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Familiar ceiling, familiar beeping of instruments, familiar hospital bed, familiar room…
Ishikawa, who had awakened from a coma, looked at the intensive care unit he had only recently left, feeling a bit speechless.
Shaking his head inwardly, Ishikawa assessed his physical condition.
Judging by the familiar treatment method, it was still Captain Unohana who treated him this time.
Her healing methods were as superb as ever, ensuring Ishikawa would not suffer any lingering effects. However, despite the excellent treatment, Ishikawa's injuries were simply too severe.
His most serious injuries were not physical, but rather damage to his Spirit Core, Soul Binding, and Soul Sleep. The overload of Reiatsu Imprint had caused a tremendous impact on the spiritual power points and vital areas that generate Ishikawa's spiritual energy. Without experience points, recovery in a short period would have been almost impossible.
This also caused Ishikawa to feel incredibly heavy all over his body, making it extremely difficult to even move a single finger, and his internal energy was completely depleted.
All energy supply was provided by the surrounding medical equipment.
How long had he been unconscious?
Ishikawa recalled the scene before he lost consciousness.
Had Aizen left Soul Society?
"Yo, you're awake!?"
Just then, a familiar voice came from beside Ishikawa.
The moment he heard that voice, Ishikawa immediately felt an urge to change rooms.
Turning his head with great difficulty, Ishikawa then realized that there was indeed a second patient in this intensive care unit…
Zaraki sat cross-legged on the adjacent hospital bed like a hooligan, his Captain's haori casually draped over his bandaged chest.
"You really got beaten badly."
Completely ignoring Ishikawa's gaze, which clearly conveyed the words 'get lost', Zaraki grinned: "I thought you were going to die!"
You, who were cut down by Ichigo, have the nerve to say that to me?
Ishikawa rolled his eyes. If his physical condition hadn't prevented him from cursing, Ishikawa would have pointed at Zaraki's nose and given him a good scolding right now.
No!
Not just Zaraki, but the other Captains too!
Originally, Ishikawa thought that he only needed to stall for a while, and someone would arrive at the scene. At that time, he would have saved Ganju, gained favorability with Yoruichi and Soi Fon, and also been able to test Aizen's depth…
It could be said to be killing three birds with one stone!
The result…
After fighting for so long, not a single Captain arrived!
It wasn't until he had exhausted all his experience points and was almost cut down by Aizen that those bastards arrived at Repentance Palace.
So, Aizen's rebellion ultimately resulted in only him being beaten into a scrambling mess, right?
This made Ishikawa want to point at the noses of the Captains and curse them out!
"Hey, you seem to have gotten stronger again!"
Zaraki said excitedly: "After you recover, let's fight again. We'll go to your territory next time; we'll definitely have a blast."
Who the hell wants to fight you?
With the thought of out of sight, out of mind, Ishikawa turned his head to the other side, refusing Zaraki's challenge with his actions.
And as he turned his head, Ishikawa discovered…
On his other side, there was another person lying there, staring up at the ceiling with a pair of melancholic eyes.
— Kuchiki Byakuya.
Why was he lying here?
Ishikawa's gaze immediately became a bit strange. He was almost cut down by Aizen, which could be explained by him fighting alone.
But how in the world did you end up here, under the watchful eyes of so many Captains?
As if sensing the meaning in Ishikawa's gaze, Kuchiki Byakuya turned his head and looked to his side.
And next to him…
On the last bed in the intensive care unit, Tōshirō Hitsugaya's mouth twitched slightly as he met Kuchiki Byakuya's gaze.
"…Don't look at me."
Well, well…
Upon hearing this voice, Ishikawa's gaze was no longer just strange, but filled with contempt.
"Ikkaku said that both of them attacked Aizen one after another, and both were severely wounded with a single cut." Zaraki, who was sitting cross-legged nearby, explained with his usual steady and highly sarcastic tone: "Apparently, because they fell too quickly, the other Captains didn't even react."
At these words, Tōshirō Hitsugaya couldn't help but turn his head to face the wall…
Ishikawa rolled his eyes. Though speechless, upon careful thought, he vaguely guessed why these two were sent here.
One of them was for his sister, the other for his childhood friend. It was normal for them to recklessly attack Aizen after discovering that their most important people were being persecuted and deceived.
As for being cut down by Aizen with a single strike…
There was nothing to be ashamed of.
After this battle, Ishikawa also gained an understanding of his own strength.
If he hadn't had enough experience points and specifically created a Bakudo that could see through Kyōka Suigetsu, then his situation against Aizen might not have been much better than these two. However, with his recovery ability, he should have been able to last longer than them…
Probably…
"And Aizen, after wounding them, was taken by a Menos Grande… Anyway, Ikkaku said that after a flash of golden light, he was taken to Hueco Mundo by a Menos Grande."
"It was Negative Mask!"
Tōshirō Hitsugaya glared at Zaraki in annoyance and explained to Ishikawa: "This is a beam of light used by Menos Grande to rescue their kin. According to Commander Yamamoto, once a target is enveloped by this light, they are essentially in another dimension, and people outside the Negative Mask cannot touch them no matter what."
"Aizen, Kaname Tōsen, and Ichimaru Gin somehow conspired with Hueco Mundo. The Central 46…"
At the end, Tōshirō Hitsugaya couldn't help but look at Ishikawa: "Just as you and Yoruichi said, they were all massacred by Aizen. According to Rangiku, during the day and night we were unconscious, your adopted sister took over the affairs of the Central 46, stabilized the situation by herself, and is now undergoing reorganization."
Originally, Tōshirō hadn't paid much attention to Ishikawa.
Possessing Captain-level Reiatsu within just over a decade of arriving in Soul Society was surprising, but for Tōshirō Hitsugaya… it was just that, nothing more.
He had never really believed Ishikawa's strength was that great.
So, when he saw Ishikawa severely wounded by Aizen in front of Repentance Palace, he didn't think about how strong Aizen was, but rather that there was a huge gap between Ishikawa and the Captains of the Gotei 13…
Until…
After taking Aizen's strike head-on, he realized that it wasn't Ishikawa who was too weak, but Aizen who was too strong!
And what made him feel most ashamed was…
While his group was rushing to Repentance Palace, this Ishikawa had entangled with Aizen for several minutes, yet he himself was defeated in an instant.
Did he still manage to leave Soul Society?
Ishikawa frowned.
However, this was somewhat expected. To safely withdraw from Soul Society, Aizen had prepared for centuries, so how could he be stopped so easily?
Leaving aside after he merged with Hōgyoku, but before merging with Hōgyoku, Aizen's every move was extremely cautious, accounting for all possible contingencies.
Upon sensing something was amiss, he changed his plan without hesitation, which even caught Ishikawa off guard.
It wasn't because he changed his plan, as Ishikawa had already considered that he might act against Rukia prematurely. Ishikawa was caught off guard solely because…
Aizen immediately abandoned a plan he had prepared for decades or even centuries, simply because of Ishikawa's single unexpected presence!
Both his decisiveness and speed of action far exceeded Ishikawa's expectations.
Shaking his head inwardly, Ishikawa turned his gaze to the system interface, wanting to see what he had gained from this battle.
Hmm?
As soon as he shifted his attention to the system interface, Ishikawa's eyes lit up, and he almost sat up despite his physical condition.
Current Experience Points: 285120.
How did so many suddenly appear?
Ishikawa subconsciously looked at the favorability interface, greeted by rows of system prompts.
[Yoruichi Favorability +1, gained 9600 experience points, current favorability: 44]
[Soi Fon Favorability +1, gained 10240 experience points, current favorability: 55]
[Unohana Retsu Favorability +1, gained 3000 experience points, current favorability: 16]
[Kuchiki Rukia Favorability +1, gained 5120 experience points, current favorability: 60]
[Ise Nanao Favorability +1, gained 2560 experience points, current favorability: 47]
[Chiyo Favorability +1, gained 160 experience points, current favorability: 37]
[Orihime Favorability +1, gained 3920 experience points, current favorability: 49]
[… ]
Rows of system prompts filled Ishikawa with joy, and he couldn't help but sigh…
Indeed, the more chaotic Soul Society is, the easier it is to gain favorability.
During the time he was unconscious, most female Seated Officers and Vice-Captains gained some favorability towards him.
Ishikawa looked through them and found that the only Vice-Captain who hadn't increased her favorability towards him was Hinamori Momo… she even dropped 10 points…
However, it was normal for her to react this way, since she wasn't cut by Aizen.
As for this suddenly appearing Chiyo, if Ishikawa remembered correctly, she should be Rukia's personal maid. He hadn't had any contact with her before, but he could try to interact more in the future if given the chance.
Ishikawa also carefully read through the favorability of other Low Level Seated Officers and ordinary Squad Members, matching these names with the 'Female Shinigami Database' in his mind, making them more three-dimensional in his memory instead of just mere names.
After noting all of these, Ishikawa then redirected his attention back to the system panel.
After some hesitation, Ishikawa left 80,000 experience points and poured the remaining into his physique.
Over 200,000 experience points were consumed in an instant. The moment his physique broke through 500,000, Ishikawa felt an inexplicable comfort spread throughout his body, and his extremely severe injuries directly healed.
Physique: Top Level (518869 / 1000000)
Watching the number after Physique, a hint of tension flashed in Ishikawa's eyes. He took another 18853 experience points from the remaining 80,000 and added them to his Reiatsu.
The Reishi around Ishikawa rapidly converged into his body at that instant.
Feeling the changes within his body, Ishikawa immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
His judgment was not wrong. Besides Zankensoki, the growth of physique could also raise the limit barrier higher!
…
Name: Ishikawa
Race: Human
Level: Stage Two
Physique: Top Level (518869 / 1000000)
Reiatsu: Top Level (518869 / 1000000)
Hakuda: Advanced (61505 / 100000)
Shunpo: Top Level (12086 / 1000000)
Zanjutsu: Advanced (54863 / 100000)
Zanpakuto: Advanced (76598 / 100000)
…
Current Experience Points: 61147.
…
"Hmm?"
The unusual phenomenon around Ishikawa naturally couldn't escape the notice of the other three in the room.
Seeing Ishikawa furiously absorbing the Reishi in the air, the three, including Zaraki, frowned.
"I advise you not to act rashly."
Kuchiki Byakuya reminded him in a cold tone: "According to Captain Unohana's examination, your Spirit Core, Soul Binding, and Soul Sleep have all suffered extremely severe damage. Forcibly absorbing Reiatsu will not only hinder your recovery but also place a greater burden on your body."
"If you don't want to die…"
Kuchiki Byakuya's words came to an abrupt halt, because as he spoke, Ishikawa, who had been half-dead and unable to utter a single word, actually sat up from the bed, and then…
Under the stunned gazes of the three, Ishikawa pulled out the dense array of instruments on his body, got out of bed, and began moving around the intensive care unit in his hospital gown.
Click, click, click~
The sound of bones clicking continuously emanated from Ishikawa, making the three of them look somewhat strange.
How could he still look like someone who had suffered severe injuries?
What did he just do?
The three of them were well aware that Ishikawa was extremely proficient in Kaido, but Ishikawa's recovery ability could no longer be explained by a mere 'extremely proficient in Kaido'.
This was simply like a Hollow's super-fast regeneration…
No!
Even a Hollow's super-fast regeneration generally wouldn't be able to repair vital parts of the spiritual body.
Comfortable!!
After his physique broke through 500,000, Ishikawa felt extremely comfortable all over his body.
His body was also filled with power, giving him an urge to charge into Hueco Mundo and fight Aizen again.
Of course…
It was just a thought.
Ishikawa did not explain his surprise to the three.
If it had been before the battle with Aizen, Ishikawa would have chosen to lie here and quietly recover to preserve his trump cards and avoid suspicion.
But after the battle with Aizen, there was no longer any need to do so.
The reason was simple…
The details of his battle with Aizen, whether from Soi Fon or Hanatarō, would be reported truthfully.
Since it was already exposed, there was naturally no need to continue hiding it.
After moving around for a bit, Ishikawa walked directly to the medicine cabinet beside the intensive care unit, opened the outermost section, and inside hung his familiar black work clothes and black high boots.
Having been to this intensive care unit so many times, Ishikawa naturally wouldn't be unprepared…
Every time he left here, he would prepare a spare set of clothes to leave behind, in case he had nothing to wear when discharged.
Captain Unohana did not refuse his request; she readily agreed.
After all…
Since Ishikawa entered Seireitei, this intensive care unit had basically been used by Ishikawa alone.
Changing into his clothes in front of the three, Ishikawa pulled out two small cards from the pocket of his black work jacket and approached Kuchiki Byakuya and Tōshirō Hitsugaya.
"Captain Kuchiki, Captain Hitsugaya, these are my shop's business cards. If you ever need anything in the future, you can always come to my Seireitei branch for a commission."
Ishikawa finished speaking, then turned and smiled slightly at Kuchiki Byakuya: "If you find it troublesome, you can also have someone inform the Golden Seal Association."
"… " Kuchiki Byakuya.
"… " Tōshirō Hitsugaya.
"What about mine?" Zaraki asked.
Ishikawa ignored him, said goodbye, and left the intensive care unit directly.
But before he could even exit the critical care ward, he ran into an acquaintance.
"Hmm?"
Seeing Ishikawa swaggering down the hallway, Nayura, who had originally intended to visit him, stopped in her tracks and froze.
"Good morning, Nayura."
"Call me big sister!"
Nayura subconsciously replied, then said with a strange expression:
"Wait a minute! Didn't Captain Unohana say you were severely injured?"
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