"This isn't something you should be getting involved in right now."
Isshin looked at Ichigo with obvious exasperation, his gaze briefly dropping to the oversized blade strapped across his son's back.
"If we lose, there's no guarantee any of us survive anyway. Might as well take a shot."
Ichigo sounded almost casual about it, while Orihime peeked out from behind him as though she intended to join in as well.
"This isn't some game for kids."
Isshin knew exactly why Ichigo was talking like that.
Over the past few days, he had overheard enough of their conversations to understand how serious the situation was. The problem was that even Isshin didn't know all the details himself.
He knew even less about Cyrus, the overwhelmingly powerful enemy everyone was preparing for, but if Seireitei was treating him with this much caution, the coming battle might be even worse than the bloody conflicts of the past.
"Come on. We should start getting into position."
Shinji wandered over with his usual carefree expression, yawning as he gave the three of them a sideways glance.
The other Visored followed behind him, and judging from their condition, all of them had finally brought their Hollowfication under control.
They were still bitter about everything that had happened before, but with the current crisis looming over everyone, Shinji no longer had the luxury of settling old grudges.
Isshin watched them hurry off before sighing and nodding toward Ichigo.
"Fine. You can come along. But if the fighting starts, you stay far away from it. This isn't a battle the current you can participate in."
He started walking, motioning for Ichigo and Orihime to follow.
"And the result isn't decided yet. The enemy may be strong, but we've made plenty of preparations too."
That reassurance sounded much less convincing once Isshin reached the replica Karakura Town and saw just how many Shinigami had been deployed there. His expression immediately darkened.
"What the hell is all this?"
Urahara finally had a little breathing room and noticed Isshin arriving with Ichigo and Orihime.
His eyebrows rose.
"Why did you bring them here?"
Ichigo might have awakened Shinigami power, but he wasn't even remotely close to being a competent Shinigami yet. If a real battle erupted, the aftermath alone could kill him.
Isshin stared across the crowded battlefield for a moment before abruptly asking, "Can you send them to Soul Society?"
Ichigo froze and immediately opened his mouth to object, only for Isshin to clap a hand over it.
"We'd have to go back to the shop."
Urahara spread his hands helplessly.
He certainly knew how to open a route to Soul Society, but the equipment for it was beneath Urahara Shop.
Technically, one of the Shinigami here could also handle it, but under the current circumstances—
Before he could finish considering the options, Byakuya appeared with Rukia beside him.
"I'll take them back."
Everyone looked at him in surprise.
"Brother, I can still—"
Rukia tried to protest, but Byakuya cut her off without changing expression.
"You are too weak. If you remain here, you will only become a burden."
Rukia stiffened, then lowered her head.
"Then I'll leave them to you."
Isshin released Ichigo, who immediately tried to argue again.
Isshin smacked him on the back of the head.
Ichigo dropped unconscious on the spot.
Orihime barely managed to catch him, fumbling awkwardly under his weight with a completely bewildered expression.
"You're going too."
Isshin looked at Orihime, then turned toward Byakuya.
"Thanks."
Byakuya gave a slight nod and walked away. Rukia followed behind him in obvious disappointment. She clearly wanted to stay, but she didn't dare disobey her brother's order, while Orihime hurried after them while struggling to support the unconscious Ichigo.
Once his son disappeared into the distance, Isshin rolled his shoulders.
"All right. Guess it's finally time for us to cut loose."
"You won't be."
Urahara gave him a sideways glance and shook his head.
"The Captain-Commander will be the one fighting. Everyone else is responsible for keeping this Karakura Town from collapsing around him."
"Huh?"
Isshin stared at him with his mouth open.
"The plan changed?"
"It did. According to the Captain-Commander's tests, this replica Karakura Town can't withstand him fighting at full strength unless we continuously reinforce it. And that's before accounting for the other monster he'll be fighting."
Isshin finally understood.
"So the idea is to keep all the destruction trapped here until the Captain-Commander beats him?"
"Yes and no."
Urahara shook his head. Seeing Isshin's confusion, he continued in a much more serious tone.
"That would be ideal, but the Captain-Commander isn't confident he can win. In fact, from what he said, it sounds more likely that he'll lose."
Isshin's face fell.
"Then aren't we completely screwed?"
They might all have accepted the possibility of dying, but that didn't mean anyone was eager for it.
"All we can do is hope Cyrus has some other objective that keeps him from destroying everything…"
Urahara adjusted the brim of his hat.
"…or that we get help from someone else."
Isshin's expression shifted.
"You mean…"
"Aizen."
Urahara nodded, confirming the thought immediately.
Isshin stared at him.
"That bastard is working with Cyrus."
"He is, but he also belongs to this world. More importantly, he has already achieved whatever objective he was pursuing. I doubt he intends to stand by and calmly watch the entire world disappear."
Urahara's expression became difficult to read.
"Besides, hasn't he already started extending an olive branch?"
He was obviously referring to Rukia and Orihime being returned.
"Who the hell knows what that guy is thinking?"
Isshin shook his head.
Aizen was dangerous in a way few others could match. Over the last several centuries, an unsettling number of Soul Society's worst incidents could eventually be traced back to him. The idea that someone like that would suddenly help the Shinigami still sounded absurd.
"Positions change when people find themselves facing the same enemy."
Urahara had barely finished speaking when his expression changed sharply.
He snapped his head toward the distance.
A pillar of golden Reiatsu suddenly erupted into the sky, and the entire replica Karakura Town began to shake.
"I can smell him!"
An exhilarated roar rolled across the city.
"He's here!"
Urahara's eyes narrowed.
"That's Zaraki Kenpachi. He's fought Cyrus before."
Almost as soon as he said it, the trembling beneath their feet stopped. The entire artificial town seemed to stabilize at once as barrier after barrier spread across the area in overlapping layers.
Along the outer edges, countless Shinigami appeared and began pouring their spiritual power into the formations, reinforcing the World of the Living itself.
Deeper within, captain-class Shinigami personally maintained the strongest inner barriers.
"Hahahaha! Fight me again!"
Kenpachi's crazed laughter carried across the distance, his excitement obvious even from far away.
"Come on."
Urahara patted Isshin on the shoulder.
"We need to get to work too."
He vanished in Shunpo.
Isshin looked toward the source of Kenpachi's voice, but the distance was too great to see what was actually happening.
Then—
Boom!
A deafening impact shook the air.
Just as Isshin turned away, a figure wrapped in blazing golden Reiatsu shot across the sky in a perfectly straight line and slammed headfirst into the innermost barrier.