After Shin left the scene using his Wings of Crimson, he planned to rendezvous with Yoruichi and the others. However, he found that everyone's Reiatsu was not in one place.
'It seems they're still acting separately?'
...
Not long after Shin left, Unohana Retsu of the Fourth Division and Kyoraku Shunsui of the Eighth Division arrived one after another.
Unohana calmly organized her Fourth Division members to treat Gin and Momo, and had Aizen's body taken down, preparing to bring it back to the Fourth Division for investigation.
Shunsui, meanwhile, despite his astonishment, detected a strange aura. Connecting this with the series of incidents that had occurred recently, it made him feel a sense of unease.
First, there was Rukia's death sentence.
Logically speaking, as a member of the Kuchiki clan, one of the Four Great Noble Clans, Rukia shouldn't have been sentenced to capital punishment merely for transferring Shinigami powers.
He even suspected that this was the result of manipulation by another noble clan—the Tsunayashiro clan—behind the scenes.
The Tsunayashiro clan had always been dissatisfied with Byakuya, the head of the Kuchiki clan, marrying an ordinary woman from Rukongai.
And they opposed Rukia being adopted into the Kuchiki clan.
Second, there was the death of Aizen.
Why was Gin, who also fought the Ryoka, merely injured and unconscious, while Aizen died?
He guessed that the purpose of these Ryoka should only be to rescue Rukia. But now, they had killed a captain of the Gotei 13, which would put them at odds with Soul Society.
If it was only to rescue Rukia, there was no need to kill Aizen.
If not, then what was their purpose?
In short, the current Soul Society gave Shunsui a feeling that a storm was brewing.
He immediately decided to go and discuss this matter with his good friend, Jūshirō.
On the other side, after Unohana brought Aizen's body back to the Fourth Division, she immediately launched an investigation.
The direct cause of death was Aizen's own Zanpakutō plunged into his heart, and there were burn marks on his body, which was consistent with Gin's condition.
Moreover, after her careful examination, it was confirmed that this body was not a Gigai.
On the surface, it appeared that the Ryoka had first defeated Gin, then engaged in battle with Aizen, who arrived later.
Aizen was defeated and killed!
However, Unohana's intuition told her that the matter was not so simple.
Unohana was not just ordinary medical personnel. As the first Kenpachi, she had killed countless enemies. She later transferred to the Fourth Division, and over a thousand years, she had seen countless corpses.
Aizen's body gave her a strange feeling. Her senses told her that Aizen was dead, but her intuition told her there was something else strange behind this.
Therefore, she decided to investigate privately.
—
Uryū summoned his bow, an arrow already nocked.
Chad activated his ability—Right Arm of the Giant!
In this state, he gains higher burst power and speed, and can unleash blue Reiryoku blasts.
Chad was taciturn and knew little about Rukia's situation, but he resolutely chose to break into Soul Society with Ichigo.
Simply because he and Ichigo were best friends, and he would go to any lengths for a friend.
The two launched an attack together, arrows and shockwaves assailing Mayuri. Mayuri merely sidestepped, dodging both their attacks.
Looking at the wall destroyed by the shockwave, Mayuri's interest grew even stronger.
"An unknown ability? Interesting."
Uryū continuously flashed to different positions to launch attacks.
Hirenkyaku, a high-level Quincy movement technique. With it, one can achieve high-speed movement by adjusting the flow of Reishi beneath their feet.
Chad, meanwhile, used shockwaves to restrict Mayuri's movements.
The two cooperated well, but their destructive power was insufficient. Mayuri easily neutralized their attacks using only his Zanpakutō.
"Wouldn't it be better to just be a research subject? I'll be very gentle."
Mayuri's Reiatsu gradually rose.
"Rip! Ashisogi Jizō!"
Its blade transformed into three, with a baby-like face at the base, from whose mouth purple smoke emanated.
Mayuri flashed in front of Chad, and with lightning speed, left a deep wound from Chad's right arm to his chest.
"Sado!"
Seeing this, Uryū quickly used Hirenkyaku to reach Chad's side and supported him.
"How are you?"
"My body... I can't move it." Chad was drenched in cold sweat from the pain.
"How is it? Does it hurt a lot? When struck by my Ashisogi Jizō, the commands from the brain to 'control the limbs' will be severed, but the sensation of pain will not."
Saying this, Mayuri continued to slash at Chad, while Uryū, supporting Chad, could only constantly dodge.
Finally, Uryū was unable to dodge in time and was stabbed in his left arm.
"To save your so-called comrades, you'd rather get injured yourself?"
Mayuri continued to attack Chad, having calculated that Uryū would definitely prioritize saving his comrade over his own safety.
Looking at the two who had lost their mobility, he was about to step forward to end the battle.
But then Uryū stood up, Reiryoku gushing out from his body.
"This is... Ransōtengai?!"
Ransōtengai, a top-tier combat technique that uses countless interwoven filamentous Reishi strands to connect immovable body parts, forcing them to move like a puppet.
Mayuri exclaimed, "I didn't expect you to be quite talented."
Uryū looked at Chad, who had lost his fighting ability, and recalled his grandfather's teachings.
What he truly wanted to protect, he still wasn't clear. But he absolutely could not abandon the comrade before him.
He had lost to a Shinigami before. This time, he absolutely could not lose again.
This was an unavoidable battle!
So, he removed the "Sanrei Glove" from his right hand.
The Sanrei Glove allows Reishi to diffuse in a highly concentrated form. Once removed, while power is greatly enhanced, the Quincy's powers are lost.
He had been training for this for over ten days.
Uryū's body erupted with powerful Reiatsu, and Reishi formed a blue wing on his right shoulder.
And it continuously absorbed and grew by converting surrounding buildings into Reishi.
"What is this form? What is this Reiatsu?" Mayuri was in shock.
Uryū drew his bow, and with just two arrows, severely wounded Mayuri.
"A mere Quincy! How dare you!"
Mayuri was furious.
"Then I shall respond with a corresponding power!"
"Bankai! Konjiki Ashisogi Jizō!"
Mayuri's Zanpakutō transformed into a giant monster, resembling a centipede, with a golden baby's head, huge gray eyeballs, and a steel halo-like circle above its head.
Dozens of poisonous blades extended from the monster's chest, and it continuously spewed poisonous mist from its mouth, charging towards Uryū.
Uryū slowly drew his bow, unleashing his strongest attack. The arrow pierced through the monster, hitting Mayuri behind it.
The giant monster split in two!
Mayuri was in a sorry state, a large hole blasted through his chest.
Uryū was also not well, his bow's string broken, his body trembling uncontrollably.
Just as he thought he had dealt with Mayuri, he saw Mayuri plunge his Zanpakutō into his own throat, his body transforming into green liquid.
Slowly, he disappeared.
—
Shin saw the giant bug from afar, and when he arrived, he just witnessed Mayuri escaping. However, he did not see his lieutenant, Nemu.
Looking at Chad lying on the ground and the exhausted Uryū, he asked, "How are you two doing now?"
Uryū replied with difficulty, "Nohara... Sado and I... were poisoned by Kurotsuchi, our limbs... can't move."
Shin said, "Poisoned? Where is Inoue now? With her ability, she should be able to detoxify you."
"Inoue is with Yoruichi-san, we... got separated."
Uryū simply assumed that Yoruichi had told Shin about Orihime's abilities.
"Alright. Let's go find them now."
With that, Shin picked up one in each hand and flew off.
—
In contrast, Yoruichi and Orihime's side was the calmest.
Yoruichi, relying on her knowledge of Seireitei, led Orihime to evade waves of Shinigami.
Just now, they had received shocking news—Gin was defeated, and Aizen was killed.
"What in the world is Nohara doing?"
Yoruichi didn't believe Shin would kill Aizen, nor did she think Aizen would be killed so easily.
Orihime, however, worried. "How could this happen? Will Nohara-san be alright?"
Yoruichi affirmed, "Don't worry. That guy is very strong."
In truth, she wasn't entirely sure herself, because she knew how terrifying Aizen was. If Aizen was truly taken down by him, Shin might not be in a good state either.
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but feel a bit worried.
"We can't help Nohara for now, and Seireitei will definitely intensify its search efforts. Let's find a place to hide first."
She planned to take Orihime to the underground space beneath Sōkyoku Hill, which was her former training ground. Then, she would go find the others and have them rendezvous there.
(End of Chapter)
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