Rukia stared in disbelief. "Aki, how do you know about this?"
"You don't need to worry about that," Akira replied, his tone calm yet firm. "But that Senna is clearly suspicious, isn't she?"
Rukia nodded. "Yes. I checked the Gotei 13 records, the Kidō Corps, and the Shinigami Academy, but I couldn't find any trace of Senna as a registered Shinigami!"
At that moment, Akira's earlier words resurfaced in her mind, sending a chill through her.
"What do you mean... she is the crystallization of memory fusion—an artificial soul formed from lost spirits?"
Akira's expression remained unreadable. "Yes. And I suspect that Gu's sudden reappearance is somehow connected to her."
"Then regardless of the circumstances, we need to find Senna and bring her back to Soul Society."
As their conversation unfolded, the Senkaimon opened before them under the guidance of a Hell Butterfly, revealing a pathway to the Human World.
Present—Karakura Town
A girl with purple hair sprinted through the streets, a young man with orange hair chasing closely behind her.
"Hey! I told you to wait!"
Kurosaki Ichigo finally caught up with Senna, the girl he'd only met the day before. Their chase led them to a cemetery.
Ichigo frowned. "Why'd you come here?"
Senna stood before a grave, her expression conflicted. "I remember... I was buried here before I died."
Ichigo's brow furrowed. "What?"
A Shinigami remembering their past life? That shouldn't be possible.
As he mulled over this revelation, his mind drifted to what Urahara Kisuke had told him about the unusual spirit energy he had detected. Something about this situation felt... dangerous.
"Hey, you—"
Before Ichigo could finish his sentence, a massive, traditional Japanese sliding door materialized in the air nearby.
His eyes widened in recognition. The Senkaimon?
Someone was arriving from Soul Society.
"Rukia?" he muttered as the gate opened.
Sure enough, stepping out of the light was Rukia Kuchiki. However, standing beside her was a figure that made Ichigo's jaw tighten.
"Akira!"
Memories of their previous battle flashed through Ichigo's mind. His grip on Zangetsu tightened.
"What the hell are you doing in the Human World!?"
Akira regarded him with an indifferent glance. "Is this world your private property? Why should I answer to you?"
"Calm down, Ichigo," Rukia interjected. "We're here to take Senna back with us."
Ichigo's eyes widened. "What? Why?"
"Remember what Urahara said about the rosary fragments?" Rukia explained. "I found no records of Senna in Soul Society, which means... she might be the vessel that contains them."
Ichigo snapped his head toward Senna, who looked just as shocked as he felt.
"W-Wait a second! That's ridiculous! I'm a Shinigami!" Senna protested. "I have my name, I can use my Zanpakutō—I remember my training!"
Akira's gaze remained steady. "Then tell me—do you remember why you came to this world? Or anything specific about your past?"
"Of course, I—"
Senna stopped mid-sentence. Her mind raced, but the more she tried to focus, the blurrier her past became. It was as if her memories belonged to multiple different people, stitched together in fragments.
Akira crossed his arms. "See? Your memories are a patchwork of lost souls."
Senna took a step back, her breath uneven.
"Wait… what does that mean!?"
Suddenly, Kurosaki Ichigo interjected, "I can't accept this! I won't let you take her away like some object!"
Akira sighed, clearly exasperated. "What are you even going on about?"
Like Renji, Ichigo wasn't one to listen when emotions ran high. He pressed forward, his voice unwavering.
"Open your eyes! Senna is standing here, isn't she? She's a Shinigami now!"
Akira's gaze turned icy. "Even so, it doesn't change the fact that she is a rosary. She belongs in Soul Society."
"You… you heartless bastard! Rukia went through this before, and now you're doing the same damn thing?!"
Ichigo's spiritual pressure flared violently. He gritted his teeth, memories of past failures clawing at his mind.
"I won't let you take her! Not again!"
Ever since returning from Soul Society, the thought of his own powerlessness against Akira haunted him. It was like a nightmare—one that refused to fade.
Akira's eyes narrowed, his voice carrying a dangerous chill. "So, you dare draw your blade against me? Have you already forgotten the fear of standing at death's door?"
A shiver ran through Ichigo as Akira's crimson eyes locked onto him, swirling with an unsettling pattern, pulling at his very soul.
Rukia, watching from the sidelines, broke out in a cold sweat. "Hey, Ichigo! Apologize to Aki right now!"
Ichigo didn't budge. Instead, he smirked.
"Rukia, you haven't been in Karakura Town much lately, so you wouldn't know… I've been training in secret—just for this moment."
His Reiatsu surged violently, shaking the very ground beneath them.
"Bankai—Tensa Zangetsu!"
A crimson-black column of energy shot skyward. Ichigo lunged forward, blade in hand—
But before he could take a single step, Akira's piercing gaze froze him in place.
"It seems I need to remind you of the difference between us."
Ichigo's breath hitched. Those blood-red pupils spun hypnotically, pulling him into a chilling void.
And in the next instant—
"Shh!"
A fist crashed into Ichigo's gut, sending him hurtling backward, blood spraying from his mouth.
"The Iron Fist of the Fire Dragon!"
The sheer force of the impact tore through the air. Ichigo's body twisted violently before Akira reappeared above him in a blur of electricity.
With one brutal stomp, Akira drove Ichigo into the ground, grinding him across the cemetery like a broken doll.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Tombstones shattered as Ichigo's body plowed through them for hundreds of meters.
Finally, Akira came to a stop, pinning Ichigo beneath his foot. He gazed down at him with mocking amusement.
"I thought I heard something about a 'new trick' just now."
His smirk deepened.
"Let me guess—was it the prostate brake?"
NOTE: Rosary means Shinenju if you're familiar with the movie BLEACH: MEMORIES OF NOBODY
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