Human World, Karakura Town.
The void was slowly torn apart, and Ishikawa stepped out of the Black Portal, surrounded by Picaro.
After landing, Ishikawa first surveyed his surroundings, and only after confirming no one was present did he breathe a slight sigh of relief.
Although he had repeatedly emphasized to Picaro not to open the Black Portal in a place with humans, he was genuinely afraid that Picaro, in a fit of playfulness, would take him to the center of a crowd.
One should know that Ishikawa hadn't changed his clothes before coming, and most importantly...
He couldn't even use Bakudo #26: Kyokkō to conceal his presence now.
"You all pay attention and see which direction has Spirit Core conflict."
"What is Spirit Core conflict?"
"You idiot, Ishikawa-nii is asking where people are fighting."
"If it's fighting, there seem to be three people over there... Hmm? Are they people?"
"Of course, they're people. Those who stay in the Human World are all humans who can't withstand play, the kind that breaks with one touch."
"Then let's go play hide-and-seek with them."
"..."
Ignoring the Picaro's bickering, Ishikawa looked in the direction they pointed.
The only people likely to clash with Muramasa in the Human World were Ishida Uryū and Chad. If Orihime were present, she might also appear there.
However, Orihime had already been taken to Hueco Mundo.
Shaking his head, Ishikawa didn't dwell on Orihime. Regardless of Aizen's next plan, Ishikawa's most important task at the moment was to first regain his Shinigami abilities.
"I'll go ahead. Don't cause trouble; follow behind me."
Ishikawa smiled slightly at the Picaro: "Later, Ishikawa-nii will need your help with something. Once Ishikawa-nii finishes his work, he will definitely go to Hueco Mundo to play with you."
Picaro had the mindset of children. Although they listened to him, they often ran off to play if they saw something fun along the way.
So, when Ishikawa communicated with them, he usually coaxed them, and rarely asked for their help unless necessary.
Of course, this was mainly because...
Ishikawa had never viewed Picaro and Cirucci as subordinates, but rather as friends he could rely on.
"Mm-hmm—"
A little girl with a ponytail nodded happily, then tilted her head: "But Ishikawa-nii, you don't have any Reiatsu now, so why don't we take you?"
Ishikawa rubbed the little girl's head and laughed: "If you can keep up with Ishikawa-nii, then I'll let you lead the way."
At these words, the Picaro's eyes lit up.
"Hide-and-seek?"
"Then let's start quickly."
"..."
After appeasing the Picaro, Ishikawa took a deep breath and crouched down.
Then...
Boom!
Amidst the roar, he shot into the sky like a cannonball.
Almost the instant he left his spot, the ground where he had stood exploded violently, sending countless bits of soil flying into the air and knocking over the surrounding Picaro.
"Wow—"
The Picaro stared dumbfounded in the direction Ishikawa had departed.
In the blink of an eye, their Ishikawa-nii had vanished from sight. They could only see the tremendous roar caused each time Ishikawa's foot landed.
...
At the same time, on the outskirts of Karakura Town.
Beside a lake, three figures stood in confrontation.
In the center of the lake they faced, there was a small island, not particularly large, surrounded by a faint misty aura.
Muramasa looked at the small island in the lake, his eyes filled with anticipation and excitement, for according to Commander Yamamoto's memories, that small island was the sealed location of his master, Kōga Kuchiki.
Just one more step!
No matter what, he would not allow anyone to interfere with him.
"Are you the visitor from Soul Society?"
Ishida Uryū looked at Muramasa, recalling Urahara Kisuke's previous explanation about the Zanpakuto rebellion.
Is this person also a Zanpakuto?
To be honest, rather than whether this person in front of him was a Zanpakuto, Ishida Uryū was more concerned about whether the Zanpakuto rebellion would affect his master.
However, his master stayed in the Everything Store, so far from Seireitei, he should not be affected by Seireitei's rebellion.
And with that Ishikawa, his master's safety should be fine.
Chad, standing beside him, looked at Ishida Uryū with some confusion. Since returning from Soul Society over a month ago, he hadn't seen Ishida. According to Urahara, he was trying to regain his Quincy powers.
Now it seemed Ishida had succeeded.
This made the usually taciturn Chad feel happy for him in his heart.
"Kill them."
Muramasa glanced at Ishida Uryū and Chad, then turned and walked towards the lake.
Seeing this, Ishida Uryū immediately formed a spirit bow in his hand. Without hesitation, he drew the bow and shot.
Buzz buzz—
Myriad azure arrows, like raindrops, flew towards Muramasa.
"Scatter!"
Just then, a soft cry rang out, and a pink sea of flowers materialized, colliding with the rain-like arrows.
That was...
Kuchiki Byakuya's Zanpakuto ability.
This scene made Ishida Uryū's expression sink. His gaze turned towards the figure that had suddenly appeared within the sea of flowers.
That was not Kuchiki Byakuya, but a strange person dressed as a samurai, wearing a demon mask.
"A rebellious Zanpakuto?"
Ishida Uryū frowned as he looked at this figure, his peripheral vision on the departing back of Muramasa.
He still didn't understand why these renegade Zanpakuto had come to Karakura Town.
Just as he was pondering, the vast sea of flowers swept down towards the two of them, looking incredibly beautiful but also incredibly dangerous.
Each cherry blossom petal carried an incredibly sharp aura.
Even without contact, Ishida Uryū could feel the terrifying destructive power within them.
"Ha—"
Just then, Chad, beside him, suddenly exhaled and slammed his crimson right arm into the sea of flowers.
If Hisagi were here, he would notice that Chad's punch felt incredibly similar to the punch Ishikawa had unleashed back then.
However, its power was still not comparable to Ishikawa's punch back then!
The moment this punch reached its peak, terrifying ripples spread out from the point of impact, forming a visible shockwave.
Boom—
Cherry blossoms splattered, and the pink sea of flowers exploded like a giant rock thrown into a lake.
"Hmm?"
Shinra Bansho's eyes, beneath the mask, flashed with surprise.
And while Shinra Bansho was holding back Ishida Uryū and Chad, Muramasa had already stepped onto the small island in the lake, stopping before a giant tree in the center of the island.
"Soon... it will be successful soon..."
Muramasa muttered, his aura gradually becoming chaotic at this moment. The aura emanating from his body was not that of a Shinigami, but of a Hollow.
Boom~ Boom... Boom—
Suddenly, a series of rumbling sounds began, abruptly and loudly. Each rumble was accompanied by ground tremors, as if a giant was charging towards them step by step.
The sudden sound made everyone stop what they were doing and look in the direction from which the sound came.
Looking out, they saw trees in the direction of the sound falling one after another.
Not long after, a figure leaped out of the forest and landed directly on the small island in the lake.
"Ishikawa?"
When they saw the person who had arrived, Chad and Ishida Uryū were both stunned.
Ishikawa slowly stood up, facing Muramasa's wary gaze, and smiled slightly: "It seems I arrived a bit early."
As he spoke, Ishikawa subtly shifted his body, and a Zanpakuto grazed past him.
"Don't worry, I have no intention of disturbing you from cleaning up the Kuchiki traitor."
A figure slowly appeared behind Ishikawa, it was Kuchiki Byakuya.
He looked deeply at Ishikawa upon hearing this, frowning: "Why is someone who has lost their Shinigami abilities appearing here?"
Although he had gone missing due to a Zanpakuto attack during Ishikawa and Aizen's battle, he had been secretly active during this time and was well aware of what had happened to Ishikawa.
Moreover, compared to Muramasa, he also knew that Ishikawa had been sending people to monitor Muramasa's movements during this time, even secretly interfering with the Gotei 13's search to ensure Muramasa's plan proceeded.
Although what Ishikawa did was no different from his own actions.
But...
Even though he had been helping Muramasa, Kuchiki Byakuya had never thought of betraying Soul Society. All he wanted to do was unseal Kōga Kuchiki and, as the head of the Kuchiki family, kill this person who had tarnished the Kuchiki family's honor.
But what was Ishikawa doing this for?
"My goal is the same as yours."
Ishikawa looked at Kuchiki Byakuya, feeling a headache. His and Kuchiki Byakuya's goals seemed consistent, but fundamentally there was a huge difference.
Because Kuchiki Byakuya's goal was to personally kill Kōga Kuchiki, while what he needed was a Kōga Kuchiki who was beaten half to death but still alive. Only then could he use everything from Kōga Kuchiki to condense a Captain-level Spell Inscription outside his body, thereby temporarily restoring his Reiatsu.
"How about a negotiation, let Kōga Kuchiki be mine."
Ishikawa pondered for a moment before finally deciding to speak truthfully: "I need his power to temporarily restore my Reiatsu and then heal the injuries to my Spirit Core."
He didn't mention protecting Seireitei; after all, protecting Soul Society also included protecting Rukongai.
"Of course, you can defeat him, but I need a Kōga Kuchiki who is on the verge of death but still alive. Only then can my method be carried out. But please rest assured, Kōga Kuchiki will still die in the end, it's just that the manner of death will be somewhat different."
Ishikawa and Kuchiki Byakuya's conversation did not avoid Muramasa.
Muramasa glanced at Ishikawa, not angered, but rather a hint of disdain flashed in his eyes.
Although from Ishikawa's previous performance, even if he had lost his Reiatsu, he still retained a certain level of strength.
But as long as Kōga was freed from the seal, and he and Kōga teamed up, then no one in the entire Soul Society would be a match for them.
As for Kuchiki Byakuya, Muramasa could vaguely guess his purpose; it was simply mutual exploitation.
The moment his master was freed from the seal, both of these individuals would pay a heavy price for their arrogance!
Thinking of this, Muramasa ignored the two and instead, a wave of Reiatsu emanated from his body as he began to chant:
"Grant purification to the black souls, gathering them at the feet of the Supreme One. Blood and covenant upon the altar, black descends from heaven, presenting the beloved obsidian offering; vengeful spirits slumber in their seal, suspended above the holy grail, six keys..."
As he chanted, cracks suddenly appeared on the giant tree in the middle of the lake.
Seeing this, Kuchiki Byakuya retracted his gaze and looked at Ishikawa, slowly speaking:
"Alright."
Kuchiki Byakuya did not refuse Ishikawa's proposal.
Just as Ishikawa said, from beginning to end, his goal was to cleanse the family. Ishikawa's proposal merely changed the way Kōga Kuchiki would die.
All along, Ishikawa, who was not a Shinigami, had repeatedly helped Seireitei, and having fought Aizen several times, if he regained his power, he would undoubtedly play a huge role in the upcoming decisive battle with Aizen.
Plus, Ishikawa had once protected his adopted sister.
For both public and private reasons, he could not refuse Ishikawa's proposal.
Although he felt some regret that he couldn't personally kill Kōga Kuchiki, having him defeated and then handled by Ishikawa could still be considered a way for his death to aid Seireitei.
Helping Ishikawa, for Kuchiki Byakuya, could be said to be his duty, and also the Kuchiki family's way of repaying a kindness.
This was also the reason Ishikawa decided to speak truthfully.
Moreover, the most important reason why Kuchiki Byakuya agreed to Ishikawa's proposal was...
If he failed, with Ishikawa here, Kōga Kuchiki would not endanger Seireitei's safety because of him.
Upon hearing this, Ishikawa's face immediately broke into a smile. And as the two decided Kōga Kuchiki's fate, Muramasa's unsealing was nearing its end.
The giant tree in the center of the island developed cracks like glass, with fragments falling off, revealing a coffin-like object inside.
Around the object, six golden blade-spears pierced through it.
Kuchiki Byakuya frowned slightly and looked up into the sky. Ishikawa followed his gaze and saw two figures suddenly burst out of a Senkaimon.
These two were Ichigo and Kuchiki Rukia.
"Brother Ishikawa?"
"Brother Byakuya?"
When they saw Ishikawa and Kuchiki Byakuya standing together, Ichigo and Kuchiki Rukia were both slightly startled.
Only then did they see Muramasa unsealing behind the two, and their expressions changed. Without time to ponder, they moved to stop Muramasa.
Trouble—
Ishikawa sighed faintly.
But just as he was about to intervene, Ishida Uryū's voice suddenly came: "Kurosaki, Kuchiki, wait a moment."
"Huh?"
Ichigo was startled.
"Ishikawa needs that Muramasa's master to help him regain his Shinigami abilities."
Although he didn't know why Ishikawa had lost his Shinigami abilities, he and Chad had both overheard Ishikawa and Kuchiki Byakuya's conversation.
Regain Shinigami abilities?
Ichigo's charge towards Muramasa halted, a struggle flashed across his face, and in the end, he didn't continue his assault on Muramasa.
Meanwhile, Rukia looked at the unmoving Kuchiki Byakuya, hesitated slightly, and also took no further action.
This scene made Muramasa, who was in the process of unsealing, breathe a sigh of relief.
Arrogant Shinigami!
However, while relieved, Muramasa also felt a bit annoyed.
These Shinigami seemed to regard his master as an object that could be killed at will, completely disregarding him, which infuriated Muramasa.
They would soon regret their choice!
Muramasa suppressed the anger in his heart and continued with the unsealing.
On the other side, Shinra Bansho, who had been confronting Chad and Ishida Uryū, now shed his disguise and began to explain the situation to Ichigo and the others.
Everyone was waiting for Kōga Kuchiki to be unsealed.