Chapter 143: Angry Inoue Orihime
"These Quincy divisions named Sternritter are the real Soul King's personal guards, not those guarding the Soul King's palace now. They're called the royal family's protectors, but they're actually the Zero Division."
Inoue didn't know much about Soul Society's secrets, so she only vaguely understood Fiander's words.
"It's alright, you'll understand later."
Seeing Inoue's expression, Fiander stopped talking, simply shaking his head and saying softly.
"Let's go around. At this location, I can sense Jilianka's filthy bloody smell. Following this scent, we might find Kurosaki Ichigo."
"Understood!"
Inoue nodded solemnly, then walked with a serious expression toward the deeper areas.
At the same time, a blood-red stream began spreading along gaps in the boundless desert.
Hollow Ichigo, who carried Kurosaki Ichigo on his back, was running desperately at this moment. A pool of blood constantly chased behind them, so they didn't dare stop for even a moment.
"How long will we keep running like this, Ichigo!"
Hollow Ichigo didn't dare look back. In this strange place, Reiatsu power couldn't be used. Even sensing spirit particles' existence, they couldn't utilize them.
Therefore, their previous battles had been extremely difficult. Kurosaki Ichigo, who looked like a Shinigami, couldn't use Getsuga Tensho or Bankai—he could only use brute force to attack recklessly. Their fighting had been particularly frustrating.
"Keep going... in this direction... run!"
From his pale back, Ichigo struggled to open one eye and said weakly.
"Run? Why run aimlessly like this? Even if you're running, you should give me a reason, right?"
"Otherwise, instead of being chased so frustratingly, it's better to go back and fight him while I still have strength!"
Hollow Ichigo said impatiently.
"I... I don't know either."
Ichigo shook his head lightly and spoke slowly.
"Don't know?!"
Hollow Ichigo's voice rose several pitches, but he still suppressed his discomfort and continued: "Then why this direction and not another? You must have some basis, right?"
"Probably... probably intuition..."
"Not long ago, my heart kept warning me, telling me to keep running in this direction. No matter what happens, just run for a chance to survive."
At this moment, Ichigo's voice had no vibrato or weakness, as if stating an established fact.
"I understand..."
Hollow Ichigo didn't continue questioning Ichigo but increased his speed and ran toward the target direction.
Since I surrendered to you, let me, as your "mount," fight for you once!
After running continuously for over ten minutes, suddenly he felt the power in his body drain instantly. A blood-colored spiral ripple appeared beneath his feet and bound them.
"Kekeke~"
"Just a group of ants—why run?"
Suddenly, a humanoid figure whose entire body was condensed from blood emerged from the spiral.
Two blood-colored giant hands appeared from nowhere, grabbed the dying Ichigo and the restrained Hollow Ichigo, and held them.
"Ahhhh!!"
The giant bloody hand exerted slight force, and Kurosaki Ichigo felt blood and even internal organs begin squeezing out from his body's broken parts, as if intent on crushing him to death.
"You!"
"Why are you so disobedient? I've taken a fancy to your body—why do you dare resist me?"
A cold, emotionless voice emerged from the blood-colored figure's mouth.
"Ichigo!"
Seeing Kurosaki Ichigo's tragic state, Hollow Ichigo shouted anxiously.
"Too noisy!"
Jilianka's impatient voice sounded, and Hollow Ichigo was directly pressed to the ground by the giant hand instantly, firmly held down, unable to move at all.
Seeing his companion being bullied and himself at battle's end with no way to resist, Kurosaki Ichigo cursed directly: "What are you!"
"Why should I give it to you just because you fancy it?"
"This... is my body. You should get out of here!"
Kurosaki Ichigo's hysteria didn't make the other's expression react at all. In Jilianka's eyes, ants' desperate looks and hysterical crying were most pleasing to him.
"Ha ha ha ha!!"
With piercing laughter, Ichigo was slowly lowered by the giant hand and pulled to Jilianka's eyes. The two stared at each other, and Ichigo felt fear.
Because at this moment, the other's appearance was exactly the same as Old Man Zangetsu.
"You... what did you do to Old Man Zangetsu?"
Rare panic appeared in Kurosaki Ichigo's eyes, but Jilianka quickly caught that flash in his gaze.
"You mean that person?"
"Ah~"
Jilianka first pursed his lips in recollection, then said intoxicatedly: "A very good snack."
"It contained very strong luck power. Although very weak—only a trace—it made me feel endless..."
As he spoke, Jilianka's already blood-red face showed a blush, obviously completely intoxicated by it.
At this moment, Kurosaki Ichigo's heart filled with anger, but he knew that showing anger would only excite this pervert more. The hunter-catching-prey feeling wasn't concealed on Jilianka's face.
Ichigo, covered with dark lines, said nothing more, because his severely ruptured internal organs caused blood to flow uncontrollably from his mouth.
Looking at Ichigo's embarrassment, Jilianka extended one finger to caress his mouth's corner, staining it with Ichigo's blood, then put the finger into his own mouth, stirring constantly.
At this moment, the blush on Jilianka's face became more obvious, and his entire eyes gleamed.
"Beautiful! So wonderful!"
Jilianka clasped his hands and stamped his feet vigorously: "I finally have you, Kurosaki Ichigo!"
"Although Moros, the rebellious god-killer, is outside your body."
"However, I've obtained your soul, and I can live again. That's wonderful, Kurosaki Ichigo!"
Jilianka hugged Ichigo into his arms excitedly. The terrifying force and corrosive blood flowing from his body nearly broke Ichigo's face and ribs.
"Ahhhh!!"
Just when Ichigo wailed in pain again, a transparent energy sphere directly struck the blood-colored giant hand, smashing it and Jilianka's transformed body to pieces.
Not far away, Inoue, whose eyes were filled with anger, extended one palm and softly chanted: "Arcane Magic—Energy Destruction."
"Inoue?!"
The bloody giant hand was defeated by Inoue, and Ichigo, originally held by it, fell to the ground at once.
Turning his scarred face sideways, looking at someone impossible to appear by his reckoning, he couldn't help muttering.
"That... woman?!"
"How could it be her!!"
Hollow Ichigo's voice also came from beneath another blood-colored giant hand.
"Arcane Magic—Annihilation!"
Inoue raised her hand lightly. Majestic energy was released, and the bloody giant hand suppressing Hollow Ichigo was instantly defeated, evaporated into gas without leaving any traces.
"What... are you trying to do to Kurosaki-kun?"
"You bad creature!!"
Inoue's angry voice came, and the recovering Jilianka was frightened for a moment.
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