{🥳Joining keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please support me.🥰 You can access upto 70+ advance chapter through by using the link: Seeing Renji raise his blade to strike again, Rukia instinctively tried to run forward and stop him. Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on novel·fire.net "Rukia, he's not as weak as you think." Shiraha caught her arm with ease, his lips curling into a faint smile. "Brother…" she whispered, conflicted, but the restraint in his grip made her halt, leaving her to watch Ichigo with anxious eyes. Byakuya Kuchiki's voice came low and indifferent. "Shiraha, it seems your judgment is flawed. That boy is about to be cut down by Renji's sword." "Brother, don't rush to a conclusion," Shiraha replied, calm amusement in his tone. "Just keep watching." He could feel it clearly—Ichigo's turbulent Reiatsu was surging, no longer a dying ember but a storm threatening to burst at any moment. Renji stepped forward, scoffing. "I thought you were supposed to be strong. This is it?" His eyes narrowed with disdain as he lifted his Zanpakutō high. "Die, brat!" The strike never came. Ichigo's head, once bowed, lifted slowly. His hand gripped the oversized blade beside him, forcing himself upright despite his bloodied state. "What? You can still stand?" Renji smirked, momentarily surprised. "I thought you'd lost consciousness." A resounding boom erupted as Ichigo raised his head, and the Reiatsu around him flared violently, stopping the blood that flowed from his shoulder wound. The air howled, the streets trembled, and waves of spirit pressure crashed outward toward Renji. Shiraha's faint smile deepened. "See? I was right. This kid isn't ordinary." It was expected of Kurosaki Ichigo—the boy fated to stand at the center of worlds, the hybrid carrying Shinigami, Hollow, and Quincy within his veins. Even in desperate battles, he had the power to awaken in an instant. Byakuya's eyes barely flickered. "Reiatsu of that level is impressive, but that's all it is." Shiraha replied lightly, "Perhaps. But against Renji, shackled by the limited spiritual seal, it's more than enough." Both Renji and Byakuya bore seals that restricted their power to one-fifth within the human world. Shiraha alone was exempt, for Yamamoto Genryūsai himself had ruled that no limits could be placed on the boy captain, fearing what enemies might attempt should Shiraha be restrained outside Soul Society. That freedom left Shiraha watching without concern. Renji, dulled by the seal and carelessness, was about to suffer the consequences. "Renji, you are far too careless," Byakuya observed, his voice cutting through the charged air. Rukia's breath caught as she stared at Ichigo. The surge of Reiatsu rolling off his body pressed down even though it wasn't directed at her. Her heart trembled at its sheer weight. "How…? This Reiatsu was fading a moment ago." Renji's eyes widened in disbelief as Ichigo's aura surged to the level of a seated officer in the Third Seat. Ichigo staggered only slightly before charging, blade gripped tight. The next moment, steel carved flesh. Blood sprayed as Ichigo's sword slashed into Renji's shoulder, the force hurling him back. He crashed against a railing, his goggles split and falling in broken halves to the ground. Renji steadied himself on one knee, Zanpakutō braced as his breath came hard. "What's happening? Why do you look faster?" Ichigo's laughter rang out, breathless but fierce. "You're wrong. I didn't get faster—you got slower." "Asshole!" Renji snarled, clutching his weapon tighter. Yet even as he cursed, he felt the rising pressure suffocating him. His knees nearly buckled as Ichigo's Reiatsu climbed again, now brushing against true vice-captain level. Ichigo's steps rang with confidence as he closed in, sword poised. "If you won't make the next move, then this ends here." Renji's muscles strained uselessly against the crushing spiritual weight pressing him to the ground. His body felt like lead. He couldn't even raise his blade. "It's my turn now," Shiraha said quietly, his voice carrying more finality than any roar of battle. His check-in task still lingered at the forefront of his mind. With a single Shunpo, Shiraha vanished from sight and reappeared directly before Ichigo. Steel whispered as it left the sheath. One flash of the blade—drawn, cut, and returned in a breath beneath the moonlight. The strike severed both knot and soul sleep in a single motion. Blood erupted as a deep wound carved across Ichigo's body, cutting down to the bone, his massive blade shattering in two. His body convulsed with pain before he collapsed, his lifeblood pooling crimson on the street. "Ugh…" Ichigo's vision blurred, his fading gaze barely making out Shiraha standing before him. Byakuya's eyes narrowed, a rare flicker of surprise surfacing. "That Shunpo speed… Shiraha, it rivals even mine." Perhaps even exceeded it. Rukia and Renji hadn't seen anything—only Ichigo, whole one moment, broken the next, lying in blood. Renji's mouth went dry. "Captain Shiraha's strength… it's terrifying." He had no idea how Shiraha moved, how the strike landed. The gulf between them was insurmountable. "Renji, didn't I warn you? Carelessness is fatal." Shiraha's smile never faltered. As Ichigo's soul sleep shattered, the oppressive Reiatsu blanketing the street vanished like smoke, leaving Renji shaking. He straightened, bowed sharply. "I apologize. For such a minor opponent, it should never have troubled Captain Shiraha." "Ichigo!" Rukia screamed, snapping out of her shock. She vaulted a railing, running desperately toward the boy bleeding out before her. Renji stepped in front of her, voice sharp as steel. "Let me handle this." His words cut deep, filled with cold reprimand. "Sinner Rukia, do you intend to compound your crimes further by clinging to a dying human? Can you not see? Captain Shiraha has destroyed his soul sleep and knot. His body is fatally broken—there is no survival left for him." { Enjoying the chapters? Please Support me on and unlock 70+ advanced chapters, with 3 new chapters released every two days! The fanfic is also available for one-time purchase on – unlock lifetime access to the full collection, no membership needed! Don't miss out –support and own it forever!