Ever since Toshiro rejected Karin's confession and told her not to come looking for him unless necessary, Karin seemed to truly listen to him and stopped coming to see him.
Toshiro, meanwhile, continued his daily routine of patrolling, training, and reporting to the Soul Society.
Recently, as the decisive battle with Aizen drew closer, Toshiro began devoting more time to his training.
Nighttime.
Inoue House, Inoue Sora's former room.
Toshiro sat cross-legged on the floor, his expression serious, and entered his Inner World.
Toshiro's Inner World.
On an endless icy plain, a towering mountain of ice rose up into the clouds.
At the summit stood a magnificent, grand palace carved from ice crystals.
Hyorinmaru, dressed in a blue palace dress, stood atop the mountain, gazing out over the endless frozen plains.
"You're here, Toshiro."
Hyorinmaru seemed to sense something and suddenly spoke.
"Yeah, I'm here, Hyorinmaru."
Toshiro's voice came from behind her.
"Since you're here, let's not waste time. Let's begin training immediately."
Hyorinmaru turned around.
"Good grief... The emperor isn't worried... cough..."
Toshiro quickly corrected himself. "Never mind. I was going to chat with you a bit more before starting, but since you said that, let's begin training now."
"Well, while I would like you to spend more time with me, the great battle is coming soon. So, we should focus on training and improving your strength. I don't want to hold you back, only for you to be killed by the enemy."
Hyorinmaru said seriously.
"Seriously, don't say such unlucky things."
Toshiro muttered in dissatisfaction.
"Alright, Toshiro, let's begin training."
With that, Hyorinmaru opened her small, red lips, and a crystal-clear blue ice bead flew out. It was the Ice Dragon Pearl.
"Here we go, Toshiro."
Hyorinmaru's expression turned serious.
"Yeah."
Toshiro nodded gravely.
Then, Toshiro and Hyorinmaru both channeled their power into the Ice Dragon Pearl, manipulating it.
Under their combined influence, a small vortex suddenly appeared on the Ice Dragon Pearl.
"Now!"
Hyorinmaru suddenly shouted.
"I know!"
Toshiro responded immediately.
Then, Toshiro transformed into a beam of blue light and entered the Ice Dragon Pearl through the small vortex.
Inside the Ice Dragon Pearl.
Toshiro felt as if he had entered space. Countless orbs of light surrounded him like the stars in the sky.
Each of these orbs of light contained memories and legacies from past lives.
If a powerful figure absorbed one of these orbs, they would greatly benefit. However, Toshiro's goal was not these things.
Toshiro's consciousness sank deeper and deeper, until he reached the deepest part of the Ice Dragon Pearl.
There, a massive, mountain-sized skeletal remains of an ice dragon lay coiled.
The ice dragon's skeleton was crystal clear, emitting a soft blue light, as if carved from crystal.
Moreover, these bones were covered in complex, intricate patterns.
These patterns on the ice dragon's bones were precisely the [Ice Laws] left behind after the ice dragon's death.
For Toshiro, comprehending these [Ice Laws] would significantly increase his chances of breaking through to godhood in a short time, granting him the power to face any enemy.
Without wasting time, Toshiro attached himself to the Laws on the ice dragon's skeleton, immersing his consciousness in the ocean of Laws, greedily absorbing and comprehending the [Ice Laws].
While Toshiro was comprehending the [Ice Laws] inside the Ice Dragon Pearl, Hyorinmaru was outside, using her power to maintain the vortex on the orb.
This vortex was the passage for Toshiro to enter and exit the Ice Dragon Pearl.
Since Toshiro hadn't fully refined and controlled the pearl yet, he and Hyorinmaru had to work together to open a passage for him to enter the depths and comprehend the Ice Laws.
Furthermore, Hyorinmaru had to keep this passage open the entire time. If the vortex passage disappeared, Toshiro might be trapped inside, unable to get out.
Fortunately, this wasn't the first time Toshiro had entered the depths of the Ice Dragon Pearl to comprehend the Ice Laws. They had plenty of experience. And since Toshiro and Hyorinmaru were of one heart and mind, working closely together, there was little danger.
And so, as Toshiro focused on his training, nearly a month passed. Toshiro's comprehension of the Ice Laws deepened more and more.
Inoue House, living room.
When Orihime returned home from school, she saw a large screen suddenly mounted on the living room wall, like the kind in a movie theater. The screen occasionally emitted static 'hissing, crackling' noises.
Toshiro and Rangiku were busy working beside the large screen.
"Wow! Amazing! Hey, Toshiro, what is this?"
Orihime asked, looking amazed.
"You're back, Inoue. Sorry. I didn't expect you to come home at this time. It's rude of us to just do this in your house without permission. But the Soul Society contacted us... there's something they need to discuss in person, so we had no choice."
Toshiro apologized. "As for this thing... it's a kind of video communication tool from the Soul Society."
Then Toshiro looked at the screen. "I am Hitsugaya Toshiro, Vice-Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13 and Captain of the 10th Division."
"Yes, connecting you immediately, Hitsugaya-sama."
A voice suddenly came from the snowy screen.
Then, after some static flickered on the screen, Yamamoto's figure appeared.
"Ca-Captain-Commander!"
Seeing the figure on the screen, Toshiro wasn't surprised, but Orihime gasped.
"Toshiro, the reason for this urgent communication is to tell you something important..."
Yamamoto ignored Orihime's surprise and got straight to the point, stating the purpose of the contact.
Yamamoto spoke slowly: "We have deduced the specific time of the decisive battle with Aizen Sosuke."
"The specific time of the decisive battle?"
Toshiro asked, puzzled.
Yamamoto explained: "Yes. According to a recent research report from Nemu, the Hogyoku that Aizen stole, created by Urahara Kisuke, actually fell into a dormant state because of the seal Urahara left on it. For Aizen to wake the Hogyoku from its slumber, he will need at least four months."
Hearing Yamamoto's words, Toshiro frowned.
Toshiro remembered that in the original work, the time span from Aizen's defection to the decisive battle in Karakura Town wasn't that long, certainly not four months. Meaning Yamamoto's judgment might be incorrect.
On the other side of the screen, Yamamoto continued: "Until the Hogyoku is fully awakened, Aizen cannot gather his forces, nor is he qualified to challenge the Gotei 13. Therefore, he can only act after that point. So, the decisive battle will be in winter!"