Karakura Town, East Suburbs, deep within the dense forest.
Time passed, second by second. Soifon remained alone in a clearing surrounded by towering trees. Leaning against a large tree, she had changed back into her black Shihakushō, though she was not wearing her Captain's Haori.
Earlier, Soifon had already applied to the Seireitei for a Limiter Release, and the Spirit Seal on her hand had already dissipated.
Suddenly, a spatial fluctuation appeared in another area of Karakura Town. Three undisguised, powerful spiritual pressures appeared within her sensing range.
The Quincys of the Wandenreich had arrived.
Almost at the same time, Sōsuke Aizen arrived at Soifon's hiding spot with Meninas.
"Captain Soifon," Sōsuke Aizen slowly descended into the forest. "Three Quincys wearing uniforms are heading your way."
"En, I sensed them as well." Soifon raised her eyes to look at Meninas. "Let her attack me. Make some noise."
"Remember... use full power, otherwise you won't break my defense."
The moment she finished speaking, the pink-haired girl, who had been idling nearby, clenched her hands into fists, condensing Reishi dumbbells, and swung at Soifon.
Meninas's fist landed on the spot where Soifon had just been standing, and a thick tree was smashed in half at the waist.
Soifon's figure flickered rapidly through the forest. Her body surface was constantly scraped by flying gravel and debris, activating the pale blue glow of Blut Vene.
Her dodging appeared somewhat forced, always barely avoiding critical hits at the last moment, but the shockwaves from the passing fist winds still knocked her back repeatedly.
Finally, Meninas seized the opportunity and blasted out a heavy straight punch...
"Die! Traitor!"
Soifon seemed unable to dodge in time and could only cross her arms in front of her chest, forcibly taking this charged punch.
Boom—
The moment the fist collided with her arms, a visible transparent ring of shockwaves exploded outward. More than a dozen surrounding trees fell in response, while soil and crushed rock shot into the sky like a fountain.
Soifon was sent flying backward, smashing ruthlessly into the ground over ten meters away.
The massive sound of the impact even reached the downtown area of Karakura Town. Many residents who were evacuating felt a distinct tremor beneath their feet as a dust wave tens of meters high rose up.
On the other side of the dense forest, the three members of the Sternritter, who were approaching at high speed, looked simultaneously toward the center of the battle.
"This fluctuation of Reiatsu..." The eyes behind Quilge's lenses flickered with light. "Speed up! Don't let that fellow be snatched away by someone else!"
When they arrived at the battlefield, which had already turned into ruins, the scene they saw surprised them somewhat.
The dust was slowly settling. In the center of the crater, a petite figure was struggling to climb up from the pile of rubble, the Blut Vene on her body flickering dimly.
Soifon's clothes were soiled with dust, and many abrasions and bruises could be seen on her exposed skin. She propped herself up with one hand, panting, looking heavily injured.
Quilge's gaze swept quickly across the surroundings. Finding no sign of the other combatant, his sight finally settled back on the short figure staggering to her feet in the crater.
"Short, female, Quincy..." Quilge muttered to himself, a Reishi bow forming silently in his hand. "The characteristics match, but her strength doesn't seem that strong."
"Whether she is or not, we'll know once we test her." The moment he spoke, Quilge released the bowstring. "If she dies, she isn't; if she doesn't die..."
A Quincy Arrow tore through the air, heading straight for Soifon's chest.
At this moment, Soifon seemed to have just found her footing and was unable to react to the arrival of this arrow in time. She only managed to raise her right hand, a layer of pale blue Blut Vene hurriedly lighting up on the surface of her palm.
The arrow tip collided with her palm.
Clang!
The arrow did not penetrate her palm as expected; instead, it grazed Soifon, flying past to embed itself in the ground behind her, blasting out a small pit.
At the same time, her left hand quietly slipped into her bosom, secretly finding the Soul Pager and sending a distress signal to the device belonging to Ichigo Kurosaki.
[Distress signal sent. Target: Ichigo Kurosaki.]
Only after doing all this did Soifon slowly raise her head to look at the three Sternritter members not far away.
Back then, she had given out the Soul Pager not merely to protect the Kurosaki family...
"Oh? With that intensity of Blut Vene, it seems you are indeed the fellow who abducted Meninas back then."
Quilge slowly landed on the edge of the crater, looking at Soifon standing on the other side.
Äs Nödt and Cang Du also landed around Soifon one after another, forming a three-sided encirclement.
Meanwhile, Ichigo Kurosaki had just returned to his room.
Pushing open the door, he heard a "buzzing" vibration coming from his desk drawer.
He walked over quickly and pulled open the drawer. That Soul Pager, which hadn't shown any activity for years, had a screen glowing with a piercing red light.
"This is..."
Ichigo Kurosaki grabbed the device. A line of constantly flashing red text jumped out on the screen:
[Coordinates Synchronized]
Attached below was a simplified map.
Ichigo Kurosaki's pupils contracted abruptly.
—Soifon is in danger?!
Karakura Town had indeed been unstable recently.
A few nights ago, a loud noise and earthquake-like tremors had come from the suburbs. Uryū Ishida had even mysteriously come to tell him that a guy with very strong Spiritual Pressure might be fighting over there.
Could it be that Big Sister Soifon was sent to handle this matter? Is the enemy's power really so strong that even a Captain can't handle it?
"Damn it!"
Ichigo Kurosaki clenched his teeth, grabbed the Soul Pager, and rushed downstairs.
Yuzu and Karin, who were watching TV in the living room, only saw an afterimage flash by before the door was slammed shut with a bang.
"Ichigo-nii?!"
He couldn't hear his sister's shout anymore. Ichigo Kurosaki jumped onto his bicycle, pedaling desperately, sprinting toward the location marked on the map.
An enemy that even Big Sister Soifon can't handle... an ordinary person like me...
But Soifon was his parents' savior. Now that she was facing danger, Ichigo Kurosaki could not sit idly by.
The bicycle chain let out an overwhelmed creak. Cold sweat seeped from Ichigo Kurosaki's forehead; he could feel himself getting closer and closer to the destination, a heavy sense of oppression radiating from the depths of the forest.
...
Deep within the dense forest, the battlefield was a mess.
The Reishi arrows of the three Sternritter members were like a rainstorm, shooting at Soifon's teetering figure from every tricky angle.
Soifon moved at high speed through the forest, but her movements were obviously much more sluggish than before.
The light of her Blut Vene flickered uncertainly. Every time she blocked an arrow, her body would involuntarily lose balance and fall to the side.
She could sense that Ichigo Kurosaki was approaching.
Soifon propped herself up against a nearby tree with one hand, panting heavily. In reality, she wasn't panicked at all; she was purely acting.
"Not falling down yet?" Quilge frowned slightly, his fingers pulling the bowstring again. "You should have reached your limit long ago."
The moment his voice fell, three Reishi arrows shot out in a triangular formation, sealing off Soifon's retreat paths to the left, right, and above.
Soifon's body twisted at an almost impossible angle. Her right shoulder was grazed by a Reishi arrow, bringing forth a splash of blood, and she staggered, falling sideways.
Hiss—
The power of the Sternritter right now is practically tickling me. If I don't cancel the Blut Vene and keep acting like this, I'm going to blow my cover...
Clutching the wound on her shoulder, Soifon grinned and ran in the direction of Ichigo Kurosaki.
It seemed she was an arrow at the end of its flight.
But to have fought against members of the Sternritter until now was already extremely remarkable.
Quilge didn't chase immediately. Seeing that Soifon's Blut Vene could no longer hold up, he began to enjoy the pleasure of cat and mouse.
In his perception, an ordinary human with some spiritual power had stumbled into their battle, and the fleeing Quincy was heading in that direction.
On the other side, Ichigo Kurosaki threw his bicycle at the entrance of the park, the scene before him causing him to brake abruptly.
The forest floor looked like it had been plowed. Trees were leaning askew, and the ground was covered in pits and scorch marks.
The air was filled with dust, the smell of burning, and... a faint scent of blood.
Ichigo Kurosaki suppressed his fear, covered his nose with his collar, and ran desperately toward the direction where the smoke and dust were thickest.
He hadn't run far when the trees ahead shook violently.
A figure stumbled out from among the smoke and broken branches, almost crashing into a tree not far in front of Ichigo Kurosaki before barely steadying herself.
"Big Sister Soifon...?"
Ichigo Kurosaki's pupils contracted abruptly.
"Ichigo?"
The two spoke almost simultaneously, their tones filled with astonishment.
Before Ichigo Kurosaki could react, Soifon had already rushed in front of him, her bloodstained hand grabbing his collar.
"Why are you here?! Go, quickly..."
Before she could finish, three white figures followed closely behind.
"I see." Quilge smiled with malicious amusement. "Is this your friend in Karakura Town?"
Subsequently, Äs Nödt raised his hand and fired a Quincy Arrow at Ichigo Kurosaki.
Splurt—
Soifon shoved Ichigo Kurosaki backward violently. There was the muffled sound of flesh being penetrated by the arrow, and scorching blood splashed onto Ichigo's face.
Disregarding the pain, she leaped up from the spot, taking the paralyzed and bewildered Ichigo Kurosaki with her, and fled deeper into the suburban forest.
"It seems you also have companions to protect." Quilge's tone carried a game-like mockery. "Now this is getting interesting."
He raised his hand, condensing another round of Reishi arrows. This time, the target was explicitly locked onto Ichigo Kurosaki...
Soifon took Ichigo Kurosaki and dodged wretchedly, the two of them stumbling into the denser woods.
Finally, Soifon dragged Ichigo Kurosaki behind a thick ancient tree. She slid down, leaning her back against the trunk.
"Big Sister Soifon..."
"Ichigo, why are you here..."
Ichigo Kurosaki finally woke from his stupor, hurriedly pulling out the alarm-sounding Soul Pager from his pocket.
"The Shinigami in Karakura Town were all injured and went back. I am the only Captain here..."
"I didn't expect the Soul Pager to send you a distress call. It is my dereliction of duty..."
"Ichigo, run quickly. While they haven't caught up yet."
Run? Leave Big Sister Soifon here alone?
Ichigo Kurosaki froze.
"But..." Ichigo spoke with difficulty, "Big Sister Soifon, don't you... have absolutely no chance of winning?"
After a moment, Soifon squeezed a sentence out of her mouth with difficulty:
"Become a Shinigami, Ichigo..."
"Your bloodline is unparalleled. As long as you become a Shinigami, you can resolve the crisis before your eyes."
"However, once you use that method, you will never be able to return to your peaceful daily life, Ichigo."
Before she finished speaking, three Reishi arrows tore through the air, accurately hitting the trunk of the large tree they were hiding behind.
Soifon violently yanked Ichigo Kurosaki's collar, and the two threw themselves sideways in a wretched manner, narrowly avoiding the splashing sharp wood splinters.
"The game of hide-and-seek should end now." Quilge pushed up his glasses, Reishi slowly gathering at his fingertips. "Dragging a burden along, where else can you run?"
Quilge deliberately slowed his movements, the Quincy Arrow forming bit by bit.
"What kind of joke is this..." Ichigo Kurosaki clenched his teeth. "What do you take life for?!"
At the same time, Soifon drew the Zanpakutō, Suzumebachi, hidden under her Shihakushō. The sharp blade tip glinted with cold light.
Quilge and the other two looked surprised, faintly feeling a sense of foreboding. They hadn't seen this guy draw a sword during the battle just now?
Do Quincys use cold weapons too?
"Hold it."
"Point the blade at your own chest and thrust it in. You will be able to obtain power..."
"Then, you won't be able to return to a normal life."
Soifon pointed the blade tip at Ichigo Kurosaki, issuing the final warning.
"If I can't even defeat the enemy in front of me, if I can't even save the person I'm protecting, what normal life is there to talk about?"
"I need power! The power to protect my family and friends!"
Ichigo Kurosaki grasped the Zanpakutō, stepping forward to let the blade tip sink into his chest.
The moment the blade pierced his skin, Soifon unreservedly poured her entire body's Reiatsu into Ichigo Kurosaki.
The terrifying Reiatsu of the 1st Spiritual Rank poured out frantically in all directions, centered on her and Ichigo Kurosaki.
Buzz—
The air let out an overwhelmed wail, and the ground trembled violently. With the two as the center, the gravel on the ground trembled and floated into the air continuously.
The expressions of Quilge and the other two changed drastically. The terrifying Reiatsu made it impossible for them to approach; they retreated tens of meters away before they could barely catch their breath.
A blinding pillar of white light shot into the sky, tearing through the clouds. Even space became distorted and fluctuated under this power.
"—What kind of Reiatsu is this?!"
In the distance, Kisuke Urahara, Yoruichi Shihōin, and the members of the Visoreds all coincidentally cast their gazes upon this dazzling pillar of Reiatsu.
Ichigo Kurosaki's eyes were tightly closed. The wound on his chest not only didn't bleed but emitted a blue-black light under the infusion of Reiatsu.
The black fabric of the Shihakushō spread out from his body surface as if it had a life of its own, entangled with pale blue Reishi fluorescence.
The light gradually faded.
A massive Zanpakutō rested on Ichigo Kurosaki's shoulder. His spiritual sense clearly perceived Quilge and the other two not far away.
Ichigo Kurosaki gripped the sword with both hands, charging power. Blue-black Reiatsu flames rose up, wrapping around the blade body as if by instinct.
"Getsuga—"
"Tenshō—!!!"
The blue-black moon-fang slash cut through large swathes of trees without any obstruction, flying toward Quilge, Äs Nödt, and Cang Du.
"Return to the Empire, quickly!"
At the critical juncture of life and death, Quilge rapidly circulated his Reiatsu to communicate with the Gate of the Sun of the Wandenreich.
But when he saw the confident appearance of his two teammates, he despaired.
Cang Du took a step forward, completely unafraid of the blue-black Moon Fang before his eyes: "My Schrift is 'I' - The Iron. Mere humans..."
"Correct. There is absolutely no need for fear."
Äs Nödt spoke in agreement.
Immediately after, under Quilge's despairing gaze, the two of them hesitatingly blocked the path of Ichigo Kurosaki's Getsuga Tenshō...
____
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