CHAPTER 37

"It's terrifying…"

Urahara Kisuke clutched his side, cold sweat trickling down his back.

"Has the current Gotei 13 truly produced a captain this powerful?"

"You don't need to worry about that," Akira said indifferently. "It's just that I'm exceptionally strong."

"I see…" Urahara nodded. "But even so, I won't let you kill Kurosaki Ichigo!"

Urahara's confidence wasn't without reason. After all, Karakura Town harbored several captain-level powerhouses.

One was Ishida Uryū's father, Ishida Ryūken, and the other was Kurosaki Ichigo's father, Kurosaki Isshin—both formidable fighters.

Beyond them, the former Commander-in-Chief of the Onmitsukidō, Shihōin Yoruichi, and the former Captain of the Kidō Corps, Tsukabishi Tessai, would not stand idly by.

"It seems you have a death wish."

Akira scoffed coldly, his words carrying a pressure that sent a chill through the air.

"Wait a moment!"

At that moment, Rukia Kuchiki rushed between them, raising her hands to stop the confrontation.

"Aki, please… Let's end this here. I'll go back with you."

Akira glanced at her before letting out a small chuckle.

"Fine… But don't make me sound like some great villain."

"I never said that," Rukia shot back, rolling her eyes. "You figured that out yourself."

Akira shrugged and turned toward Byakuya Kuchiki.

"Open the Senkaimon. We're returning to Soul Society."

Seeing this, Ichigo panicked and attempted to rush forward, but Urahara held him back firmly.

"What are you doing? Let me go!"

Ichigo struggled, but Urahara, far stronger than him, restrained him effortlessly.

"Calm down! You heard what Rukia said—don't waste the chance she bought for you."

"If you stay alive, you'll have a shot at saving her later. But if you charge in now… you'll die."

Urahara's decisive words hit Ichigo hard, forcing him to still his movements.

All he could do was watch helplessly as Akira, Rukia, and Byakuya stepped through the Senkaimon, disappearing into the light. His fists clenched, his eyes burning with frustration.

"Alright, go home and think things through."

Urahara released him, but Ichigo remained unusually silent, a deep frustration weighing on him.

Because now that he had calmed down, the truth was glaringly obvious—

The gap between him and Akira was like heaven and earth. He never stood a chance in that fight.

And if Rukia was right… there were thirteen captains in Soul Society, all as terrifying as Akira!

Noticing Ichigo's troubled expression, Urahara offered a rare reassurance.

"You don't have to be so discouraged. Even among captains, Akira is exceptional."

Ichigo let out a deep sigh. "Even so… I couldn't even take on one captain."

"That's why I told you to train," Urahara said with a smirk.

"Because soon… I'll teach you how to awaken your true Shinigami powers."

"…Eh?" Ichigo blinked in surprise.

Urahara, however, offered no further explanation.

With nothing but those words to ponder, Ichigo was sent home, his heart heavy with the weight of the battle ahead.

Ishida Uryū also left with a gloomy expression. He had always regarded the Shinigami as his sworn enemies, and among them, the sheer strength displayed by that man, Akira, filled him with a sense of despair and powerlessness.

"That was really dangerous just now... I almost couldn't stop myself from interfering."

After the two had vanished, a black cat leapt down from the shadows near Urahara Kisuke. In an instant, it transformed into a tall, dark-skinned woman—Shihōin Yoruichi.

"Even you are wary of this Akira?"

Urahara Kisuke was taken aback. No matter what, if he and Yoruichi combined their strength, they shouldn't be any weaker than that man, right?

"You haven't gotten the full picture yet because he's risen too fast, but I know what he's done in Soul Society," Yoruichi said gravely. "He defeated Byakuya Kuchiki and Kenpachi Zaraki—without taking a single injury."

"What did you say?!"

This time, Urahara Kisuke was truly shocked.

A fair distance away, perched on a telephone pole, Kurosaki Isshin stood frozen in his Shinigami form, dumbstruck by the revelation.

"Don't make that idiotic face. It's irritating to look at."

Opposite him, Ishida Ryūken shook his head.

"You say that because you don't know Byakuya Kuchiki and Kenpachi Zaraki. Those two are absurdly powerful."

Isshin exaggerated his reaction. "But for the new captain of the Sixth Division to defeat them without a scratch… Can you even believe that?!"

Ishida Ryūken remained silent. He understood just how strong this Akira was. He and Kurosaki Isshin had come because they sensed the overwhelming, unfamiliar Reiatsu—so vast and powerful that it was impossible to ignore.

If they hadn't come to investigate, they'd be fools.

And with so many powerful individuals now watching Akira from the shadows, ready to act at a moment's notice, his survival had just become exponentially more difficult.

It could be said that Akira's very presence in the World of the Living had just turned the difficulty of his survival into a high-stakes challenge.

At that moment, Akira had already returned to the Seireitei, bringing Rukia Kuchiki with him.

Waiting for them at the gates were ten members of the Onmitsukidō's Punishment Force, clad in black.

"Captain Akira, we appreciate your efforts. Please hand over Rukia Kuchiki to us," the leader of the squad said respectfully.

Akira nodded but placed a reassuring hand on Rukia's shoulder.

"Don't be afraid. I told you before—I will protect you. For now, endure it a little longer."

Rukia smiled bitterly. "Thank you for your kindness, Akira… But this is the decision of Central 46. Even you can't overturn it, can you?"

Despite a captain's authority within the Gotei 13, the Central 46 held the true judicial power.

Akira's gaze was unwavering. "Don't worry about that. What I say, I will do… even if it means going against the entire Gotei 13!"

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