Spiritual pressure is, by its nature, the manifestation of the soul—it usually doesn't alter the physical world.
But that only applies within the realm of ordinary mortals.
The strong have never been bound by rules or convention.
Even some unremarkable Shinigami, upon releasing their Zanpakutō, can bend the air and distort their surroundings.
And further still—
A Bankai can cause the collapse of matter, reducing it to its reishi essence.
So then—
What happens when one goes even further?
Whoooo!!!
With a howling gale, the sphere of reishi enveloping Ulquiorra dispersed.
The Espada, now fully transformed, opened his eyes slowly.
His wings spread.
Black and white clashed and mingled in the sky.
On that face—deepened by its signature tear streaks—there was no hint of emotion.
Resurrección.
Functionally equivalent to a Shinigami's Bankai, it's a method of vastly amplifying power.
Yammy looked up, grinning as the black rain trickled down.
"Ahhh~ this… really does feel like Hueco Mundo. Feels good!"
Harribel gave only a glance before turning her eyes forward again.
"Let's get this over with. Nnoitra, Yammy—get ready."
She shifted, drawing her blade.
Gripping the weapon infused with her own spirit energy, her voice turned firm and cold.
"Come with me. We'll take the target back to Hueco Mundo."
"Tch… yeah, yeah."
"Been waitin' for this!"
As the Espada geared up to strike, Urahara Kisuke looked skyward.
His face, more solemn than ever, turned to the black rain.
He raised his palm to catch a drop.
"Not good…"
It posed no threat to him—
But such a thing had no place in the human world.
"Kisuke!"
Yoruichi's voice snapped through the air as she appeared by his side.
"The reishi concentration in the air is rising… At this rate, forget the street—even all of Karakura Town could be affected!"
It wasn't exaggeration. It was fact.
Even in the original timeline, it was mentioned that the Spirit King's Palace had reishi levels far beyond Soul Society.
Shinigami of weaker constitution would experience nausea just upon entering.
Now that concept was playing out here.
Urahara's eyes swept around the battlefield.
—Yammy alone had already consumed over a hundred souls.
And with his power now fully unleashed, the casualties would only skyrocket.
As his thoughts whirled, Orihime, who was tending Uryū's wounds, began to stagger.
Her gaze unfocused, her breath became strained, like her throat was being constricted.
Next to her, Chad dropped to one knee.
Even spiritually aware humans were faltering—what would happen when this spread?
It was unthinkable.
Seeing Ichigo rush toward them, Urahara's mind raced as he watched the sky darken with reishi.
He clenched his jaw.
"No choice…"
Almost to himself, he turned to Yoruichi.
"Yoruichi-san, I need you to hold them off for a while—buy me some time."
Kido wouldn't be enough anymore.
Urahara pulled his hat low.
"I'm going to use my Bankai to correct this."
Though known for hiding his strength, Urahara could not afford to stand idle now.
He had once borne the name of the Gotei 13.
And now—it was his time to step forward.
"Kisuke…"
"Surprised? Heh, well… I didn't think it would get this bad, either."
With a bitter smile, Urahara sat cross-legged on the ground.
His slouched back gradually straightened as he looked up at the Espada.
That smile—
Was slowly replaced by unwavering seriousness.
"Until I find a solution… I'll leave our rear to you, Yoruichi-san."
Years of cooperation let Yoruichi read him perfectly.
She trusted him implicitly.
"Then go all out, Kisuke!"
Yoruichi leapt forward—just in time to see Ulquiorra raise his hand.
Electricity crackled as reishi condensed into a blinding beam in his palm.
A focused mass of spiritual matter.
Could she block something like that?
She had to.
No one else could.
"Bring it on!"
With her upper body lowered and crouched low—
Her clothes were ripped apart by the spiraling spiritual force.
Boom!
Focusing her energy into her shoulders, her fists and legs alone could rival a Zanpakutō in power.
Ulquiorra, face emotionless, hurled the energy down.
Yoruichi stomped down with such force that the asphalt cracked beneath her, launching herself skyward.
Harribel and the others advanced—but they didn't even glance at her.
To them, Ulquiorra alone was enough to handle her.
Ichigo felt their eyes shift toward him.
He was their target.
Which meant…
No one else should get caught in this.
As Tessai arrived from the Urahara shop, Ichigo quickly entrusted Orihime, Chad, and Uryū to him.
"Please… take care of them."
"Leave it to me—but wait, Ichigo, what are you—?"
Turning his back, Ichigo's voice was resolute.
"I'm going to fulfill my duty."
He would resolve this.
End it himself.
No more dragging others into it.
To those who trample lives, souls—and hurt his friends so cruelly—
Ichigo would show no mercy.
He raised his hand to his face.
And summoned all his power—to defeat those who came to destroy.
Harribel watched him silently.
She raised her hand.
Black energy gathered at her fingertip.
A Cero from Espada No.3—its power not to be underestimated.
All parties had prepared.
Everything surged to a climax.
Then—
A crisp chime echoed through the air.
As if time itself paused.
Everyone stiffened.
A cold, calm voice cut through the tension—
"Scatter, Senbonzakura."
From the sky—
A torrent of pink petals surged downward.
All factions instinctively scattered.
Ichigo's blade crackled with black-red lightning—but he paused, confused.
Looking up, he saw the figure of Byakuya Kuchiki.
"Byakuya…?"
Why was he here?
Before he could speak—
Harribel's Cero burst through the flower storm like a meteor, targeting Ichigo.
He couldn't react in time—
But he didn't need to.
From the shadows, a man stepped forth.
Blade flashing upward, he struck the Cero head-on.
Clang!!!
Steel met energy, echoing louder than expected.
The deflected beam shot into the sky before exploding.
"Man… that could've swallowed the whole damn sky."
A flamboyant kimono, stubbled face—
Kyōraku Shunsui, Captain of Squad 8, turned with a lazy grin.
"You shouldn't let your guard down mid-fight, kid~"
Ichigo felt embarrassed—but more than that, confused.
"Captain Kyōraku?"
Where'd YOU come from?
"Heh heh… so this is a Cero, huh? But its formation is way different…"
"It's been compressed far more than normal—and it's infused with… no, it's something unique to the Arrancar."
"Fascinating. Please—let me study you all."
High-pitched, dramatic—
As another figure strolled forward past Ichigo.
Mayuri Kurotsuchi, Captain of Squad 12, arms spread wide like he was welcoming the world.
"With deep gratitude… allow me to dissect you."
Three captains had appeared at once.
Ichigo no longer understood what was happening.
But someone was kind enough to explain.
"You've done well to endure, Kurosaki-san."
A gentle voice full of compassion—
Retsu Unohana stepped forward with hands folded, smiling.
"From here on, the Gotei 13 will take over."
At her words, Ichigo turned—
Behind her stood an enormous torii gate, over five meters tall.
It shimmered in the ruins.
When did that get there?
It didn't matter.
Because from beneath it—
Familiar faces appeared one by one.
Kenpachi Zaraki, Renji Abarai, Ikkaku Madarame…
"This is…"
"Reishi Stabilization Technology."
A cool voice beside him—carrying a faint fragrance.
Ichigo looked over to see Nemu Kurotsuchi, smiling softly as she pulled out medical bandages.
"Allow me to tend your wounds. It's the least I can do."
And—
"To continue the explanation—"
"The reishi stabilization device is a system developed to instantly link the human world and Soul Society."
"It bypasses the time it normally takes for Shinigami to cross over, allowing for immediate deployment."
That was possible?!
"No, no—you haven't said everything, Nemu!"
Mayuri's voice rang out again, ever the centerpiece.
"This is the result of sacrificing my pride and making compromises with her."
"Ugly. Aesthetically displeasing. But I must admit—it is… revolutionary."
"With it, movement between the worlds becomes trivial."
But there's a downside.
Snapping his fingers, Mayuri stood confidently, overflowing with arrogance.
"That would be this world's fragility."
"Of the three realms, the Human World is the weakest—it can't withstand too much spiritual power."
"Without intervention, it would collapse."
"That's where my stabilization device comes in."
"It freezes and isolates this realm—like perfectly replicating it as a model."
"The space we're in now is no longer the Karakura Town you know."
"And in this space, we no longer need to suppress our powers."
"We can go all out."
"Espada! How do you like this? Your personal hell—"
If he had to name it—
"Shall we call it… the Slaughterhouse?"
Soul Society reinforcements surged in.
Contact with the real world was severed.
This place now stood apart, alone.
As if surrender was the only option.
But the first to respond was Yammy.
He grunted, rubbed his thick neck.
"Didn't really get all that…"
He grinned wide.
"But if I can fight full power—then that's perfect for me."
----------
Powerstones?
For 20 advance chapters: patreon.com/michaeltranslates