"Since the kidnapping plan has failed, we'll use force instead."
Kariya's expression was dark, but despite the anger simmering inside him, he knew losing his temper would accomplish nothing.
He drew a slow breath and forced himself to calm down.
"Just remember to control yourselves once the fighting starts. Our goal isn't simply to kill people. We need to use these attacks to lure reinforcements out of Soul Society, then wipe them out all at once."
The plan had gone off course through no fault of his own, but there was no point dwelling on that now.
Since circumstances had changed, he needed to adjust quickly.
"Kariya!"
Yoshino Sōma hurried back into the base, her expression grim.
"There are already Shinigami moving around Karakura Town. Earlier today, while I was feeding on a soul near the station, I ran into two extremely powerful women. They were both dangerous. If I hadn't escaped when I did, I might not have made it back alive."
Unlike Yoshino, who looked furious over the encounter, Kariya's face immediately brightened.
To him, killing powerful Shinigami from Soul Society was far more valuable than eliminating ordinary foot soldiers.
Every high-level fighter they took down would inflict a much heavier blow upon their enemy.
"Yoshino, that information couldn't have come at a better time."
Kariya could barely suppress his excitement.
"Since the situation has changed, we'll revise the operation immediately."
He rose and began laying out his new plan.
"We'll split into two groups. One group will continue attacking Kurosaki Ichigo and his companions as planned. Keep the pressure on them and force Soul Society to send more reinforcements."
"The rest of you will come with me. We'll track down the two Shinigami Yoshino encountered and eliminate them."
His voice trembled slightly with anticipation.
Sometimes, when fate slammed one door shut, it opened another.
And from Kariya's perspective, this was an opportunity too good to ignore.
"Sawatari, Yoshino Sōma, Go Koga, Ban, and Hō — you five will launch the attack against Kurosaki Ichigo's group."
He turned toward the remaining Bounts.
"Everyone else comes with me. We'll locate those two powerful Shinigami as quickly as possible and kill them."
Kariya assigned each task methodically, but the feverish light in his eyes betrayed how eager he was.
Once everyone understood their roles, he nodded in satisfaction.
In his mind, he could already picture the Shinigami falling one after another beneath their attacks.
The thought alone was intoxicating.
...
For once, the operation didn't immediately fall apart.
Ichigo and his friends were indeed attacked by Sawatari's group.
Yoruichi and Suì-Fēng, however, had vanished completely.
Kariya led his people all over Karakura Town, practically turning the place upside down, yet could find no trace of either woman.
Ichigo's side escaped without suffering anything truly catastrophic, although Uryū ended up hospitalized.
Urahara had only left them three Modified Souls to share among four people.
After returning from the earlier incident, Uryū had decided to act tough and insist he had no need for Noba or any of the others to watch over him.
Naturally, he was the one who ended up paying for it.
Trying to look cool when you didn't have the strength to back it up was practically begging the universe to punish you.
And because misfortune rarely traveled alone, Uryū was attacked again while still in the hospital.
This time, Ban and Hō came after him.
Fortunately, Ichigo and the others had been worried enough about Uryū to remain nearby.
Otherwise, the Quincy might have been removed from the story far earlier than expected.
Then, as though the situation weren't already bad enough, the previously clear sky suddenly opened up.
Rain poured down without warning.
The group that had just rushed out of the hospital immediately looked grim.
Ban and Hō, on the other hand, were delighted.
Their abilities revolved around manipulating water.
For the twins, this weather was practically a gift from heaven.
"Damn it! We shouldn't have rushed outside!"
Ichigo immediately regretted leaving the hospital.
Ban and Hō had already taken control of the water around the entrance, sealing off the way back inside.
The rain came down in sheets, soaking everyone within seconds.
Ichigo stood in the downpour with Zangetsu in hand, repeatedly struggling to fend off the waves of water the twins sent crashing toward him.
As the fight continued, however, he could clearly feel his reiatsu dropping at an alarming rate.
Panic began creeping into his chest.
"AAARGH!"
Ichigo roared and forced his spiritual pressure upward, desperately attempting to release his Bankai.
His reiatsu surged—then collapsed almost instantly, deflating like a punctured balloon.
Bankai failed again.
"It didn't work?"
For once, an actual expression appeared on Chad's usually stoic face.
This was getting bad.
"What's wrong with that guy?"
Ban and Hō stared at Ichigo in confusion.
"He suddenly started screaming like he was about to do something incredible."
"And then… nothing happened."
The twins had genuinely been startled for a moment, expecting some devastating technique.
Instead, Ichigo had screamed at the sky and produced absolutely nothing.
"Getsuga Tenshō!"
Ichigo roared again.
A crescent-shaped wave of spiritual energy tore from Zangetsu and raced toward the twins.
Unfortunately, his failed attempt at Bankai had already drained much of his remaining reiatsu.
The Getsuga Tenshō lacked its usual weight and stability.
It looked dangerous at first glance, but its power was thin and unsteady, like a candle flame struggling in strong wind.
Ban and Hō didn't panic.
They immediately manipulated the surrounding water and easily blocked the weakened attack.
Ichigo grimaced but forced himself to keep fighting.
Uryū was not standing idle either.
Despite his injuries, he raised his spiritual bow and fired several Heilig Pfeil in rapid succession.
The glowing arrows streaked through the rain like falling stars, carrying sharp spiritual force toward the twins.
But Uryū was still badly hurt and couldn't bring out his full strength.
Ban and Hō swept up the rainwater around them, creating a thick wall that intercepted the incoming arrows one after another.
Before long, Ichigo, Chad, and Uryū had all been forced onto the defensive.
"Damn it…"
Ichigo was breathing heavily now.
Even the hand gripping Zangetsu had begun to tremble.
"How the hell are these two brats this strong?"
He'd survived the chaos of Soul Society.
He'd fought captains, lieutenants, and all kinds of monsters.
And now he was somehow getting pushed around by two little kids.
...
"Uryū, get out of here! Hurry and find Hat-and-Clogs — bring back some reinforcements!"
Ichigo shouted as he swung Zangetsu again, unleashing another Getsuga Tenshō.
The crescent-shaped blast tore through the rain toward Ban and Hō with violent spiritual pressure behind it.
If the fight dragged on much longer, there was a very real chance none of them would make it out alive. Their only hope was to find help as quickly as possible.
"Ichigo, be careful!"
Uryū didn't waste time arguing.
He was already badly injured and knew perfectly well that staying would only make him a burden.
Gritting his teeth against the pain, he turned and sprinted away in search of Urahara and the others.
"Chad!"
Ichigo relaxed slightly once Uryū was gone, only to notice that Chad hadn't moved at all.
For a moment, the big man simply stood there in silence.
"Chad!"
"Ichigo, I'm staying."
Chad finally raised his head.
"I'll fight with you to the end."
He hadn't frozen from exhaustion. He'd merely been considering whether he should leave Ichigo behind and escape with Uryū.
In the end, that had never really been an option.
Chad drew a deep breath and drove his right fist forward.
The resulting blast of force roared through the rain like a crashing wave and smashed apart the torrent of water rushing toward them.
"Orange-haired brat! Stone-face!"
Ban and Hō were getting carried away now.
"You two are dead!"
The twins had completely forgotten Kariya's instruction to exercise restraint. Excited by the battle, they continued increasing the intensity of their attacks.
Two massive torrents twisted through the rain like roaring water dragons, surging toward Ichigo and Chad with their jaws open as though they intended to swallow both men whole.
"Santen Kesshun! I reject!"
At the critical moment, brilliant golden light suddenly erupted between them.
A glowing triangular shield appeared from nowhere and blocked the twins' attack head-on.
Orihime, Yamada Hanatarō, and Shiba Ganju had arrived.
Orihime had realized earlier that the situation was turning against Ichigo's group and had contacted Soul Society for help in advance.
They'd arrived just in time.
"Kurosaki-kun! Chad! Are you all right? Were you hurt?"
Orihime hurried toward them.
"Sōten Kisshun! I reject!"
A gentle light enveloped Ichigo and Chad as she activated her healing ability, rapidly restoring the injuries they'd accumulated throughout the battle.
As his condition recovered and his reiatsu began returning, Ichigo threw his head back with a furious roar.
His grip tightened around Zangetsu, and a powerful aura erupted around him.
Then he charged toward Ban and Hō like a bolt of lightning.
Ichigo was back in fighting shape, and right now he had only one thought in his head.
He was going to personally cut down these two obnoxious little brats and finally vent all the frustration they'd caused him.
Ganju was equally eager to contribute.
He pulled an enormous collection of brightly colored fireworks from his clothes and immediately started launching them at Ban and Hō.
Explosions erupted one after another.
Smoke blanketed the battlefield as brilliant fireworks blossomed through the air, beautiful and deadly at the same time.
The twins were quickly overwhelmed, unable to keep up with attacks coming from every direction.
With everyone working together, one of Ganju's unexpected barrages finally caught them completely off guard.
Boom!
Ban and Hō were blown apart in the explosion.
And just like that, the Bounts were down another two members.
...
"Wait."
Once the fight ended, Ichigo suddenly remembered something.
"Did any of you see Uryū?"
Orihime blinked.
"Eh? We didn't run into Ishida-kun at all. Where did he go?"
She'd assumed Uryū was still inside the hospital.
Now that Ichigo had asked, however, an uneasy feeling immediately crept into her heart.
"I sent Uryū to find Hat-and-Clogs and ask for help."
Ichigo frowned.
"You should've crossed paths with him on the way here."
His expression gradually changed.
"Unless…"
His heart tightened.
Had something happened to Uryū along the way?
Could someone have intercepted and kidnapped him?
"We can't waste any more time."
Ichigo made the decision immediately.
"We're going to Urahara Shop. Now."
The group hurried toward the shop, anxiety driving them forward as countless possibilities ran through their minds.
Partway there, however, Ichigo finally noticed one unexpected member of their group.
"Hanatarō?"
He glanced over in surprise.
"What are you doing here?"
During the battle, Ichigo had barely noticed the man at all. Hanatarō had always possessed an almost supernatural talent for fading into the background.
Ganju showing up made sense.
The two of them were family, after all.
But Hanatarō and Ichigo had never been especially close, so seeing him suddenly appear in the World of the Living was unexpected.
"Um… well…"
Hanatarō scratched his head nervously.
"I-I heard you were all in serious trouble, so I volunteered to come and help."
He hesitated.
"And… I haven't seen Rukia in a really long time. I've been wondering how she's doing, so I thought I could visit her while I was here."
Hanatarō tried his best to explain himself clearly, but his timid, hesitant manner made every sentence come out somewhat awkwardly.
"Huh?"
Ichigo stopped short.
"Rukia's in Karakura Town?"
The others stared at Hanatarō with equal surprise.
None of them had seen even a glimpse of Rukia recently.
Where the hell had she been hiding?
"You didn't know?"
Now it was Hanatarō's turn to look confused.
"Rukia's been in Karakura Town for quite a while. I thought she was staying with you."
If she hadn't gone to see Ichigo and the others, then where had she gone?
"Whatever."
Ichigo pushed the question aside.
"Finding Uryū comes first. We need to make sure he reached Urahara Shop."
At the moment, he had no energy left to worry about anything else.
Rukia probably had her own reasons for not contacting them.
Uryū's whereabouts were far more urgent.
The group broke into a run again, racing toward Urahara Shop while imagining increasingly unpleasant possibilities.
...
"Ugh…"
Uryū slowly opened his eyes.
"Where am I?"
He stared blankly at the unfamiliar surroundings, struggling to remember what had happened.
His head felt heavy and numb, almost as though someone had struck him with a blunt object.
'Was I… rescued by a woman?'
He searched through his fragmented memories.
He remembered hurrying through the streets to find help.
Then, without warning, everything had gone black.
After that, there was nothing.
Uryū pushed himself upright on the bed and rubbed his temples, trying to clear his thoughts.
Sunlight streamed through a gap in the curtains, scattering patches of light and shadow across the floor.
---------
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