The Alchemist in Bleach

How did we end up here with Chapter 301? Damn it!

"Thank you for your hard work. Leave the rest to me." Hearing the voice behind her, Masaki turned around, panting, and saw that Isshin had completely changed his appearance.

The spiky hair had transformed into flowing long hair, with faint flames swirling behind it. The captain's haori was gone, and even the shihaka outfit was reduced to just the pants. The upper body was now covered in a layer of blazing flames.

Of course, the biggest change is that the Zanpakuto is gone...

Thinking of the name Isshin had just uttered, Masaki seemed to have a premonition: the price of this move must be high...

The moment the thought flashed through her mind, Masaki's tense nerves suddenly relaxed, and she collapsed to her knees, powerless. As she watched Isshin slowly walk up to her, the feeling of powerlessness gradually faded, replaced by a faint sense of security.

This power is stronger than ever before!

"It's all over~" Isshin said coldly as he watched the Hollow Clan slowly regain his mobility, raising his right hand, which was wreathed in flames.

These words both announced the end of Niu Tou Xu and his companions, and also served as a farewell to Yan Yue...

The spiritual pressure that disappeared after using the final Getsuga Tenshou could indeed be restored, but that possibility was too low. Moreover, given the current situation of the Shiba family, those people would not be willing to just watch him regain his power after returning home.

"Whoo~"

Seeing the Hollows regroup and prepare to launch an attack, Isshin's eyes remained completely unmoved, as if they were invisible.

Of course, at this moment, he certainly had the confidence to think that way.

As Yi Xin raised his right hand and swung it down, a crescent-shaped flaming slash flew out!

Wherever the crescent moon passes, the world loses its color!

All things vanished!

In just a moment, the blazing crescent moon silently destroyed all the void in front of Yixin!

Immediately afterwards, Crescent Moon cleaved through the barrier and rushed toward the distant horizon!

The chaotic yet powerful spiritual pressure here caused Urahara and Ryugen, who were rushing towards this place, to change their expressions drastically. They immediately stopped trying to conceal themselves and quickened their pace.

For some reason, this incredibly strong spiritual pressure didn't trigger the 12th Division's alarm...

"Pfft~"

After slashing out with a crescent moon to destroy all the Hollows, Isshin's flames disappeared completely, and his fiery long hair returned to its spiky shape. He knelt on the ground, shirtless, panting heavily.

"Ha~ha, we're saved~" Isshin weakly turned to look at Masaki, a bright smile appearing on his frail face.

Masaki smiled, struggled to her feet, walked to Isshin's side, helped him up, and said softly, "You are a hero now, and heroes should stand tall."

"Hero? What kind of hero am I, who dragged you into this?" Yixin laughed self-deprecatingly.

After using the final Getsuga Tenshou, the spiritual pressure didn't disappear instantly, but gradually subsided over time. Therefore, Isshin, who still retained a trace of spiritual pressure, could clearly sense Masaki's current state...

Of course, most importantly, he saw the image in Masaki's eyes—a semi-transparent version of himself...

He knew very well what this meant for a Quincy...

"You're my hero! I survived because of you." Masaki smiled brightly.

Looking at Masaki's smile, Isshin was momentarily captivated, staring blankly at her. Sometimes, feelings are just that strange. Having lived for hundreds of years, he had seen all sorts of women in the Seireitei, even women whose edges had been smoothed out, but the only one who had moved his heart was Masaki, whom he was meeting for the first time...

Under Isshin's gaze, Masaki's face slowly flushed pink. Just as she was about to scold Isshin, the expressions of the two of them suddenly changed!

Not far away, space suddenly tore open, and a masked figure wearing a white trench coat slowly emerged, a bloodthirsty smile on his face, gently clapping his hands.

“The love between a Shinigami and a Quincy, tsk tsk~ how enviable~” Metastasia said, a smug look on her face.

No wonder, this trip was a triple celebration. Not only did he complete the task assigned by Lord Aizen and successfully eliminate the 10th Division Captain Shiba Isshin, but more importantly, two artificial Hollows, both Vasto Lordes, also lost their lives, including the strongest and most feared Hollow, Minotaur.

However, after this incident, he realized that in this world, the brain is indeed the most important thing!

However, compared to Metastacia's relaxed demeanor, Isshin and Masaki looked much uglier. There were reinforcements!

"What a pity, you're all about to die, otherwise, I would..."

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh~~"

Suddenly, before he could finish speaking, hundreds of spiritual arrows, comparable to Cero, rained down upon him!

"Boom boom boom~~"

"Who is it!?" Metastacia emerged from the billowing dust, covered in soot, and roared angrily!

However, what responded to him was several blood-red slashes!

However, this time Metastasia was on guard. Suddenly, his left hand transformed into a giant mouth, swallowing the entire crimson slash in one gulp!

Just as he was about to retaliate, he suddenly sensed the spiritual pressure of the newcomer. His expression changed drastically, and he glanced unwillingly at Isshin and Masaki before turning around and rushing into the black cavity.

Although I failed to complete Lord Aizen's mission this time, I think this situation should be forgivable, right?

Metastacia didn't know, but evacuating now would only mean mission failure and possible death, but not evacuating meant certain death!

Those are Ryūgen and Urahara!

One is a big shot in their Hueco Mundo, and the other is Kisuke Urahara, who is on par with the legendary Shinigami Tenshin Ichiro. How can they possibly fight each other?

Seeing this, Urahara and Ryuken did not pursue further, but simply took a deep look at Metastacia's departing figure before withdrawing their gaze.

Of course, while both were looking at each other's backs, their focus was completely different. Urahara was focused on the number nine on the back of Metastacia's right hand, while Ryugen simply glanced at Metastacia, secretly plotting something.

.......

"...The rest is pretty much what you know. While buying time for Captain Isshin, Kurosaki Masaki accidentally absorbed the spiritual pressure of that Hollow. The Hollow's spiritual pressure corrupted Kurosaki Masaki's bloodline. Having already lost her Quincy powers, Kurosaki Masaki was in grave danger. To save her, Captain Isshin used his Shinigami power to suppress the chaotic spiritual pressure within her and restored a certain degree of Quincy abilities. Of course, she went from pureblood to hybrid. That's roughly how it happened."

Urahara covered his mouth with a small fan, revealing only his eyes, and looked at Ichiro with a smile.

"Whoo~"

Ichiro pretended to blow on the tea in his hand, which had long since gone cold, glanced up at Urahara, said nothing, just took a small sip, and then asked, "Is that so? Then I understand roughly. Where is Captain Isshin? I want to see him. I promised Vice Captain Kaien something, and I have to give him an explanation."

"Captain Isshin? He and Masaki Kurosaki are resting in the hospital right now, so we can visit him anytime. Anyway, the relationship between the Shinigami and the Quincy is pretty good right now."

"A hospital for ordinary people?"

"Yes, I made a special spirit body for him, but the main treatment was for a Quincy, Ishida Ryūgen, who was with me back then. That's right, Ryūgen, the strongest Quincy in the world."

"Is that so? Then lead the way?"

"...Can't you sense your own spiritual pressure? Ishida Ryūgen's spiritual pressure is so strong..."

"...You're so lazy." Ichiro rolled his eyes, stood up, and said, "**Come on, let's go see Captain Isshin. I'll come visit you guys again later, no need to see me off."

"You're welcome anytime, don't worry, I wasn't planning on seeing you off anyway." Urahara smiled as he watched Ichiro's departing figure, lost in thought.

"Will he believe me?" After Ichiro walked away, Yoruichi frowned as she looked in the direction he had gone.

“No, Ichiro isn’t the kind of person who believes everything he’s told, even if it’s you or me. Besides, his understanding of the Quincy far surpasses mine. But, didn’t we clear out all the clues? Without evidence, he can’t do anything…” Urahara’s face revealed a meaningful smile.

However, Yoruichi, standing to the side, didn't think so. She didn't believe Ichiro would be fooled by Urahara; she was sure he would find the answer. The reason, well...

Yoruichi glanced helplessly at Urahara, who was beaming with smugness. Whenever Urahara tricked Ichiro and made this face, it meant that he would never be able to trick Ichiro!

The reverse is also true, except that these two people are incredibly confident in these situations and always believe they can win!

.......

Meanwhile, the extra's best friend, who was rushing to the hospital following Long Xianling's lead, glanced at Ichiro's expression and asked curiously, "Ichiro, is something wrong?"

"Hmm? You noticed too?"

"Uh, no, but I can tell from your expression."

"Hiss~ Is it that obvious?" Ichiro touched his handsome face. It shouldn't be like this. He was confident in his ability to control his expressions!

"Yes, it's quite obvious. Whenever you see through someone's scheme, there's always a hint of confidence on your face. It's not very obvious, but if you get to know someone well, you can still tell."

"Hiss~ Is it that scary?" Ichiro gasped, glancing at his supporting actress best friend in surprise. Her observation skills were pretty sharp!

"Actually, it's nothing. What Urahara said earlier should be correct. The problem is the part of Kurosaki Masaki's spiritual pressure that has been eroded."

"Is something wrong? According to Urahara's description, Kurosaki Masaki's state should be similar to the legendary Quincy's final form, and she should possess the power of the Spirit Particle. Under such circumstances, it should be quite normal for her to absorb the Hollow's spiritual pressure, right?"

Ichiro chuckled and shook his head, explaining, "No, what you're describing is an ability called the Perfect Body, a Quincy power even stronger than this final form. Furthermore, even the Perfect Body's absorption ability is complete; it's completely unaffected by Hollow spiritual pressure. While the final form is weaker than the Perfect Body, its ability to decompose spiritual energy isn't far behind. Even if this form did absorb spiritual particles, it wouldn't affect the body. If Kurosaki Masaki's body was truly corrupted, it could only be due to human intervention..."

"You mean...!?" The extra's best friend stared at Ichiro in shock. If that were true, it would be insane!

"Shh~ Just keep it to yourself, don't say it out loud. If you do, it might leak out. We'll find out for ourselves later."

The extra's best friend nodded blankly, still reeling from the shocking truth. If that were true, it would be too crazy!

......

A little while later, the two arrived at the hospital where Isshin and his friends were staying, namely Karakoram General Hospital.

At the hospital entrance, Ishida Ryugen, who had sensed their spiritual pressure long ago, was already waiting. Seeing Ryugen's hostile expression, the extra's best friend subconsciously placed her right hand on her Zanpakuto. This person is dangerous!

Ichiro waved his hand, signaling her not to be nervous, and led her to a corner. Then, he changed into the spirit body and walked towards Ryuken.

"Hello, Dr. Ishida." Ichiro, dressed in casual clothes, walked up to Ryugen and greeted him.

Longxian glanced at his wary friend, who was playing a minor role, but ignored her and looked coldly at Ichiro, asking, "When are you taking him away?"

"Um... well, that depends on what Ichiro thinks. As a junior, I can't force him." As he spoke, Ichiro looked at Ryugen's head with sympathy.

"Hmph~ Come with me!" For some reason, he felt that Ichiro's gaze was somewhat piercing, but he didn't say anything. He just snorted and turned to walk towards Isshin's ward.

Ichiro and his friend, who was also a background character, exchanged a glance and followed Ryugen. Soon after, they arrived at a hospital room, only to find the scene inside...

Come on, ah~~~

"...I can eat it myself."

"No! Your injuries are more serious! Come on, ah~~~~"

With no other option, Isshin could only "reluctantly" open his mouth and eat the rice that Masaki handed him. Seeing this, Masaki smiled and handed him another spoonful.

"Ahem~" Outside the door, Long Xian coughed lightly with a dark face.

However, no matter how Ichiro looked at it, he felt there was a hint of green in the black...

"Ah~ Cousin! I... I was delivering food to Isshin, no... Mr. Shiba! To repay him..." Masaki hurriedly explained, then silently lowered her head.

"I don't mean to blame you, but you've only just recovered, so you need to take care of yourself."

"Ahem~ Well, I asked her to do it, don't blame me..." Halfway through her sentence, feeling the murderous look in Ryugen's eyes, even with Isshin's thick skin, she was too embarrassed to continue and could only stammer and lower her head like Masaki.

"Hmph~" Seeing his appearance, Long Xian snorted again, "What you do is none of my business, you slovenly man. They're the ones who came looking for you."

"Huh? Them?" Yixin looked up curiously at the direction Longxian was pointing, her expression instantly freezing. "Uh... Captain Tianxin, Vice Captain Feiyun?"