"This way!"
The instant Ichigo Kurosaki sensed an attack on his right shoulder, he slashed to the right.
Clang—!
The sound of metal clashing was muffled within the Suzumushi barrier and didn't reach Ichigo's ears, but his hands gripping the sword hilt clearly felt the feedback.
Ichigo followed up, slashing several times in rapid succession. Unfortunately, Kaname Tōsen blocked them all and quickly put distance between them again.
Not knowing which direction Kaname Tōsen had retreated, Ichigo didn't chase. Instead, he stood still, focusing intently on his sense of touch.
Fortunately, Ichigo was still a Quincy. The defense of his Blut Vene meant he wouldn't be killed by a single blow from Kaname Tōsen. He could rely on tactile feedback to counterattack.
"Here it comes!"
Ichigo sensed Kaname Tōsen's attack again. Spiritual Pressure, already gathered in his sword, poured out—his crescent moon slash instantly engulfed Kaname Tōsen, who couldn't dodge in time.
"Did I get him?"
The Spiritual Pressure slash, projected outside his body, lacked tactile sensation, so Ichigo couldn't tell if his move had landed.
However, before he could think further, sharp pain erupted in his abdomen.
Da-da-da-da-da!
His abdomen was struck by over a thousand blows in an instant. His Blut Vene cracked open and wild Spiritual Pressure blasted into his body.
"Pfft—"
Ichigo spat blood and collapsed to the ground.
At that moment, the Suzumushi barrier faded quickly, revealing Kensei Muguruma standing right in front of Ichigo.
"No need to talk about morals when dealing with Soul Society criminals!" Kensei Muguruma grinned. He was the one who had just knocked Ichigo down.
Although Kensei couldn't sense Ichigo's position inside the Suzumushi barrier, Kaname Tōsen used Kidō to guide him, revealing Ichigo's location.
"Damn it…"
Ichigo tried to get up, but wild Spiritual Pressure blocked his Saketsu (Chain of Binding) and Hakusui (Soul Sleep). He couldn't muster any Spiritual Pressure at all.
"Ichigo!"
Rukia, standing at a distance, saw Ichigo fall and tried to run to him, but Byakuya Kuchiki stopped her.
"Don't bother. You can't save him," Byakuya Kuchiki said calmly. "His Saketsu and Hakusui are already blocked by Captain Muguruma's Spiritual Pressure. His spirit body will collapse soon."
Whoosh—
Kaname Tōsen appeared in front of Rukia. He'd been hit by Ichigo's Spiritual Pressure slash and suffered some injuries, but nothing serious.
"It's over. Take the criminal back." Kaname Tōsen raised his hand, and a Reishi rope bound Rukia's hands.
Seeing this, Byakuya Kuchiki frowned slightly and glared at Kaname Tōsen, but voiced no objection.
"Rukia! Cough, cough—"
Ichigo couldn't get up, and could only watch helplessly as the three took Rukia away.
With his Saketsu and Hakusui blocked, his condition worsened. Finally, his vision went black and he lost consciousness.
Moments later, a white-haired young man with glasses appeared before Ichigo Kurosaki.
The newcomer was a Quincy—Ryūken Ishida, son of Sōken Ishida.
Ryūken Ishida knew Ichigo Kurosaki well. They weren't just classmates—they'd grown up together as childhood friends.
Usually, Ryūken wouldn't interfere in Ichigo's fights, but this time he sensed Ichigo's enemy was very strong and Ichigo's Spiritual Pressure was acting abnormally—so he rushed over at once.
But the battle ended too quickly—he was still a step too late.
"The power of a Shinigami has brought you trouble after all."
Ryūken Ishida frowned slightly. Ichigo Kurosaki had possessed Shinigami powers for a while. As his friend, Ryūken had naturally witnessed Ichigo's abilities.
He checked Ichigo's spirit body and quickly discovered the source of the chaotic Spiritual Pressure inside.
"Saketsu and Hakusui are blocked… Not good. If I use my Spiritual Pressure to flush out the abnormal energy, it might crush his Saketsu and Hakusui instantly."
Ryūken Ishida realized Ichigo's problem was extremely tricky.
"Who's there?!"
Ryūken Ishida suddenly sensed a Spiritual Pressure approaching.
A Reishi bow instantly formed in his hand, aimed at the corner of the street.
"Oh my, don't be nervous! I'm here to help!"
Standing at the corner was a man with a striped bucket hat. A folding fan partly covered his face, making him look quite suspicious.
"Shopkeeper Urahara?"
Ryūken Ishida recognized this oddball—it was Kisuke Urahara, the shopkeeper of the Urahara Shop.
The Urahara Shop sold all sorts of strange spiritual tools, some of them quite useful. Ryūken had shopped there a few times.
"Just like you, Mr. Ishida, I sensed the Spiritual Pressure here and came to check it out." Kisuke Urahara closed his fan and raised his hands to show he meant no harm. "But your friend looks to be in a very bad way!"
"Ichigo's Saketsu and Hakusui are blocked by a berserk Spiritual Pressure. Shopkeeper Urahara, do you have a way to fix this?" Ryūken Ishida asked.
"A piece of cake!"
Kisuke Urahara produced a long needle from his sleeve and pierced it into Ichigo's abdomen.
Moments later, the abnormal Spiritual Pressure inside Ichigo drained out through the inner tube of the long needle.
"Solved."
"Luckily, Shopkeeper Urahara was here." Ryūken Ishida breathed a sigh of relief.
"His Saketsu and Hakusui are slightly damaged—he needs treatment right away. Let's carry him back to my shop," Kisuke Urahara suggested.
"Then I'll trouble you, Shopkeeper Urahara!" Ryūken Ishida hoisted Ichigo onto his back and sped toward the Urahara Shop.
"No trouble, no trouble. Whether my wanted warrant gets revoked depends on him…" Kisuke Urahara muttered, glancing at the person beside him. "Right, Head Captain Katori?"
"You're joking, Urahara-kun." Sora laughed. "Your wanted warrant was revoked long ago. If you want to return to the 13th Division, you're welcome anytime!"
"The current Director of Research and Development is Mayuri Kurotsuchi, right? I don't want to go back just to be his deputy!" Kisuke Urahara smiled. "Head Captain Katori's strength is truly unfathomable… Mr. Ishida is an expert among Quincies, yet you were standing right here and he couldn't sense you at all. If Head Captain Katori didn't want me to sense you, I'd be just like Mr. Ishida!"
Sora didn't comment and continued, "I'll leave Ichigo with Urahara-kun for training for a while. Although he already possesses Shinigami powers, he's still unfamiliar with Shinigami combat techniques."
"Mm…" Kisuke Urahara agreed, but couldn't hide his curiosity. "Are you grooming Ichigo Kurosaki for the Lynchpin of the Three Worlds? But most of the Soul King's power that scattered in Hell over ten years ago has already been collected by you, right? Recreating a Lynchpin shouldn't be difficult. Why are you still interested in Ichigo Kurosaki?"
Back in the Soul Society, Kisuke Urahara had studied the Soul King fragments and consulted various materials, so he knew the truth about the Three Worlds.
Kisuke Urahara also knew the Soul King's power possessed the traits of Shinigami, Quincy, and Hollow. So he suspected Sora Katori was grooming Ichigo Kurosaki to recreate the Lynchpin of the Three Worlds.
"Grooming Ichigo Kurosaki is, of course, not for the Lynchpin of the Three Worlds." Sora shook his head gently. "The road ahead is too lonely. Having someone walk alongside me can light the path ahead as well."