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While Lucifer and his group were occupied with Yoruichi and the others, Shinji’s group had also begun their move.
“The barrier... it’s been undone.”
“Good work.”
Orihime released the barrier that Hachi had constructed, and Gin and Tosen immediately launched their intrusion. Yeriel opened a Garganta for Orihime once the barrier was down. Her task here was complete, and there was no further reason for her to remain in the World of the Living.
“Return for now, Orihime.”
“...Okay...”
Whoosh.
At Yeriel’s command, Orihime lowered her head and stepped into the Garganta. Once the rift snapped shut, Yeriel didn’t move toward Shinji’s group. Instead, she bolted in the opposite direction. There, she encountered an orange-haired youth clad in a black Shihakusho: Ichigo Kurosaki.
“It’s been a while, Ichigo.”
“You?”
Ichigo stared at Yeriel for a moment, his mind racing before he let out a shocked cry. He saw the overlap between the missing Tatsuki and the figure before him.
“Tatsuki? You! What happened to you? They said you vanished over summer break, but now your hair is dyed red... and wait, have you seen Orihime? She was kidnapped by some bastards.”
“She was here until a moment ago, but she’s gone now. She went back home.”
Yeriel nodded as she spoke to the frantically searching Ichigo. Sensing something deeply wrong with her response, Ichigo narrowed his eyes.
“Went back home? Wait, I’m a Soul Reaper right now. Can you actually see m—”
Swoosh!
“Furthermore, Ichigo, my name is no longer Tatsuki. I am Yeriel, a Fracción of Lucifer La El.”
Cutting him off mid-sentence, Yeriel used Sonído to appear instantly in front of his face. Stunned, Ichigo scrambled back several paces. His expression twisted into anger at her words.
“What the hell are you talking about?! Tatsuki!”
Shing.
“I told you, my name is Yeriel. I was the one who kidnapped Orihime. Ichigo, those ‘bastards’ you mentioned... that refers to me.”
“Is that... a Zanpakuto?”
“Draw your sword, Ichigo. If you don’t, you’re going to die.”
A chill ran down his spine.
Instinctively, Ichigo reached for Zangetsu. However, he hesitated, unable to fully commit to drawing the blade. Yeriel glared at the wavering youth.
“I’ll say it one more time, Ichigo. The Arisawa Tatsuki you knew is dead. The person standing before you is your enemy, the one who took Orihime. You want to save her, don’t you? Then try to defeat me. Only then will I bring her back.”
“Fine. Tatsuki, I don’t know why you’ve changed like this, but I’ll take you down and snap you out of it. And I’m definitely saving Orihime!”
Clack!
Yeriel smirked as Ichigo gripped Zangetsu and took a stance. He clearly lacked the killing intent necessary for this world, intending only to subdue her. To Yeriel’s eyes, Ichigo looked pathetic—far too weak. That disparity manifested immediately in their clash.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Every time Yeriel’s Engetsu swung, Ichigo was dragged along by its momentum. From the moment the fight began, he hadn’t managed a single opening for a counterattack. He was being utterly dismantled, and as the seconds ticked by, fresh wounds began to bloom across his body.
“Urgh!”
Ichigo was barely managing to parry each of Yeriel’s strikes. This was the same overwhelming wall of skill he had felt when he fought Kenpachi Zaraki during the Soul Society invasion. But if Kenpachi Zaraki was a wild beast fighting on raw instinct, Yeriel was a beast that had been perfected through training.
While Kenpachi’s combat was a roar of pure instinct forged in countless battles, Yeriel’s style was its polar opposite—a display of refined, lethal techniques polished to a mirror sheen. In a way, she was like a Kenpachi who had actually bothered to master Kendo.
“Ichigo, if you don’t want to die like this, show me. Show me the power you possess.”
Yeriel halted her storm-like sequence of slashes and looked at him. Unlike Ichigo, who was drenched in sweat just from defensive maneuvers, Yeriel stood perfectly poised, her blade held loosely. She watched him with an arrogant gaze, as if inviting him to strike at any moment.
“Bankai!”
Blue Reiatsu erupted as Ichigo unleashed his Bankai. His clothing shifted, and his blade shrank into a black daito with a manji-shaped crossguard. Though it appeared small for a Bankai, the form compressed his total spiritual power into that singular point to enable high-speed combat. Its true terrifying potential had been proven during his fight against the 6th Division Captain, Byakuya Kuchiki.
“This is my Bankai, Tensa Zangetsu.”
“Sigh... Ichigo, if this really is the limit of your strength, I’m disappointed. You think you can kill me with that much power?”
“I never had any intention of killing you, Tatsuki.”
As Yeriel sighed in genuine boredom, Ichigo threw his retort back at her. Her Reiatsu grew significantly more vicious in response.
“Whatever. I’ll give you one last chance, Ichigo. Attack me right now. This is the final window of opportunity I will grant you.”
“Be careful, Tatsuki!”
Thump!
Ichigo blurred into motion. He lunged into her guard, aiming for her midsection with the hilt of his blade to knock her unconscious—a basic, straightforward move. However, Ichigo’s advance stopped dead before it could connect. He froze mid-step, his body refusing to move. The reason was Yeriel.
“How disappointing. To think you can’t even move under this much pressure.”
Slice!
“Gaaah!”
By simply staring down at the attacking Ichigo, Yeriel had pinned him with her Reiatsu alone. She swung without hesitation. The blade carved a long, deep red line from his left shoulder down to his right hip. As she aimed a finishing blow at his throat, another Zanpakuto suddenly intervened, blocking the path of her blade.
Clang!
“Now, this is a bit of a problem.”
“Old man... were you a Soul Reaper too?”
“Is that you, Tatsuki? You’ve changed quite a bit since I last saw you.”
The one who stopped Yeriel’s strike was Isshin Kurosaki, Ichigo’s father, now wearing a black Shihakusho. The two locked eyes for a moment before Yeriel sheathed her blade first. Behind her, Gin and Tosen had emerged, having finished their business.
“Old man, tell Ichigo this: next time, I’ll kill him for sure.”
Spin!
Yeriel turned her back on them, joining Gin and Tosen as they vanished into a Garganta. Isshin Kurosaki could only watch them leave while holding his unconscious son.
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Phew. In this setting, Ichigo hasn't even learned Vizard transformation from Shinji’s group yet, so he just charged in with his Bankai. Unfortunately, since Yeriel has already surpassed the level of a typical Bankai, this chapter basically shows her effortlessly crushing him. Also, Chad is dead, and it's 'bye-bye' for Shinji's group.
The experience of losing progress twice wasn't a gain—it was a huge waste of time. Having to rethink everything twice over made my head spin. After it happened the second time, I seriously considered if today just wasn't the day to write. I can't believe I wrote this three times because of my PC. I chewed on that loneliness and finally finished it in three hours (one hour per attempt).
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