I underestimate your powers, you say?
Don't you think so?
I was never interested in what others did,
so it's hard to say I understand all of you.
But, Captain Unohana...
Don't you think the same could be said of you?
What do you mean?
You'll see.
Captain Unohana...forgive me.
I’ve already collected your Reishi.
Thanks to Lieutenant Kotetsu
of my invasion force.
What will you do now?
This really takes a lot of out me.
Have you reached your limit?
No, I still have a bit more left.
Yo, I’ve been waiting for you.
I won’t beat around the bush.
I’m here to stop anyone who tries to pass.
Of course, if you run away,
I won’t chase after you.
I will eliminate anyone who gets in my way.
That makes things easy.
Bankai!
Daiguren Hyorinmaru!
Mr. Urahara…
Everyone seems to have made it to
the Soul Society except for Captain Komamura.
You can get information from the Soul Society?
We’d be at a disadvantage if we
couldn’t tell what was going on over there.
I put transmitter-like devices on the captains.
Mr. Urahara!
You have to send me to the Soul Society!
Kurosaki…
What’re you talking about, Ichigo?!
I can’t afford to rest like this!
I want to join the fight!
Wait! Let the others handle that side!
Look at this!
They’re practically dead!
They’re Soul Reapers, yet they’re as close to being
dead as you can get!
Dead people, Soul Reapers, and Four-Eyes!
And if your threads start unraveling, I’m not fixing you.
Dead people, Soul Reapers, and Four-Eyes!
Four-Eyes! Four-Eyes!
I’m not injured like the others.
There’s almost no one left who can put up a decent fight.
If you leave,
you know what’ll happen if we’re attacked!
You’re the one who said you’d protect Nozomi!
How’re you going to do that if you leave?!
Besides, Kurosaki, if you stress yourself now…
She’s right! Inoue’s right!
Be a good boy and stay right here!
Can I ask a question?
Yes?
Sure… What is it?
Why are you people trying to protect me?
What purpose does it serve?
Well…because…
You know…
Who knows?
Huh?
I don’t really know myself.
You don’t know?
At first, it was less about protecting you,
and more about protecting my friends in the
World of the Living by keeping Kageroza from attacking you.
That’s being too blunt.
In that case, if I stayed in the Precipice World forever…
But…
You tried to take everything on by yourself.
I can’t let you do that.
If you don’t want to tell us, you don’t have to.
I’ve told you that many times before.
But you knew something terrible would happen
if Kageroza caught you, didn’t you?
Don’t take it all upon yourself.
You’re not alone, you know?
Not alone?
Hey!
What’s the matter?
Nothing.
At any rate, I don’t know why I want to protect you.
But I heard it…
a voice telling me I have to protect you.
Are you an idiot?
Hey! That’s no way to talk!
You don’t call someone an idiot to his face!
I don’t hear a voice.
That’s not the point.
You are an idiot, after all.
I have a name. It’s Ichigo.
This should restore some of your Spiritual Pressure.
Oh?
A form of Kido, eh?
You’re able to do stuff like this?
I have a name.
It’s Nozomi Kujo.
Right, you do.
Bakudo 62: Hyapporankan!
Bakudo 63: Sajosabaku!
Hado 88: Hiryu Gekizoku Shinten Raiho
No incantation?!
Bakudo 81: Danku!
Are you all right, Lieutenant Kotetsu?
Yes.
What happened to the original Captain Unohana?
She is a wise woman.
She never had any intention of fighting us.
So it would appear.
Huh? But why?
She did not have a good chance
of winning against the three of us.
And, if she had lost,
it would mean the end of the
original captains’ chances for reestablishing themselves
in the Soul Society.
Someone who would take
that risk and choose to fight us would
not be fit to be the captain of Squad 4.
Then, from the very start, she…
Yes.
That Kido was apparently meant to distract us.
She did a number on us.
Well then, we need to get moving.
Sennen Hyoro!
Stop it.
I don’t believe you would go down so easily.
I was just going to tell you the same thing.
I didn’t think I could capture you
with such an obvious tactic.
One question.
A question from you? How unusual.
Why?
Why what?
Why would someone
of your caliber follow that man?
You mean Kageroza?
What would you gain by knowing the answer?
Well, never mind.
There is something I want to protect at all cost.
I’ll use any means it takes to protect it!
Sennen Hyoro!
The same technique again?
I see now.
The pillars of ice are to
limit my range and stop me from moving freely.
Sorry, Kuchiki.
I will have a showdown with my original.
What I want to protect,
my original wants to protect as well.
But my original doesn’t have what it takes.
Only the power Kageroza gave me will make it possible.
Until then, I cannot lose to anyone!
Hyoryusenbi!
Bankai… Senbonzakura Kageyoshi.
Using any means, including the powers of another…
That is how someone with no pride thinks.
I won’t lose to someone who discarded his pride.
What the—?!
Are you all right, Ukitake?
Yeah.
I’m no match for the power of those flames.
Well, young ones?
Even if I am down to one arm,
my powers wouldn’t drop
enough for you two to take me down!
You are absolutely right.
However…
Yeah!
Pathetic!
You seem to be near your limits.
Don’t be like that.
You’re just too strong, Old Man Yama.
You did say…
something about having pride.
We have our pride.
Is this what you call “pride”?!
Your noble master…
The real versions of the two of you would
follow through on their convictions regardless of my wishes,
but they would never compromise their true nature.
I know that very well.
But what is this foolishness of yours?
To my eyes, it’s nothing more than a rebellion by imposters.
That hurts, Old Man Yama.
Master Genryusai…
Certainly, to the real ones,
what we’re doing might
seem like a mere rebellion by imposters.
But we Reigai have our way
of following through with what we believe.
And what is that?
We cannot tell you just yet.
Then…
I have no alternative but to crush you here!
This is…
My, my, I think she’s here.
Captain Unohana!
You sure seem to have taken your time.
It struck me as odd that you
were fighting for a draw rather than trying to stop me.
Why were you so eager to fight? I wondered.
So this is the reason.
Yes.
Sorry about that, Old Man Yama.
It wasn’t eagerness or anything.
We knew we could fight to our limit
many times over.
You can understand, right?
We had no chance of winning
against you unless we did that.
Fine.
It doesn’t change the fact that this is a fight to the death.
Discarded my pride, you say?
Certainly, it may appear that way to you.
After all, we can never become the originals.
Even if we defeat the originals, Reigai are Reigai.
And that is precisely the reason!
That is why I will use any means to protect my own will!
That is the one thing I can hold with pride as a Reigai!
You probably thought I repeatedly used Sennen Hyoro
to restrict your range and
take away your freedom of movement.
But you’re wrong.
By using Sennen Hyoro to establish a perimeter,
you were forced to destroy it.
Especially someone like you,
Byakuya Kuchiki, who uses speed as his weapon.
The ice you destroyed turned into powder snow
that obscured both our visions and
created the opportunity I needed for my next move.
Hyoten Hyakkaso!
You have no way to escape.
That should have restored some of your Spiritual Pressure.
Oh…
That was similar to
how Unohana treated me once before!
Really?!
Are you all right?
I’m fine.
Maybe it taxed your body because you hadn’t
used your Soul Reaper powers in some time.
Can you stand up?
Yeah.
Worry about me too!
Mr. Urahara…
Yes?
I can go now.
Yes…but…
If I just wait here,
it’s only a matter of time before
my Spiritual Pressure is gone.
In that case,
it’d be better if I took the fight to them right now!
Ichigo, you…
Try to understand, Kon.
I don’t!
Say something you guys! Stop this fool!
We could try, but he won’t listen.
That’s right. He won’t listen!
You’re not going to stop him,
Four-Eyed Sewing Machine?!
We’ll manage here somehow.
And we’ll protect Miss Kujo.
Man, you guys are hopeless.
Why are all of you so stupid?
Go on!
Take care of that bastard Kageroza
and get right back here!
I’ll never forgive you if you don’t!
I know.
Mr. Urahara…
All right.
But let me say this.
Your second entry will be far riskier than your first.
Are you sure you want to go?
Yeah… Damn sure.
Then let’s get you ready.
This Spiritual Pressure…
What’s going on?!
What?!
You’re still not dead…Byakuya Kuchiki?
If my Senbonzakura had been even a moment later,
I might’ve been in trouble.
You are good.
But as long as moisture remains in the area,
my advantage hasn’t changed.
There!
That felt like a hit.
Gokei, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi
I would have expected nothing less.
There is one thing I share with you.
I will use any means
to protect my pride.
What’s the matter, Nozomi?
You seem very glum!
Not really.
Don’t worry.
Everyone will protect you!
Look after her, Kon!
Right!
I’ve looked after her all this time!
She’s in good hands!
Anyway, think of him as an overgrown amulet.
Who’re you calling an amulet?!
Be very careful, Kurosaki.
I will.
Get going and put an end to this!
I know!
Ichigo…
Come back.
You bet I will!
Okay, I’m on my way!
Rest assured,
Nozomi will return without fail.
It seems like Captain Hitsugaya’s Reigai has been defeated.
I know. That is troublesome.
Indeed.
I was going to give him the life-size figure
of himself and 100 sugar candies as his rewards if he won.
I don’t think he would need that.
You’re right.