As time drifted by, the scorching sun slowly dipped toward the west. At the very moment the remaining afterglow vanished beneath the horizon, the streetlamps across Karakura Town flickered to life one by one, pouring amber light over the silent city.
"Whoosh!"
High in the night sky, a faint spatial ripple suddenly echoed. A Senkaimon appeared out of thin air and swung open, revealing a dazzling white light—
"We've arrived, Captain Kaien," Fūjin Taichi said as he stepped out of the gate first, surveying the surroundings while speaking to Shiba Kaien behind him.
"Karakura Town really lives up to its reputation as a legendary Jūreichi," Kaien marveled. "Just taking my first breath here feels incredibly fresh and sweet—almost luxurious!"
"Heh…"
Taichi let out a cold chuckle but offered no comment, merely saying, "Captain Kaien, don't be too surprised when you see Kurosaki Ichigo later."
"What?"
At this point, Kaien was still unaware that his uncle, Isshin Shiba, had changed his name to Kurosaki Isshin—and that the target he was ordered to execute, Kurosaki Ichigo, was actually his cousin.
"Based on what Keichirō described, Kurosaki Ichigo looks very similar to you—aside from his hair color, you're practically identical."
"What?! That's actually possible?!" Kaien exclaimed in shock.
"I don't know all the details either," Taichi replied, "but I don't think Keichirō would joke about something like this."
He paused, then continued, "So before taking action, I think it's best we verify the intelligence ourselves."
"Hm… If that's really the case, then could it be—" Kaien stopped mid-sentence, knowing Taichi understood what he meant.
"That's entirely possible," Taichi said quietly. "After all, Senior Shiba disappeared in the Human World over twenty years ago…"
He looked at the contemplative Kaien and asked, "Captain Kaien—if our guess turns out to be true… what will you do?"
"I… I don't know," Kaien answered hesitantly. His deep, smoky-blue eyes were filled with doubt and confusion—
After all, twenty years ago, when Shiba Isshin vanished without explanation, the Shiba clan—already on shaky ground—was pushed directly into the eye of the storm.
If not for Kaien, who had mastered Bankai and stepped in to clean up the mess Isshin left behind, the Shiba family might have been completely expelled from the Seireitei.
And now, if Kaien were to go easy on the "human calamity" Kurosaki Ichigo, it would undoubtedly provoke the Seireitei once more—the consequences would be just as disastrous!
"Alright," Taichi said. "Let's find Kurosaki Ichigo and Saitō first, then decide what to do."
As he spoke, he crouched down and pressed his palm to the ground, chanting softly:
"Heart of the south, eye of the north, finger of the west, foot of the east, arrive with the wind and depart with the rain! Bakudō #58: Kakushizuiaku!"
"Whoosh!"
A bizarre black pattern spread beneath Taichi's feet, radiating outward as though it were tangible. Soon, every living being in Karakura Town began emitting faint green light—
"Taichi! Honestly, you've been hiding your strength, haven't you?" Kaien watched the spiritual energy of the entire Jūreichi shift. "Covering a whole high-density spiritual area with Reiraku... that's something even I can't do."
"How could that be, Captain Kaien?" Taichi replied casually. "I'm just a bit better with Kidō, that's all."
Brushing it off, he turned his gaze toward the southeast and said quietly, "Found them."
"What an intense spiritual pressure…" Kaien followed his line of sight.
Under the influence of Taichi's Bakudō network, a vast surge of blue spiritual pressure shot straight into the sky!
"That spiritual pressure must be coming from Kurosaki Ichigo," Taichi said, sensing it.
"And… Tsukiyomi seems to be nearby as well."
"Alright—let's go take a look," Kaien said, activating Shunpō and vanishing in a flash toward the source.
"Whether fortune or calamity, there's no escaping it…"
Taichi looked up at the deep night sky and murmured,
"But this time, you won't scare me so easily, Aizen."
…
"Damn it… this spiritual pressure—there's no doubt about it.
It's captain-class… no, even above that!! This is bad—very bad!"
Wearing a white floral dress, Saitō Tsukiyomi felt the black spiritual veins ripple around her, her face turning pale.
"Captain-class spiritual pressure? What does that mean, Tsukiyomi?!"
Kurosaki Ichigo, who had just cut down a low-level Hollow, quickly withdrew his golden greatsword and asked.
"It means… the Shinigami who's come to the Human World this time is someone we can only look up to from afar—a true pinnacle of power!!
Ichigo—before they notice you, run for your life!!"
"No, I refuse!" Kurosaki Ichigo replied proudly.
"Ichigo! This isn't the time to be reckless—run! You have no idea what a captain-class Shinigami truly means—!"
"Hmph. Captain or not, I'll defeat him with this blade!"
After saying that confidently, Ichigo suddenly thought of something and asked,
"By the way, Tsukiyomi! How does the guy who came today compare to your brother, Saitō Keichirō?"
"If I had to describe it with a phrase… they're roughly equivalent!!," Saitō Tsukiyomi said gravely.
"Ah, then there's nothing to worry about!" Ichigo laughed smugly.
"I'll beat this guy just like I beat your brother last time!"
"No, Ichigo—you still don't understand…"
Tsukiyomi shook her head and sighed.
"My brother is like 'half a catty of scrap iron,' while this one is like 'eight taels of pure gold'!!"
"Huh? What's the difference?"
"The difference is huge!"
She glared at Ichigo in exasperation.
"A single captain-class Shinigami could take on over a hundred people like my brother!"
"Uh…" Cold sweat appeared on Ichigo's forehead, but before long he inexplicably grew excited again.
"Don't worry, Tsukiyomi! Even if this guy really is as strong as you say—
I'll still defeat him!"
"Oh? Is that so? I look forward to seeing that, Kurosaki Ichigo!"
With those indifferent words, Fūjin Taichi appeared out of thin air beside Ichigo. His pitch-black eyes fixed on Ichigo, yet a trace of confusion surfaced in his gaze.
Ichigo was still wearing a black Shihakushō, but over it he now bore a layer of silver armor, radiating a holy glow beneath the bright moonlight.
Is this really Shinigami Kurosaki Ichigo?
How did you suddenly go through some ultimate evolution and turn into an armored hero?!
"Who are you?" Ichigo raised his two-meter golden greatsword and pointed it at Taichi.
"Big brother! So it's you!" Tsukiyomi cried out in shock and delight, instinctively moving to throw herself into Taichi's arms—
But seeing his cold expression, she suddenly realized something and hesitated.
The Shinigami the Seireitei sent to capture me… is actually big brother?!
"I am the Vice-Captain of the First Division—Fūjin Taichi."
Without even glancing at Tsukiyomi, Taichi announced his name, then turned to Ichigo and said,
"Before I kill you, I have a question I want answered."
"What?" Ichigo replied instinctively.
"When exactly did you become an armored hero, Ichigo?"
Taichi asked, staring at the silver standard-issue armor on Ichigo's body, which looked almost like that of the First Hokage.
"Huh? What nonsense are you talking about?!"
"Forget it. Looks like you don't even understand your own situation."
As he spoke, Taichi slowly drew his Zanpakutō—Kyūjūkyū—and pointed it diagonally at Ichigo.
"Then, just as I said earlier—
By order of the Seireitei, I am here to execute you!!"