Chapter 394

2-in-1 chapter:  

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Before Kaelith had gotten completely serious, things were manageable. But once he started fighting at full strength, Aizen's body simply couldn’t take the strain anymore.

The immense power of the Soul King coursing through him directly damaged the channels through which his spiritual pressure flowed.

After today’s battle, it would take at least three to five days of rest before he could recover.

Thinking this, he glanced at Kaelith with an increasingly displeased look.

The enhancement method he had developed should’ve been more than enough to handle a monster.

Unfortunately, Kaelith wasn’t a monster—he was a beast.

Watching Aizen sit down on the ground without a shred of dignity, Kaelith remained silent for a few seconds.

Then, he smiled.

Indeed, just as Aizen had said a long time ago—he had been too arrogant.

Though he was the protagonist of this world, blessed by fate, and the lover of the goddess of victory, this world was not one where only he was working hard, getting stronger.

Treating the mission of saving the world as his alone was truly foolish.

Especially when someone like Aizen Sōsuke—a man considered the pinnacle of all bosses—was right by his side, and he still thought he could play the savior solo… the stupidity was exponential.

He had to admit—in those world-hopping chat novels before he transmigrated, every group had an Aizen, scheming freely while they didn't even have to lift a finger.

Thinking of that, Kaelith couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

Watching Kaelith laugh so heartily beside him, Aizen narrowed his eyes.

He was this badly injured, and that guy was laughing?

This would definitely be noted down in Kaelith’s personal grudge log.

At that thought, even Aizen chuckled.

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Carrying Aizen back to the Soul Society, Kaelith immediately began treating him.

At this point, his control over reishi had reached an unbelievable level.

Most ordinary injuries, when treated manually by him, healed more efficiently than the red and white healing hot springs.

His healing was even approaching the level of Inoue Orihime’s Sōten Kisshun.

Feeling Kaelith’s healing take effect, Aizen gave a slight nod.

This guy had indeed made remarkable progress in every area.

As he observed, Kaelith began explaining the issues he was facing.

After listening, Aizen sat on the bed, rubbing his chin in thought.

Schrift—The exclusive ability of the Quincy King.

If what Ryūken Ishida had said was true, then Yhwach was certainly an extraordinary existence.

A king who could grant power to his people and reclaim it at any time with interest—it was no wonder the Quincies of the Wandenreich were so loyal to him.

To them, when powerless, Yhwach who gave them strength was undoubtedly a god.

And when empowered, the Yhwach who could take everything back at a whim was even more divine.

Hmph… interesting.

A foe not of that caliber wouldn’t even be worth facing with full effort.

Under Kaelith’s gaze, Aizen turned to him and said:

“Time to begin special training.”

“Special training?”

Kaelith looked surprised.

“That’s right, special training.”

Aizen smirked.

“In fact, ever since you left Seireitei, I’ve been considering what your next step should be.”

“Even without Schrift in the way, I had already prepared for you to break through your final limit and touch that realm above the heavens.”

“Now, it’s just a matter of urgency. But what we need to do hasn’t changed.”

“The preparations—I’ve completed them during these past years.”

“What comes next is your special training.”

Hearing this, Kaelith looked a bit stunned.

He had already begun preparing for this moment back when Kaelith first entered the Royal Palace?

Looking at Aizen sitting there, eyes full of calm control, Kaelith was moved to tears—and lunged forward for a bear hug:

“Sōsuke!!! You’re the friend of my life!!!”

Aizen’s face went pale.

Damn it—his bones were about to snap!

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April in Karakura Town. The rain had become more frequent.

Along the riverside path, Kurosaki Masaki held an umbrella, softly humming her favorite tune.

Even though she was now the mother of three, she still carried the heart of a young girl.

Partly due to her nature.

But also because Isshin Shiba truly was a good man.

Ichigo followed behind, holding a small umbrella, yawning.

His mom really was something—going for a walk in weather like this.

Before Kaelith left, he specifically told him to protect his mother no matter what.

Although Ichigo didn’t understand why Kaelith said that, since it concerned his most beloved mom, he wasn’t going to slack off one bit.

As long as conditions allowed, he stayed close to Kurosaki Masaki.

Even while attending school, he released his spiritual pressure to monitor his mom’s condition.

Masaki, for her part, was happy about it—she thought her clingy little Ichigo was just too cute.

Suddenly, an ominous feeling welled up from the depths of Ichigo’s heart.

He frowned slightly and looked around.

He saw a little girl collapsed on the road, soaked by the rain—she looked like she’d been hit by a car.

Instinctively, he was about to rush over and help.

But after just one step, he stopped.

Something was off...

Why was there spiritual particle fluctuation on that girl?

While he was thinking, Kurosaki Masaki had already stepped in front of him.

"Ichigo, wait here. Mommy will go check it out."

While gently reassuring him, Masaki secretly began preparing to form her spirit bow.

She walked over slowly.

On her skin, the veins of the Still Silver activated.

In fact, the moment she saw the girl, she had already sensed the Hollow’s presence.

Unlike her half-blood son, Masaki, as a pure-blood Quincy, was far more sensitive to Hollows.

Just as she was about to act, the girl suddenly looked up and stared at her with pale, lifeless eyes.

"Quincy... damn it... why are you here..."

As she spoke, the girl snapped back like a puppet on strings.

Only then did Ichigo realize the girl was just bait.

Through the curtain of rain, a massive silhouette slowly appeared.

It was a Hollow, standing around seven to eight meters tall.

It looked like a hairy anglerfish, with a long flesh-tendril growing from its head.

That "girl" from before was dangling at the end of the tendril.

Anyone who saw the bait and got close would be devoured!

Seeing the Hollow clearly, Ichigo relaxed a little.

Just a small fry—he could easily take it out.

The real problem was how to use his powers in front of his mom without being obvious...

But before he could think more, he was stunned to see Kurosaki Masaki stretch out her arms and form a spirit bow.

“Eh?”

Ichigo was dumbfounded.

His mom… was a Quincy?

He had been a Shinigami for over half a year and never realized his mom was a Quincy!

Seeing Masaki form the bow, Ichigo’s first thought was—Uryū was a damn liar!

The last Quincy in the world...? Wasn’t his mom a Quincy too?

If that was true, maybe his two sisters could become Quincies too.

Oh—and Kaelith probably already knew this. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been so confident about Ichigo having Quincy potential.

Hmph… just how much was that guy hiding from him?

But then again—if Kaelith knew his mom was a Quincy, why did he still seriously ask Ichigo to protect her?

Judging by the quality of Masaki’s spirit bow, she was clearly a very capable Quincy.

In terms of Quincy ability, she might even surpass Ichigo himself.

With that kind of strength, she didn’t need protecting—on her own, she could probably wipe out every Hollow in Japan…

Hm?!

Suddenly, Ichigo’s expression changed.

Something… something was coming!

Kurosaki Masaki raised her spirit bow, ready to eliminate the Hollow in front of her.

But just as she was about to fire an arrow, her pupils dilated.

It was as if an invisible hook had pierced her body.

Her soul, her power, her very existence… were being pulled away by that hook.

Thud!

Masaki’s body went limp and dropped to her knees.

"Mom!!"

Ichigo rushed over in shock.

What just happened?!

What the hell was that?!

In that moment, he had clearly felt his mother’s spiritual pressure vanish!

In the pouring rain, Ichigo placed a hand on his mother’s shoulder and tried to sense her condition.

He was stunned to find that Masaki’s spiritual pressure was behaving like a foreign object—about to leave her body at any moment.

Why was this happening...

While he panicked, the hairy anglerfish Hollow, seeing Masaki collapse, grinned wide.

“Not sure what just happened… but looks like your mother can’t protect you anymore.”

“Kid, your scent is amazing… your potential is incredible. If I eat you, I’ll gain a lot of power…”

With that, it began walking toward Ichigo.

In immense pain, Masaki barely managed to open her eyes.

The agony of her power leaving her body left her nearly numb; even standing up was a distant hope.

But even so, she used the last of her strength to give Ichigo a smile:

“...Ichigo… run.”

“Run…”

“Hehehe… he can’t run anymore. He’s going to be my food!”

The Grand Fisher let out a grotesque laugh.

A strand of fur from his body suddenly transformed into a large hand and shot toward Ichigo, trying to grab him.

But just as the fur-hand was about to touch Ichigo, a flash of cold light suddenly cut through the air.

Under Grand Fisher’s stunned gaze, Ichigo—at some point—had already shed his human form and taken on the appearance of a Shinigami.

Clad in a black Shihakushō, he held a long Zanpakutō raised high.

On the ground beside him, Grand Fisher’s fur-hand had been severed and lay in pieces—scattered stiff hairs everywhere.

The Hollow’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“Impossible… You’re actually… a Shinigami?!”

Then, excitement spread across his face:

“So what if you’re a Shinigami? A Shinigami this small is still nothing more than my food!!”

Saying that, he charged straight at Ichigo.

Kurosaki Masaki, lying on the ground, also showed a look of disbelief.

Though she had noticed some changes in Ichigo lately, she never imagined this child had become a Shinigami.

But just like the Hollow said—even if Ichigo was now a Shinigami, how could someone his age possibly be a match for a Hollow?

She wanted to stop him, but the pain erupting again from within her made it impossible to speak.

As she watched, Grand Fisher charged forward, laughing wildly, and arrived before Ichigo.

Faced with a Hollow many times his size, Ichigo’s face remained expressionless. He simply brought the Zanpakutō down in a single, casual swing—

Shraaak!!!

With a look of disbelief, Grand Fisher’s entire body was sliced clean in half.

Still frozen mid-charge, his body split into two pieces and fell to the ground with a thud, completely lifeless.

Ichigo was just about to turn back to check on Masaki when he suddenly sensed multiple ominous spiritual pressures coming from afar.

Apparently drawn by the delicious energy that had just appeared, numerous Hollows tore through the Garganta and descended upon Karakura Town.

Ichigo’s face turned pale.

He wasn’t afraid of the Hollows.

But… his mother’s condition was already critical.

What should he do?!

Just as he stood frozen in panic, a figure suddenly appeared beside him.

When he saw who it was, Ichigo’s pupils shrank.

Black wings, tear-like green markings running from his eyes, and… a faintly visible Hollow hole at his collar.

A humanoid Hollow?

A Hollow that looked so much like a human?

No—that wasn’t the point. What truly mattered was the terrifying spiritual pressure emanating from this figure.

Such powerful reiatsu… it was not below his own!

He quickly gripped his Zanpakutō, ready to fight.

But the other raised a hand, stopping him:

“Kurosaki Ichigo, go protect your mother.”

“Leave these Hollows to me.”

Before Ichigo could respond, the figure was already preparing to leave.

But just before vanishing, he turned back and said:

“Trust in Lord Kaelith.”

“He will save your mother.”

With that, Ulquiorra’s figure vanished into the air.

Ichigo stood there in shock.

That guy… who was he really?

He slung the large sword over his back and quickly returned to Kurosaki Masaki’s side.

But in just this brief moment, Masaki’s condition had deteriorated drastically.

Sensing how rapidly her state was worsening, Ichigo was gripped with overwhelming panic.

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