Sora never imagined those two monsters would really kill him.
He'd always known they were devils to the core.
But he'd never thought they'd go so far as to murder their own son.
He'd been ready to rush home in a rage when he bumped into Kurosaki Ichigo.
He hadn't expected anyone to see him in this state. That was incredible.
Sora knew that in his current condition, even if he went home, he was helpless. As a spirit, he couldn't touch the physical world.
But if that orange-haired kid could see him, then he had a chance. He could ask for help. The boy might just be a student, but if he told his boss at work, the company would no doubt get involved.
Thinking of that, Sora ran faster.
He passed through the cordon easily; the police couldn't stop a wandering soul.
They didn't even see him.
Inside, he found more officers—a unit surrounding a classroom.
Sora slipped inside.
A vicious-looking man stood there, gun in hand, with a teacher and more than twenty little kids tied up in front of him.
Just his luck.
Sora quickly found his targets. The two little girls he was looking for were among the hostages.
The robber looked anxious. He yelled out toward the door, "I'm warning you! No one comes closer! Try anything and I'll start shooting!"
"Get me a car! And no tricks! Or these kids die!"
He finished shouting and quickly sent a message on his phone.
Sora leaned over to see. The text was to someone called "Mr. A."
Apparently the robber wanted Mr. A to help him escape, and "Mr. A" had replied that there was a tunnel in the school basement leading outside.
A tunnel from the basement?
What kind of elementary school had a secret tunnel like that?
Sora was shocked. He glanced at the map on the phone and memorized the location.
The robber's face lit up. Pocketing the phone, he glanced over the nervous children and walked straight to one of the girls.
He grabbed the bound child and pressed the muzzle to her head. With a hostage, the cops wouldn't dare act rashly.
"Karin!"
Another girl burst into tears at the sight, but Karin shouted, "Yuzu, don't worry about me! Ichigo will come save me!"
The robber pointed his gun at Yuzu. "Don't move. One more twitch and I'll blow your head off."
Seeing this, Sora knew things were bad and rushed back outside. He had to tell Ichigo.
Of all people, it had to be Ichigo's kid sisters.
But that might actually be a good thing—at least he knew the robber's escape route now. If Ichigo told the police about it, they could intercept him.
Sora pushed through the crowd and relayed everything to Ichigo. He'd originally planned to tell Ichigo to let the police handle it.
Instead, Ichigo suddenly ran the other way.
"Hey! Where are you going?!" Sora shouted. "You should tell the cops!"
"No! I don't feel good about this!" Ichigo yelled back. "Don't worry—once I save Karin, I'll help your sister too!"
Ichigo didn't want to play hero. He just didn't trust the police much—and he knew he himself had to save his sister.
"Fine, I'll guide you."
Since he had already memorized the route, Sora led him to a manhole.
Who'd have thought this opened straight into the school basement?
Ichigo jumped down without hesitation.
People saw him as just a middle-schooler, but his physical ability and athleticism were exceptional.
Maybe because he'd been brawling and taking karate since he was a little kid…
He moved through the tunnels with agility. Sora floated beside him and said, "Don't make so much noise. If he's already down here, he might hear you."
Ichigo paused, tamping down his anxiety and slowing his pace.
Sora was right. Ichigo whispered, "Got it. Thanks."
"It's nothing. I'll scout ahead. If I find him, I'll come back and tell you," Sora said, drifting forward again.
This was the first time Ichigo really felt how different he was. The ability to see spirits… could be used like this?
Before, he'd just known he wasn't normal; he'd never thought about how that might actually help him.
For the first time, he realized his "difference" could be an advantage—as if a whole new world had opened up.
Meanwhile in the school, the robber, carrying the unconscious Karin, stepped out of the classroom.
"Don't look at me."
With the gun pressed against Karin's head, he yelled to the police, "I've set a bomb in that classroom. It'll go off in five minutes. Stop pointing guns at me and hurry up and save the teacher and kids."
What?!
The police clearly hadn't expected a timed bomb. Panic flashed across their faces. The robber slipped into the basement stairwell in the chaos.
"Get me a car, and some money while you're at it! Don't come near me till the car's ready!" he shouted, slamming the basement door behind him.
Following Mr. A's directions, he quickly found the tunnel, carrying Karin into it.
Shortly, he emerged in the sewers. He let out a breath of relief, a grin spreading across his face.
Those idiots outside were probably still prepping the car and money, thinking he was still in the school.
He was about to be free as a bird.
Once he finished Mr. A's job, he'd get eternal life.
Sora watched his smug grin and hurried back to Ichigo to report.
"He's got a gun. How are you going to handle him?" Sora asked, tense. Even if he was already dead, he felt like he was in the middle of some cops-and-robbers movie.
Ichigo ducked into a dark corner, not daring to speak loudly in case the robber overheard.
The man had a gun.
Ichigo's heartbeat thundered. Soon he heard footsteps.
Heavy steps, accompanied by slightly ragged breathing. His ears twitched. The man was close.
His mind blanked.
Pressed back into a narrow recess, Ichigo waited.
A burly middle-aged man appeared, Karin unconscious in his arms.
Ichigo's eyes went scarlet.
This bastard had actually kidnapped Karin.
He lashed out with a flying kick—fast, powerful, and completely unexpected.
The robber didn't have time to react. The kick smashed into his torso, sending him tumbling.
The impact wrenched Karin from his arms, but Ichigo managed to catch her, clutching her tight rather than setting her down.
He knew he still had to fight the robber—and the robber had a gun. If he put Karin aside, she'd become a target.
The robber's head rang. As he scrambled to his feet, he stared at Ichigo in disbelief.
"Where the hell did this little brat come from?! You must have a death wish!"
He raised his pistol, aiming directly at Ichigo.
Ichigo's scalp prickled. A chill shot from his spine straight to his brain.
Every instinct screamed danger.
He bolted forward with Karin, and a shot rang out.
Bang!
The bullet hit the spot he'd just vacated.
The robber gaped. Was this kid even human? He'd dodged a bullet?
Snarling, he aimed again, but Ichigo was already on him. Before the man could pull the trigger, Ichigo's kick lashed out again.
It slammed into his hand, jerking the barrel aside and firing harmlessly into the wall.
"Who the hell are you?!" the robber roared.
"I'm Karin's big brother—the girl you grabbed!" Ichigo shouted. "You bastard, don't even think about hurting her!"
"So you're her brother…" the robber muttered, then grinned darkly. "Too bad. The two of you are going to die together."
Without the gun, he drew a knife and lunged.
Ichigo flinched, dodging away.
"Leave Karin and grab the gun!" Sora shouted. "With a gun you won't have to worry about him!"
Ichigo rolled, set Karin down carefully—then didn't go for the fallen pistol.
Instead, he dove straight into hand-to-hand combat.
He was terrified the robber would use the opening to hurt Karin.
As long as the man didn't have the gun, Ichigo felt confident.
In a real fight, Kurosaki Ichigo feared no one.
From the moment he'd started school, he'd been mocked and ostracized for his hair color. By middle school, that ostracism had turned into outright bullying.
Ichigo figured he was tougher than anyone. If someone pissed him off, he'd piss them off right back.
He'd started by brawling with individual bullies. Eventually, they called in kids from other schools. Still, Ichigo fought alone against them all.
After a year or two, they quieted down.
If Ichigo had been the type to bully others, he'd have terrorized dozens by now.
At this moment, he was truly enraged.
He could handle being hurt himself—but he would never accept his family being harmed.
The robber was burly, all hard muscle, and armed with a knife, yet he still couldn't put Ichigo down.
In pure combat sports, weight classes matter. Skilled fighters understood that well. Unless your bulk was pure fat, it was nearly impossible for a light- or featherweight to defeat a heavyweight.
This robber was nothing but lean muscle. He should have been able to flatten a scrawny monkey like Ichigo in two or three moves—especially with a weapon.
But Ichigo's reflexes, agility, and strength were all first-rate. He dodged every thrust by a hair's breadth.
After slipping past yet another stab, Ichigo threw a straight punch. The robber blocked with his free arm.
"You little punk!"
The robber roared, redoubling his strength, one hand pinning Ichigo's striking arm, the other driving the knife again and again toward Ichigo's torso.
With his arm trapped, Ichigo couldn't get distance—forced into a brutal close-range struggle.
At last, he moved. Grabbing the robber's wrist, he stopped the stabbing hand.
Now they were locked like sumo wrestlers, strength against strength.
As the robber poured his weight into it, Ichigo began to falter. He was, in the end, just a middle-schooler. The power disparity was real.
In that critical instant, an idea flashed through his mind.
He suddenly stopped resisting, letting the robber's force topple him backward.
As he fell, he lashed out with both legs, one kick slamming into the robber's stomach.
Using that momentum, the robber stumbled forward and crashed down, stunned.
Ichigo hadn't expected his gambit to work so well. Dazed from the sudden release of resistance and the kick, the robber tumbled and hit the ground awkwardly.
Ichigo scrambled up and saw blood staining the man's shirt.
"…"
He flipped the robber over. The man had fallen on his own knife, the blade driven into his abdomen.
His eyes bulged, as if he couldn't comprehend how a brat like this had beaten him. He couldn't understand how the kid had known he'd escape through the sewer, or how someone so young had such strength.
But it didn't matter. He was already dead.
Yet…
Was death the end?
Of course not.
Ichigo was shaken, because he'd never intended to kill anyone.
But he was also relieved.
At least Karin was safe.
As for what would happen to him afterward, he didn't know. As long as his family was all right, that was enough.
He exhaled slowly and turned toward Karin—
And saw another robber climbing out of the first one's body.
He stared. He'd almost forgotten that the soul appears when a person dies. He had no interest in dealing with this man's spirit. He could see him, but he'd rather pretend he couldn't.
Ichigo ran to Karin's side and found she was only unconscious.
He let out another breath of relief.
"I… Ichigo…"
Sora's voice came from behind. "What… what is that?"
"What's wrong?" Ichigo instinctively turned.
Sora was staring, horrified, at the robber's ghost.
Ichigo followed his gaze—and saw black smoke pouring from the robber's chest.
The man was frantically clawing at the chain over his heart.
The chain itself seemed to ignite under the black smoke, burning away as it shrank—
"What… what is that?!"
Ichigo had never seen anything like this. He could see spirits, but he knew nothing about them. He didn't understand what this transformation meant.
"It hurts… it hurts…" The robber's face twisted in agony. "Mr. A… save me… save me…"
No one was going to save him.
When the dark vapor had consumed the chain and it looked as if he'd ripped it out of his own chest, his whole body vanished, leaving only a warped expression of pain, madness, and despair.
The outpouring of emotion was so intense that Ichigo found himself stepping back, but he still stood firmly in front of Karin.
When at last the flames swallowed him completely, nothing happened.
The robber's soul had vanished.
Where had he gone?
"Dis… disappeared?" Sora's pupils had shrunk too. All that commotion, and he'd expected something terrible.
Ichigo's expression, however, grew worse.
He could feel something approaching at high speed.
"No! Run!"
Whatever it was, they had to move.
He scooped up Karin and bolted toward the exit. Light appeared ahead—just a little further and they'd be outside.
Baffled but trusting, Sora followed.
And then, just as they were about to climb up, both their faces changed.
What… was that?
A colossal monster's head emerged from the opening. It wore a mask, but it was clearly not human.
"ROAR!"
The creature's bellow shook the tunnel, making both Ichigo's and Sora's eardrums ring.
"Run!"
Ichigo didn't know what it was—but he knew it spelled danger. He ran back into the school, carrying Karin.
The monster—forcing its way through the exit—blew the opening into a gaping hole before squeezing all the way inside.
Only then did Ichigo see its full form.
It resembled a giant frog. Even crouched low, it was nearly three meters tall, with four limbs braced against the floor. Its blood-red eyes fixed on Ichigo's back, sending ice down his spine.
"Brat…"
The frog-monster clearly remembered him. Its hoarse voice vibrated the air. "You little shit… how far do you think you can run this time?!"
?!
What?
Was this the robber from before? What kind of bad joke was this?
Ichigo panicked—but he knew he had to get Karin away.
Now that it had become a giant frog hollow, the robber had gained the ability to affect the physical world. It hadn't just smashed through the opening above; its weight alone was cracking the cement underfoot.
Despite its frog-like appearance, it didn't hop—it charged like a runaway beast.
It was much faster than Ichigo. It closed the distance in seconds, its mouth yawning open, tongue whipping toward them.
"So you were there too!"
Seeing Sora, the frog snarled, "I was wondering how that brat knew I'd come this way. So it was you! You die first!"
Its tongue shot toward him.
Sora panicked. He couldn't die here. Not yet. He hadn't even seen Orihime again.
"You bastard monster! Die!"
A gunshot rang out.
Bang!
A bullet punched into the frog hollow's tongue, leaving a bloody crater. It howled and jerked its tongue back.
Ichigo had grabbed the robber's pistol. Even though he'd never used a gun before, the monster was enormous—he could hit it with his eyes closed.
Seeing the shot work, Ichigo's spirits soared.
If that thing could physically touch the world, then the world's weapons could hurt it too.
That was why he'd taken the shot. He hadn't expected it to hit so perfectly.
"Run!"
But the monster was too big. The shot to its tongue had hurt, but not seriously.
Ichigo fired twice more. Bang, bang. Both bullets struck the white mask—but this time, they had no effect.
They bounced off.
Realizing the gun wouldn't work, Ichigo didn't throw it away—he just kept running.
Three bullet wounds had enraged the frog hollow.
"I want you all dead!"
The bullets hadn't seriously damaged it, but they'd hurt like hell.
Each shot to its face and tongue had stung.
Snarling, it charged again, more violent than before.
"You can't just keep running!"
Sora shouted, "The gun's useless. If you go back to the school, you'll only put more people in danger!"
Ichigo froze.
He was right. He couldn't keep running.
If he led the monster back to the school…
Yuzu might still be inside.
He couldn't take another step.
Ichigo suddenly stopped, set Karin down gently, then spun and ran straight at the frog hollow.
The hollow blinked in surprise. Instead of fleeing, the boy was charging in.
"Oh? You're not running? You're coming to me?"
"If I don't come to you, how am I supposed to beat you, you ugly freak?!" Ichigo shouted, emptying the pistol at it.
Bang, bang, bang—three more shots punched into the creature's bulk.
The frog hollow only laughed, its voice warping like a warped musical note. "This feels amazing. Guns can't hurt me at all!"
"I'll kill you. Then I'll kill the little brat you want to protect. Then I'll kill everyone in the school, cops and those pathetic adults included. I'll become god of this world!"
The more it laughed, the more twisted its voice became—shrill, deranged, dripping with hatred.
Just listening to it made Ichigo's blood run cold.
He had no time to be afraid.
If he didn't kill this thing, Karin would die, Yuzu would die.
He would never allow that.
"Aaaahhhhhh!"
He squeezed the trigger again and again—but the monster seemed to be doing it on purpose, letting the bullets bounce harmlessly off its body, as if to drive him into despair, to make him feel utterly powerless.
At last the magazine clicked empty.
"Heh… that all you have, brat?"
Seeing the gun fall silent, the frog's tongue shot out once more, sweeping Ichigo aside like trash.
He smashed into the wall, bounced off, and crashed heavily to the ground.
The hollow didn't kill him. Not yet. It wanted to kill the other two first, then Ichigo.
Its tongue lashed toward Sora again, but Sora didn't run. He charged straight toward it instead.
He knew Ichigo wanted to protect his sister.
He wanted to protect his own, too.
If he ran, the hollow would see Karin. He'd never met Ichigo or Karin before today, but he couldn't let them die in front of each other.
"Good!"
Ichigo roared, trying to stand—but he could only watch as Sora was ensnared.
"Forget me! Take your sister and run!" Sora shouted, straining against the tongue coiled around him, but it was useless. The muscle tightened, squeezing him like a tube of toothpaste.
He shrieked in agony.
"Hahaha!" The frog laughed at his pain.
"Damn it!" Ichigo staggered forward again and was swatted aside once more, tumbling twice before landing beside Karin.
He stared at his sleeping sister, heart splintering.
Damn it. Why… why am I so weak?
Please, someone… anyone… give me strength.
Clenching his fists, Ichigo felt a pain like nothing before. He'd never felt so powerless. He remembered a dream—a huge masked monster chasing him.
Facing that one, he hadn't felt as helpless.
He didn't fear death.
He feared only being unable to protect his sisters.
"Aiwass!"
He suddenly roared, "Aiwass, are you there?! Please—help me!!!"
He didn't care anymore. Dream or not—whatever it was, as long as it could give him power, he had to believe in it.
He had to protect Karin—and help Sora.
As he howled, his chest burned. His heart felt like it was on fire, his ribs glowing from within. The sensation was oddly familiar—and the pain from his wounds seemed to vanish.
The agony faded. Ichigo instinctively grabbed his shirtfront—and felt something there.
A surge of reiryoku exploded from within him, and a golden sword appeared in his hand.
This was…
Ichigo stared at it, dumbstruck.
Wasn't this the same blade he'd seen in his dream?
It had… actually appeared?
He didn't have time to think.
The moment the sword manifested, he charged the frog hollow.
"AAAAAAAHHHH!"
He screamed, his voice cracking as he swung.
The frog hollow was about to swallow Sora whole when Ichigo's sword flashed.
With one stroke, he severed the long tongue.
The pistol had only made small holes. The sword cleaved the tongue in two.
The coil around Sora loosened. The half still wrapped around him flopped to the ground, lifeless, and slackened.
Sora tore himself free, gasping.
The frog hollow stared at Ichigo in disbelief.
"What… what is that thing?"
Ichigo didn't answer. He just swung again.
His blade crashed into the hollow's mask, splitting it, biting deep into the flesh beneath.
"AAAAAGH!" the frog roared, convulsing. It thrashed wildly, slamming its bulk into Ichigo and driving him back into the wall.
The impact spider-webbed the concrete.
Ichigo coughed blood, but didn't lose consciousness. He gripped the sword in both hands and drove it down.
The strike pierced the frog's skull, sending agony lancing through its form.
It rolled and bucked, grinding Ichigo beneath its bulk as he hacked and stabbed again and again.
At last it couldn't stand it. With a violent jerk, it hurled Ichigo away and leapt.
"Wait… wait!" Ichigo cried, stumbling. Every inch of him screamed, but he could not fall.
The hollow was bounding straight toward Karin. It wrapped what remained of its tongue around her and swallowed her whole.
"Haha! Brat! I can't beat you right now, but I can make your sister die in front of you!"
It gulped her down, cackling. "Didn't you want to protect her?!"
"KARIN!!!"
Ichigo's eyes blurred. He sprinted after the hollow, but it was terrified of him now. It no longer dared face him head-on.
It ran.
With four legs, it quickly outpaced him, the distance widening with each stride.
"Damn it!"
Ichigo stumbled, crashing to his knees. Watching the frog hollow recede, he let out a raw howl.
"Ichigo!"
Sora arrived to find him glowing—power pouring off Ichigo in waves so intense Sora couldn't approach.
Ichigo swung his sword on pure instinct. A crescent of golden light arced from the blade, surging forward like a half-moon.
The frog hollow, almost out of sight, was struck dead-on. Its back split open as if sliced clean through, and it tumbled to the ground.
The moment the crescent vanished, Ichigo collapsed from blood loss and exhaustion.
"Uh… Kurosaki…" Sora murmured.
He'd been stunned by the outburst. As he rushed to Ichigo's side, he saw white matter spilling from his body.
It flowed over Ichigo, wrapping him in a cocoon.
"…"
Sora stared, dumbfounded.
What… what was happening?
What was that glowing sword?
And how had he suddenly turned into some kind of cocoon?
...…
"Dad, shouldn't we help him?"
In a place no one could see, Nezuko and Yoshio had been watching the battle unfold.
Nezuko was confused. She knew Yoshio cared about Ichigo, yet he'd chosen not to interfere at all.
"The mastermind never intended to kill Kurosaki Ichigo—or anyone close to him," Yoshio said calmly. "So don't worry, Nezuko."
"He never meant to kill Ichigo?" Nezuko frowned. "Then what is he doing?"
"Corruption," Yoshio replied softly.
"Corruption?" She was even more confused. "What does that mean?"
"Not just Ichigo. Anyone whose heart holds light is one of his targets for corruption." Yoshio added, "Do you really want to help Kurosaki Ichigo?"
Nezuko scratched her head. "Not really… but he has helped me out a bit."
Ichigo had stepped in on her behalf more than once. Nowadays, she really didn't understand kids. Middle-schoolers were already chasing girls like adults, acting like delinquent punks.
She didn't care about such ants, but having someone else handle them for her had saved her a lot of effort.
After all…
It took very precise control to crush an ant without leaving a trace.
That was the difference between surgery and butchery.
"In that case, we definitely shouldn't interfere," Yoshio said with a soft laugh. "Only those who rely on their own strength and will to overcome such trials can truly be called 'strong.'"
"Stronger, huh…" Nezuko looked at the cocoon that had engulfed Ichigo. "So that's 'transformation'?"
Yoshio nodded.
This was the special ability of the second-generation Hollow White.
Under certain triggers or when reaching a critical point in evolution, the second-generation Hollow White could undergo cocooning.
Cocooning might not directly boost immediate strength—but it could drastically enhance potential.
Yoshio had gained this ability too, but he hadn't used it yet.
He planned to reserve it for the most critical moment.
He suspected he wasn't the only one with that thought.
For instance, Ichigo's current crisis was likely being observed by Aizen, Yhwach, and Ōetsu Nimaiya. But none of them had intervened.
Ichigo was an important piece on the board, but none intended to micromanage every detail of his life. Even Aizen, meticulous as he was, wouldn't script every single thing Ichigo experienced.
He would simply adjust his plans based on how Ichigo changed through this ordeal.
Thinking that, Yoshio and Nezuko turned their attention back to the other fights.
There was no denying it—under Yoshio's guidance, Hitsugaya had been reborn.
If this had been the original canon Tōshirō, he couldn't possibly stand against Tokinada. He would've fallen to Tokinada's shunpo–sonido surprise attack at the very start.
Even in a straight fight, Tokinada could have finished him in five minutes.
But with Yoshio's coaching and prodding—and after the King of Hollows incident—Tōshirō had grown far stronger.
So much so that even after ten minutes, his battle with Tokinada was still at a stalemate.
Hitsugaya was on the verge of truly understanding Daiguren Hyōrinmaru.
Not through forced growth as in the original timeline, but by mastering it.
He just lacked experience.
That Tokinada…
He'd fused with an Evil Node.