Hearing Renji's voice, Rukia slowly regained consciousness.
"Renji… brother…? Why are you here?"
Looking at the two figures before her, her eyes widened in disbelief.
"Ah, the captain was worried Captain Su Li would act alone, so he sent us as support," Renji answered once he collected himself.
"What? You mean the one sent by Seireitei is Captain Su Li?!"
Rukia's expression stiffened.
"Yes," Renji confirmed.
Her thoughts turned heavy. It was not the four of them who had come to rescue Inoue Orihime—it was Su Li. No wonder they had encountered no resistance when entering Hueco Mundo. Su Li had already gone ahead, cutting down every obstacle in their path.
She fell into silence. She should have realized earlier. In the most dangerous places, in the moments when help seemed impossible, Su Li always appeared. She remembered the flash of white blade-light moments ago. It was the same light she had seen above the Sōkyoku long ago—not as overwhelming back then, yet the feeling it gave her was unmistakable. That was Su Li's sword light. Even when not at her side, he was still saving her.
Lost in her thoughts, she no longer heard Renji's voice.
"Hey, Rukia, you're pushing yourself too hard. You're hurt badly," Renji said, worry clouding his eyes.
Rukia remained silent, gaze locked on the abyss ahead, her eyes faintly flickering.
Byakuya Kuchiki also stood before the vast chasm, his calm mask wavering as he recalled that astonishing sword strike. "That man… has he reached such a level now…"
He had long desired to cross blades with Su Li. In flash step and Hakuda he knew Su Li was his superior, yet in kendo Byakuya's confidence never faltered. But now, staring into the abyss carved into the world, he realized he had overestimated himself. The gap in swordsmanship between them was as immeasurable as the rift before him. He exhaled a faint sigh, ashamed of his past provocations.
"Kurosaki…?"
"Mr. Kurosaki!"
Ichigo's eyes opened to hazy voices. His gaze drifted over the faces above him in a daze.
"Captain Unohana…? Kenpachi…?" he murmured weakly.
Unohana Retsu, Zaraki Kenpachi, and Kurotsuchi Mayuri stood around him.
"Hey! You brat, can't you see me?!" Mayuri barked furiously, ignored by all.
"Mr. Kurosaki, are you all right?" Unohana's voice was calm, but touched with concern.
Ichigo slowly realized that most of his injuries had healed. Even the gaping wound in his chest was mended—Unohana's Kaidō had saved him.
"Thank you… Captain Unohana…" He struggled to sit up.
"Pathetic," Kenpachi grinned, disdain in his tone. "To be beaten this badly."
Ichigo lowered his head, silent, heat burning his face. But when his eyes lifted and he took in his surroundings, shock spread through him.
"What… what happened here?!"
The fifth tower was no longer whole—only half remained, its top sheared clean away. The massive structure ended in a flawless cut, plunging down into a bottomless abyss that stretched endlessly in both directions.
"Kenpachi, you did this?!" Ichigo blurted in horror.
"Che… if only," Kenpachi muttered, voice unusually low, eyes carrying the weight of something close to fear.
"Tch. We came here to support… support him?! Does that monster look like he needs our help?!" Mayuri snapped, though his gaze flickered uneasily over the abyss.
Ichigo froze. "Who… who did this?"
"Who else?!" Mayuri spat. "That pervert!"
Unohana smiled faintly, her tone gentle for Ichigo's sake. "It was Captain Su Li."
Ichigo fell silent. He had already guessed it—Yoruichi had long called Su Li a "pervert" as if it were his second name.
"Su Li-san…" he whispered, eyes vacant. Then, suddenly remembering, his expression shifted and he tried to rise.
"Mr. Kurosaki, where are you going? I may have treated your injuries, but in your current state, you should not move," Unohana cautioned, her voice firm.
"I'm going to rescue Inoue!" Ichigo shouted, forcing his battered body to stand.
Mayuri sneered. "Hah? Are you brain-dead? Let that man handle it. What use are you?"
"Captain Su Li will save your friends. What you must do now is recover, not charge off recklessly," Unohana said sternly.
"I don't care!!" Ichigo roared, his voice breaking. "Every time—it's always the same! Every time Su Li-san comes to clean up my mess! Every time he saves us! I'm useless—I can't protect anyone, can't defeat the enemies before me—Su Li-san does it all! I'm sick of being trash! This time, I'll save my friend myself!"
The force of his cry silenced the captains. Staggering but resolute, Ichigo limped toward the tower's depths.
"Kurosaki-kun…" Unohana's brow furrowed slightly.
"Let him go." Kenpachi's rough voice cut in, his eye tracking Ichigo's stubborn back. He understood too well what it meant to stake everything as a man.
"Che… boring," Mayuri muttered. "What a waste of time." He glanced sideways at Unohana. "So, what now? We've got nothing to do?"
Unohana sighed softly, her expression tinged with helplessness. "We came fearing Captain Su Li could not handle this alone. It seems our journey was unnecessary." She quietly packed her medicine box.
Kenpachi turned away.
"Captain Zaraki, where are you going?" Unohana asked.
"Looking around. Maybe I'll find someone worth cutting," he replied without turning.
"Tch, idiots…" Mayuri rolled his eyes, grumbling as Kenpachi's broad back disappeared into the distance.
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