Update Patch: Fixed the bug where the Visoreds would jump at her face, fixed the knockback effect of the time-type Zanpakutō, and fixed the bug where the Visoreds' health bars were too long.
An abandoned factory in the outskirts of Karakura Town.
"This is the place."
Soifon stopped outside a dilapidated outer wall, her gaze falling on the factory's entrance.
In the perception of the three of them, a translucent barrier formed of precise Spiritual Power enveloped the entire factory area.
"Lady Soifon," Nelliel stepped forward defensively. "There seem to be many powerful Spiritual Pressures inside. Please proceed with caution."
"I suggest letting Nelliel and me scout the way first."
Harribel placed her hand on the hilt of the short sword behind her waist.
Soifon shook her head.
She stepped forward, walking up to the barrier. She gently placed her hand on it, causing rings of orange ripples to undulate outward.
"There's no rush," Soifon said. "We can wait until Ichigo Kurosaki finishes his training for the day before we go in. It won't be too late."
Harribel and Nelliel exchanged a glance, both feeling somewhat puzzled, but they still nodded and stood quietly behind Soifon.
Subsequently, Soifon closed her eyes. Her powerful perception passed through the barrier without any obstruction, probing into the interior of the factory.
Beneath the factory was a massive modified space, similar to the underground training ground at the Urahara Shop.
Ichigo Kurosaki stood there. His face was half-covered by a white bone mask, but his ominous pupils—resembling those of a Menos Grande—harbored an unusual calmness.
And surrounding him were four individuals.
Shinji Hirako, Mashiro Kuna, Hiyori Sarugaki, and Lisa Yadōmaru. They all wore their respective Hollow masks, their Spiritual Pressures fully unleashed as they stood ready for battle.
[To think he's actually undergoing Hollowfication training?!]
Soifon was inwardly startled. She had thought that the Ichigo Kurosaki of this timeline was already able to master White's power.
"Haa... Haa..." Ichigo's panting echoed through the mask, muffled and heavy. "Continue... I can still..."
Spinning the ringed pommel of Sakanade in his hand, Shinji Hirako kindly advised,
"Don't push yourself too hard, Ichigo."
"Your Hollowfication time has already exceeded three minutes. If you keep going, that guy White Ichigo might completely pop out."
"Mr. Hirako, if you don't shut up, I really won't be able to suppress him..."
Ichigo growled softly, swinging Zangetsu forcefully. A miniature crescent moon tore through the air, hurtling toward the group.
Hiyori held her Zanpakutō horizontally in front of her, forcefully blocking the strike. However, her entire body was pushed back several meters, the soles of her shoes grinding against the ground with a harsh screech.
"Hey! Baldy! Didn't we agree on one hour per round?!" Hiyori cursed loudly. "It's been an hour and a half already!!"
"It can't be helped," Shinji Hirako spread his hands helplessly. "Ichigo's enthusiasm for learning is simply too high."
Just now, Shinji Hirako's advice for Ichigo Kurosaki to rest was genuine; he wasn't trying to use reverse psychology.
With a solemn expression, he watched Ichigo Kurosaki charge at the four of them once more, directing everyone to scatter.
Who knows how much extra stuff Aizen had slipped into White. The White inside Ichigo Kurosaki was simply not on the same level as the Hollows inside them, the Visoreds.
It wasn't that Ichigo Kurosaki's Hollowfication had never gone berserk. After White appeared, he would always curse and violently attack the few of them. If Ichigo Kurosaki hadn't reined him in at the critical moments, the Visoreds would have already suffered casualties.
Outside the perimeter, Soifon withdrew her perception and opened her eyes.
The sky was gradually darkening. Soifon looked up at the night sky, rendered a colorful myriad of hues by the neon lights, and decided that it was now time.
She tilted her head slightly, instructing Nelliel and Harribel to hide to the side for now.
"Lady Soifon, this is too dangerous..."
"Please, you must let us..."
Unsurprisingly, Soifon received almost pleading rejections from the two of them.
"This is an order."
Left with no other choice, Soifon could only use this foolproof phrase.
Nelliel bit her lip, still wanting to say something, but Harribel's hand blocked her path, followed by a slight shake of her head.
—Obey the arrangement.
Helplessly, the two could only obey Soifon's words and hide themselves on the roof of a nearby factory building.
Next, Soifon no longer concealed her Spiritual Pressure.
She raised her right hand, her palm lightly pressing against that translucent orange barrier...
Then, she applied a bit of force.
Crack—
A sound akin to shattering glass rang out. Centered on her palm, spiderweb-like cracks surfaced on the orange barrier, rapidly spreading outward before finally disintegrating into countless motes of light.
At the same time, Hachigen Ushōda abruptly opened his eyes, his chubby face revealing a look of horror for the very first time:
"The barrier! It's been destroyed from the outside!"
Almost at the exact same moment, all the Visored members who were either watching the battle or adjusting their breathing turned their heads in unison, their gazes collectively shooting toward the stairway entrance leading to the surface.
In the center of the training ground, Ichigo Kurosaki—having just deactivated his Hollowfication and panting heavily—also raised his head, the remaining fragments of his mask peeling off his cheeks.
Step, step, step.
The sound of Soifon's footsteps echoed from the top of the stairs.
Kensei Muguruma narrowed his eyes, his hand already resting on the hilt of his Zanpakutō at his waist.
He listened intently for two seconds before deducing in a low voice, "It's one person. The footsteps are very light, so they don't weigh much. High probability it's a female."
Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi also drew his sword. "Whether it's a man or a woman, anyone capable of breaking through the barrier to get in isn't some simple fellow..."
The footsteps grew closer and closer. A slender figure descended the final few steps, stepping into the bright light of the training ground.
Soifon's face held no expression. She calmly swept her gaze over everyone present, before finally resting her eyes on Ichigo Kurosaki.
Sister Soifon?!
Ichigo Kurosaki's pupils shrank drastically. He had come here to train his Hollowfication powers while keeping it a secret from his parents!
Right now, he felt like a kid caught sneaking into an internet cafe by a relative, his brain frantically searching for a suitable excuse.
In truth, Ichigo Kurosaki's relationship with White had originally been quite pleasant, until Kisuke Urahara came over secretively to tell him that the White inside his body had almost killed his mother, and that Ichigo needed to suppress White's power...
Ever since then, the White inside Ichigo Kurosaki had become irritable, constantly clamoring to take the wheel and hack that guy Kisuke Urahara to pieces.
Over time, he could only use his Shinigami and Quincy powers to suppress White, resulting in a rather strained relationship between the two of them now.
Shifting the focus back to Soifon.
In stark contrast to Ichigo Kurosaki's reaction—which was a mix of surprise and worry—the expressions of all the Visored members present completely froze the instant they clearly saw the intruder, before morphing into undisguised hostility and anger.
Among them, Hiyori Sarugaki's reaction was the most intense.
She stepped forward, the tip of her blade pointing straight at the tip of Soifon's nose, her voice filled with absolute fury:
"You actually dare to show your face before us?!"
"Colluding with a bastard like Sōsuke Aizen, and now you have the gall to swagger right into our base?!"
"Did you think that just because we live in the World of the Living, we wouldn't have intel on the Soul Society?!"
"Huh—?! You bastard!"
Before her words even finished echoing, Hiyori's Spiritual Pressure violently erupted. Swiping her left hand over her face, she donned her bone Hollow mask once again.
It wasn't just her.
All the members of the Visoreds collectively released their Zanpakutō and instantaneously donned their Hollow masks.
Even the usually mild-mannered Hachigen Ushōda silently formed hand seals for Kidō, his Spiritual Pressure circulating around his body.
In an instant, everyone's auras pressed heavily upon Soifon, who stood on the bottommost step of the stairs.
The atmosphere in the entire underground training ground plummeted to freezing point, fraught with tension and ready to ignite at the slightest provocation.
Ichigo Kurosaki stood between the two parties. Looking left and right, he opened his mouth as if wanting to say something, but felt it wasn't his place to interject.
After all, Soifon herself didn't seem to have any intention of explaining.
Turning a blind eye to the blade tip practically pressed against her eyes, Soifon extended a single finger and gently pushed Hiyori Sarugaki's Zanpakutō aside.
"It seems..." Her voice rang out in the silent training ground, "I'm not very welcome here, am I?"
Fury instantly filled Hiyori Sarugaki's heart, and her Zanpakutō swung down with the sound of rushing wind.
Even before the blade's edge arrived, the gust kicked up by her Spiritual Pressure had already blown aside the black bangs on Soifon's forehead.
Soifon didn't even raise her eyes. She merely lifted her right hand, her index finger and thumb precisely pinching the descending blade right in front of her face.
"What?!"
Hiyori's pupils contracted.
Immediately after, Soifon's right leg swung high, kicking Hiyori squarely in the abdomen...
Bang—
Hiyori was sent flying backward, her back slamming heavily against the wall of the training ground. Even her Hollow mask developed cracks.
Almost at the exact same moment, two powerful Spiritual Pressures descended from above Soifon's head.
Lisa Yadōmaru and Mashiro Kuna, positioned left and right, dove down from the ceiling of the training ground, their Zanpakutō and shoe soles aimed directly at Soifon's head and shoulders.
Clang! Clang!
The unsheathed Suzumebachi was held horizontally above her head, blocking their sneak attacks.
At this exact instant, several golden chains shot out from the shadows beside Soifon without warning, wrapping around her yet-to-be-raised left arm and her waist, before abruptly tightening.
"Got her!"
"It's not like we don't have intel. Who do you think we are?"
Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi's figure emerged from the side, a trace of a smug smile on his face.
Simultaneously, Kensei Muguruma's figure appeared directly in front of Soifon, his Zanpakutō held level as his Spiritual Pressure began to climb:
"We are the Visoreds—!!!"
He and Love Aikawa, who was attacking from the other side, moved in unison.
The two attacked from the left and right. Kensei Muguruma's Tachikaze, wreathed in verdant wind blades, sealed off all of Soifon's evasion routes.
"The Visoreds?"
"It does look like you won't waste too much of my time."
Soifon tilted her head slightly, looking at Kensei Muguruma, who had already rushed right in front of her.
What?!
An incredibly ominous premonition suddenly exploded in Kensei Muguruma's heart. He instinctively wanted to retreat, but it was already too late.
Flipping her right wrist, which gripped her scabbard, she shoved upward with tremendous force, sending Mashiro Kuna and Lisa Yadōmaru flying away from above her head.
Subsequently, she leaped backward, yanking Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi along with his sword several meters into the air, successfully dodging the pincer attack from Kensei Muguruma and Love Aikawa.
Having done all this, she placed her hand on the Kinshara chains binding her body and gave a slight, forceful tug...
With a sharp crack, Kinshara snapped apart.
From the moment Soifon pinched Hiyori's blade to when she snapped Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi's chains, the entire process took no more than a few brief seconds.
-------- (The following is the revised version)
With a barehanded tug, Soifon yanked Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi up from the ground, then flicked her wrist, smashing him and the nearby rockery to pieces.
"Raikōhō."
Yellow electric currents traveled down Kinshara's chains onto Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi's body, swiftly followed by the smell of charred meat mixed with billowing dust.
"Rōjūrō—!!!"
"Bankai! Tekken Tachikaze!"
Seeing his close friend treated in such a manner, Kensei Muguruma's eyes nearly split open in fury. Unleashing the Spiritual Pressure within his body, he swiftly charged right in front of Soifon—
Crack.
The Bankai gauntlet was firmly caught by Soifon's left hand. The right arm Kensei Muguruma had punched with instantly twisted irregularly, its bones broken by Soifon's hand strike.
"Ah—!"
The piercing pain caused Kensei Muguruma to involuntarily throw his head back and scream in agony, before crumpling to the ground, twitching as he clutched his right arm.
Following closely was Hiyori Sarugaki, who appeared before Soifon with her blade raised once again. Soifon pinched her large sword, a blinding flash of lightning lighting up on her finger before piercing right through the other's shoulder.
—Byakurai.
"Hiyori!"
Seeing his teammates being defeated one after another, Shinji Hirako could no longer endure it. He drew Sakanade and stepped forward.
"Hey, all of you step back. I'll take on this one."
After all, Shinji Hirako's Zanpakutō wasn't suited for group combat, so he could only ask the restless comrades beside him to retreat behind him.
Standing before Soifon, Shinji Hirako spun the Zanpakutō in his hand: "Collapse, Sakanade."
"Do you want me to put a hole in you too?"
Soifon looked at Shinji Hirako, not stopping his Shikai, because...
[Debuff discovered: Sakanade (Minor, suppressed by your Spiritual Pressure, minimal effect)]
[Clear debuff?]
[Yes.]
Without hesitation, Soifon selected [Yes].
Shinji Hirako had already completed the release of Sakanade. He slowly walked toward Soifon with his blade in hand, then used Shunpo to appear behind her, raising his Zanpakutō high in the air—
"Can't react in time, can you? Everything you see right now is completely inverted..."
At this moment, he seemed to have already seen the hope of victory.
Slash—
A spurt of blood sprayed from Shinji Hirako's shoulder. The triumphant smile on his face had yet to fade before it was gradually overshadowed by an expression of astonishment.
"How could this be..."
"You should have already fallen under my hypnosis ritual..."
The gushing blood gradually drained the strength from his body. With unsteady footsteps, Shinji Hirako stumbled and collapsed to the ground, staring unwillingly at Soifon, who stood rooted in place.
"Because a battle between Shinigami is a battle of Spiritual Pressure."
"Your Spiritual Pressure simply isn't high enough for Sakanade to affect me. That's all there is to it."
Soifon looked down at him from her superior position.
Shinji Hirako's anger also cooled down due to his injury.
Up until now, Soifon hadn't delivered any killing blows to them, but if they continued fighting, it would be hard to say.
"Everyone, stop. We've lost..."
Unwillingly grabbing a handful of dirt from the ground, Shinji Hirako leaned heavily against a nearby rock, issuing the order to the remaining Visored members.
PS: It's fixed. I won't write this kind of 'pretending to be defeated' plotline anymore. For the previous plot, I originally wanted to play on the meme of Kensei Muguruma getting reverse-killed by the Superstar and dropping iconic quotes, but my writing skills were lacking and the resulting effect was too poor. Furthermore, playing with that meme here doesn't seem very appropriate. Anyway, it's my fault. I'm sorry for giving everyone a bad reading experience.
____
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