Sharp Turn for the Worse

A simple action.

But in Seiya's view, it was as if the entire sky was collapsing...

The light within his field of vision was violently contracting, converging inward.

The timelines he could touch were constantly collapsing and shattering at a visibly rapid pace.

Seiya felt like a grasshopper that had jumped onto a leaf.

Only now realizing the severity of the problem—he had fallen into water, with no landing spots around.

The person involved's range of vision was violently, intensely contracting at this moment! Trembling and closing like breathing, until finally...

Yhwach's face appeared.

A mocking and arrogant expression surfaced on his face as he raised his right hand high, swinging it downward at this moment.

"Die."

In just an instant, Seiya's vision... became pitch black.

Splurt!!!

Without any warning or signs.

Seiya's body collapsed at this moment.

Like a dismantled toy, a collapsing building.

The sudden collapse was so abrupt that even the two beside him could hardly react.

So much so that when they 'belatedly' realized the problem and looked back... Ichigo and Uryū could only see flying flesh and blood, and completely shapeless debris falling from the air.

How long did it take to go from a living person to completely unrecognizable debris?

Yhwach gave his answer.

—Just an instant's pause.

Ichigo looked back in panic. Faced with such abrupt reality, the youth could hardly maintain his original mentality.

"Mr. Seiya!"

Uryū beside him also became somewhat panicked, but after seeing the scattered flesh begin to reassemble, the words he originally wanted to say were swallowed back.

Seiya's figure was slowly reforming.

His complexion was quite awful.

Because taking advantage of the chaos just now, that guy had already broken through the defense line formed by the three, pointing straight to the sky...

At this moment rushing toward the Soul King Palace.

Even if they wanted to pursue, there was no 'path' to speak of. This guy had once again consolidated the timelines.

Almost completely interrupting all methods the crowd could use to intercept.

In no time at all.

The Soul King Palace suspended high in deep space began collapsing at this moment...

Building clusters began falling silently.

Entire sections of buildings fell from the sky, like soil layers cracked by Yellow River erosion, crumbling at a visibly rapid pace.

Then.

Kyōraku on the ground quickly half-turned around.

At this moment shouting loudly behind him.

"All personnel... get down, cover your ears, be on guard!!!"

Even before his words finished.

Visible air waves rolled over.

Boom!!!!!

Along with a thunderous roar that could make one's heart tremble, waves of sound descended from the sky, heavily pressing down on everyone present.

The degree was so exaggerated that even Seiya and others couldn't stand steady, ultimately being pushed down from the air in embarrassment.

Ichigo took time to protect the two.

He waved the dual blades in his hands, the light waves cut from them parted the air, yet weren't like the extremely aggressive energy of before...

It solidified, gentle, completely catching all three figures.

Uryū showed a surprised expression. He adjusted the glasses on his face, couldn't help but say.

"Ichigo... when did you learn this?"

"If there's violent power, there's definitely gentle power. This is the principle Mr. Seiya once told me."

Though he gave an explanation, his gaze wasn't on the other party at all.

What Ichigo cared about most was still Seiya, who had returned to his original state.

The three safely landed at this moment, while a group of people around them quickly surged forward.

"How's the situation?!"

Leading them were the various captains of the Gotei 13.

Before Ichigo could respond, a certain figure had already rushed past him directly.

It was Byakuya.

His face was pale, lips tightly pressed. Almost writing 'unease' all over his face.

He saw Seiya hidden behind the two, also glimpsed that the other party was intact, but at this moment still had his eyes tightly closed.

The relaxed expression that had just appeared was quickly covered by coldness again.

"What's... wrong with him?"

Though his expression remained the same, perhaps even the person involved hadn't noticed.

The barely concealed unease in this tone.

Ichigo looked at this somewhat unfamiliar Byakuya, pausing slightly at this moment.

"Well, I'm actually not very clear either..."

Not evasive, slightly ashamed.

But this was indeed Ichigo's current true feelings.

He also completely couldn't understand why Seiya hadn't immediately awakened after his body recovered.

And while everyone looked at each other speechlessly, more distant figures were also rapidly approaching at this moment.

Leading them was Kyōraku.

"Excuse me, please... make way!"

Originally wanted to maintain the Captain-Commander's dignity, not to shout and yell...

But there was no choice.

There were really too many people here outside the Gotei 13!

The Arrancar and Quincy wouldn't give the Captain-Commander face...

Amid a burst of noisy shouting, Kyōraku and others finally squeezed in embarrassedly.

No extra time for sentiment.

Two figures directly rushed forward at this moment.

Momo opened the medical kit she carried with her, while Isane directly took off her uniform, rolling it into a ball and placing it under Seiya's head.

Without need for extra communication, the two had already spontaneously begun testing.

"Heart rate... normal."

"Pupil response... normal."

"Physical function response... normal."

Watching Seiya being manipulated like a doll by the two, Kyōraku, who had originally wanted to speak, also fell silent.

No...

Perhaps the situation should be said in reverse.

'At a time like this, even if I spoke, I wouldn't know what to say...'

In comparison.

The two giving Seiya various tests at this moment had increasingly serious expressions.

Isane pressed Seiya's cheek, trying not to think too much at this moment.

"Miss Momo, adrenaline..."

"Already injected!"

"Not enough, inject Squad Eleven's new research substance together!"

"...Huh?"

Momo, who had been quite efficient, obviously hesitated.

"But this drug hasn't undergone complete physical research yet, right? Using it on a person like this..."

"Now isn't the time to talk about such things!"

Isane snatched the backpack beside Momo.

Her expression was serious, her tone carrying an unquestionable sense of authority.

"If this guy can't handle something like this... he would have died long ago!"

Perhaps at this time, only Isane, who had once been intimately close, could make such a judgment.

No one present could say 'no' to this behavior.

...But perhaps there might be an exception?

"What are you doing?!"

Another quite violent voice approached from afar.

Even before the voice reached them, a cyan lightning bolt had already slashed horizontally toward Isane's right hand.