Ichigo leaves and takes up residence in Soul Society!

"I have a solution to this, everyone should hurry up and get started."

What? What method?

The moment the thought crossed Shiba Kukaku and Ichigo's minds, they witnessed the entire process of the Four Palace Masters disappearing from the spot.

Its form faded away, more like it merged into space than into the night. Its aura and spiritual pressure were completely imperceptible, as if it had evaporated into thin air.

"?!"

Everyone was stunned and speechless, exchanging bewildered glances.

Even Luntang and this guy who was as indifferent as a monk couldn't help but widen their eyes.

……

Time returns to the present.

The scorched earth, ignited by the thunderous cannons, emitted bursts of heat, while in the distance, flames soared into the sky, turning the night in the suburbs a fiery red.

Kukaku Shiba used Shunpo to land in the center of the battlefield, standing side by side with Shinomiya Mikoto, who was holding a long sword dripping with blood.

"Well done! Was that your Zanpakuto ability? But I don't think I heard you shout 'Release,' so you can't have already learned Bankai, can you?"

"You think highly of me."

Shinomiya-sensei sensed that Shiba Kukaku had some excessively high expectations of him.

"That's just a little trick."

"Is it."

Shiba Kukaku didn't press the matter further, letting her curiosity run its course.

After all, techniques are very private matters, and many Shinigami who have worked together for decades may not even know what each other's Zanpakuto abilities are.

The move I just used wasn't a Zanpakuto's ability, yet it only highlighted its extraordinary nature.

Without incantations, without a catalyst, and without any preparation, one can become invisible and move freely without being detected...

If this is a technique that can be learned.

Not only would the covert operations team be envious, but others would also be interested.

Her curiosity is proof enough of this.

Shinomiya-sensei has a good impression of Kukaku Shiba's sense of propriety; it's definitely not a move that can be casually flaunted without caring about others' opinions at this stage.

"Invisible Scale".

The advanced magic of the fairy dragon can also be called the way of the demon.

But in essence, it is the same type of racial ability as Hollow's Cero, Arrancar's Steel Skin, and Shinigami's Hado: Bind.

It allows one to make their form transparent and disappear, then quietly move away without being noticed.

It only "surfaces" when launching an attack.

...Of course, it's not absolute that this is not noticed.

Just as a broken mask is virtually impervious to blades and bullets, it can still be torn apart by stronger swords.

If a wielder possesses exceptionally keen intuition, there is a certain chance they can detect the Fourth Master's "invisibility."

However, Kes Cucabro is clearly not among them.

Shinomiya-sama only recently mastered the basic Kido techniques taught by Aizen, which allowed him to unearth the power of the fairytale dragon's blood from the depths of his soul.

That is, "Invisible Scale".

Because of the short time I've had, I haven't mastered it very well yet.

Even so, it was enough to deceive Kess's senses, allowing him to circle around behind him and stab him hard in the heart, laying the foundation for the subsequent decisive blow.

Not far away, Ichigo looked at the mangled remains of the Hollow from which the upper and lower parts had separated, and breathed a heavy sigh of relief. At least nothing went wrong.

"This can be considered revenge for those two people."

"Are you talking about those two stubborn brats?"

The sudden question not only froze Ichigo's expression, but also Hachiyahara, Ōmaeda, Shinomiya-no-Mikoto, and Shiba Kukaku, who had run back from the forest, as well as Rindou Yo who had just walked up to them, all felt an unusual spiritual pressure rising continuously, as if... the dead were gradually coming back to life!

All eyes were instantly drawn to the source of the spiritual pressure.

As the crimson spiritual pressure emanated from the two halves of Kess's body, the flesh and blood rapidly multiplied, eventually replacing the remaining parts of his body.

"what?!"

Ichigo's pupils contracted, utterly shocked.

But he did not lose his composure.

The difference was quickly noticed.

"Your head..."

"Thanks to you, one is missing."

Two identical Kes spoke at the same time. Compared to the previous body with three heads, they now had one body and one head.

It looks normal, but that's precisely what's most abnormal.

Moreover, all of his injuries have healed...

When the Four Palaces Lord noticed this, he already had the answer in his heart.

Kess made no attempt to hide his feelings. To vent his fear of almost being killed and to see fear on his enemies' faces, he deliberately looked around and mocked them, saying, "How amazing. None of them are stronger than me, yet they managed to steal my life."

"I'm going to snap your necks, pry open your brains, and see just how much of that kind of petty cleverness you have left!"

Having said that, he launched an attack on Ichigo, who was closest to him.

Although Ichigo reacted quickly and raised his Zanpakuto to block, he couldn't withstand the combined attack of the two Zeus and was sent flying in one move.

Ichigo!?

Shiba Kukaku tried to rush over to her rescue, but one of the Zeus turned back and blocked her way, while the other Zeus continued to pursue her.

It's clear that compared to Shinomiya, who stabbed the first man in the back, Kess harbors more hatred for Ichigo, who delivered the final blow.

Let's call the one who stopped Shiba Kukaku "Number Two," and the one who chased Ichigo "Number Three."

Suddenly, a red-hot cannon shot came hurtling towards them.

Number two raised his arm to block the blast and was not hit in the face.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Shiba Kukaku quickly bypassed him and rushed to support Ichigo.

"hateful!"

Just as Number Two was about to stop them after discovering the situation, a chill suddenly struck his heart.

With a hissing sound, a shallow knife wound appeared on my back.

As the instigator, Shinomiya-no-Tsuru retreated and created distance, giving him no chance to retaliate.

"I see. Although the technique is still effective, the defense is much stronger than before after raising the spiritual pressure. I thought I could cut your spine... assuming you even have a spine."

The four palace masters stood holding swords, half of their faces reddened by the firelight, the other half hidden in shadow. They seemed contradictory yet were perfectly unified, for their sharp, blade-like faces were all so awe-inspiring.

Even the words spoken, though heated, are filled with an aggressive intent that burns the soul.

"Shinomiya—!"

Rindou and Hachihachihara appeared by his side immediately, and Ōmaeda, though seemingly a little reluctant, also came.

"You guys go to Kurosaki's side."

Without a Zanpakuto and with only one arm missing, it would be extremely difficult for a Firework Master who had long since retired to the second line to defeat a formidable mid-level Hollow head-on. Therefore, it was a consensus reached from the beginning that he needed someone to assist him.

Now, with the help of the grotesque and eccentric Ōmaeda, plus Ichigo who could unleash his full power at any moment, they have a team ready to fight back.

Hachiyahara and Rindo are not a burden that holds them back.

As long as Shiba Kukaku makes good use of this lineup, there's not much to worry about.

As for him...

Hachihara also considered this point immediately.

"how about you?"

"I'll get it done before you do."

"……All right!"

"Hey! Can we really just ignore that brat?!"

As he ran behind the two, Ōmaeda couldn't help but look back at the two opposing sides.

"If Shinomiya says he can handle it, then he can handle it."

There's no time for arguing now, and given the correct judgments made by the Four Palace Master along the way, Hachiyahara decided to continue trusting him.

The same applies to Luntang.

"what?"

That's Adjuchas, after all.

The textbooks at the Spirit Arts Academy clearly state that it's best to hand the matter over to royal agents. While it's not actually that exaggerated, there are reasons why it's written that way.

Its strength is beyond doubt.

They are definitely not someone that a mere student of the Spiritual Arts Academy is qualified to challenge.

Let alone defeating the opponent!

Ōmaeda wanted to question them, but when he thought about how they had taken one of their opponents' lives right away, and the intense spiritual pressure surging behind them, which clearly far exceeded the range of the intern students, he was even a little frightened, so he wisely shut his mouth.

Chapter Seventeen: The Power a Ruler Should Possess

"What's wrong? Aren't you going to attack? Are you waiting for my companions to get too far away to provide support before you make your move?"

Shigu-zun flicked the blood off his blade, his eyes gleaming.

"Do not."

Number Two's dog-like head and near-human body, if combined with a cane or something, would give him a resemblance to the Egyptian Grim Reaper.

But appearance is secondary; the wisdom that comes with age is the key.

"I'm thinking about whether you're foolish or wise."

"How to say?"

"You clearly recognized my strength, which is why you gathered your companions together and left yourself to restrain me. I can understand that, but your explanation makes me very dissatisfied."

"Does it mean 'I'll get it done before you guys'?"

"Yes."

“I don’t think saying that is a sign of stupidity.”

The four palaces were unconcerned.

Number Two laughed in anger, his terrifying face contorting, and the spiritual pressure around his body almost materialized, gradually turning his skin from white to blackish-gray.

"—That only shows that you have given up thinking and are content to be a fool!"

The next moment, Number Two rushed towards the Four Palace Master with the force of shattering the atmosphere, its sharp claws joined together to form a hand chop, as if it wanted to pierce the Four Palace Master's brain to dig out the brain marrow for research, its brutality was beyond comprehension.

The Four Palaces Lord stepped back to dodge the attack, but the ensuing shockwave sent him flying backward.

He had no choice but to establish a foothold in mid-air and perform a series of somersaults to stabilize himself.

The second attack followed immediately.

"Did you see that? Did you feel that? From the moment you sighed that my defense had improved, you made a huge mistake. You don't understand my limits at all, you don't understand my greatness—!"

The second wave of attacks was interspersed with sharp verbal barbs, showing that such attacks were still not his limit.

The Four Palace Masters, on the other hand, made perfect use of the techniques of the Spiritual Arts Academy to deal with him.

Ping!

A fierce clang of metal clashing rang out.

Watching Shinomiya-sama steadily catch the arm-hammer strike, Number Two said in a tone that was both mocking and praising, "But then again, to be able to match my arm strength, you have every reason to be proud."