World of the Living, Karakura Town.
The impact of the last "Gas Explosion Incident" had not yet completely subsided. Yellow warning signs were visible everywhere on the streets, and the roar of various engines from ongoing construction could still be heard.
The giant crater in the forest of the eastern suburbs had now become a "check-in" spot for sightseeing tourists.
The Senkaimon of the Seireitei opened in mid-air, and the Shinigami walking out from within happened to see the tourists below taking photos and checking in.
"Oi, can this place really become a tourist attraction?"
As a native, Ichigo Kurosaki remarked with extreme speechlessness.
"Hah!"
Zaraki Kenpachi carried his chipped sword on his shoulder. He released his senses but still did not detect any powerful fluctuations of Reiatsu.
"Speaking of which, I don't know where that brat Yachiru ran off to. Have you guys seen her?"
Since being knocked unconscious by Soifon last time, Zaraki Kenpachi had woken up to find Yachiru missing. He had searched the entire Seireitei but couldn't find her.
Without something resting on his shoulder, Zaraki Kenpachi always felt a bit off.
"Vice-Captain Yachiru isn't here?"
Hitsugaya circled around Zaraki Kenpachi once, and indeed, he didn't find a trace of that pink-haired midget.
"Wait... what does the Yachiru you're talking about look like?"
Ichigo Kurosaki thought for a moment. That day on Sōkyoku Hill, he seemed to have seen a little pink-haired girl running over to Muramasa's side.
Unohana Retsu added: "Pink hair, short stature."
Ichigo Kurosaki scratched his head: "It actually really is..."
Immediately, he spoke about glimpsing a small pink figure mixing into the camp of the Zanpakutō on Sōkyoku Hill.
Everyone fell silent for a moment, their expressions varying.
It is known that Yachiru Kusajishi is a Shinigami. How did a Shinigami mix in without being discovered?
Unohana Retsu gave Zaraki Kenpachi a look of deep meaning, then turned to face the sealing site of Kōga Kuchiki.
"Vice-Captain Yachiru is really reckless."
"Let's go. To the sealing site first."
With a tap of her toes, the group followed Unohana, speeding toward the location where Kōga Kuchiki was sealed.
On the way, she exhorted them again: "If we encounter Muramasa or any materialized Zanpakutō, do not advance rashly. Our primary goal is to confirm the status of Kōga Kuchiki's seal."
At the same time, at the edge of another relatively remote, abandoned factory district in Karakura Town.
Soifon stepped onto the weed-covered ground. She had not changed into the white Las Noches uniform issued to her by Aizen, but stubbornly wore the halter-neck, backless Shihakushō.
Almost the instant she walked out of the Garganta, Soifon's spiritual senses had already perceived several familiar Captain-level Reiatsu. Among them, Ichigo Kurosaki's was the most obvious, like a lighthouse in the dark night.
Their direction of travel... was precisely the location where Kōga Kuchiki was sealed all those years ago.
Without any hesitation, Soifon's figure immediately vanished from the spot. Concealing her presence, she skimmed toward the destination at a speed far surpassing the squad from the Seireitei.
...
Soon, a small island in the center of a lake appeared in Soifon's field of vision.
This was the place.
She landed silently under a large tree on the island. The view here was open, allowing her to take the entire sealed area into her sight.
Then, she raised her right hand and spread her five fingers. A transparent membrane of twisted light and Reiatsu perception spread out with her as the center.
The lake island was unusually quiet. Soifon leaned her back against the tree trunk, her spiritual senses carefully probing every inch of the land beneath her feet.
Soon, her brows furrowed slightly.
—Kōga Kuchiki's seal had already been destroyed.
The sealing Kidō deep in the earth could no longer be detected; only residual, weak Reiatsu remained buried in the soil.
This was very wrong.
According to the intelligence in her memory regarding Kōga Kuchiki, that man was a typical case of "no brains and always unhappy." If he had truly broken the seal and emerged, the first thing he would do would definitely be to charge back to Soul Society.
At the very least, Kōga Kuchiki should have caused a huge scene in the World of the Living, declaring his return and revenge to the entire Seireitei.
But right now, aside from the Zanpakutō rebellion triggered by Muramasa, there were no reports of other large-scale disturbances or attacks. After Kōga Kuchiki broke the seal, it was like a pebble thrown into a deep pool.
Soifon decided to continue waiting where she was, letting Ichigo Kurosaki and the others see exactly what was going on.
Time passed minute by minute. Several fluctuations of Reiatsu, varying in strength, appeared on the opposite shore of the lake and approached the small island at extremely high speed.
After landing, Unohana Retsu made no superfluous movements. Her gaze quickly swept over the surrounding environment, and she immediately crouched down, pressing her fingers gently against the ground.
A moment later, she raised her head and nodded slightly to Byakuya Kuchiki and the others behind her. Her hands began to form complex seals, mobilizing the Reiryoku of her entire body.
Rumble—
A low humming sound came from underground.
The ground trembled slightly, and the soil flipped open to the sides, revealing a black coffin covered in dust and cracks below.
As Unohana Retsu completed the final hand seal, the coffin slowly rose from underground, the dust on its surface falling away.
Finally, amidst a tooth-aching friction sound, the coffin lid slowly slid open to one side, revealing a gap.
"The seal..."
"Has been destroyed..."
"Kōga Kuchiki has already escaped!"
Unohana Retsu looked at the empty coffin and spoke with a grave expression.
"What?!"
Everyone was shocked.
Byakuya Kuchiki's expression was the ugliest.
Only Zaraki Kenpachi grinned, his eyes filled with excited bloodlust.
"Report it immediately!"
Tōshirō's hand was already pressed on the Asauchi at his waist, about to open a Senkaimon to return to Soul Society.
Just as everyone's minds were shaken and they were preparing to withdraw to Soul Society immediately, a huge Garganta with jagged, irregular edges tore open above their heads.
From the pitch-black fissure, several figures slowly descended.
The person in the lead was draped in slightly worn noble attire, his long hair loose and his face gloomy and pale. It was precisely Kōga Kuchiki.
He still wore the fragments of the face mask from his imprisonment all those years ago.
And behind him, suspended in sequence, were several figures emitting powerful Reiatsu...
—The materialized Muramasa, Hyōrinmaru, Senbonzakura, and Tenken.
Kōga Kuchiki's gaze slowly swept over the group below, who were readying themselves for a formidable enemy. Finally, it landed on Byakuya Kuchiki, whose face was ashen.
"Tsk..."
"Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto actually didn't come? I've been looking forward to his Ryūjin Jakka for a long time."
After a sneer, his gaze refocused on Byakuya Kuchiki, the corners of his mouth hooking up in a mocking arc.
"However... it's not entirely without gain."
"The current head of the Kuchiki Clan..."
"How does it feel to watch your own Zanpakutō standing on my side?"
Kōga Kuchiki tilted his head slightly, looking Byakuya Kuchiki up and down, then took a step forward.
"I heard your father, Sōjun Kuchiki, was a useless waste with no talent, and your grandfather, Ginrei Kuchiki, was also a senile old fellow, blind to the extreme!"
"Look at the current Kuchiki Clan! Look at you! The Kuchiki Clan... is truly rotten to the core, completely fallen!"
After venting the pent-up resentment in his heart at Byakuya Kuchiki, Kōga Kuchiki clearly felt much more relieved.
Hearing Kōga Kuchiki's humiliation filled with malice, Byakuya Kuchiki could hardly suppress drawing the Asauchi at his waist, intending to go up and fight him.
"Calm down, Captain Kuchiki." Unohana Retsu reached out to stop Byakuya. "The opponent is goading you into attacking."
Having said that, Unohana raised her head to look at the Zanpakutō and Kōga Kuchiki in the sky.
"Heh..."
Kōga Kuchiki took in all their apprehension, and his mocking smile deepened.
He raised his hand casually: "I choose you. Go, Senbonzakura."
The next second, cherry blossom-colored blades filled the sky like steel petals swept up by a storm, pouring down toward the group below, blotting out the sun!
"Dankū!"
Almost simultaneously, Unohana Retsu, Byakuya Kuchiki, and Tōshirō Hitsugaya shouted in low voices. Huge transparent walls of Reiryoku instantly erected in a row in front of them.
Ding ding ding—
The pink torrent smashed viciously against the walls of Dankū, the chiming sound of blades colliding ringing incessantly.
Holding on for less than ten seconds, the transparent Dankū walls trembled violently, and cracks quickly crawled across their surfaces.
Crack—
Amidst a crisp sound, fragments of the transparent Bakudō fell to the ground like shards of glass. The remaining torrent of blades continued its momentum unabated, attacking the crowd with a scream that tore the air.
"Scatter!"
Unohana Retsu shouted urgently.
The group evaded in panic in different directions, blades brushing past their bodies.
"Hahaha—!!!"
Watching the figures below dodging in panic, Kōga Kuchiki let out a hearty and twisted maniacal laugh.
"Did you see that?! Byakuya Kuchiki!" He pointed his finger at the samurai phantom silently controlling the blades of Senbonzakura. "The power Senbonzakura displays with me versus with you is completely different!"
In an instant, his voice came to an abrupt halt.
A gigantic blue-black crescent slash, shining with light, tore through the blades of Senbonzakura without warning, attacking toward Kōga Kuchiki and the others.
"Getsuga—Tenshō!!!"
Ichigo Kurosaki gripped Zangetsu tightly with both hands. The blue-black crescent smashed viciously into the pink torrent, transforming into a master cleaner of the sky.
"What...?!!"
"Muramasa! Didn't you say you incited all their Zanpakutō to rebel?! Why can this brat still use Shikai?!"
Kōga Kuchiki's eyes almost popped out. He jerked his head around, grabbing Muramasa by the collar, raging impotently.
Muramasa, who was grabbed by him, also had a face full of surprise and incomprehension: "His blade spirit, Zangetsu, is indeed on our side. Kōga... didn't you see it too?"
Kōga Kuchiki froze, as if reminded, and jerked his head to look at the dark space opposite the Garganta.
That sunglass-wearing man in a black trench coat was standing silently in place, watching them silently.
Muramasa also fell into silence. He seemed unable to explain why, even though the blade spirit had clearly been stripped and incited to rebel, the host could still use power that obviously belonged to the origin of the Zanpakutō.
"Oi! Muramasa!" Yoruichi Shihōin's voice exploded in the clearing. "Are Soifon and Aizen's Zanpakutō also with you? Did they come looking for you!"
Kōga Kuchiki and Muramasa were stunned by her question. Then, as if recalling some unfriendly memories, they silently averted their gazes, giving no answer.
Damn it... not answering!?
Yoruichi Shihōin couldn't care about that much anymore. She only thought of taking down Muramasa along with Kōga Kuchiki, then imprisoning the materialized blade spirits and waiting there for Soifon to appear.
"Do it! Take down Muramasa and Kōga Kuchiki first, while they haven't brought the other blade spirits!"
Before her voice fell, the Reiatsu around her body erupted with a boom. Azure Kidō arcs wrapped around her arms and back like tangible lightning—Shunkō!
Her figure vanished from the spot instantly, leaving only an afterimage and a piercing sonic boom in the air, her target pointing straight at Muramasa.
However, Muramasa merely raised his hand.
The next second, a pitch-black blade, exaggeratedly huge like a mountain summoned from another dimension, appeared out of thin air directly in front of Yoruichi's charging path without warning.
"Tenken!"
Yoruichi's pupils constricted abruptly. Her sprinting speed didn't slow in the slightest, and her right fist wrapped in Shunkō smashed viciously against that giant blade.
Clang—!
A terrifying shockwave exploded in a ring shape. The lake surface was pressed down and then violently whipped up huge waves.
Yoruichi's body stagnated slightly in mid-air. Just as she planned to find a new angle to attack...
Unknown to her when, countless tiny ice flowers bloomed silently in the space around her body like living things.
An extremely cold aura permeated instantly, rapidly freezing the moisture in the air.
It was Hyōrinmaru! It controlled the moisture in the atmosphere!
The attack happened too fast. Senbonzakura released an attack at the same time; the pink long river cut off the rescue from the Captains below.
Simultaneously, that giant Blade of Tenken raised up again, carrying a heavy whistling sound as it chopped toward Yoruichi Shihōin from the front.
"Miss Yoruichi!!"
Ichigo Kurosaki's eyes were about to crack. He wanted to rush up, but the distance was too great; he couldn't make it in time.
Yoruichi Shihōin watched the pitch-black giant blade rapidly enlarging in her pupils...
Is it over...?
Soifon, it looks like I won't be able to catch you...
The next second.
Invisible Reiatsu blasted out in all directions, knocking away all the ice crystals on Yoruichi Shihōin's body.
A slender hand belonging to a woman used the tips of her thumb and index finger to steadily pinch the falling blade of Tenken.
Time seemed to freeze completely at this moment.
Soifon's figure appeared clearly in front of Yoruichi Shihōin. She had one arm around Yoruichi's waist, and their gazes met in the air.
Immediately after, Soifon waved casually to the side. Tenken flew backward uncontrollably like a toy, crashing into the lake below and kicking up layers of waves.
"Yo~~ Isn't this our 'Flash Goddess,' Lady Yoruichi?"
"So bedraggled?"
Soifon held the dazed Yoruichi Shihōin, reaching out to smooth the other's messy ponytail.
Instantly, Yoruichi's brain was in chaos.
The shock of the life-and-death moment just now had not yet completely dissipated, and the shock brought by Soifon's sudden appearance followed on its heels.
Then, she snapped back to reality.
"Soifon! You..."
Before she could finish speaking.
Soifon's face suddenly leaned in close.
Yoruichi Shihōin only felt a softness on her lips.
Yoruichi's body stiffened instantly, her eyes widening even rounder.
She could feel Soifon's arm around her waist tightening, and she could feel Soifon's other hand caressing the back of her neck, fingertips sinking into her purple hair.
Time flowed in silence.
Below, Ichigo Kurosaki opened his mouth wide, Zangetsu almost slipping from his hand.
Unohana Retsu narrowed her eyes slightly, gripping the Asauchi in her hand a bit tighter.
Byakuya Kuchiki, along with Tōshirō, turned their bodies around.
Zaraki Kenpachi merely spat, finding it very boring.
It wasn't until Yoruichi let out a faint whimper from lack of oxygen that Soifon slowly released her.
Soifon's thumb gently wiped across her own lower lip—
At the corner of her mouth, a pale blue Blut Vene pattern flickered in and out.
"Lady Yoruichi..." Soifon pinched Yoruichi Shihōin's chin. "How come you aren't even honest... when kissing?"
"Who said that?! You are the one!"
Yoruichi Shihōin retorted stubbornly, speaking with strange sarcasm, "Using Blut Vene even when kissing... you really are afraid of death, Soifon."
A few seconds later, she came to her senses, staring blankly at the vanishing pattern at the corner of Soifon's mouth, muttering to herself:
"That's right, the Quincy's Blut Vene..."
"Soifon, exactly how many things are you still hiding from me...?"
Hearing this, Soifon sneered. With a tug of the hand pinching Yoruichi's chin, she brought the other's face before her own.
Looking at "Lady Yoruichi" who was close at hand, Soifon leaned forward and whispered in her ear:
"If... Lady Yoruichi hadn't abandoned me back then and left with Kisuke Urahara, perhaps you would have been able to see the moment I awakened my Quincy powers..."
"Tell me, is this the power of revenge granted to me by the will of heaven?"
Soifon's every word was like a heavy hammer smashing into Yoruichi Shihōin's heart, quickly allowing guilt to occupy the high ground of Yoruichi's soul once again.
____
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