Chapter 16: Invisible Scale
Five minutes earlier...
Deep within the shadowy forest, Sōma, Kūkaku, Ichigo, Yuyu, and Rindō suppressed their Reiatsu as much as possible, concealing their presence.
"They're here!"
Seeing Marechiyo and the Menos Grande chasing each other into the area, the group perked up.
"You guessed right again," Kūkaku muttered under her breath.
"Credit goes to Rindō for providing the intel," Sōma replied, not taking all the credit.
Indeed, while he had deduced that Marechiyo wouldn't abandon his subordinates and flee alone but would instead try to lure the enemy away before considering escape or a counterattack, pinpointing their exact path was no simple task.
Thanks to Rindō's ability to communicate with animals, they had used the countless small creatures of the Rukongai wilderness as eyes and ears, relaying information and tracking Marechiyo and the Hollow's movements, allowing for a degree of prediction.
"Even so, you still predicted Ōmaeda would change course here, right?" Kūkaku said with certainty.
Sōma responded cryptically, "Any further and they'd leave the Junrinan district. Too far, too risky."
"What does that mean?" Ichigo asked, confused.
"It means that guy's a coward," Yuyu giggled behind her hand. "He doesn't want to drag this out—just lead the enemy straight to reinforcements. Seeing they were about to leave Junrinan, he'd definitely change route."
"Now I get it," Ichigo said, understanding dawning.
"Prepare to move," Sōma's command sharpened everyone's focus. "I'll strike first, looking for a chance to ambush. Even if I don't kill the target, I should be able to save Ōmaeda."
"Yayahara, back me up and evacuate Ōmaeda. Don't give the enemy a chance to take a hostage."
"Rindō, find a way to restrain the target and cover my retreat. The two of us will draw its attention, creating an opening for Miss Kūkaku to deliver the finishing blow."
"As a precaution, if Miss Kūkaku attacks from this side, Kurosaki will take a position further ahead to block any escape route. Whatever state the enemy is in, finish it off on sight. Understood?"
Ambush, assassination, cleanup.
A three-layered offensive, simple in design but highly effective.
Kūkaku opened her mouth, then closed it, finally managing only one sentence: "I thought I was supposed to be in charge?"
"Miss Kūkaku, if you have a better strategy, feel free to share it. But I suggest you explain it clearly within a hundred words. We have plenty of time, but Ōmaeda doesn't have much left."
Sōma's tone remained flat. Coincidentally, within everyone's sight, Marechiyo was being held by the arm by a Menos Grande, looking like half a prisoner already. The situation was quite dire.
"Fine, we'll do it your way. But how do you plan to ambush them?"
Kūkaku questioned skeptically.
"I admit you're quite perceptive. Even with last-minute preparation, you can immediately apply the experience I shared about eliminating traces and concealing Reiatsu."
"But ambushing an Adjuchas that looks anything but ordinary from behind—I estimate only the Commander-in-Chief of the Onmitsukidō could pull that off. That's beyond my ability to assist you with."
"I have my own methods. Everyone should move quickly now."
What? What methods?
Just as Kūkaku and Ichigo formed this question in their minds, they witnessed Sōma disappearing from his original position with their own eyes.
His figure faded—less like blending into the night and more like merging with space itself. No trace of his presence or Reiatsu could be detected, almost as if he had evaporated into thin air.
"?!"
The group was struck speechless with astonishment, exchanging bewildered glances.
Even Rindō, usually as calm as a monk, couldn't help but widen his eyes in surprise.
...
Back to the present.
The scorched earth, ignited by the Raikōhō, radiated waves of heat. In the distance, towering flames lit up the suburban night sky with a crimson glow.
Kūkaku landed at the center of the battlefield using Shunpo, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Sōma, who held a blood-dripping long sword.
"Well done! Was that move your Zanpakutō's ability? But I didn't hear you call out its release command—surely you haven't already mastered Bankai?"
"You overestimate me."
Sōma felt that Kūkaku had developed some unrealistically high expectations of him.
"That was just a minor trick."
"Is that so."
Kūkaku didn't press further, knowing when to curb her curiosity.
After all, techniques were private matters. Many Shinigami could work together for decades without ever learning each other's Zanpakutō abilities.
Though the move wasn't a Zanpakutō ability, its extraordinariness only became more apparent.
No incantations, no catalysts, no preparation needed to vanish from sight, then move freely without leaving the slightest trace of detection...
If this was a technique that could be learned, not only would the Onmitsukidō covet it, but others would surely take interest as well.
Her curiosity was proof enough of that.
Sōma appreciated Kūkaku's discretion. Indeed, it wasn't a technique he could flaunt casually at this stage without drawing unwanted attention.
「Stealth Scale」
An advanced magic of the Märchen Dragon, also classifiable as Kidō.
But in essence, it belonged to the same category of racial abilities as a Hollow's Cero, an Arrancar's Hierro, or a Shinigami's Hadō and Bakudō.
It allowed his form to turn transparent and vanish, then relocate stealthily without detection.
Only when launching an attack would he "surface."
...Of course, the undetectability wasn't absolute.
Just as an Arrancar's Hierro was considered impenetrable, it could still be torn apart by a stronger blade.
If an Arrancar possessed exceptionally keen sensory nerves, there was a chance they could see through Sōma's "Stealth Scale."
But, Kers Kucabura clearly didn't fall into that category.
Sōma had only recently mastered the basics of Kidō taught by Aizen, allowing him to tap into the power lying dormant in his soul—the blood of the Märchen Dragon.
Hence, 「Stealth Scale」
Having practiced it for a short time, he hadn't yet perfected it.
Even so, it was enough to evade Kers' senses, slip behind him, and deliver a vicious stab to the heart, laying the groundwork for the final blow.
Not far away, Ichigo gazed at the bisected remains of the large Hollow and let out a heavy sigh of relief. At least nothing had gone wrong.
"This should count as avenging those two."
"You mean those two stubborn brats?"
The sudden question not only froze Ichigo's expression, but also made Yuyu and Marechiyo who had just run back from the forest, Sōma and Kūkaku, along with Rindō who had just approached them, simultaneously sense an abnormal Reiatsu continuously rising—it was as if... the dead were gradually reviving!
All eyes were instantly drawn to the source of the Reiatsu.
They saw Kers' body, which had been severed into upper and lower halves, rapidly regenerating flesh and blood with crimson Reiatsu, each half completing the remaining portion of the body.
"What?!"
Ichigo's pupils contracted in extreme shock.
But he didn't lose his composure.
He quickly noticed the difference.
"Your head..."
"Thanks to you all, I'm missing one."
Two identical Kers spoke simultaneously. Compared to the previous single body with three heads, they now had one head per body.
It looked normal, but that was precisely what made it most abnormal.
And all their injuries had healed as well...
When Sōma noticed this, he already had the answer in his heart.
Kers made no attempt to conceal it either. Wanting to vent the fear of nearly being killed and hoping to see terror on his enemies' faces, he deliberately scanned the group and mocked loudly: "How impressive. None of you are stronger than me individually, yet together you managed to steal one of my lives."
"I'm going to break your necks, pry open your skulls, and see how many more clever tricks like this you have stored away!"
With that, he launched an attack at the nearest target—Ichigo.
Though Ichigo reacted quickly, raising his Zanpakutō to block, he couldn't withstand the combined assault of two Kers and was sent flying in the first exchange.
"Ichigo!?"
Kūkaku tried to rush to his aid, but one of the Kers turned to intercept her while the other continued the pursuit.
It was clear that compared to Sōma who had dealt the first blow, Kers held greater hatred for Ichigo who had delivered the final strike.
For convenience, let's call the Kers blocking Kūkaku Number Two, and the one pursuing Ichigo Number Three.
Suddenly, a Shakkahō shot through the air.
Number Two raised his arm to block, preventing it from hitting his face.
Seizing this opportunity, Kūkaku quickly bypassed him to support Ichigo.
"Damn it!"
Just as Number Two tried to stop her, a sudden chill struck his heart.
A shallow cut appeared on his back with a tearing sound.
Sōma, the perpetrator, had already retreated to a safe distance, giving no chance for counterattack.
"I see. Though my techniques still work, after you've raised your Reiatsu, your defense has become much stronger than before. I thought I could sever your spine... assuming you have one, that is."
Sōma stood holding his sword, half his face illuminated by firelight while the other half remained in shadow. Though seemingly contradictory, he appeared highly unified, his blade-sharp features equally formidable throughout.
Even his heated words carried soul-scorching aggression.
"Sōma—!"
Rindō and Yuyu immediately appeared by his side, and though Marechiyo seemed somewhat reluctant, he came too.
"You all go support Kurosaki."
The fireworks master who had lost her Zanpakutō and an arm had long retired from the front lines. For her to directly defeat a non-ordinary intermediate-level Hollow would be extremely difficult, so she needed assistance from others—this had been the consensus from the beginning.
Now with the unpredictable Marechiyo joining the fight, plus an Ichigo who might unleash his potential at any moment...
Yuyu and Rindō weren't deadweight holding them back.
As long as Kūkaku utilized this lineup properly, there was no need for excessive worry.
As for his side...
Yuyu had considered this point from the very beginning.
"What about you?"
"I'll finish my part before you do."
"...Alright then!"
"Hey! Are we really just leaving that kid alone?!"
Marechiyo couldn't help looking back at the confronting pair while running after the other two.
"If Sōma says he can handle it, then he can handle it."
There was no time to argue at this point. Combined with Sōma's series of correct judgments along their journey, Yuyu decided to continue trusting him.
Rindō felt the same.
"Hah?"
But that was an Adjuchas.
The Shin'ō Academy textbooks clearly stated they were best left to the Royal Special Forces. Though the reality wasn't quite that exaggerated, there were definite reasons for such warnings.
Their strength was beyond doubt.
They were absolutely not opponents that mere Shin'ō Academy students were qualified to challenge.
Let alone defeat!
Marechiyo wanted to question this, but remembering they'd already taken one of its lives at the start, and sensing the intense Reiatsu collision behind them that clearly far exceeded student-level combat—enough to make even him nervous—he wisely kept his mouth shut.