Chapter 52 Soul Society IX
While Kurosaki Utsuki was playing against Ichimaru Gin, Aizen Sosuke on the other side was forcing Abarai Renji to hand over Kuchiki Rukia in his arms.
Although the Red-Haired Shinigami's determination to fight to the death is commendable, the gap in strength is there. Facing Aizen Sosuke's Zanpakutō, he seems to have no choice but to close his eyes and wait for death.
The "Soul-Cutting Object" shot by Kurosaki Utsuki successfully interrupted Aizen's action of swinging the sword.
It's a pity that I couldn't hurt him at all——
He actually caught the spirit arrow with one hand.
What he held was not even the handle, but a high-speed vibrating spirit blade!
Arriving a moment late, Kurosaki Ichigo swiftly passed by Kurosaki Utsuki and stood in front of Abarai Renji. The girl, who had just fired an arrow with all her might, suddenly dropped her wrist, as if forgetting her opponent, Ichimaru Gin, was still nearby. Her eyes were focused on the brown-haired man piercing the enemy with his bare hands not far away.
The man wore square-framed glasses and looked gentle, polite and very kind. Judging from his appearance alone, he was even more approachable than Ukitake Jushiro.
But it was this guy who designed to drive Kisuke Urahara, Mako Hirako and others out of Soul Society a hundred years ago, stabbed her father in the back twenty years ago, and stabbed her in the back not long ago.
Is it fun to stab someone in the back? It’s not like we can’t beat them head-on!
"Are you kidding?" Kurosaki Utsuki's voice trembled.
The man casually threw the arrow in his hand to the ground, seeming to enjoy the girl's shock. "Is there anything to be surprised about?"
What's so surprising? She was completely surprised! This guy's voice was so similar to her former tutor, Zhu Fu Gao Ming! Maybe from now on, she wouldn't want to listen to Zhu Fu Gao Ming anymore!
Kurosaki Utsuki took a sharp breath and raised her voice, "Since you can catch the Soul-Severing Object with your bare hands, why would you stab me in the back? You confused the Reiatsu attached to my wound with the other Shinigami anyway, so even if I accidentally saw your face, what's the harm?"
She had to divert his attention away from Rukia Kuchiki. She wanted to give her brother and the others a chance to rescue them and escape.
"No way, Aizen Sosuke. Twenty years ago, you stabbed my father in the back, but now, do you not even have the confidence to defeat me?"
It's an obvious provocation.
However, it was not Aizen who responded to her. The extended blade of the "Divine Spear" attacked again, and this time, she was unable to avoid it.
She felt a sharp pain in the front of her thigh, and when she realized it, she was already sitting in a pool of her own blood, with tears welling up in her eyes from the pain.
Balls of crimson light still clung to the air. They were her Shikai Zanpakutō. Most of her spiritual energy had already been "given" to the three captains present, preventing her from dodging Ichimaru Gin's attack. Now, she reclaimed the remaining spiritual energy in the air, barely enough to staunch the bleeding from her fresh wound.
When she got used to the pain a little, she raised her head and looked up, trying hard to hold back her tears, only to find that both Abarai Renji and her brother Kurosaki Ichigo were lying on the ground covered in blood.
And Rukia Kuchiki has fallen into Aizen's hands.
But perhaps because the progress was smooth, he did not seem to be in a hurry to complete his goal. Instead, he began to explain why he was able to calculate their route and recounted the entire process of his conspiracy.
In short, what he wants is the "Hogyoku," a creature created by Urahara Kisuke that can break the barrier between the souls of Shinigami and Hollows. Because it cannot be destroyed, Urahara Kisuke sealed it in Kuchiki Rukia's soul many years ago.
So he had to kill Rukia, and in a way that completely destroyed her soul.
This was indeed a villainous boss who loved to talk. Although Kurosaki Utsuki really wanted to complain that he would die from talking too much in the future, what she needed right now was time. He was willing to help her delay, which she couldn't ask for more.
"Because West Rukongai is Urahara Kisuke's territory, he can only open the gate there. Aren't you Urahara Kisuke's subordinates? Aren't you here to recapture Kuchiki Rukia under his orders?"
The man showed a look of surprise at Kurosaki Ichigo's question, but his emotions didn't show in his eyes at all.
"But you are different, Kurosaki Utsuki."
This was the first time Aizen called out her name, and he also looked at her a little further away, which made her shudder. His next words made her hold her breath -
"You are the vessel prepared by Urahara Kisuke to replace Kuchiki Rukia and contain the Hogyoku."
……What?
"Judging from your expression, you're probably unaware of the fact that you're being used as a test subject, aren't you?" His expression was even more surprised, even a little exaggerated. "The 'imitation Hogyoku' you're wearing is a tool to help you gradually adapt to the Hogyoku's fluctuations. If Kuchiki Rukia is successfully executed, you can immediately incorporate the Hogyoku into your soul."
So that's why he asked Gin Ichimaru to stop her ten meters away from Rukia Kuchiki?
Kurosaki Utsuki bit her tongue and said coldly, "So? You don't think I'll betray Urahara-san and join your army right away, do you?"
The man chuckled. "Your abilities are truly interesting, though," he said. "Because the battle with you consumed so much spiritual energy, my vice-captain fell seriously ill upon hearing the news of my death. He remains in the Fourth Division to this day."
Huh? How can she be blamed for this?
"I originally wanted to kill her. After all, she couldn't live without me, but unfortunately I missed the chance."
Kurosaki Utsuki gasped softly.
...This guy is so despicable. No, I should say that this guy’s deputy captain is so pitiful. I don’t know how he is PUA-ed on a daily basis.
But, he just said "consume" instead of "seize" or "absorb". Does this mean that he doesn't fully understand her abilities?
Aizen continued speaking, holding Kuchiki Rukia in one hand, as calm as a teacher invigilating an exam. The anxious young people lying on the ground were students who were bound to fail the exam and had no chance to retake it.
What he talked about was nothing more than what he had done in the past few days and what plans the three of them had. To her, it sounded too confident and arrogant, but judging from his strength, he definitely had the capital to be arrogant.
Between the lines, he also mocked his colleagues' incompetence in both explicit and implicit ways. Halfway through his speech, a colleague fell from the sky, furious with Bankai - but was easily knocked down by him with a Hado.
Kurosaki Utaki was almost stunned. She didn't know what surprised her more, that the captain of the Seventh Division was actually furry, or that Aizen Sosuke could actually chant the Hadō Abandonment to Number 90.
This man dared to openly rebel and become an enemy of the entire Soul Society. He definitely did not rely solely on the power of his Zanpakutō. His own strength was far beyond the average level of the captain of the Gotei 13.
There is always a way to break complete hypnosis. She and her brother in front of him had never seen his Shikai and were not in a hypnotic state, but they still fell here, didn't they?
After easily and severely injuring a captain, the eager villain finally concluded his previous story. He picked up the trembling black-haired girl and, using the technique he learned from Urahara Kisuke's research materials, extracted the Hougyoku from the girl's soul.
Kurosaki Utsuki's eyes widened.
The moment the object, which was very similar to the black stone on her wrist, was exposed to the air, her soul trembled unconsciously. Even from such a distance, the attraction that the small ball brought to her was still far greater than the attraction that Rukia Kuchiki had for her.
...It seems that what Aizen said was right, she was indeed another container prepared for the Hogyoku.
However, now was not the time to think about that. Although there were indeed many Shinigami Reiatsu approaching, most of them were too late to save Kuchiki Rukia. She had to find an opportunity -
Aizen, who had achieved his goal and successfully obtained the Hogyoku, once again picked up the weak Death Girl with one hand, like a skinny chick.
"Silver, kill her."
Now is the time!
With a flick of her fingertips, Kurosaki Utsuki instantly withdrew the spiritual energy she had bestowed upon Gin Ichimaru. The latter froze, and the motion of releasing his Zanpakutō was interrupted.
At the same time, Kuchiki Byakuya suddenly appeared. Although he was seriously injured, he unexpectedly took his sister back from Aizen.
Kurosaki Utsuki immediately transformed the spiritual pressure that she had just seized from Gin Ichimaru into her own, and forced herself to activate the Static Blood Suit to support her injured thigh. She had already moved to the side of Abarai Renji with her flying sickle kick and threw him far behind.
Following the sound of the red-haired Grim Reaper falling to the ground, she moved again and came to the side of her fallen brother.
Although the spiritual power she had given to the three enemies before was not much and the time was far from enough, her current position was just right - the three people happened to be in front of them.
Gin Ichimaru was closest to them, Aizen was almost on the same line with him, and Tosen was slightly off, but not far away laterally.
Although swinging the sword like this might affect Byakuya Kuchiki a little, Yoruichi's spiritual pressure is already very close and she can definitely catch up.
I'll collect the "gift" from Byakuya Kuchiki! I'll collect the "gift" from Renji Abarai! I'll collect the "gift" from Kaname Tosen! I'll collect the "gift" from Sosuke Aizen!
While these spiritual powers were being transferred to herself through her Zanpakutō, she also gave half of her "physical strength" to Kurosaki Ichigo. The young man who received this power instantly jumped up and was immediately hugged by her from behind.
"Don't worry, brother."
She whispered, took a step to the boy's side, grabbed his wrist, and together with him, raised the sword towards Aizen.
When one's spiritual power is taken away, one's reaction will be delayed for a few seconds, even for Aizen. Success or failure depends on this!
"Yoichi!" Kurosaki Utsuki shouted, and then gave almost all of her spiritual power to her brother beside her in one breath.
The blood-stabilizing device lost its effectiveness immediately, but the excruciating pain that followed did not make her retreat.
Yoruichi Shihouin's figure flashed by, she grabbed Byakuya Kuchiki's belt and led the brother and sister out of the attack range.
At the same time, the Kurosaki siblings, who were ready to attack, also raised their swords high.
Retrieve the "Gift" from Yoruichi Shihouin!
Kurosaki Utsuki bit her lip, but this wasn't enough, she wanted more -
"Crescent Moon—"
The blade swung forward.
She still had one last thing to give.
So let's do it this way -
The last of the spiritual power and the "key" to the "warehouse" were also stuffed into his hands.
Be it a Shinigami, a Hollow, or a Quincy, all power is entrusted to him!
"——Tian Chong!"
Overwhelming spiritual power gushed out from the tip of Tiansuo Zhan Yue's sword, dust rolled, and the Double Killing Hill collapsed.
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