Creak—
Almost the moment the giant fox appeared on the street, the door of the Everything Store opened, and several figures abruptly appeared around Ishikawa.
Suddenly, a powerful Reiatsu enveloped the entire scene.
This scene made Muramasa's expression tighten.
Because these people who appeared, without exception, each exuded an incredibly powerful Reiatsu, but the strange thing was... none of them held a Zanpakuto, and they didn't feel like Shinigami of the Gotei 13 at all; instead, they were more like...
Prisoners who should be locked in a cell.
Standing in the center of the crowd, Ishikawa didn't look at Muramasa, nor did he pay attention to Nishijin Ori and the others beside him; from beginning to end, his gaze was focused on the giant fox.
The fox in front of him gave him an extremely strange feeling.
It was as if...
Two of his own avatars had merged together.
Besides sensing the dog's aura on the fox, Ishikawa also felt Kokumei's killing intent from before.
Residual?
Ishikawa smiled slightly; for him, this was an unexpected gain.
Although it wouldn't cause any impact, since this residual killing intent could affect the dog, it couldn't be allowed to continue existing.
However, what abilities does it possess?
During Ishikawa's battle with Aizen, it had reminded Ishikawa, exhibiting the abilities to see through illusions and to encompass.
Initially, Ishikawa was able to dodge Aizen's strike precisely because of the Zanpakuto's shriek, and the final strike that broke through Aizen's defense was also because the condensed Zanpakuto encompassed all the energy of Ishikawa's Kido Blade, thereby unleashing powerful force.
Buzz—
At this moment, the white fox's shriek stopped, and a pair of purple eyes immediately fell upon Ishikawa.
Is it coming?
Ishikawa's expression remained unchanged, but he secretly became vigilant.
After all, it was his own Zanpakuto; if he underestimated it too much, he might very well capsize in a ditch.
But to Ishikawa's surprise...
Although Kokumei looked at him with full killing intent, it didn't rush towards him; instead, it stood there motionless, its face revealing a very human-like struggle.
One moment it was gentle and full of fear, the next it was sinister and full of killing intent, as if suffering from a split personality.
"Oh?"
Ishikawa looked at Kokumei's reaction, feeling a bit surprised.
Because from Kokumei's reaction, the dog had clearly restrained the remnants of the former Kokumei; it seemed his the dog wasn't that simple either.
Muramasa also noticed this; he glanced at Nishijin Ori and the others around Ishikawa, then swept his gaze with his peripheral vision at the giant fox behind him.
"Let's go. After I've finished my business and you've stabilized, it won't be too late to come back for him."
Muramasa's words seemed to possess some kind of magic, helping that killing intent suppress Kokumei, gradually calming the white fox's state.
Then, after glancing at Ishikawa, Muramasa turned and disappeared from the spot.
The giant fox remained motionless, but its form gradually became ethereal, eventually seeming to collapse, dissipating into Reishi, and vanishing in an instant.
Nishijin Ori and the others had wanted to stop Muramasa from leaving, but Ishikawa held them back.
"Now is not the time to deal with him."
"Ishikawa-sama."
Just then, a figure from across the Everything Store ran over quickly: "I've already called for support, don't be afraid."
"..."
Looking at the Supervisory Team Squad Member reeking of alcohol, Ishikawa's mouth twitched uncontrollably. Did these guys really treat monitoring him as a vacation?
Drinking like this during work, aren't you afraid of being seen by Captain Soi Fon?
Ishikawa shook his head and said to Oyama beside him: "Hide this idiot who's swaying as he walks, don't let the people who are coming later discover him."
"Wait... I... I'm not drunk..."
Oyama let out a strange laugh and directly hoisted the struggling Supervisory Team Squad Member onto his shoulder, not heading towards the Everything Store, but casually finding a private house.
On the street, residents of West 38th District had already emerged from their respective houses.
Regarding what had just happened, everyone was quite calm.
Mainly because they were used to it, and also because Utsuki usually organized evacuation drills. If there was really something wrong, Ishikawa would have already had them evacuate.
The support arrived extremely quickly, in about less than three minutes, the transfer stake in the backyard of Ishikawa's Everything Store lit up with flashes of light.
Soi Fon led the way into the tavern, and when she saw the calm atmosphere inside, her brows furrowed slightly.
Behind her, Ichigo and Yoruichi followed.
"Ishikawa-sama, where's that guy named Muramasa?"
As soon as Ichigo entered, he looked around vigilantly. He wasn't entirely unfamiliar with the villains present, as he had stayed here for a while when he came to rescue Rukia last time.
Unlike him, Yoruichi's gaze swept over Nishijin Ori, Himura, Kinkaku, and Ginkaku.
Although she had long known that Ishikawa had a powerful force under his command, having four Captain-level individuals stationed in this small tavern still surprised her.
"Are only a few of you coming?"
Soi Fon glared at Ishikawa in annoyance upon hearing his words: "How many more people do you want?"
"Who knows his purpose, whether it's to disperse the fighting power of the Gotei 13. Before clarifying Muramasa's objective, the Gotei 13 must prioritize ensuring the safety of Seireitei!"
After Soi Fon finished speaking, she asked Ishikawa: "What was Muramasa's purpose in coming to you?"
"Zanpakuto."
Ishikawa did not hide anything, repeating Muramasa's purpose for coming: "...Because Nishijin Ori and the others were here, Muramasa didn't linger after making my Zanpakuto betray me, but left directly with my Zanpakuto."
"Your Zanpakuto?"
Ishikawa's words made all three of them—Soi Fon, Ichigo, and Yoruichi—show varying degrees of curiosity.
Because...
Even Soi Fon, who knew Ishikawa best, didn't know what abilities Ishikawa's Zanpakuto possessed.
She had barely even seen Ishikawa's Zanpakuto release; the only time was during Ishikawa's battle with Aizen, where she only knew that his Zanpakuto would form a space to trap people upon release, but that space trapping Aizen collapsed on its own in less than a second.
"Don't look at me, I don't understand either."
Ishikawa met Soi Fon's probing gaze and shook his head: "I haven't even used Shikai, so how could I know what abilities it possesses."
"However, from its known manifestations, it possesses an ability to disperse into Reishi, and also the characteristic of encompassing various types of energy and perfectly fusing them together."
The ability of a Zanpakuto could be considered a trump card, but these two abilities wouldn't matter even if revealed.
Soi Fon nodded, then looked at Nishijin Ori and the others, a thoughtful expression flashing in her eyes.
"Kinkaku, Ginkaku, come here."
Seeing Soi Fon's expression, Ishikawa smiled slightly and called Kinkaku and Ginkaku over.
"What's up?"
Kinkaku cautiously approached Ishikawa: "Ishikawa-sama, I rushed out even faster than Nishijin Ori just now."
"You two will follow Captain Soi Fon for this period. All actions must absolutely obey Captain Soi Fon's command."
"Huh?"
"Wait, Ishikawa-sama, I..."
"Shut up."
Ishikawa glared at the two: "I haven't settled the score with you two for what happened earlier. If you handle this well, I won't pursue it."
"No problem!"
Upon hearing this, their eyes lit up, and they said in unison: "Absolutely obey orders."
"Although their strength is average, they've been learning Shunpo and Hakuda from me, so their fighting style is very similar to the Onmitsukido." Ishikawa paused, then continued: "Captain Soi Fon, you can temporarily assign them to the Onmitsukido; they should be able to provide some assistance to you."
"If anyone doesn't obey your orders, just tell me."
At these words, Kinkaku and Ginkaku both straightened their backs.
[Soi Fon's favorability +1, gained 10240 experience points, current favorability: 58]
The prompt in his mind made Ishikawa's eyes light up slightly.
Soi Fon glanced at Kinkaku and Ginkaku, then asked: "I do need some help, but will you be alright here?"
"Don't worry."
Ishikawa smiled slightly: "Although I can't use Reiatsu, dealing with some Zanpakuto is still not a problem."
Sending Kinkaku and Ginkaku to Soi Fon was certainly to increase Soi Fon's favorability, but Ishikawa also needed someone to stay in Seireitei to report the movements of the Gotei 13 to him, lest all his efforts be in vain.
After giving instructions, Soi Fon didn't linger, nor did she inquire about the whereabouts of that Supervisory Team Squad Member.
Because she also knew very well...
Within the Supervisory Team, monitoring Ishikawa was equivalent to paid vacation.
Ichigo wanted to stay and protect Ishikawa, but Ishikawa forcibly sent him away. After all, he was still hoping for him to be used by Muramasa, thereby breaking the barrier that Commander Yamamoto had sealed his inner self with.
Over the next two days, Seireitei had completely stabilized.
The Onmitsukidō also began search operations in Rukongai, apprehending various scattered materialized Zanpakuto one by one.
During this, Kinkaku and Ginkaku performed very well, while also reporting the movements of Seireitei to Ishikawa.
It's worth mentioning that Zaraki and Kusajishi Yachiru, who had been missing, also returned to Seireitei, and the reason for their disappearance was, as expected...
They got lost.
Everything was gradually unfolding according to Muramasa's plan, just as it was in his memory.
However, what made Ishikawa a bit puzzled was...
According to Kinkaku and Ginkaku's reports, his Zanpakuto had not appeared at all.
This made Ishikawa feel subtly uneasy.
Fortunately, the Onmitsukidō had already located the area where Commander Yamamoto had sealed himself, and the rescue operation for Commander Yamamoto would begin today.
Ishikawa, who had been constantly monitoring the movements of the Gotei 13, continuously rectifying errors for Muramasa, and ensuring everything unfolded according to his plan, couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Because if everything went smoothly, then Kōga Kuchiki would be freed from his seal today.
And he...
Could then transform him into an external Reiatsu Crest, and use his Reiatsu for his final research.
Provided everything went smoothly.
The unknown whereabouts of his Zanpakuto gave Ishikawa a vague sense of unease.
"Those Shinigami have already attacked the cave where Muramasa and the others are hiding. From the clash of spiritual pressures, they are currently in intense battle."
Himura asked: "Should we send our people hidden nearby to help as well?"
"No, have everyone withdraw and stay away from that area."
Ishikawa shook his head: "If Commander Yamamoto's Zanpakuto is controlled, even for a short time, it will still cause great disaster to the surrounding area. Have everyone immediately evacuate that area."
Himura nodded upon hearing this and went to transmit the message.
Ishikawa watched Himura leave, but did not take action. Instead, he went outside the Everything Store and gazed in the direction where Commander Yamamoto had sealed himself.
About twenty minutes after Himura left, Ishikawa's eyes lit up.
Looking out, he saw a sudden surge of crimson light on the horizon, illuminating the night.
The entire Soul Society, at the moment that light appeared, experienced a sudden surge in temperature, and the air became incredibly dry, as if all moisture had evaporated.
"Should I say he truly lives up to being the Shinigami's boss?"
Ishida Soken looked at the firelight on the horizon and exclaimed from the bottom of his heart; even standing here, he could feel the terror of that flame.
Ishikawa withdrew his gaze and turned to Ishida Soken and Nishijin Ori, saying: "You two stay at the Everything Store and have people continue to investigate the whereabouts of my Zanpakuto. I always feel that after that kid suppressed my current Zanpakuto, he might be secretly preparing something."
His Zanpakuto, rather than being used by Muramasa, had exploited Muramasa to materialize.
"What about you?"
Ishida Soken asked with some confusion.
"Me?"
Ishikawa smiled slightly: "After waiting for so long, it's time to reap the harvest."
Almost the instant his words fell, a black hole suddenly appeared behind Ishikawa, and then several small figures jumped out from it.
As soon as these figures appeared, they all clung to Ishikawa, and childish, joyful voices rang out.
"Ishikawa-nii~ Ishikawa-nii..."
"I missed you so much."
"Play with us... play with us..."
Ishida Soken and Nishijin Ori looked at the children hanging all over Ishikawa, their faces filled with confusion.
However, they immediately felt something was off.
Because these children all had bone masks of various shapes on their faces, just like Hollow masks.
These are...
Arrancar?
These children were Picaro.
"Don't make trouble for now."
Ishikawa picked up the Picaro on his shoulder: "Help me open a Senkaimon to Karakura Town in the Human World."
"Yes~"
Without the ability to use Reiatsu, whether it was traveling to the Human World or transforming Kōga Kuchiki into his own spiritual crest, he needed assistance.
And the Arrancar, who he had modified to possess his aura and be in sync with his mind, were undoubtedly the most suitable candidates.
Ishikawa's ideal candidate was actually Cirucci, but if she, an Espada, were to help him, it was highly likely to be discovered by the other Espada.
Ishikawa wasn't too worried about Aizen.
Because according to Urahara Kisuke, due to Ishikawa disrupting the fusion process, Aizen absolutely would not be able to leave Hueco Mundo in the near future.
For secrecy, Ishikawa didn't even call too many Picaro; he only called five individuals with Vice-Captain-level Reiatsu. The five gathered together were already sufficient to support transforming Kōga Kuchiki into an external spiritual crest.
Of course...
Their role was limited to this; making Kōga Kuchiki lose his fighting ability would still require Ishikawa himself.
Having made up his mind, Ishikawa didn't hesitate further and directly entered the Senkaimon under Picaro's protection.
But Ishikawa didn't know that almost the moment he entered the Senkaimon, A pair of purple eyes slowly condensed in mid-air, watching him depart, as if they had been waiting for a long time.