Bleach: Awakened — Chapter 51 - Double Breakthrough

In every film and every fairy tale, the hero always shows up at the last possible second. Ichigo had taken that lesson to heart, so even though he'd been in position long before, he held off and made his entrance at exactly the final moment.

"KREEE!"

As though offended that the condemned prisoner had struck up a conversation with someone else right before her execution, the great fire bird's forward charge stuttered in midair. It let out a roar that was pure fury, the flames across its body blazing higher, terrifying spiritual pressure erupting from its core.

What had been a routine, perfunctory effort, like clocking in to finish a job, instantly became one hundred and twenty percent, full power.

"Quit that screaming." Ichigo dug a finger in his ear and drew the long blade from his back. "You've got a problem with me, come on then. You're giving me a headache."

"KREEE!"

As though it understood every word from the brazen figure in front of it, the fire bird's spiritual pressure surged again. The next instant, it beat those blazing wings, gathered everything it had, and hurled itself straight at Ichigo.

Tsss!

Like fire doused with water, the flames kept sputtering out. The fire bird's pointed beak slammed against the flat of Ichigo's blade, and no matter how fiercely those flames raged, they couldn't leave so much as a scratch.

"Flames at this level." He shook his head. Golden radiance bloomed across the blade and rushed rapidly toward the tip. "Can't touch me at all."

"Getsuga Tensho!"

Golden light flooded Sokyoku Hill. A massive crescent-shaped slash tore free from the tip of the long blade and obliterated the Sokyoku with the force of something that could not be stopped, scattering it into drifting sparks that dissolved into the air.

The crescent that had destroyed the Sokyoku ripped straight toward the heavens, lighting up the entire sky. Even Soul Reapers at the outermost edges of Seireitei could see it. Even the residents of Rukongai.

"Sis, what is that... it's so scary..." In front of a house in West Rukongai with a particularly outlandish design, a boy trembled as he asked. "But it feels... really familiar. Like something from our family's techniques..."

Beside him stood a beautiful woman in rather revealing clothing, an extraordinarily striking figure, but missing her right arm. She stared up at the sky, murmuring. "Is that... Getsuga Tensho..."

"The spiritual pressure is wrong... is that your child... Uncle..."

Up on Sokyoku Hill, every Captain's eyes went wide as the Sokyoku was destroyed. The two wayward disciples in particular had been on the verge of rushing forward, they froze in place, then slowly turned back to face their beloved teacher and smiled awkwardly.

"You two..." Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto narrowed his eyes, authority radiating from him without a single raised word. "Didn't you say you wouldn't make a move. What exactly were you about to do just now?!"

"Ha ha ha..." Shunsui Kyoraku laughed drily. "Didn't we almost have an accident just now? Our actions were entirely reasonable."

"Hmph!"

A cold snort. Yamamoto let the matter drop, but inwardly, he was measuring himself against that terrifying crescent from a moment ago, asking whether he could have stopped that strike without Bankai.

"So that's the leader of the Ryoka." Sui-Feng frowned. "Captain-Commander, should we—"

"Let's wait a moment." Jushiro Ukitake cut in. "I think we should sit down and talk first."

Sui-Feng looked around the group. No one said a word. Silence was its own answer, at the very least, not one of the assembled Captains was willing to provoke Ichigo. That crescent had already said everything that needed to be said.

"What are you doing here?" Rukia asked from the execution rack. "I actually thought I was going to die just now."

"What's the problem, didn't that bastard Urahara explain things clearly?" Ichigo said, irritated. "Am I the kind of person who just watches someone die? You're Karakura Town's Soul Reaper. You're my underling!"

"What does that even mean, what kind of garbage have you been watching lately?" Rukia didn't have the energy to argue. "So what now—what's the plan?"

"What's the plan?" Ichigo paused. Then: "Obviously, there isn't one."

"...Huh?"

"Sosuke Aizen still hasn't shown his face. That means he thinks the timing isn't right, it's not his moment to act yet." Ichigo said it calmly. "So I'll just keep making things bigger and hand him that opening."

"You're a little too confident, you know."

"It's not confidence." He shook his head. "Urahara said Sosuke Aizen's scheming is no less than his own. Everything he does has a reason behind it. Since I can't see through it, all I can do is play along."

"And then, when he finally shows up—cut him apart."

"...What a refreshingly simple plan."

"Alright, let's get things started." Ichigo swept his gaze across the Captains below, eyes locking instantly onto one particular figure. A bright grin spread across his face. "Let's send Sosuke Aizen a little greeting."

Shunpo. Ichigo was on the ground in a blink, the long blade raised high, and he brought it down hard.

Tsss,

Blood sprayed. The wound wasn't especially deep, in the instant the attack arrived, Kaname Tosen, who had already been stepping back half a pace, stepped back another half pace. Two half-steps added into one full step. Just enough to avoid being critically wounded.

"Madman!"

Sui-Feng, standing nearby, was shocked and furious at once. Warm blood spattered across Sui-Feng's face. In the same instant, the Zanpakuto at the hip was out, and Sui-Feng drove it straight at Ichigo.

"Your opponent is me, Sui-Feng."

Yoruichi Shihoin, clad in a close-fitted battle outfit, former head of the Shihoin Clan, the woman known as the Goddess of Flash, stepped in. "Let's take this somewhere else."

She used Shunpo and was gone, streaking toward the forest in the distance.

"Shihoin... Yoruichi!"

The anger sharpened into something uglier. Sui-Feng ground the name out through clenched teeth, then gave chase without another thought.

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

Kaname Tosen dropped to one knee, breathing hard. The wound wasn't deep enough to be fatal, but the pain was considerable, enough that going down seemed close.

"Captain Tosen, let's move away from here." Retsu Unohana steadied Kaname Tosen with gentle hands, her voice unhurried. "From here on, this is no longer a battlefield the rest of us can be part of."

With the wounded and their healer pulling back, there was no path left to a peaceful resolution. The remaining Captains fell back as well, as though they'd agreed on it beforehand.

Kenpachi Zaraki's gaze kept moving, back and forth between Ichigo and Retsu Unohana, then between Ichigo and Yamamoto, the urge to draw his blade held barely in check by the dull ache of his injuries and what little reason he had left.

"Madman." Unlike Sui-Feng's sharp aggression, Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto spoke slowly. The words were quiet, but they carried the full weight of his authority. "Do you have any idea what crimes you have committed here?"

"If you surrender now without a struggle, I can still grant you and the other criminals a dignified death."

➤ Next: Two at Their Limits