Chapter 373: BSUS Chapter 376: Still Inoue Orihime?

Ichigo was not Aizen’s target, but he was Grimmjow’s. This somewhat inexplicable rivalry, as Hiroe saw it, made him feel the presence of fate to some extent.

There will always be someone in the world who makes you fall in love at first sight, and there will always be someone who makes you want to come to blows the moment you lay eyes on them.

Therefore, there were no pleasantries when the two met; every move and stance was a killing blow. Ichigo, in particular, didn’t just open with his Bankai, but also utilized his Hollowfication, which he hadn’t even mastered to a half-baked level yet.

A month ago, it would have been a breeze for Grimmjow to kill Ichigo. Yet, in just one short month, Ichigo had not only regained control of his own power but had gone a step further, mastering the power that originally didn’t belong to him.

Such a change could be described as earth-shattering. Caught off guard, Grimmjow was beaten back by Ichigo, momentarily unable to retaliate.

The eerie black Reiatsu followed the slashing blade, transforming into pitch-black crescent slashes that struck his body. They easily sliced through his Hierro, giving him a long-lost sensation of his lifeblood flowing.

If this continued, Grimmjow would inevitably be the first Espada-class Arrancar to fall in the World of the Living, and it wouldn’t take long either. Ichigo only needed to maintain his previous offensive for another three or four minutes.

Ichigo indeed intended to end the battle quickly, but the time he had given himself was simply too short. After a month of training, he could only maintain his Hollowfication for a maximum of eleven seconds. Eleven seconds was all the time he had.

But how could the dignified 6th Espada be defeated in a mere dozen seconds? Even if one searched the entirety of Soul Society, the World of the Living, and Hueco Mundo, there were probably only three people who could definitively achieve such a feat on paper.

Even if counted grain by grain, the sand in the hourglass would eventually run out. The ghastly white mask shattered instantly, revealing Ichigo’s somewhat surprised face. He hadn’t expected the time to pass so quickly.

Grimmjow naturally wouldn’t let such an opportunity slip by. He immediately grabbed Ichigo’s thrusting Zanpakutō, flipped over, and delivered a vicious kick to Ichigo’s waist, instantly turning his own desperate situation into a crisis for his enemy.

This wasn’t due to Ichigo losing focus or making a careless mistake. Hollowfication was incredibly draining, and the exact moment it reached its limit and automatically deactivated was when he was at his weakest.

*It looks like we can’t count on Ichigo to make any qualitative breakthroughs in battle anymore.* Hirako, who had been hiding in the shadows, let out a sigh. This was the difference between training and actual combat. No matter how realistic training was, it would always leave you with your life so you could grow. In real combat, an enemy would kill you the moment they seized an opening—just as Grimmjow was about to do.

Ichigo and Grimmjow crashed to the ground one after the other. Both of their immediate reactions were to get up and launch an attack at the other, but Grimmjow was faster. Just as Ichigo propped himself up halfway with his hands, Grimmjow stomped on his chest, grabbed his head with his right hand, and slammed it ruthlessly back down.

Just as Hirako thought, Grimmjow truly didn’t intend to give Ichigo another chance. Blood-red Reiatsu gathered in his palm—the most dreaded technique of the Menos: a Cero. Taking a hit from this distance meant certain death.

However, there was a slight deviation from Hirako’s expectations. Grimmjow wasn’t killing Ichigo out of wariness or because it was the logical way to treat an enemy. Much like the long-forgotten sense of threat he had felt earlier, the act of killing Ichigo wasn’t driven by any rational thought. It stemmed entirely from his body’s primal urge to destroy, and it had been a long time since he had felt such joy from destruction.

Grimmjow’s smile grew increasingly unhinged. The void in his heart was slowly being filled by excitement. Just one more step—turning the no-longer-lost Ichigo into ashes—and it would be completely filled!

But nothing good ever comes easy. Hirako was the one to throw a wrench in the works. Drawing his Zanpakutō, he slashed upward through the air. White Reiatsu surged from the blade, swirling through the air before slicing horizontally toward Grimmjow in the distance. From this angle, it wouldn’t harm Ichigo on the ground at all.

Grimmjow wasn’t blinded by the prey about to fall into his hands. With a wave of his right hand, the fully formed Cero not only blasted apart Hirako’s casual Reiatsu Slash but continued to bear down on Hirako in the distance with undiminished momentum.

Hirako dodged the exaggerated attack with a sidestep. In a flash, as if he had only taken a single step, he appeared right in front of Grimmjow and thrust his blade forward without a word.

The angle of Hirako’s attack was rather tricky. Left with no choice, Grimmjow temporarily abandoned Ichigo beneath his foot, tilting his head to dodge the thrust and retreating to put some distance between himself and this sudden interloper.

“Who are you?”

Pressing a hand to his chest, Ichigo sat up and saw Hirako beside him, though the man didn’t seem to have any intention of acknowledging him.

“Someone who didn’t want to get involved in the war between Shinigami and Hollows. But I have no choice. You guys are bullying people too much, so I couldn’t just stand by and watch.”

Hirako rested his sword on his shoulder. “No, I probably couldn’t have stood by from the very beginning. That guy Aizen sent you all here just to force us to make a move, didn’t he?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

“You don’t know?” Hirako raised an eyebrow. “Did that bastard Aizen send you here to die without telling you anything?”

“The one who came here to die is you!”

Grimmjow suddenly drew his sword and charged. Hirako blocked horizontally with his blade, neither able to overpower the other. Seeing this, Grimmjow formed his left hand into a claw and swiped upward from below.

Clashing swords was one thing, but going hand-to-hand against an Arrancar was best avoided.

Gripping his sword with both hands, Hirako exerted force while simultaneously pushing his own body backward. Grimmjow was relentless, immediately giving chase.

“You didn’t know I existed, yet you’re running over here to chase me. That proves Ichigo wasn’t the mission Aizen gave you. The ones truly responsible for the mission are those two Arrancar who haven’t shown up yet, right? And you’re just the cannon fodder thrown out to distract us.”

“You won’t be able to mess with my head!”

The two engaged in a chase, one fleeing and the other pursuing, bringing ruin to countless houses along the way.

“You guys are after Inoue Orihime, aren’t you? So, is a piece of cannon fodder like you supposed to draw Inoue Orihime out, or are you trying to make us forget we still have a little girl to protect?”

“Instead of worrying about other places, you’d better worry about yourself first!” Grimmjow mocked, leaping up to deliver another slashing blow.

Surprisingly, Hirako didn’t dodge this time. He spun around and swept his blade out. Both of them were knocked back a few steps, neither gaining the upper hand.

Truth be told, seeing the previously evasive Hirako manage to block him with a sudden burst of strength made Grimmjow realize that this mysterious guy was slightly stronger than him.

“Why did you suddenly stop dodging?”

“Two reasons. First, if we’re destined to fight, I can’t drag Ichigo into it.” Hirako was very straightforward this time, holding up a second finger as he continued, “Second, I needed to know what your two sneaky companions are actually after.”

“The fact that you chased after me, combined with the fact that Ichigo—who could be carried off by anyone right now—hasn’t been attacked, only proves that this is entirely a diversion. Furthermore…” Hirako paused and suddenly smiled. “You thinking I was running away to keep an eye on a certain place just proves that you’re keeping an eye on it too, doesn’t it? Wondering when those two companions of yours are finally going to make their move.”

Grimmjow showed no surprise, only asking coldly, “And what can you do even if you know all this?”

He had only been trying to bluff him, but to his surprise, the bluff had actually worked. Hirako was finally certain. Just as Hiroe had predicted, Inoue Orihime was Aizen’s target.