"So, what's the situation?" Akon held his breath.
Two powerful Quincy officers, plus a Vasto Lorde-class Arrancar. Such a lineup, and it looked like they were ganging up on him. Akon couldn't help but sweat for Ichigo Kurosaki.
"Not good. Especially the officer who just appeared. Although he is clearly stronger than the previous Quincy, he hasn't actively attacked, only defending passively, while constantly launching psychological attacks, seeming to deliberately provoke Mr. Kurosaki.
"And he has been trying to sow discord between Mr. Kurosaki and the Soul Reapers. This is not good," Urahara's brow furrowed. "However, although Mr. Kurosaki is a bit flustered, he hasn't lost his reason.
"And, the enemy's special technique seems to be unable to seal Mr. Kurosaki's Bankai, so he stopped his companion from using it. It seems he doesn't want to waste his efforts on Mr. Kurosaki."
Useless against Ichigo Kurosaki doesn't mean it's useless against me, Urahara thought with a headache. It seemed the enemy was saving that technique for him.
"What? It's useless?" Akon's eyes widened, then a wave of joy washed over him. He pleaded, "Can you get Ichigo Kurosaki to leave the Hueco Mundo battlefield immediately and support Soul Society? Please!"
"Huh? Please don't ask the impossible. That's not a fight one can just jump into," Urahara's eyes darkened. "I know someone has invaded Soul Society. The fact that you're calling means it must be serious. The more this is the case, the more we cannot let Mr. Kurosaki rush into the battlefield unprepared.
"Let's go back to the original question. What is the situation on your end?"
He said this not out of concern for Ichigo Kurosaki, but out of a sense of caution.
Bai Yuetong's provocation of Ichigo Kurosaki just now, and his ambiguous attitude of only defending and not attacking, made Urahara's mind race, his guard instantly at maximum.
He was even considering the worst-case scenario: what to do if Ichigo Kurosaki switched sides and stood against the Soul Reapers.
Although it was a very unkind thought, he couldn't rule out the possibility.
Ichigo Kurosaki only needed to fight bravely on the front lines. Urahara had to think about many more things.
For example, the enemy capturing Ichigo Kurosaki and brainwashing him, turning him into a vanguard for the invasion of Soul Society.
This situation was not impossible. No matter how much Ichigo Kurosaki wanted to protect, no matter how firmly he stood on the side of the Soul Reapers, some things were not up to his own will. Once he fell into the enemy's trap and was captured, he would inevitably face a terrible situation.
So, Urahara, who had originally been inclined to let Ichigo Kurosaki go to Soul Society to save the day, was now reluctant for him to leave Hueco Mundo for Soul Society without a clear stance and identity.
If he was swayed by an enemy with unknown intelligence, or even captured and forcibly brainwashed, it would only make the war situation worse.
"But... damn it! So far, our casualties are as follows: two thousand two hundred and forty-five soldiers with disappearing spiritual pressure, and one lieutenant captain. The number is increasing by the second, so this data is just for reference. Many buildings have collapsed, and the extent of the damage cannot be calculated," Akon slammed the table and reported with a heavy heart. "There are at least sixteen people among the enemy with combat capabilities equal to or greater than a captain. They call themselves the Sternritter, wearing the unique white attire of the Quincy. And the enemy casualties are zero. We have no reports of any victories."
"Then what about the enemy's abilities?" Urahara's heart skipped a beat.
He was not willing to let Ichigo Kurosaki be used by the enemy. So, if the situation wasn't completely disastrous, he would rather the Soul Reapers in Soul Society continue to be sacrificed to ensure he kept an eye on Ichigo Kurosaki.
But if the Seireitei was completely destroyed in this battle, that was not an outcome he could accept either.
And he gradually realized that the enemy had seemed to take advantage of Ichigo Kurosaki being held up in Hueco Mundo to launch a surprise attack on the Seireitei.
"Sorry, besides the fact that the enemy are Quincy, the R&D Department has not received any other intelligence. The only thing we know is that the enemy has the ability to steal Bankai," Akon said with some shame.
"Then which ones have had their Bankai stolen?" Urahara's pupils constricted.
If Head-Captain Yamamoto's Bankai was stolen...
"The captains of the 2nd, 6th, 7th, and 10th Divisions have been confirmed to have had their Bankai stolen on the battlefield. And perhaps the already fallen Lieutenant Captain Chōjirō of the 1st Division," Akon replied.
"This is bad~" Urahara said, but he was actually sighing in relief. The weight on his heart had finally lifted.
"If that's the case, I might be able to find a way to get Mr. Kurosaki to Soul Society for support."
After weighing the pros and cons, Urahara decided that, at least for now, he had to use Ichigo Kurosaki's combat power to help Soul Society get through this battle, at least without suffering too much loss.
At the same time, he was secretly making some small gadgets. If his predictions were correct, they might come in handy soon.
"Really? That's great!" Akon was overjoyed.
"If the situation is too dire, perhaps you can have Captain Kensei Muguruma of the 9th Division try to fight with his Bankai," Urahara suggested after a moment's thought, deciding to let Kensei test the waters.
"Captain Muguruma? I understand!" Akon thought about what made Kensei Muguruma different from other captains. The only thing that came to mind was that he had once been a victim of Aizen's Hollowfication experiments.
Thinking back to how Ichigo Kurosaki's Bankai couldn't be stolen, and Ichigo was capable of Hollowfication, meaning he had Hollow power within him, perhaps that was the key to preventing the enemy from stealing Bankai.
"Found you."
Just then, Quilge's sinister voice sounded.
BOOM!
An azure Reishi saber swung down fiercely, creating a deep crater on the spot.
But when the dust settled, Urahara was not cut in half. He had already dodged to the other side.
"That was close, that was close!" Pesche, who had been with Urahara, was scared out of his wits and quickly ran away, not forgetting to kick Dondochakka away before he left.
"Mr. Urahara? Thank goodness, you're okay," Ichigo Kurosaki, who had been fiercely attacking Bai Yuetong, actually left the battle and ran over, saying with concern when he saw Urahara being attacked.
Clearly, Bai Yuetong's 'provocation' had not worked.
Just as when Kugo Ginjo had told Ichigo Kurosaki about the darkness of Soul Society and the sinister nature of Jushiro Ukitake, Ichigo had his own judgment.
Ichigo Kurosaki had never truly lost a comrade, so he was more willing to believe in the Soul Reapers. Even if they hid something from him, he would genuinely feel that they had their reasons.
"Mr. Kurosaki, we should leave Hueco Mundo. This is an emergency. We need you to go to Soul Society immediately," Urahara said, raising his cane. He had already prepared a Senkaimon, and a huge portal appeared behind him.
"Stop! Do you think I'll just stand by and watch you go to Soul Society for reinforcements?" Quilge roared in anger, about to step forward and release 'The Jail' to stop Ichigo Kurosaki. Even if Ichigo might eventually break through, it would at least delay him for a while.
-------
Enjoying the story? Support the author and get access to early chapters by joining my Patreon!
Find me at My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
I, Herta's Fiancé, the Universe's Number One Male Fist (114 Chapter (Simulpub-Full) )
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Succubus in Sixth Street (260 Chapter)
Reborn in Type-Moon, My Sister is Aoko Aozaki (230 Chapter)
MyGO!! A Story Voiced by Me (100 Chapter)
BLEACH: Blade of Purification (110 Chapter)
Konoha: Starting the Game as Yoriichi (280 Chapter)
My Real Job is Spying on Konoha, but I'm Also its Hokage (110 Chapter)
The Pinnacle of the Navy! Starting from Being Captured by Garp (130 Chapter)
Watching Yu-Gi-Oh! short videos is making the veteran players lose...(60 Chapter)
Uma Musume : The Trainer Who Just Wants to Live (162 Chapter)
Zenless Zone Zero The Random Kamen Rider (130 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: It All Began With Me Being Stepped On by Arlecchino (90 Chapter)
Naruto: I Can Synthesize Summoning Beasts (60 Chapter)
Demon Slayer: The Great Swordsman's System, Disciple of Yoriichi (90 Chapter)
My Wife is a General, but I'm an Emanator of Abundance! (110 Chapter)
Type-Moon: My Nine-Fold Path (100 Chapter)
Uma Musume: They're Peeking at My Diary, and All of Tracen is Panickin (80 Chapter)
The Wild History of Type-Moon world (50 Chapter)
Reborn in Conan, But I Refuse to Be the Bad Guy (70 Chapter)
Ruan Mei is begging me to go back? But there's no going back anymore (90 Chapter)
Just a Slacker at Tracen Academy (90 Chapter)
Survival in Blue Archive (50 Chapter)
Kimetsu no Yaiba: Doma Wasn't Hated Today, Either (70 Chapter)
The Vibe of This Chat Group is a Little Off (70 Chapter)
Heartbreak Simulator: I Broke Them and Made Them Cry (50 Chapter)
The Talentless Trainer Doesn't Want to Restart (50 Chapter)
A Journey Starting as a Quincy (50 Chapter)
Uma Musume: The Master of Romance Obstruction (50 Chapter)
If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it.