Chapter 162: Why Is This Dog Stronger Than You
If battles could be divided into two kinds, one would be fighting to protect your life, and the other would be fighting to protect your dignity.
So what kind of battle was this one?
As if trying to see past the surface and grasp the truth beneath it, Rukia stared fixedly at the enemies who had appeared out of nowhere.
"Female. Blonde. Tan skin..."
"Female. Green hair. Facial markings..."
"There is no mistake. These are the Espada who were buried by my brother and Captain Suì-Fēng respectively."
"The Third Espada, Tier Harribel... and the Fifth Espada, Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck..."
On the bridge spanning the river in central Karakura Town, the immense spiritual pressure pouring from the two Arrancar before and behind her pressed down on Rukia's soul from both sides.
The air creaked and groaned as though it might split apart at any moment.
At such a terrifying level of spiritual pressure, it was easy to ignore the fact that they were women at all and instead see them as human shaped disasters.
That Rukia could remain conscious under that pressure, breaking out only in a cold sweat without losing the ability to move, was already remarkable in itself.
Boom!
Like a thunderclap, that terrifying spiritual pressure swelled again. Though more than a kilometer away, it arrived in an instant like a bolt of lightning, sweeping over her body and making her soul tremble uncontrollably.
Rukia's pupils tightened, yet she forced herself not to look back.
She knew that was Starrk's release.
If it was Ichigo, he would definitely be able to handle it.
On her side, however, it was another matter.
As if confirming her thoughts, Harribel drew the hollowed double edged war blade from behind her back like an emotionless executioner and spoke with extreme brevity.
"Strike."
It sounded like both a declaration of war to Rukia and a reminder to her companion.
Nelliel, who had cut off Rukia's retreat, sighed inwardly.
She did not want to gang up on someone weaker than herself, but a mission was a mission. She still had to complete it properly.
"Sorry."
She drew her long blade and leveled it at Rukia.
Combined with the alien spiritual pressure pouring from her body, it made Rukia feel, for an instant, as though a massive war spear had been pressed against her heart.
She flicked a quick glance toward Grand Fisher, who had thrown himself into the river while trying to escape, and made her decision.
"So you're after me... then I have no choice."
In the next moment, the spiritual pressure of all three women erupted almost at the same time, each multiplying several times over and tearing open the sky like a violent storm.
"Smite him, Tiburón."
"Sing, Gamuza."
"Bankai... Hakka no Togame!"
A cyan tornado.
A magnificent waterfall.
And the brilliant cold gleam of diamond like frost.
Compared to those three breathtaking scenes colliding together, Starrk's Resurrección almost seemed understated.
And yet that new form carried such overwhelming presence that the three spectacular displays merely became his backdrop.
Ichigo stared at his old rival with a grim expression.
"His Resurrección... it's different."
His pale blue hair was tied back into a wolf tail, while the mask fragment and markings that belonged to Lilynette now covered his left eye.
His upper body was bare, with only a jet black fur mantle draped around his neck like a shawl.
Set into his chest and abdomen were blue and green crystal cores resembling miniature Hōgyoku, shining brilliantly, with vein like patterns spreading around them as if forming the outline of a heart.
In each hand he held a jet black firearm.
Judging by their size, they looked less like pistols and more like compact submachine guns.
Even his boots carried the silhouette of firearms.
His lower body was wrapped in shadow like black trousers.
Two blue green ribbon like bands of light extended from his back like ammunition belts, and his whole body was wreathed in blue muzzle flash like flames.
The current Starrk gave off more of a Shinigami's atmosphere than before.
No... more precisely, he felt divine.
At that point, it was hard to even call him a normal Arrancar anymore.
The glow around him, the sense that he had fused with an extraordinarily dense source of power and was no longer merely a being of flesh and blood, reminded Ichigo strongly of Lille Barro and Gerard.
Even in terms of raw spiritual pressure, he was on the same level as them.
That meant the current Starrk could be treated as yet another Lille Barro or Gerard.
"I see... so that is what you meant in those final words back then. Dying activated your potential. Some special ritual was completed, and you gained power great enough to rival Yhwach's Elite Guard commander...!"
"If all the Espada are like this, then your reason for gathering such a massive force is obvious. You want to throw the world into chaos and drag everyone into disaster, just like the Wandenreich!"
He still did not know the exact details, but one thing was certain.
They had to be stopped.
And above all else, he could not let them take Rukia away.
Without using Bankai, Ichigo gathered every ounce of spiritual pressure in his body.
"Bankai!"
"Going all out immediately... that is certainly decisive. But we did not come unprepared just to stall for time."
Starrk's gaze lowered, and there was even a trace of regret in his voice for this reunion battle.
"Wah!"
The blonde boy Arrancar, who had scarcely made his presence known until now, suddenly rushed in front of Ichigo and reached out to grab him.
Boom!
Blue black spiritual pressure exploded like a tidal wave, swallowing the sky across a radius of several kilometers.
When the blast dispersed, Ichigo steadied himself, his face full of disbelief.
He was unharmed.
But his Bankai had failed to activate.
In contrast, the freckled blonde boy Arrancar had changed drastically.
He had grown taller. His shoulders and thighs had become unusually broad, while his limbs stretched long and thin. Sections of his ribcage and both sides of his abdomen were hollowed out, and his mask had become a crown and spectacle like structure.
At first glance, there was not a trace of the natural, beast like traits that usually marked Hollow evolution.
Instead, he looked like a toy soldier stuffed with artificial design, something manufactured on purpose.
"This one's name is Wonderweiss Margela. Another name for him is Extinguir, the Arrancar created to extinguish the flames of war."
Starrk appeared beside him.
"Extinguir?"
A deeply ominous feeling rose in Ichigo's chest.
"Yes."
Starrk tapped his temple with one of his guns.
"As you can see, his head does not work very well. That is because he is an Arrancar specifically modified by Urahara Kisuke to counter those who possess multiple powers, so he has no room left for rationality."
"And this so called counter means that for individuals with multiple power systems, whether it is Shikai, Bankai, Resurrección, or transformation type abilities, none of it functions properly."
"It seems to be caused by some kind of conflict in species, or spiritual interference, or something like that. I do not really understand the scientific principles. But that is the general idea."
"...I see."
Ichigo's face darkened.
"No wonder my spiritual pressure will not gather properly... So first I have to deal with him before I can use Bankai."
"Exactly. But the premise is..."
Starrk raised both guns and aimed them at Ichigo.
"You have to get past me first in your current state, kid. Otherwise... you will not be able to do anything. You could say that, right now, both of us are fighting to protect our companions."
The moment his words ended, he pulled the trigger.
Blue and green bullets of light streaked toward Ichigo.
Though nowhere near as dramatic in appearance as a Cero, every single one carried enough power to blow away half of Karakura Town.
"Damn it... Getsuga Tenshō!"
Faced with an enemy this thoroughly prepared, Ichigo could do little except force his way through and pray he could hold out until reinforcements arrived.
Soul Society should already have sensed the spiritual pressure and understood the situation.
But mobilizing people, opening the Senkaimon, and passing through the Dangai would still take at least ten minutes.
Fortunately, Karakura Town had others who could help.
Substitute Shinigami.
In fact, Orihime had sensed the abnormality even earlier than Soul Society.
Ichigo and Rukia had not gone especially far in hiding their spiritual pressure, and once Starrk and the others appeared, the word crisis could hardly have been made any more obvious.
How could Orihime, after everything they had been through together, possibly stand by and do nothing?
Even if she could not help much, she had to go and see with her own eyes. Otherwise, she would never be able to calm down.
But just as she ran out of school and leaped into the sky, she was intercepted.
A male Arrancar stood before her, pale skinned, with dark streaks like tears running beneath his eyes.
"You are...?!"
"Go back, woman. This is not something you should interfere with."
"I am Karakura Town's Substitute Shinigami. No matter what, I cannot just let you people do whatever you want... especially when you want to hurt my friends!"
A year later, Orihime, now in her third year of high school, no longer felt like a timid little girl. She carried herself more like a composed college student.
Her usual spring school uniform of long sleeves, pleated skirt, and white knee socks had been replaced by a shinigami uniform.
But with her long orange hair blowing in the wind, she still looked every bit like the gentle senior of a boy's daydream.
Knowing how serious the situation was, and frightened that Ichigo and Rukia might be hurt, Orihime activated Bankai without hesitation.
Her spiritual pressure truly exceeded Captain class now, and when combined with the divine appearance of the light wings and halo, she could no longer be classified with ordinary Captain level Shinigami.
"To think that a mere human could reach this level. Enough that this power... could even force the King of Quincies, who can destroy the souls of Hollows like us, to lower his head."
The Arrancar's tone remained cold and emotionless.
"But even this is not enough for me to open the path for you."
"I know what your Bankai does. Within the range of your spiritual pressure, any ability used to affect you is suppressed. Only after leaving that range does normal function return."
"Even direct attacks will not work properly."
"But in exchange, all of your own abilities remain available, each one exceptional. As a result, you form a combat system with virtually no blind spots."
"Even now, I could not defeat you. But what about the people in that building behind you?"
There was no obvious killing intent in his voice, but his utter indifference to everything still made Orihime's skin crawl.
"Are you... threatening innocent people?!"
"I am an Arrancar. I have no reason to care about what humans think. Whether the people in this city live or die has nothing to do with me."
Ulquiorra looked at the conflict on her face with utterly flat eyes.
"If you stay here and keep me from moving, they will not die. But if you try to defeat me, to kill me, then I will use any means necessary to survive and complete my mission. For example... I will threaten them with their lives."
"And even if you choose to ignore that warning and try to settle everything quickly, it is unrealistic. The gap in our strength is not so great that you could kill me without paying some price."
"The logic is very simple."
"If you truly have a heart, then remember this. This is the path of the Fourth Espada, Ulquiorra Cifer."
Just as Orihime was struggling over whether she should force the issue, kill him anyway, and then try to use her powers to revive whoever might be caught in the aftermath...
The frozen dome spreading over the river in the Academy District suddenly shattered in the distance.
At the same time, Rukia's spiritual pressure weakened sharply, then vanished altogether.
It did not feel like death.
It felt as though she had disappeared from the Human World entirely.
"Rukia?!"
Orihime's face went pale.
"As expected... this so called heart is nothing but a hindrance. Humans never amount to much."
Ulquiorra had kept one hand in his pocket the entire time.
With the other, he tore open a Garganta in the void and stepped into it, leaving behind one last taunt as he entered.
"Wait!"
The moment Rukia vanished, Orihime's thoughts blanked out. By the time she snapped back to herself and tried to stop him, it was already too late.
On the other side, Ichigo had finally found an opening and killed Wonderweiss, but what happened next was much the same.
"Honestly, Ichigo, for you to still manage this much without Bankai... I really do not know what to say. Fortunately, the mission is already complete. Otherwise, I would not have been able to report back."
Using the moment after Ichigo killed Wonderweiss, Starrk leisurely opened a Garganta and withdrew.
"Starrk! Stop right there... give Rukia back!"
Ichigo, who had been bombarded like a target dummy yet remained uninjured, looked as though he had only just finished warming up. His condition was still at its peak, and his aura and spiritual pressure were terrifying.
With one slash, he tore open the Garganta just before it closed.
But Starrk was already gone.
"Damn it!"
For a moment, Ichigo's thoughts were a complete mess.
He stood frozen for several seconds, then immediately rushed to the river where Rukia had disappeared.
The signs of battle there were everywhere, as though a cruel winter had suddenly descended. Ice shards and frozen debris covered the area.
But none of it told him what he needed to know.
Even when Orihime arrived soon after, he still found nothing.
Meanwhile, at an abandoned hospital site in Tsubakidai District...
A manhole cover connected to the sewers was shoved open from below.
A miserable looking Hollow crawled out with great difficulty.
Grand Fisher, already heavily wounded, had been injured even more. The lower half of his body remained sealed in ice, and he could only drag himself forward with his forelimbs.
"Damn it, damn it... that Shinigami! Even while being surrounded by Espada, she still insisted on attacking me...!"
In this state, if he met even one Shinigami, he had no chance of escape.
Melting the ice was impossible. This was not ordinary freezing.
It was the work of Rukia's Bankai.
Grand Fisher felt as if all the bad luck in the world had piled onto him today, as though fate itself had decided to target him.
Still, there was always one path left.
Even if he could barely move, he could still fall back on his old specialty.
Lure prey in.
Soon, Grand Fisher made his way to the hospital rooftop, concealed himself, and created the illusion of a woman about to jump from the building.
Anyone who could see such a lure would, by definition, possess spiritual power.
All he had to do now was wait.
But then he heard a dog bark.
More precisely, a Senkaimon opened overhead.
A large black and white dog came bursting out, barking as it tumbled down from the sky.
It landed squarely on Grand Fisher's head.
Before he could even react, the startled dog bristled and bit down on his mask, then shook violently.
?!
Grand Fisher lost his balance and plummeted from the roof.
He crashed to the ground below, and the ice on his lower half shattered with a crack.
He screamed in pain.
That just so happened to attract the attention of a fashionably dressed girl with reddish purple twin tails.
"Hm? A Hollow... It looks like a rat. And... a lure?"
Riruka stared at the false woman near her feet, who looked no more alive than a puppet, then glanced at the fallen Hollow.
"Grand Fisher?"
"What?!"
Grand Fisher froze the instant he heard that name.
Seeing his reaction, Riruka's face lit up with satisfaction.
Over the past year, she had spent plenty of time wandering through Karakura Town on purpose, especially seeking out quiet, deserted places.
She had been hoping to run into the Hollow that certain someone once mentioned.
She had even asked the local Shinigami for more detailed information and kept a wanted poster with his image.
"Just surrender and give up your life... no, just surrender quietly!"
"Damn it! One Shinigami after another, and now even a human dares to...!"
Before Grand Fisher could finish, Riruka raised her gun and fired.
A heart struck him and wrapped around him, turning him into a doll.
"It can still move... So this is stronger than the one described on the wanted poster."
Watching the doll crawl across the ground, Riruka raised her brows and fired three more shots.
This time, Grand Fisher could no longer move at all.
"Well, if he is a little stronger, that just means I can ask that guy for a higher price later."
Riruka stepped forward happily and picked up the doll.
Then she suddenly heard a bark nearby.
?
Turning in confusion, she saw a large black and white dog charging out of the abandoned hospital entrance, followed by several Shinigami.
Because the dog came at her in a flash, Riruka reflexively fired.
A heart struck it, turning it into a stuffed dog doll.
"Phew! Finally caught it!"
"Thank you so much for your help, miss!"
"You have really saved us!"
"Uh... well, hmph. Good that you know."
Riruka knew full well she had only done it by accident, but it was still the first time anyone had thanked her like that.
She could not help feeling a little pleased with herself.
"By the way, you are Shinigami, right?"
"Uh... yes, about that..."
"Then take this too."
Without waiting for the lead Onmitsukidō member to identify himself or ask who she was, Riruka tossed Grand Fisher's doll over with feigned indifference.
"He is a Hollow wanted by Soul Society. More than a year ago, I ran into a Shinigami in the Human World. The one with a Nine on his back. He asked me to catch this Hollow if I ever found him. Hand this over to him for me... and tell him he owes me a favor."
"...More than a year ago?"
"The one with the Nine on his back..."
"...A Shinigami who came to the Human World..."
The Onmitsukidō members looked at one another and collectively swallowed.
Even though the current Captain of the Ninth Division had taken over more than a year ago, that person had no reason to have gone to the Human World.
Which meant...
"Understood! We will definitely deliver him to that person!"
Riruka nodded in satisfaction.
Who said Shinigami were difficult? These ones understood things just fine.
"By the way, what is with that dog? Why does it look stronger than all of you?"
"...About that, miss... we would like to know too."
.....
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