Thud!
The soccer ball stopped at her feet, but Karin Kurosaki didn't move.
"Hey, Karin, kick it already!" her teammates urged.
"Karin! I'm talking to you!"
"Karin!"
Karin Kurosaki stared up at the sky, sweat sliding down her forehead. The clear blue sky twisted unnaturally, as if some enormous beast lurking behind the curtain of heaven was slowly opening its mouth.
"Hurry up!"
"What are you doing?"
"Run!"
Karin Kurosaki snapped back to herself and hurriedly kicked the ball.
"Uh…"
Thud!
The ball flew straight into a teammate's head.
Karin Kurosaki froze.
"Ah… I'm sorry…"
"Karin!" Her teammates had finally had enough. Karin Kurosaki was their main player, yet today she was completely off.
"You've been acting weird this whole time. First you're spacing out, then you're kicking all over the place."
"Do you even want to keep practicing?"
Karin Kurosaki clenched her teeth and raised a hand.
"Hey!"
Her teammates immediately jumped back.
"Don't tell me you really don't want to practice anymore?"
"Th-then… fine…"
"Sorry," Karin Kurosaki said, tugging the brim of her cap.
"I think I'll head back first."
Ignoring their attempts to stop her, Karin Kurosaki turned and left.
She really wasn't in a good state today. Ever since earlier, she hadn't been able to shake this strange, oppressive feeling. It was as if something terrible was happening, something that made it impossible for her to focus on playing at all.
Maybe it was better to just go home, wash up, and sleep early.
Karin Kurosaki headed toward the stone steps. The place they were at was a wide platform halfway up a mountain, reachable only by climbing a long flight of stone stairs. Because of that, hardly anyone ever came here. It made it perfect for uninterrupted practice.
Karin Kurosaki suddenly stopped. Reflected in her eyes was the face of someone climbing up the steps.
"Big brother…"
...
Nowhere to be found…
Ichigo Kurosaki had already run through several locations, but he still couldn't find his younger sister, Karin Kurosaki. Her spiritual power was so strong. With so many Hollows suddenly appearing nearby, it would be disastrous if even one of them noticed her.
Ichigo Kurosaki pulled out his phone, intending to call Muten Natsu.
If it were him…
Busy.
Ichigo Kurosaki tightened his grip on the phone in frustration.
It was always like this. Whenever things reached this point, he instinctively hoped someone else would help him. Muten Natsu had saved him so many times that he couldn't help believing that he would show up again this time too.
Always relying on others was exactly why he ended up like this. The moment he could no longer depend on anyone, he would sink straight back into that same crushing helplessness.
If only he had power like Muten Natsu's… or even the strength Ishida Uryū had shown earlier…
Ichigo Kurosaki's gaze suddenly stopped. The pendant his mother had left him, tied around his wrist, was glowing faintly for some reason.
What was this…?
The silver cross swayed and slowly turned, reflecting a grotesque, pale face.
A Hollow!
Ichigo Kurosaki instantly darted to the side. Sharp claws grazed past his shoulder.
He barely managed to steady himself when the yellow-brown Hollow was already swinging its claws at him again. Relying on years of experience brawling with Yasutora Sado, Ichigo Kurosaki easily avoided the first swipe, then shifted his body again to dodge the second.
Boom!
A deafening explosion rang out.
Ichigo Kurosaki whipped his head toward the sound, his heart jolting in alarm.
He remembered that direction. It was the secret training spot where his younger sister Karin Kurosaki practiced soccer with her friends. Because reaching it meant climbing a long flight of stairs, hardly anyone ever went there.
Could it be…
In the instant his focus wavered, the Hollow suddenly twisted its body. Its long tail whipped upward, the hooked tip sharp as a blade, stabbing straight toward Ichigo Kurosaki's chest.
There was no time to dodge. Ichigo Kurosaki could only raise his arm to block.
Damn it… if only I had power…
A brilliant blue light burst forth in an instant!
The cross on Ichigo Kurosaki's wrist lifted into the air as Reishi in the surroundings was forcibly drawn in, forming a vaguely shaped shield of light in front of him.
The Hollow's tail slammed into the light shield but couldn't push forward even a fraction. Layered force crashed against it, only to be forcibly repelled. With a sickening crack, bones snapped and tendons tore as the tail was crushed.
The long tail fell limply. The Hollow let out a shrill howl and swung its claws in rage.
Ichigo Kurosaki felt a warm current surge from the cross pendant into his palm. The sensation felt like…
"Mom…" Ichigo Kurosaki murmured.
An image of his mother wearing the pendant flashed through his mind. Gritting his teeth, Ichigo Kurosaki clenched his fist.
After being gone for so long… are you still protecting me?
His hand never actually touched the cross pendant. Instead, turbulent Reishi gathered and churned in his palm, almost solid to the touch.
Not a shield.
Ichigo Kurosaki stared at the Hollow's razor-sharp claws. Time seemed to slow to a standstill. He could clearly see the undisguised hunger in the Hollow's eyes.
What he wanted wasn't a shield to protect himself.
What he needed was something stronger. Something that could protect others.
The cross pendant twisted within his palm. Brilliant light extended from one side, forming a small [卍].
Two rays of light expanded outward, stretching into sharp half-arcs. As Reishi flooded in, they took on the shape of a Reishi bow.
The strange transformation felt almost instinctual. Ichigo Kurosaki recalled how Uryū Ishida had fought before and tried to imitate him, raising the bow and pulling back—
Where was the string?!
His hand grasped at empty air, and the Hollow's claws were already about to reach him.
In that critical moment, with no time to think further, he moved on instinct. Imitating Muten Natsu, Ichigo Kurosaki twisted his body to evade the attack, then swung the Reishi bow in his hand straight at the Hollow's head.
In the blink of an eye, one end of the Reishi bow shrank while the other extended violently. Though it still retained the outline of a bow, in his hand it felt more like a massive blade: a blue, crescent-shaped greatsword with a sharp hilt and curved edge.
The Hollow tried to dodge, but the sudden extension caught it completely off guard.
Surging Reishi coursed along the crescent blade, tearing through the Hollow's hide and cleanly severing its head.
"Huff… huff…!!"
Ichigo Kurosaki panted heavily as he watched the Hollow's body dissolve into scattered Reishi. He stared blankly at the crescent blade in his hand.
The crescent blade slowly dispersed. The light faded from the cross, which dropped back against his wrist.
It was as if everything that had just happened had been nothing more than an illusion.
And yet, Ichigo Kurosaki could feel it clearly. As long as he willed it, the cross would gather Reishi once more and form that crescent blade in his grasp.
This was… his mother's power.
The power she had left behind so he could protect his family.
Ichigo Kurosaki turned his gaze toward the direction of the stone steps, his eyes steady and resolute.
This time, he would use this power to protect his family.