dramas Orihime Inoue watched.
"Puff..."
Yasutora Sado, who had been watching the two interact, suddenly laughed as he listened to their conversation.
"Is this funny, Yasutora Sado?"
Orihime Inoue's cheeks puffed up in anger; she didn't find it funny at all.
"No, I was just worried when I saw Inoue-san looking so Mujō and scared. I was afraid that Inoue-san would be afraid of Kurosaki-kun because of it, but now that I see you like this, I feel relieved."
Yasutora Sado his hand. He had always been a person who was not good at expressing himself, but that did not mean that he was ignorant. On the contrary, because he rarely spoke, he spent a lot of time observing, so he was more sensitive to changes in human emotions than ordinary people.
Just now, he could feel Orihime Inoue's emotions, from Mujō and fear to determination and strength.
"No, why would I be afraid of Kurosaki-kun?"
"He's fighting desperately for us, for Rukia. What right do I have to be afraid of him? I'm just... just a little confused."
Orihime Inoue slowly shook her head. What she was afraid of was not Ichigo Kurosaki Ichigo Kurosaki a person, but that Ichigo Kurosaki-kun had become someone she no longer knew and secretly admired.
"There's nothing to be confused about, young lady. Men are out there fighting for their lives; all we need to do is pray for them."
Kūkaku Shiba gently patted Orihime Inoue's shoulder and smiled.
"Um!"
After listening to Kūkaku Shiba's words, Orihime Inoue nodded heavily.
"By the way, we hope you can keep our relationship with Ichigo Kurosaki a secret for the time being. Since Uncle Isshin hasn't told Ichigo, it means it's not the right time for that kid to know these things."
After finishing his explanation, Kūkaku Shiba suddenly remembered something and spoke up to remind him.
Don't worry! Don't worry!
Uryū Ishida stared at Kūkaku Shiba, who had remained silent for a long time after speaking before realizing it was a secret that couldn't be told. He didn't know what to say. Was she trying to use this opportunity to get them to reveal this to Ichigo Kurosaki? Or was she simply careless and accidentally let the secret slip out?
Uryū Ishida doesn't know...
On the other side, above the air-raid shelter, in the sky above the Second Division barracks, two figures were locked in a fierce battle, exchanging blows.
Wielding a jet-black blade, Ichigo Kurosaki, transformed into a brave minotaur, is like a fearless war god who is unafraid of pain.
However, Lilynette, wielding dual pistols, was never one to be trifled with. The countless blue beams of light that filled the sky were all Cero Flashes, which Aizen called the Gran Rey Cero Cero because their power was so immense that they were forbidden to be released at will.
The Gran Rey Cero, a signature move used by the Menos Grande as a symbol of their power, became nothing more than a regular attack for Lilynette, fired one after another, faster and stronger with each strike.
Whether it's Ichigo the Ichigo or Lilynette, who no longer feels lonely and is constantly growing stronger with Sōgo Shihoin Shihouin as her goal, they have both grown to the strongest form in the history of Hollows. Even the two heroes of Hueco Mundo in the past, Hueco Mundo Emperor Baraggan and Ikomikidomoe who competed with Baraggan a thousand years ago, are slightly inferior to the two of them now.
"Disappear!"
Tear him apart, Primera!
Unable to defeat Ichigo the Ichigo for a long time, Lilynette was secretly furious and changed her stance once again.
The two pistols in her hands had vanished, replaced by a heavy machine gun with twelve barrels that required the use of both hands.
"Snoring..."
As Lilynette went berserk, the machine gun barrel began to slowly rotate, and an extremely dangerous signal was released from her body as the barrel rotated faster and faster, stimulating Lilynette 'Ichigo heart.
"Roar!!"
Ichigo, who had been closing the distance with Lilynette, sensed the danger and quickly distanced Lilynette. Lilynette's gun was fast beyond a kilometer, and within a kilometer, it was both fast and accurate.
"Disappear!"
"Da da da da..."
Countless beams of light instantly filled Ichigo's entire field of vision. The immensely powerful blue light shot straight into the sky, spanning several kilometers from the very center of the Second Division Second Division, reaching the edge of the barracks, and finally striking the barrier that Sōgo had set up for the Second Division. This caused the barrier, which covered the entire Second Division, to shake and flicker continuously, ripples spreading out from the impact.
"..."
At the critical moment, Ichigo, who had taken refuge in the sky, stared at the constantly flashing barrier and fell silent.
"Don't dodge!"
Lilynette frowned, realizing that her terrifying barrage had done nothing to achieve anything, adjusted her attack direction, and pulled the trigger again.
Blue flashes streaked across the sky above the Second Division. The terrifying recoil and the wind pressure from the gusts of wind generated by the release of the light cannons blew Lilynette's white baseball cap off her head, revealing her two neatly braided and flowing ponytails, which danced in the wind.
"Roar!!!"
In his Minotaur mode, Ichigo Kurosaki didn't simply retreat and dodge when facing Lilynette in her berserk state. He gripped his black blade and lightly sliced across the ground, instantly causing the earth to shatter beneath his Ichigo Kurosaki. Minotaur Ichigo then selected the largest clod of earth from among the countless fragments, gently lifted it, and tossed it away.
A massive clod of earth, over a hundred meters in diameter, instantly obscured Lilynette's vision as it hurtled towards her petite frame.
"Ah..."
"Don't get in my way!"
Facing the massive clod of earth, Lilynette pulled the trigger. Countless Cero converged to form Menos Grande Flash, instantly shattering the clod of earth into dust.
In an instant, a cloud of yellow sand covered the entire sky.
"Roar!"
That wasn't all. Accompanying the swirling yellow sand, slashing towards Lilynette was Ichigo Kurosaki in his fully Hollowfication, bull-headed form.
Although Ichigo Kurosaki, after completely Hollowfication, lost almost all of his sanity in his Minotaur form, Ichigo Kurosaki fighting instinct actually increased as his sanity evaporated.
After several attacks from Lilynette, Ichigo Kurosaki, now in his minotaur form, believed he had figured out Lilynette's attack frequency. In his understanding, Lilynette needed a period of rest and adjustment after each use of her incredibly powerful, world-destroying Cero.
pity...
Hehe~
Lilynette watched as Ichigo Kurosaki, a slight smile playing on her lips; the fish had taken the bait.
Without hesitation, Lilynette pointed her gun at Ichigo Kurosaki and pulled the trigger.
"Boom!"
A soaring blue light illuminated the sky, like a dam bursting open to release a flood. An unstoppable torrent gushed forth from Lilynette's gun barrel, completely engulfing Ichigo Kurosaki, who had transformed into a minotaur.
"I never said that my moves require rest. The idea that there's a pause between moves is just your imagination! You disobedient brat!"
Lilynette licked her lips, her expression changing from its previous madness to a calm one. Everything she had done before was merely bait to lure the fish into the trap. Now that the fish had taken the bait, she no longer needed to pretend.
"Wonderful."
Just as all the members of the Second Division, including Vice-Captain Hōshō Ryo, were hiding in the air-raid shelter to avoid this undeserved disaster, a man with long, unruly hair, a tall and burly build, sharp eyes like daggers, and a wild aura sat alone beneath the ruins, quietly drinking a little wine.
The violent shockwaves, the sandstorms, and the churning Spiritual Pressure, once they reached the man's side, transformed from ferocious beasts into gentle, adorable kittens. Apart from secretly whining, they had absolutely no effect on the towering man before him.
"Slurp~"
The man picked up the glass beside him, took a big gulp, and then spat it all out.
"Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey..."
"There's sand in this wine?!"
"It's all my fault for getting too engrossed in what I was watching..."
"Sigh, if I had known, I wouldn't have stayed here to watch those two fight. What a waste of this bottle of good wine!"
"This made matters worse for my already meager family situation."
The man was secretly distressed. He looked at his flask of cloudy sake and felt very reluctant to part with it. He had saved up for a long time to buy this plate of peanuts and this flask. Even the most ordinary soldier in the Second Division wouldn't drink it even if it were given to him for free. It was a legendary item that only circulated among the common people of Rukongai and was the cheapest sake in Soul Society entire Seireitei.
The man's name is Kuruyashiki. In Soul Society, he's someone who should have died but didn't. Incidentally, he's incredibly poor...
"Never mind, just filter it a little, it'll still be drinkable."
Looking at the murky sake in front of him, Kuruyashiki gritted his teeth; he no longer had the money to buy a second jug.
"Call out!"
Just as Kuruyashiki was about to filter his sake, a snow-white figure descended from the sky, landing precisely on the stone slab in the ruins that served as a table, instantly smashing the peanuts and sake pot to pieces.
"Roar!!"
Kuruyashiki watched as the minotaur, whose precious peanuts and wine jug had been smashed to pieces and who was roaring wildly as if taunting him, had veins bulging on his forehead.
He's just a bystander...
Is justice going to fall from the sky even when I'm just lying down?
"Damn it, pay up!"
In an instant, a white bone mask resembling a holographic eagle ( Horus ) appeared on Kuruyashiki's face. A violent Spiritual Pressure exploded from his body, forming a terrifying Spiritual Pressure storm that whipped his hair into the sky...
His name is Kuruyashiki. Three hundred years ago, he was called Kuruyashiki Kenpachi! Incidentally... he is a Soul Reaper known as the Masked One, who by Visored successfully fused with Vasto Lorde- level Menos Grande.
Thank you to reader "Watching League of Legends" for the 500-coin reward! This chapter is 5000 words long.
(End of this chapter)