"Oops, it seems like your skills haven't deteriorated, so I'm relieved."
With the sound of clogs tapping against the ground, a man wearing a patterned hat, holding a cane in his hand, and hiding his eyes beneath the shadow of the brim stepped forward. It was Urahara Kisuke.
"How?" Kurosaki Isshin crossed his arms and spoke with a casual tone.
Urahara Kisuke replied, "If you blame me for the weakening of your spiritual pressure, I really can't take responsibility for that~."
Kurosaki Isshin responded calmly, "Don't worry. Even if that were the case, it would still only be a matter of my own strength."
"So," Kisuke asked, "how does it feel? The body of a Shinigami after twenty years?"
"Well enough."
"Are you feeling better now?"
"Not bad…" Isshin looked up at the sky, his gaze distant as if remembering something painful. "I didn't resent it much at first. But for that kind of Hollow… if there's anything that hasn't disappeared after all these years, it's the resentment over that night. The feeling of powerlessness when I couldn't save Masaki from Yhwach's so-called 'Almighty.'"
Kisuke's expression turned serious beneath his hat. "You must have realized that the Arrancar we faced earlier was unusual…"
Isshin nodded grimly. "It's nothing like the ones I encountered decades ago. It was a completed Arrancar. That must mean Sosuke Aizen has finished his research. He intends to lead Arrancar and Menos to destroy the world… What should we do?"
Urahara pressed down the brim of his hat. "We'll do what we can. Whether as friends…or enemies… we've already taken action."
"Hueco Mundo, us, the Visoreds, and… Soul Society," Isshin muttered.
---
Elsewhere, the injured Kurosaki Ichigo was carried by Hitsugaya Tōshirō and the others.
Madarame Ikkaku pulled out a healing salve and moved to apply it to Ichigo's wounds, but Ichigo quickly snatched it and applied it himself.
The medicine, developed by the Fourth Division, was remarkably effective. Even severe injuries could be healed with just a touch.
Hitsugaya stood nearby, watching quietly before speaking. "This is Renji Abarai, and this is Madarame Ikkaku."
He then shifted his focus back to Ichigo. "It seems you've drawn the attention of Sosuke Aizen."
He continued with a serious tone, "Even though this Arrancar's combat strength wasn't much, what matters more is that it was still a Menos."
"Menos?" Ichigo asked, confused.
Hitsugaya explained clearly. "The Menos are divided into three classes. The lowest is Gillian. They're massive in size but slow in movement. For us at the captain level, they're not difficult to deal with."
"The second class is Adjuchas. They're smaller than Gillians and not as numerous, but they're intelligent and several times stronger in combat power. They often command groups of Gillians."
"The third class is Vasto Lorde. Their bodies are roughly human-sized, and their numbers are very few."
He paused before continuing. "With Aizen Sosuke's help, these Hollows have undergone Arrancarization. Arrancars are Hollows who've broken through their limits, akin to a reverse Shinigami Hollowfication, and their power increases drastically."
"To put it bluntly, the combat capability of a Vasto Lorde Arrancar surpasses even the captain level."
Hitsugaya's expression hardened. "Now that the captains of the Third, Fifth, and Ninth Divisions have betrayed Soul Society, only ten captains remain out of the original thirteen. In other words, if Aizen commands more than seven Vasto Lorde-class Arrancars… then Soul Society is finished."
He added, "And with the 6th and 11th Division captains still recovering from their injuries, they may not even be able to participate in the war. We may not even need to face ten of them. If Aizen only had five Vasto Lorde-class Arrancars, the world could still fall into his hands."
Ichigo's eyes widened, his chest tightening at the weight of the revelation.
At first, the idea of ten had seemed overwhelming but still conceivable. The notion of only five being enough to destroy everything left him completely shaken.
Only five?
And the world could be destroyed…
Ichigo clenched his fists tightly, his expression grim.
---
June 18, 2001.
Twenty-six days remained until Aizen Sosuke would attempt to destroy the world.
In Urahara Kisuke's underground training area, Ichigo and Renji Abarai both continued training for their Bankai.
On June 21, Renji successfully achieved his Bankai and departed the training grounds.
---
On June 30, Ichigo finally succeeded in attaining Bankai. At that time, fourteen days remained until Aizen's arrival.
Ichigo's entire body was drenched with sweat, his arms trembling violently from exhaustion as if on the verge of collapse. The muscles in his arms felt stiff, as though unresponsive. Even moving them brought sharp pain, but he still forced himself to pick up another sword from the scattered pile beneath him. Only a few remained.
He had failed too often in the past days. His confidence that the blade in his grip was truly his Bankai had nearly vanished.
Mechanically, he stepped forward and swung the sword against Zangetsu.
The weapon in Zangetsu's hand broke under the strike.
Ichigo didn't react immediately, preparing to discard the blade in frustration and reach for another when Zangetsu's voice cut through the silence.
"Ichigo… you've succeeded. You've learned Bankai. You've defeated me… that sword in your hand is your Bankai."
The voice lingered for a moment before fading completely.
Ichigo stared at the dark blade now resting in his hands, his gaze fixed as he slowly sank to the ground in exhaustion.
Collapsed on the floor, he murmured toward Yuta, who stood nearby, "Mr. Yuta… am I useless? Renji Abarai mastered Bankai in only three days… but it took me more than ten?"
Yuta remained silent, standing stoically at his side without answering.
Urahara Kisuke fanned himself lightly and spoke in his usual measured tone. "Today's youth are incredible. Back then, it took us decades to achieve Bankai, and we were still called geniuses. Now you manage it in just over ten days, and you call yourself a failure?"
Ichigo frowned. "Then why did Renji…?"
Kisuke chuckled softly. "How long do you think Renji Abarai has been training for his Bankai? A few years? Perhaps even decades."
Ichigo blinked and looked toward Yuta once more. "Has Mr. Yuta… achieved Bankai?"
Even Kisuke's eyes narrowed at that question. The thought of Yuta's Bankai was one that sparked a quiet curiosity in him as well.
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