"Ikakku!"
"This place… it's not just similar—it is Sokyoku Hill!"
His pupils shrank.
Kiyone Kotetsu's expression turned grave as he stared at the screen intently.
After a few seconds of careful observation, he spoke with certainty.
"Huh?"
"Sokyoku Hill?"
Ikkaku blinked in realization, his frown deepening. "Wait a second! Did I lose my memory or something? When did a battle ever take place on Sokyoku Hill?"
"And that orange-haired kid… is he a Shinigami too? Why is he holding a Zanpakuto?"
"Also, I could've sworn I just heard the words 'Bankai'?"
Right now, Ikkaku's thoughts were a jumbled mess.
Leaving aside the shocking sight of Byakuya engaging in battle, just the fact that it was happening on Sokyoku Hill—the execution grounds—was baffling enough.
Sokyoku.
A place infused with the power of a million Zanpakuto.
A sacred symbol of Soul Society's justice and order, used only in the rarest cases to execute the most heinous criminals.
Because of that, it was strictly off-limits under normal circumstances, let alone a place for a battle!
But now?
On-screen, Sokyoku Hill was in complete ruins, the aftermath of an intense fight scarring the ground.
That alone was already alarming.
What made it even more incomprehensible was that Captain Byakuya Kuchiki himself—noble head of the Kuchiki Clan—was engaged in a fierce duel with a complete stranger!
What in the world was going on?
"A'ichi's right. I don't remember any battle ever happening on Sokyoku Hill either."
Yachiru Kusajishi propped her chin on her hands, pouting in confusion. "Also, don't forget who Byakuya Kuchiki is…"
"He's not just the Captain of the Sixth Division—he's the head of the noble Kuchiki family! With how uptight and prideful he always is, I can't imagine him lowering himself to something so undignified as fighting in public!"
To the little girl, Byakuya was the embodiment of cold detachment.
Aside from attending captains' meetings, he rarely participated in any activities.
A man of few words, always keeping to himself.
His expression was eternally icy, like a thousand-year-old glacier.
As a noble, Byakuya bore the weight of honor.
Breaking Soul Society's rules was unthinkable for him!
"Ugh…"
"While you're all focused on that, what I'm more interested in is that orange-haired boy!" Kiyone's brow furrowed tighter, his tone growing serious. "You think… he could be an intruder?"
"An intruder?!"
Gasps filled the room.
That single, offhand suggestion instantly turned the mood heavy.
Ikkaku's eyes flew wide. "Wait! If he is an intruder, then Byakuya's actions suddenly make a lot more sense! But… someone actually dared to invade Soul Society?!"
Scratching his bald head, Ikkaku blinked in disbelief.
Soul Society—
The domain of the Shinigami!
Even in the chaotic outer districts of Rukongai, Shinigami patrolled regularly, and the Seireitei was under constant high alert.
Anyone—be they even a Menos Grande from Hueco Mundo—who dared to trespass into Soul Society would be met with the full might of the Gotei 13.
That much was certain.
So then…
Where did this mysterious intruder in the video get the nerve?
The more he thought about it, the more Ikkaku felt a chill crawl down his spine.
Even with his always-maxed-out battle instinct, he knew better than to be so reckless as to openly challenge the Gotei 13.
That'd just be asking for death.
"So…"
"Is this footage real? Could Soul Society really be under attack?"
As the thought crossed his mind, Ikkaku grit his teeth. His head felt like it was spinning from confusion.
Meanwhile, Kenpachi Zaraki—
Who had shown zero interest until the word 'intruder' came up—suddenly lit up.
With a savage grin splitting his face, Kenpachi let out a delighted laugh:
"Ha!"
"Ikkaku, why're you overthinking it? If there's an intruder, that's all we need to know!"
Reaching behind him,
He gripped his chipped and battered Zanpakuto.
Kenpachi shot to his feet like a lion rising from slumber, roaring with excitement, "Finally! I've been bored out of my damn mind. If some idiot's stupid enough to invade Soul Society, I can finally let loose and have some fun!"
Unlike the others, Kenpachi wasn't bothered by the bigger implications.
All he cared about was tracking down the intruder—
And getting in a good fight.
—
Elsewhere.
Urahara Shop.
"You're kidding me, right?!"
"If I'm not mistaken… that orange-haired kid in black… isn't he Isshin's son? Kurosaki Ichigo?"
Just like the scene with Eleventh Division,
Urahara's face froze in disbelief as the footage played before him.
As for Ichigo…
He hadn't left a particularly deep impression on Urahara.
All he knew was that the boy was an ordinary high school student with a routine life between home and school.
But who would've thought—
Ichigo was actually a Shinigami?! And he had already mastered Bankai?!
Now that was unexpected.
"Yeah! Can you believe it? I totally misjudged him. Isshin's kid was hiding this well?!"
Tessai's shocked voice came from the side.
At that moment,
The head of Kido Corps gaped in astonishment, his dark face a mixture of disbelief and confusion.
He clearly remembered that a few months back, when he was seriously ill, he had frequently visited Isshin's clinic to get medicine—and even met Ichigo there once.
Back then,
Given that Ichigo was Isshin's son, Tessai had used spiritual pressure detection to sense him—yet found nothing. Not a single trace of spiritual pressure.
In other words,
At that time, Ichigo had absolutely no spiritual pressure.
He wasn't even stronger than a regular human!
Which raised the question—
How had he managed to hide his spiritual pressure so perfectly?
And what was the deal with that slim, black Zanpakuto in his hand?
For a moment,
The atmosphere grew tense and unsettling.
Urahara frowned.
Tessai stroked his chin.
Both men were deep in thought, their minds racing with unanswered questions.
Especially Urahara—
Whose narrowed eyes glimmered with the light of calculation.
Given his intelligence, just from this short clip, he'd already started to form some very interesting theories…
———
Elsewhere.
Karakura Town.
High school rooftop.
"That's… Ichigo?!"
A cry of shock rang out.
As they stared at the translucent screen showing the image of Ichigo holding Tensa Zangetsu, Sado and Orihime wore matching expressions of disbelief.
Are you kidding me?
Ichigo… was in that video too?
No way!
The two of them turned quickly to look behind them—
Only to see Ichigo himself standing frozen in place, eyes wide in shock, his dark irises brimming with fear and confusion.
Clearly—
Just like his friends,
Ichigo had been completely blindsided by what he saw in that video.
"Ichigo! What's going on? Tell us the truth!"
Seeing Ichigo's stunned expression only deepened Sado's confusion. He couldn't help but press for answers.
What was this Shinigami world?
What Top 15 strongest fighters ranking?
This so-called ranking video had appeared out of nowhere—and now, somehow, Ichigo was wrapped up in it too?
"Come on, don't look at me like that…"
Finally regaining a bit of composure,
Ichigo raised his hands helplessly and said, "I swear, I don't know anything! I'm just a normal high school student!"