Ichigo Kurosaki had reclaimed his Soul Reaper powers.
Facing the onslaught of his Getsuga Tensho, the XCUTION members scattered. But the moment Ichigo and his allies moved to press the advantage, two Fullbringers took action.
"Geez, everyone's getting so worked up. Did you forget we're still in the World of the Living?"
"If we make too much of a mess here in Naruki City, it's going to get uncomfortable for outcasts of the spirit world like us...!"
The blonde youth, Yukio Hans Vorarlberna, and the magenta-haired girl, Riruka Dokugamine, activated their "cherished items." Their spatial-type Fullbring abilities instantly sucked both friend and foe into separate dimensions.
The battlefield shifted from a group melee to a series of isolated duels.
"What?! Where the hell am I?!"
"Crap! Ururu!"
"The basic rule of war is to divide and conquer the weaker force, right?"
Karin and the rest of the Karakura Super Heroes, who had charged in recklessly, were split up by Yukio's ability.
"Nice, Yukio! Keep bringing 'em to me! I'll crush them with my Jackpot Knuckle in one—wait, a-a-a girl!!?"
"Oh, you're bald just like Jinta's friend... I feel a certain kinship..."
Ururu Tsumugiya, wandering through a bizarre RPG-themed space, came face-to-face with the waiting schoolboy, Moe Shishigawara.
"I'm sorry. Leaving that idiot Kurosaki alone with someone as sharp as Ginjo seems like it would lead to trouble. I wanted to avoid being rough with a lady, but please forgive me."
"Heh... you're quite the gentleman for a high school boy. But for a race of cowards who snipe from afar with arrows, a close-quarters brawl might be a bit much for you to handle, don't you think?"
Uryu Ishida had been dropped into a swampy stage, where he was met by Jackie Tristan, who unceremoniously sank her polished leather boots into the muck.
"Ah... that spiritual pressure from Ginjo earlier! That is what I've been seeking! I'll kill this brat and claim that power for myself as quickly as possible...!"
"Ichigo's power belongs to him! I won't let you have it!"
Orihime Inoue channeled her energy into her hairpins, facing off against the elderly Giriko Kutsuzawa, who was shouting with a maddened, longing voice.
"It seems my ability has truly been erased. He really is an unreasonable existence."
"You're far too dangerous. I won't let you anywhere near Ichigo...!"
Yasutora "Chad" Sado, fueled by an unwavering conviction, stood his ground for a one-on-one duel against the terrifying Shukuro Tsukishima.
And then.
"...The 'Beginning of the Substitute Soul Reaper System'?"
Ichigo was stunned by the story Rukia Kuchiki told him.
"Long ago, the Soul Society recruited a certain human to act as a Substitute Soul Reaper. But that man suddenly murdered the Soul Reapers in his town and vanished. This happened long before you ever appeared."
"The Substitute before me..."
"Yes, Ichigo. That criminal is the one who used you for his revenge against the Soul Society."
The First Substitute Soul Reaper: Kugo Ginjo.
High above the center of the blast where the Getsuga Tensho had detonated, a man emerged from the clearing smoke.
"I owe you one, Kurosaki. If I hadn't taken your power, I'd probably be dust by now."
"What...!"
The man was clad in armor made of white bone. Feeling the surge of spiritual pressure laden with Hollow factors, Ichigo froze.
"Now, let's start over. The power you received from the Soul Reapers you trust, versus the 'Goddess's Protection' I stole from you. Let's see which one actually made Ichigo Kurosaki strong... I'm going to engrave the answer into your very flesh!!"
The final battle against the conspiracy-laden Fullbringer society, XCUTION, had begun. Biting his lip in humiliation, Ichigo clashed with Kugo Ginjo, who was now commanding those familiar chains of light.
+++
"Damn it! How long is this hallway?! Be a man and fight me fair and square!"
"He's obviously a coward who knows he can't win head-on! Quit wasting time on these weaklings and help me find that kid, you idiot!"
"I'm busy knocking down those weird missiles for you! You're the one who needs to find the enemy, brat!"
"What did you say?!"
"You want to go, huh?!"
Karin and Jinta sprinted through a digital-style corridor, bickering as they intercepted incoming long-range attacks. Despite being teammates, they remained as hostile toward each other as ever.
The master of the space responded to their unconscious provocations.
"Did you say... 'coward who knows he can't win'?"
A sudden voice. They turned to see the petite boy standing at the end of the hallway.
"I really... hate bratty kids who don't know their place. It makes me want to kill you."
"Look out, Karin!"
"Whoa!"
The walls of the corridor melted, spitting out countless orbs of black sludge. The two narrowly dodged, only to see the sludge form into amorphous monsters with rows of vicious teeth.
"Hahaha! Did you know? In the original tabletop games, slimes are actually high-tier characters with great defense and speed. They're the perfect executioners for people like you who underestimate their opponents."
"Tch, a monster tamer."
"Crap, we're surrounded..."
Trapped in the narrow space with enemies in front and behind, Karin and Jinta grit their teeth. The boy watched them with a smug, predatory grin.
"A Black Ooze has appeared! Now, the battle begins. I hope you can make it out of my dungeon alive. Hehe."
+++
"Heh, not bad!"
"You too! I didn't think your power would jump that much...!"
The scene shifted to a swampy area within Yukio's game space. Uryu Ishida utilized his Flash Step variant to sprint across the surface of the mud, analyzing the woman's ability.
(Her spiritual pressure, speed, and physical strength are continuing to rise. It's not overwhelming yet, but the principle behind it is troubling.)
He knew Fullbringers fought by drawing out the soul of an object. If he could destroy the item acting as the source of her technique, he could end this without causing her unnecessary harm.
"You're awfully quiet over there! Take this!"
Uryu scrambled to dodge a strike from the woman, whose speed had increased again. His body felt heavier than usual. Though he was using his spirit threads to compensate, the wound he received from Tsukishima was definitely taking a toll on his stamina.
"Just like you don't have a hobby of hurting women, I don't have a hobby of bullying children. Especially wounded ones."
"Ugh... and? Are you suggesting a ceasefire until the others are finished?"
The two faced each other, trading provocations while staying on high alert. Uryu tried to buy time to analyze her, but Jackie was too seasoned an expert to fall for a rookie move like that.
"Are you serious?"
"Her spiritual pressure is rising even more...!"
"In this world, it's survival of the fittest. There is only one way to live in this godforsaken world ruled by the law of the jungle."
When facing prey... you discard both mercy and play.
Dirty Boots.
Clad in dark garter stockings, a black half-veil, a military cap, and a white fur scarf, the fully realized form of Jackie Tristan launched a god-speed kick at Uryu's head.
+++
While the battles grew more intense across the dimensions, the battlefield where Ururu Tsumugiya had been isolated from her friends was strangely laid-back.
"Yeah! Take a good look at this!"
A thundering boom echoed as a massive crater formed in the ground.
"How's that, girl?! This is my Fullbring! A super lucky punch that triggers a 'Guaranteed Critical' on whatever I hit!"
The boy, about her age, shouted at her while looking away, looking somewhat embarrassed. Ururu couldn't sense any actual malice from the boy who called himself Shishigawara. Unsure how to react to his boastful behavior, she decided to just be polite.
"Um... that's impressive?"
"Gah... h-her heart...!"
She had said the same thing Jinta's friends usually liked to hear, but it seemed to have dealt a psychic blow to the boy. Ururu watched as he collapsed, wondering why the hearts of boys were so difficult to understand.
"N-No! I won't lose! Mr. Tsukishima is suffering, so I have to work hard for him as his underling!"
The boy stood back up on trembling legs, though his fighting spirit remained low. Ururu was worried about Karin and the others, but since she trusted Jinta, she decided it was best to keep this Shishigawara person occupied here.
Even if the boy was like this, his ability was a threat to her friends.
"L-L-Look, girl! If you don't want to get hurt, just surrender and go home! Next time, this is going straight into your gut!"
"Are you... worried about me?"
"Gwah... she's... too pure..."
Ururu tilted her head, watching as the boy seemingly exhausted himself just by talking to her. The kind-hearted girl had no intention of using violence on a human, yet she was unintentionally becoming a "man-killer."
+++
A violent sound of destruction echoed through a white corridor. The battle in the deepest part of Invaders Must Die was proceeding in the owner's favor.
"Look, look! That's a dead end. Get them, Black Ooze!"
Yukio's lighthearted voice echoed from afar. Karin Kurosaki forced her shaking legs to stand, narrowly dodging a strike from a slime's tentacle.
"Damn it... there's no end to them...!"
"That's because you... charged in head-first and let that sludge swallow your weapon, you idiot...!"
"Shut up! You're the one who hasn't landed a single hit with those wimpy shots!"
"What did you say?!"
Even at this point, the two continued to bark at each other. The enemy didn't miss the opening.
"Where are you looking? There!"
"Whoa!"
"Hey, watch out, Karin!"
A tentacle whip lashed down at the distracted girl. She rolled away just in time, but found herself backed against a wall, defenseless against the slimes' follow-up.
"Hahaha! Got you cornered!"
"Crap—!"
There was no time to recover. Karin squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for the impact of the massive, battering-ram-like lump of sludge.
...But the impact never came. Slowly opening her eyes, she gasped at the figure standing before her.
"Jinta?!"
Spreading his arms and legs, the red-haired boy was holding back the slime's charge. Jinta Hanakari had put his own body on the line to shield the girl he had been bickering with.
+++
Riruka Dokugamine was a spatial-type Fullbringer on par with Yukio. Inside the vast, decorated box created by her ability, two miniature battles were taking place.
In one corner, brilliant spiritual pressures clashed.
"Please, Tsubaki!"
—Shield of Solitary Heavenly Resistance!—
The battle between the man and the woman, despite their small size, was a clash of divine powers far beyond the human realm.
"I see. An ability that violates the territory decreed by God, and an ability that fulfills the contracts decreed by God. I dismissed you as a troublesome weakling, but this is a truly fascinating match."
The speaker was Giriko Kutsuzawa. Recalling the details of Orihime's Fullbring that he had heard from Tsukishima, he felt a faint surge of excitement.
Orihime Inoue scowled at the man's composure, launching another attack with the strength she had honed over the past seventeen months.
"I believe I told you it was useless, Inoue."
"No way...!"
The light of her attack vanished the moment it struck the man.
"Just now, I made a contract with the God of Time stating that 'if I am exposed to any spiritual threat within thirty minutes,' that threat's power will be reduced to zero. For the next thirty minutes, not a single one of your attacks will reach me."
The man boasted of his power, and Orihime bit her lip.
Giriko's Fullbring was a cruel ability that caused various phenomena based on a designated time limit. Faced with an unknown power, the girl had allowed him to prepare, granting him invincible defense.
But she would not give up.
"There is no such thing as 'invincible' in this world! Don't underestimate me!"
"Hehe. Forcing out strong words to encourage yourself... how incredibly brave and pitiful."
Convinced of his victory, the man gripped a second pocket watch. The number on the watch, the source of his power, was "6."
"Well, it seems the divine contest has been decided in my favor. Wasting any more time is pointless. As God's spokesman, I shall..."
...execute you with the flames of time.
+++
"...It looks like Giriko is finishing up, too."
Inside another part of the storage box, another battle continued.
Riruka Dokugamine, sensing the spiritual pressure of her ally, felt a pang of guilt for her acquaintance Orihime, yet she forced her focus back to her own opponent.
"I knew there wasn't a chance in a million for that girl to beat Giriko... but I didn't think I'd be able to neutralize a Soul Reaper like you so easily—Lieutenant Rukia Kuchiki of the Thirteenth Division?"
She looked down with a smirk at the small devil doll rolling on the ground. The voice of humiliation spilling from the doll's mouth was that of the female Soul Reaper she had been fighting just moments ago.
"...Ugh, damn you...!"
"Oh, how cute. This is what happens when you underestimate us Fullbringers as 'mere humans.'"
Since Rukia had stubbornly refused to point her sword at the living Riruka, it was impossible for her to avoid the "first-strike kill" ability. Riruka boasted over her captured, helpless enemy.
"...'Mere humans,' huh?"
"What about it?"
"You seem quite fixated on the fact that you aren't 'normal'..."
Riruka's smile vanished at the Soul Reaper's words.
"Of course I am."
Before she knew it, she was venting years of frustration at her enemy.
"We met Tsukishima because we weren't 'normal,' and we were saved by Ginjo because we weren't 'normal'!"
This was the true nature of Fullbringers. They were the prey, persecuted by the "normal humans" who held the power of the majority.
Yes. Despite their special powers, they were the ones being "eaten."
"The phrase 'survival of the fittest' is just a distraction. It's meant to trick the weak into thinking they can become strong if they try hard enough."
The true meaning of the proverb, Riruka stated, was not about social victory or defeat based on skill. It was the opposite: it was about the "incapable majority" using their numbers to devour the "special minority."
We are not normal humans.
"A person who couldn't find any value in their own power because they couldn't even protect their family."
"A person who was abandoned and had their heart and their way of using power twisted."
When a parent thinks, "This is not my ideal child," the child also thinks, "This is not my ideal parent."
"A person who began to hallucinate that they were God's spokesman while using their power."
When I withdrew my wish to God and lost an eye as a consequence, I realized this ability was not a "prayer," but a "contract."
"A person who used their power foolishly and isolated themselves."
I never considered what would happen if that person revealed my ability.
The members of XCUTION were a collection of isolated prey, born with rare and superior abilities.
"The one who appeared before us... was Kugo Ginjo."
"!"
The memory of their meeting brought the man's words back to her.
"He showed us hope. To us Fullbringers, who were about to be devoured by 'mere humans' who had nothing but loud voices and numbers."
Royalty, military families—throughout history, humanity had always been ruled by the minority.
The world today is far too tolerant of the incapable. Ginjo's words had sounded far sweeter to her than continuing to live as prey.
"Do you understand? To us, 'mere humans' are the 'enemies' trying to devour us. It definitely doesn't refer to us."
The girl looked down at the devil doll at her feet.
"We fight. To survive. To prove we are the strong. And we fight against you in the Soul Society, who want us to remain 'mere humans'... to remain the weak."
Among the enemies Yukio had isolated were people like Ichigo and Uryu, who wouldn't be easy to take down. Riruka felt a sense of urgency, wanting to provide backup for her comrades.
"Goodbye, Soul Reaper. I won't take your life, so just stay there and sleep until this is all over."
Issuing her declaration of victory, Riruka leveled the barrel of her Love Gun at the Soul Reaper.
But then.
"First Dance..."
—Tsukishiro!—
"What?!"
The girl's left foot was suddenly captured by a pillar of ice erupting from the ground. Staring down, she saw the Soul Reaper's Zanpakuto. Realizing she had been lured into an impromptu trap, Riruka cursed her own carelessness.
"...I will be honest. I do not entirely lack understanding for your feelings."
"You...!"
Rukia Kuchiki lowered her face, thinking of her own impoverished days in the Rukongai. She, too, had been someone with a "chosen" power who was nonetheless relegated to the status of prey.
But.
"I cannot abandon my comrades simply because I sympathize with you!"
It was true. Whether the opponent was human or something else was a minor issue. Rukia acknowledged her mistake and stood up in her doll form.
"Just as you are fighting, I have no intention of ending things here. Now, return my body to normal."
"Tch... I see. Asking the arrogant 'Gods of Death' to gracefully surrender was a fool's errand...!"
Perhaps out of stubbornness over the shift in power, Riruka's mind was set.
In that case, I will start by clearing up that misunderstanding.
"I told you, Fullbringer. The reason I—the reason we—fight you is not because of survival of the fittest, or the order of the spirit world, or any other law dictated by instinct or reason."
"!"
Rukia Kuchiki filled her lungs and spoke with every shred of her resolve.
"There is only one reason we swing our blades. To the bonds we've sworn to our souls...!"
Immediately after that declaration was made.
As if in response to the Soul Reaper's feelings, a massive torrent of spiritual pressure erupted from the battlefield of Orihime and Giriko on the opposite side of the storage box.
+++
"—I-Impossible...!"
Inside a dome of orange-shimmering light stood the chestnut-haired girl. Watching her stand firmly on the ground despite being covered in wounds, Giriko Kutsuzawa's voice cracked in shock.
"This cannot be...! The wrath of the God of Time is absolute! You should have been incinerated by the divine flames... why are you alive?!"
His ability, Time Tells No Lies, could even control the Fullbring of his own colleagues. Its strongest and most terrifying effect was the total incineration of anyone who broke a contract.
And yet, despite breaking a strict contract with an omnipotent supernatural existence, the woman before him was unharmed.
"...You are making a major mistake."
"What did you say?"
Orihime Inoue answered the trembling man with ragged breaths. Her training in Los Valles had borne fruit; her horrific burns, which had charred her entire body black, vanished in less than a minute.
"You called our battle a 'divine contest.' But my power isn't something sacred or virtuous like that."
Orihime spoke to Giriko, recalling the terrifying memory of the encounter where she first learned the true nature of her power.
"...Long ago, a man named Aizen analyzed my ability like this."
—A power that violates the territory of God.—
Even now, her spine chilled every time she remembered her audience with that Demon King. But the information she gained was a fair price for that terror.
"The rejection of phenomena. Overcoming the horizon of events decreed by God. That is the ability of my Shield of Six Heavenly Resistance."
"No way...!"
Realizing the logic of her claim, Giriko backed away in fear.
Of course, Orihime—who had experienced many tragedies as Aizen's "Princess"—had no mercy or kindness left for a man who had tried to kill her.
"Hinagiku. Baigon. Lily. Tsubaki."
"Shun'o."
The spirits of her hairpins responded to her call, transforming into a massive mass of spiritual pressure.
"I-It's a bluff! No matter how much you posture, my research says you're a human who avoids conflict...!"
The man's fading voice was proof of Orihime's resolve. The five comets gathered above her head awaited their master's command.
And so, the girl unleashed a special technique—one that symbolized her farewell to her weak, protected self.
She slammed it into the enemy of her beloved.
"If you use the power of the 'God of Time'... then I will reject the laws decreed by that God!"
—Five-Heavenly Fighting Shield!—
+++
The ground shattered, and spiritual pressure raged.
Three duels were taking place within Yukio's Fullbring space. But as if in response to Rukia's rallying cry, the scales of victory were tipping heavily toward Ichigo's comrades.
"—I'm sorry, bald man. I'm in a hurry."
"H-Her heart... it's too much... what a dirty trick..."
In a sterile hall—a battlefield devoid of any marks of conflict—the feminist Shishigawara collapsed to his knees in defeat after an unexpected blow from a quiet girl.
"It seems those dirty boots are the focus of your Fullbring."
"Unharmed...?!"
In the midst of a downpour of mud, Jackie Tristan watched with wide eyes as the youth she had struck with all her might remained completely unmoved.
"I believe you called Quincies cowards who rely on range?"
"!"
The woman instinctively put distance between them, only to immediately regret her rashness. As she retreated, her opponent leveled his spirit bow at her.
Feeling the terrifying spiritual pressure gathering there, Jackie Tristan had no choice but to acknowledge her defeat.
"That's quite an evaluation. But a true coward...
...is someone who preys on a person's heart and tramples it."
—Sacred Piercing Arrow: Heilig Vector—
...And in the center of the RPG-style space where they fought, the battle controlled by the master, Yukio Hans Vorarlberna, also took an unexpected turn.
"—Jinta!!"
The red-haired boy spat dark blood from his mouth. Karin Kurosaki instinctively clung to him as he stood there, wobbly after shielding her from the slime's attack.
"Ugh... d-don't get the wrong idea, violent woman...! If anything happens to you... Tessai will actually kill me...!"
"Jinta... you..."
The sight of him acting tough while barely able to breathe was painful. Supporting him, the girl stood there, stunned.
"Hah! What is that? A brat playing knight? How pathetic."
"..."
"It really... makes me sick. You brats who have been pampered by your wonderful daddies and mamas and big brothers... playing out some stupid heroic drama while living protected by your families. It's disgusting."
The footsteps of death approached. The enemy sneered at Jinta for sacrificing himself for a girl he shared a bitter bond with.
But those mocking words lit a fire in the girl's heart.
"—Shut up."
Honestly. Both of us are being so unlike ourselves.
Frustration swirled in her chest. In response, power surged from deep within her.
"! What's with you...?"
Hearing the enemy's confusion, Karin realized an unusual spiritual pressure was rising from her entire body.
Strangely, she felt no fear. It was as if she had understood what this power was all along, as if it were simply another limb.
"...Come."
"What?! You don't mean—"
Following her instinct, she called out into the distance. A moment later, a sphere suddenly appeared from the void.
Karin grabbed it, feeling the familiar, smooth texture. With a single breath, she tossed the black-and-white object high into the air.
"...I don't know what kind of life you've had."
"What...?"
"I can tell that compared to you, a kid who has to hang out with those shady people, I'm just a lucky brat."
Karin murmured the words as she looked at the blonde boy. Then, looking at him, she added a "But" and slowly... raised her right leg.
"No matter how much of a 'pity' you are...
—you don't get to laugh at my friends!!"
As her favorite soccer ball fell from the sky, burning like a sun, Karin Kurosaki kicked it with everything she had right into the enemy's smug face.
+++
"...Wh... What is this?!"
Sensing the sudden anomaly in the surrounding spiritual pressures, Riruka was shaken.
Inside her Doll House, Giriko was defeated. Outside, the presences of Jackie, Shishigawara, and Yukio had all weakened at once.
It meant the defeat of the XCUTION members she had been with for years.
"—Surrender, Fullbringer. You've lost."
The Soul Reaper's voice reached Riruka's ears. Rukia Kuchiki stood there without moving a muscle, clearly believing in the efforts of her comrades.
Riruka was overwhelmed by the way the enemy boasted of their bonds, as if flaunting them.
These are Ichigo's comrades...
"...Don't screw with me."
Rage boiled over.
Don't be ridiculous. You Soul Reapers, who only know victory and glory.
You lucky people of the "Light."
"Don't get cocky with me!!"
In response to her emotions, her spiritual pressure swelled. Driven by the deep-seated rebellion she had cultivated through years in the shadows, Riruka violently shattered her left ankle, which had been frozen by the Soul Reaper's technique.
"!? You idiot, what are you...!"
"Guh... ugh...!!"
Fighting through the agony, the girl glared at the Soul Reaper. Seeing the woman's shock brought her a small amount of satisfaction.
"...I know about you. The battles in the Soul Society... the battle with Sosuke Aizen... I know how much you've been through together...!"
"You..."
Having reclaimed her memories of Ichigo Kurosaki's heroics when Tsukishima's ability broke, she understood. The brilliant achievements, the proof of friendship. It was true; their bonds were likely a precious, irreplaceable thing.
But.
"You've only ever seen beautiful things...! You've only ever experienced happy endings...!"
How could these people—who had never known failure or humiliation, who always got exactly what they wanted as victors—understand?
"Don't think you've beaten us!!"
She stood up with a desperate effort on her crippled left leg. Blood flowed, and her consciousness wavered. Yet Riruka did not lose her fighting spirit.
She didn't want to lose. Not to this woman who claimed her bonds were the ultimate strength. Not to a Soul Reaper who insulted their bonds by telling them to "surrender."
Spiritual power dwells within the soul—within one's feelings. Just as Rukia's comrades had stood up in response to her struggle, the hearts of people were connected, even across different battlefields.
And it was the same for the girls of XCUTION.
Well said, Riruka.
The voice echoed in her head at the same moment.
Riruka Dokugamine was... pierced through the chest by a chain of light that had flown from nowhere.
+++
"...Tch. So they got taken out, huh..."
Among the five isolated stages Yukio had prepared, two massive presences were clashing on the most fortified stage of them all.
"HAAAAAAA-!!"
"Whoops."
Ichigo Kurosaki continued his offensive, repeatedly swinging his Zanpakuto. It was the Soul Reaper power he had reclaimed thanks to Urahara and the Soul Society.
But his strikes lacked their former sharpness.
"What's wrong, Ichigo? Your friends are winning, yet you look miserable...!"
"Hah! You're one to talk. Your allies are getting beaten, yet you're remarkably heartless! Now that you're back to normal, have you forgotten how to care about your comrades?"
Kugo Ginjo, his enemy, remained on the defensive, parrying the intense onslaught. Ichigo scowled at the man's unexpected attitude.
...It's strange. I should be the one pressing him. He has far more wounds. So why won't that look of composure leave his face?
Ignoring the alarm bells ringing in his instincts, the youth swung a full-power diagonal slash.
"Give it back... give back my Fullbring!!"
But his strike was easily deflected by Ginjo's greatsword, which had suddenly increased in spiritual pressure.
"You're wrong, Ichigo. It's my power now."
"!? Where did this come from...?!"
"You weakling. Did you think attacking these chains of light would hurt that masked personification? I told you... that kind of sentimentality and softness is the reason you get deceived over and over again!!"
"Gwah!"
Kugo Ginjo, clad in his skeletal armor, shifted from defense to offense. Ichigo, unable to parry the counterattack, was slammed into the ground.
Looking down at the groaning youth, Ginjo pulled the surrounding chains toward him, toying with them.
"Still, a sentient Fullbring is an interesting thing. It seems she won't lend me her power until I either make her acknowledge me or force her to submit, just like a Zanpakuto."
"Ugh... stop it...! Don't touch her!"
Ginjo had been passively parrying his attacks until now. Ichigo realized, with a wave of dread, exactly where the man's attention and consciousness had been focused.
Unluckily, his hunch was correct.
"...Hehe, not bad...! She resisted quite a bit from the inside, but she's finally quieted down."
"!?"
The quality of Ginjo's spiritual pressure changed.
In the next instant, the chains of light swirling around him were fired in every direction, toward the battlefields where Ichigo's comrades were fighting.
Immediately after.
From the points where the chains reached, several massive tornadoes of light erupted.
"This spiritual pressure... it's Riruka and the others! Ginjo, what the hell did you do?!"
Ichigo started to shout, but he was instantly silenced.
The anomaly was obvious.
The remaining few chains gathered before Ichigo's eyes, above Ginjo's head...
"...No way..."
The girl—the one who looked exactly like that "Reader," with her mask shattered to reveal her face—stood there, staring down with vacant eyes.
"Now then. Your nap time is over, XCUTION."
Time for a counterattack!!
***
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