Decades ago, after Yoruichi, Urahara Kisuke, and the Visored arrived in the Human World,
they possessed unique spiritual bodies that could conceal their spiritual pressure.
Moreover, the former Captain and Vice-Captain of the Kidō Corps jointly set up multiple barriers around their residence. Therefore, no matter how many Soul Reapers the Forty-Six Chambers sent, it was useless; even Aizen couldn't find their location.
Recently, Aizen had successfully synthesized a perfect Hōgyoku using a large amount of Soul King fragments. With the perfect Hōgyoku, he couldn't wait to create a high-level Hollow far surpassing an average Captain-level Soul Reaper, hoping to force out Urahara Kisuke and the others, whom he hadn't seen in years.
...
That evening, in the luxurious Ishida villa, everyone was seated around the dining table.
"Masaki, how was your studies today?"
A middle-aged woman with short hair asked coldly.
"Huh, me?"
Kurosaki Masaki, who was eating, turned her head and met a fierce pair of eyes, which made her knife and fork clatter. She forced a smile and said, "I'm very energetic at school!"
"Then, how is your Holy Form training coming along?"
Ishida Izumi's gaze suddenly sharpened. Quincy training was what she cared about most.
"So... so-so."
Masaki bit her fork, a forced smile on her face. To be honest, she was especially afraid of Ishida Ryugen's mother.
Slap!
"What do you mean 'so-so'? Do you know your place?!"
Ishida Izumi, hearing the ambiguous answer, angrily slammed the table and stood up, speaking without reservation.
"Your parents died long ago, and you have no siblings. And you, the only remaining member of the Kurosaki family, were taken in by me out of friendship as fellow Quincies!"
Ishida Izumi grew more agitated as she spoke; her voice could even penetrate the dining room door, allowing the mixed-blood Quincy servants outside to hear.
"Yes... I know... This meat smells so good!"
Masaki's eyes were teary from being scolded by the middle-aged woman, but she still forced a smile and said foolishly.
"If it weren't for our Ishida family, you would have been..."
Facing this ungrateful girl, Ishida Izumi became increasingly excessive, completely transforming into an overbearing, fierce old woman.
"Mother, please stop. I can hear you from the living room."
Ishida Ryugen, who had returned from outside, pushed up his glasses and spoke slowly.
Out of consideration for her son, Ishida Izumi temporarily suppressed her anger and turned to walk to her room.
"Masaki, please forgive Mother. She's been having a difficult relationship with Father lately, which is why she's taking it out on you."
Ishida Ryugen, with a poker face, tried to comfort his cousin.
"Ryugen, how can you say that? What's there to forgive... I'm not angry! You really don't need to worry about such things, Ryugen! I'm full, I'm going back to my room to rest."
Masaki laughed as she walked to the second floor, seemingly unconcerned.
But when she returned to her own room, the smile on her face suddenly turned into one of helplessness.
In truth, Kurosaki Masaki knew that her adoption by the Ishida family was purely to perpetuate the Quincy bloodline.
These past years, she had lived like a doll, forced to do a bunch of things she didn't want to do, and forbidden from doing things she did want to do.
Moreover, the other party always criticized her from the perspective of a benefactor.
It was utterly excessive!
Feeling quite depressed, Masaki stood on the balcony of the luxurious villa, looking at the moon through the window. She couldn't help but think of the very special Soul Reaper she had met today.
!!!
The surrounding air became incredibly heavy. Kurosaki Masaki could feel a powerful spiritual pressure.
This feeling... it's a Hollow!... And a very powerful Hollow! It seems to be entangled with another person with very strong spiritual pressure.
That person's spiritual pressure is strange; could it be that Soul Reaper from earlier today?
"Are they already fighting together?"
Kurosaki Masaki frowned, subtly growing concerned.
Click~
Kurosaki Masaki opened the window. Rather than overthinking things here, it would be better to go and help. So, Masaki, dressed in her sailor uniform, jumped directly out of the second-floor window, landing lightly on the ground.
"Masaki, where are you going?"
Just as she was about to leave, Ishida Ryugen's voice rang out from behind her.
"Oh, it's Ryugen... I'm just about to... go for a walk?"
Masaki rubbed the back of her head, laughing awkwardly, but she looked guilty.
"Sigh... How many times do I have to tell you before you understand?"
Ishida Ryugen pushed up his glasses, completely seeing through his cousin's thoughts.
"We Quincy only act after the Soul Reapers fail and die. And when we do attack, we just need to leave it to the mixed-blood Quincy like Katagiri."
In Ishida Ryugen's view, the life or death of Soul Reapers was irrelevant to the Quincy. No... it would be best if those Soul Reapers all died. Moreover, pure-blood Quincy were extremely rare now, otherwise his mother wouldn't value Masaki so much.
"Masaki, you must value yourself more. We pure-blood Quincy must never be easily injured or bleed!"
Ishida Ryugen, as usual, pressed his cousin with the grand principles of the Quincy. The only new generation Quincy left in their two families were Ishida Ryugen and Kurosaki Masaki. If anything unexpected happened, pure-blood Quincy might very well disappear and become extinct from the world.
But today, Ryugen's words triggered Masaki's rebellious streak.
"I think Ryugen and Auntie consider the identity of a Quincy, and even things ten years into the future. That's Ryugen's strength."
"But!"
The usually cheerful Kurosaki Masaki suddenly became serious, looking directly into Ryugen's eyes.
"I'm not Auntie, nor am I Ryugen. For me, 'valuing myself' means that what can be done today must be done today. If I stood by and watched someone die because of rules, the me of tomorrow would absolutely never forgive myself!"
After speaking, Kurosaki Masaki leaped into mid-air, stepping on spirit particles, and quickly flew towards the Hollow's location.
...
In an abandoned factory in Karakura Town's urban area,
A bull-headed Vasto Lorde was entangled in a fight with a Soul Reaper wearing a white bone mask.
Roar~
The bull-headed Hollow instantly condensed a red Cero from its horns, directly blowing away that Soul Reaper.
The Soul Reaper rolled several hundred meters on the ground, and after struggling to get up, immediately coughed up large mouthfuls of blood.
"Damn it, this Hollow is really... powerful!"
He stared at the bull-headed Great Hollow in the sky with a solemn expression.
The opponent's spiritual pressure was ridiculously large, six or seven times more than his own.
But fortunately, it seemed to have no intelligence, like a beast, only knowing destruction.
However, the bull-headed Hollow was far stronger than the Soul Reaper just by relying on its physical abilities.
With a muffled thud, the bull-headed Hollow vanished in mid-air.
In an instant, it appeared before the Soul Reaper, swung its right hand, and directly knocked away the Soul Reaper's Zanpakuto.
"Not good...!"
The Soul Reaper's pupils under the bone mask dilated. Even though his gaze had never left this Great Hollow, he was still caught off guard.
What bothered him most was that this Hollow was too fast, giving him no chance to escape.
Just as the bull-headed Hollow was about to stab him to death, a blue spirit particle arrow flew over, directly hitting the bull-headed Hollow's head and knocking it flying.
Roar!!!
The bull-headed Hollow let out a pained cry, but as a Great Hollow created with a perfect Hogyoku, even the most powerful Holy Arrow could only leave shallow scratches on its forehead.
The Soul Reaper turned his head in surprise, seeing a fiery-haired girl in a brown sailor uniform with a resolute expression.
Seeing this, the Soul Reaper's mind was filled with questions. This woman should be a Quincy, right? But why would a Quincy save him?
"Lin Feng, weren't you so arrogant this morning? Why are you so pathetic now?"
Masaki chided the Soul Reaper sitting on the ground beside her.
"?"
With a crack, the mask shattered, revealing not the anticipated Lin Feng, but a strange Soul Reaper with yellow bobbed hair.
"Who's Lin Feng?"
Hirako Shinji asked, bewildered, with a deadpan expression.
"???"
Kurosaki Masaki was also stunned, realizing she had mistaken the Soul Reaper.