Black Cat Yoruichi plummeted toward the ground, wrapped in a raging torrent of Reishi. Several Shinigami had already spotted the conspicuous streak of light and drawn their Zanpakutō, ready to strike.
Within the swirling current of Reishi, the black cat murmured softly. Just as she was about to collide with the Shinigami's blades, both she and the Reishi stream vanished without a trace.
"She—she disappeared?"
The Shinigami stared in shock.
"What just happened?"
"Damn it!"
"Spread out and find them!"
On a nearby rooftop, Black Cat Yoruichi flicked her long tail, sensing the Reiatsu in the area.
"They've scattered in different directions. That works. Just don't die… whatever you do, don't die."
Amid the chaotic Reishi currents, Yasutora Sado carried Uryū Ishida on his shoulder. Crimson-black armor formed over his arm, absorbing the turbulent Reishi swirling around him. He swung his fist downward, releasing a tremendous force that slammed into the ground.
The impact cushioned their fall. The moment he landed, Yasutora Sado rolled forward, still holding Uryū Ishida, slipped through a hole blasted in a wall, and swiftly climbed up into a tree.
"Yasutora—"
Uryū Ishida began, then stopped himself.
A squad of Shinigami rushed to the landing site. The massive crater in the ground left them stunned.
"What… what caused this?"
"How does something even make a hole that big…?"
"Search! If there's no body, they're still alive! Move!"
The Shinigami scattered in all directions, searching for traces of the Ryoka.
One of them paused briefly beneath the tree.
Yasutora Sado slowly raised his arm. Reiryoku flowed faintly within it.
As if sensing something, the Shinigami looked up—
"Hey!"
Another Shinigami shouted.
"What are you standing around for? Hurry up and search!"
"Oh!"
The Shinigami quickly ran off.
Yasutora Sado let the Reiryoku in his arm dissipate and exhaled slowly.
"What do we do next?"
Such power…
Uryū Ishida had long sensed the rise in Ichigo Kurosaki and Yasutora Sado's Reiatsu. But being slung over Sado's shoulder just now, feeling the Reiryoku coursing through him at such close range, made the difference unmistakable.
To grow this much in such a short time… how had Yasutora Sado done it?
Uryū Ishida waved his hand, but unlike in the World of the Living, he couldn't form a spirit network.
"The Reishi here is too chaotic.I can't gather them into threads. For now, I can't pinpoint Muten's location for now."
Yasutora Sado steadied himself against the trunk, then leapt up with a sharp sound and landed on a nearby rooftop.
"We'll have a better view from here."
"You can put me down, you know…"
Uryū Ishida had wanted to say that for a while. Being carried around by Yasutora Sado gave him an inexplicable sense of embarrassment.
Yasutora Sado casually set him down.
"Should we regroup with Ichigo first?"
"A Quincy fights using external power, so their spiritual pressure is even harder to detect…" Uryū Ishida gazed into the distance.
"Ganju's position, on the other hand, should be easier to pinpoint…"
Pop!
A burst of fireworks rose in the distance, drawing both their attention.
"Over there!"
Yasutora Sado immediately moved to head out.
A towering figure suddenly appeared behind him, a massive Zanpakutō crashing down.
Boom!
The rooftop exploded, tiles scattering everywhere.
The tall Shinigami lifted his head and looked toward Yasutora Sado.
"You dodged… Not bad."
The Shinigami was at least five meters tall. That he could approach without a sound, concealing his presence so completely, was almost absurd.
"You're the Ryoka who invaded Seireitei, aren't you?"
The towering Shinigami hoisted his door-sized Zanpakutō.
"Then you must have met Jidanbō Ikkanzaka of the Hakutōmon. I am Jirōbō Ikkanzaka, his younger brother."
"You…"
Armor spread over Yasutora Sado's right arm.
"Can you open the gate for us too?"
"I'm not like him. I won't lose my head from intimidation."
Jirōbō Ikkanzaka snorted.
"Muten Natsu is with you, isn't he? I have no interest in small fry like you. Trying to bait me with strange abilities won't work."
"What a shame."
Uryū Ishida adjusted his glasses.
"Muten Natsu isn't here."
"I see…"
Jirōbō Ikkanzaka swung his blade violently.
"That puts me at ease."
Yasutora Sado raised his hand. His armored palm clamped directly onto the broad blade.
"I doubt… Muten Natsu would be interested in you either."
"Ar—Ar—Ar—"
Jirōbō Ikkanzaka strained, trying to wrench the blade free while forcing out, "[Arrogant]!" Yet no matter how hard he pulled, he couldn't budge it.
"Flap Away—Tsunzakigarasu!"
The Zanpakutō in Sado's grasp shattered instantly, breaking into countless willow-leaf blades that spun and sliced toward him.
Yasutora Sado leapt back, but the flying blades circled like birds, relentlessly closing in. Their piercing whistles sent chills down the spine.
"This is my Shikai—Jirōbō Ikkanzaka, Fourth Seat of the Seventh Division!"
Blades swarmed around him.
"Seeing my towering build, most assume I fight with brute strength like my brother. But that couldn't be further from the truth. I am also known as Kamaitachi Jirōbō. The name 'Kamaitachi' itself proves I wield the ultimate flying weapon. These countless blades dancing through the sky are a merciless storm that will shred every enemy who witnesses [Tsunzakigarasu]. Against a master of aerial weapons like me, you'll regret ever crossing—"
Several flashes of deep blue light streaked through the air.
The blades whirling in the sky shattered one after another.
"I thought a Shinigami who shares the same title as Muten Natsu would be impressive. Looks like he's just skewed my perception of Shinigami."
Uryū Ishida held his longbow steady. "You mentioned something about being a master of flying weapons… in front of a Quincy?"
Yasutora Sado looked at the bow in Uryū Ishida's hands.
Unlike the Reishi bow from before, this one was a solid silver long bow, decorated with dark black lines along the grip. The body of the bow extended in angled segments, connecting to the strange glove on Uryū Ishida's right hand. From the wrist of the glove, two additional branches extended outward.
No…
Yasutora Sado recalled Ichigo Kurosaki's Crescent Moon Spirit Blade.
It wasn't that the bow was attached to the glove. Four branches sprouted from the wrist, forming a cross. Then the upper and lower branches twisted and reshaped themselves, transforming into the longbow.
The level of compression and restraint was completely different from the translucent Reishi Bow he had used before.
"A Quincy? Interesting…" Jirōbō Ikkanzaka drew his blade again, unleashing a chain of flying blades. "That was just luck. And you still dare to act so arrog—"
Before Yasutora Sado could even follow Uryū Ishida's movement, Jirōbō Ikkanzaka's hand was pierced clean through by a Reishi arrow.
"My apologies. Seems I've been lucky again." Uryū Ishida hooked the string calmly. "And I'm afraid I'll be lucky two more times."
Two Reishi arrows struck Jirōbō Ikkanzaka in succession. His scream cut off abruptly.
Yasutora Sado looked at the man sprawled on his back. "Is he dead?"
"No." The longbow in Uryū Ishida's hand dissolved into Reishi and sank back into the glove. "I shot through his [Saketsu] and [Hakusui]. Those are nodes of Reiryoku. He won't be causing us any more trouble."
"So that's…" Yasutora Sado glanced at the glove. "The result of your training?"
"This was left to me by my master." Uryū Ishida lifted his eyes. "I'm more curious about your training. How did you manage it?"
"I…" Yasutora Sado paused. "I just put in some effort."
Uryū Ishida was silent for a moment. "...Let's head toward the fireworks."
...
"Damn it!" Ganju Shiba dashed through the alley. "What a pain! I can't shake him!"
"Heh." The black-haired Shinigami followed at an unhurried pace. "You really don't look good when you run."
Ganju was about to snap back when he saw the wall ahead. "You've got to be kidding me… a dead end?!"
Instead of slowing down, he sped up. With a sweep of his hand, he traced a circle and slammed it against the wall.
"Turn to sand—Seppa!"
The wall instantly crumbled into sand, leaving a hole behind.
"Oh? So you can pull off tricks like that." The black-haired Shinigami chuckled. "That sand pit earlier was your handiwork too, wasn't it? But what's ahead is—"
Ganju leapt through the opening. He landed and sprinted forward several meters—then the ground vanished beneath his feet.
"Wah!"
A massive pit yawned before him, dozens of meters deep.
He barely managed to stop himself in time. "What kind of place is this…?"
"This used to be an execution ground," the black-haired Shinigami said quietly. "We'd throw captured Hollows into the pit and make them fight condemned criminals. We'd watch from the platforms on either side."
With nowhere left to run, Ganju Shiba turned around.
"Hmph… You Shinigami really do enjoy this kind of cruelty."
"That ugly custom was abolished long ago." The black-haired Shinigami lifted his gaze. "But compared to that, your ugliness is far more appalling."
"Beauty and ugliness aren't for you to decide." Ganju Shiba drew the short blade from his lower back. "There are plenty of people who like my type!"
The black-haired Shinigami froze for a second, then covered his mouth and laughed softly. "Pfft. Maybe not much in the looks department, but you're pretty funny. No wonder you're Muten Natsu's friend."
Ganju Shiba's face darkened instantly.
"What… did you just say?"
...
"You really do have a lot of friends."
In the underground sewer, a figure stepped out from around the corner. "Muten Natsu."
Muten Natsu stopped and raised a hand, signaling Orihime Inoue to step back.
"Long time no see… Hisagi-senpai."
The man had spiky hair and a fierce expression. Three scars ran from his forehead down to his chin. The number 69 was tattooed on his left cheek. His tightly furrowed brow barely concealed the disgust in his eyes. His sleeveless Shihakushō exposed well-built arms, and strange black chain-like bands coiled around his neck and arms.
Lieutenant of the Ninth Division—Shūhei Hisagi.
He had once failed the entrance exam to the Shin'ō Academy twice.
But once he broke through, he made a name for himself in one stroke. While still a student at the Shin'ō Academy, before even graduating, Shūhei Hisagi had already qualified to join the Gotei 13—a rising talent highly regarded by his seniors.
Before Muten Natsu had even left Soul Society, he was already the Lieutenant of the 9th Division.
"I liked you better when you were still my junior," Shūhei Hisagi said, drawing the Zanpakutō from his waist. "What happened to that lazy guy?"
"As the Lieutenant of the prison division, shouldn't you know better than anyone?" Muten Natsu drew the black Katana at his side. "If there's nothing that absolutely needs doing, I'm more than happy to slack off."
"Once you entered Seireitei, you were bound to head into the underground to retrieve your Zanpakutō. No one understands the underground waterways better than the 4th Division, but figuring out the routes around the 12th Division alone isn't hard if you focus on them."
Shūhei Hisagi's gaze lingered briefly on the black katana.
"The moment I discovered you, I started reviewing the layout of the 12th Division's underground waterways. When I noticed your friend moving aboveground, I rushed here to stop you. I didn't expect you'd already gotten it back. How does it feel?"
"Like something that was missing has finally been put back where it belongs." Muten Natsu held the long katana horizontally before him. "When you took it from me, I felt out of sorts for a long time."
"Prisoners aren't allowed to carry Zanpakutō. That's the rule. If you hadn't had a second blade, your escape wouldn't have gone so smoothly."
Shūhei Hisagi stared straight into Muten Natsu's eyes.
"It's a shame I didn't get to see you afraid."
"Sorry to disappoint you," Muten Natsu said softly. "I prefer being the one who makes others afraid."
"That's exactly what worries me about you. From the first time you were thrown in prison, I had a bad feeling."
Shūhei Hisagi's figure flickered, closing the gap in an instant. His Zanpakutō slashed straight at Muten Natsu's face.
"You have no fear!"
Clang!
Ink Fortress activated.
Muten Natsu swung his black katana through the spreading ink. The blade paused for a fraction of a second before accelerating, cutting toward Shūhei Hisagi's chest.
"Fear? What should I be afraid of?"
"Everything you ought to fear!"
Shūhei Hisagi twisted his wrist, knocking the black katana aside and pressing the attack, one strike after another, each accompanied by a sharp rebuke.
"You should have been afraid the moment you entered prison—afraid of the crimes you committed and the punishment you deserved, afraid of the sins you know and the execution you can't predict! Only through fear can you confront your mistakes, correct them, and return to the right path!"
"You seem to have forgotten…"
Ink spread outward, intercepting Shūhei Hisagi's assault. Muten Natsu pivoted lightly, parrying as Ink Fortress flashed again and again.
"The first time I was imprisoned, it was because I used Soul Essence Stealing to save people. I brought three people back from Hueco Mundo. Is that the crime I'm supposed to fear?"
"It's your lack of fear that's the crime."
Shūhei Hisagi was steadily forced back, adjusting the angle of his Zanpakutō with minimal movement to deflect each slash. Finally, he created distance with a diagonal cut.
"You should have realized in prison how terrifying your power is. You should have learned to fear it, so you could control it properly. But Captain Unohana took you out of the Nest of Maggots the very next day… She indulges you too much."