Five minutes earlier.
In the bushes of the dark, dense forest, Shigū Takeru, Shiba Kūkaku, Ichigo, Yayahara, and Rindo Itaru suppressed their Reiatsu, erasing their presence.
"Here he comes!"
Seeing Ōmaeda and the Hollow in pursuit, the group's spirits lifted.
"You were right again," Kūkaku whispered.
"It's thanks to Rindo providing us with a view," Takeru didn't take all the credit.
It was true. Although he had deduced that Ōmaeda wouldn't abandon his men and would try to lure the enemy away, ambushing them on their "expected route" was not simple.
It was only thanks to Rindo Itaru's ability to communicate with animals, using the countless small creatures of the Rukongai as his eyes and ears, that they could track the pair's movements and make an accurate prediction.
"That may be, but you also guessed Ōmaeda would change his route here, didn't you?" Kūkaku's tone was certain.
Takeru gave a seemingly random reply.
"Any further and he'd be out of Junrinan. That's too far. Too unsafe."
"What do you mean?" Ichigo didn't get it.
"It means that guy's a coward. He doesn't want to be tangled up with the enemy for long. He wants to lead it to his reinforcements as fast as possible. So, seeing as he was about to leave Junrinan, he'd definitely get antsy and change course," Yayahara whispered, muffling a giggle.
"Oh, I get it now," Ichigo realized.
"Prepare to move," Takeru's voice made everyone turn serious.
"I'll make the first move. I'll find a chance to ambush. Even if I can't kill it, I should be able to save Ōmaeda."
"Yayahara, coordinate with me. Get Ōmaeda out of there. Don't give it a chance to take a hostage."
"Rindo, find a way to restrain the target, cover my retreat. You and I will draw its attention to create an opening for Ms. Kūkaku. We go for a one-hit kill."
"To be safe, if Ms. Kūkaku is attacking from this side, then Brother Kurosaki, you go to the far front. Block its escape route. When you see it, regardless of its condition, you hit it with a finishing blow. Understood?"
Ambush, assassination, and a finishing blow.
A three-stage, interlocking attack. It wasn't high-difficulty, but it was highly practical.
Shiba Kūkaku opened her mouth, but only one sentence came out: "I thought I was in charge?"
"If you have a better plan, Ms. Kūkaku, please share it. But I suggest you explain it in under a hundred words. We have plenty of time, but Ōmaeda doesn't."
Takeru's voice was flat. As if on cue, Ōmaeda, now in their line of sight, was grabbed by the Hollow, clearly in a dire situation.
"Fine. We'll do it your way. But how do you plan on ambushing it?" Kūkaku asked skeptically.
"I admit, you're all fast learners. You've even managed to use the pointers I gave you on erasing your presence and suppressing your Reiatsu."
"But successfully sneak-attacking an Adjuchas that looks this dangerous... only the Commander-in-Chief of the Onmitsukidō could pull that off. I can't help you with that part."
"I have my ways. Everyone, let's get in position."
What? What ways?
The thought had barely formed in their minds when they witnessed Shigū Takeru vanish.
His form faded, not melting into the night, but merging with space itself. His presence, his Reiatsu—everything was gone. As if he had simply evaporated.
"?!"
The group was stunned speechless, staring at each other in disbelief.
Even Rindo Itaru, normally as calm as a monk, couldn't help but widen his eyes.
...
Back to the present.
Waves of heat rolled off the scorched earth ignited by the Kido blast. In the distance, a forest fire raged, burning the night sky red.
Shiba Kūkaku used Shunpo to land in the center of the battlefield, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Takeru, whose blade was dripping with blood.
"Nice work! That move just now... was that your Zanpakutō ability? I didn't hear a release command. Don't tell me you've already learned Bankai?"
"You have a high opinion of me," Takeru said, sensing Kūkaku was developing some overly high expectations.
"That was just a little trick."
"I see."
Kūkaku didn't press the issue, letting her curiosity rest.
Abilities were private. Many Shinigami could work together for decades and never know each other's Zanpakutō powers.
If that wasn't his Zanpakutō ability, it only made it more extraordinary.
No incantation, no catalyst, no preparation. To be able to vanish and move without a single trace...
If that was a skill that could be learned...
The Onmitsukidō would be green with envy. Everyone else would be, too. Her own curiosity proved that.
Takeru appreciated her discretion. She was right. It wasn't a technique he could just show off at this stage.
「Invisible Scale (透化龙鳞)」
It was a high-level magic—or Kido—of the Fairytale Dragon.
But in essence, it was a racial ability, just like a Hollow's Cero, an Arrancar's Hierro, or a Shinigami's Hadō and Bakudō.
It allowed his form to become transparent, to vanish, and to move without being detected.
Only when he launched an attack would he "resurface."
...Of course, "not being detected" wasn't absolute.
Just as an Arrancar's Hierro could be "invincible" but still be torn apart by a stronger sword, an enemy with exceptionally sharp senses could potentially see through his "invisible state."
But Cax Cucabro was clearly not in that category.
Takeru had only just managed to excavate this power from his soul—this "Invisible Scale"—after fully internalizing the Kido fundamentals Aizen had taught him.
He hadn't had it for long and wasn't yet proficient.
Even so, it was more than enough to deceive Cax's senses, get behind him, and drive a blade into his heart, laying the foundation for the final kill.
Not far away, Ichigo looked at the bisected remains of the Grand Hollow and let out a long breath. It was finally over.
"That's one way to get revenge for those two."
"Are you talking about those two stubborn brats?"
The sudden question not only made Ichigo freeze, but everyone else—Yayahara and Ōmaeda running back from the forest, Takeru and Kūkaku, and Rindo who had just walked up—simultaneously felt a bizarre Reiatsu surge. It was as if... the dead were coming back to life!
All eyes snapped to the source.
The two halves of Cax's body were regenerating at high speed, fueled by crimson Reiatsu. Each half grew what it was missing, forming two complete bodies.
"What?!"
Ichigo's pupils shrank in shock.
But he didn't lose his cool. He quickly noticed the difference.
"Your... heads..."
"Thanks to you, I'm short one," the two identical Cax-clones spoke in unison. Where before there was one body with three heads, there were now two bodies, each with one.
It looked normal, but that was what was most abnormal.
And their wounds... were completely healed.
The moment Takeru saw this, he knew the answer.
Cax made no effort to hide it. To vent his fear of near-death, and to see fear on his enemies' faces, he deliberately scanned the group and sneered, "Impressive. Not a single one of you is stronger than me, yet together, you managed to steal one of my lives."
"I'm going to snap your necks and pry open your skulls to see just how many more 'clever' tricks you have!"
With that, he lunged at Ichigo, the closest target.
Ichigo reacted quickly, raising his Zanpakutō to block, but he couldn't stop a two-pronged assault. He was sent flying in an instant.
"Ichigo!?"
Kūkaku tried to rush to his aid, but one Cax-clone (Cax 2) turned to intercept her, while the other (Cax 3) continued to pursue Ichigo.
It was clear that, compared to Takeru who struck the first blow, Cax held a deeper grudge against Ichigo, who had struck the last.
Suddenly, a Sekkaho blast shot out.
Cax 2 raised an arm to block it from hitting his face.
Seizing the opening, Kūkaku sped past him to support Ichigo.
"Dammit!"
Cax 2 tried to stop her, but a sudden chill ran down his spine.
Shhlick!
A shallow cut appeared on his back. The attacker, Takeru, had already retreated out of range, giving him no chance to counter.
"I see. So your 'Invisible Scale' still works, but now that you've raised your Reiatsu, your defense is much stronger. I thought I could sever your spine... assuming you have one."
Takeru stood with his blade, the firelight illuminating one half of his face, the other hidden in shadow. The contradiction was unified by the sharp, imposing lines of his expression.
Even the hot words he spoke carried a soul-searing aggression.
"Shigū—!"
Rindo Itaru and Yayahara appeared at his side. Ōmaeda, though reluctant, came as well.
"Go to Brother Kurosaki's side."
A fireworks master with no Zanpakutō and only one arm, long-since retired, would have an extremely difficult time fighting a mid-level Grand Hollow. She needed support. That was the consensus from the start.
Now, with the addition of Ōmaeda, the unkillable Ichigo, and Yayahara and Rindo, who were far from dead weight...
As long as Kūkaku used this lineup well, they would be fine.
As for his side...
Yayahara had the same thought.
"What about you?"
"I'll just finish before you."
"...Alright!"
"Hey! Are we really leaving that brat alone!?" Ōmaeda yelled, glancing back at the two figures facing off, even as he ran.
"If Shigū says he can handle it, he can handle it."
There was no time to argue. Based on Takeru's flawless judgment so far, Yayahara decided to keep trusting him.
Rindo Itaru felt the same.
Ha? That's an Adjuchas!
The Academy textbooks clearly state those are best left to the Royal Guard! While it wasn't that exaggerated in reality, it was written that way for a reason.
Its power was undeniable.
It was absolutely not an opponent a mere Academy student had any right to challenge.
Let alone defeat!
Ōmaeda wanted to object, but then he remembered they'd already killed it once. And the clashing Reiatsu behind him was so far beyond a student's level it was making him nervous. He wisely shut his mouth.
-------
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