Wandenreich.
Bang—
The pure white stone table could not withstand the burden and collapsed with a loud crash under Haschwalth's hammer blow.
He looked at the batterd and exhausted Quilge, gritting his teeth. "Are you saying... not only did you fail to bring back that short female Quincy, but you also lost two teammates?!"
After speaking, Haschwalth cast a gaze full of killing intent toward Uryū Ishida.
From his left shoulder to his right waist, Quilge had been almost sliced in two by a slash, barely able to support his movements by relying on the ability of Ransōtengai.
Nodding with difficulty, Quilge truthfully revealed the sudden variable that was Ichigo Kurosaki: "Hiss... It is just so. That yellow-haired brat seemed to be called Ichigo..."
"Ichigo?!" Uryū Ishida abruptly raised his head and exclaimed, "Is he a boy with short orange hair, about the same age as me?!"
Hearing this, Haschwalth's sharp gaze swept over Uryū Ishida, and after a long while, he spoke slowly: "You know him?"
Uryū Ishida swallowed a mouthful of saliva, nodded with difficulty, and informed the other party of some information regarding his acquaintance with Ichigo Kurosaki.
Haschwalth fell silent for a moment, then finally waved his hand. "Quilge, you go get treated first."
He turned to look at Uryū Ishida. "Uryū Ishida, seeing as the intelligence you provided is basically true, and you indeed have a past acquaintance with the target... stay in the Wandenreich and await the entrance examination for the Sternritter."
After speaking, he no longer looked at anyone, his figure slowly merging into the shadows of the corridor.
...
In the center of the crater, Ichigo Kurosaki stood blankly on the spot, looking down at the black Shihakushō that had surfaced on his body at some unknown time.
Soifon's face was as pale as paper, her breathing weak. Her body swayed, and her feet felt as if she were stepping on cotton.
The sense of collapse brought about by the excessive overdraft of Reiatsu swept through her whole body like a tide, and she stumbled, falling to sit on the ground.
Although Karakura Town was a Heavy Spirit Ground, the density of Spirit Particles was still somewhat different from Soul Society and Hueco Mundo. Coupled with the fact that Soifon had deliberately delayed the recovery of Spirit Particles, she was somewhat unaccustomed to this long-absent feeling of weakness.
The moment Soifon sat on the ground, Ichigo Kurosaki reached out his hand to support her...
"Big Sister Soifon?!"
"Don't help me; I'm afraid my girlfriend will misunderstand."
"Huh?!"
Big Sister Soifon... girlfriend?
His outstretched hand hung in mid-air. Ichigo Kurosaki's worldview, which had already suffered a heavy impact, seemed to be shattered a little further.
Just then, several sounds of breaking air rang out in succession.
Kisuke Urahara, Yoruichi Shihōin, as well as the members of the Visoreds led by Shinji Hirako, landed near the forest one after another. They were evidently attracted by that earth-shaking Reiatsu explosion just now.
When they saw the strange Shihakushō on Ichigo Kurosaki and Soifon weak on the ground, everyone's expressions varied.
Yoruichi Shihōin's face showed great shock. She used Shunpo to rush to Soifon's side, holding her in her arms.
"Soifon, what happened?"
"Why is your Reiatsu depleted so severely..."
As she spoke, Yoruichi used her sleeve to wipe the bloodstains and dust from Soifon's face.
To the side, the members of the Visoreds glanced at each other. Shinji Hirako tilted his head, the corners of his mouth splitting into a smile that carried a bit of playfulness and schadenfreude.
"Yo? Isn't this Captain Soifon of the Second Division? How did you end up so wretched? You even gave the power of a Shinigami to a brat in the World of the Living... Tsk tsk."
Hiyori Sarugaki stood to the side with her hands on her hips, delivering the finishing blow without politeness: "Baldy is right. When the time comes, let's prepare a welcome party for you."
Ichigo Kurosaki listened from the side. Although he didn't quite understand what these two were being sarcastic about, he vaguely understood one thing: Soifon giving him power seemed to be a great taboo.
Back at the Urahara Shop...
Soifon and Ichigo Kurosaki explained the events from their respective perspectives, causing Kisuke Urahara, who was listening nearby, to shake his folding fan repeatedly.
"Such a formidable Quincy?"
Yoruichi Shihōin frowned tightly as she listened from the side. She had a 'deep understanding' of Soifon's Hakuda and Shunpo—if she couldn't beat them, could she really not outrun them?
Moreover, she had checked just now; there was no Spirit Seal on Soifon's body. That meant she was in peak condition when the battle started—a genuine Captain of the 3rd Spiritual Rank.
"So, was the reason Miss Soifon went looking for Quincy history books and the 'Kaiser Gesang' earlier because she knew about the formidability of these Quincys?"
Kisuke Urahara waved his fan, appearing deep in thought. Only Ichigo Kurosaki beside him scratched his head as he listened.
Empire, Quincy, Kaiser Gesang...
Masaki Kurosaki had not educated Ichigo about the Wandenreich at home, so Ichigo Kurosaki only knew that the person who performed the Auswahlen on his mother back then was called Yhwach.
And that guy Uryū Ishida, at most, showed off his Quincy strength to him but didn't say much else.
Is Yhwach a person from the Empire?
Because Soifon had introduced the identities of the two to him on the way here, Ichigo Kurosaki knew that these two counted as acquaintances of his parents.
"Speaking of which, this Mr. Kurosaki..." Kisuke Urahara looked at him meaningfully. "Your form seems to be a combination of Quincy and Shinigami power. Can you attempt to switch back to human form?"
Ichigo Kurosaki lifted his Shihakushō slightly: "Huh? Am I not human right now?"
"I'll take Soifon for a bath first. You teach Little Brother Kurosaki some Shinigami common sense in the meantime."
Yoruichi Shihōin picked Soifon up by the waist and walked toward the bathroom of the Urahara Shop.
Inside the bathroom, steam was rising.
Yoruichi Shihōin carefully placed Soifon sitting on the edge of the bathtub, while she squatted in front of her.
Warm water gushed from the showerhead. Yoruichi reached out and removed the Shihakushō from Soifon's body, which was already soaked in blood and dirt.
Looking at the marks on Soifon's body, which were mostly abrasions, Yoruichi Shihōin frowned slightly—the external injuries were not particularly serious; perhaps it was internal injury?
Yoruichi took a soft wet towel, dipped it in warm water, and wiped away the bloodstains around those wounds bit by bit.
Her fingertips occasionally grazed Soifon's smooth skin; perhaps this was revenge for the time she invaded her personal space.
"Why did you come alone?" Yoruichi was obviously suppressing her anger. "Just because you've been a Captain for a few years, you think you're invincible under the heavens?"
Enduring the ticklish sensation, Soifon leaned against the edge of the bathtub and shook her head: "The Seireitei thought it was just a Vice-Captain level Quincy causing trouble. I didn't expect the strength to be so formidable."
Because Soifon was 'heavily injured,' Yoruichi Shihōin didn't think about exacting revenge. She just teased the other party casually before washing Soifon's body clean.
Pushing open the bathroom door, Soifon, now changed into a loose sleeping robe, leaned against Yoruichi. Sitting in the living room, she was visibly weak to the naked eye.
"Speaking of which..." Yoruichi raised her hand to brush aside Soifon's damp bangs. "What is going on with your Reiatsu? Why hasn't it recovered yet?"
"Is it because the concentration of Spirit Particles in the World of the Living is too low?"
Kisuke Urahara seemed to be looking for something in the room and answered offhandedly.
"En, and also when I gave power to Ichigo just now, it seems all the Reiatsu in my body was sucked dry..."
Soifon nodded, making Ichigo Kurosaki, who was sitting opposite, scratch his head in embarrassment.
"Is that so? Then why doesn't Miss Soifon change into a Gigai? That way, the consumption of Spiritual Power will be a bit less, right?" Kisuke Urahara asked obliquely.
"I left in a hurry and didn't bring a Gigai." Soifon sighed, striking a pose. "I thought it was just a Vice-Captain level Quincy; I never thought it would be like this..."
"It's fine; the deficit can be recovered." Kisuke Urahara finally found his item, carried it out, and placed it on the table. "However, living as a Spirit Body will still be relatively troublesome during this time. I have another Gigai here; if you don't mind, please use it."
Soifon's expression remained normal, showing no suspicion, and she quickly changed into Kisuke Urahara's Gigai.
Sure enough, just as she expected, her originally slowly recovering Reiatsu suddenly stagnated. If not for the fact that she had awakened Quincy abilities and had a high degree of mastery over Spirit Particles, she might not have sensed it.
However, it wasn't a big problem. Even if her passive recovery skill was banned, she still had an active skill—Sklaverei.
____
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