Five minutes earlier.
Hidden in the dark forest brush, Soma, Kūkaku, Ichigo, Akari, and Atae suppressed their Reiatsu as much as possible, erasing every trace of their presence.
"They're here!"
When Ōmaeda and the Hollow came charging through, everyone's spirits lifted.
"Unbelievable. You called it again," Kūkaku muttered under her breath.
"Only because Atae gave us the eyes."
Soma didn't take all the credit.
Sure, he'd guessed that Ōmaeda wouldn't abandon his men to save himself. The guy would try to lure the enemy away, then look for a chance to escape—or even strike back.
But predicting where to lie in ambush along their route? That was no simple feat.
Thanks to Atae's ability to talk with animals, he'd turned the countless critters of Rukongai's wilderness into eyes and ears, feeding back constant updates on Ōmaeda and the Hollow's movements. That made it possible to set up this interception.
"Even so," Kūkaku said, sounding certain, "you also knew Ōmaeda would change direction right here, didn't you?"
Soma answered like it was obvious:
"Go any farther and he's outside Junrinan's borders. Too far. Not safe."
"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?" Ichigo asked.
"It means the guy's a coward. He doesn't want to drag this fight out. He just wants to shove the Hollow straight into the reinforcements. So when he's about to leave Junrinan, of course he'll crack and turn."
Akari snickered behind his hand.
"Okay, that makes sense."
Ichigo's eyes lit with sudden understanding.
"Get ready," Soma ordered. Everyone's expressions sharpened.
"I'll strike first. Look for an opening to ambush. Even if I don't kill it, I should be able to save Ōmaeda."
"Akari, coordinate with me. Get him out of there. Don't give that thing a chance to grab a hostage."
"Atae, pin it down. Help cover my retreat. You and I will draw its attention so Kūkaku-san can line up a killing blow."
"To be safe, if Kūkaku-san attacks from here, Ichigo, you head farther ahead. Block its escape. Doesn't matter what condition it's in—if it runs into you, finish it. Got it?"
Ambush. Assassination. Execution.
Three layers of offense, each flowing into the next. Simple, but brutally effective.
Kūkaku opened her mouth, then closed it, managing only: "Weren't I supposed to be giving the orders?"
"If you've got a better plan, let's hear it. But you'll have to explain in under a hundred words. We've got plenty of time, but Ōmaeda doesn't."
Soma's tone was flat, but fitting—because right in their line of sight, Ōmaeda was already half-prisoner, the Hollow gripping his arm tight. The situation was critical.
"Fine. We'll do it your way. But how the hell are you planning to pull off that ambush?"
Suspicion edged Kūkaku's voice.
"I'll admit, you guys catch on fast. Even last-minute, you managed to use the tricks I taught you—hiding your presence, suppressing your Reiatsu."
"But slipping behind a tough-looking Adjuchas for a clean strike? Only the Onmitsukidō commander could pull that off. I can't help you there."
"I've got my own way. Let's move."
What? What way?
The thought barely formed in their heads before Soma simply… vanished.
His figure faded—not like he merged with the night, but like he merged with space itself. His presence and Reiatsu evaporated, gone without a trace.
"…?!"
Everyone froze, stunned.
Even Atae, normally calm as a monk, widened his eyes.
---
Back to the present.
The scorched earth from Raikōhō still steamed, wildfires blazing in the distance, painting the night sky crimson.
Kūkaku flash-stepped into the battlefield's center, landing beside Soma, who still held a blood-dripping Zanpakutō.
"Nicely done! That move just now—was that your Zanpakutō's ability? But I didn't hear a release command. Don't tell me you've already learned Bankai?"
"You think way too highly of me," Soma said, feeling her expectations creeping higher than he liked.
"It was just a little trick, nothing more."
"Mm."
Kūkaku let the matter drop. She knew better than to pry—abilities were private things. Even Shinigami who'd worked side by side for decades often didn't know each other's Zanpakutō.
The fact that this wasn't his Zanpakutō's ability made it stand out even more.
No incantation, no catalyst, no prep. He'd simply vanished, slipping unseen into position, then reappeared only to strike.
If that was something you could learn…
Forget the Onmitsukidō—everyone would kill to have it.
Her curiosity alone proved the point.
Soma liked that she knew where to draw the line. Because this wasn't something he could flaunt freely—not yet.
Tōka Ryūrin (Invisible Scale).
A high-level spell of the Märchen Dragon. You could call it Kidō.
But at its core, it was the same type of racial ability as a Hollow's Cero, an Arrancar's Hierro, or a Shinigami's Hadō and Bakudō.
It erased the body's presence, turning it transparent, allowing silent relocation unnoticed.
Only when attacking did the user "surface" again.
Of course, unnoticed didn't mean unbeatable.
Just like Hierro was tough but not unbreakable, a powerful enough sense of perception could pierce Soma's "invisible state."
But Kess Soberano wasn't one of those cases.
Only recently, after mastering the Kidō basics Aizen had drilled into him, had Soma dug deep into his soul and unearthed the Märchen Dragon's bloodline power—Invisible Scale.
He wasn't fully fluent yet.
But it was enough. Enough to slip past Kess's senses, stab him straight through the heart, and set the stage for the kill.
Not far away, Ichigo stared at the Hollow's bisected corpse and let out a heavy breath. Finally, no mistakes.
"Guess that counts as payback for those two."
"You mean those stubborn brats?"
The sudden voice froze Ichigo in place. Akari and Ōmaeda stumbled back from the woods. Soma and Kūkaku stiffened. Atae, just stepping up, also felt it—Reiatsu surging, steadily climbing, like the dead clawing their way back to life.
All eyes snapped to the source.
The bisected remains of Kess glowed crimson. Flesh writhed, blood bubbled, and both halves regenerated into whole bodies.
"What?!"
Ichigo's eyes went wide—but he didn't lose his cool. He noticed something.
"Your heads…"
"Thanks to you, I'm down one."
Two identical Kess spoke at once. Where once a single body bore three heads, now there were two bodies, each with only one.
They looked almost normal. Which made it all the more disturbing.
And the injuries? Gone.
Soma saw it too and already knew the answer.
Kess didn't bother hiding it. In fact, he reveled in their shock, spitting scorn to cover the fear he'd felt at nearly dying.
"Impressive. Not one of you is stronger than me, but together you managed to steal a life."
"I'll snap your necks, crack open your skulls, and see how many more cheap tricks you've got hidden inside!"
He lunged—straight at Ichigo.
Ichigo raised his Zanpakutō just in time, blocking the dual assault, but the combined force hurled him away in one blow.
"Ichigo?!"
Kūkaku tried to rush to him—but one Kess intercepted, while the other kept pressing Ichigo.
Clearly, Kess hated Ichigo most—the one who'd landed the final strike.
Call the interceptor Kess #2. The one chasing Ichigo—Kess #3.
Suddenly, a Shakkahō shot in.
Kess #2 raised an arm, blocking it from hitting his face.
That gave Kūkaku her chance. She blurred past him, racing to Ichigo's aid.
"Damn it!"
Kess #2 spun to follow—but froze as cold dread stabbed his spine.
Schhk!
A shallow cut opened across his back.
Soma had struck, already retreating to deny any counterattack.
"So that's it. The trick still works, but now that your Reiatsu's flared up, your defenses are tougher. Thought I could sever your spine—if you even have one."
He stood tall, blade gleaming, firelight painting half his face crimson, the other half buried in shadow. Contradictory, yet perfectly unified, his sharp profile radiated nothing but fearsome resolve.
Even his breath steamed like a weapon.
"Soma—!"
Atae and Akari darted to his side immediately. Even Ōmaeda—grumbling, reluctant—joined them.
"You guys go back up Ichigo," Soma ordered.
No Zanpakutō. One arm down. A fireworks master who'd already been relegated to support wasn't going to beat an Adjuchas head-on. They'd agreed on that from the start.
Now, with Ōmaeda grudgingly helping, plus Ichigo ready to explode at any second, and Akari and Atae—neither of whom were dead weight—if Kūkaku handled the team well, they didn't need to worry.
As for him…
Akari saw it too. "What about you?"
"I'll finish faster than you will."
"…Fine!"
"Hey! You sure it's okay leaving that kid?!" Ōmaeda shouted as he ran, glancing back at the standoff.
"If Soma says he's got it, then he's got it," Akari shot back.
No time to argue now. And Soma's calls had been right every step of the way. Akari chose to keep trusting him.
Atae too.
"Tch."
But that was an Adjuchas.
The textbooks at Shin'ō Academy explicitly said they should be left to the royal guard. Sure, that was an exaggeration, but not without reason.
Its strength was undeniable.
Absolutely not an opponent academy students should even think about challenging—let alone defeating.
Ōmaeda almost spoke up again, but then he remembered—they'd already killed it once. And the clash of Reiatsu behind him was so intense it made even his veteran skin crawl.
So he shut his mouth and ran.