Rukia wanted to know how the reinforcements got here so fast.
Shigū Takeru had a question of his own.
"Since when did the 'Konsō Training' course... involve fighting Hollows... and Grand Hollows? I mean, I'm fine, but isn't this a little 'hardcore' for everyone else?"
Karakura Town, Yumisawa. A corner of the commercial district.
The Konsō Training group, composed of dozens of students, had just stepped through the Senkaimon onto the roof of an abandoned building. They immediately saw the sky crawling with Hollows, and the ground... moving... with mountain-sized Gillians.
For a moment, many of them forgot to breathe.
Until... they heard Takeru's words, and turned to look at him, speechless.
"Hardcore, my ass! Stop with the gallows humor! This isn't 'training'! This is an emergency!"
SHLING!
With a curse, Ichigo burst from the crowd, swung the giant shark-cleaver off his back, and sliced a Hollow that had spotted them in two.
Before anyone could react, another figure leaped into the air, kicked the head of a massive Hollow (one as tall as the building) to pieces, and then used the recoil to land back on the roof.
"Kurosaki-kun is right! This is a serious problem! Everyone, be on your guard! And use your Denreishinki to contact the Seireitei... though, I doubt this is going unnoticed."
Yūshirō, despite his swift attack, seemed completely relaxed. His attitude wasn't 'grave,' it was... 'annoyed.'
As if the Hollows had ruined his plans...
The other two 6th-years, snapping out of it, fumbled for their Denreishinki.
As for the first-years...
Just as they should have been panicking, a new shockwave of Reiatsu washed over them, eclipsing their fear of the Hollows.
Shigū Takeru's robes billowed. A visible, physical Reiatsu flared around him like a burning aura.
He walked calmly toward the edge of the roof. The crowd instinctively parted for him.
Clang.
He stepped up onto the rusted railing, and looked back down at them.
"You... will stay here. Do not go anywhere. Set up a defensive perimeter... Yayahara, Rindo. We're going to take care of those Gillians."
"No, wait..."
"You..."
The two 6th-years tried to speak, but one look from Takeru froze the words in their throats.
The meaning was clear.
「You are not in charge here.」
It was insubordinate... but their bodies, stiff and sweating under the pressure of his Reiatsu, refused to argue.
And, in the next instant, another figure shot out, shattering their thoughts.
"Oooh! Grand Hollows! So these are the 'Gillians' from the textbook! There are so many! This is gonna be a great fight! I wonder how they compare to that Adjuchas? It'll be boring if they're too weak!"
Yayahara landed on the railing, shielding her eyes as she looked into the distance, her face alight with excitement.
Her own Reiatsu, equivalent to a high-seated officer, flooded out.
Thump... thump...
Rindo Itaru, his blade drawn, walked up, his own Reiatsu shaking the air, making him seem taller. His blank expression made him look... like the human form of a Gillian, born from consuming ten thousand souls.
"Hey! Don't leave me out!" Ichigo grumbled, hoisting his sword onto his shoulder.
"I wasn't. It's just..." Takeru glanced at him.
"With this many Hollows... their target is 'high-concentration' souls. Besides us... Karakura Town must have other, 'easier' prey. And I'm guessing... some of them... are people you care about. I didn't think you'd be able to ignore that. So I didn't 'count you in'."
"...Ah."
Ichigo took a deep breath.
"You're right... In that case... I'll see you later."
"Go."
Takeru waved him off, not even looking back. Ichigo's face darkened, and he vanished in a flash-step.
"Leaving the group without the team leader's permission... is not good, you know."
Yūshirō landed lightly on the railing next to him.
"Then I'll 'trouble you' to explain it to the Academy later. And in exchange... if you, the 'team leader,' also want to 'leave the team' to do something... or perhaps, 'find someone' like Brother Kurosaki... I'll 'pretend I didn't see'."
"...You... you really are something else. That 'guts' of yours... reminds me of a relative..." Yūshirō stared at Takeru with a look of pure fascination. "Alright. I agree. I'll hold this position. You three go fight elsewhere. We need to avoid concentrating all this Reiatsu in one place, or we'll draw all the Hollows here and get these... 'less-than-capable'... students killed."
Yūshirō agreed readily.
Takeru nodded. He kicked off the railing, shooting into the night sky like an arrow.
Yayahara and Rindo followed without hesitation.
...
Ichigo's home was in Minami-Karasu. From their drop-point, he had to cross almost the entire town. But he felt no impatience. He used his full-power Shunpo, desperate to get to the Kurosaki Clinic.
Please be okay! Dad, Karin, Yuzu...!
His unsuppressed Reiatsu was attracting a swarm of Hollows.
Their dull, ominous roars filled his ears, making him even more frantic.
"Get out of my way! GETSUGA... TENSHŌ!"
Unlike a normal Shinigami, Ichigo's Shikai had two forms. The sword-form's ability was to channel his Reiatsu into the blade and unleash it as a massive, crescent-shaped slash... tearing the sky apart like a Cero.
The attack was powerful, but it only cleared the path in front of him.
The road was soon blocked again.
Seeing this, Ichigo immediately switched to his bow form, unleashing a dense rain of arrows, mowing down the Hollows that swarmed him.
"This is just... easier. It's like bug spray. The sword form is definitely better for... humanoid opponents... Dammit, Shigū was right about that, too."
He muttered, recalling a random conversation they'd had.
He didn't notice... that on the overpass below him, a boy in white, who had been running, had stopped, and was staring in absolute shock.
It was Ishida Uryū.
"...A Shinigami... is using a bow... to kill Hollows..."
No.
A Shinigami... is fighting... like a Quincy.
And he's... good at it.
Is this... right? Is this... possible?
Is... this... what Grandfather was trying to achieve?
...
"Get back! Get away from us, you monsters!"
The Kurosaki Clinic was heavily damaged.
Karin, holding a baseball bat, stood in front of Yuzu and her father, who was collapsed on the floor. She swung wildly, trying to scare the monster away. But the spiritual power radiating from her was too tempting. She was a bonfire in the night. The Hollows... would not stop at just one.
The first one to arrive... would not show mercy.
"Ichigo... I'm sorry... I... I couldn't protect them..."
As the monster raised its claws, Karin's heart filled with despair.
After her brother had... "died"... her spiritual power had started to grow. She could see more and more "ghosts."
As the "oldest" child in the house, she had stood at Ichigo's grave and sworn to his "spirit" that she would protect their family. She would not watch another loved one be taken from her.
But... this growing power... it hadn't become her strength. It had just... brought this disaster to her door.
In fact, the moment she realized she was the one attracting them... she felt a pain deeper than despair.
"What are you talking about... Since when was it your turn to protect me?"
SHLING!
A flash of light, filled with rage, fell faster than the claws.
Through the "bisected" body of the Hollow...
A figure in black stood, silhouetted against the moonlight streaming in from the ruined wall.
Karin, collapsed on the floor, just... stared.
It was... like a world-famous painting.
-------
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