Chapter 20: Delivering the Fated Lunch Box to the Villain
Ichigo Kurosaki remained silent, simply staring back at Kisuke Urahara. Urahara wore a look of realization, as if grasping Ichigo's unspoken thoughts. He pressed down on his hat and muttered:
"When He said earlier that 'Purity' wasn't as simple as Hollowification, I didn't believe it. Looking at it now, regular Hollowification doesn't cause such extreme changes. As expected of that being..."
In Urahara's eyes, the current Ichigo barely looked human anymore, save for his outward appearance. Both his body and mind felt increasingly alien. Even the Reiatsu seeping from him had evolved from a simple mist into the shape of a skeletal serpent with horns on its brow, striking awe and fear into any onlooker.
Even as brilliant as Urahara was, he didn't know the full extent of the terrifying power dormant within Ichigo. He only knew that if Ichigo were given an opportunity, a direction, and a little push, his growth rate would be staggering.
Ultimately, Urahara stopped dwelling on the mystery and clapped his hands.
"Kurosaki-kun, at your current pace, the training plan I arranged for you is basically obsolete. Fortunately, I happen to know some amateurs who used to mess around in the gym and have a keen interest in fighting. Interested in an exchange with them?"
Ichigo didn't answer. He simply stretched, raising his hand lazily before letting it drop. As his hand fell, his fingers hooked slightly into a tiger-claw shape. Right at that moment, a figure appeared beside Ichigo as if by teleportation, reaching out to rest a hand on Ichigo's shoulder.
"Hi there! Glad to meet you. My name is Shinji Hirako. I'm the leader of the Visored, and one of those 'gym amateurs' that guy mentioned... Eh!?"
Suddenly, several more figures appeared around Urahara in a flash—some crouching on the ground, some standing on lampposts, others leaning nearby. Each struck a dramatic pose, and while they lacked sound and light effects, their "Grand Entrance" was well-executed. However, after appearing, their eyes instinctively drifted toward Ichigo—specifically, toward the hand Ichigo had clamped around Shinji Hirako's neck.
Shinji Hirako, former Captain of the 5th Division of the Gotei 13. After being victimized by Aizen's conspiracies, he and Urahara were forced into exile in the World of the Living. Despite his fall from grace, Shinji always felt he maintained the Gotei 13's tradition: Captain-level Soul Reapers must maintain high "coolness." Even in exile, he had formed the Visored to keep up appearances.
He never expected to fail so miserably here!
To have the opening in your Shunpo caught and your neck delivered right into someone's grip... no amount of "coolness" could survive that. Shinji could only offer an embarrassed laugh:
"Hehe, kid, you really are a professional martial artist. That move was slick. How'd you train that? Teach me."
Ichigo smiled. "Simple. Close your eyes, sense with Purity, reach out, capture with Purity, and then you're done."
Of course, it wasn't just Purity. It was a power that naturally manifested once Purity reached a certain level. Although this power was still unrefined, it already showed extraordinary potential. Naturally, Ichigo wouldn't explain that part.
Shinji tilted his head, pausing before delivering a deadpan response: "Oh, I see. Purity is such a marvelous thing. Got it, got it. Come on, kid, it's rare for us to meet. Let's find a place to sit and chat for a while."
Sensing no killing intent from Shinji and the others, Ichigo released his grip. Shinji immediately displayed his "social butterfly" persona, introducing everyone and chatting until the awkwardness of the encounter was forgotten, establishing smooth communication with Ichigo.
After the pleasantries, Shinji and the other Visored members focused on asking Ichigo how he had subdued the "bestial instinct" raging inside him.
The Visored were all victims of Aizen's Hollowification experiments. They were no longer pure Soul Reapers but had acquired Hollow powers—a blessing in disguise, perhaps, but one they would have happily declined if given the choice.
Aizen sought Hollow power to break the limits of a Soul Reaper, but Shinji and his crew were far from reaching those limits; they hadn't even finished exploring their own paths, let alone surpassing them. Furthermore, the Hollow power forced into them was unrefined, meaning that in their years of exile, their strength had stagnated or even regressed. Worse, the Hollow energy was exceptionally violent, forcing them to spend most of their effort on suppression and balance.
In their eyes, Ichigo was the perfect "Hollowfied" existence. He wasn't troubled by the Hollow power; he had completely dominated its instinct and strength. That was why they had all come running the moment Urahara called.
To this, Ichigo was blunt: "Depend on your Purity to beat it. If the instinct doesn't listen, use even greater Purity and strength to beat it until it does."
Shinji and the others could only remark that he truly sounded like a "pro." His terminology was so specialized that these "gym amateurs" couldn't even grasp it. Eventually, they admitted their "Purity" was too low and asked Ichigo to "lower his dimension" and explain it in terms a layman could understand.
Ichigo laughed. "That works. Purity, after all, is understood through combat. And since I'm interested in you all, let's have a few rounds!"
Shinji's smile turned slightly twisted. As a Captain-level Soul Reaper, he was very interested in reclaiming the "coolness" he just lost from this rookie who had only been awakened for a few days.
The group turned and headed toward the basement of Urahara's shop.
Ichigo's "leveling" career was going perfectly, showing every sign of a true protagonist. Meanwhile, what was our material-world God, Mo Yu, doing?
Simple: he was doing God's work—providing "revelations from Heaven" to the lost sheep of the mortal world. In short, he was recruiting for Heaven Media.
On his computer screen, the view was locked onto Orihime Inoue. After returning to school to finish her leave request and chatting briefly with friends, she left the school with a nervous heart.
That nervousness was written all over her face, as Orihime was terrible at hiding her feelings. Her anxiety stemmed from her bold behavior earlier and her worry for Ichigo.
Mo Yu watched Orihime, tapping his desk rhythmically with a thoughtful look.
Orihime Inoue—one of the most important members of Ichigo's group and his future wife. Through the Hogyoku, she would gain the Fullbring ability to "reject reality," a conceptual power covering both healing and support. Even in the late-game "Thousand-Year Blood War" arc where transcendental Reiatsu was everywhere, her power remained relevant.
Recruiting her was laughably easy. Using Ichigo's name would bring her on board instantly.
However, that "reality rejection" power, while useful in the original story, was meaningless to Mo Yu and the current Ichigo. Regarding support, if Mo Yu willed it, the Hogyoku could do far more than Orihime ever could. Whether the team had a healer or not made no difference. Recruiting her into Heaven Media would mostly just be adding a "trophy" character.
And that was Orihime's role in the original series: a delicate, beautiful, decorative "waifu" who occasionally served as a plot device.
While a "pretty trophy" would be useful once the Bleach world became a production line, Mo Yu felt a trace of pity for her and didn't want to leave her as a decoration.
Her backstory was tragic: parents with violent tendencies who abused the siblings before abandoning them, leaving her and her brother to survive together. Then, when she was young, a small argument led to her brother's death in a car accident, leaving her alone. At school, she was bullied by seniors. Finally, her dead brother returned as a Hollow to eat her.
Honestly, it was a miracle she grew up so kind; it was only because Bleach was a shonen battle manga. In a darker series, the interior of her fridge would have been full of people.
Out of pity, Mo Yu wanted to give Orihime a role where she could actually be useful.
Orihime had highlights; she was one of the few people Aizen truly praised. He called her power "encroaching upon the domain of God" and noted her soul had the color of the "Sun"—the latter being a particularly rare compliment.
After much thought, Mo Yu opened his microphone to speak to Orihime, who was buying basic medical supplies to go find Ichigo:
"Inoue-san, if you truly want to stand by Ichigo Kurosaki's side, then medical supplies alone... are not enough!"
Orihime froze at the holy voice from beyond. She remembered that this was the voice that had exposed her secret crush right in front of Ichigo. Her face turned bright red. She looked around cautiously and, seeing no one, looked up and said:
"Excuse me... are you the God who spoke to Kurosaki-kun before!?"
Mo Yu's fondness for simple people like Orihime and Chad had increased greatly. One word and they assumed he was a deity, saving him a lot of breath on introductions.
"It is I. I am currently Ichigo's 'Guardian Spirit' from behind the scenes, silently watching over his growth. You and Ichigo share a deep destiny, which is why I am speaking to you."
Hearing this, Orihime's blush deepened. She stammered: "A... a deep destiny!? Do you mean like you said before? That I'll become Kurosaki-kun's... w-wife!?"
Mo Yu doubled down on the manipulation: "Yes, very deep. And more than just a wife—you will be the greatest rival of his life. In your free time, you'll meet him at the 'Summit of the Forbidden City' for peak duels, trading blows and 'Ora-Ora'ing for three hundred rounds as a 'sweet date'."
Imagining a date where she and Ichigo stood on a rooftop punching each other in the face, Orihime's brain short-circuited. She couldn't visualize such an abstract scene and could only mumble:
"But... compared to Kurosaki-kun, who can participate in fighting tournaments and blast things with 'Qi,' I've only learned some karate. I can't fight him. And fighting as a date... that seems a bit inappropriate..."
(Though she didn't look it, Orihime was a self-taught "amateur" karateka, capable of knocking out Soul Reapers with her bare hands. In terms of raw physical potential, she was a hidden king in the early series.)
Mo Yu laughed. "Ichigo is so strong. If you are weak as a leaf, he'll break your bones just by touching you. How can you stay together? Don't worry, Ichigo wasn't born with a black belt or a 9th-Dan in Kendo; he had a process to become strong. And you... you need a 'perverted'—er, 'powerful' growth process as well. Trust me, stay with me and you'll spend your happy days with Ichigo having passionate brawls as sweet dates."
The kind and simple Orihime was quickly convinced. She bowed excitedly: "Then please guide me, Lord God!"
Mo Yu smiled happily. "Easy. Don't go looking for Ichigo today. Come, let me call the 'Demon Muscle Man' over for an emergency special training session. I guarantee that when Ichigo sees you again, he'll receive a 'powerful' surprise."
The next morning, Shinji Hirako—wearing an expression of someone questioning their entire existence—escorted a refreshed Ichigo out of the basement of Urahara's shop. Watching Ichigo's retreating back, Shinji remained silent for a long time before asking in a bewildered tone:
"Is so-called 'Purity' really such a terrifying power? And are you sure it's only the third day since he awakened?"
Urahara appeared, stroking his chin. "Sometimes the talent gap between people is wider than the gap between you and a dog. What's scariest about Ichigo now isn't his Purity, but the power brewing within it called the Absolute Realm. That's the thing I can't quite figure out."
Ichigo walked down the street, radiating his aura without restraint, ready to face the "sweet fruits" that would rush him from all directions to serve as his nourishment.
The duel with Fisher didn't have a strict deadline. He could have delayed it, but Ichigo had no such intention. His heart was singing with the urge to fight; he only wanted the countdown to the battle to accelerate.
Perhaps due to his protagonist's luck, as he thought this, his phone rang. It was Uryu Ishida's panicked voice:
"Ichigo! That animal with the chrysanthemums and Vaseline has been hunting me for a day and night! He searched every inch of Karakura Town and actually found me in the sewers! He's a total freak! Now he's taking me to his villa, saying he needs to 'set the mood' in advance! I can't run anymore! Ichigo, you have to save me! AHHHHHHH—"
In the background, Fisher's sinister "Hehehe" could be heard. The call cut out—not because Uryu stopped talking, but because the phone had been dropped and crushed.
Lowering the phone, Ichigo was initially expressionless, seemingly mourning for Uryu. But soon, a fanatical smile curled his lips.
Strictly speaking, Fisher hadn't broken the rules; he was just "setting the mood." But for Ichigo, that was reason enough.
Ichigo looked up. "Observer. I think it's time for the 'Divine Punishment of Grand Fisher' plot."
Mo Yu's voice followed: "Agreed. The cameras are in position. My newly appointed Logistics Manager is arriving with the props. Remember to make the fight spectacular."
Shortly after, a massive engine roar echoed. A "Truck-kun" (dump truck) came barreling down the street. After an incredibly wide drift, the front of the truck stopped right before Ichigo. In the driver's seat sat Orihime Inoue, wearing sunglasses. She kicked the door open and shouted:
"Kurosaki-kun! Get in, quick! There are some damn 'pigs' (cops) chasing us!"
Ichigo fell silent, tilting his head. He wanted to ask about the shotgun on her back, the automatic rifles in the passenger seat, and what the hell was going on with the police chase.
End of Chapter
Like this story Leave a review ; it would really help me out a lot.
Want to Read Ahead in Advance?
Join my Patreon!
+75 Chapters
Support me in
Patreon.com/BestElysium