BLEACH: SURVIVAL SYSTEM

"How about it? Do you want me to give you brother and sister some time to catch up? We're not in a hurry anyway," Akira suddenly asked.

Byakuya Kuchiki considered it for a moment before nodding. "I'll leave it to you, then."

The Four Noble Houses upheld their dignity, and as the head of the Kuchiki Clan, Byakuya believed that matters concerning family should be handled personally.

"Rukia."

Silently, Byakuya had appeared a short distance from her.

Rukia, who had been speaking, suddenly shuddered at the sound of his voice.

"Byakuya… Big Brother…"

She turned slowly, addressing him with a mix of respect and apprehension. But upon seeing him, she froze in shock.

Brother Byakuya… what's going on?

Where was his captain's haori?

Rukia knew that Byakuya always maintained his pristine appearance. For him to appear without his captain's haori was unthinkable.

Just as confusion filled her mind, Byakuya spoke again.

"Return to the Soul Society. The Central 46 has become aware of your actions."

"Transferring your spiritual power to a human without authorization is a severe crime, punishable by death. You will return and stand trial."

Byakuya's tone was emotionless, but the words themselves were enough to send a chill through the air.

Before Rukia could respond, Kurosaki Ichigo stepped forward, unable to stay silent any longer.

"Hey! What the hell are you saying?!" Ichigo shouted. "Rukia did this to save me! How can you just take her back to be punished?!"

"If you want to take her, you'll have to go through me first!"

With that, he raised his Zanpakutō, eyes blazing with defiance.

"Onegai, Ichigo—don't!"

Rukia's heart pounded in fear.

This was suicide.

"Didn't I tell you? He's my brother, Byakuya Kuchiki—the captain of the Sixth Division! You don't stand a chance!"

"So what?!" Ichigo snapped. "Even if he's a captain, I—"

"No."

Byakuya's calm interruption sent a shockwave through Rukia's thoughts.

"I am no longer the captain of the Sixth Division."

"What?!" Rukia's eyes widened. "Then… who is—"

"Long time no see, Rukia."

A voice—familiar yet completely out of place—spoke up.

Rukia turned, and her mind momentarily shut down.

Standing before her, wearing the captain's haori of the Sixth Division, was Akira.

"Ah… Aki?! What are you…?"

Her eyes darted between Byakuya and Akira, struggling to process the sight before her.

Had they somehow switched identities? Was this some kind of elaborate joke?

"…Am I seeing things? Are you wearing the wrong uniform, Aki?"

"You're not mistaken," Akira replied with a smile. "As you can see, I'm now the captain of the Sixth Division."

"And your brother—since he lost to me—has been demoted to vice-captain."

Rukia's vision swam.

"What?! No, wait—Byakuya lost? To you?! You defeated Brother Byakuya?!"

It was unthinkable.

The gap between their strength was as vast as the sky and the earth.

And she had only been in the Human World for a short while.

"Alright, enough talk."

Akira clapped his hands together.

"Rukia, return to the Soul Society with me. I'm here to take you back."

"Don't worry—I'll protect you. No matter what the verdict is, I won't let anything happen to you. After all… we're friends."

Ichigo, who had been trying to make sense of the situation, clenched his fists.

"So this is the 'good friend' Rukia mentioned… Akira?"

His gaze hardened.

"…Doesn't matter."

Without hesitation, he pointed his Zanpakutō—not at Byakuya this time, but at Akira.

"Either way, I'm not letting you take Rukia! Come at me!"

For the first time, Akira turned his full attention to Ichigo.

His usual easygoing expression faded, replaced by something sharper, colder.

"…Has no one taught you any manners?"

A heavy silence fell over the battlefield.

"Don't interrupt when friends are reminiscing. It's… disrespectful."

Kurosaki Ichigo, who had just been scolded, blushed in frustration and retorted angrily, "It's none of your business whether I'm ill-mannered or not! If you think you're so strong, then beat me first before lecturing me!"

Akira glanced at him dismissively before shifting his gaze to Ishida Uryū.

"Are you planning to intervene as well, Quincy?"

Ishida Uryū's eyes widened slightly in surprise. His identity had been exposed in an instant.

Setting down the plastic bag in his hand, he adjusted his glasses and replied, "Of course. I despise Shinigami, after all."

"Aki, this has nothing to do with them!" Rukia interjected instinctively.

Akira waved his hand in a calming gesture. "Alright… For Rukia's sake, I'll overlook your earlier offense."

He smirked slightly. "As long as you behave, I'll let you go and spare your life."

These condescending words immediately ignited Ichigo's anger.

"Oh yeah? Then let's see who's letting who off the hook!"

With a roar, Ichigo charged forward at full strength, swinging Zangetsu down in a fierce slash.

And then… everything stopped.

Ichigo's body was frozen mid-air, his eyes filled with disbelief. His attack—his Zangetsu—had been effortlessly caught between two fingers!

"No… impossible! Damn it, I can't pull it free!"

Ichigo struggled, trying desperately to wrench his blade away, but it was as if it had been locked in place by an immovable force.

"Tsk…"

Seeing this, Uryū immediately sensed trouble. He swiftly formed a Quincy bow in his hands, drawing an arrow to fire—

But before he could release it, Akira effortlessly swung Zangetsu, flinging Ichigo away—taking Uryū with him!

"Cough!"

"Pfft!"

The two of them crashed violently to the ground, rolling nearly ten meters before coming to a stop. Blood trickled from their lips, evidence of the overwhelming impact.

One-on-two—defeated in an instant!

"W-what…?" Rukia was stunned. "Aki, you're already this strong?"

She had expected Ichigo to lose, but not like this. The gap between them was far wider than she had imagined.

After all, Ichigo's talent was unprecedented—his growth rate was astonishing. He had improved faster than anyone before him.

But thinking about it now… If Akira didn't possess such overwhelming strength, how could he have defeated Byakuya Kuchiki and taken over as the Captain of Squad Six?

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