Ichigo leaves and takes up residence in Soul Society!

Kyoraku smiled wryly.

"Besides, I don't think I can catch you by myself."

That being said.

Kisuke Urahara's smile faded considerably, and he turned his head to look at the other side of the road again.

A white-haired man strolled over, his expression serious.

You can tell at a glance... he looks very angry.

"So, I called Ukitake along."

At that very moment, Kyoraku casually added a comment.

Urahara Kisuke looked left and right.

The Grim Reapers of the Eighth Division had all retreated and kept their distance, but he didn't feel safe at all; on the contrary, the pressure was increasing.

"Gentlemen, could we perhaps discuss this a little?"

"Of course, but Urahara, you have to give me an explanation, an explanation that will allow me to forgive you for doing this to my subordinates."

Ukitake stared intently at him.

"...It seems there's no point in talking about it."

Kisuke Urahara sighed, then his expression turned serious.

"Whether you believe it or not, I'm here to save Miss Kuchiki."

"Save her? You're the one who put the 'Hogyoku' inside her, causing her to become like this, and you still have the nerve to say something like that... Captain Urahara, I haven't seen your shamelessness in over a hundred years. It's made me suddenly start to suspect that the mysterious death of the Fifth Division's lieutenant, Captain Ichimaru, with his strange reaction... is also related to you. Has your hand never left Soul Society?"

Kyoraku said indifferently.

Ukitake remained silent, but the deepening anger in his eyes clearly showed that he thought so too.

"Huh?! No, wait... I admit to what happened before, but I know absolutely nothing about what happened after that... No, it's not exactly like I know nothing... uh..."

Kisuke Urahara realized he had misspoke and completely gave up on the idea of ​​explaining.

"In short, I'm here to make up for my mistakes."

Upon hearing this, Ukitake couldn't help but draw his sword.

"Urahara, this is the one thing I can't tolerate the most."

“There are some things you could have avoided doing, but you still did them. Only after they caused a negative reaction did you think about making amends. You even thought of hundreds or thousands of ways to make amends before you did it. I know this is a conflict between the scientist’s greed for truth and human conscience.”

"But I won't sympathize with you. People who knowingly commit crimes don't deserve sympathy."

"On the contrary, those who suffer because of you deserve my sympathy and help more."

"So... cough cough!"

Ukitake, who was about to make a move, suddenly fell ill, clutching his chest and coughing incessantly.

"Ah... never mind, Ukitake, I'll do it."

Kyoraku was dumbfounded. He shook his head and drew the two swords, one long and one short, from his waist.

"Before we start, I'd like to ask how my former vice-captain is doing these days?"

"Miss Yagimaru?"

Kisuke Urahara frowned.

"This is really hard to evaluate."

"Judging from your expression, I roughly guess what happened. If you manage to get back alive, remember to say hello to Little Lisa for me~"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a black greatsword, which had appeared out of nowhere, slashed down from mid-air.

Kisuke Urahara's pupils contracted, and he swung his sword back to meet the attack.

……

Ping!

Sparks flew.

Orihime was knocked back several meters by a powerful slash.

Before she could get back into position, the wild and unrestrained beast had already swung its knife at her.

The overwhelming spiritual pressure and killing intent were almost suffocating.

However, Orihime still managed to activate the ability of "Shield Shun Rikka".

Although the enemy was powerful, even terrifying, the thought of the fear Rukia would face made her realize that the enemy was nothing in comparison.

It can absolutely bring about its own oppression—

We refuse them all!

"—Three days to form a shield!"

The serrated longsword struck the shield with intense friction, producing a piercing noise and a series of sparks.

"A shield? I'll see how many hits it takes to shatter it!"

Jingle Bell.

A swaying bell, a tall physique, a chest covered in knife scars, and an eye patch on his face.

...None of these were as frightening as that beastly, grotesque smile.

Captain of the 11th Division, Kenpachi Zaraki.

He looked at his prey with great delight.

Women, men.

Age.

None of this matters.

Once you make eye contact and determine their strength, the battle can begin.

Until one side falls.

"Inoue——!"

Yoruichi's heart sank as she looked at Orihime, whose aura had risen.

The "Twin Heavens Shield" has strong regenerative power, but it is weak in restoring spiritual pressure. I can't fight that Zaraki guy to the death here.

He intended to go and help Orihime escape.

But a wave of cherry blossoms swept in from behind, forcing her to change positions.

The wave that looked like cherry blossom petals but was actually made up of hundreds of millions of blades surged toward Orihime and Kenpachi Zaraki.

"Tch! Byakuya Kuchiki, what are you trying to do!"

Kenpachi Zaraki, his blade slicing through the air with immense pressure, glared angrily at the young nobleman on the rooftop not far away.

"I should be the one asking you this."

Byakuya's attitude was extremely cold. He looked at Kenpachi Zaraki as if he were looking at a wild dog that couldn't understand human speech, with a hint of impatience and disgust.

"This is the territory of the Sixth Division. Why are you here? Why are you obstructing my arrest of the thief?"

"Ha! I don't care whose territory this is. I was just taking a walk and happened to run into an enemy who landed, so I just chopped him down. You say I'm getting in your way? You're the one getting in my way. This is the enemy I encountered. Don't get in my way!"

Kenpachi Zaraki's lips curled into a wider smile as he spoke, revealing a hint of mischievousness:

"At worst, you can take the person away after I win the battle. Of course, if the enemy is still alive by then... If they're dead, you'll just be responsible for collecting their bodies. But cleaning up your own territory is your Sixth Division's job anyway, so don't expect me to thank you."

Byakuya slowly raised his right hand, and waves of cherry blossoms gathered around him, looking ready to burst forth.

"You can rest assured that such a situation will not occur, because I will take care of everything, including you."

"So that means there are now three people fighting me? This is getting more and more exciting!"

Kenpachi Zaraki unleashed a golden spiritual pressure, transforming into a pillar of light that shot straight into the sky.

Taking advantage of the standoff between the two, Yoruichi quickly went to Orihime's side, intending to take her away and make a getaway.

Even during the standoff, Byakuya and Kenpachi did not ignore its presence.

After its Bankai, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi's scale was even more exaggerated, with scattered petals floating up to form an enveloping net.

A forced breakthrough will inevitably be hindered, and even if it's only for a moment, it's enough to invite Byakuya and Kenpachi's thunderous attack.

"This is really troublesome... How could I be so unlucky as to run into both of them at the same time?"

Yoruichi muttered to himself.

Although it's tricky, it's not like there's no way to retreat.

It just requires taking some risks and getting hurt.

"Inoue, wait for me...!"

Yoruichi was only halfway through her sentence when Orihime began to listen attentively.

Just as the two were most focused, a streak of red light suddenly shot in from afar, piercing through Senbonzakura Kageyoshi's encirclement, and the ensuing strong airflow tore open a huge hole.

The streak of light fell to the ground, causing a violent explosion.

The four people present were all taken aback.

"Varied……!"

"Eh?"

Dust billowed, and Yoruichi and Orihime instinctively raised their hands to cover their faces. Suddenly, they felt someone grab their waists, and then their feet left the ground uncontrollably. Their surroundings receded rapidly, as if they were being swept away by a strong wind.

Kenpachi casually cleaved through the dust, instantly catching sight of the enemy.

The body reacts before the brain.

However, he had just lifted his foot.

Another streak of light flew towards him, abruptly interrupting his Instant Step.

I see it clearly this time.

It was a red blade with a chain.

Kenpachi's eyes widened slightly. He was surprised and delighted that someone would shoot such a thing as an arrow, because it meant that the other party was not just a coward who only knew how to sneak attack.

Maybe... he's also a guy who's really good at killing people.

The arrows he casually knocked away flew into the sky and transformed into a rain of blood-red light that poured down.

This also shattered Byakuya's plan to pursue them.

It can only end in destruction.

Because in the short few seconds that he used the sea of ​​flowers of Senbonzakura Kageyoshi to shield himself from the rain of light, the enemy had already disappeared among the buildings, and soon even the spiritual pressure could no longer be felt.

Their speed was beyond imagination, and their ability to stealthily enter the battlefield was particularly difficult to detect.

The arrows were also extremely powerful, managing to force a gap in Senbonzakura Kageyoshi's encirclement, covering their retreat.

"That Shunpo... that arrow's spiritual pressure..."

Byakuya narrowed his eyes, his mind churning with thoughts.

"Hey, Byakuya Kuchiki, is that also a Ryoka?"

"...Use your brain to think for yourself, and...leave here as soon as possible, the Sixth Division doesn't welcome you."

"whispering sound."

He watched as Byakuya deactivated his Bankai and left without looking back.

Kenpachi, carrying his sword, curled his lip in disdain.

Suddenly, a small pink head popped up behind me.

"Little Sword, Little Sword! I know who they are. Do you want me to take you to find them?"

"Oh! Really? Then let's find that archer. I have a feeling he'll be a good opponent, someone I can really enjoy fighting!"

"You mean Ah Yi? He's over there... Hurry, chase him! He's getting away!"