Chapter 41: Death is No Reason to Stop
Reishi threads extended out, but they did not construct the Ransotengai domain.
Instead, they pierced his body from the outside in, threading through his blood vessels to pull the shattered veins together. They coiled around splintered bones to forcibly maintain their shape and stabbed into his internal organs to keep them functioning at their absolute limit. They bound his collapsing body together, compelling it to move by sheer force.
Purity was burning. Power continued to answer Uryu Ishida's call. Until his will was extinguished, nothing—not even death—could stop him from fighting!
Step by step he walked forward, blood constantly seeping from his pores, leaving one bloody footprint after another on the ground. With every step, everything from his nerves to his viscera let out a violent shriek of agony.
Mayuri Kurotsuchi, who had barely managed to repair a portion of his body but was still immobile, watched the approaching Uryu. His hyper-sensitive brain and years of dissection experience allowed him to instantly diagnose Uryu's injuries. Within his cold, mad heart, a sliver of fear actually rose!
This fear originated from the unknown.
The body is broken to this extent—why can he still move?
What about physiological reactions? Brain stress instincts? Why haven't these things stopped him!?
Even if he can manipulate Reishi, a Quincy is still a carbon-based lifeform, isn't he? Why can a carbon-based lifeform continue to march and fight in this condition!?
Damn it, this is truly unscientific!
In Mayuri's eyes, the figure approaching was like an evil ghost, or... a true God of Death.
Uryu raised his hand once more and slowly clenched it into a fist!
Even though his bodily functions could no longer support his lungs moving air through his throat to make a sound, his eyes—blazing with brilliant radiance—were silently roaring the name of that punch!
Then, he swung with everything he had!
But at that moment, an aged hand reached out, catching Uryu's incoming fist!
"Young man, your fighting spirit is impressive. But there must be a limit to this nonsense!"
Captain-Commander Yamamoto could no longer sit idly by. He struck out to stop the slaughter. With his debut, the other Captains followed suit, arriving via Shunpo to strike poses around him, manifesting the aura of the Seireitei's strongest combatants.
As the strongest Soul Reaper for a thousand years, Yamamoto's abilities had long surpassed common sense. He didn't even need to be present; he could sense the changes in Reiatsu from afar to know exactly what was happening.
When Uryu had streaked through the sky without concealment to find Mayuri, Yamamoto had tracked him. Out of wariness toward the Soul King, Yamamoto hadn't intended to intervene, but the situation developed too quickly.
Mayuri's combat power was not at the top of the Gotei 13, but it certainly wasn't at the bottom. The fact that Uryu had floored him with a single punch was outside Yamamoto's expectations. However, he soon understood. As a scientist, Mayuri's strength relied on planning. If caught unprepared by an opponent who went full throttle from the start, a "First-Sight Kill" was not surprising.
Mayuri was mad and deviant, but Yamamoto—who was protective of talent—usually turned a blind eye. He wouldn't watch him be beaten to death. Thus, he had nudged Komamura with his Reiatsu to intervene.
But he hadn't expected Komamura to be blown away by a single punch as well. Yamamoto couldn't wait any longer and rushed to the scene.
Despite blocking the attack, Yamamoto did nothing more. He said calmly:
"You should go and get treatment. Once you wake, I will personally preside over your interrogation. If you are truly innocent, I will not wrong you."
The Captains familiar with Yamamoto heard a rare trace of gentleness in his tone, even a hint of appreciation. Looking at Uryu, they quickly understood. To drag such a broken body while maintaining such a fierce will... as a warrior, "excellent" was an understatement.
Kenpachi Zaraki, the Soul Society's greatest battle-maniac who had arrived late due to getting lost, looked at Uryu with a trace of fighting spirit. But seeing the tattered body, he simply shook his head and said nothing.
Uryu's ears had long since failed. His world was absolute silence. He couldn't hear Yamamoto at all. He only felt that the hunched old man before him possessed a presence more vast than mountains or oceans.
His fist was held by that aged hand, but it felt like the Monkey King pinned under the Five-Finger Mountain—immobile.
His vision was blurred and stained red with blood, yet Uryu's gaze remained locked onto Mayuri Kurotsuchi.
Mayuri's body was still repairing itself. Seeing Yamamoto, the fear in his eyes vanished, replaced by a cruel, mocking coldness. That gaze said it all: Mayuri had already scheduled the "check-up" and "treatment" Uryu would receive next!
Did he look at my grandfather with those same disgusting eyes back then? And now, is it my turn!?
The thought rose and dissipated. Rage and hatred still burned. The enemy was right there. His fist was clenched.
But between them, that aged hand had drawn an insurmountable Wall of the Strongest.
Uryu felt once again that the gap between people was sometimes greater than the gap between humans and hot dogs. If Ichigo were here, he'd find a way to cross it. But he wasn't Ichigo. He couldn't casually erupt with over 50% Absolute Realm output.
30% was his final limit before death. That power wasn't enough to break the wall.
Should I stop here? Uryu asked himself.
In this moment, Uryu thought of Grand Fisher!
He had once been disgusted by that creep, but now, Uryu felt a sincere urge to thank him! Because Fisher, through his own will and battle, had taught him what the "Purity" carried by a martial artist truly was.
There is no need to worry about the ending. A martial artist's "everything" is not in the past or the future, but in the single instant their eyes see and their fists can reach!
To satisfy that one moment is worth gambling everything.
"Power... COME FORTH! Even if my body can't move, my soul can! Burn everything I am! Even if it's only for a moment of glory, I will defeat everything!!!"
Though there was no physical sound, everyone present heard a roar as majestic as thunder—it was the near-materialized voice of the soul.
Yamamoto suddenly felt the fist he was holding seemingly catch fire. Infinite radiance erupted. The light didn't just burst from the fist, but from Uryu's entire being!
His body was on the brink of disintegration, like a house with the support pillars collapsing. But Uryu didn't care. He only wanted to break all shackles and punch through every obstacle toward Mayuri!
Yamamoto was certain Uryu couldn't break his grip. But in the next instant, infinite light detached itself from Uryu's body. Within that radiance, a phantom, blurred humanoid figure emerged—Uryu's soul.
His soul had completely exited his body, using Purity as its vessel, roaring and howling.
The figure moved like lightning, instantly bypassing Yamamoto to unleash an unprecedentedly powerful punch at Mayuri behind him.
Without turning around, simply by hearing the roar behind him, Yamamoto knew he had failed. Even after countless wars, it was the first time he had seen a Quincy simply discard a dying body to let the soul leap out and keep punching.
"Kid, you have angered me!"
Being so blatantly disregarded angered Yamamoto. He raised his hand to teach Uryu a lesson.
But in the next instant, Yamamoto's pupils shrank. An invisible yet tangible hand had suddenly gripped his throat!
Simultaneously, an angry snort filled with immeasurable majesty and divinity echoed!
"BEGONE!!!"
"Soul King, you..."
The muscles in Yamamoto's neck bulged as he resisted the tightening grip. Then, the wooden cane he always held slammed into the ground. The outer shell shattered, revealing the strongest Zanpakuto in the Soul Society. His narrowed eyes snapped wide, and the bloodthirsty fighting spirit of a thousand years ago began to return!
In that moment, Yamamoto instinctively made a choice.
However, there were many unexpected guests today. A swift silhouette flashed by, interrupting Yamamoto's choice. The figure scooped up Uryu's physical body and grabbed the soul that had leaped out, vanishing instantly. Only a flirtatious, giggling voice remained:
"Old man, sorry for the interruption. Don't be so angry. I'll take this little guy who doesn't cherish his body for treatment first!"
Yamamoto said nothing. He gripped his blade, staring indifferently. The mysterious, phantom hand had also vanished.
Yamamoto watched for a long time until the figure disappeared over the horizon. He then turned to Mayuri Kurotsuchi. His expression darkened.
A blurred mass of flesh and blood was spread evenly across the ground. Not a single large piece remained. Truly "blasted into dust."
Yamamoto fell into a long silence. Finally, he spoke: "Mayuri usually prepares many things; he may have a backup plan. Try to salvage what you can. Then, pass my order: Close the gates of the Seireitei. Place that boy on the highest wanted list. Scour the entire Seireitei to find him. Lieutenants and above are authorized to use Bankai. If seen... capture him if possible. If not... KILL!"
Sometime later, in the World of the Living.
Ichigo Kurosaki stood with his hands in his pockets, leaning against a wall as he listened to Kisuke Urahara recount the news from the Soul Society. Ichigo listened quietly, his expression calm. Finally, he asked:
"You said... in that battle, Uryu Ishida repeatedly used Ultimate Purity to force himself past his body's limits? That even his soul broke out of his body just to kill that man?"
Urahara offered a bitter smile and nodded. "Honestly, it's a bit absurd. You have no idea how terrified my friends in the Soul Society were when they saw his condition. The only difference between him and a pile of meat was his final breath. Even his soul was riddled with holes. Does that damn Purity of yours only care about exploding, and not whether the host lives or dies?"
Ichigo didn't answer. He said flatly:
"Urahara-san, is the man Uryu wanted to kill dead?"
Urahara stroked his chin. "Hard to say. From the reports, he should be. But as a mad scientist, it's hard to tell if he had a card up his sleeve that exceeds imagination."
Ichigo nodded. "If even you can't be sure, I'll assume he's still alive. I understand the situation. Urahara-san, I know you have a way into the Soul Society. Please send me there!"
Urahara was taken aback. "What for? To see Uryu one last time? I'm afraid you'd be too late for that."
Ichigo said calmly: "Don't worry. The Observer won't let Uryu die. He has the ultimate means; if He wants to use them, Uryu will live. And I'm not going there to see Uryu..."
Urahara was baffled. "Then why go?"
Ichigo turned. His posture was leisurely, but his voice carried a cold, sharp edge:
"I don't know what grudge Uryu has with that man. But as a martial artist, I know that in that fight, Uryu burned everything he had, breaking his limits again and again to throw a punch. For such a high-purity battle to be interrupted by 'unrelated bystanders' is simply too much of a shame..."
Ichigo paused, seemingly remembering something from not too long ago, and continued:
"Just as the Demon Muscle Man gave me the chance to keep fighting back then, Uryu now needs some help from the 'Strongest Creature on Earth' to clear away the interference of these bystanders. This battle, which should illuminate the entire martial world, must be carried through to the end!!!"
Even the normally composed Urahara clutched his head. "Kurosaki-kun, do you realize those 'unrelated bystanders' you're talking about include the strongest Soul Reaper in a thousand years? That isn't something on Grand Fisher's level."
Ichigo paused mid-step, not looking back.
"Urahara-san, Grand Fisher was not a 'thing.' He was my enemy, but he was also a true martial artist. I killed him for an unforgettable blood-feud, but I will always remember the pleasure and growth he gave me. Also, Urahara-san... what you don't know is that I am very interested in that word 'Strongest.' If, on my journey to beat the world, there can be a collision between the Material World's Strongest and the Soul Society's Strongest... that would be a world-shaking spectacle of intoxicating beauty!"
Urahara's expression was complex. He felt he understood Ichigo less and less. He could tell the boy was sincere, but that sincerity was exactly what Urahara found incomprehensible.
The Purity was too high. It made Urahara's stomach hurt. He looked at this "Strongest Creature on Earth" with [I'm the Strongest] written on one cheek, [Invincible] on the other, and [Purity Supreme] across his forehead, and couldn't help but miss the strawberry-cake-soft Ichigo of just a short while ago.
How did he become like this in such a short time? Even for Urahara, who witnessed the process, it remained an unsolved mystery.
Urahara took off his hat and rubbed his forehead. "Fine. Let's put the 'Strongest Collision' aside. Even if I send you, you're going alone against the entire Gotei 13 in a gauntlet match. You sure you can handle it?"
Ichigo didn't respond with words. He simply walked out, gazing up at the brilliant sun, and gave his answer through action. He looked up, speaking as if to all of Karakura Town:
"A world-shaking battle is about to take place in the Soul Society. Is anyone interested in being a spectator? I'll warn you first: it's dangerous. You might get chased through nine streets by Soul Reapers for not having a ticket!"
Ichigo's voice was calm, but the fighting spirit within it was like a rising sun, illuminating all of Karakura Town.
In the next moment, auras erupted from every alley and corner of the town. Savage roars drifted on the wind.
"What? A legendary fight to see? Say no more! Let's go!" "As long as it's intense, what's a life worth!?" "Chased through nine streets? That's the kind of excitement I like!" "To see another world-shaking duel, I'd charge into the depths of Hell, let alone the Soul Society!"
Urahara, with his sharp senses and surveillance devices, detected the movement of martial artists everywhere. He ignored the question of how Ichigo reached them all without spiritual power and just asked:
"Can you tell me how you did that? No spiritual power used, just a casual sentence, yet every martial artist in the city heard your will."
Ichigo turned and smiled.
"Purity... is a very interesting thing, isn't it?"
Faced with Ichigo's "Purity explains everything" attitude, Urahara the Scientist realized he could no longer communicate with him. If he kept talking, he'd start looking at the laws of physics and thinking they were "too low in Purity."
End of Chapter
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