XX-level Hokage

Renji Abarai kept pushing Ichigo back as he attacked.

Even though he had only recently taken over as vice-captain, Renji Abarai's strength was genuine.

Not to mention, Renji Abarai showed absolutely no mercy or hesitation in his attack. It was as if he wanted to unleash all the anger and frustration he had accumulated over this period onto Ichigo, the culprit in his eyes.

Same as above.

If Ichigo's attitude was simply to defeat Sanji and Renji, then all he would face in the end was the fate of being defeated himself.

What are you saying?

Ichigo's eyes widened suddenly, and his pupils trembled slightly.

Overwhelmed by the force of the attack, he didn't even have time to defend against Asanami and Renji's attack, and was blasted away. He crashed through a wall and rolled into the open space behind it.

It turned out that the wall was not the enclosure of a building, but simply a wall that blocked the narrow passage from the open space.

A thick, dripping sound rang out as Ichigo's blood dripped continuously onto the ground, but he was completely oblivious to it at the moment.

Renji Abarai's words echoed in his mind.

A sense of dread, from who-knows-where, swept over his entire body.

"Didn't they say... didn't they say... didn't they say Rukia was definitely going to be sentenced to death?! If we don't come to save her, she's doomed?!" Ichigo's shouts echoed throughout the open space.

Chapter 73: Muddy

At the same time, it also reached the ears of Renji Abarai, who had stepped over the gap created by Ichigo Kurosaki. A hint of regret also appeared on Renji Abarai's face.

"What on earth are you thinking? Do you think you're some kind of amazing person?!"

"Mr. Kurosaki, this is the current situation. If you don't act quickly, you might never see Ms. Rukia again."

Oh, after all... the Soul Society won't show any mercy to criminals who commit such heinous crimes~~"

Kisuke Urahara's words echoed in Ichigo Kurosaki's ears. It was because he had witnessed Rukia Kuchiki being taken back with his own eyes, and because he believed in Kisuke Urahara, that he accepted this reality.

And they did everything in their power to regain their strength. And finally arrived here.

But now, through the enemy's words, he has realized that everything is different from what he was told, and different from what he imagined.

It's not that no one but him will help Rukia Kuchiki, or that no one but him can save her.

Was he, in a way, the one who caused trouble, having been lured here? "Wait, wait a minute!!"

My mind is a complete mess; I have no idea where to even begin. I can't tell who the good guys are and who has ulterior motives. But even if I can't figure it out right now...

If driven solely by emotions, there is one thing that is simple and clear enough.

"You mean, even if we do nothing, Rukia will be fine, right? And if we continue, it will only complicate things more, right? In that case, I can surrender! We can stop. We came here to help Rukia, and we never knew from the beginning that we would make Rukia's situation more difficult. That was not our original intention or thought!"

That's right. It was precisely because they mistakenly believed that Rukia Kuchiki was going to be executed and was doomed, and that no one could save her, that Ichigo Kurosaki and the others had to become the saviors.

Rukia Kuchiki would be fine without them; their presence only adds to the chaos.

They just need to stop here, and Chengcheng just needs to admit her mistake.

After all, their goal from the beginning wasn't to overthrow the entire Seireitei, but to save Rukia Kuchiki alone. However,

"What?! What a wonderful thing!!" Renji, who had paused briefly because of Ichigo Kurosaki, was instead enraged even more. He rushed in front of Ichigo Kurosaki, grabbed him, and threw him aside.

Just before Ichigo Kurosaki was about to crash into the wall, he appeared as if by teleportation and grabbed Ichigo's head, slamming it against the wall.

"How could there be such a thing as everything being peaceful just by admitting defeat?! Because of you guys, Rukia is doomed!!!" The previously stable and favorable situation suddenly changed.

The entire Seireitei was gripped by a tense atmosphere of fear and insecurity because of Rukia Kuchiki.

Even so, it was foreseeable that Rukia Kuchiki would at least be able to save her own life in the end.

But just today, not long ago, things suddenly changed. The Central Bureau of 46 became completely hardened, not only determined to eliminate the rotten wood...

Rukia was forcibly transferred, and without any explanation, Rukia Kuchiki was sentenced to death. At the time, I couldn't understand what was going on, but now I roughly understand.

Kurosaki Ichigo and his group's invasion occurred at night, but they certainly didn't arrive in the Soul World until later.

It's highly likely they arrived during the day, meaning that the Central 46, who were constantly monitoring the entire situation, were probably observing Ichigo Kurosaki and his group's movements. They were discovered when they first invaded the Soul Society. Then, the Central 46 used this as a breakthrough point to make a decision in one fell swoop.

Even though Rukia Kuchiki is currently being held temporarily in the Third Division's prison due to unforeseen circumstances, that's only a temporary solution. She will be transferred as soon as things calm down.

At that time, because Ichigo Kurosaki and his companions are skilled in the Soul Society, they will become Ryoka and disrupt peace, causing evil. In addition to bearing the consequences themselves, they will also be doubled on the shoulders of Rukia Kuchiki, who can be called the culprit in some ways.

It was because of this that Renji Abarai harbored resentment towards Ichigo Kurosaki.

Just as he said from the beginning, if Ichigo Kurosaki and the others hadn't done anything from the start...

Having regained his powers, he could have simply stayed in the human world, enjoying his newfound strength and barely surviving. Why did he have to come back to the Soul World and cause all this trouble? From the very beginning, after learning of Rukia Kuchiki's disappearance, he already harbored the intention to go to the human world and kill Ichigo Kurosaki before he could.

But in the end, I didn't make it.

Unexpectedly, instead of encountering Ichigo Kurosaki in real life, Renji Abarai saw him in the Soul Society. With both old and new grudges combined, Renji Abarai wished he could devour Ichigo's flesh and drink his blood!

Renji Abarai didn't care about anything about Ichigo Kurosaki doing it for Rukia Kuchiki, or that Ichigo wanted to save Rukia Kuchiki. He only cared about...

They knew that it was because of Ichigo Kurosaki and his group's unauthorized actions that things had turned out this way.

Renji slammed Kurosaki Ichigo's head against the wall with a vicious thud, but it didn't end there.

He slammed Ichigo's head into the wall and dragged Ichigo's body forward. The rumbling sounds continued incessantly.

Amidst a series of slamming sounds from the children, a straight gash was torn through the wall. It was caused by Ichigo Kurosaki's head smashing into it.

Ichigo Kurosaki's body, which had slipped from Renji Abarai's grasp, continued forward until it crashed into a corner of the wall, causing the wall to collapse like a house of cards. Only then did it slide down from above along with the rubble.

However, Renji Abarai had no intention of letting Ichigo Kurosaki go. The extended snake tail mace pierced into Ichigo's body before the rubble collapsed, forcibly pulling Ichigo out of the rubble and throwing him aside.

The irregular crackling and falling of rubble continued, and Ichigo Kurosaki, who had been thrown into the air, rolled wildly on the ground. When he finally stopped, he lay motionless like a lump of mud, as if he had lost his life.

The dust from the collapsing wall swept in, engulfing Asanami and Renji's feet.

Therefore, you should use your own lives as atoning for Rukia's sins; this is what you owe her.

In the dim darkness, amidst the swirling dust, Renji Abarai, holding the Zabimaru back in his hand, gleamed with a crimson killing intent in his eyes. After the alarm sounded for the invading Ryoka, Renji immediately realized that the Ryoka might be Ichigo Kurosaki's group, so he hastily returned to guard...

Near the Third Division's prison.

During this time, he also prayed that he would not have any relationship with Rukia Kuchiki, but things did not go as planned.

Ichigo and the others did arrive, which pushed Renji Abarai's anger and killing intent to their peak. "Ugh... Pfft, ugh—"

Kurosaki Ichigo, who was thought to be a mangled mess, was still alive. Not only that, he even started moving. Like a toy that had run out of power but was forcibly powered, Kurosaki Ichigo, lying in a pool of blood, struggled to his feet.

He vomited lumps of unknown substance and thick, sticky blood, and his face was so covered in blood that it was impossible to make out his features.

However, even amidst the bloodstains, beneath his hair, and in the darkness, Ichigo Kurosaki's eyes shone with an orange-yellow light. Meanwhile, Mashiro and Unohana were still chatting.

Chapter 74: First Awakening (Part 1)

"I remember you were the one who saved Kuchiki Hibiki from all opposition back then, right?" Unohana said softly, looking in one direction. "Really? I forgot," Mashiro replied with a smile.

"But, can these little guys we've brought in really cause trouble?" Egg Flower didn't press further and changed the subject.

"Hana, have you ever thought about this? What would happen if Shinigami had Hollow powers, or Hollows had Shinigami powers?" Mashiro didn't answer directly, but asked instead.

“Oh? I remember Kisuke Urahara seemed to have researched this.” Unohana said softly. “That’s right, and the most perfect work has now arrived in the Tokami world.”

Like a toy that had run out of power being forcibly powered, Ichigo, lying in a pool of blood, struggled to his feet.

He coughed up lumps of unknown substance and thick, sticky blood. His face was so covered in blood that it was impossible to make out anything.

However, one could see that amidst the bloodstains, beneath his hair, and in the darkness, Ichigo's eyes also shone with an orange light. It was not murderous intent, not hatred, not a negative emotion of wanting to destroy whatever stood in his way.

It's about protecting what you want to protect, and your unwavering determination and persistence, no matter how you change. You just said... Rukia is doomed. What does that mean?

One minute they were saying Rukia Kuchiki could be saved, the next they were saying Rukia Kuchiki was doomed.

His wavering statements were confusing. But Ichigo remained steadfast.

Even as the external environment changes continuously, and even as the narrative shifts dramatically in an instant, Ichigo remains unchanged: he came to protect Rukia Kuchiki.

If Rukia Kuchiki can still be saved, he can surrender and accept punishment without hesitation; if Rukia Kuchiki is doomed, then he will immediately change his mind, grip his sword tightly, and fight to the last moment.

"Even if I have to die, at least let me die knowing why." "So, you see..."

Their eyes met, and the crimson light clashed with the orange light. It was like the blood-red light of hell colliding with the candlelight illuminating the darkness.

Renji Abarai seemed to have completely lost interest in talking to Ichigo. His face contorted, he lunged at Ichigo again. "Why didn't you just die cleanly?! Why did you have to stand up like a cockroach?!"

"The answer is simple—" "What?!"

The swords clashed, sending sparks flying like exploding fireworks.

It's hard to imagine that Ichigo, in such a weakened state, could block Renji's furious attack!

Even before, Ichigo wouldn't have been able to reliably withstand Renji Abarai's attack; he would have at least been forced back a distance. But now, despite being like a lump of mud, he actually managed to block Renji Abarai's attack.

"Because I can't die."

Where Renji Abarai couldn't see...

A person appeared behind Ichigo.

A man with long hair, a beard, and semi-transparent sunglasses, wearing a black overcoat and white shirt. His hand rested on Ichigo's shoulder.

It turns out that Ichigo wasn't the only one who managed to block the attacks from Azan and Renji.

It was only by working together with this man that Ichigo achieved this. It was this man who lent Ichigo his power.

"That's right, Ichigo, you can't die in a place like this. How could an enemy of this level be worthy of being your opponent?" "If I die here, won't Rukia really die too?"

[That's right, Ichigo, you must move forward, forward, keep moving forward. Once you stop, you can't protect anyone.] "Aa ...

Power surged from the depths of his body, and Ichigo roared as he drew Zangetsu from his hand, defeating Renji Abarai head-on for the first time in his battle against her.

Thick spiritual pressure oozed from Ichigo's wounds, clinging tightly to his body and skin, as if a layer of spiritual pressure had been stuck to him.

However, I don't know if it's just my imagination, but at the edge of that surging spiritual pressure, it seemed to be fused with the darkness, as if it had been dyed black by ink.

How could such a thing be possible?

Renji Abarai was defeated head-on by Ichigo.

Even Ichigo in his full strength couldn't fight him head-on. Now, with his life hanging by a thread and practically a pile of minced meat, how could Ichigo possibly defeat him?

He had absolutely no idea what was going on.

What's even more incomprehensible is the overwhelming spiritual pressure emanating from Ichigo's body—a power that even he, as the vice-captain, finds hard to believe.

"Since you were hiding this level of power... why didn't you use it from the beginning?!"