Chapter 51 Soul Society 8
With Kurosaki Utsuki's Hakuto and Shunpo skills, she would definitely be no match for Soi Fong. Not to mention that she was injured and couldn't fight in close combat.
However, when she made the provocative remarks, she had already noticed the gradually approaching Shihouin Yoruichi. So after making her words and enduring two harmless attacks, she gave up her opponent to a teammate who was more suitable for the battle.
Kurosaki Utsuki's mission in today's prison break was to search for and rescue any missing comrades. However, they had sensed the spiritual pressure of a battle near Squad 9, and Shihouin Yoruichi had gone to confirm whether their comrades had been rescued.
Since Yoruichi didn't say anything to her when he passed by her just now, it means that this task no longer needs to be done.
And now, her new role in the operation is support, giving priority to assisting her brother Ichigo Kurosaki.
In her earlier battle with Soi-Fong, she had gifted her a portion of her spiritual energy, perfectly timed to coincide with her attack. This small amount of spiritual energy simply made her feel like she was using slightly less energy to attack, and she didn't think of herself as having taken on a "loan shark."
Similarly, Byakuya Kuchiki wouldn't notice anything during the fierce battle - although the spiritual power of a captain-level Shinigami is far different from that of a vice-captain, seizing part of the opponent's spiritual power can always create a flaw for her brother.
Of course, that was a tactic she would only use in emergencies; she had no intention of interrupting her brother's battle. At least for now, her brother, who had independently completed his Bankai training, was not at a disadvantage.
However, before Yoruichi Shihouin released her divine body, she also asked the Quincy uncle Kagura, whom she didn't like very much, to protect her brother well... She didn't know if he could help.
Yoruichi Shihouin took Soi Fon to fight elsewhere. For a while, except for the vice-captains who were previously defeated by Ichigo Kurosaki, the only ones left on the Double Strike were Ichigo Kurosaki and Byakuya Kuchiki who were still fighting, as well as Utaki Kurosaki who had lost her opponent, and the captain of the Fourth Division, Unohana Retsu, whose attitude was unrecognizable from beginning to end.
So the two people who had nothing to fight naturally noticed each other.
Kurosaki Utsuki was still marveling at how the other person's hair was so long, even braided in front of her. She wondered how much trouble daily haircare must take, when the person opposite her spoke first, her voice as gentle as her appearance: "Don't you want to fight?"
"With you?" Kurosaki Utahi shook her head flatly, "No, I know my place."
This was the experience she gained from watching tennis matches in junior high school. People who looked gentle and harmless were not to be messed with - and Yoruichi had told her clearly before that the captain of the Fourth Division, Unohana Retsu, was the first captain of the Eleventh Division and was the same age as the captain of the Gotei Thirteenth Division.
Even if she didn't mention that she had to avoid using a lot of spiritual power so as not to affect her brother's battle, even if she was not injured, she would have no worries. If it weren't for the absolute adversity that she would die if she didn't fight, she would never want to cause trouble to herself and fight with the opponent.
Hearing her say this, Unohana Retsu took a step forward, ready to take the unconscious vice-captains back to the squad for treatment. Kurosaki Utsuki consciously stepped aside, but saw the expression of the person opposite him suddenly change slightly.
This made her entire body tense up, her hand unconsciously pressing on the hilt of her sword. Then she heard Unohana Retsu ask, "Is your injury caused by the battle with Captain Aizen?"
"I don't know," Kurosaki Utsuki answered bluntly, "That person injured me from behind, and I was in such a hurry to escape that I didn't see who it was. But Captain Ukitake said that the spiritual pressure attached to my wound wasn't Aizen's."
But if that’s the case, why did Unohana Retsu suddenly ask this?
"The one who treated you earlier was my vice-captain." The captain of the fourth squad's eyes fell on the unconscious adjutant not far away. "This is what she reported—"
Her voice paused slightly. "—Attached to the wound is a spiritual pressure I have never felt in Seireitei."
Kurosaki Utsuki took a few seconds to react, then suddenly understood what the other person meant: "But you think that's Aizen's spiritual pressure?"
She didn't hear the answer. Unohana Retsu immediately released his Zanpakutō and took away the vice-captains who needed treatment, leaving her alone standing there, lost in thought.
"She noticed something... the Reiatsu she felt was different from everyone else's? No, but how could that be? Could it be that the Reiatsu itself had changed?"
Is this even possible? How could Reiatsu be easily altered? It would be better to change the enemy's perception...perception?
"No, no, no, that's too unfair..."
The orange-haired girl shook her head and collected her thoughts. Not far in front of her, Ichigo Kurosaki and Byakuya Kuchiki were still fighting fiercely. Both of them were in the Shikai state and had not yet displayed their true strength.
Kuchiki Byakuya's sword, Senbonzakura Hakai, transformed into millions of tiny blades like cherry blossom petals, which were controlled by their owner and flew freely in the air, giving the impression of a storm during the cherry blossom season.
In fact, there were a few times when the cherry blossom petals were too close and almost stuck to Kurosaki Utsuki's face, but they changed direction before they could really hurt her.
She wasn't sure if he was trying to avoid provoking her, to avoid a two-on-one situation where she'd be forced into a fight, or if he simply didn't want to attack the defenseless. Regardless, Kuchiki Byakuya was an opponent they had to defeat.
She saw her brother raise his sword forward, his spiritual pressure rising, causing the surrounding spiritual particles and even air currents to swirl, and then—
"卍——solution——"
He released his Zanpakutō.
A smile spread across Kurosaki Utsuki's face, her heart pounding, her hands tightly gripping the hilt of her Zanpakuto, her breathing rapid as if she was the one in the fierce battle.
Let's show that noble young man who is about to send his sister to the execution ground the Bankai that they humans have achieved in order to protect important things.
"——Heavenly Locking Moon!"
The huge Zanpakutō in the orange-haired boy's hand condensed into a long and slender katana with a black body. A half chain extended from the end of the black and red handle.
Compared to the Bankai that Kurosaki Utsuki had seen before—such as Baboon King Jabimaru and Guanyin Kaihongji Kai—this was a rather simple Bankai, not giving off a strong sense of oppression, and not even resembling a Bankai in the usual sense, but…
“So handsome!”
Her brother is so handsome!
In the pink cherry blossom rain, her brother, dressed in cool black and red and holding a cool black knife, really made her heart beat fast!
·
In the end, Kurosaki Ichigo won this battle.
Kurosaki Utsuki didn't intervene. Just as she was about to withdraw the spiritual energy she'd lent to Byakuya Kuchiki, she was stopped by Kyohaku. She mentally grumbled, "Uncle Zangetsu is so useless! It's still Haku who has to save the day!" as she loosened her grip on the hilt.
At that time, Orihime Inoue and her group also arrived nearby. Seeing the arrival of the team's magical nurse, Kurosaki Utsuki knew that her injuries might be healed, so she quickly asked the other party to treat her.
Meanwhile, after the battle, Byakuya Kuchiki explained his reasons for upholding the rules of Soul Society. As the head of a noble family and a role model for the Shinigami, he couldn't break the rules for any reason. If he didn't follow them, how could he expect others to?
But Ichigo Kurosaki couldn't agree.
"I think even if I were in your shoes, I would definitely fight against the rules."
As he said this, his eyes turned to his twin sister, and the aura he exuded was extremely gentle.
"It must be the same with Utah."
·
"It's okay, don't be depressed, Orihime-san." Kurosaki Utsuki covered her face with her hands in grief, but she still spoke words of comfort, "The spiritual pressure attached to the wound is too strong. It's the prisoner's problem, not yours. When we return to the human world, just ask Urahara-san to take care of it. Please go and help my brother with his treatment first."
Inoue Orihime can treat her injuries, but the progress is very slow, even worse than the hot springs in the underground training ground.
However, what she said was not just comfort, it was also what she believed to be the truth. The reason why Inoue Orihime could not treat her was probably because the spiritual pressure that needed to be removed was too strong. After all, that spiritual pressure should be at the captain level.
…but she still didn't quite understand why. Why would Aizen have to do this to her? Even if she couldn't fight, hadn't her brother still saved Kuchiki Rukia?
Besides, isn't Aizen dead? What's the point of scheming so hard and then dying?
However, compared to the injuries that she could still handle, Kurosaki Utsuki was more concerned about her teammates who were injured, such as Ishida Uryu who was asked to take care of her.
"Ishida-san, your gloves..." She didn't elaborate further, just shook her head, skipping the process and going straight to the conclusion, "Going to Long Xian can solve the problem. If you feel shy, I can go with you."
"Who would be shy?"
Very good and energetic.
"Well, anyway, even though Yoruichi hasn't escaped yet, there's no need to worry about her. We should meet up with Kuchiki-san as soon as possible and then think about how to escape," Kurosaki Utsuki concluded.
She roughly sensed the spiritual pressure nearby and confirmed that the journey down the mountain from Shuangji was smooth and unobstructed. Not far below, only Abarai Renji was running down with Kuchiki Rukia. He then used his Zanpakutō to separate a small ball of red light and directly put it on Ichigo Kurosaki.
"This is my 'health'. I'll give you some. Once you get to a safe place, I'll ask Orihime-san to treat you."
After receiving this "gift," the orange-haired boy, who had just collapsed on the ground due to exhaustion, immediately stood up full of energy, much to the amazement of the uninformed. Only Ishida Uryuu frowned, his face full of disapproval. "You're not in good health to begin with. What will you do if you give it to Kurosaki?"
Kurosaki Utsuki's expression remained unchanged, and she even managed to tease him: "Are you worried about me? Ishida-san is so gentle."
"Hey! You!"
"Don't worry." She shook her head, glanced at her brother who looked worried, then looked at Ishida Uryuu, and said cryptically, "Do you remember the moves I asked you to practice? I know that one, so it's no problem."
In a hurry, no one was curious about the moves she was talking about, and everyone started to go down the stairs. Only Ishida Uryu, who understood everything, quickly moved to her side.
He spoke, his voice very low: "How could you possibly have a blood suit?"
Kurosaki Utsuki twitched the corners of her mouth. Although she said it lightly, it was not easy to maintain the state of the wound after losing most of her "health". Therefore, her voice was without any emotion: "Why not?"
"Because only a Quincy can wear Blood Suit—" Ishida Uryuu suddenly fell silent. He suddenly thought of a possibility, but was immediately frightened by his own thoughts. "You are—impossible, if you are, then Kurosaki is also—"
The Quincy's status is entirely continuation of bloodline. Without Quincy bloodline, it is impossible to become a Quincy. Conversely, if a person becomes a Quincy, then at least one of their siblings and parents must have Quincy bloodline.
"Brother doesn't know." Kurosaki Utsuki shook her head slightly and showed him the Quincy Cross on her wrist again, "This is a relic of mother's."
She only said this and didn't explain any further. She took a few quick steps to her brother, Kurosaki Ichigo.
Rukia Kuchiki has been successfully rescued, and none of her companions died. In this way, their rescue operation should be considered a perfect success, right?
Can she fulfill her promise and return home safely?
·
...seems like it hasn't been completely successful yet.
Kurosaki Utsuki stomped her feet in anger.
With the sudden sound of "Tantei Sora" from the vice-captain of the 4th Division, which was usually used to send group voice messages among the Shinigami, she finally understood what had happened.
"Aizen is really amazing." She said through gritted teeth.
He killed all the high-ranking officials of the Central 46th Chamber, disguised himself as them, manipulated the execution of Rukia Kuchiki, faked his own death after the invasion of the Liehuo, and recently severely injured Hitsugaya Toushirou, who had found him at the 46th Chamber's residence...
And most importantly, his Zanpakutō's ability is "complete hypnosis".
Anyone who has seen his Zanpakutō Shikai will be able to manipulate his five senses freely.
"No wonder they all said it was a spiritual pressure they had never seen before..."
But just now, the hypnosis was lifted for some reason, and Unohana Retsu finally realized to whom the spiritual pressure on her belonged.
No, those inferences are irrelevant now.
At this moment, Aizen had already escaped from the Pure Pagoda Forest of the 46th Room Residence, and his whereabouts were unknown. However, with his complete hypnotic ability, there was no need for him to "escape" at all. He must have gone somewhere with a purpose -
The Kurosaki siblings said almost in unison: "Rukia!"
As they were talking, they felt the faint spiritual pressure of Rukia Kuchiki reappearing on the double swords above their heads.
Aizen must kill Rukia Kuchiki!
"You just stay here." After saying this, Kurosaki Utsuki turned around and ran back. With a few quick steps, she left her brother who had also turned around and was running away behind.
The situation is really not good. Abarai Renji, who is also on the double-kill level, is still seriously injured and her spiritual pressure has not yet recovered. Although her brother has inherited some of her "health", it is difficult for him to compete with the captain level.
And she... she didn't think she could easily defeat Aizen, who had pierced through her Static Blood Suit with a sword.
What's more, there are three captains of the 359th Division above them, and I'm afraid none of them will be easy to deal with.
unless……
A cold light came towards me.
Kurosaki Utsuki reacted quickly and dodged to the side, but then a second cold light came again, and she suddenly realized that the extremely fast thing was an extended blade, and she barely drew her sword to block it.
As the opponent's blade retracted, she also used Shunpo to move forward. Then, in the distance, the back of the seriously injured Abarai Renji came into her sight.
Even closer, standing in front of her was a silver-haired man who was obviously the owner of the retractable Zanpakutō.
It was Gin Ichimaru, the captain of the third squad.
"Captain Aizen asked me to stop you."
The man with squinted eyes spoke with a sweet Kansai accent. Normally, Kurosaki Utsuki didn't dislike this accent, and even liked it a little. But at this moment, it only made her feel annoyed.
"You really think highly of me." She sneered and attacked first with a knife raised.
He stabbed her in the back and asked others to block her way... In fact, she didn't particularly care who she fought against. The question was what should she do to save Rukia Kuchiki?
An ordinary slash without any special abilities was naturally easily blocked by the opponent. In fact, with Kurosaki Utsuki's current physical condition, she could not fight in close combat at all.
So, using the reaction force of the collision of the blades, she jumped back to create some distance, and then took out a handle from her chest.
"Rengetsu!" She whispered the name of her Zanpakuto and this time it was a complete Shikai, with even the hilt dissipating in her hand.
Against a backdrop of crimson fireflies, Kurosaki Utaki charged towards Ichimaru Gin once again. This time, however, it was the rapidly vibrating spirit particle weapon, the Soul-Knife Object, that collided with the opponent's Zanpakutō, the Divine Spear.
It was a Quincy tool she had received from Ishida Ryugen. When activated, it became a lightsaber-like weapon. Its blade, composed of a high concentration of spirit particles, vibrated at super-high speeds, capable of easily severing even a Zanpakutō.
Ichimaru Gin realized this the moment his Zanpakutō made contact with the weapon and immediately dodged her attack with a flash step.
"Tsk, what a pity."
Kurosaki Utsuki clicked her tongue, but she didn't really feel any regret in her heart.
After all, the other party had no intention of killing her or even hurting her from the beginning to the end, and her fundamental purpose was not to cut off his knife.
The "Soul-Cutter" in her hand was not a true sword. Quincy had always used bows and arrows as weapons. Ichimaru Gin's evasion cleared the path for her to aim at Aizen.
The orange-haired girl raised her hand, and a spiritual bow appeared on her wrist, and then the "Soul-Cutting Object" flew forward through the air.
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