Time passed little by little.
The lights in the city gradually dimmed, and the sounds slowly faded.
Only occasionally, the sound of car horns echoed through the darkness.
Finally— Shinji gazed into the darkness of the city.
This movement woke up Kurosaki Masaki, who had been sleeping beside him.
"Hmm... huh?"
"This Reiatsu... That guy from before is finally willing to show himself."
Kurosaki Masaki rubbed the corner of her chin, her face slightly flushed. She quickly adjusted her mood, stood up, and carefully sensed the spiritual energy in the air.
"Yeah, finally coming out."
A black cat emerged step by step from the darkness.
"Eh??? The talking cat from before? You're here too?"
It was only then that Kurosaki Masaki noticed the black cat on the rooftop. If she hadn't spoken, Masaki might not have even noticed her presence.
"Call me Mr. Yoruichi, you impolite brat."
Shihouin Yoruichi glanced at her before jumping onto Shinji's shoulder.
"It looks like Shiba Isshin has already started fighting him."
The violent collision of Reiatsu was unmistakable in the dark night.
Blue Reiatsu clashed fiercely against crimson Reiatsu, and the shockwaves from their battle spread out for more than ten kilometers.
"It Is Okay To follow me"
Shinji asked.
"Eh? Are you talking about me?"
Kurosaki Masaki pointed at herself, smiling with her eyes curved like crescent moons. "It doesn't matter to me. I can make my own decisions—"
"He's not talking about you, brat."
Shihouin Yoruichi glanced at her and licked her paw.
Kurosaki Masaki: "..."
So embarrassing.
Kurosaki Masaki covered her face with both hands.
"It's fine. In this form, I won't attract too much attention, and he doesn't have any intel on me in this state."
Shihouin Yoruichi shook her head.
She fully understood what her fiancé meant.
Karakura Town was covered in Aizen's surveillance. Everything that happened was under his watch.
Yoruichi knew the real reason behind this Vasto Lorde-class Menos Grande incident.
It was just one of Aizen's methods to locate and force her and Urahara Kisuke to appear.
And his goal—was the Hōgyoku in Urahara Kisuke's possession.
But now, the Hōgyoku was in Shinji's hands.
Thinking of this, Shihouin Yoruichi couldn't help but glance at Shinji's face. She wondered—why did her fiancé want the Hōgyoku in the first place?
"Is there something on my face?"
While speaking, Shinji casually reached out and squeezed Shihouin Yoruichi.
Damn, petting a cat is way too addictive. Once you start, you can't stop.
"Not really."
Shihouin Yoruichi firmly gripped Shinji's clothing, watching the scenery flash by as they moved. She couldn't help but be surprised. "Your Shunpo level is already on par with mine, huh?"
"So your Shunpo is actually this strong?"
At this level, even among captains, Shinji's speed was definitely at the top.
As the "Flash Goddess Yoruichi," Shihouin Yoruichi had absolute confidence in her own Shunpo.
It seemed her fiancé still had a lot of hidden abilities.
Shihouin Yoruichi stared at Shinji's profile, deep in thought.
Well, she had plenty of time.
Slowly uncovering and solving the mystery of Shinji—After all, she was his fiancée.
Thinking this, Shihouin Yoruichi let out a soft "meow" and affectionately rubbed against Shinji's head.
"By the way, what exactly is this cat?"
Following closely behind, Kurosaki Masaki had been staring curiously at Shihouin Yoruichi as if she were some kind of rare creature.
"Instead of asking that, you should focus on speeding up. Against an enemy of this level, even Shiba Isshin might not have much of a chance to win."
Shihouin Yoruichi tilted her head strangely and spoke slowly.
Because
This was a King-class Menos Grande of the Vasto Lorde Arrancar!
---
Boom!
A crimson beam of energy, like a laser cannon, obliterated the massive warehouses in front of it. The resulting shockwaves made the ground tremble violently.
"What a terrifying guy… Is this the Cero of a Vasto Lorde-class Arrancar?"
For once, Shiba Isshin didn't have his usual carefree smile. Instead, his face showed sharp focus and caution.
In battle—recklessness meant death.
Although Shinji always ridiculed him for being too cautious, Isshin fully supported Shinji's fighting philosophy.
That's why, from the very start of this battle, Shiba Isshin had gone all out.
But the result—was still grim.
He was being completely suppressed.
Yes, even though Isshin had used his full strength from the beginning, he was still overpowered.
That was the horror of a Vasto Lorde Arrancar.
A normal Vasto Lorde was already at captain-level combat power.
Once they underwent Arrancar transformation, their strength and Reiatsu would naturally surpass even captains!
At this moment— Another crimson Reiatsu attack came.
The Vasto Lorde Arrancar, with a bull's-head mask, moved at a speed close to teleportation—striking Shiba Isshin with a direct hit.
Boom!
Under the tremendous impact.
Shiba Isshin was sent flying for hundreds of meters. He rolled in mid-air before stabilizing himself, then quickly got up, coughing lightly while clutching his chest.
His expression turned serious as he stared at the minotaur-like Arrancar roaring in the distance.
Its presence was heavy, oppressive, and terrifying.
It radiated pure destruction.
It had no reason, no intelligence—only instinctive hunger for destruction.
"No reason, huh? What a relief."
"It's a good thing you've completely lost your mind. If you were still rational, my chances of winning would probably be less than 20%."
Shiba Isshin ran his fingers over his Zanpakutō.
"Though it feels a bit unfair, I'm not in a position to complain."
"Shikai."
"Burn, Engetsu!"
A surge of blue Reiatsu erupted.
In the next second—The Zanpakutō in Shiba Isshin's hand transformed into a blade with fiery red patterns engraved on it.
The temperature in the air slowly began to rise.
Steam, visible to the naked eye, formed around him.
"I'm sorry, but from now on, I'll have to take this more seriously. It might hurt a lot."
Lifting his gaze—Shiba Isshin coldly locked eyes with the charging bull-headed Arrancar.
Slowly, he gripped his Zanpakutō with both hands.
"Getsuga Tenshō!"
---
Boom!
Shiba Isshin was sent flying as a white shockwave exploded. He crashed through multiple floors of a building before slamming into the ground.
Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, Isshin clutched his head and cursed, "Damn it!"
Logically speaking, since the enemy had lost all reason, he should have had some advantage. Yet, in reality, he was completely overpowered by the bull-headed Arrancar in front of him.
Speed, strength, Reiatsu—he was outclassed in every aspect.
As Isshin frantically thought of a countermeasure, the pale face of the bull-headed Arrancar reappeared in front of him. The red Cero forming between its horns compressed rapidly before firing straight at Isshin's face.
Boom!
The air twisted as a crimson light shot out.
Isshin wanted to dodge, but when he saw the direction behind him—straight into Karakura Town—his expression hardened. If he moved, the Cero would land in the center of the city.
Gritting his teeth, he stood his ground.
"I seriously don't get why I came to this world..."
"Also, Shinji, if you don't get here soon, I'm really gonna die, damn it!"
I'm really about to die, you bastard!
The crimson light illuminated the night sky before suddenly detonating into an explosion that devoured everything.
Rumble!
The entire street seemed to disintegrate. Dark, ominous cracks split the air before mending themselves.
This single Cero had torn the sky and the earth apart!
"Cough!"
Amidst the silence, Isshin crawled out of the rubble. Half-leaning against a piece of debris, his upper body was covered in burns, and his left arm hung limply at his side.
His bones… were broken.
No, this was beyond just a simple fracture.
His situation was dire.
Isshin took a deep breath.
Even though he had gone all out from the start, even though his opponent lacked rationality, even though he had never underestimated his enemy—he was still completely overwhelmed.
He had miscalculated. He had overestimated himself.
He had been beaten so badly that he barely had any strength left to fight back.
Hollow Vasto Lorde Arrancars were truly monsters.
"Is this what a Vasto Lorde Arrancar's Cero is like? Their combat power completely surpasses a Captain's..."
Isshin's face twisted in frustration. "And that damn brat Shinji… when I get back to Soul Society, I swear I'll push for your promotion!"
Clearly, if two Captain-class Shinigami had worked together, even if they couldn't defeat this Vasto Lorde Arrancar, it wouldn't have been this one-sided.
But before he could even finish his thoughts, a chilling realization struck him.
Just as that thought crossed his mind, a pale hand suddenly grabbed his head and smashed it into the ground.
"Oh, no..."
That was his last thought before a wave of searing pain took over.
Boom!
Dust erupted tens of meters into the air as the entire street sank by at least a foot. The asphalt rippled like ocean waves, refusing to settle.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The sounds of impact echoed from within the cloud of dust, the trembling ground growing stronger—almost like an earthquake.
"Enough already, you bastard! Haven't you beaten me up enough?!"
A red-and-blue crescent slash erupted from the ground, cutting through the dust as it soared hundreds of meters into the sky. The resulting shockwave cleared the clouds above.
Isshin tightly gripped Engetsu in his right hand, panting heavily.
He… was at his limit.
From start to finish, he had been beaten, battered, and crushed.
He was getting beaten so badly that he was starting to question his own existence.
"I swear, this bastard doesn't stop, does he?"
At this point, Isshin just wanted to curse.
Just defending against the Minotaur's attacks had drained most of his Reiatsu, not to mention the serious injuries he'd sustained.
His left arm was broken, his ribs were fractured, his head had been smashed more times than he could count, his entire body was burned, and one of his legs had been crippled by the aftermath of the Cero.
If any other Shinigami below Captain level had sustained these injuries, they would have died several times over.
A few more hits, and he was done for.
But…
"Hollow" wouldn't give him a chance to breathe.
To the beast, Isshin was simply "prey" waiting to be hunted.
And in the wild, predators never let their prey escape.
Boom!
The air trembled as "Hollow" vanished.
A second later, it reappeared directly in front of Isshin. Its pale face was just inches away from his, and in its hand, a white bone blade was aimed directly at his heart.
The blade came down fast.
"Not good... Move... I can't move...!"
Isshin's eyes widened in terror. No matter how hard he tried to react, the Minotaur's speed was simply beyond his comprehension.
And worse—because of his injuries, he had no strength left to resist.
His wounds were too severe.
The gap between him and a Vasto Lorde Arrancar was simply too vast.
"Is this really... the end for me...?"
At that moment—
A blue light streaked through the air, transforming into a radiant arrow that struck "Hollow" squarely in the chest.
The Hollow let out a pained shriek.
Isshin's eyes widened in disbelief.
A black-haired girl, her gaze firm and determined, had appeared. With perfect form, she stomped down on "Hollow" from midair and plunged her small hand straight into its chest.
"What—"
For the first time since the fight began, someone had successfully wounded the Minotaur.
For the first time, the fight wasn't one-sided.
And she…
Was she a Quincy?
That attack had been a Quincy spiritual arrow, right?
So she must be from Kurosaki Masaki's Quincy clan?
"Stop standing there like an idiot! Do you want to die?"
The girl shouted at him before swiftly pulling her hand out of "Hollow's" chest.
A sickening squelch echoed as blood sprayed from the wound.
"Hollow" let out a furious roar, wildly swinging its claws toward her.
Boom!
A Cero fired like a lightning bolt.
In a flash, the Quincy girl landed next to Isshin, grabbed him by the collar, and began retreating at high speed.
Isshin: "???"
What the hell—!?
"Hey, do I look that weak?! Put me down, I can run on my own!"