"Only two days?"
Inside Las Noches,
Gin Ichimaru's fox-like smile curved even higher as he admitted his defeat.
"Yaa-aa… from now on, in front of Kurosaki Ichigo, no one in the entire Shinigami world will dare call themselves a genius anymore…"
Seeing this,
Gin no longer one-sidedly believed that Kurosaki Ichigo had only gotten stronger thanks to ridiculous luck.
No.
Thinking that way would be far too shallow.
Fighting spirit, conviction, tenacity, and that bitter resolve to do exactly what he says he will do…
All of these things
were qualities Kurosaki Ichigo had shown again and again.
And the fact that he had mastered Bankai in just two days
was the perfect proof that his talent towered over the entire Shinigami world.
A once-in-a-millennium prodigy—
the strongest genius of all.
"Gin, you're not wrong…"
On the throne,
Aizen nodded in agreement.
"At such a training speed… even I have to admit, it surpassed my expectations."
From beginning to end,
Aizen had firmly controlled the overall direction of Kurosaki Ichigo's growth.
But the details in the middle—
especially the part where Ichigo mastered Bankai in just two days—
really had gone beyond what he'd anticipated.
Even Aizen himself was a little surprised.
At the same time, he was very satisfied, and even more convinced that
his meticulously designed plan was flawless.
Kurosaki Ichigo…
Was indeed the only one he acknowledged—
the only candidate qualified to stand at the same height as him,
a future, potential Spirit King–class being.
"Looks like…"
"Once Shihōin Yoruichi keeps her promise, in their next fight… Kuchiki Byakuya really might not be Ichigo's match anymore."
"He might even get totally stomped!"
Gin smiled with narrowed eyes.
He had already guessed that the next battle
would take place on the day of the execution—
At Sōkyoku Hill, the very moment when Kuchiki Rukia was scheduled to be put to death.
At that time…
Kurosaki Ichigo would absolutely not be absent.
"In that case, we'll get to see the spectacular scene of 'Zangetsu' clashing against the released Sōkyoku King, huh?"
Tōsen Kaname spoke with a complicated expression.
In his memory,
from the day he joined the Gotei 13 up until he defected from Soul Society,
Sōkyoku had never once been truly released.
But rumor had it that its destructive power
was equivalent to a million Zanpakutō being released simultaneously.
With such terrifying strength,
any Shinigami would instinctively shrink back in fear.
So the question now was—
How exactly would Kurosaki Ichigo's Zangetsu
withstand the strike of the Sōkyoku King?
——
At the same time,
while the trio around Aizen were talking,
the transparent projection screen before them turned bright again as the darkness faded.
New footage
continued playing.
"Criminal Kuchiki Rukia…"
"Before we begin the execution, do you have any last words?"
Just as Gin had predicted,
the scene indeed shifted to Sōkyoku Hill—the place of execution.
At this moment,
the old man's voice rang out.
Behind him, to his left and right,
stood a noticeably reduced number of captains.
Unohana Retsu, Kyōraku Shunsui, Soifon, Kuchiki Byakuya, and a few others were present,
along with their respective lieutenants.
"?!"
"Only that few people?"
"Looks like, at that point in time, order in the Seireitei had already fallen into chaos…"
In the First Division barracks,
Yamamoto Genryūsai once again couldn't help but furrow his brow.
Setting aside the three who'd sided with Aizen—
Zaraki Kenpachi and Komamura Sajin were still fighting,
Kurotsuchi Mayuri most likely refused to show his face,
and Hitsugaya Tōshirō was somewhere along the route to Central 46,
searching for Aizen's hiding place.
Altogether,
now that the footage was being connected in sequence,
the Head Captain finally realized
just how much chaos Kurosaki Ichigo and his Zangetsu had brought upon the Seireitei.
They had practically turned the whole place upside down,
and once again reduced the Gotei 13 to background decoration.
Then, under everyone's gaze,
as Rukia tearfully made her wish—
hoping that, once everything was over,
they would spare Kurosaki Ichigo and the others—
the Head Captain granted her request.
The Sōkyoku release ritual
formally began.
"Boom!!!"
With a deafening roar,
a crimson spiritual pressure heavy enough to crush the very air
erupted from the top of Sōkyoku Hill with overwhelming pressure.
Dust and shockwaves
swept across the entire area in an instant.
Moments later,
the black spear on the execution stand transformed,
triggering a pillar of blazing fire that shot into the sky,
a scorching heat wave piercing the heavens.
The overwhelming spectacle
struck everyone's eyes like a hammer,
and immediately drew cries of shock from the viewers.
"What terrifying power…"
"With this kind of pressure, you could mistake it for Ryūjin Jakka's release!"
In the First Division,
Kyōraku Shunsui let out a sigh.
He had to lower the brim of his straw hat a little
to keep the intense glare of the flames from stabbing at his eyes.
"Yeah…"
Komamura Sajin nodded in agreement.
"With that kind of force, Rukia Kuchiki's spirit body would melt in a single second."
"Do you think Kurosaki Ichigo can really make it in time to save her?"
The big dog captain couldn't help but question it.
If he imagined himself in that position,
even if he activated his Bankai,
even with the power of his Zanpakutō Tenken,
he doubted he could stop Sōkyoku's energy.
Not to mention
that the Head Captain was personally overseeing the execution below.
And…
Up to this point,
Kurosaki Ichigo still hadn't even appeared on the screen!
No matter how you looked at it,
it seemed utterly impossible for the intruder
to arrive in time and stand between Rukia and that impending strike.
At this moment,
the raging flames in the sky converged into a gigantic firebird.
The instant the Sōkyoku King fully formed,
its burning wings roared,
the roaring detonation of compressed air making onlookers feel like they couldn't breathe.
The sheer size and ferocity of the diving phoenix
once again sent the audience into an uproar.
"What the…?"
"You've got to be kidding me!"
"A flaming phoenix that huge—if it hits, Las Noches will be razed to the ground!"
"Is Kurosaki Ichigo really supposed to stop that thing?"
Yammy was completely stunned.
From the moment Sōkyoku had been released,
he had kept his eyes half-shut,
his vision struggling against the blaze that filled the entire screen.
On top of that,
the spiritual pressure pouring out from the image,
that terrifying force said to equal a million released Zanpakutō,
made Yammy's heart pound like a drum.
He could no longer sneer;
he could only grit his teeth
and force himself to keep watching.
Around him, the other Espada
weren't much different.
Some were shocked.
Some were wary.
Most of them simply shook their heads.
Their instinctive judgment was the same:
Kurosaki Ichigo had no way to pull this off.
Never mind the little time he had left.
Just the Sōkyoku King alone was already impossible to handle.
This rescue attempt
was basically hell-difficulty.
Yet what happened next
once again shattered the worldview of every powerful fighter watching.
And once more proved
exactly why Kurosaki Ichigo was the protagonist.
"BOOOOM—!!"
Thunderous noise
rocked the heavens.
In a tight close-up,
the enormous firebird folded its wings and dove down,
and right as Kuchiki Rukia shut her eyes—
tears in them, ready to accept death—
the sharp beak of the flaming phoenix
thrust straight for her.
"It's over…"
"Rukia's going to die…"
Abarai Renji's face went pale.
He couldn't bear to keep watching,
so he turned his head away,
eyes filled with angry refusal as he looked anywhere but the screen.
As for Kuchiki Byakuya,
though his expression as the elder brother
remained as cold and rigid as ever,
his eyes were no longer calm.
They were filled with panic—
with the anxiety of a brother who cared deeply for his sister's life.
Almost everyone,
at this moment,
believed that the outcome was already decided.
On screen, the massive, blazing beak
was now less than a few meters from Rukia's body.
At that distance, unless Kurosaki Ichigo could teleport,
there was absolutely no way
he could suddenly appear in between
and stop, let alone repel, the attack of the Sōkyoku King.
And yet—
"What the—?!"
"Am I seeing things?!"
"That's… Kurosaki Ichigo!!!"
"His back! When did he get there?!"
Without any warning,
and without so much as a blink from the viewers,
the very next second Kurosaki Ichigo flashed in from above,
dropping out of the sky.
His back faced the "camera."
The cloak behind him snapped and billowed in the heat of the flames.
Even more stylish was the way he held his sword—
he braced Zangetsu behind him,
and, almost casually, raised it to block.
He didn't even bother to look Sōkyoku in the face.
He simply put an end to its attack,
as if swatting away a trivial nuisance.
"CLAAAANG—!!"
Only when the clash rang out
and countless sparks exploded,
scattering across the ground—
some even flying toward the screen,
so real it looked like they would burst into the viewer's world—
did everyone finally snap out of their daze,
hearts pounding with shock.
The entire Shinigami world
erupted.
"Holy—!!!"
"That was way too cool!!"
"How did Kurosaki Ichigo even do that?! He pulled off a literal last second rescue!!"
"Don't tell me, in those two days of training, besides learning Bankai… he also unlocked some kind of 'instant movement' ability?"
"Whatever it is, this is textbook hero-saves-the-princess!"
"A dashing main character swooping in to save his beloved bride!"
Such brave, decisive masculinity
only made it feel even more like Ichigo and Rukia
were a perfectly matched couple.
Of course,
Abarai Renji
did not share that sentiment.
The moment he saw it, his heart shattered.
"Ah… damn…"
Standing frozen in place,
Renji stared wide-eyed
at the way Rukia leaned into Ichigo,
and a wave of jealousy and envy
washed through him.
And yet—
The sight of Ichigo's heroic figure,
especially the way he used just one hand
to hold Zangetsu and coolly withstand Sōkyoku's might,
left Renji feeling utterly ashamed.
He let out a defeated sigh.
His future wife had been stolen.
All he could do was watch helplessly.
That kind of pain…
only Renji himself truly understood.
"Kuchiki-taichō…"
"Come to think of it, you're the one who ought to be thanking Kurosaki Ichigo, don't you think?"
Kyōraku Shunsui laughed as he teased Byakuya.
"If not for him, your sister's spirit body would've been physically vaporized by now."
Hearing that,
Byakuya fell silent.
Cold on the outside, soft on the inside—
he'd always been that type.
Right now…
he really did feel that way in his heart.
He was indescribably grateful
that Kurosaki Ichigo had arrived in time to save his sister.
However—
Judging from the way his future self acted on screen,
that version of him clearly didn't think the same way.
"Heh…"
"Still glaring at him with such hostility, huh?"
Kurotsuchi Mayuri's eyes narrowed
as he stared at the future Kuchiki Byakuya on screen.
That ice-cold face,
without the slightest trace of gratitude,
held nothing but the determination
to drag Ichigo in as a criminal to be judged.
Mayuri shook his head and sneered,
dialing up the mockery.
"Pathetic… nothing but an unromantic, stiff-faced block of ice."
"Once Kurosaki Ichigo beats you into the ground, you'll have no one to blame but yourself…"
And right after those words fell,
the footage on the translucent screen sped onward.
The first strike had been blocked.
The Sōkyoku King let out a furious cry.
Its massive flaming body pulled back to gain some distance,
then prepared to launch a second attack.
Kurosaki Ichigo, for his part,
felt not the slightest fear.
He turned his body,
gripped Zangetsu with both hands,
and took up a ready stance.
However…
Just as the audience braced themselves,
eager to witness an even more shocking clash between Zangetsu and Sōkyoku,
something completely unexpected happened.
...
The one who'd been absent until now—
Shihōin Yoruichi's uncle, Shihōin Yūshirō, the current family head—
suddenly appeared on scene.
Together with two house officers,
he brought out the Shihōin clan's treasured shields bearing the family crest,
using them to bind and then shatter Sōkyoku.
"BOOOOM—!!"
The titanic firebird disintegrated,
its vast flaming body collapsing.
The sea of red that had filled the screen
gradually faded back to normal.
The execution ritual
had been thoroughly interrupted—
there was no way it could continue.
Naturally,
this act infuriated the Head Captain,
provoking a towering rage
as he condemned Kyōraku Shunsui and Ukitake Jūshirō.
And this entire sequence of scenes,
once exposed,
immediately stirred up another round of heated discussion.
"So that's how it was…"
The Head Captain lowered his eyes,
his expression thoughtful.
"At last, this old man understands why, during my own ranking reel…"
"I appeared in the outskirts of the Seireitei to give you two a proper scolding."
"Kyōraku. Ukitake…"
He looked at his two beloved students.
Now that the mystery had been solved,
the old man relaxed and chose not to pursue it any further.
Soon after,
the footage continued to play—
and what came next was even more shocking.
"Rukia…"
"I won't let anyone bind you again."
With a single swing of his sword,
Kurosaki Ichigo cleaved straight through the execution stand.
His eyes turned bright blue,
and his spiritual pressure exploded.
Under everyone's gaze,
with just that one strike,
Zangetsu smashed Sōkyoku Hill's execution platform to pieces.
The structure that had stood for a thousand years
was destroyed more thoroughly than ever before.
And that wasn't all.
Before the audience had even finished gasping in amazement,
Ichigo's follow-up actions left them even more stunned.
In order to stop the lieutenants
from chasing after Rukia—
who had been caught in his arms and then tossed safely down from above—
Ichigo used Shunpo.
With a single step,
his figure crossed hundreds of meters,
appearing in front of the four lieutenants to block their path.
"Freeze it, Tsuzuru!"
"Pierce it, Senzaimaru!"
"Smash him, Gegetsuburi!!!"
Even when faced with Ichigo blocking their way,
the lieutenants still released their Zanpakutō and went on the offensive.
The result, however,
was yet another one-sided beatdown.
"BAM—!!!"
"BAM—!!!"
"BAM—!!!"
One punch each.
Bare-handed,
Ichigo violently knocked all three—
Kotetsu Kiyone, Kotetsu Isane, and Sasakibe Chōjirō—
flat on the ground.
It all happened in a flash,
his movements fluid and continuous,
leaving the spectators utterly speechless.
"Holy crap…"
"Taichō… is our Kurosaki Ichigo always this brutal?!"
In reality,
Ōmaeda Marechiyo gaped at the screen.
Seeing his future self get beaten to a pulp in three seconds flat,
his whole body trembled so much
that he could hardly speak.
He was completely terrified
by Kurosaki Ichigo's overwhelming strength.
"So strong…"
"His tactics and his hand-to-hand skill—both have improved this much?"
Soifon folded her arms,
her eyes flickering wildly.
"Just two days of training…"
"How can Kurosaki Ichigo's growth rate be this insane?!"
Soifon was utterly shaken.
Ichigo's monstrous pace of improvement
could no longer be described as "outrageous."
It was flat-out absurd.
As for the other captains,
they all turned to look at Kuchiki Byakuya
with a mixture of sympathy and dark amusement.
Faced with a Kurosaki Ichigo this powerful,
if Byakuya didn't get thoroughly beaten up later,
it would practically be a missed life experience.
If he wanted to apologize to Ichigo,
now would be the time…
Or… wait?
Was there still time?
At the end,
Everyone's attention
was fixed solely on the man standing on Sōkyoku Hill—
Kurosaki Ichigo,
with Zangetsu on his back,
and the bride he had just saved in his arms.
(End of Chapter)
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