Chapter 45: Arrival and Yoruichi's Reprimand
Narrator POV
Upon crossing the Senkai-mon, Akira and the others emerged into a strange and oppressive place: a vast subterranean corridor of colossal proportions, with walls of a purplish hue and a viscous texture that pulsed as if alive.
A dense, dark fog floated through the air, making it difficult to see, and the ground seemed to be made from a mixture of bone fragments and spiritual residue—like hundreds of souls had been devoured right there.
Akira: "Creepy enough… or could it get worse?"
"Run! Time is limited!" Yoruichi shouted, her feline figure becoming a blur as she accelerated with incredible speed.
Akira didn't hesitate. Urahara had been clear: if they didn't escape in time, they would be trapped forever. Gritting his teeth, he sprinted after Yoruichi. One by one, the others followed, the wa
nings of the "hat guy" echoing in their minds like a grim reminder.
"Th-the place is collapsing!" Orihime cried out in terror as the walls seemed to melt and stretch toward them, as if trying to capture them.
—Don't look back! That'll only slow you down! Just keep moving!
But Akira did look back. He briefly turned his head and saw the walls of the Dangai twisting, forming tentacles that stretched outward as if they had consciousness of their own. Reaching, grasping, wanting to drag them into oblivion.
He could run faster… much faster. His body wanted to. A part of him knew he could escape unscathed, leave everything behind. But another part refused to let the others die. Not without knowing if all of them would make it out alive.
Then, a tentacle shot out from one of the walls, grabbing onto Uryū's white cloak and yanking him toward the wall as if trying to devour him.
"Aaaahhh!"
"Eh!?" Ichigo turned at the sound of the scream. "Tch! That's what you get for wearing that damn butler costume!" he growled, drawing his zanpakutō, ready to slice the tentacle.
"Don't you dare, Ichigo! If you use your zanpakutō here, the Kōryū will swallow you too!" Yoruichi warned urgently, her eyes burning with seriousness.
The Dangai wasn't just a transition space—it was a living trap, a corridor of death. And they were in its center.
As always, Chad acted without hesitation. With calm but crushing strength, he grabbed the part of Uryū's cloak still unabsorbed and tore it off in one swift motion, freeing him from the Kōryū's grasp. Without a word, he threw the Quincy over his shoulder like a sack of rice and resumed running without looking back.
"Put me down, Chad! I am perfectly capable of running on my own!" Uryū protested, his pride wounded, waving his arms indignantly like a child.
"No time." Chad ignored him completely.
As they continued racing through the hellish corridor, Uryū—always alert—noticed a glow cutting through the fog. A lonely light, like a spotlight through a storm. He frowned, adjusting his glasses with one finger.
—Guys… I don't want to alarm you, but... something's coming.
"Great. And the best part is you don't want to scare us," Akira said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "Your way of reassuring people is amazing. Really."
But as soon as he finished speaking, the light grew stronger. A figure emerged from the fog and the pulsing walls of the Dangai—not human, not spiritual. More like a living construct, molded from the same organic purple material as the walls, yet long and metallic in shape.
Like a demonic locomotive, it advanced with a chilling buzz. At its front, a single yellow light shone like the eye of a blind beast.
"What… what the hell is that?" Uryū asked, forgetting entirely that he was still being carried.
"Whatever it is… it clearly isn't here to welcome us," Akira muttered, glancing back.
"It's the Kototsu!" Yoruichi shouted, a bead of sweat sliding down her feline forehead. "The Cleaner! It's only supposed to appear every seven years!"
"And it chose today to show up?! Didn't it have any other day to go for a walk?!" Akira barked, his brow twitching.
"I don't know! (Why now…? Damn it!)" Yoruichi thought, teeth clenched, frustrated by her limited form. "Run! Run for your lives!"
—It's catching up!. — Uryū's eyes widened behind his glasses.
"We're almost there! The exit is right ahead!" Even so, Yoruichi felt no relief, not even when she could see the light at the end.
The exit's glow grew brighter, but no one felt safe. The Kototsu was too close, roaring like an infernal train that crushed everything in its path. Its spiritual pressure was brutal—the ground trembled with every moment, as if space and time themselves were collapsing behind them.
Orihime, heart pounding, refused to remain helpless. Determination filled her eyes as she reached for her hairpin, calling her guardian spirits.
"Hinagiku, Baigon, Lily… help us!"
Energy bloomed around her.
"Santen Kesshun: I reject!"
A triangular shield of light materialized between them and the Kototsu, trembling under the massive spiritual pressure. But Orihime couldn't hold it alone—not for long.
Akira understood immediately.
Without hesitation, he appeared beside her in an instant. The Governor's Hand extended—firm and resolute. With one arm, he grabbed Orihime, and with the other, he seized the rest of the group as if they weighed nothing.
And then he launched himself forward.
A burst of black energy engulfed his body, and in a flash of speed, he released a glimpse of his true power.
In the blink of an eye, a dark blur tore across the Dangai, leaving behind only a trail of shadow and slicing wind.
The shockwave he produced was so powerful that the Kototsu veered off course for a moment.
Before Orihime's shield could shatter—before the infernal train could catch them—Akira had already crossed the Senkai-mon with everyone in tow.
.
.
.
.
Something fell from the sky and crashed violently outside the Seireitei, kicking up a massive cloud of dust that covered the area instantly.
When the dust began to settle, the scene became clear: Akira stood in the center of the crater, unharmed, with Orihime in his arms… while the rest of the group lay scattered on the ground like they had been launched from a catapult.
"Huh… went better than I expected."
"And why did you only save Orihime from crashing while you threw the rest of us like sacks of potatoes?!" Ichigo complained, brushing dirt off his shinigami robe.
"Good question." Akira replied with a sarcastic smirk as he eyed the group on the ground with amusement. "I guess I only have two arms… and one was already occupied."
Orihime, still in Akira's arms, blushed instantly. Her heart raced and she didn't know where to look. She was grateful… but she wasn't used to being this close to a boy, much less being carried like a princess.
"W-well… what matters is that we all made it out safe!" she said nervously, pressing her hands together with visible relief.
But the relief ended abruptly with a shout.
—This isn't good!—. Yoruichi leapt, aiming to headbutt Orihime in the forehead, furious.
Akira reacted instantly—he blocked her with one hand, causing Yoruichi (still in cat form) to smack into his palm with a dull thud.
—Tch!—. She felt the impact as if she'd slammed into a wall instead of a hand. —We were lucky the Kototsu hit only the shield and not the petals! If it had even grazed them, we wouldn't be standing here!.
Ignoring the throbbing in her head, Yoruichi landed on the ground, annoyed by the group's recklessness… though something in her eyes paused on Akira, as if reevaluating his strength and reflexes.
"Lower your expectations, Peruvian cat." Akira gently set Orihime down, then immediately grabbed Yoruichi with one hand.
Lifting her off the ground until they were face-to-face, the tension became palpable.
"Don't talk to us like we know everything about this place," he continued, voice cold, eyes sharp—he wasn't in the mood for this. "Don't pretend this is a field trip for us. We don't know anything about the Soul Society. Nothing. So stop treating us like we're seasoned soldiers. We're not. If we're still alive, it won't be because of your vague warnings— it'll be because we learn fast."
Akira's blue eyes glowed faintly, releasing a pressure that wasn't reiatsu—it was darker, more malignant. The oppressive weight of cursed energy.
Yoruichi swallowed, shocked by the dense, sinister aura he emitted. A chill ran down her spine.
In this cat form, she was limited… and for the first time since the journey began, she recognized a real threat.
He was right… She had been treating them like veterans, when they were barely taking their first steps.
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End of the chapter.