"Damn it! What kind of twisted technique is this?!" Yoruichi's eyes went wide as she saw Su Xiuyu standing calmly—lightning still crackling around his body—yet with tears comically streaming down his cheeks.
"I noticed you're quite skilled in Taijutsu—or wait, you guys call it Hakuda, right?" Su Xiuyu replied with a wry grin. "I figured it would be a good opportunity for you to witness human creativity in action. Consider it a tribute to your martial arts... in my own way."
"Watch yourself!" Yoruichi warned. "That's your first time using this technique. Don't get cocky or I might end up killing you by accident!"
In a flash of blinding lightning, Su Xiuyu vanished—and reappeared before Urahara Kisuke with a knife-hand strike aimed like a thunderbolt. Kisuke barely had time to react, instinctively conjuring a blood-red shield from Benihime in front of himself.
The shield shattered instantly.
The force of Su Xiuyu's blow sent Urahara flying across the battlefield, his body skidding through the sand like a ragdoll.
"Ghhh—ugh!" Kisuke groaned, clutching his abdomen. A nauseating pain erupted inside him. His internal organs had taken a heavy hit, and his body's stress response kicked in before he could stabilize himself.
"H-How did you do that?" he asked, still kneeling. "You're surrounded by a lightning aura—similar to Kidō, but… it's not spiritual pressure. And your physical speed and strength increased exponentially?"
Urahara's analytical side was now fully awake, despite the pain. What Su Xiuyu displayed wasn't just impressive—it was a marvel. If this human had been born a Shinigami, he might have surpassed all current research in Kidō. Possibly even eclipse the great Kidō masters of the past millennium.
After all, even Yoruichi's technique only encased her back and shoulders with compressed energy. But Su Xiuyu's entire body was engulfed in a unique lightning-based chakra that didn't resemble any spiritual energy known to Soul Society.
"And why exactly should I tell you?" Su Xiuyu quipped, but didn't have time to finish his sentence. Yoruichi came flying in with another high-speed strike.
But something had shifted. The tide of the fight had turned completely.
No matter how swift her movements, no matter how sharp her strikes, Yoruichi could no longer land a hit on him. Every blow she threw was effortlessly dodged or blocked. Every dodge she attempted was read in advance.
Each counter from Su Xiuyu landed cleanly—short, precise, devastating.
Yoruichi couldn't believe it. Her Shunkō technique, once her pride and signature, was being systematically dismantled. Her attacks barely registered on her opponent. It was as if every blow she landed was brushing against reinforced steel.
The Lightning Release Chakra Mode wasn't just boosting his speed and strength—it made Su Xiuyu a walking fortress. His offense and defense were fused perfectly into one seamless whole.
It was maddening.
For the first time, Yoruichi felt truly outclassed in hand-to-hand combat. And worst of all, it was against a human.
She couldn't comprehend how someone with such a short lifespan could rival her centuries of combat mastery. What strange power was this?
What she didn't know was that Su Xiuyu had been toying with her from the beginning. He hadn't even used his full arsenal. Just physical skill, enhanced by borrowed inspiration from the Raikage's technique, was enough.
Yes, Yoruichi might be the fastest among the Gotei 13's combat specialists—but that didn't mean she could defeat Shunsui Kyōraku in raw combat, or withstand Yamamoto's Bankai. Her strength had limits.
"You're starting to bore me, wildcat," Su Xiuyu said coldly. "Do you want to keep going? Your speed isn't enough. Your strength is lacking. Your technique—passable, but not impressive."
Yoruichi growled in frustration, launching another high-speed kick—this time a spinning aerial strike aimed for his temple.
With a crisp snap, Su Xiuyu caught her ankle midair, effortlessly halting the blow.
"I told you," he said calmly, "never use a high kick against someone stronger than you. They might just grab your leg... and end the fight right then and there."
Then came the move.
"Hulk's Heaven and Earth Slam."
Inspired by a scene from the Marvel Universe, Su Xiuyu borrowed the iconic move where Hulk slammed Loki repeatedly into the ground. That was exactly what he did to Yoruichi.
Over his shoulder, into the ground. Again and again. A thunderous crash with each impact.
When he finally let her go, Yoruichi lay in a crater, dazed and stunned—not from the physical damage, but from the overwhelming sense of defeat. Her limbs twitched slightly, her breathing shallow. She wasn't broken… but her pride was cracked.
Su Xiuyu stood above her, crossing his arms.
"You awake now?" he asked quietly.
She didn't answer. But her expression said everything.
Her pride, her status as the head of the Shihōin Clan, her title as Soul Society's Queen of Hakuda—it had all been shaken by a human. One who wasn't even using a Zanpakutō.
He wasn't a captain. He wasn't a Soul Reaper. Just a human. That fact stung the most.
"If this has you feeling worthless," Su Xiuyu continued, "then don't be. I've been holding back the entire time. This isn't even close to my true strength. If anything, you should be grateful this was just a warm-up."
He wasn't trying to comfort her. He was simply stating a fact.
Yoruichi had barely scratched the surface of his abilities. This clone—his Wood Release variant—had only used a crude version of Lightning Chakra Mode. If even that was enough to defeat her...
Then perhaps she wasn't as strong as she thought.
"But you're only human…" she whispered.
"That again?" Su Xiuyu sighed. "You think humans can't surpass Shinigami just because you've never met one who could? That's not proof—it's your own limited view."
He turned to face both of them now. "Now that both of you have been defeated, I assume you understand. I'm not asking anymore."
His voice darkened. "I'm telling you. Either help me become a Shinigami —or we keep fighting until you agree."
Urahara Kisuke let out a strained chuckle. "Fine, fine. You win. I surrender. I've seen enough to know picking a fight now would be... suicidal."
Su Xiuyu nodded approvingly. "Smart man."
He looked at Yoruichi again. "You should be thankful. When I was in Hueco Mundo, an Adjuchas tried to ambush me. I beat him senseless every single day for a month until he agreed to become my mount."
"You beat him because he refused to be your mount?" Kisuke blinked.
"Exactly. Different technique every day. Pain builds character."
Kisuke winced. "Remind me never to say no to you again."
"And if you two refuse to help me become a Shinigami?" Su Xiuyu cracked his knuckles with a smile.
"Then I'll just keep beating you… until you agree."
--------------
"Of course I'll beat you until you agree!"
Su Xiuyu's voice echoed with such sincerity that it left both Yoruichi and Urahara Kisuke speechless.
They had just endured a brutal beatdown—only to realize he still planned to rough them up until they said yes?
"You've been talking for ten minutes straight, and you still landed on violence as your method?" Yoruichi muttered, exasperated.
"Let's… talk this out first. Give us a moment," she said aloud, using the delay to regroup with Urahara Kisuke a short distance away.
Breathing heavily, she frowned. "What do we do? Do we seriously help this guy become a Shinigami?"
Her pride was stung—not because she'd lost, but because she'd been outclassed. And worse, the guy clearly hadn't gone all-out.
Kisuke, still massaging his ribs from their earlier encounter, gave a weak chuckle. "The truth is… even without becoming a Shinigami, this guy already has captain-class combat ability. Maybe even beyond that."
"Besides," he added, glancing back at Su Xiuyu, who was casually waving at them like he hadn't just body-slammed two elites, "he's not affiliated with Aizen. At least for now, that makes him our problem—and maybe our best asset. Aizen will find him eventually. Helping him might be our only shot at managing the fallout."
Yoruichi sighed. "You're saying we should help him."
"I'm saying we probably don't have a choice. You saw what happened. If we refuse, we're stuck in another round of one-sided sparring."
"Ugh. Even if I wanted to run, he's faster than me. And Urahara…" she gave him a side-eye, "you'd last about three seconds."
"Oh, I'd give myself at least five," he replied dryly.
After some reluctant silence, they both nodded.
"Alright!" Yoruichi called out. "We'll help you. But not here. Naruki City isn't suitable—it's too exposed."
"Let's go to Karakura Town," Kisuke added. "It's better protected. There's a spiritual barrier network in place—safer for what we're about to attempt."
"Sounds good to me," Su Xiuyu replied with an easy shrug. "Karakura's where the main plot happens anyway."
---
Hours later, long after they had departed the beach…
Ginjo Kūgo finally arrived on the scene, his face grim as he surveyed the devastation. The coastline was cratered and cracked, like a battlefield torn by a hurricane. Spiritual pressure still lingered in the air, thick and oppressive.
"At least two captain-level reiatsu signatures…" he muttered. "Trouble's coming. We need to lay low."
As a former Substitute Shinigami, Ginjo knew what such residual pressure meant—and he didn't like it one bit.
---
Karakura Town.
From a distance, Karakura didn't look much different from Naruki. But to anyone familiar with spiritual affairs, this city felt different—like it was humming with unseen energy. After all, this was the center of more than one world-ending event.
As they approached Urahara Shop, Su Xiuyu's eyes flickered with recognition. "Finally," he muttered. "Now we're getting to the good part."
"Manager! Where have you been these past few days?" Jinta shouted, only to pause mid-rant when he noticed the two strangers behind Kisuke. His attitude shifted instantly.
He still acted like he didn't care—but at least he wasn't mouthing off. Not in front of strangers.
"Alright, listen up," Kisuke said. "We've got important guests. Take a break and grab something to eat. We'll be busy downstairs."
Su Xiuyu, standing behind Kisuke, didn't speak—but the silent, unblinking look he gave the shopkeeper was sharper than a blade.
Without wasting time, Urahara led Su Xiuyu and Harribel into the vast, hidden underground training space beneath the shop.
"...Whoa," Su Xiuyu muttered, gazing at the cavernous expanse. "Didn't expect this under a candy store. Spatial expansion, right?"
"Good eye," Kisuke replied. "Not many people recognize it right away. Do you specialize in dimensional theory?"
"A bit. Though your methods are different from mine." Su Xiuyu didn't elaborate further—he respected strength in any form, even if the path was different.
Kisuke nodded thoughtfully. Most Shinigami didn't care much for "unorthodox" arts like spatial manipulation. Even the respected Kido Corps were viewed with suspicion by some. Su Xiuyu, on the other hand, was fluent in multiple systems—an anomaly by any standard.
"We'll wait for one more person before we start," Kisuke explained. "We need to be prepared for… complications."
"Complications like me turning into a Hollow?" Su Xiuyu said, raising an eyebrow.
Kisuke didn't deny it.
"Exactly that."
If Su Xiuyu failed the transformation, he could lose control and Hollowfy. And with someone as powerful as him, that could mean disaster.
Not to mention, he was accompanied by Harribel—a Vasto Lorde-class Arrancar, whose power easily rivaled that of a captain. If she intervened, things would escalate beyond containment.
Moments later, a familiar voice echoed across the chamber.
"You called?"
"Tessai," Kisuke said, relieved. With Tessai present, they could proceed. He was the only one strong enough to reinforce the containment barriers.
Tessai nodded and got to work immediately, drawing intricate Kido formations across the chamber floor.
"The process is simple in theory," Kisuke explained to Su Xiuyu. "Your soul separates from your body. Then we sever the Chain of Fate. That's when the transformation begins. If you awaken your latent Shinigami powers, you'll become one. If not… you become a Hollow."
"Standard high-stakes transformation. Got it." Su Xiuyu seemed completely unfazed.
Kisuke added, "To be safe, we're putting up multiple barriers. And... don't take offense—we're not sure what kind of spiritual reaction your body might trigger."
"No problem," Su Xiuyu said calmly. "I'll throw up a few of my own just to be sure."
"You can create spiritual barriers too?" Yoruichi said, blinking. "Seriously? Do you eat Kido scrolls for breakfast?"
Kisuke gave her a side glance. "At this point, I wouldn't be surprised."
Out of curiosity, Tessai asked, "Mr. Su, how old are you, if you don't mind me asking?"
Su Xiuyu shrugged. "Hard to say exactly. But definitely less than a hundred."
The room went silent for a second.
Less than a hundred?
Yoruichi frowned. "You mean to tell me you learned all of this... in under a century?"
Compared to Shinigami —who often spent centuries honing their abilities—humans were on the clock. And yet, here he was, doing things most Shinigami never could.
"Are we ready?" Kisuke asked.
"Give me a moment," Su Xiuyu replied. "I'll call in the real me."
There was a beat of silence.
"...What?" Yoruichi asked, her voice flat. "Real you?"
"Wait, what do you mean by that?" Kisuke added, narrowing his eyes.
"I never said this was my real body," Su Xiuyu replied casually. "This is a clone."
The color drained from Yoruichi's face. "Hold on. That was a clone?!"
Kisuke stared, horrified. "You mean the one who beat the crap out of us was just a copy?!"
"Yup." Su Xiuyu smiled. "Not bad, huh?"
"That clone was almost too strong already!" Yoruichi groaned. "What kind of freak are you?"
Su Xiuyu only chuckled. "Nah, my main body is about the same level. Maybe slightly more refined."
He turned to Harribel. "I'll be back in a second. Don't destroy anything while I'm gone."
With that, the clone released its form. Wood spread up from its feet, enveloping it entirely until the body became a motionless statue—then crumbled to dust.
Kisuke and Yoruichi stood in stunned silence.
"...So that wasn't even the real guy," Kisuke muttered.
Yoruichi crossed her arms, visibly annoyed. "We got pushed around by a damn clone…"
"Maybe agreeing to this wasn't the best idea," she muttered.
Kisuke sighed. "A little late for regrets now, isn't it?"
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