After the dust settled, Kenpachi Zaraki stepped forward and looked at Ichigo Kurosaki, who was curled up lying on the ground.
"A mask?"
Kenpachi Zaraki saw a mask covered in cracks beside Ichigo Kurosaki.
"It seems the Hollow inside him has awakened."
Kenpachi Zaraki suddenly heard his Professor's voice and realized with a start that Professor was standing right next to Ichigo Kurosaki.
"Does Professor know this brat?" Kenpachi Zaraki asked.
"He is Isshin's son, Ichigo Kurosaki." Sora picked up the mask from the ground; there were three dark red claw marks on the left forehead of the mask.
"So that's how it is. No wonder he knows Getsuga Tenshō." Kenpachi Zaraki scratched his face. "I couldn't hold back just now. He's not dead, is he?"
"He can't die; there's still a breath left."
Sora had been watching the battle here just now; it would be difficult for Ichigo Kurosaki to die even if he wanted to.
"Take Ichigo and that Quincy to the dojo," Sora continued.
Kenpachi Zaraki turned his head to look and realized that Ryūken Ishida on the other side had long been controlled by Professor's Bakudō.
...
The next day, Ichigo Kurosaki woke up in an unfamiliar room again.
"The injuries are mostly healed?" Ichigo Kurosaki recalled the battle with the Shinigami Captain. He should have been heavily injured. During the battle, he could only stand up entirely thanks to Ransōtengai, but now the injuries on his body were no longer a big problem.
His Zanpakutō was right beside him; the person who saved him should have no malicious intent.
"Who saved me this time? Did Ryūken save me... It seems this is still the Soul Society." Judging by the Reishi concentration in the environment, Ichigo Kurosaki concluded that this was still the Soul Society.
Ichigo Kurosaki carried his Zanpakutō on his back, opened the door, and walked out of the room.
Outside the corridor was a courtyard, in which stood a red maple tree thick enough for two people to wrap their arms around.
Ichigo Kurosaki noticed someone in the courtyard; a young man was sitting on the edge of the veranda.
Beside the young man was a small tea table. However, the white haori he was wearing tightened Ichigo Kurosaki's heart.
But the two characters "Katori" printed on the haori made Ichigo Kurosaki breathe a sigh of relief.
He still had some basic understanding of Shinigami; the Haori worn by Shinigami Captains had the division number printed on the back.
"Did you save me? Thanks!"
Ichigo Kurosaki stepped forward proactively and sat on the other side of the tea table.
"Good constitution; you're recovering very quickly," Sora said softly.
"Is this the Katori Dojo? You wouldn't happen to be Rukia's Professor, would you? I remember Rukia saying she was a disciple of the Katori Style!" Ichigo Kurosaki recalled what he had heard from Rukia and asked hurriedly.
Rukia hadn't revealed much about the dojo to Ichigo Kurosaki, only saying her Professor was a very strong Shinigami and the Katori Style was a top swordsmanship school in the Soul Society.
"This is indeed the Katori Dojo, and I am Rukia's Professor." Sora nodded gently.
"Drink this bowl of medicinal soup!" A person walked out of the kitchen and handed Ichigo Kurosaki a bowl of soup.
"Then let's go save Rukia together... Wait!" Ichigo Kurosaki saw clearly the person handing him the soup and was dumbfounded. "Why are you here!!!"
The one who just handed him the soup was exactly the target of his rescue mission—Rukia Kuchiki!
"I'm fine... The Soul Society actually has no precedent of transferring Shinigami power to a human..." Rukia Kuchiki shrugged. "So there are no relevant regulations at all. Me transferring Shinigami power to you doesn't count as a grave crime."
Currently, the Kūgo Ginjō Substitute Shinigami defection incident hadn't happened yet, so the Soul Society had no relevant regulations at all. Rukia previously thought transferring Shinigami power to a human was a grave crime purely because she was duped by her Professor.
"Then wasn't I beaten up for nothing?!" Ichigo Kurosaki was stunned.
"I'm very sorry! Although I was kept in the dark too, I still apologize!" Rukia Kuchiki felt bad thinking about how badly Ichigo Kurosaki was beaten to save her.
"Rukia didn't know about this matter," Sora smiled. "Forcing you to come to the Soul Society was also to let you gain experience here."
"So it was all arranged by you guys!" Ichigo Kurosaki couldn't help jumping up. "If you wanted me to come to the Soul Society, there was no need to do this!"
"Only facing a life-and-death crisis can awaken the power hidden deep within you." Sora picked up a broken mask and placed it in front of Ichigo Kurosaki.
This mask should have shattered quickly, but Sora maintained its shape with Spiritual Pressure.
"This is... a Hollow mask?" Ichigo Kurosaki was stunned; he sensed Hollow Spiritual Pressure from the mask.
"This is your Hollow power," Sora spoke slowly.
"I have Hollow power? How is that possible!" Ichigo Kurosaki had no memory of this mask.
"Then let me tell you a story from the past, about Isshin Shiba and Masaki Kurosaki..."
Sora briefly told Ichigo Kurosaki the story of how Isshin Shiba and Masaki Kurosaki met.
"Dad used to be a Shinigami?"
"And a Shinigami Captain?"
Ichigo Kurosaki was shocked after hearing the story of his parents.
He had once asked his father if he was a Quincy and got a negative answer.
His father had never shown strong Reishi abilities in front of him, so he thought his father was an ordinary human. He never expected his father to be a Shinigami.
"So, you're actually my nephew!" Rukia was also surprised; she joined late and had never met Isshin Shiba.
"So, Senior Katori is my Grandmaster? So as long as I awaken the Hollow power inside me, can Dad's Spiritual Pressure recover?" Ichigo Kurosaki sorted out his thoughts and understood the reason for the encounters of these past days.
"Isshin used Shinigami power to help your mother suppress the Hollow. When she was pregnant with you, the Hollow followed into your body, and Isshin's Shinigami power followed to suppress the Hollow within you," Sora explained. "You can withstand this power now. As long as the Hollow power inside you breaks free from the Shinigami power suppressing it, the Shinigami power will return to Isshin."
Sora had actually arranged a "storming the execution ground" plot for Ichigo Kurosaki, but since Ichigo Kurosaki had already awakened Hollowfication, there was no need to continue the act.
Ichigo Kurosaki now possessed the characteristics of Human, Quincy, Shinigami, and Hollow. These powers would interact with each other, and Sora predicted his Spiritual Pressure would experience explosive growth.
"Is that so... If it's for Dad, getting beaten up a few times is acceptable."
Ichigo Kurosaki scratched his head. He could also see that his father was aging quickly without Spiritual Pressure. Standing with his mother, they looked like two different generations. If his father could restore his Spiritual Pressure, it would slow down the aging process.