"I got it. Be careful yourself!"
Shihoin Yoruichi let out a sigh. After taking Inoue Orihime, she didn't say anything about pleading on Kurosaki Ichigo's behalf. She turned around and headed straight toward the Shiba family's direction.
She had already sensed that quite a few captain-level spiritual pressures were rushing this way.
If she didn't leave now, there might not be another chance later.
Just as Shihoin Yoruichi finished leaving, before Rosse could say anything to the remaining Kurotsuchi Nemu, the overwhelming spiritual pressure of the bull-headed Hollow Ichigo instantly appeared to Rosse's right.
Zangetsu was raised, then swung down in a fierce slash.
"You don't seriously think that your swordsmanship in this form is strong, do you?"
Interrupted mid-thought, Rosse almost instantly drew his blade to meet the attack, a trace of coldness showing in his eyes.
A farce only needed to happen once.
If it went on any longer, his position as acting Captain-Commander would really start to look undeserved.
Slash!
This collision ended very differently from before.
Zangetsu was easily knocked aside by Rosse's Zanpakuto, and at the same time, Rosse's blade came crashing down hard onto the Hierro on the bull-headed Hollow Ichigo's chest.
A wound deep enough to expose bone stretched from the lower left side of the bull-headed Hollow Ichigo's waist up to his midsection, nearly cutting him in half.
"ROAR!"
The bull-headed Hollow Ichigo let out a miserable howl and instinctively retreated, putting a hundred meters between himself and Rosse in the blink of an eye.
And at that moment, the captains who had left earlier all rushed back and completely surrounded the area.
Unohana and Captain-Commander Yamamoto's battle was still ongoing. The two of them were inside Unohana's Bankai space, completely unable to sense what was happening outside.
But that was an internal fight, and all the captains knew that the two of them would not cause too much destruction.
This situation, however, was different.
The Seireitei had been pierced through. One of its gates, along with part of the first district of Rukongai, had been completely destroyed.
Things had clearly spiraled out of control.
If they didn't rush over to provide support now, who knew what might happen.
And when the other captains arrived, they happened to see the bull-headed Hollow Ichigo retreating, blood dripping down from the wound on his chest.
But before they could relax over Rosse gaining the upper hand, the next scene made every captain's expression turn grim.
They saw that the wound, one that should have been enough to strip any Shinigami of their fighting ability, was actually healing at a speed visible to the naked eye. In less than a few seconds, it was about to completely disappear.
"Hey, hey, that recovery speed is way too ridiculous," Hitsugaya said in a low voice.
"That's a Hollow's high-speed regeneration. If nothing unexpected happens, this should be a Vasto Lorde–class Hollow, and its strongest abilities are likely Cero and high-speed regeneration," Kyoraku Shunsui explained gravely.
From the bull-headed Hollow Ichigo, he felt a deadly threat.
Battle-hardened as he was, he knew his instincts rarely failed him.
That alone was enough to explain the bull-headed Hollow Ichigo's strength.
And the fact that Rosse could inflict such a terrifying wound on him also showed that Rosse's strength could not be underestimated.
"Captain Kyoraku, what you said isn't entirely accurate. Normally, once a Hollow reaches Adjuchas, it chooses a specific specialization. Only then can it unleash its full power at the Vasto Lorde level. But that's Hollow evolution. Kurosaki Ichigo himself is a Shinigami who Hollowfied, so his abilities have been enhanced almost across the board. Whether it's Hierro or high-speed regeneration, both have reached an unbelievable level," Rosse's calm explanation made all the captains show looks of shock as they all watched Kurosaki Ichigo with heightened vigilance.
"This is Kurosaki Ichigo?", Kyoraku Shunsui stared at the drastically changed Kurosaki Ichigo in disbelief. In the original plan, he was supposed to be a disruptor, but this was not how a disruptor was supposed to disrupt things.
'Was Urahara Kisuke really lying to me?'
A hint of doubt rose in Kyoraku Shunsui's heart.
Kurosaki Ichigo clearly could not have had any contact with Aizen, yet he could still Hollowfy. That clearly pointed to a problem with Urahara Kisuke.
'It can't be that Rosse just had some brief contact with him and he completely Hollowfied, right?'
With these doubts in mind, and taking advantage of the moment when the bull-headed Hollow Ichigo hesitated instinctively due to their sudden appearance and did not attack, Kyoraku Shunsui hurriedly asked, "Captain Rosse, what's going on with Kurosaki Ichigo? Why did he Hollowfy?"
"I'm not too clear on the specifics either. He suddenly appeared in front of me wanting to save Inoue Orihime. After I refused, he prepared to attack. I had Shihoin Yoruichi take him away. During the process of being taken away, he suddenly pulled out a Hollow mask and pressed it onto his own face, and then he turned into what you see now," Rosse recounted calmly.
Every word he said was the truth. At this moment, Kurotsuchi Nemu beside him also spoke up, "Captains, I can confirm that Captain Rosse is telling the truth. My eyes have a recording function. After this is over, the footage can be played in the Twelfth Division."
Kurotsuchi Nemu concealed the relationship between Rosse and Shihoin Yoruichi, as well as Inoue Orihime's current whereabouts.
This was Mayuri Kurotsuchi's arrangement, and could also be considered a gesture of goodwill from him toward Rosse.
After all, compared to Inoue Orihime, Mayuri Kurotsuchi was now far more interested in Kurosaki Ichigo and couldn't wait to study him.
"A Hollow mask… what on earth is going on…"
Kyoraku Shunsui's head was a mess right now. He truly had no idea what was happening. How did putting on a Hollow mask lead to Hollowfication?
'Could it be that if we tore a Hollow's mask off and put it on our own face, we can Hollowfy as well?'
"Roar!"
Before Kyoraku Shunsui could sort it out, the bull-headed Hollow Ichigo over there overcame his instinctive desire to retreat, and in the end, his hatred for Rosse took over.
Without hesitation, the bull-headed Hollow Ichigo charged straight at Rosse.
Rosse had no intention of making a move. There were at least four captains standing between him and the bull-headed Hollow Ichigo. No matter what, it wasn't his turn to act.
Even if he were to act, now was not the time.
"Hmph! A stubborn beast. Let this old man deal with you!"
Komamura Sajin, the closest one, let out a cold snort and drew his sword at the bull-headed Hollow Ichigo without the slightest hesitation.
Having experienced failure back in Hueco Mundo, and seeing the power the bull-headed Hollow Ichigo had displayed, Komamura Sajin had no intention of holding back this time.
"Bankai! Kokujo Tengen Myo'o!"
In an instant, a black-armored warrior tens of meters tall appeared behind Komamura Sajin. The warrior was clad head to toe in heavy armor and held a gigantic cleaver, radiating overwhelming intimidation.
"Hah!!"
As Komamura Sajin swung his blade down toward the bull-headed Hollow Ichigo, the black-armored warrior behind him mirrored the motion, that nearly forty-meter-long massive blade crashing straight down toward the bull-headed Hollow Ichigo.
"Roar!"
Facing this overwhelmingly powerful strike, the bull-headed Hollow Ichigo did not dodge at all. He lifted Zangetsu and charged straight into it.
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