After that, the ranking video continued, fast-forwarding onward—
After a round of standoffs and chaotic brawling, the battlefield gradually shifted from outside to the rooftop.
And during the fight with Shūkurō Tsukishima, Ichigo Kurosaki also showed clear signs that the Shinigami power inside him—under the influence of Fullbring—was gradually starting to awaken again!
He could even, once more, use his signature move—
Getsuga Tenshō!
"A lightning-shaped Getsuga?"
"It should only turn back to the original dark crimson once his power fully returns, right?"
Hearing that familiar shout, the audience grew even more excited, waiting to see exactly what method Ichigo would use in the end…
To completely regain the Shinigami power he had lost.
However…
Next, the intervention of another person completely seized the attention of most of the top-tier fighters!
"Shhk—!!!"
Tsukishima launched a sneak attack, slashing from behind Isshin Kurosaki.
Just as the blade was about to land—
At that moment, Kūgo Ginjō appeared.
He used the weapon in his hand to block the strike for Ichigo!
And he also showed obvious hostility toward Tsukishima. From the looks of it, he seemed like Ichigo's new ally in the future!
And when that scene—revealed by the ranking video—was transmitted into the real world…
It instantly sparked the audience's curiosity!
The powerhouses of the Bleach world stared at Ginjō's figure and started discussing:
"This guy…"
"He's probably a Fullbringer too, right?"
"Infighting between human factions? Interesting…"
In the First Division barracks, Mayuri Kurotsuchi's eyes spun as he revealed a sinister, delighted grin.
All this time, his attention on the World of the Living had been focused almost entirely on a handful of Quincy families—especially the Ishida family. He'd even engineered Uryū Ishida's grandfather's death.
So for a long time…
He had practically never paid any attention to Fullbringers in the human world.
But now—
Unfamiliar faces were popping up one after another.
Naturally, that hooked Mayuri's interest. With that uniquely "research-minded" gaze—sharp, greedy, and ill-intentioned—he carefully sized up Kūgo Ginjō!
Trying to dig out even more secrets from him!!!
Around him, most of the other Shinigami captains shook their heads, indicating they didn't recognize him.
They had almost no impression of Kūgo Ginjō at all.
Except…
Jūshirō Ukitake was the lone exception!!!
"?!"
"This guy… if I'm not mistaken, his name is Kūgo Ginjō!"
Beneath his white hair, Ukitake's eyes lit up.
After thinking for a moment, he immediately pulled information about the man from his memory.
The first Substitute Shinigami.
The only human who had ever received recognition from the Gotei 13.
And back then…
The person who had issued Ginjō his Substitute Shinigami Badge—
Was none other than Jūshirō Ukitake himself!!!
"Oh?"
Shunsui Kyoraku raised an eyebrow and asked with interest, "Ukitake… tell us. How strong is he?"
"Strength?"
"I can only say he's average. He doesn't reach captain-class standards. But for a human… Kūgo Ginjō is already very impressive…"
Ukitake gave an objective evaluation.
In his impression, Ginjō was even somewhat mysterious.
Even though they had interacted many times back then…
Ukitake still couldn't truly see through the man's mind, nor the ambitions he carried as a Fullbringer.
And then…
He abandoned the position and vanished—cutting off contact with Soul Society entirely.
So, guided by instinct—
Regarding Ginjō suddenly appearing, and even becoming Ichigo's "ally"…
Ukitake subconsciously felt suspicion. He didn't think Ginjō was a reliable person.
Most likely…
He was taking advantage of the fact that Ichigo—having lost his power—was at his weakest…
And approaching him deliberately for some ulterior purpose!
——
Sure enough,
Ukitake's intuition was correct.
The plot revealed afterward exposed Kūgo Ginjō's true face!
On screen—
As the camera shifted, it focused on Uryū Ishida arriving right on time.
"Ichigo Kurosaki…"
"Come to my side. Don't worry—I'm your ally!"
As Quincy power activated, a blue spirit bow formed in Uryū's hands.
"On the contrary—the real bad guy is the one standing next to you!!!"
Even though Uryū gave his warning sincerely…
It was already too late.
The moment those words left his mouth—
Behind Ichigo,
Kūgo Ginjō had already raised his blade!
With shadowed eyes, he struck down hard, stabbing Ichigo from behind!
At the same time—
Uryū, distracted by concern for Ichigo, left an opening.
From behind, Tsukishima cut him down with a single slash!
The situation instantly reversed!
The protagonist, Ichigo Kurosaki, became the victim in an instant!
And Kūgo Ginjō—
Under the cover of the night—
Finally stopped pretending, revealing his true face with a triumphant, vicious grin!!!
——
"Hm?"
"He took down Ichigo that easily?"
"That's one of the three things most powerhouses—pure-blood Quincy included—have been desperate to accomplish!"
"And two nobodies just pulled it off like it was nothing? That's unexpected!!!"
In Silbern.
Inside an ice-crystal palace.
Watching the sudden reversal on screen, the pure-blood Quincy were shocked and caught off guard.
At the same time, they were excited.
It had been a long time since they'd seen Ichigo Kurosaki in real danger again.
And most importantly—
This was one of the rare moments when Ichigo was at his weakest!
From here on—
As long as Kūgo Ginjō and Shūkurō Tsukishima…
And the other Fullbringers working with them…
Harbored even a hint of killing intent—
They truly had a huge chance of killing Ichigo!
This was exactly the kind of scene the entire Wandenreich, the pure-blood Quincy clan, had been dying to witness!!!
"Grr…"
"If they can't seize this chance…"
"Then after the ranking video ends, I'll be the first to head to the World of the Living and wipe out that trash Fullbringer organization—root and branch!!!"
Gerard Valkyrie crossed his arms and spoke with a savage glare.
He refused to believe it.
With his Shinigami power gone—
Even if they stabbed Ichigo, so what?
It couldn't be that—
At a moment like this, White—the spirit of the blade—could still come out and save the day, right?
That thing was the embodiment of Shinigami power and Hollow power.
This should be the exact moment it was sealed down!!!
So in Gerard's view—
Even if Ginjō really stabbed Ichigo once…
The outcome would still be far better than what happened to Ulquiorra, that poor bastard.
At the very least…
There was no risk of getting torn apart barehanded.
After that, the pure-blood Quincy weren't disappointed.
Facing Ichigo's questioning, Ginjō coldly gave the answer:
"Ichigo Kurosaki… don't misunderstand! From the very beginning, I was your enemy!"
"It has nothing to do with being affected by Tsukishima's ability!!!"
After a vicious grin,
Right in front of the camera—
He pulled out his old Substitute Shinigami Badge.
He set it onto his weapon, and it ultimately transformed into a massive skull-crested, jitte-like greatsword!
And then…
Facing the stunned eyes of the entire world—
He actually—
"Thnk—!!!"
He raised his hand.
The blade pierced through.
In full view of everyone—
Kūgo Ginjō drove the sword into Ichigo Kurosaki's body!
An unbelievably cruel act—he gutted Ichigo on the spot!
And when that scene was revealed—
Because it was so brutal, it instantly caused an uproar!
The audience across the entire world immediately started debating:
"What the hell?!"
"This guy… he's got some nerve!"
"He stepped on the biggest landmine possible—he actually stabbed Ichigo Kurosaki!"
"If he'd seen what happened with Ulquiorra, he'd never dare do that!"
Inside Las Noches,
Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez froze.
For Ginjō's action, he raised his thumb in genuine admiration.
After Ulquiorra's Segunda Etapa was revealed—
The fate of that black-winged monster had become a recurring nightmare.
Even now, after so much time had passed since that fight…
Every viewer—including Grimmjow—could still recall it instantly, and shudder.
So in Grimmjow's view—
Ginjō was asking to die.
That strike of his was about to open Pandora's box!!!
Not far away,
Szayelaporro Granz wore a playful smile.
With a hint of mockery, he looked toward Ulquiorra and "comforted" him:
"Heh… who would've thought that after the Hueco Mundo arc ended, someone would still show up to flaunt like this?"
"With this Kūgo Ginjō around, Ulquiorra, you can finally rest easy."
"From now on, whenever Ichigo Kurosaki gets hurt or gets stabbed…"
"You won't be the first one people drag up and use for endless mockery anymore!!!"
Ulquiorra remained silent.
Those emerald-green eyes showed no obvious ripple at all.
But deep down, there really was a trace of relief.
He'd been nailed dead-on.
Being brought up again and again like that had annoyed him.
At least now—
Kūgo Ginjō had basically taken the blame and carried the sin away.
As for whether Ichigo's horned Hollow form would appear next…
Ulquiorra couldn't guess the specifics in the short term!!!
Meanwhile—
Naruki City.
Inside the Fullbringers' headquarters.
As the person involved, Kūgo Ginjō's reaction was far more panicked than everyone else's—several times over.
He couldn't believe what was being revealed right in front of his eyes!!!
"Damn…"
"I didn't just attack him—I stabbed Ichigo Kurosaki?"
"Future me… am I trying to die?!"
"I actually did the most dangerous thing in this entire world!!!"
Right now, there was no pride on Ginjō's face at all for having defeated the protagonist.
On the contrary—
Cold sweat poured out.
He was so flustered he wanted to pack immediately, hop on the fastest train to Karakura Town—
And bow down to Ichigo Kurosaki in person to confess his guilt!
Beg him to clear up the misunderstanding and forgive him!
How could I possibly dare do that…
This was something even Sōsuke Aizen or Yhwach wouldn't do lightly!
Stabbing Ichigo Kurosaki…
That was basically suicide on the spot!!!
Around him,
His companions looked the same—
Some had trembling pupils, others let out stunned cries.
And then, when they vaguely realized—
On screen, Kūgo Ginjō went even further.
When he actually tried to steal Ichigo Kurosaki's power from his body—
That idea felt so insane it was beyond belief!!!
Four-in-one.
That power was the strongest in history!
Could it be…
That Kūgo Ginjō's ambition…
Was so huge he wanted to become—
After Yhwach and Ichigo Kurosaki—
The third Soul King candidate?
It was outrageous.
Like a ridiculous dream!!!
——
Then—
In the video—
Ginjō's greedy voice rang out:
"Ichigo Kurosaki… your Fullbring—I'll be taking it first!"
Grinning viciously as he gripped the hilt,
Ginjō's face twisted into an ugly, foolish smile.
And in the very next second—
In a close-up shot—
The audience clearly saw power draining out of Ichigo.
Through the greatsword lodged in his chest, it flowed into Kūgo Ginjō!
In other words—
He completed the plunder.
Becoming, among all the powerhouses in the Bleach world…
The first person in history to steal a portion of the protagonist's power!!!
And when that segment was revealed and transmitted into the real world—
It caused another massive uproar!
And this time, even Squad Zero—
Who hadn't appeared in ages—
Couldn't sit still anymore.
They placed their attention fully on Kūgo Ginjō!!!
——
At this moment,
Inside the space of the Royal Palace.
Within one of Squad Zero's separate palaces—
The five members of the Zero Division—
Ichibe Hyosube, Oetsu Nimaiya, Kirio Hikifune, Tenjiro Kirinji, Senjumaru Shutara…
All five gathered to watch.
Their eyes and attention remained fixed on Kūgo Ginjō.
Watching him—having just absorbed Ichigo Kurosaki's power—
Each of their expressions turned thoughtful, as if they had all arrived at the same conclusion.
"Heh…"
Ichibe chuckled and spoke first, smiling warmly:
"Shinigami, Hollow, Fullbring… this Kūgo Ginjō should possess all three powers within him at once, correct?"
Oetsu nodded and added:
"Now… after absorbing Ichigo's power, he might even have gained an extra portion of Quincy power as well…"
"Oh?"
Kirio Hikifune raised an eyebrow.
While tasting the sushi she had just prepared, she spoke with open anticipation:
"In that case, with so many types of power at once… doesn't that make him…"
"Another Soul King candidate?"
"The next replacement after Ichigo Kurosaki and Yhwach!!!"
Yes.
When watching this part—
Squad Zero's angle and perspective differed from everyone else's.
Their first thought was from the standpoint of the Soul King.
And as said earlier—
In truth, who became the Soul King wasn't something the other four cared about.
Squad Zero's job was only to protect the Soul King—
And keep the Royal Palace and the Three Realms stable.
Now—
Since the ranking video had already revealed that, in the future, the fragmented Soul King would be consumed and replaced by Yhwach…
Then to prevent the world from collapsing—
From this moment onward, the only method was to prepare a replacement.
To choose a "wedge" to stabilize the Three Realms.
For Squad Zero…
That was a headache.
After all, one was the protagonist, the other was the king of the pure-blood Quincy.
In the future, both would be absurdly powerful.
Not easy to "handle."
But now—
Kūgo Ginjō's appearance—
And what he did, stealing Ichigo Kurosaki's power—
Was exactly what Squad Zero wanted.
A perfect solution to the problem that had been troubling them for so long.
"Heh…"
"Compared to Ichigo Kurosaki or Yhwach…"
"Choosing this ordinary man—even if it fails—won't cause much impact."
"If we bring Kūgo Ginjō to the Royal Palace…"
Ichibe's eyes changed.
The warmth vanished from his face, replaced by a cold chill.
His voice dropped into an icy, heavy tone:
"Then from this day forward, Squad Zero will have nothing left to worry about."
"And Ginjō's build looks quite suitable… to replicate the current Soul King as well!!!"
In other words—
Ichibe had developed the brutal intention of capturing Ginjō and turning him into a living "wedge" in the Royal Palace.
(End of Chapter)
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