Just as Tsunayoshi was about to deal with the two Arrancar, a wave of icy air surged from behind him. Tsunayoshi immediately unfolded a lightning barrier to defend himself.
It was an ice dragon, identical in appearance to the one produced by Hyōrinmaru, though its color leaned more toward violet. Under the dragon's impact, Tsunayoshi was swiftly encased within a massive block of ice.
With Tsunayoshi no longer obstructing them, the red and blue Arrancar quickly retreated. Isshin and the others raised their weapons toward the direction the ice dragon had come from.
"Was that… Hyōrinmaru?" Ichigo asked in disbelief. He had always believed that Hitsugaya Tōshirō would never betray Soul Society. Yet the attack before their eyes looked exactly like Hyōrinmaru's power.
"Don't jump to conclusions," Isshin said calmly. Having already heard some information from Tsunayoshi, he called out loudly,
"Friend over there—aren't you going to show yourself?"
At the spot where the two Arrancar had retreated, a cloaked figure stood in the air. His face was hidden behind a white mask with six hollow holes, and the two Arrancar knelt beside him like attendants. In his hand was a Zanpakutō identical to Hyōrinmaru.
The man made no move to reveal his identity. Instead, he raised the blade and declared:
"Sit upon the frozen heavens—Hyōrinmaru!"
Another purple ice dragon was born from the blade and roared toward Isshin and the others.
Seeing the attack, Isshin felt a bad premonition.
If this mysterious man impersonated Hitsugaya and caused trouble in Soul Society, it could easily cement the accusation that Hitsugaya had defected.
Attacking them now might be part of the same scheme—making Isshin and the others believe the attack truly came from Hitsugaya, isolating him and forcing him into a corner… perhaps even pushing him toward Soul Society's enemies.
Isshin's expression darkened.
No matter what, Hitsugaya was still his junior. Manipulating one of their own like this was unforgivable. Isshin had originally planned to stay on the sidelines, but now he intended to capture this mysterious man and stop the plot.
However, someone moved even faster than him.
Isshin was still considering whether to intervene, but Ichigo didn't need to think at all. He swung the black bow in his hand like a blade, unleashing a crescent-shaped slash of black energy.
The crescent shattered the incoming ice dragon and continued flying toward the mysterious figure.
Seeing this, Ishida Uryū rubbed his forehead in exasperation. As a Quincy who took pride in archery, watching Ichigo treat a bow like a sword gave him a thousand complaints he couldn't even begin to express.
Facing Ichigo's counterattack, the mysterious man didn't move.
Instead, the two Arrancar acted simultaneously, launching Bala-like spheres of lightning and fire, blocking Ichigo's strike.
A cracking sound echoed.
Tsunayoshi shattered the ice sealing him with one hand. A single monocle floated before his eye—D. Spade's Demon Lens.
The enemy's attack hadn't been particularly strong. Tsunayoshi could have broken free earlier, but he had noticed something unusual about the Reiatsu within the ice dragon, so he deliberately stayed inside the ice to observe.
Through the Demon Lens, Tsunayoshi could clearly see that the Hyōrinmaru in the mysterious man's hand was not the same blade as Hitsugaya's.
Yet it shared a very similar flaw.
The Reiatsu inside the Zanpakutō was incomplete—only a fragment remained. In fact, it was far weaker than the Reiatsu contained in Hitsugaya's Hyōrinmaru.
"Hey," Tsunayoshi called out loudly,
"You're Sōjirō Kusaka, right?"
The man clearly froze.
After a long moment, he slowly raised his hand and removed the mask.
A handsome face appeared—long black hair tied into a topknot, and a red scar running down the right side of his face.
"I didn't expect anyone to still remember that name," Kusaka said, a trace of nostalgia crossing his face.
But the expression quickly twisted into something sinister.
"Begging for mercy won't help you," he said softly. "You'll all die here."
He raised his Zanpakutō again.
"Sit upon the frozen heavens—Hyōrinmaru."
An even larger ice dragon surged toward Tsunayoshi's group.
Just as Ichigo was about to attack again, Isshin stopped him.
Isshin had already sensed that Tsunayoshi intended to do something. He chose not to interfere.
Facing the terrifying ice dragon, Tsunayoshi merely drew his Zanpakutō—now reverted to the form of an Asauchi.
Reiatsu coated the blade.
One swing.
The ice dragon shattered instantly into fragments.
"A Zanpakutō with the potential to rule the ice element… and this is how you use it?" Tsunayoshi said calmly.
"No wonder you lost that duel."
In Tsunayoshi's view, Hyōrinmaru's release command alone carried immense presence—Sit upon the frozen heavens. It was clearly meant to represent the supreme power of ice.
Yet Kusaka had only grasped the outer form of ice, without the overwhelming authority to freeze everything.
While trapped in the ice earlier, Tsunayoshi had already sensed that Kusaka's Hyōrinmaru had the shape—but almost none of the true Reiatsu core.
An attack of this level wouldn't even reach the level of a lieutenant.
Perhaps Hitsugaya had realized the flaw in Kusaka's Hyōrinmaru. That was why, even while injured, he had still chosen to confront Kusaka alone.
Because Kusaka's current power was simply incomparable to Hitsugaya's.
Even without using Bankai, Hitsugaya would still defeat him easily.
Tsunayoshi used Shunpo, rushing straight toward Kusaka.
The red and blue Arrancar immediately moved to block him—
But two arrows arrived even faster.
One black.
One blue.
The coordination between Tsunayoshi, Ichigo, and Uryū had long since become second nature. The moment Tsunayoshi moved, their attacks followed.
These half-baked Arrancar were no match for Ichigo and Uryū. Simply blocking the two arrows already exhausted them—how could they possibly stop Tsunayoshi's charge?
Perhaps Tsunayoshi's words had provoked him.
Kusaka raised his sword again—
But the next instant, Tsunayoshi appeared behind him.
The monocle on Tsunayoshi's face transformed into handcuffs.
Just as he was about to restrain Kusaka—
A strange and overwhelming Reiatsu suddenly erupted, shaking the entire battlefield.
Even Tsunayoshi froze mid-motion, handcuffs extended but unable to move.
From his position above and behind Kusaka, Tsunayoshi could see clearly.
Kusaka hadn't swung his sword at all.
That had only been a feint.
What he had really done was pull a square golden seal from his robe.
The Ōin?
That was the only possibility Tsunayoshi could think of.
But he didn't dwell on it. Instead, he immediately released his own Reiatsu to break through the pressure emitted by the seal.
The moment Tsunayoshi regained his mobility—
Hyōrinmaru slashed across his chest.
Blood sprayed into the air.
It was only a minor wound. Tsunayoshi had no intention of retreating.
But the Reiatsu from the Ōin suddenly concentrated entirely on him under Kusaka's control, slamming him down toward the ground.
At that moment, Isshin and the others regained their ability to move.
Isshin hurried to check on Tsunayoshi.
Meanwhile, Ichigo and Uryū drew their bows and fired powerful arrows.
Yet the moment the arrows approached—
The Reiatsu from the Ōin shifted again.
Both arrows abruptly changed direction, rendering the attack completely useless.
"Hahahaha…!"
Kusaka burst into wild laughter.
It was his first time using the power of the Ōin, and the sensation was intoxicating.
With the Ōin's power, he could take revenge.
He could conquer everything.
Of course, Kusaka still didn't know that Central 46 had already been wiped out. His mind was filled with nothing but his own delusions.
"Tsunayoshi, you alright?" Isshin asked.
"Just a scratch," Tsunayoshi replied. "That thing's Reiatsu is strange. I didn't react fast enough."
He calculated silently.
If he wanted to counter the sudden attacks from the Ōin, Bankai alone probably wouldn't be enough.
While they were speaking, Ichigo had already lost his patience.
He exchanged a glance with Uryū, gripped his black bow, and charged forward. Uryū sighed helplessly and drew his bow to cover him.
Facing Ichigo's charge, Kusaka showed a look of disdain.
The Ōin's Reiatsu slammed into Ichigo again.
Ichigo barely managed to swing out two poorly aimed Getsuga Tenshō, before being blasted back to the ground.
"Everyone," Kusaka said with a manic grin,
"The next time we meet will be the day you die."
He already seemed to see the future—
The destruction of Soul Society.
But the moment his words ended—
Tsunayoshi appeared right in front of him.
Realizing Kusaka was about to escape, Tsunayoshi erupted forward at full speed. By combining four advanced movement techniques, he unleashed a terrifying burst of velocity that no one present could match.
But there wasn't enough time.
He couldn't even release his Zanpakutō.
Instead, he attacked with two Asauchi-form blades, aiming only to capture Kusaka. Ordinary Zanpakutō would be more than sufficient.
Facing the attack, Kusaka merely smiled faintly.
The Ōin in his hand flashed with golden light—
And in the next instant, he and the two Arrancar vanished.
Tsunayoshi's blades cut through empty air.
He immediately searched for Kusaka's Reiatsu through the Reishi network.
Nothing.
There was no trace at all.
Sōjirō Kusaka was no longer in the Human World.
When Tsunayoshi returned near the Kurosaki residence, Ichigo and the others quickly gathered around him.
Ignoring Ichigo and Uryū, Tsunayoshi looked directly at Isshin.
"Old man, could you tell what ability Kusaka used to disappear?"
Isshin slowly shook his head.
"I don't know. I only heard about the Ōin from you. I wasn't a captain for long—I never experienced the previous Royal Seal transport mission."
"Tch… troublesome."
Tsunayoshi sighed.
"Ichigo, Uryū—go back to school for now. I'm heading to Soul Society to consult the Head Captain, that walking history book."
"I understand," Uryū said calmly. "Let us know if anything happens."
"Yeah!" Ichigo suddenly shouted angrily. "That bastard blew up my room! Next time I see him, I'll make him pay!"
The destroyed section of the Kurosaki house had unfortunately been Ichigo's room.
"Look on the bright side," Tsunayoshi said with a grin. "You can renovate it however you want now."
"Huh… that's actually true."
Ichigo immediately turned and shouted at Isshin.
"Dad! I want my room upgraded—make it high-end!"
"If your ranking drops this semester," Isshin replied coldly,
"you're sleeping in the storage shed!"
He knew Ichigo was working hard to grow stronger, but Isshin still wanted him to take school seriously.
"If Ichigo doesn't want to sleep in the shed," Tsunayoshi teased,
"he could ask Orihime. I'm sure she'd be happy to share a room."
"Tsunayoshi!!!"
Ichigo's face turned bright red as he roared in embarrassment.
"Anyway," Tsunayoshi said with a laugh,
"I'm heading to Soul Society—"
Before finishing his sentence, he disappeared.
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