章 246: Isshin Shiba vs. Kisuke Urahara

Hum…

A white light appeared in the sky above Karakura Town, unseen by ordinary humans. Two wooden doors materialized, swinging open to reveal a circular, white portal—a Senkaimon.

Two figures emerged from the portal.

They were Shinigami, clad in black shihakushō and white captain's haori.

Sōsuke Aizen, the captain of the 5th Division, and Isshin Shiba, the captain of the 10th Division.

Or rather, their Mod Soul counterparts.

"Captain Shiba, while Inaba has temporarily disabled the surveillance in this area, if our battle causes too much commotion and alerts the others in the Shinigami Research and Development Institute, it could jeopardize his plans. So, I suggest you keep things quiet."

"Tsk." Isshin clicked his tongue, clearly displeased, but he didn't argue. As "soul soldiers" created by Kageroza Inaba, they were programmed to obey his every command.

"Captain Aizen, I'll handle the cat. You stay here and provide support." With a flicker of Shunpo, Isshin vanished.

Aizen's lips curled into a sinister smile.

"Transmigrator, Shinigami, Aizen, Kisuke Urahara, Ichibei Hyosube, Yhwach, Ichigo Kurosaki…"

"This world is truly fascinating."

Inaba hadn't realized that the spiritual pressure he had collected from "Captain Aizen" at the Shin'ō Academy had actually belonged to Ailin's clone. Therefore, the memories imprinted upon this Mod Soul weren't Aizen's, but Ailin's.

"Based on the original's memories, Inaba's rebellion occurs after the battle between Ichigo Kurosaki and Sōsuke Aizen… But to think my original has reached such a level… Sadly, this Mod Soul is Aizen's. Its spiritual pressure is limited to that of a captain, and its Zanpakutō can only use Kyōka Suigetsu…

I wonder if the Mod Soul Inaba is currently creating can fully inherit the original's power. A battle against myself… That would be quite entertaining."

As "Aizen" indulged in his thoughts, a surge of spiritual pressure erupted in the distance.

Boom!

A deafening roar echoed through the air, followed by a powerful shockwave. Even "Aizen," standing far from the blast, felt a gust of wind brush against his face.

"Oh? Isshin found them already?"

…

Inside a dilapidated shop, Yoruichi Shihōin, in her human form, was explaining the situation to Kisuke Urahara. Tessai Tsukabishi, the former Grand Kidō Chief, sat beside them with his muscular torso bare and a checkered apron tied around his waist.

"It seems sending Rukia was the right move. For now, at least, Ailin has abandoned his plans to purge the nobles."

"However, Rukia now understands that his leniency towards the nobles might be perceived as weakness. If we don't guide her, those nobles will face her wrath in a few decades."

"No, Yoruichi, we can't interfere anymore." Urahara shook his head and rejected her proposal.

"What do you mean, Urahara? Are you not concerned that Rukia might destabilize the Soul Society by targeting those nobles?"

"I am. But Yoruichi, I'm even more concerned that our interference might lead to even greater problems. This matter ends here."

"Alright." Since even Urahara was adamant, Yoruichi wouldn't press the issue. If he was right, antagonizing Ailin further could have disastrous consequences.

"Hmm?"

The three of them suddenly froze. Two powerful spiritual pressures had appeared in the sky above Karakura Town.

One of them was rapidly approaching their location.

"Sōsuke Aizen? Isshin Shiba? What are they doing here?"

Boom!

Before they could figure out how those two had ended up together, the shop's wooden door was kicked to splinters.

"Hahaha! Found you, little kitty cat!"

"Isshin Shiba," his eyes blazing with battle lust, spotted Yoruichi and burst into laughter. His gaze then shifted to the two figures beside her.

"What a pleasant surprise! To think the one behind the cat was you, Kisuke Urahara, the former captain of the 12th Division. Only you could create a Senkaimon that bypasses Inaba's surveillance. Since I've found you all together, I'll save myself the trouble and eliminate you all at once!"

Isshin drew his Zanpakutō.

"Burn—Engetsu!"

Whoosh!

Flames erupted from his blade, engulfing it in a fiery inferno. With a single swing, he unleashed a wave of fire towards Urahara and the others.

Boom!

The shop exploded, consumed by a raging inferno.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

Two figures emerged from the flames with singed clothing but otherwise unharmed. Urahara held the black cat, Yoruichi, protectively in his arms. She hadn't been touched by the flames.

"Urahara, something's wrong with Isshin."

"I know. I can sense it too."

"Is he being controlled by Aizen's Kyōka Suigetsu?"

"I'm not sure. But if Aizen's Zanpakutō can achieve this, then we've underestimated his power."

"Heh heh, as expected of the former captain of the 12th Division. You're completely unharmed. Even better! Let's fight, Kisuke Urahara!"

Seeing that Urahara hadn't been injured only fueled Isshin's battle lust. Flames surged around Engetsu as he charged towards them. He raised his flaming blade high above his head.

"Getsuga Tenshō!"

He brought his Zanpakutō down, unleashing a massive, crescent-shaped wave of fire. Its intense heat incinerated everything in its path.

Urahara's expression hardened. Whether Isshin was being controlled by Aizen or not, his attack was clearly intended to kill them.

He wouldn't hesitate to defend himself.

Gently placing Yoruichi, still in her cat form, on the ground, Urahara raised his slender cane.

"Sing—Benihime!"

His cane transformed into a single-edged straight sword. With a swift swing, he unleashed a blood-red energy wave, intercepting the fiery crescent moon.

Boom!

The red energy wave clashed with the wave of fire, momentarily locked in a stalemate. Then, with a deafening roar, both attacks exploded.

Boom!

A mushroom cloud erupted, painting the sky in a mixture of blood red and fiery orange. The colors swallowed everything in their vicinity.

A powerful shockwave radiated from the explosion, pulverizing everything in its path.

Urahara's eyes narrowed as he observed Isshin. They had been comrades, and he knew Isshin well. Previously, when faced with combat, Isshin would always try to minimize collateral damage, leading his opponents to sparsely populated areas.

But this Isshin showed no regard for the safety of innocent bystanders.

Fortunately, Urahara's chosen residence was secluded. There weren't many people around. So far, no one had been injured.

However, such a massive explosion would undoubtedly attract attention. People would soon gather to investigate.

"Tessai!"

"Don't worry, Boss. Leave it to me."

Having known Urahara for decades, Tessai understood what he meant without a word. He clapped his hands together. A surge of spiritual pressure erupted from his body, then vanished.

As the former Grand Kidō Chief, his strength was comparable to a Gotei 13 captain. Furthermore, he had achieved captain-level strength without relying on his Zanpakutō, his mastery of Kidō unmatched. His power was far more substantial than most captains.

Among the Gotei 13, only a handful could surpass him.

In a matter of seconds, Tessai erected a barrier. This barrier not only subtly repelled ordinary humans, preventing them from approaching, but it also possessed considerable defensive capabilities, shielding the surroundings from the shockwaves generated by Urahara and Isshin's battle.

Seeing that Tessai had prepared the battlefield, Urahara nodded.

"Well then, Captain Shiba. To be honest, I've also been holding onto some anger regarding the events of decades ago… It's good that we've met again!"