Pale bare feet. A broken, high-collared robe matching the siblings' own. A cloak draped behind her, black on the outside and red within. Resting on her shoulder was the S-shaped blood-red scythe Shizuku had used.
This was Rukia's appearance after Hollowfication.
She had no traditional mask, nor had her body transformed into a monster-like form. If one had to describe her current appearance, Rukia looked more like a Shinigami who reaped life itself.
Her eyes had become vertical pupils like a snake's. Her entire figure looked cold and unapproachable, filled with indifference toward life.
"Ru… Rukia?" Just her aura alone felt wrong. Ichigo tried calling Rukia's name.
Ichigo's call seemed to have some effect. Rukia raised her head and glanced at him faintly. Then, from her mouth came a voice that mixed both male and female tones.
"Disappear. Disappear. All of you, disappear!"
Pitch-black Reiatsu ignited from Rukia's body once again and rushed toward Ichigo and the others. It was pure Hollow Reiatsu, identical to the aura Homura and Shizuku had released earlier.
Combined with the mixed male and female voice now coming from Rukia, there was no doubt that Rukia's body had been completely seized by Homura and Shizuku.
Before Ichigo and the others could discuss a countermeasure, Rukia was already wrapped in black Reiatsu, swinging the blood scythe as she charged toward them.
Without the slightest hesitation, Tsunayoshi and Kisuke Urahara dodged to either side at the same time, leaving Ichigo alone to face the berserk Rukia.
"Hey, you two…"
Before Ichigo could complain about those two shameless bastards, Rukia's scythe was already closing in. He could only hurriedly use Tensa Zangetsu to clash with her.
Unlike when he had faced Homura and Shizuku earlier, this time he was directly attacking Rukia. Ichigo became even more restrained, afraid that his attacks would injure Rukia's body.
By contrast, Rukia grew fiercer the longer she fought. Shizuku's originally terrible Zanjutsu, after being fused with Rukia's learning ability and combat experience, actually lost many of its openings when she swung the scythe.
Combined with Ichigo's unwillingness to properly attack, he could only fight while retreating. In a row, Rukia forced him back several dozen meters with her scythe.
"Tch. Why not just swing your sword and cut that thing down?" Grimmjow, watching from the side, could not stand it anymore and gave advice as recklessly as ever. For a controlled comrade like this, he had only one method of handling things.
As far as Grimmjow was concerned, Ichigo's strength was entirely capable of defeating Hollowfied Rukia. Yet he refused to attack, giving people the same frustrating feeling as being forced to hold it in during a stomachache.
"You make it sound easy. She's my comrade!" Ichigo shouted back.
The word "comrade" seemed to touch Rukia's deeper consciousness. After Ichigo shouted, the hand with which Rukia swung the scythe paused for a brief instant.
Ichigo seized that moment. Tensa Zangetsu slashed upward. As long as he knocked away that troublesome scythe, Rukia would not have much combat strength left.
Rukia's scythe was knocked into the air as Ichigo intended. But the next moment, several white snakes burst from her body and attacked him.
Remembering what Tsunayoshi had said earlier, Ichigo hurriedly traced a small black crescent around his body. At the cost of a brief burst of power, he pulled himself away from Rukia.
"What a pain."
Ichigo saw one of the white snakes coil around the scythe and return it to Rukia's hand. He hurriedly shouted at the two bastards who had tricked him,
"Hurry up and think of something! What am I supposed to do?"
From the moment they had left Ichigo to Rukia, Tsunayoshi and Urahara had already exchanged looks. After dodging aside, the two of them quickly gathered together with Sode no Shirayuki.
"Tsunayoshi, in your memories, how did Ichigo resolve this incident?" Kisuke Urahara asked while keeping his eyes fixed on Ichigo's ongoing battle.
"Because Ichigo's Shinigami power originally came from Rukia, all he needed to do was stab his Zanpakutō into Rukia's body and imitate the scene from back then, transferring Shinigami power back into her in reverse…"
Before Tsunayoshi finished speaking, Urahara already understood what he meant.
"But the current Ichigo is different from the Ichigo who fought only by relying on Rukia's Reiatsu."
"Exactly. Now that Ichigo has correctly recognized the existence of his own Shinigami power, it has basically replaced the Shinigami power he drew from Rukia. At present, only a small amount of Reishi related to Rukia remains inside Ichigo," Tsunayoshi said.
In other words, if Ichigo stabbed Rukia like he did in the movie, Rukia would not recover. She might even die within Ichigo's Shinigami power.
"I imagine you already have an alternative plan?" Urahara's gaze shifted toward Sode no Shirayuki.
"Sode no Shirayuki was forced out of Rukia's body by those siblings. Her Reiatsu and Rukia's originate from the same source. In other words, as long as Sode no Shirayuki pours her Reiatsu into Rukia's body, she should be able to awaken Rukia's consciousness," Tsunayoshi said with certainty.
"Me?" After learning her task, Sode no Shirayuki gave a slight bow. "I understand. I will do everything I can to save Rukia."
Without Muramasa's whispers, the loyalty between a Zanpakutō and its master was still quite high. Without another word, Sode no Shirayuki took up her snow-white Zanpakutō and charged toward the battlefield where Ichigo and Rukia were fighting.
"It sounds simple, but it will not be easy to do," Kisuke Urahara said as he watched Hollowfied Rukia. "Rukia in that state will not readily accept an infusion of Shinigami power."
Just as Urahara guessed, the moment Sode no Shirayuki entered the battlefield, Rukia's blade immediately turned away from Ichigo and toward her. The scythe swung out waves of black sword energy, every strike aimed at Sode no Shirayuki's vitals.
In the emergency, Sode no Shirayuki hurriedly released a large surge of ice and snow from her blade, using the power of Tsugi no Mai, Hakuren to rush toward Rukia and collide with the sword waves she had released.
After black and white light flashed, a field of shattered ice and snow remained in the center of the battlefield. Startled by Rukia's violent reaction, Sode no Shirayuki no longer dared to act recklessly.
Rukia, however, ignored everything. She forcefully broke through the remnants left by Hakuren and continued attacking Sode no Shirayuki.
Homura and Shizuku represented Rukia's Hollow power. Now that Rukia was under their control, they naturally did not want Rukia's Shinigami power to return. They even wanted to destroy Sode no Shirayuki.
If they could not destroy the Zanpakutō, the siblings would try to erase the memories related to Sode no Shirayuki. For a Shinigami, losing the true name of one's Zanpakutō was not much different from having all one's strength crippled.
Watching the relentless Rukia, Sode no Shirayuki was just about to raise her sword and fight when a black figure blocked the space between them.
It was Ichigo Kurosaki.
Ichigo could now see some clues. If they wanted Rukia to return to normal, he had to help Sode no Shirayuki.
"Get away! Get away!"
The mixed male and female voice roared in fury. The scythe was continuously blocked by Tensa Zangetsu. Homura and Shizuku already hated Ichigo to the bone. It was always this man ruining their plans.
"Tsunayoshi, stop watching!" Ichigo shouted. Seeing Sode no Shirayuki enter the fight, he knew Tsunayoshi and the others had already thought of a solution.
"Let's act together," Urahara said, looking at Tsunayoshi.
The moment Tsunayoshi nodded, Urahara moved first. A rod of light was thrown from his hand.
"Bakudō #62: Hyapporankan."
With two pilots controlling her at once, Rukia's senses were extremely sharp. Even as Ichigo increased the pace of his attacks, she still sensed the change in Reiatsu from afar.
Rukia swung her scythe, bursting out a wave of black air that forced back Ichigo's pressure. At the same time, her feet moved swiftly, just barely evading Hyapporankan's attack.
"Bakudō #61: Rikujōkōrō."
Six yellow, fan-shaped slabs of Reiatsu locked around Rukia's waist. With her dual-threaded control, Rukia had actually reacted the moment the voice rang out. However, the rods of light from Hyapporankan had just landed all around her, completely sealing off any possibility of movement.
"As expected, Rukia is not complete unless she is bound by Rikujōkōrō."
The one who used Rikujōkōrō was Tsunayoshi. Not using Kidō often did not mean he could not use it. Immediately after Urahara's Bakudō, he cast another binding spell. With two layers of Bakudō released in succession, this Rikujōkōrō was guaranteed to hit.
Homura and Shizuku also realized that Rukia's situation was extremely unfavorable. Completely ignoring how much Rukia's body could endure, they madly erupted with Hollow Reiatsu.
Within that sky-filling black flame-like Reiatsu, the siblings' attempt actually succeeded. Rikujōkōrō shattered, and it looked as though Rukia was about to regain her freedom.
At this moment, even the usually anxious Ichigo stabbed Tensa Zangetsu into the ground, crossed his arms, and raised his head to watch the show.
The instant Rukia broke free from Rikujōkōrō, five enormous iron pillars descended from the sky. It was Kisuke Urahara's work again.
"Bakudō #75: Gochūtekkan!"
Boom!
The sounds landed together in perfect unison. Rukia's five limbs were each pinned by an iron pillar. Even Ichigo smiled.
Training Hollowfication without experiencing Gochūtekkan was incomplete.
The chains on Gochūtekkan rattled continuously. Homura and Shizuku had not given up and were still struggling as hard as they could.
But Tsunayoshi would not give the siblings any opportunity.
"Bakudō #63: Sajō Sabaku!"
Thick chains tightly bound the immobilized Rukia. Homura and Shizuku still wanted to struggle, but with Rukia locked down by two powerful Bakudō spells, how could she still move?
Ichigo even stepped forward and kicked the scythe in Rukia's hand far away. As for the white snakes emerging from Rukia's body, Ichigo cut them down completely.
"Come over, Sode no Shirayuki. She's no longer a threat," Ichigo called.
"Thank you, Lord Ichigo."
Sode no Shirayuki bowed slightly. She walked up in front of Rukia and condensed Sode no Shirayuki's true blade. Under Rukia's pitiful expression, she aimed through the gap in Sajō Sabaku and stabbed the blade into Rukia's back.
Boom.
Black Reiatsu surged from Rukia's body like flames, rising into the sky. The blackness symbolizing Hollow power was expelled, while the white Reiatsu symbolizing Shinigami power flowed along the Zanpakutō and entered Rukia's body.
"Rukia…"
"Rukia…"
"Hurry and remember my name…"
"My name is…"
Just like when one first practiced Jinzen, Sode no Shirayuki's voice entered the depths of Rukia's heart, calling out to her again and again.
Rukia.
Call my name!
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