Crack, crack, crack—
Accompanied by the sound of shattering, the coffin-shaped object that had appeared gradually collapsed, and the six blade-spears stuck around the coffin were also forced out, as if subjected to some kind of pressure.
Finally, with a huge explosion, the seal completely broke.
A tall figure emerged from it, shirtless and tall, but with shriveled skin, looking like a mummy.
However, the moment he appeared, a terrifying Reiatsu surged out.
Although Ishikawa could not feel the intensity of the Reiatsu, he could sense its power from the almost tangible Reiatsu fluctuations in the surroundings.
Very good, the stronger you are, the happier I am!
Unlike the others, when Ishikawa saw Kōga Kuchiki, a smile immediately appeared on his face.
Buzz—
Kōga Kuchiki's eyes slowly opened, and the moment they did, the gravity in the entire area suddenly increased dramatically, causing everyone except Ishikawa and Muramasa to involuntarily sink.
"Hahahaha~ Hahahahahaha—"
Meeting Kōga Kuchiki's gaze, Muramasa couldn't help but laugh wildly with joy: "My master, have you awakened? I have waited for this moment for so long. Now, let us fulfill the long-cherished wish we had back then." Muramasa, with a fanatical expression, walked towards Kōga Kuchiki as if welcoming a king.
"But before that, there are a few rude wastes here that you need to deal with first…"
Pfft!
The sound of a blade piercing flesh interrupted Muramasa's words. He looked at the blade his master had plunged into his chest, his voice filled with disbelief:
"Why… why…"
Ishikawa's eyelid twitched slightly. Although he had also killed his own Zanpakuto, that was entirely because his Zanpakuto wanted to kill him.
Leaving aside personality, Muramasa's loyalty was absolutely unquestionable. After all, he had defied the entire Soul Society to free his master, and yet, the moment he saw his master, he was stabbed by him…
Ishikawa didn't feel pity for him, but as someone who had also dealt with his own Zanpakuto, he always felt that…
These two guys in front of him seemed to be subtly mocking him!
And he had a premonition that after he returned to Soul Society, he might have to kill his Zanpakuto again.
"You did not respond to me."
Kōga Kuchiki looked down at Muramasa, who was kneeling before him, and said coldly: "When I was sealed, I called out to you."
"You… called me?" Muramasa was stunned.
"Yet you refused to lend me your strength."
Not far away, Ishikawa looked at the man and the sword in front of him, and couldn't help but nudge Kuchiki Byakuya with his elbow.
Kuchiki Byakuya frowned and moved a step aside with a look of disgust.
Ishikawa didn't bother with him and instead said: "Aren't you going to clean house? Hurry up and do it, I have something urgent to deal with."
For some reason, the longer he stayed in the Human World, the stronger Ishikawa's ominous premonition grew.
He always felt that he should return to Soul Society immediately!
Kuchiki Byakuya snorted, saying nothing, but looked at Kōga Kuchiki with icy eyes, subtly exuding a chilling killing intent.
Sensing the killing intent, Kōga Kuchiki shifted his gaze from Muramasa to Kuchiki Byakuya. After a careful scrutiny, a resentful, strange smile appeared on his face:
"Ginbaku Fūkasa, Kenkisen."
At that moment, Kōga Kuchiki's eyes also flashed with killing intent: "You are from the Kucihki family, aren't you?"
"The twenty-eighth head of the Kucihki family, Kuchiki Byakuya!"
…
Ishikawa didn't listen to their conversation. While the two were confronting each other, he dragged the heavily injured Muramasa aside.
At this moment, Muramasa exuded a strange sense of death.
Although his injuries were not fatal, he had completely lost his survival instinct and offered no resistance to Ishikawa's dragging.
"Mr. Muramasa."
Ishikawa squatted down and asked Muramasa: "Can you please answer one question for me first?"
Muramasa didn't speak, his gaze still fixed in the direction of Kōga Kuchiki.
Ishikawa shook his head at this: "Don't look. He doesn't need you anymore. You can die if you want, but first, tell me, where did you take my Zanpakuto?"
Hearing this, Muramasa finally turned his head, and for some reason, a hint of pity appeared in his eyes as he looked at Ishikawa.
"…"
This gaze made Ishikawa's mouth twitch slightly.
"Your Zanpakuto did not go with me. It disappeared the moment it left you."
Muramasa suddenly showed a self-mocking smile, as if he had thought of something: "Looking at it this way, you and I are really similar. We are supposed to be the closest companions, but in the end…"
"Stop, I'm already similar to enough people."
Ishikawa interrupted: "When you infiltrated my inner world, what exactly did you sense from my Zanpakuto's true form?"
"Your closest companion will use any means to make you die in the most painful way!"
Hearing this, Ishikawa couldn't help but curl his lip.
He had indeed been careless about this. When he killed his Zanpakuto back then, he hadn't relied on his own efforts, but on Aizen's power.
Perhaps because of this, there were still remnants of the Zanpakuto he had killed.
He had previously thought that it was Muramasa's ability that had stimulated these remnants, but now it seemed… whether Muramasa appeared or not, it would have appeared, it was just a matter of time.
Make me die in the most painful way?
A cold glint flashed in Ishikawa's eyes. A mere tool, was it not being a bit too arrogant?
Although he considered himself different from Kōga Kuchiki, Ishikawa strongly agreed with one of Kōga Kuchiki's statements: in his eyes, a Zanpakuto was merely a tool for combat. As for what Muramasa called the 'closest companion', Ishikawa completely disagreed.
If this tool became too troublesome and would restrict him, Ishikawa would not hesitate to abandon the Zanpakuto and use a sturdy and durable blade instead.
As if sensing Ishikawa's inner thoughts, Muramasa's expression darkened again, and that desperate sense of death resurfaced.
Wahhh Wahhh Wahhh—
A strange aura stirred up a whistling sound, and an ominous red light suddenly emanated from around Muramasa.
"…Kōga… Kōga…"
As his consciousness was about to collapse and he could no longer control his Reiatsu, he kept calling out his master's name, but Kōga Kuchiki, who was already fighting Kuchiki Byakuya, didn't even spare him a glance.
This broke Muramasa's last line of defense, and he completely collapsed.
A dark red Reiatsu, like a sea of blood, spread outwards in a circle, and within that Reiatsu, countless gigantic Gillian emerged.
As far as the eye could see, there was no end.
"Menos Grande?"
In the distance, Kuchiki Rukia and the others' expressions changed.
"Why are Menos Grande appearing from inside Muramasa?"
"Wait, Ishikawa."
Ichigo looked at Ishikawa, who was in the center of hundreds of Gillian, and his face suddenly changed.
Ishikawa had lost his Shinigami abilities, and he had personally experienced that feeling of powerlessness when abilities were lost. Not having seen Ishikawa's arrival, he didn't believe Ishikawa could survive being surrounded by so many Gillian.
But just as he was about to go to the rescue, an incredibly bizarre scene occurred.
The hundreds of Gillian around him seemed not to have noticed Ishikawa… No, strictly speaking, it was more like…
Guards?
All the Gillian gradually moved, eventually forming two rows, standing tall around Ishikawa.
And the smaller Hollows next to the Gillian, after appearing from within Muramasa, knelt on the ground, not daring to look up at all.
"How is that possible?"
This scene left everyone stunned.
"Hahaha~"
"So many toys."
"Ishikawa-nii, Ishikawa-nii, can we play with them?"
"…"
The sound of children's laughter came, and Ichigo and the others only then realized that five children, about 10 years old, had appeared around Ishikawa at some point, innocently running and jumping in the center of countless Menos Grande, their mouths emitting tender and childlike laughter.
"Those are…"
Ishida Uryū was slightly startled: "Arrancar?"
"Don't be nervous, these are my friends."
Ishikawa's voice came, and looking over, they saw Ishikawa slowly walking towards them, surrounded by a multitude of Menos Grande.
This scene made Kuchiki Rukia recall the time Aizen left Soul Society, surrounded by Menos Grande. Both had a faint smile, yet gave off a strange chill.
However…
Ishikawa was not Aizen, and she believed Ishikawa would not harm Soul Society.
In truth, her belief was somewhat subjective.
60 points of favorability made her trust Ishikawa immensely, so even though the scene before her was terrifying, she still chose to believe Ishikawa.
And Ichigo, Ishida Uryū, and Chad shared the same thoughts as her.
None of them considered Ishikawa to be a dangerous guy… or rather, it wasn't that he wasn't dangerous, but compared to Aizen, Ishikawa was not a dangerous guy.
"Big brother with yellow hair, why is your hair yellow?"
A little girl with twin pigtails leaned over to Ichigo and asked with a puzzled expression.
There were also Picaro who ran to Ishida Uryū's side: "Your clothes are so pretty, can you give me a set?"
Several people were immediately surrounded by Picaro.
The previously tense group relaxed when they saw this. Although they were Arrancar, they didn't feel the terrifying presence of Arrancar from these children. They seemed just like ordinary human children.
This made everyone look at Ishikawa with confusion.
"They are special individuals; their way of thinking is no different from human children."
Ishikawa didn't hide anything and directly informed everyone about Picaro's origins.
To transform Kōga Kuchiki into a Spell Inscription, the existence of Picaro was destined to be discovered by everyone. Rather than being secretive, it was better to directly inform everyone of Picaro's origins.
Of course, it was mainly because…
Picaro had no interest in devouring humans; their targets were more inclined towards areas of high Reishi. Once they felt hungry, they would only devour all the Reishi in an area.
So, compared to the Human World, they were more interested in Hueco Mundo and Soul Society.
The few people present were those who didn't particularly value the boundary between Shinigami and Hollow, especially Ichigo. Having mastered Visored, he had already changed his perception of Arrancar and no longer subconsciously considered them enemies upon seeing them.
Unless they were guys who devoured humans and threatened the safety of the world.
So, regarding the birth process of Picaro, everyone only felt pity.
This made Ishikawa want to remind them that these little guys were once the No. 2 of the Espada, but seeing Picaro's happy expression as if they had found playmates, Ishikawa ultimately gave up on the reminder.
"Stop messing around for now. You guys open the Black Portal and send all these Hollow back to Hueco Mundo."
Ishikawa's current research was on Shinigami spiritual nucleus. These Hollow were completely unsuitable as experimental subjects. As for providing Reiatsu, judging by Kōga Kuchiki's recent performance, he alone was already enough.
Several Picaro, under Ishikawa's instruction, held hands and opened a gigantic Black Portal.
All the Gillian and those miscellaneous Hollow, at their command, walked into the Black Portal.
As Arrancar who had undergone Adjuchas Arrancarization, they naturally had the right to command Gillian, so achieving this was not difficult.
"I thought we were going to have a tough fight."
Looking at the scene before him, Ishida Uryū's expression was a little strange. Although his master had told him that Ishikawa had many friends when he was in Soul Society, he really hadn't expected… that this Ishikawa's circle of friends had already expanded to Hueco Mundo.
"Yeah."
Ichigo nodded in agreement, then looked at Muramasa in the distance.
Zanpakuto and their masters are one; they coexist by merging with the master's soul.
So, to maintain his physical form, Muramasa had been using Hollow to fill the void left by his master.
If these Hollow hadn't left, they might have merged into Muramasa's body, causing Hollow and Zanpakuto to fuse, becoming similar to Ichigo's situation.
But the departure of the Hollow interrupted this process.
Losing the support of Reiatsu, Muramasa's figure became somewhat dim, gradually turning into a phantom, and finally disappearing from everyone's sight.
During this process, Muramasa made no movement, calmly accepting the arrival of death.
This made everyone's faces become somewhat complex.
"It seems to be ending over there too."
Ishikawa's voice made everyone look up at the sky.
"Muramasa! Muramasa…"
As soon as they looked up, they heard Kōga Kuchiki's anxious call:
"Come here, are you going to ignore my call again?"
"Come here!"
"Why don't you answer…"
His words abruptly stopped, and then with a loud 'boom', a figure slammed into the ground in front of Ishikawa.
"Here you go."
Kuchiki Byakuya's voice came from above everyone's heads.
"Thanks."
Ishikawa thanked him and slowly walked towards the fallen Kōga Kuchiki.
At this moment, Kōga Kuchiki was covered in blood, but as agreed, Byakuya did not deliver the final blow, leaving him alive.
As Ishikawa walked in front of him, he struggled to get up from the ground.
"Get lost!"
Kōga Kuchiki looked at Ishikawa in front of him and roared angrily, his gaze searching around, hoping to find Muramasa's figure.
But…
"Ugh~"
A hand suddenly gripped his neck, lifting him entirely.
The power emanating from the palm made Kōga Kuchiki's face change drastically. His Reiatsu surged wildly, but it had no effect on that palm whatsoever.
How was that possible?
An indescribable power emanated from the palm, but strangely…
He didn't feel the slightest Reiatsu on that palm.
"Picaro, come help me."
Ishikawa's call entered Kōga Kuchiki's ears, making him feel a chill spread straight up from his tailbone.
An inexplicable sense of fear enveloped his entire body.
"You…"
He wanted to question, but his constricted neck prevented him from uttering a single word.
Five Picaro, following Ishikawa's instructions, positioned themselves around him. Their Reiatsu surged, forming strange patterns in the void.
Those patterns were the Hollow Mark, inscribed on their spiritual nucleus by Ishikawa's flesh, blood, and Reiatsu.
It was through this connection that Ishikawa was able to condense the Reiatsu Crest outside his body with their help.
Buzz~
Almost at the instant those patterns appeared, Kōga Kuchiki's body suddenly became distorted, as if being torn apart by countless large hands.
The intense pain distorted his expression beyond recognition, but he couldn't even let out a scream.
Not enough?
Ishikawa frowned, and his free left hand struck out like lightning.
Bang bang bang bang—
Accompanied by a series of muffled thuds, countless fist marks appeared on Kōga Kuchiki's body in just the blink of an eye.
This scene made a strange glint flash in Kuchiki Byakuya's eyes in mid-air.
Because even he hadn't seen how many punches Ishikawa had thrown in that instant, but Kōga Kuchiki's spiritual nucleus was gradually collapsing under those punches, merging into the inexplicable patterns in the void.
When the flurry of punches stopped, Kōga Kuchiki had already completely turned into Reishi, fully merging into the Spell Inscription condensed in mid-air.
And those Spell Inscription, under the control of the Picaro, merged into Ishikawa's body.
Buzz~
An invisible ripple spread outwards from Ishikawa, a ripple of Reiatsu.
Dark red patterns appeared on Ishikawa's exposed skin, and that Reiatsu ripple emanated from these patterns.
"Hoo!"
Ishikawa let out a light breath, a hint of excitement flashing in his eyes.
The Reiatsu Crest condensed outside the body of a Captain-level Shinigami had an even better effect than he had imagined. It could even autonomously absorb Reiatsu for replenishment, which meant Ishikawa didn't need to worry about the Reiatsu within the Reiatsu Crest running out for a short period.
"Did it succeed?"
Ichigo stepped forward and asked, looking at the patterns on Ishikawa's body.
"Half successful. I can already use Reiatsu now." Ishikawa nodded. "Next, I still need to use this Reiatsu to find a way to heal my injuries."
After briefly explaining to everyone, Ishikawa sent the reluctant Picaro back to Hueco Mundo.
After bidding farewell to Picaro, Ishikawa pointed his hand into the void. As Reiatsu surged from his body, a Black Portal immediately appeared before everyone.
"Let's talk later. I need to go back to Soul Society to deal with some matters first."
"I'm going too; I'm a bit worried about the situation over there."
Ichigo immediately followed.
Kuchiki Byakuya and Kuchiki Rukia also came up behind Ishikawa.
Ishikawa nodded at the sight, then looked at Ishida Uryū and Chad. After exchanging glances, they also followed.
Having made up his mind, Ishikawa didn't talk further and directly led the way into the Black Portal.
…
West 38th District ~ Everything Store.
The void tore open, and Ishikawa leaped out of the dark passage, but as soon as he appeared, his brows furrowed.
Creak~
Noticing the commotion, everyone in the tavern came out.
When they saw Ishikawa, their eyes lit up.
"Ishikawa, Utsuki was swallowed by your Zanpakuto!!" Himura immediately stepped forward and shouted.
Swallowed?
Ishikawa was stunned, and before he could ask.
"Not just Sister Utsuki, even Sister Soi Fon was swallowed."
"And many people in Rukongai were swallowed by it, and they were all women."
"???"