The Invading Army Part 2, 3-6

............

I see you're finally awake, Ichigo.

Kisuke, how long was I out?

Easy now. You weren't unconscious that long. Not much more than half a day after you collapsed.

Hey, Kisuke. Did I lose all my spirit energy?

Yes.

That means I can't help Nozomi anymore, doesn't it?

I guess it's all over. I allowed Kageroza to win.

Well, I wouldn't be so sure just yet.

Head Captain Yamamoto has gotten past the worst of it. However, I'm sorry to say that after assessing his injuries, he won't be returning to battle any time soon.

What's the prognosis on everyone else?

As far as I can tell, they're still touch-and-go. We just have to be patient and give it time. We're doing everything we can for them at the moment.

Kageroza has also suffered injuries. We need to finish him off!

And is your plan to go and face that man alone, Lieutenant Abarai?

Knowing how he operates, he's probably already re-grouped his invading army somewhere in the Soul Society.

Even so...

I sympathize with you, and I share your desire to save that Mod Soul girl.

But right now, all I can tell you from my position is to stand by and wait.

What's all this? Leaving so soon? But I brought you some tea.

Thanks, but staying here isn't gonna help anything.

Ichigo.

Oh, hey you guys. Why the long faces?

Is it because I lost my spirit energy? If that's the case, don't worry about it.

Right now, we have to find a way to rescue Nozomi. I do realize I can't fight anymore, but in spite of that, I want you to know I'm here to help any way I can.

Ichigo...

Hey there, Ichigo.

Huh? Wait a minute. How come I see you?

Why wouldn't you be able to see us? I mean, we're in our Gigai forms, aren't we?

Hey, we came because we were worried about how you were doing, but you seem to be just fine.

Listen, as you know, I lost my spirit energy. But trust me on this, I haven't lost my soul.

I might have to leave the actual fighting to you guys, but I'm still here for those who need help.

Are you a moron or something? You're not the only one who's dealing with Kageroza. We're all in this together!

Well, yeah. Of course.

You're damn right! But even so, you presumed we thought you'd given up!

Don't be silly. If you gave up, we wouldn't have anybody to lead our little group of misfits around. So get over it.

Thanks, Rukia.

Here's how I see it. We have to break into the Soul Society as quickly as possible.

Kageroza now has Nozomi in his possession. The only good thing about that is, it means his attention has shifted completely away from us.

Realistically, the people here comprise our entire fighting force. We have no backup.

That's the absolute truth. Against their invading army, we're at a disadvantage with or without you, Ichigo. So you might as well relax.

Hold on. I think we have to consider the impact of Ichigo's presence on all this.

We now know why Kageroza was so tenacious in his pursuit of Nozomi, but there was something else that's been bothering me.

Why was he so concerned about Ichigo as well?

I thought it was because he was constantly around Nozomi, protecting her.

That was part of it, I'm sure. But I think a much bigger reason was Ichigo's Hollow powers.

Why would that be so important?

Here's why. Kageroza was able to create a Soul Reaper's Reigai, employing just the tiniest amount of Reishi.

But he never created a Reigai of Ichigo. He personally confronted him numerous times, and though he studied him carefully, he always kept his distance.

Apparently, he somehow lacked the ability to reproduce his essence.

I get it. Kageroza isn't able to manipulate Hollow powers.

And that's why he was cautious around Ichigo. Is that what's going on?

Then that explains the Cleaner. He used it to attack Ichigo in the Precipice World.

You have a point. In fact, I got attacked twice.

Really?

That's right. The first time it happened was when I went in with you, Rukia. We came under attack, and I dropped my Combat Pass.

The second time was when I tried to re-enter the Soul Society. I got swallowed up by the Cleaner. It's weird. How did I survive that experience?

Interesting question. I believe I can see now, what happened to you.

Ichigo, I think there might be a way to restore your spirit energy.

Are you serious?

What in the world are you talking about?

This is really just a theory right now, but the Cleaner reacts to Reishi and swallows its victims.

The time axis inside the Precipice World is isolated from all other planes of existence, so the consumed Reishi remains suspended there without ever dissipating.

The bottom line is, if I'm right about my analysis, it might very well exist there for all of eternity.

Don't forget folks. Kageroza obtained decades-old information about Mod Souls from inside there.

If Ichigo's Reishi is still in there, we'll need to collect it, then use Kageroza's Reigai-creation technology in reverse to artificially re-create Ichigo's spirit energy.

But that means we'd have to...

That's right. We'll have to break into the Department of Research and Development.

Oh, please! Is that even possible?

Regardless, we still have the problem of how we're going to collect Ichigo's Reishi. Once the Cleaner swallows someone, that person is dead, right?

That's what seemed strange to me all this time. Why don't we sense any Spiritual Pressure from Nozomi and Kageroza? The answer will clear up a lot of questions.

There's only one way Kageroza could have grabbed the Mod Soul information from inside the Cleaner and still lived to talk about it.

He must have created a special Reigai of himself that shuts off his spirit energy. Then, the Cleaner wouldn't recognize him as a living being.

If so, then Ichigo, who lost his spirit energy, might also be able to get in and out of the Cleaner.

Does that sound like the kind of action you might be willing to risk, Ichigo?

To be honest, I don't really understand it. But I've been thinking, and I can't come up with any other way to rescue Nozomi.

So I'll have to try it.