This is...
Ichigo Kurosaki slowly sat up, still dazed, and looked around.
What greeted him wasn't the streets of Seireitei, but the towering skyscrapers of the World of the Living.
And yet, something felt wrong.
"Where… is this?" Ichigo Kurosaki frowned. He had been fighting just a moment ago. How had he ended up here?
And there was that voice that had called out to him.
"I'm here."
The voice rang out again. Ichigo Kurosaki turned toward its source.
A dark-haired man in a black robe stood atop a metal pole. The wide sleeves of his robe billowed in the wind like writhing black flames.
"You are…" Ichigo Kurosaki didn't recognize the sunglasses-wearing man, yet an inexplicable sense of familiarity tugged at him. "Who are you?"
"[Who am I?]" The man's brow furrowed. "What are you talking about? It's me! ???? Ah."
Ichigo Kurosaki tilted his head, confused. "What did you say?"
He couldn't hear it.
"I see. You still can't hear me… how sad." The man closed his eyes. "How many times do I have to say it before you can hear me? I thought in this world, no one understood me better than you."
"What are you even talking about?" Ichigo Kurosaki felt completely lost. "Sorry, but I don't remember knowing anyone as gloomy as you…"
"How nice. You can still be this relaxed." The man's body swayed. Standing on the tip of the pole, he rotated ninety degrees, now standing sideways along its edge. "Even though you're about to die."
How was that even possible?
The sheer defiance of common sense sent a chill through Ichigo Kurosaki.
Then, without warning, a sensation of weightlessness struck.
Ichigo Kurosaki suddenly fell backward.
Only then did he realize what was wrong.
The buildings here were lying sideways… no, it was gravity. Gravity here was offset ninety degrees from the normal world.
He had been sitting on the outer wall of a skyscraper.
The instant gravity snapped back to normal, he dropped straight down from the building's exterior toward the ground.
"Uwaaaaaahhh!!!"
He had no time to react before he slammed heavily onto the ground.
Am I… going to die?
"Yes. You're about to die."
His shoulder grew heavy as the man's voice whispered by his ear. "Look."
Ichigo Kurosaki opened his eyes.
Before him was Ikkaku Madarame, grinning fiercely, his bald head gleaming under the light.
The three-section staff in his hands coiled around Ichigo Kurosaki's body, its sharp blade already pressed against his throat.
Time seemed frozen. Even the bead of sweat on Ikkaku Madarame's face hung motionless.
"In the next instant…" The man's hand rested on Ichigo Kurosaki's shoulder. "The blade will slice open your throat. The blood flowing inside you will spray out. You won't be able to breathe. You'll lose consciousness. And then… you'll die."
Ichigo Kurosaki instinctively tried to step back, but his body wouldn't move.
It wasn't just Ikkaku Madarame who was frozen.
He was as well.
"You're afraid. You're scared. You want to run…" the man murmured in his ear. "What are you afraid of? What are you scared of? Why do you want to run?"
Ichigo Kurosaki's pupils shrank.
Right… why run?
["If you're really stronger than me, running won't help. You'll catch up to me anyway."]
He had said that himself before.
So why was he thinking about running now?
He was afraid of death. Terrified of it. And in that fear, he had lost his composure, his only thought to escape.
But if he really ran, then he would truly die.
He had to—
"Forget your fear," the man said evenly. "Look forward."
Ichigo Kurosaki stared at Ikkaku Madarame. The panic that had filled his eyes was gone.
"Go!" the man barked. "Push straight ahead!"
That's right.
The three-section staff bound tightly around his body. There was nowhere to run. The only path to survival lay straight ahead.
"Retreat only makes you old!" The man's hand touched Ichigo Kurosaki's neck. Exquisite, branching patterns spread across his skin. "Fear will bring you death!"
Behind the sunglasses, the man's eyes widened as he felt the Quincy power flowing within Ichigo Kurosaki grow stronger.
More… just a little more.
Almost there.
Let these Shinigami witness the power of a Quincy.
Ichigo Kurosaki tightened his grip on the Crescent Spirit Blade and remembered Muten Natsu's advice.
["Everyone's constitution is different. The way they use their power will be different too. Why not try talking to your Quincy Cross? Ask its name or something."]
Before, Ichigo Kurosaki hadn't understood what there was to communicate with. The pendant had never responded.
But at this moment, a sudden clarity dawned on him.
Wasn't this communication?
He could feel the power inside him surging, restless, just one step away from breaking through.
What he needed to do was suddenly crystal clear.
"Tell me!" Ichigo Kurosaki shouted. "Your name!"
"…" The man's expression stiffened, and the hand resting at Ichigo Kurosaki's neck jerked back as if it had been burned.
The next instant, a mouth suddenly opened on Zangetsu's cheek. With a smile it couldn't quite hide, it spoke in a bizarre voice, answering him.
"My name is—"
Ikkaku Madarame's eyes flew wide. The blade had already touched Ichigo Kurosaki's neck.
I've won!
He could see the panic in Ichigo Kurosaki's eyes, the fear… but where was it?
A deep, vivid blue surged up in Ichigo Kurosaki's gaze. Violent Reiatsu exploded from his body, whipping the air into a raging storm.
The spirit blade in his left hand scattered… then snapped back into form, transforming into two white bandages. They crossed and wrapped around Ichigo Kurosaki's left arm, winding all the way up to his shoulder. From his left shoulder, they streamed backward, shedding blue trails of light like a single, flowing wing.
In his right hand, the Crescent Spirit Blade swelled abruptly. A heavy, pitch-black core opened at its center, and something pale and bone-white seemed to seep out from within.
The expanding blade paused for the briefest moment, then began to compress inward.
The bone-white was swallowed by the black. The blade was drawn into that darkness, growing denser and more solid by the second.
The translucent spirit blade finally became a real great katana: a black body with a white edge, its colors eerily similar to Uryū Ishida's new bow.
Ichigo Kurosaki and the voice in his heart shouted the name together.
"Zangetsu!"
A blue crescent burst from the blade with his cry, carrying overwhelming Reiatsu as it tore through Ikkaku Madarame's body.
Blood shot skyward.
"Damn it…" Sensing the danger, Ikkaku Madarame threw Hōzukimaru up in front of him, but even Hōzukimaru couldn't withstand that crushing blade pressure. It was cleaved clean in two.
The blue crescent split Hōzukimaru and carved a savage wound across his chest.
Ichigo Kurosaki held the crescent-shaped great katana Zangetsu and looked at Ikkaku Madarame, drenched in blood.
"Hmph… what's wrong… that's it?" Ikkaku Madarame staggered upright, gripping the broken Hōzukimaru. "I'm… I'm not finished yet!"
"It's over." Ichigo Kurosaki could even see pale ribs through the gash in Ikkaku Madarame's chest. "Stop."
Ikkaku Madarame answered flatly, "No."
"The winner's decided! You've already lost!"
"I'm still alive!" Ikkaku Madarame bent his knees, forcing strength back into his legs. "As Ikkaku Madarame, 3rd Seat of the Zaraki Squad, I'm still alive. As long as I'm standing, the fight isn't over!"
Swinging Hōzukimaru, he poured everything he had left into one last charge at Ichigo Kurosaki.
Ichigo Kurosaki lifted his left hand, fingers spread.
A faint glow lit up from the silver ring on his palm. As his fingers curled, a torrent of Reishi came roaring in, and the blue crescent that had already dispersed re-formed in front of him.
He flicked his fingers lightly.
The violent crescent skimmed past Ikkaku Madarame's body and shot into the sky.
"Damn… damn it…" Ikkaku Madarame's remaining strength broke apart. His body pitched forward, no longer under his control. "You… held back…"
...
"Muten Natsu is the one who killed your Aniki?" The black-haired Shinigami sounded genuinely surprised. "So you're Kaien Shiba's younger brother. If you hadn't said it, I never would've guessed… at least not from your face."
Shiba Ganju snorted. "Your Shinigami skills might be average, but you're sure good at judging people by their looks."
"Since you're his younger brother, I guess I shouldn't be too rude." The black-haired Shinigami raised his Zanpakutō. "5th Seat of the 8th Division—Yumichika Ayasegawa."
"Ha!" Shiba Ganju laughed. "So you're only 5th Seat!"
All members of the Gotei 13 are Shinigami. Each division has one captain and one Lieutenant, along with several ranks of Seated Officers, with seats generally arranged by strength.
The 3rd Seat assists the Lieutenant, and so on down the line. Below them are over two hundred ordinary members, and in some divisions, ten to twenty people may hold the same seat.
Generally speaking, the higher the seat, the stronger the Shinigami, and the more demanding the missions they're expected to take on.
"From how cocky you're acting, anyone watching would think I was the one who just ran for my life." Yumichika Ayasegawa gave his wrist a casual flick. "About time I finished this. With my—Fuji Kujaku."
With another flick, Yumichika Ayasegawa's Zanpakutō reshaped into a curved blade. Like a peacock fanning its tail, it split into four arcing blades.
"If you want to take me down… then come on!" Shiba Ganju yanked a pellet from the pouch at his waist, rubbed it against his arm guard, and sneered. "You've got a long way to go!"
Yumichika Ayasegawa hadn't even figured out what he was doing when Shiba Ganju hurled the pellet.
Bang!
Thick smoke burst out in an instant.
"Ugh… smoke? No, wait!" Yumichika Ayasegawa's eyes immediately watered. "My eyes—damn, it burns! What is this… damn it!"
Shiba Ganju's voice echoed from inside the smoke. "Heh heh heh! Now you get it, right? This is the Kūkaku-brand chili pepper fireworks! You're about to taste the power of the Blood-Tear Ball—cough, cough!"
This idiot actually got himself with his own weapon… Yumichika Ayasegawa thought, but he didn't hesitate.
Smoke bombs were usually for getting away. Now that Shiba Ganju was suffering from it too, it was the perfect time to press the attack.
To keep Shiba Ganju from slipping away, Yumichika Ayasegawa forced down the sting in his nose, eyes, and throat, charged into the smoke, and slashed toward him.
"Don't come any closer!" Shiba Ganju yelped, panicked, and threw out a whole bunch of firecrackers.
Crack-crack-crack!
The explosions went on and on, but the force behind them was laughable.
Yumichika Ayasegawa caught the panic in his opponent's movements, raised his arms to shield his face, and drove forward through the rapid pops as he closed in on Shiba Ganju.
"Shiba-shiki Shaka Sendan…" Shiba Ganju suddenly flung a large handful of pellets. "Senpen Banka!"
"That's supposed to be a technique?" This time Yumichika Ayasegawa was ready. Before the pellets could detonate, he swung Fuji Kujaku and sliced them apart.
Hiss, hiss.
They sputtered out only a few pitiful sparks before dropping to the ground.
"Then eat this one!" Shiba Ganju whipped his arm and threw the Blood Tear Ball again.
Yumichika Ayasegawa was already sick of it. He lunged straight ahead, diving through the smoke to rush Shiba Ganju—only to feel the ground vanish under his feet.
This is… bad!
His body dropped, and only then did Yumichika Ayasegawa realize that between the constant harassment and the cover of the smoke, he'd been driven right to the edge of a deep pit. That forward dive sent him straight into it.
Luckily, his reflexes were quick. He caught the edge with one hand, bent his arms, and hauled himself up.
"Don't think you're getting back up!" Shiba Ganju stood at the rim, slammed his palm onto the brickwork, and shouted, "Shiba-style Stone Wave Method Secret Technique! Renkan Seppa Sen!"
The moment Yumichika Ayasegawa got his footing, sand burst up around his shoes. A large triangular section of brickwork split apart and collapsed into the pit.
No time to think.
Yumichika Ayasegawa sprang into the air. From midair, he watched a huge chunk of brick tumble down with a lingering chill in his chest, then snorted.
"Good thing I'm better than you, you damn little—what are you doing?!"
"Heh heh…" Shiba Ganju gave a nasty grin and hurled an enormous firework shell, bigger than anything he'd thrown so far, straight up at Yumichika Ayasegawa, who had nowhere to dodge in midair. "Fireworks time!"
Bang!
A brilliant burst exploded, splattering across Yumichika Ayasegawa's face before fading into the sky.
"Hmph…" Mayuri Kurotsuchi stepped out of his laboratory and looked up at the fireworks. "So you dared to steal my experimental specimen, Muten Natsu… You and your companions won't be getting away. Not a single one."
...
Underground sewers.
"How could… be… like this…" Staring at the horrifying wounds covering Shūhei's body, the bun-haired girl clapped a hand over her mouth. "How could this happen…"
"When I found him, he was already like this." Izuru Kira's face was tight with guilt. "If I'd found him sooner, I could've joined the fight."
"It's not your fault... This can't be blamed on you." The girl shook her head. "These wounds…"
"It's the Bokukō." Renji Abarai's brow knit tightly. "Muten's… Bokukō."
The injuries on Shūhei Hisagi's body showed obvious signs of melting, corrosion left behind by spiritual ink.
"Either way… contact the 4th Division right now. Request support from the higher-level medical unit." A faint green glow gathered in Izuru Kira's palm as he moved it toward Shūhei Hisagi's wounds. "With my abilities, I can only manage basic first aid."