Ichigo's footsteps came to a sudden halt, the hairs on his body standing on end.
Behind that massive stone gate, it was not the empty space he had expected.
Before him stood a hastily assembled, murderous unit of Soul Reapers.
They wore uniform black Shihakusho, their Zanpakuto already drawn, each blade gleaming with a chilling light.
Leading them was a short, silver-haired boy.
He wore a white Captain's haori, the character for [Ten] fluttering in the wind on his back.
Those emerald eyes were staring coldly at Ichigo, as if looking at a dead man.
"C-Captain Hitsugaya!"
Seeing the newcomer's face, Jidanbo instantly broke out in a cold sweat.
Toshiro Hitsugaya, the youngest Captain in the history of the Gotei 13.
Although he looked like a child on the outside... that was entirely because his Spiritual Pressure was too powerful, stunting his physical growth and masking his true threat.
The Zanpakuto in his hand, Hyorinmaru, was hailed as the strongest ice-snow type Zanpakuto, giving him limitless potential.
Seeing such a genuinely powerful person, how could Jidanbo not be nervous?
Beside Toshiro, Ganju Shiba, riding a massive wild boar, rested a halberd on his shoulder and carefully sized up the group before him.
"Haha! One... two... four Ryoka in total! We hit the jackpot!"
"This is..." Uryu Ishida's expression instantly changed. "This kind of Spiritual Pressure... it's a Captain of the Gotei 13!"
"How unfortunate for you, Ryoka."
Toshiro Hitsugaya slowly drew Hyorinmaru from his back, the surrounding temperature plummeting in that instant.
"This is the West Gate of the Seireitei, and also the end of your journey."
"Tenth Division, prepare for battle!"
"Hah!!!"
Dozens of Soul Reapers roared in unison, their voices shaking the heavens.
Ichigo gripped Zangetsu tightly, a drop of cold sweat seeping from his forehead.
He could feel that the group before him was completely different from the small-fry Soul Reapers they had encountered earlier.
These were true elites, the regular army that protected the Soul Society.
"Hey! You with the orange hair!"
Ganju Shiba pointed down at Ichigo from his high vantage point, a wicked grin on his face. "Are you the one who defeated Jidanbo? You don't look like much!"
"Who are you calling orange hair?!" Ichigo roared back, the veins on his forehead bulging as he refused to show weakness. "My name is Ichigo Kurosaki! And I'm going in there to save someone!"
"Who cares if you're saving someone or throwing your life away!"
Ganju twirled his halberd and squeezed the boar's belly. The wild boar, Bonnie, let out a roar and carried him charging out of the formation first.
"You've got a lot of nerve acting up on my turf! You're underestimating me way too much!"
"Listen up, boys! Don't just stand there watching! Let's show these rule-breaking country bumpkins a thing or two!"
"Charge!!!"
Even though Ganju had already taken the lead on his boar and started issuing orders on his own...
He was, after all, only the Seventh Seat...
The Tenth Division members, who had been ready to strike, looked at each other, momentarily unsure of what to do.
"Attack."
Ultimately, a grim-faced Toshiro helplessly issued the supplementary command.
Only then did the Soul Reaper squad members surge forward like tigers released from their cages, brandishing their Zanpakuto and howling as they charged at Ichigo and the others.
"Orange hair! You're the one who broke Jidanbo's axes just now, aren't you?!"
Ganju shouted loudly, his halberd dancing in the wind.
His locked-on target was exactly Ichigo Kurosaki, who stood at the very front with Zangetsu resting on his shoulder.
Ichigo remained silent, immediately bringing Zangetsu horizontally across his chest.
"Roar, Suigaku!!!"
Ganju's halberd emitted a wave of earthy-yellow Spiritual Pressure as it smashed down viciously toward Ichigo's face!
Clang!!!
Zangetsu and the halberd collided head-on, erupting with a visible ripple of Spiritual Pressure.
'What heavy force! It's like a small mountain!' Ichigo thought, somewhat surprised.
This was barely any weaker than Jidanbo from just a moment ago!
Although Ganju was only the Seventh Seat, a large part of that was because the higher-ups were suppressing the Shiba family and preventing them from rising. Otherwise, with his talent, he was more than qualified to be a Fourth Seat.
This strike was incredibly heavy, directly shattering several floor tiles beneath Ichigo's feet. However, Ganju used the recoil to perform a mid-air flip.
The wild boar Bonnie landed on all four hooves, snorting two streams of white mist.
"Hahaha! You can't even handle one move?! You're way too weak!"
Ganju laughed heartily, the tip of his halberd pointing straight at Ichigo's forehead. "Orange hair! The great Ganju Shiba is going to teach you today what it means to—"
"Shut up!"
Ichigo channeled strength from his waist, launching himself forward like a bolt of lightning as Zangetsu howled downward!
Boom!!
The emotion-fueled slash collided head-on with Ganju's halberd once again.
"What?!"
This time, Ganju only felt his arms go numb, nearly losing his grip on the halberd.
"Good grief... this is getting interesting!"
On the other side, Uryu Ishida, Yasutora Sado, and Orihime Inoue were in a much more difficult situation.
They were completely surrounded by dozens of highly trained Tenth Division members.
Moreover, these were not just small fry.
"Are these the Ryoka? They don't look like much."
A Seated Officer with a handlebar mustache stepped out from the crowd.
He was the Fifth Seat of the Tenth Division, Ganryu Sasaki.
He slowly drew his Zanpakuto, the blade shimmering with a murky, earthy-yellow light.
"Sink, Tsuchigumo!"
Following his low chant, the hard ground beneath Yasutora Sado's feet suddenly turned as soft as mud.
Before Chad could even react, his legs had already sunk halfway in.
Furthermore, the mire seemed to have a life of its own, clinging tightly to his body and creeping up his legs.
"Chad!" Orihime cried out, wanting to use her Shun Shun Rikka to help him.
"Too slow, little girl."
On the other side, a slender female Seated Officer suddenly appeared in Orihime's blind spot.
She was the Sixth Seat of the Tenth Division, Mimi Takeuchi.
"Dance madly, Domenki!"
The Zanpakuto in her hand instantly split into two, slicing toward Orihime with an ear-piercing screech.
"Santen Kesshun! I reject!"
Orihime reacted extremely fast, the orange light shield blocking the slash in the nick of time.
But the massive impact still sent her sliding backward for several meters, nearly causing her to fall.
"Damn it... with this number of enemies..."
Uryu Ishida fired his spirit bow repeatedly. Although the blue arrows accurately repelled several ordinary squad members, facing the endless stream of Soul Reapers drained his Spiritual Power rapidly.
"A Quincy?!"
Moreover, his actions caused the surrounding squad members' expressions to change collectively.
After all, Quincies and Soul Reapers were mortal enemies. This identity only fueled the fighting spirit of the Tenth Division members even more.
Unlike the fiercely battling squad members, Toshiro stood on a high vantage point, vigilantly surveying the surrounding situation.
'Are there really only four of them...'
Though young, he possessed a calmness and strategic vision far beyond ordinary people, and he did not immediately join the chaotic fray.
In his eyes, although these Ryoka had some brute strength—especially that orange-haired boy who could defeat Jidanbo...
Thinking they could break into the Seireitei with just these few people was far too childish.
'Is it a feint? Or a decoy?'
He quickly scanned every corner around Hakutoumon, trying to find any hidden troops lurking in the shadows.
Finally, as his gaze swept past the top of an abandoned watchtower...
He saw a black cat crouching there.