Chapter 50 Soul Society VII
Now Kurosaki Utsuki is getting anxious.
She'd slept too long after all! It was a shame Aizen had died inexplicably, and she couldn't stab him again in revenge... It was such a shame.
"Yoichi, I have to ask you something first," Kurosaki Utsuki's expression grew slightly more serious. "What kind of creature is the sword spirit that Brother manifested?"
"—To be specific, is it a Quincy or a Hollow?"
Yoruichi Shihouin frowned. None of the options given by Utsuki Kurosaki should be equated with Soul Calibur, but after a brief thought, she still gave the answer she thought was most likely.
"It's the Quincy."
“…As expected, it’s still the same.”
"What's the problem?"
"Yoichi must be well aware that the boundary between Hollows and Shinigami can be broken by external forces," specifically referring to the Hollowification of Shinigami, and perhaps the Shinigamiification of Hollows, "but the nature of Quincies and Shinigami is opposite."
Shihouin Yoruichi naturally understood this better than she did. Although she was puzzled as to why Kurosaki Ichigo's sword spirit was so special, the most important thing at the moment was whether or not Bankai could be cultivated before Kuchiki Rukia's execution. "What impact will that have?"
Kurosaki Utsuki shook her head.
"I don't know either. I've only fought them once, not discussed them in detail. They're all my brother's powers, but I personally prefer that Hollow to that Quincy uncle."
The statement "I prefer Hollow" made Yoruichi ponder for a while before he asked, "How much do you know about that Hollow?"
"Not much, actually," Kurosaki Utsuki replied, "I know his name is Kyobaku. He's very powerful, and he has a pretty sweet personality."
She paused for a few seconds, then raised her head and gazed toward the Confession Palace in the distance. The princess they had come to rescue was still imprisoned in a snow-white tower, and their time was running out.
"I also know that he is the person who surpasses me and who doesn't want his brother to die in this world."
·
The underground space of Shuangji Hill is even more spacious than the underground space of Urahara Shoten.
Kurosaki Utsuki followed Yoruichi out of the entrance, immediately attracting the attention of the resting Kurosaki Ichigo. His sister, whom he hadn't seen in a long time and hadn't even sensed her spiritual pressure, finally appeared. The orange-haired boy excitedly jumped up from the ground and rushed straight towards his sister.
As a result, his sister dodged his touch neatly and swiftly, and he was stunned for a moment before realizing that she even used instant step.
"Ge Xi..." The voice sounded full of grievance.
He just wanted to pat his sister's head, not a more intimate hug, so why did she feel so disgusted? What had she been through these past few days? When did he become disliked again?
Or was it because someone else was present? — Abarai Renji, who had suddenly found this underground training ground by following his spiritual pressure during the day, was now not far away, seemingly practicing blade Zen, but in fact, he had opened his eyes and was looking in their direction openly.
"...That's not what I meant." Kurosaki Utsuki, who had just left in a flash, turned around, took two steps towards her brother, and pouted, "I was injured, so I just dodged subconsciously."
When he heard that his sister was injured, Kurosaki Ichigo didn't think of asking her how strong the enemy was. Instead, he immediately raised his hand and pointed to a small mound in the distance: "There is a hot spring behind it. It can heal the wound."
Kurosaki Utsuki nodded and followed her brother in the direction he had pointed.
She had heard Yoruichi mention this hot spring earlier on the way, saying it could heal minor wounds instantly, and she had a vague feeling it might boost her metabolism. However, Yoruichi also said that because her wounds still held the spiritual energy of the person who had injured her, there was no guarantee the water would take effect quickly.
But no matter what the effect is, considering that there is not much time left before the execution deadline, she must give it a try.
Therefore, when she was standing by the hot spring, she didn't even think about clearing the area before taking a bath. She just untied her belt and took off her inner clothes along with her shinigami outfit.
Her movements were so fast and smooth that those who didn't have time to step aside immediately noticed the bandage wrapped around her waist.
Because of the long distance movement before, the wound was a little torn, and blood seeped out, staining a small piece of cloth red.
Ichigo Kurosaki finally realized that his sister's injuries were not superficial as he had thought. Judging from the location of the bloodstain, she was not injured on the side of her waist, but near the center of her lower back. She was obviously pierced and might even have injured her internal organs.
"Ge Xi, what on earth is this..."
Kurosaki Utsuki waved her hand without answering. Shihouin Yoruichi appeared behind her, ready to help her untie the bandage knot at her lower back. Kurosaki Ichigo immediately turned his back to the hot spring. After two minutes, when he heard the sound of water entering the water, he spoke again, stating the conclusion he had come up with during those two minutes.
"Could it be that the deceased captain was defeated in the battle with Utsuki and then attacked by someone else?"
He didn't hear the answer, but he heard the sound of splashing water behind him. He subconsciously turned around and saw his sister, who was only above the neck outside the hot spring, with an overly bright smile.
"Brother is so gentle."
He wouldn't think that she had killed her opponent in battle.
"Eh? Why are you suddenly——"
"But I never fought that captain," Kurosaki Utsuki interrupted. "Although I always feel that he stabbed me in the back, I have no evidence, and of course I don't know who killed him—"
"—Don't look at me in such surprise. I don't want to be ambushed and have no way of finding the culprit. Brother, you should continue your training. We don't have much time left. You definitely don't want to see me dragging my seriously injured body into a fight against three or five captains tomorrow, right?"
"And that red-haired guy, although I don't know why you are here, it seems that you also want to help save Rukia. Then continue with your blade meditation and stop glancing at me, otherwise I will use my Bankai to send you to heaven."
Shihouin Yoruichi rubbed her head, and then once again provided spiritual power to the divine body, urging Kurosaki Ichigo, who was in high spirits and did not want his sister to fight alone, to practice.
Soon, the sound of metal clashing was heard not far away. It was crisp but not pleasant. It was Ichigo Kurosaki and Zangetsu fighting again.
The orange-haired girl leaned against the hot spring pool, covering her eyes with her wet hands.
Should be able to catch up, right?
Although she was immersed in hot spring water, the wounds on her waist and abdomen showed no signs of healing, and the prisoner's spiritual power attached to them could not be removed by manipulating the spirit particles.
She vaguely felt that besides spiritual power, there might be something else mixed in, such as a potion that increased the adhesion between spiritual particles. The person who stabbed her also wanted to maintain her injured state, making her unable to be an effective combat force.
Furthermore, considering the favorable situation that three people, including her, were arrested not long ago, the investigation of the captain's mysterious death was not prioritized, and instead, Rukia Kuchiki's sentence was forcibly advanced...
Could it be that this person thought that if she moved freely in Soul Society for these three days, she would be able to rescue Kuchiki Rukia before the execution day?
The reason for bringing the sentence forward is that her brother is very likely to achieve Bankai within three days, and he wants to execute Kuchiki Rukia before then...
But why? Why does this person want Rukia to die so much?
Thursday, August 6th
The weather was better than expected.
Near noon, not far from the Double Death Hill, Kurosaki Utaha, dressed in a Death Hegemony outfit and a small black cape, stood on a tree branch. With her eyes closed, she fiddled with the Quincy Cross on her wrist, feeling the spiritual pressure erupting from all around her, and couldn't help but sigh -
“It’s really lively.”
Abarai Renji, who had left the underground training ground earlier, had an extremely high spiritual pressure and should have reached Bankai, and his opponent... was Kuchiki Byakuya, whom she still remembered.
The adjutant is fighting the captain, trying to defeat the stronger one...it's very interesting.
I just wonder if if he can defeat Byakuya Kuchiki, he will be the captain of the Sixth Division.
Shihouin Yoruichi soon appeared on another branch beside her. For some reason, she had covered her face, but her eyes were full of concern for her: "Have your wounds healed?"
"Half recovered." Kurosaki Utsuki opened her eyes and answered honestly, "I'm using the Blood Stasis Suit now to maintain my health, so I won't bleed profusely. If I could have met Inoue-san before the battle, she would have been able to help me."
Members of the Fourth Division who have reached a certain level of spiritual pressure should be able to do it, but she can't expect the captain of the Fourth Division to help her with the treatment, right?
Shihouin Yoruichi didn't try to dissuade her. A fight was imminent, and even if Kurosaki Utsuki was injured and unable to engage in close combat, she could still provide assistance. Besides, even if she was asked to leave temporarily, she would never obey.
Fortunately, they were not alone in their fight. Many people believed that Kuchiki Rukia's crime did not deserve death, and some people, whose stance was entirely based on their feelings, stood on their side.
"Just now, Zaraki's spiritual pressure exploded in the direction of the 9th Division, and now it seems that Tōsen's spiritual pressure is exploding." Yoruichi said.
Zaraki was the captain of the 11th Division, who had fought against Ichigo Kurosaki. The 9th Division was in charge of the prison, and Tōsen was the captain of the 9th Division. Apparently, the former had gone to the latter's territory to rob the prison, and now they were fighting.
And if we were to break into the prison at this point, the most likely target would be Li Huo. Kurosaki Utsuki smiled knowingly, "So, how many reinforcements do we have left?"
·
A melee is about to break out.
Kurosaki Utaki looked in the direction of the double punishment and jumped up - the huge firebird that had appeared in the air as a torture instrument had disappeared into thin air under the effect of the sealing props provided by the Shihouin family. That meant that her brother had successfully and handsomely saved the situation and prevented Rukia from being executed. Now it was time for her to appear on the stage without having to worry about stealing the limelight from her brother.
It didn't take long for her to get from her hiding place to the battle area. Abarai Renji, who was seriously injured and holding Kuchiki Rukia in his arms, passed by her and left a word "thank you". She drew her Zanpakutō and blocked the path of the other Shinigami who were chasing him.
Her brother has been stopped by Byakuya Kuchiki, and the strongest captain has gone to fight elsewhere. Before Yoruichi arrives, she also has to do her part in this rescue operation.
A crimson light spread around her.
"—From here on, it's a one-way street!"
Woohoo! She's wanted to say this for a long time! It might sound a little silly, but it feels really good!
A few seconds later, the slender but fierce Soi Fong became her opponent.
She had heard her father mention this person before. He was an extremely rare captain of the second division who did not have the last name Shifengyuan. He had a bad temper and would never tolerate any violation of the rules. She could not say that she liked him, but he was also the type of person she could deal with.
When she was confirming the Zanpakutō abilities of the captain who might become her enemy with Yoruichi Shihouin yesterday, she also heard a little about the past between this person and Yoruichi a hundred years ago, and she felt deeply that she, who had been taught by Yoruichi in Shirota, was in a sense Soi Fong's junior sister... if the other party also regarded Yoruichi as a teacher he admired.
...In fact, she still regarded Yoruichi as a handsome little kitten that she could only dream of but could not pet.
As far as Kurosaki Utsuki knows, Soi Fong is the type of person who is better at "punching" and "walking" among the "Zan Ken Zou Gui", the same as Yoruichi.
However, the opponent did not try to use his fist to fight with his Zanpakutō. Instead, the sound of metal clashing rang in his ears.
Soi Fong drew her sword, and the next second after the blades touched, she used instant step to appear behind Kurosaki Utsuki and stabbed her towards the heart.
The feeling of the blade piercing the target was transmitted back to her hand through the handle. Soi-Fong wanted to mock Lihuo's arrogance, but she soon realized that she had only pierced a piece of cloth, the other person's small cloak.
At the same time, he also realized that the orange-haired human girl had just used the advanced instant step technique "Kuchan".
This realization made her gaze even fiercer. She took two steps back, actively distancing herself from the orange-haired girl who was surrounded by a crimson light that looked like she was in the process of Shikai, and who was only dodging but not attacking. She was ready to use Shikai and then quickly end the battle with a "two-hit kill".
But before that, she still had something to confirm—
"How come you are a 'Kuchan'?"
That was the instant stepping technique that Yoruichi Shihouin created! Although Yoruichi had taught it to many people around him—including her, of course—it didn't mean that Ryuho could learn and perform it easily!
"Why do I know how to play the game? Of course I learned it from my teacher."
But the other party clearly didn't believe it, or refused to believe it: "Your teacher, that's impossible! Just a travel disaster, who the hell are you?"
They called her a travel disaster, so who else could she be? However, she suddenly thought of a brilliant answer -
"Me?" Kurosaki Utsuki narrowed her eyes slightly and asked provocatively, "I am Yoruichi Shihouin's favorite student."
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