Ichigo Kurosaki and Ganju Shiba finally reached the tall tower at the center of the spiral-roofed complex. Up close, its height was enough to make anyone despair.
Ichigo glanced at an old tiled house nearby.
"Are we going through there?"
"Why make it that complicated?" Ganju Shiba pulled a grappling hook from behind him. "We'll just climb over."
Ichigo stepped back, looked behind Ganju Shiba, then at the hook in his hand.
"With just one hook?"
Ganju Shiba reached behind himself again and produced a thick coil of rope.
"Of course we need rope!"
Ichigo stared at the bundle, then at Ganju Shiba's back again.
Where did that even come from?
Ganju Shiba swung the hook around, searching for the right angle. Then his body suddenly stiffened.
A cold Reiatsu descended from above.
Both of them turned.
A distant, indifferent figure came into view.
The abyss-like pressure was so overwhelming that the grappling hook slipped from Ganju Shiba's hand and hung limply.
"S... such powerful Reiatsu!" Ichigo stared at the figure. "That's..."
Sweat beaded on Ganju Shiba's forehead.
"The Captain of the 6th Division... Byakuya Kuchiki!"
"Y... you know him?"
"Of course I do! Byakuya Kuchiki is one of the Four Great Noble Families, holding the title of First Rank. He's said to be the strongest head in the clan's history. Among the current captains of the Gotei 13, he's the most famous!" Ganju Shiba's brows knit tightly. "Damn it. Why him, of all people?"
"Captain level..." Ichigo gritted his teeth. "You go. I'll hold him off."
"Don't be stupid! Do you really think you can run now?"
"Ganju..." Ichigo had not expected that, even this scared, Ganju Shiba would still choose to stand and face Byakuya Kuchiki.
"Since it's come to this..." Ganju Shiba took a deep breath. "All we can do is beg him to spare our lives."
Ichigo fell silent.
"Which one of us is the idiot here?"
"A mere Ryoka..." Byakuya Kuchiki's expression was glacial. "Daring to set foot in the Senzaikyū."
"I didn't see any sign saying no entry." Ichigo activated his Quincy Cross. "Run!"
It was obvious the other side had no intention of letting them pass peacefully. Ichigo tightened his grip on his crescent blade and charged forward.
"Idiot!" Ganju Shiba cursed.
If he had the choice, of course he would run.
When Muten Natsu fought Kenpachi Zaraki, Ganju Shiba had believed Muten Natsu could hold his own. That was why he left so decisively.
But the Byakuya Kuchiki before him was on an entirely different level from Ichigo Kurosaki.
Even if they attacked together, they would have no confidence of winning. How could he leave Ichigo Kurosaki alone?
He was just about to move when he realized that Byakuya Kuchiki was already standing behind Ichigo Kurosaki.
Pfft.
Two streams of crimson blood burst from Ichigo's chest.
What... how is that possible?
Ganju Shiba could not believe his eyes.
In the instant he blinked, Ichigo had already collapsed behind Byakuya Kuchiki.
Movement. Attack. Two strikes.
All completed in an impossibly brief moment.
He'll die.
The realization hit Ganju Shiba with absolute clarity.
Then... should he run?
If he died here, he would never uncover the truth behind his brother's death.
He would never avenge him.
So...
"Looks like you've made up your mind... Don't lose your nerve halfway, brat. If you're going, stake your life on it!"
His sister's voice echoed in his ears.
Ganju Shiba let out a short laugh.
Sorry, Aniki.
I'll avenge you later.
If you want to blame someone, blame our big sister.
She taught me that you never abandon your comrades and run for your own life.
But I know.
You wouldn't blame her.
If it were you, you'd be the first to charge forward.
"Nice moves!" Ganju Shiba forced out a laugh. "Guess I'll be your opponent next, young master!"
He drew his waist blade and charged at Byakuya Kuchiki without hesitation. Halfway there, he suddenly pulled out two small pellets.
"Try my Blood Tears—"
"Die." Byakuya Kuchiki's voice came softly from behind him. "My blade is not meant for cutting down small fry like you."
"Aaaagh!"
Ganju Shiba screamed. At some point, a deep gash had opened across his left arm, blood pouring out in a rush.
"Ghk—"
He bit down hard and forced the scream back, teeth grinding audibly as he squeezed out the words.
"A man of the Shiba Clan doesn't run from cheap tricks like this!"
His left arm hung uselessly in front of him, but his right hand still gripped his sword tight.
"Shiba... So you are of the Shiba Clan." Byakuya Kuchiki's eyes shifted slightly. He walked forward a few steps, then turned, drawing his Zanpakutō with solemn composure. "Then what I did earlier was indeed discourteous. From this point on, I cannot allow you to leave alive."
Ganju Shiba did not understand. If Byakuya Kuchiki intended to attack, shouldn't he be closing the distance?
The answer came immediately.
Byakuya Kuchiki raised his sword to chest level, the blade standing upright before him.
His lips parted, his voice low and almost chanting.
"Scatter... Senbonzakura."
It was like a sudden spring breeze stirring a rain of blossoms.
The blade before him dissolved into countless pale pink petals, drifting gently through the air as they brushed past Ganju Shiba's body.
"What is—"
His eyes flew wide as pain exploded across his entire body, as if his flesh were being sliced apart everywhere at once.
He collapsed to his knees, powerless. Blood seeped from his wounds, yet instead of falling, it remained suspended in the air.
What... is this...?
His vision blurred. The remnants of his consciousness were no longer enough to form coherent thoughts. In his fading sight, he saw Byakuya Kuchiki calmly swinging the hilt of a blade that no longer existed.
"Zangetsu!"
White bandages wrapped tightly around Ichigo Kurosaki's left arm, crossing over each other and winding up to his shoulder.
But this time, they did not trail behind him.
Instead, they extended further, binding the wounds across his torso.
A solid black blade formed in his hand. Ichigo slashed, and a deep blue crescent burst forth, sweeping the blood suspended in the air away.
"If you were still alive," the scattered petals reformed into a blade in Byakuya Kuchiki's hand, "you would be lying still."
"Sorry about that..." Ichigo forced himself upright despite the pain. "I'm just not very good at playing dead."
Byakuya Kuchiki's expression did not change. With a single step, he appeared directly in front of Ichigo.
The ring in Ichigo's left palm glowed faintly.
The blue crescent that had just dissipated reappeared before him, intercepting Byakuya Kuchiki's strike.