At that moment, Unohana Retsu appeared as the voice of reason.
"Everyone, shouldn't we take Captain Aizen's corpse down first?" she asked, raising the most critical point as soon as she arrived.
"Captain Unohana!"
The group quickly greeted her.
Gin Ichimaru personally used shunpo to retrieve "Aizen Sōsuke's" corpse, laying it flat on the ground.
"Alright, let's report this to Captain-Commander Yamamoto. These are troubling times indeed," Unohana sighed deliberately.
Meanwhile, Ichigo had vanished—not to flee, but because he had sensed Tatsuki's spiritual pressure weakening!
Not only that—Chad's spiritual pressure had already disappeared.
Clearly, Chad had been taken out of the fight.
Ichigo's heart tightened. It was true—his friends weren't as powerful as he was. Charging into the Soul Society had been too soon for them.
Tatsuki's spiritual pressure continued to diminish—it was obvious she was in danger. Ichigo immediately used his full speed to rush in her direction.
As for Unohana, she went along with Gin and the others to attend the emergency captains' meeting.
After all, the death of a captain was no small matter—especially being assassinated so silently within the Seireitei!
Though Yamamoto Genryūsai doubted these intruders had the strength to pull it off, just to be safe, he ordered more forces to pursue Ichigo and the others.
Elsewhere, Tatsuki was barely standing. The flame above her head had shifted from red to yellow, but it flickered weakly, like it could go out with the slightest breeze.
Standing across from her was none other than the captain of Squad Eleven—Zaraki Kenpachi.
"Little girl, you might've beaten Ikkaku, but you're still too weak! What a letdown," Zaraki muttered, slinging his zanpakutō over his shoulder.
Aside from some scorched patches on his clothes, he was completely unscathed—proof that Tatsuki posed no threat to him.
Tatsuki was panting heavily. Her spiritual pressure was nearly drained, and her opponent hadn't taken a scratch. Despair crept in.
"Is this the end for me?" she murmured bitterly.
"If that's all you've got, then it's over!" Zaraki roared, swinging his blade down at her.
Facing the descending blade, Tatsuki closed her eyes in resignation.
But in that instant, another zanpakutō intercepted the strike—and with it appeared Ichigo's familiar, gentle smile.
"C'mon, Tatsuki, this isn't like you."
"...Ichigo?" Tatsuki looked at him in shock before fainting from exhaustion.
Holding her in one arm, Ichigo blocked Zaraki's sword with the other and turned to him.
"Sorry, mind if I take her to safety first?"
Zaraki grinned wickedly. "Now here's someone interesting!"
But he had no intention of letting Ichigo go. He raised his blade and struck down fiercely.
The strike missed.
Ichigo had already appeared atop a nearby rooftop, laying Tatsuki down gently. He stroked her face and whispered, "Hang in there, Tatsuki. I'll get revenge for you."
His expression hardened. With a flash of shunpo, he returned to stand before Zaraki.
"You one of those intruders too?" Zaraki asked.
Before Ichigo could answer, Zaraki waved it off. "Eh, doesn't matter! You're strong, aren't you? Come fight me!"
Zaraki's spiritual pressure exploded, the strongest Ichigo had ever felt.
"What monstrous spiritual pressure… but!" Ichigo's own energy surged in response, matching Zaraki's ferocity.
"Before we fight, answer me something. Are you the one who did that to Tatsuki?" Ichigo drew his zanpakutō, eyes locked on Zaraki.
"Yeah! That little girl beat Ikkaku, but she was way too weak! Only took a few hits before she collapsed!" Zaraki laughed, more savage than ever.
(Side note: Ikkaku has always suppressed his strength. He's foolishly been hiding his true power, thinking mastering Bankai qualifies him for captaincy. His power level is average vice-captain tier, on par with non-Hollowfied Kensei.)
(So what Tatsuki defeated was a watered-down version of Ikkaku.)
Hearing that, Ichigo smirked coldly. "Good. I was worried I'd be slashing the wrong guy."
"Roar, Zangetsu!"
At once, Ichigo's spiritual pressure doubled—completely overpowering Zaraki's.
"I don't have time to waste on you! I've got more important things to do!" Ichigo launched forward with shunpo, landing a slash right across Zaraki's chest!
He wasn't holding back—this wasn't the time to play weak. He needed to return to Unohana as soon as possible.
That strange blade back there… Ichigo had a feeling he was on the verge of uncovering the truth behind Rukia's conviction!
Splat!
Zaraki didn't even have time to react—Ichigo's blade tore open his chest, blood gushing out.
"So fast! So strong!" Zaraki exclaimed in awe.
"If that's how it is, then I won't hold back either!"
He knew this opponent was beyond his current strength.
This level of spiritual pressure… not even most captains could match it.
Zaraki loved battle, but he wasn't a fool. He liked a fair fight, not getting beat down one-sidedly.
So, he decisively removed his eyepatch.
Once more, Zaraki's spiritual pressure exploded, evening out with Ichigo's.
"That's more like it!"
The wound on Zaraki's chest stopped bleeding. His golden spiritual pressure took on a physical form, collapsing nearby buildings with its weight.
Ichigo's eyes narrowed—he hadn't expected Zaraki to be hiding this much power.
If he were to release his zanpakutō on top of this…
But as if reading Ichigo's thoughts, Zaraki grinned and said, "Relax. This is all I've got. My zanpakutō's always in this form. It doesn't release."
(End of Chapter)
[Check Out My Patreon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!][www.p@treon.com/zaelum]
[+500 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter]
[Thank You For Your Support!]