But Unohana Yachiru was still Unohana Yachiru.
Not only did she not alert anyone or cause a fuss, she simply watched everything unfold with a gentle smile.
She wanted to understand—what exactly caused these captains to change so drastically?
"Captain Unohana, don't you see? In the New World, we encountered Kurosaki Ichigo, and he even attacked us!" Mayuri Kurotsuchi said, practically stomping his feet in frustration.
The reigai version of Kenpachi Zaraki also chimed in to support Mayuri's claim.
"Anyone else want to speak?" Unohana asked calmly, still smiling.
At that, Kyōraku Shunsui, Hitsugaya Tōshirō, and Kuchiki Byakuya all stepped forward to accuse Ichigo of various malicious acts they supposedly witnessed.
Off to the side, Soi Fon grew more and more suspicious, trying to signal to Unohana—but the woman didn't react at all.
It made Soi Fon so angry that she began to wonder if the Unohana in front of her was even real!
The reigai Kyōraku Shunsui stepped forward. "Captain Unohana, Kurosaki Ichigo, Rukia Kuchiki, and Senna have all broken out of prison before. Isn't it time we captured Ichigo?"
Unohana nodded. "Mm. That sounds reasonable. But who will bring him back?"
"I'll go!" the reigai Zaraki grinned. "I've been dying to fight Kurosaki Ichigo again!"
That statement alone gave Unohana about 80% certainty that something was very wrong.
Ever since Ichigo revealed his spiritual energy was fading, the real Kenpachi hadn't once mentioned wanting to fight him.
That kind of comment might sound like Zaraki, but Unohana knew—it wasn't him.
Back in the World of the Living – Night
Nozomi Kujō had run away from home… again!
Ichigo was speechless. Why did this girl keep running off?
With no other choice, Ichigo called the others to help search for her in the middle of the night.
Because of her unique nature, only Senna and Ichigo could possibly track her down. Everyone else had to rely on eyesight alone—her spiritual presence was unreadable.
Not even Orihime Inoue or Uryū Ishida, both masters of sensing reiryoku, could detect her.
As everyone scrambled around town, a wave of powerful spiritual pressure swept across Karakura.
It was unmistakable—the reigai captains had arrived.
They had supposedly received an order from Unohana Yachiru to go to the Human World and "question" Ichigo—but in truth, they were here to capture Nozomi!
Rukia turned to Ichigo. "You go find Nozomi. We'll handle the reigai captains!"
Meanwhile, in the Forest
Nozomi had fainted again. In her dreams, she was running—constantly, endlessly—from something terrifying.
Just as the nightmare caught up to her, she woke up in a cold sweat.
She found herself in a dark forest, and the feeling of that dream still lingered, haunting her thoughts.
Suddenly, a voice came from the bushes.
"What the hell are you doing here?"
It was Ichigo!
One of the only two people who could sense her presence, he had found her again.
"How did you know I was here?" Nozomi asked curiously.
Ichigo shrugged. "I don't know. I just do."
"Seriously, why do you keep running off by yourself? What, are you hiding some secret or something?" Ichigo sighed.
Nozomi didn't respond directly—she just gave a little huff and refused to go back with him.
She glanced at Ichigo, then turned and walked deeper into the woods.
Ichigo could only follow behind.
He had to admit—Nozomi was the most stubborn girl he'd ever met.
Elsewhere in the forest, three reigai Shinigami had also arrived.
Even though their orders from Yammy Inaba were to capture Nozomi, reigai were naturally more bloodthirsty.
As members of the Eleventh Division, Ikkaku Madarame and Yumichika Ayasegawa wanted to fight their originals first before bothering with Nozomi.
Only reigai Hisagi Shūhei sighed in frustration. Being the most rational of the three, he wasn't thrilled about this detour.
While they debated who to target first—Ichigo or Nozomi—their original counterparts had already arrived.
And they didn't come alone—Ōmaeda Marechiyo was with them!
Facing off against their reigai versions, the originals smirked. With numbers on their side, they were confident.
Hisagi Shūhei smirked, "We've got the advantage. Let's use that to end this quickly!"
But just then, a massive figure landed from above.
A muscular man in a skimpy outfit—who looked suspiciously like a fit version of Ōmaeda!
"Who the hell are you? Do we even have a guy like you in the Gotei 13?" Ōmaeda asked, completely baffled.
The newcomer smirked. "Let me refresh your memory."
"Crush it, Gokeitō!"
A meteor hammer crashed down in front of Ōmaeda, scaring the life out of him!
"Wait, Gokeitō? That means—!"
"That's right. I'm Ōmaeda Marechiyo-sama!" the reigai version declared proudly.
The other Shinigami were stunned.
Even the usually calm Hisagi could only shout, "Huh?! You're me?!"
Ōmaeda was dumbfounded, while Ikkaku burst into uncontrollable laughter.
"Bwahahaha!! That doesn't look anything like you! What the hell is going on?!"
Even Yumichika couldn't hold back anymore. "Hahahaha! This is too much! You should just switch places with him and become the fake! He's way more convincing!"
Their ridicule cut deep into Ōmaeda's heart.
He snapped.
"Crush it, Gokeitō!"
He released his Shikai and charged.
Tears were clearly forming in the corners of his eyes…
But even in Shikai, his hammer looked tiny compared to the reigai version's oversized Gokeitō.
He was immediately overwhelmed.
The reigai version laughed heartily, radiating powerful reiryoku.
To be fair, this reigai Ōmaeda really was stronger than the original!
But Ōmaeda wasn't giving up.
As a so-called conceptual god, he could always last at least a few rounds—even if he looked awful doing it.
Meanwhile, the others also took on their reigai copies.
Hisagi and Ōmaeda were driven into an old tunnel during the fight.
It was painfully obvious that the reigai had the upper hand. Their strength clearly surpassed their originals.
Then they remembered something Mayuri had told them:
"You must understand—reigai might have the same abilities, but they're far more bloodthirsty. The more they fight and draw blood, the stronger they get."
In White Ichigo's words, reigai were closer to pure combat instinct.
Which meant brute force wasn't going to win.
Then Ōmaeda had an idea.
A stupid one.
But an idea nonetheless.
He and Hisagi walked right up to the reigai.
"You giving up?" the reigai version of Ōmaeda mocked.
"Not quite," Ōmaeda grinned. "But if you apologize now, I might let you off easy!"
The reigai Ōmaeda snorted. "You're delusional—"
Before he could finish, Ōmaeda smashed the reigai Hisagi with Gokeitō!
The reigai versions were caught off guard.
Real Hisagi flash-stepped away in an instant.
Reigai Ōmaeda turned furiously to his original, raising his weapon—only to find it wouldn't move!
Chains had wrapped around his Gokeitō—Hisagi's Kazeshini had locked it down.
"I see," Hisagi muttered. "Your hammer isn't just bigger—it's also heavier."
Chains extended further, binding the weapon.
"With such slow movements… it's easier to counter," Hisagi added coolly.
"You bastard!" the reigai shouted.
But it was too late—Ōmaeda charged in!
"Your opponent is me!"
He brought his Gokeitō down with a thunderous smash—direct hit!
The reigai version collapsed, badly injured.
"You guys seriously underestimated us," Ōmaeda said coldly. "You rely too much on your powers. You call that stealth force?"
Hisagi slammed Kazeshini into the ground.
"Bakudō #62: Hyapporankan!"
Dozens of light rods pinned the reigai Ōmaeda to the ground.
But just as they thought it was over, the reigai, bloodied and furious, chanted no incantation and released Hadō #63—
"Raikōhō!"
He wasn't aiming at Hisagi or Ōmaeda—but the tunnel ceiling.
Lightning blasted the structure, causing it to collapse and allowing him to escape.
But the explosion also caught the attention of Uryū Ishida in the city, who rushed toward the source!
Meanwhile, Ikkaku and Yumichika were both struggling against their reigai copies.
Yumichika was too obsessed with his own beauty to actually attack a version of himself.
Honestly, every single member of Squad 11 was a weirdo.
And if you think Zaraki Kenpachi is normal—just look at his spiked hair with bells on each tip. That's not normal.
Yumichika's reigai, on the other hand, was the opposite.
He also loved his looks, but he was curious to see if blood on his face might make him look… more demonic.
(End of Chapter)
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