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Whoosh—
In the southern part of Karakura Town, Ukitake Hiro and the two others were rapidly rushing towards Karakura Town. Unbeknownst to them, they had already reached the edge of Minamikawasero in Karakura Town, and in just a few more minutes, they would enter the Karakura Town area.
However, the closer they got to Karakura Town, the more grim Hachiun Hane's expression became.
After escaping the apartment, he had been observing the movements around him, but no matter how hard he searched, he couldn't find any trace of the two male humans, as if they hadn't pursued them at all.
Where exactly are they?
He would never believe that people with such strong killing intent towards the three of them would let them leave so easily.
"Who exactly are they?!" Ukitake Hiro asked with a grim expression.
"I don't know."
Hachiun Hane shook his head, while Nagano Kasyuu, whom he was carrying, seemed to recall something and said with some hesitation, "Is it really alright to involve the Shinigami dispatched to Karakura Town?"
Before deciding to escape to the Human World, the three of them had made many preparations and used their authority to look up a lot of information, so they had some understanding of the strength of the Shinigami dispatched to the Human World.
The Shinigami dispatched to Karakura Town, if one disregarded their Zanpakuto, their strength might not be stronger than that of Ukitake Hiro and Hachiun Hane, who had received training from their families since childhood; even if they led the enemy there, the three of them might not be saved, only adding one more victim.
"How about we…?"
"No, we must go to Karakura Town, no matter what, we must go to Karakura Town!"
Hachiun Hane said with determination, "Even if doing so kills the Shinigami dispatched to Karakura Town, we must go. The reason is simple…" Hachiun Hane paused, then said to the two with a serious expression, "Those two humans are extremely dangerous. Even if we die here, we must let the Gotei 13 know of their existence. Only then can we prevent others from being attacked by them like us."
"And without any means to contact Seireitei, if we want to get the message out, we can only involve the Shinigami dispatched to the Human World; this way, even if he is killed before he can deliver the message, the death of the dispatched Shinigami will alert Seireitei."
"Moreover, every Shinigami who goes to the Human World is monitored by the Onmitsukidō. If someone attacks a dispatched Shinigami, it will be discovered by the Onmitsukidō and the Technology Development Bureau immediately."
After Hachiun Hane finished speaking, a complex look flashed in his eyes.
"That's why I didn't want to join the Onmitsukidō."
"A very clever idea."
A voice suddenly entered the three's ears, causing their expressions to change, "Unfortunately, you no longer have the chance to go to Karakura Town."
The three only felt a blur before their eyes, and a heavy whistling sound followed.
Pfft—!!
Blood exploded like rain in mid-air, splattering on Hachiun Hane and Nagano Kasyuu's faces. The next second, the two seemed to realize something and abruptly turned their heads to look.
The scene that met their eyes made them furious.
They saw a huge two-handed sword piercing through Ukitake Hiro's body, lifting him entirely, and below him, Ginjō Kūgo looked at the two with a cold expression, radiating an incredibly strange and terrifying aura.
"Ukitake~!"
"Hiro~!"
Hachiun Hane and the other's expressions changed drastically, and they instinctively moved to rush forward and save Ukitake Hiro. However, before they could act, Ukitake Hiro, whose chest was pierced, let out a sharp cry, "Run… quickly…" With that, he completely disregarded the wound piercing his chest, gathered Reishi in his hand, and slammed it downwards.
"Bakudo No. 9: Geki!"
Golden-yellow ropes formed out of thin air, instantly wrapping around Ginjō Kūgo like pythons.
Blood continuously flowed from the corner of his mouth, Ukitake Hiro gritted his teeth, enduring the pain to continue chanting, "Self-destruct, black dog of Rondanini…"
This Low Level Kido, which abandoned chanting, was not very restrictive, making it almost impossible to bind the opponent with it.
Only by completing the Post-chanting could he possibly buy some escape time for Sister Kasyuu and Hachiun Hane!!
"…Burn completely after a single glance, and cut your own throat!"
The moment the Post-chanting was completed, the golden-yellow ropes wrapped around Ginjō Kūgo became even tighter, and the Reishi emanating from them grew denser.
However, Ginjō Kūgo, bound by the golden-yellow ropes, remained expressionless, as if he hadn't noticed the ropes on him.
Next second.
Ginjō Kūgo's Reishi vibrated, and with a 'snap', the Reishi-condensed ropes shattered like glass, dissipating into Reishi.
How could this be?
Ukitake Hiro's eyes were filled with disbelief. He never imagined that his Bakudo, which had exhausted all his Reishi, would collapse without even lasting a second.
Not far away, Hachiun Hane and the other's faces showed despair.
Hachiun Hane looked at Ukitake Hiro, whose aura was growing weaker, and did not choose to escape with Nagano Kasyuu, but instead stopped in mid-air.
There's no escape now!
If Ukitake Hiro's Bakudo had been able to restrain the opponent just now, there might have been a slim chance for him to take Nagano Kasyuu and escape to Karakura Town, but now… given the opponent's speed, escaping would only be a waste of effort. It would be better to die here with Ukitake Hiro.
"What's wrong?"
Ginjō Kūgo gave a strange laugh, "Not planning to run anymore?" As he spoke, he slightly distorted his wrist, preparing to absorb Ukitake Hiro's Reishi before he died.
However…
"Hmm?"
Ginjō Kūgo's expression changed. He couldn't move?
How could this be?
That weak Bakudo, it was clearly destroyed by him instantly, so why hadn't the feeling of being bound disappeared?
Ginjō Kūgo instinctively looked up at Ukitake Hiro above his head. At this moment, Ukitake Hiro had already fainted from excessive blood loss, his aura becoming incredibly faint, looking as if he could die at any moment.
It's not him!
"Hmm?"
Hachiun Hane looked at Ginjō Kūgo, who remained in his sword-lifting posture, a hint of confusion in his eyes. Just then, distorted traces suddenly appeared around Ginjō Kūgo, as if a transparent barrier was gradually being lifted, and on the golden-yellow rope traces that had originally dissipated into Reishi…
Identical golden ropes reappeared!!
"How is this possible!?"
Ginjō Kūgo's voice was filled with disbelief. He couldn't understand why the Bakudo he had destroyed would re-condense.
No! It's not re-condensing, this is…
"Kyokko!?"
Ginjō Kūgo's expression changed drastically, "Who?!"
It wasn't re-condensing, but rather it had been there from the start. Someone had released 'Geki' at the same time as Ukitake Hiro, and at a speed even he hadn't noticed, had used 'Bakudo No. 26: Kyokko' to conceal the condensed golden ropes.
Such terrifying Kido mastery could never be achieved by the three youngsters in front of him; there must be others hidden in the dark.
Buzz~!
A heavy whistling sound suddenly arrived, and a leg rapidly expanded in Ginjō Kūgo's field of vision.
Bang!!
Ginjō Kūgo only felt an indescribable immense force on the side of his neck. Even with his Reishi defense, it still made his vision go black, and he was sent hurtling downwards like a kicked football.
As he departed, Ukitake Hiro, whose chest was pierced, finally broke free from the two-handed sword and began to fall, but as soon as he fell, he was caught by a hand.
All of this happened in an instant.
Hachiun Hane and Nagano Kasyuu hadn't even realized what was happening when a black-haired young man was already standing where Ginjō Kūgo had been.
This black-haired young man was Ishikawa Katori, who had rushed all the way here.
Looking at the young man in his hand, Ishikawa Katori activated Kaido with his left hand, covering his chest.
This young man was severely injured, and even with his mastery of Kaido, he couldn't heal him in this situation; so Ishikawa Katori wasn't treating him, but rather using Reishi stitching from Kaido to forcibly seal the wound and keep him alive.
Visible Reishi threads, as if conscious, stitched Ukitake Hiro's chest wound.
While stitching, Ishikawa Katori pressed his right hand towards the direction Ginjō Kūgo had gone, and softly chanted, "Hadō No. 63: Raikōhō."
Buzz—
The lightning, like a pillar, arrived first, engulfing the recoiling Ginjō Kūgo. Like a lightning dragon, it slammed him from a hundred meters in the sky into the forest below.
Rumble—!!
A violent explosion then erupted. Looking down from high in the sky, one could see visible shockwaves spreading out from the Raikōhō's impact point, forming concentric circles. Wherever they passed, whether rocks or trees, everything was swept up and torn apart by the impact!
The terrifying scene made Hachiun Hane and Nagano Kasyuu swallow hard.
Who exactly is he? Is he a Shinigami dispatched to be stationed in the Human World?
But since when have Shinigami stationed in the Human World become so strong?
To use Hadō No. 63 without chanting and still unleash such power, even the Vice-Captains of the Gotei 13 might not be able to do it.
"You…"
Just as Hachiun Hane was about to say something, his vision blurred, and Ishikawa Katori, carrying Ukitake Hiro, appeared before them without warning.
"Hurry and go!"
With that, he didn't wait for their reactions and directly threw the long cloth bag from his shoulder into Nagano Kasyuu's arms. Nagano Kasyuu fumbled to catch it; before she could ask, she felt her body enveloped by a wave of Reishi, like an invisible large hand, lifting her up.
Hachiun Hane, beside her, was no exception; he was also enveloped and lifted by Reishi.
Whoosh—
Accompanied by a sharp whooshing sound, the surrounding scenery rapidly changed. The two only felt that everything in their vision became illusory in that instant.
"So fast!" Nagano Kasyuu couldn't help but exclaim. Compared to this young man who seemed to be the same age as them, their previous Shunpo was like a snail's crawl.
Hachiun Hane, on the other hand, seemed to realize something and turned to look at where Ginjō Kūgo had fallen. Almost at the same time he looked, a figure enveloped in green light shot up into the sky, rapidly pursuing them.
How could this be?
Hachiun Hane's face instantly turned pale, his eyes filled with a mixture of horror and shock.
To take a direct hit from a high-level Hado and still be able to immediately pursue them, and from his stable aura, he might not even be injured.
This human…
No!
Is that really a human?
I was careless~
Although Ishikawa Katori didn't look back, he could still sense what was happening behind him, and he couldn't help but feel anxious.
Had the limitation release not been approved yet?
Although he had a vague guess and was mentally prepared before coming, when he confronted him directly, Ishikawa Katori realized that the opponent's strength was much stronger than he had imagined. His Reishi was still far from that of a Captain of the Gotei 13.
However, at this moment, Ginjō Kūgo had already stepped into the threshold of a 'Captain-level' Shinigami. If viewed from a system panel, he was probably at the level of just breaking through to the top tier.
If it were only this, it wouldn't make Ishikawa Katori so nervous, but Ishikawa Katori, who knew the opponent's identity, knew that besides Shinigami powers, the opponent also possessed Fullbring, an ability that could extract and control or change the form of 'material souls', and also possessed the power of a Hollow!
The combination of human, Shinigami, and Hollow powers meant that the destructive power he could unleash was far stronger than the Reishi he displayed!
Not to mention being in a restricted state, even at his full strength, he might not be able to defeat the opponent.
The reason he was able to catch the opponent off guard earlier was entirely because he had concealed his aura, and Ginjō Kūgo's attention was drawn to Ukitake Hiro.
Direct confrontation would be extremely disadvantageous for him!
Thinking of this, Ishikawa Katori's Shunpo accelerated again. No matter what, he couldn't be caught before the limitation release.
Buzz~
Without warning, as Ishikawa Katori had just accelerated his Shunpo, the corner of his eye suddenly caught a glimpse of a cold light.
Pfft!
A slender sword tip pierced through Ishikawa Katori's heart.
Looking along the blade, a young man with shoulder-length hair appeared in front of Ishikawa Katori at some point, looking at Ishikawa Katori, whose heart was pierced, with a slight smile.
This young man was Tsukishima, who had not yet appeared.
"You guys should stay here… Hmm?"
Tsukishima's words abruptly stopped, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.
What is this?
Looking closely, Ishikawa Katori, whose heart was pierced, and the three others, Hachiun Hane, all dissipated like illusions, replaced by a black work jacket.
"Tsukishima, below!!"
From afar, Ginjo's voice came.
Tsukishima abruptly looked down and saw Ishikawa Katori, without his jacket, taking the three and diving into the forest below.
Onmitsukidō Secret Step, 'Shihō' No. 3: Utsusemi!
This was a step Ishikawa Katori learned from the scrolls left by Yoruichi. It's an escape technique where, when an enemy gets close, one uses an external object to attract the attacker's attention, and at the moment the attacker thinks they've hit the target and relaxes, one then uses a special method to manipulate Reishi to boost instantaneous explosive power.
It felt somewhat similar to a substitution jutsu.
Almost at the same time Tsukishima looked, Ishikawa Katori raised his hand and pointed.
"Bakudo No. 61: Rikujokoro!"
Six light fragments shot out, instantly binding Tsukishima in mid-air.
Ishikawa Katori didn't look at the effect of this Bakudo, but instead rushed into the forest with the three without looking back.
As soon as he landed, Ishikawa Katori threw the three to the ground, took the long cloth bag from Nagano Kasyuu's arms, and at the same time, pulled something from his pocket and threw it to Hachiun Hane.
"This is… a Denreishinki?"
"Find Ōmaeda in the contacts, call him, explain the situation, and request backup!" Ishikawa Katori said, then stomped his foot on the ground and shot up into the sky.
Although dodging Tsukishima's attack only delayed them by ten-odd seconds, in those ten-odd seconds, Ginjō Kūgo had already reached the sky above Ishikawa Katori and the others, joining Tsukishima.
If Tsukishima hadn't intercepted them, he could have used the distance advantage to buy some time, but now that the distance was gone, given Ginjō Kūgo's speed, continuing to flee would only hasten his death.
"Shunko~!"
With a soft chant, as lightning appeared on his body, his long sword was drawn.
Drawing, slashing, all in one fluid motion.
The lightning on the blade condensed, forming a crescent of lightning. The crescent rapidly expanded the moment it left the blade, engulfing both Ginjō Kūgo and Tsukishima in mid-air.
Seeing this, Ginjō Kūgo and Tsukishima both frowned, quickly flashing away from their original positions, dodging the huge crescent.
As Tsukishima flashed out and stood still, Ginjo's roar from afar reached his ears.
"Watch out!!"
Watch out!?
Tsukishima's expression changed. Before he could react, a sudden sharp aura came from behind him.
Turning to look, a long sword rapidly grew larger in his eyes.
How could this be?
This strike came too suddenly and too quickly, giving him no time to react at all.
Why was he here?
Could it be that with just his momentary dodge, he had predicted his exact position and even arrived here in advance to await his arrival?
How could this be!?
If that were the case, then his combat awareness…
Wouldn't it be too terrifying!?
Boom—!
Just as the strike was about to hit Tsukishima, an energy-condensed slash tore through the air, directly attacking Ishikawa Katori.
Feeling the power within the slash, a serious look flashed in Ishikawa Katori's eyes.
He couldn't take it head-on!
Ishikawa Katori stomped his foot in the void, giving up on killing Tsukishima, and instead held his sword horizontally in front of his chest with his right hand, pointing his left index finger at Tsukishima.
"Hadō No. 4: Byakurai."
Lightning pierced through, hitting Tsukishima's back, sending him hurtling into the distance.
Not enough power.
Ishikawa Katori frowned. Although he could use stronger Kido, to withstand this slash, he couldn't waste too much Reishi on this attack.
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