"What... is that fire?"
Kurosaki Ichigo was terrified. He had already sprinted a considerable distance away from the fight between Rosalyne and Hitsugaya, yet the heat radiating from behind him still pricked at his skin.
It felt like his very soul was being scorched.
It was proof of just how terrifying the women in this squad were. Were they really human?
Seeing Ichigo's pale face, Hu Tao covered her mouth and giggled. "Oh, you worry too much, Strawberry! Stop thinking about scary things. We're on a tight schedule!"
She held up a finger, her expression turning mischievous but sharp.
"I'll handle that gloomy guy from the Kuchiki clan. You just focus on saving the girl. But don't blame me for not warning you: You have fifteen minutes. If you don't have her out by then, we're leaving immediately. You'll be left to face the entire Gotei 13 alone!"
A little lie to light a fire under him. If he didn't step up, this mission would get messy.
"Got it!" Ichigo nodded furiously, adrenaline flooding his system. "Fifteen minutes! I'll get Rukia out even if it kills me!"
The two sprinted across the rooftops, finally arriving at the bridge leading to the massive white tower—the Senzaikyu (Shrine of Penitence).
Alarms were blaring. Soul Reapers were shouting.
And standing calmly on the bridge, blocking their path, was Kuchiki Byakuya.
He looked at Ichigo with eyes devoid of warmth. "You... have returned."
"Yeah! I'm not as cold-blooded as you!" Ichigo shouted, gripping Zangetsu. "When a comrade is taken, I come to save them! That's what humans do!"
Ichigo was brimming with confidence now. After all, he had backup.
Hu Tao stepped in front of Ichigo, twirling her Staff of Homa. She grinned at the Captain, her plum-blossom eyes sparkling.
"So, you're the Boss of this level? Listen carefully, Mr. Noble... you better use Bankai right now. Otherwise... when this Director gets serious, you're going to have a very bad time."
Hidden in the shadows nearby, Yoruichi Shihouin (in cat form) widened her eyes in shock.
Is this girl insane? Demanding Bankai right from the start? Who does she think she is? Bankai is the ultimate technique... if Byakuya uses it, she'll be shredded instantly!
Hearing Hu Tao's taunt, Byakuya frowned slightly. He didn't even dignify it with a verbal response. He didn't even release his Shikai.
Arrogance has a price. And Hu Tao was about to collect.
BOOM.
Crimson flames erupted from Hu Tao's body. For this mission, she had entered the Soul Society as a pure Spirit Body. Six fiery spirits circled her like protective butterflies.
"Hehehe... giving me the silent treatment? That's a paddling!"
Swoosh.
Hu Tao vanished.
To the onlookers, she simply disappeared. But in the next split second, Byakuya's eyes widened.
Cough.
He was sent flying backward, blood spraying from his mouth. A charred fist print smoked on the chest of his pristine Captain's haori.
Hu Tao's soul fire didn't just burn flesh; it burned spiritual energy on contact.
"I'm not done yet! The Director is just getting started!"
Before Byakuya could recover from the shock, Hu Tao was on him again. She punched him out of the air, slamming him into the stone bridge below.
The masonry shattered.
Power. Speed. Technique. She was completely overwhelming him.
Byakuya used Shunpo to create distance, but Hu Tao stuck to him like a shadow.
"Secret Art of Requiem: Butterfly's Embrace!"
Roar.
A massive fire spirit lunged at him. Byakuya instinctively blocked with his sealed Zanpakuto. But the moment the flame touched his blade, a searing pain shot through his hand.
"Hiss... what is this attack?"
Byakuya finally lost his composure. This girl wasn't just hitting him; she was hurting his soul directly.
"Since you dare challenge the pride of the Kuchiki clan... prepare to be scattered. Scatter, Senbonzakura."
The blade dissolved into a thousand pink petals, dancing in the air.
Hu Tao laughed. "Just like Keqing's move! But you know... pretty flowers burn easily!"
Her flames intensified, and she charged straight into the storm of petals.
Ichigo and Yoruichi watched in horror. Is she crazy?! She's charging into the blade storm?!
But as Hu Tao charged, Byakuya's expression turned to one of genuine shock. The petals... were dodging her?
"Why are you dodging?" Ichigo muttered, confused.
Then, Byakuya roared in anger. "You dare try to destroy my Zanpakuto?!"
Amidst the pink storm, several petals had turned gray—like burnt wood. They fell to the ground, lifeless.
"This Director catches ghosts for a living!" Hu Tao smirked, her flames roaring. "My power is hereditary, trained by Su Han and the Adepti! My Requiem Art is designed to kill spirits! I told you to use Bankai. Since you didn't listen, don't blame me if your sword gets ruined!"
She pointed at the tower. "Hey, Strawberry! Get the girl! Now!"
"O-Oh! Right!"
Ichigo snapped out of his trance and bolted past the Captain. Byakuya didn't stop him. He couldn't. The girl in front of him was an existential threat to his sword.
[Multiverse Mission Chat Group]
Mona: "That battle is intense! The Soul Reapers are stronger than I thought. Aside from this guy Hu Tao is beating up, the others seem like monsters."
Ningguang: "Their souls have cultivated for centuries. Their swords are extensions of themselves. Sometimes, a Zanpakuto is more versatile than a Devil Fruit. Su Han was right to warn us against mass slaughter."
Kamisato Ayaka: "@Su Han... who do you think will win? Hu Tao or Byakuya?"
Su Han: "It's hard to say. The power of a Soul Reaper has limits. Unless it's an extreme ability (like Yamamoto's), they can be beaten. Hu Tao's fire weakens his blade, forcing him to be defensive. Now that he's serious, he will use Bankai. Hundreds of millions of blades. Sounds scary, but it has a flaw: if your speed exceeds the speed of the petals, you can hit the user directly."
Su Han knew that this version of Byakuya hadn't reached his peak yet. Against Hu Tao, who had mastered Haki and Soul Arts, he was in trouble.
Back on the bridge, Byakuya realized he couldn't hold back. His blade was being damaged. He had to end this.
"Bankai. Senbonzakura Kageyoshi."
He dropped the hilt of his sword. It sank into the ground like water.
Suddenly, two rows of giant blades rose from the earth behind him, then shattered into billions of tiny petals.
The sky turned pink. The pressure was suffocating.
"Ooh... that's a lot of flowers. Getting hit by that would definitely hurt," Hu Tao admitted, her playfulness dampening slightly. "Guess I have to get serious too."
She threw a fireball, but it was instantly shredded by the wall of petals. The storm accelerated, surrounding her from all sides.
But Hu Tao had been trained well. She closed her eyes for a split second.
Observation Haki.
Swoosh. Swoosh. Swoosh.
Her body flickered through the storm. To Byakuya's shock, the petals couldn't catch her.
"Not bad speed, Mr. Noble. But mine is faster!"
Hu Tao appeared right in front of him. A fire spirit exploded, creating a smokescreen.
Byakuya blocked the blast with a shield of petals, but then felt a sharp impact on his back.
He spun around. A fire spirit had flanked him?
"That's my Soul Clone! It moves as fast as I do! And look..." Hu Tao pointed at the tower. "Your prisoner is gone. I'm bored now! Ultimate Art: Flame Lance!"
She compressed a massive fire spirit into a spear and hurled it at him.
BOOM.
While Byakuya was forced to block the explosion, Hu Tao turned and fled without looking back.
Ichigo ran out of the tower, carrying Kuchiki Rukia on his back.
"Time's up! Let's go!" Hu Tao grabbed Ichigo and Rukia by the collars and launched herself off the bridge.
"Waaaaah!"
The trio disappeared over the cliff edge.
Byakuya stared at the burn marks on his blade, his face dark. "Terrifying woman... I cannot let her escape."
He gave chase immediately.
Meanwhile, deep within the Seireitei...
While the others were fighting for their lives, a certain pink-haired fox was sneaking through a quiet building.
Yae Miko stood in what appeared to be a storage vault. She looked at the racks of pristine, sealed blades—the treasures of the Soul Society.
Her eyes curved into crescents.
"My, my... this is the real treasure, isn't it? Why fight for points when you can steal the weapons of the gods?"
She began to loot.
100+ chapters are available now and daily updates! @patreon.com/Zefyrus