Bleach: Awakened — Chapter 38 - Victory of the Karakura Enforcer

"Ichigo... is Sado going to be okay?"

In the distance, that massive black-armored warrior loomed with suffocating pressure. Orihime Inoue sensed Yasutora Sado's spiritual pressure and stared out at the horizon, face tight with worry.

"Relax." Ichigo smiled, voice carrying nothing but pride. "Sado? That guy's my number-one Ryoka enforcer!"

"...Huh?"

"Hahaha!" Ichigo waved a hand. "Don't worry about it. Sado's seriously strong—in certain respects, even better than Uryu Ishida."

"Is that so..."

A dull impact rang out ahead. In the instant Sajin Komamura stumbled, Yasutora Sado was already there, directly in front. The red left fist swung hard. Immense spiritual pressure surged and converged at the shoulder. More precisely, it converged onto that single protruding spike.

"Fullbring—One Strike!"

Carrying every last trace of spiritual pressure in Yasutora Sado's body, the left fist roared forward. No flourish. No technique. It landed squarely on Sajin Komamura's stomach.

"Ugh!"

Sajin Komamura let out a pained cry and spat a great mouthful of blood. Both eyes went dim in an instant. Both knees buckled, and Sajin Komamura collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

"Hah... hah... hah..."

Yasutora Sado stood there heaving, gulping down air in great ragged lungfuls. The relentless chain of attacks had burned through the vast majority of the remaining physical strength.

The right hand wouldn't stop bleeding. Even with the shield reverted to its normal form, the entire palm had been split open. Yasutora Sado sank to one knee, tried to push upright, and failed, toppling sideways with nothing left.

"Hah... hah... hah..."

Forcing the breathing to slow, to steady. Yasutora Sado knew exactly where this place was. Passing out here was not an option. There was no guarantee those eyes would ever open again.

"It's over. Rest now."

A rich, resonant voice. Yasutora Sado looked up. That unmistakable wheat-toned skin. Something settled quietly in the chest, and then the eyes closed, and Yasutora Sado sank into a deep, heavy sleep.

Both fighters had lost consciousness. But the one who fell last could still have delivered that final blow to the one who fell first.

And so.

Karakura Town Ryoka enforcer Yasutora Sado VS. 7th Division Captain Sajin Komamura.

Yasutora Sado wins!

The afternoon sun blazed hot and harsh. The hearts of the Soul Reapers were ice-cold.

Hours had passed since that earth-shaking battle, and the atmosphere inside Seireitei had only grown more suffocating.

According to the on-site report from 7th Division Vice-Captain Tetsuzaemon Iba, after Captain Komamura's battle with the large one among the Ryoka, both sides had fallen unconscious. The latter had been taken away by an unknown party.

One of the four Ryoka possessing strength that rivaled or surpassed a captain, that was still within the realm of comprehension. The person was human, but carried the power of a Soul Reaper. What no one had expected was that a human whose ability was nothing more than an arm transformation would also stand toe-to-toe with a captain. And then there was the Quincy. What kind of strength did that one have?

Bearing the words "protect the court," most Soul Reapers were willing to lay down their lives without hesitation. Willing was one thing. When death became a genuine possibility, thoughts still stirred, especially now, when certain Soul Reapers had already begun to see it: the problems weren't only coming from outside.

"Ngh..."

Sunlight poured into the 8th Division training hall. Jushiro Ukitake's eyes were still closed, but the glare cut through anyway. A low groan escaped, and both eyes slowly opened.

"Hey, you're awake." A slightly easygoing voice came from nearby. Shunsui Kyoraku had put the flower-print shirt back on. "How are you feeling?"

"Mm..."

Sitting up, memory stopping at the instant of being cut by Ichigo Kurosaki. Checking over the spot that had been struck, there was nothing. Not a wound. Not even a tear in the clothing. As though the fight had never happened at all.

"That so-called top enforcer... Ichigo Kurosaki wasn't exaggerating." Shunsui Kyoraku's voice carried something hard to name. "A wound that was practically fatal, and that little girl healed it without breaking a sweat."

"That... girl?" Jushiro Ukitake looked up, surprised. "Her ability is really that powerful? Judging by the light it's only been a few hours—I feel better than I have in years!"

"Is that right?"

Two hours ago, once the injuries had stabilized, Shunsui Kyoraku had looked over to see a close friend lying nearby. Beneath that layer of amber-orange light, the wounded areas were visibly mending, right before the eyes. The wound across Shunsui Kyoraku's own chest had closed. Even the clothing had been restored.

"Truly frightening power." Shunsui Kyoraku lay back on the ground, gazing at the sky through the window. "That feeling, it wasn't healing arts, or recovery arts, or anything of that sort. It was something of a higher order. Something that surpasses the limits of what we Soul Reapers can do."

"It really is terrifying." Jushiro Ukitake let out a long breath. "One with strength that rivals Teacher's. One with healing ability that blows past every limit we know. And the other two? When did humans get this strong?"

"While you were out, some information came in." Shunsui Kyoraku said. "The 7th Division's Captain Komamura and..."

Time moved slowly. All through the afternoon, Seireitei was quiet, nothing but hurried footsteps. The pair, one man and one woman, hadn't been seen together all day. The legendary Quincy had only surfaced in the morning. The arm-transforming human who had been taken away was nowhere to be found.

Then night fell.

Soul Reapers rotated their shifts. The intense patrol work brought not just physical exhaustion but a grinding mental strain. With the Ryoka doing everything possible to suppress their spiritual pressure, no one could predict where they would appear next.

Moonlight spilled down across the ground, draping the earth in a pale, mysterious light. The outer areas of Seireitei were unlit. With the Ryoka's appearance, Soul Reapers and nobles alike had pulled toward the center.

Compared to the daytime, their numbers had dropped sharply. After midday, ordinary Soul Reapers were mostly stationed at the division barracks or handling checks in the inner ring. The outer ring patrols were led primarily by the captains and vice-captains themselves.

Experience had already proven it: without vice-captains leading them, ordinary Soul Reapers stood no chance against the Ryoka in a single exchange. No matter how many were sent, they couldn't wear down the Ryoka's stamina. All they did was strain the logistical support.

"The Soul Reapers have thinned out considerably... but the spiritual pressure of each individual has grown stronger. Is it because after Sado's fight with that massive creature, they realized sending ordinary Soul Reapers was pointless?"

Uryu Ishida surveyed the surroundings. Quincy were naturally exceptional at spiritual pressure sensing to begin with, but Uryu Ishida's sensing and control abilities went a step beyond even that, standing clearly above the rest. Even Ichigo Kurosaki in a normal state fell short in this area.

'With things like this, Sosuke Aizen operating from the shadows should have an even easier time making moves.'

That thought settled in. From the defeated Soul Reapers encountered that morning, Uryu Ishida had learned that five days remained until Rukia Kuchiki's execution. But if Sosuke Aizen could manipulate Rukia Kuchiki being sentenced to the most severe punishment in the first place, then manipulating the execution date to be moved forward was also entirely...?!

"Who's there!" Footsteps stopped dead. Uryu Ishida's expression sharpened in an instant. "Who's hiding there, if you don't come out, I'm attacking?"

CLAP. CLAP. CLAP.

A figure stepped slowly out of the darkness: face hidden behind a black-and-white mask, something inexplicable and white perched atop the head, dressed in a thoroughly bizarre fashion, and draped in a Captain's Haori.

➤ Next: Fateful Confrontation (Part One)