"So, what's the situation of the battle?"
Akin held his breath.
Two powerful Quincy executives, plus a Vasto Lorde-level Arrancar, such a lineup, and it even looked like a dishonorable gang-up, made Akin worry for Kurosaki ichigo.
"It's not looking good. Especially that newly appeared executive. Although he's clearly stronger than the previous Quincy, he hasn't actively attacked; he's only defending passively, but he's constantly launching psychological attacks, seemingly deliberately provoking Mr. Kurosaki.
And he's been sowing discord between Mr. Kurosaki and the Shinigami, which is very bad."
Urahara Kisuke frowned deeply, "However, although Mr. Kurosaki is a bit flustered, he hasn't lost his reason.
Moreover, the opponent's special technique seems unable to seal Mr. Kurosaki's Bankai, so he stopped his companion from using it. It seems he doesn't want to waste effort on Mr. Kurosaki."
It might be useless against Kurosaki ichigo, but that doesn't mean it's useless against him. Urahara Kisuke had a headache, sensing that the opponent was saving his techniques for him.
"What? Useless?"
Akin's eyes widened, then a surge of joy filled his heart as he pleaded, "Can you get Kurosaki ichigo to leave the Hueco Mundo battlefield immediately and support the Soul Society? Please!"
"Ah? Please don't ask for the impossible. That kind of battle isn't something one can just casually jump into."
Urahara Kisuke's eyes darkened, "I know someone has invaded the Soul Society. Your proactive contact indicates that things are definitely not simple. The more critical the situation, the less we can let Mr. Kurosaki rush into the battlefield unprepared.
Let's go back to the original question: what exactly is the situation on your end?"
He said this not out of concern for Kurosaki ichigo, but out of a sense of apprehension.
Kaiser's provocation to Kurosaki ichigo just now, and his ambiguous attitude of only defending without attacking, made Urahara Kisuke think a lot at once, and his vigilance instantly shot up.
He even considered the worst-case scenario: how to counter Kurosaki ichigo if he betrayed them and sided against the Shinigami.
Although thinking this was dishonorable, he couldn't rule out the possibility.
Kurosaki ichigo only needed to fight bravely on the front lines, but Urahara Kisuke had many things to consider.
For example, the enemy capturing Kurosaki ichigo and brainwashing him, thus turning Kurosaki ichigo into a vanguard for invading the Soul Society.
This situation was not impossible. No matter how much Kurosaki ichigo wanted to protect, no matter how firmly he stood with the Shinigami, some things were not decided by his own will. Once he fell into the enemy's trap and was captured, he would inevitably face a terrible predicament.
Therefore, Urahara Kisuke, who was originally inclined to let Kurosaki ichigo go to the Soul Society to save the day, shedding blood and sacrificing himself to help the Shinigami, now did not want Kurosaki ichigo to leave Hueco Mundo directly for the Soul Society without a clear understanding of the situation and his identity.
If he were misled by unknown enemy intelligence, or even captured and forcibly brainwashed, it would only make the battle even more chaotic.
"But... damn it! So far, our casualties are as follows: two thousand two hundred and forty-five squad members with vanished spiritual pressure, and one Vice-Captain. The numbers are increasing by the second, so this data is just for reference. Most buildings have collapsed, and the extent of the damage cannot be calculated."
Akin slammed his hand on the table, reporting with a heavy heart, "Among the enemies, there are at least sixteen individuals with combat capabilities equal to or greater than a Captain. They call themselves the Sternritter, wearing the unique white attire of the Quincy, and the enemy's casualties are zero; we have no reports of any victories."
"So, what are the enemy's abilities?"
Urahara Kisuke's heart sank.
He didn't want Kurosaki ichigo to be used by the enemy, so if the situation wasn't particularly dire, he would rather the Shinigami of the Soul Society continue to sacrifice themselves to ensure Kurosaki ichigo was watched over.
However, if the Seireitei were completely destroyed in this battle, that outcome would also be unacceptable to him.
And he gradually realized that it seemed the enemy had taken advantage of Kurosaki ichigo being tied up in Hueco Mundo to launch a surprise attack on the Soul Society's Seireitei.
"I apologize. Aside from the fact that the enemy is Quincy, the Technical Development Bureau has not received any other intelligence. The only thing we know is that the enemy possesses the ability to steal Bankai."
Akin said somewhat ashamed.
"So, who has already had their Bankai stolen?"
Urahara Kisuke's pupils constricted.
If Captain Commander Yamamoto's Bankai was stolen... "The Captains of the Second, Sixth, Seventh, and Tenth Divisions have definitely had their Bankai stolen on the battlefield, and perhaps also Lieutenant Chojiro Sasakibe of the First Division, who may have already fallen."
Akin replied.
"That's really bad~"
Urahara Kisuke said it was bad, but in reality, he let out a sigh of relief, his hanging heart finally settling.
"If that's the case, I might be able to find a way to get Mr. Kurosaki to the Soul Society for support."
After weighing the pros and cons, Urahara Kisuke decided that, at least for now, he would use Kurosaki ichigo's combat power to help the Soul Society get through this battle, at least without too much loss.
At the same time, he was also secretly making some gadgets. If his prediction was correct, they might come in handy very soon.
"Really? That's wonderful!"
Akin was overjoyed.
"If the situation becomes too dire, perhaps we can have Captain Kensei Muguruma of the Ninth Division try to engage in Bankai combat."
Urahara Kisuke pondered for a moment and decided to let Kensei test the waters.
"Captain Muguruma? I understand!"
Akin thought about Kensei Muguruma's unique qualities compared to other Captains. After much thought, perhaps the only special aspect was that he was a victim of Aizen's Hollowfication experiments.
Connecting this to Kurosaki ichigo's Bankai being unable to be stolen, and Kurosaki ichigo possessing Hollowfication abilities, meaning he has the power of a Hollow within him, perhaps this could prevent his Bankai from being stolen by the enemy.
"Found you."
Just then, Cirucci's sinister voice rang out.
Rumble—!
A brilliant blue spiritual energy saber was swung down forcefully, creating a deep crater on the ground.
However, when the smoke cleared, Urahara Kisuke was not cut in half on the spot, but had already dodged to the other side.
"So dangerous, so dangerous!"
Pesche, who had been with Urahara Kisuke, was scared witless and quickly ran away, not forgetting to kick Dondochakka flying before he left.
"Mr. Urahara? Thank goodness, you're alright."
Kurosaki ichigo, who had been fiercely attacking Kaiser, seeing Urahara Kisuke attacked, immediately left the battlefield and ran over, saying with concern.
Evidently, Kaiser's "provocation" had not worked.
Just as Ginjo Kūgo had once told Kurosaki ichigo about the darkness of the Soul Society and the treachery of Jūshirō Ukitake, Kurosaki ichigo had his own judgment.
Kurosaki ichigo had never truly lost a comrade, so he was more willing to trust the Shinigami. Even if they were hiding something from him, he would genuinely feel that they had their reasons.
"Mr. Kurosaki, we need to leave Hueco Mundo. This is an emergency, and you are needed immediately in the Soul Society."
Urahara Kisuke raised his cane, having already prepared a Senkaimon, with a huge passage appearing behind him.
"Stop! Do you think I'll just stand by and let you go to the Soul Society as reinforcements?"
Cirucci was furious and was about to step forward to unleash The Prison (Quincy Power) to stop Kurosaki ichigo. Even if Kurosaki ichigo might eventually break through, it would at least delay him for a while.