Death: Captain Millennium

A fateful encounter brought Abarai Renji and Ichigo together once again, but this time, their mindsets were very different. Renji was determined to avenge his previous defeat, while Ichigo was determined to avoid defeat.

It's not that Ichigo didn't have the belief that he would win, but Urahara Kisuke had told him before that vice-captains and captains and above had their spiritual pressure limited when going to the human world, and it was pure luck that he was able to defeat Renji last time.

So this time, facing Renji, Ichigo was unsure. However, although he knew he might not win, he could not lose the momentum, so he immediately turned on the taunting mode.

"Abarai Renji, you, a defeated general, dare to stop me? Do you want to taste the feeling of being chopped to the ground by me again?"

Hearing this, Renji was not angry, but smiled, "How rare! Ichigo, you actually still remember my name, should I say I am honored?"

With both sides harboring their own ulterior motives, the two men launched the first round of tentative attacks.

"Hoo! This kid's strength has become stronger again." After a few moves, Renji, who thought he could win for sure, found that he didn't get much advantage from Ichigo. You know, his spiritual pressure was limited in the human world before, but in Soul Society, he has 100% combat power.

Ichigo also discovered that Renji wasn't as strong as he'd imagined. "It seems even the vice-captain of the Gotei 13 isn't that good. Was that Geta Hat's previous statement just a scare?"

"Roar! Snaketail Maru."

In order to gain the upper hand, Renji released his Zanpakutō.

"I knew it, how come this kid's strength got stronger so quickly." After being liberated, Renci started to suppress Ichigo and beat him.

After just a few moves, Ichigo was hit twice by Renji and looked very embarrassed.

"Hu! Hu! Hu!"

Ichigo constantly prepared himself mentally. "Calm down. Geta Hat said that every attack has its intervals. As long as we can figure out Renji's attack frequency, defeating him won't be a problem."

"once!"

"twice!"

"three times!"

"It's now!"

Ichigo felt that he had figured out Renji's moves, so he sped up and rushed towards him, ready to swing his sword. However, when he was only one step away from Renji, he suddenly saw a strange smile on Renji's face.

This smile startled Ichigo, and he realized that something might be wrong, but it was too late to retract the knife.

At this moment, Jabimaru turned as flexibly as a poisonous snake and slashed towards Ichigo's shoulder at an extremely tricky angle.

Unlike the previous attack, this one was incredibly powerful, cutting deeply into Ichigo's shoulder muscles, causing blood to gush out like a fountain. Ichigo felt a sharp pain, and his body involuntarily fell forward, eventually collapsing on the ground.

This knife made Ichigo lose his fighting ability temporarily. He could only support himself with his hands and try to stand up again. Renji looked at him triumphantly, enjoying this moment of victory.

"Ichigo, you are so naive. You actually think you can defeat me like this? Let me tell you, I have undergone countless actual combat training. My fighting skills and qualities are not comparable to a rookie like you!" Renji said with a sneer, his eyes full of sarcasm.

He knew that this knife not only seriously injured Ichigo, but more importantly, destroyed his self-confidence. Now, Ichigo has fallen into a desperate situation, and Renji will have the opportunity to completely defeat this opponent who once humiliated him.

While Renji was still taunting him, Ichigo got up again like an indestructible cockroach.

"What's going on? Why do I feel that way again?" Renci muttered to himself, frowning. This familiar scene made him feel a little uneasy, because it was the same last time. When he thought he had knocked the other person to the ground, he suddenly stood up and fought back, stabbing him several times.

However, this time, the situation did not go as Renji expected. Ichigo just stood there quietly, without suddenly exploding like last time. Renji was secretly glad, but at the same time, he also became a little wary of Ichigo.

At this moment, a powerful spiritual pressure suddenly erupted from Ichigo's body. This spiritual pressure made Renji stunned. He had never seen such a strong spiritual pressure before.

A thought flashed through Renci's mind: Could it be that this guy has been hiding his strength?

However, before Renji could think about it, Ichigo rushed towards him, brandishing his Zanpakutō.

Ichigo was extremely fast and in the blink of an eye he was in front of Renji, then he swung his sword fiercely. Renji wanted to resist, but it was too late, he could only watch Ichigo's Zanpakutō slash towards him.

The force of this knife was so great that it directly knocked Renci away and fell heavily to the ground. Renci felt excruciating pain all over his body, his vision blurred, and his consciousness gradually blurred.

Renji knew he had been defeated, badly. His body was exhausted, and every wound was aching, but he still refused to give in. He gritted his teeth, struggled to his feet with all his strength, and tried to fight back again.

However, Ichigo was quicker than him. He quickly raised Zangetsu, his eyes filled with indifference. Without hesitation, he slashed down at Renji with lightning speed.

Renji's eyes widened, filled with despair. He was fully aware that facing Ichigo's incredibly sharp sword, he had no way of dodging or resisting. He knew that if this sword struck him, he would surely die.

Time seemed to freeze at that moment, and countless thoughts flashed through Renji's mind. He thought of his friendship with Rukia, and everything that had brought him to this day. He reluctantly tried to speak, but his throat seemed blocked and no sound came out.

However, something unexpected happened. Perhaps because Ichigo had been exhausted from the previous battle, his physical strength was insufficient, and the sword did not actually cut through. Just when the blade was only a few centimeters away from Renji, Ichigo suddenly grimaced, lost his balance, fell down, and the Zangetsu in his hand also fell out of his hand.

Lianci stared blankly at everything that happened before his eyes, a complex emotion welling up in his heart. For the first time, he felt death so close to him, and the thrilling feeling made his heart beat rapidly.

As the tension eased, Renci breathed a sigh of relief, his tense nerves finally relaxing. Excessive fatigue and injuries left him unable to sustain any longer, and he eventually passed out.

It is said that support always arrives after the battle is over, and this is absolutely true.

Just as Ganju was about to deliver another blow to Renji, Hanatarō suddenly shouted, "Hurry up! I've noticed several powerful spiritual powers approaching quickly. They might be from other squads coming to support us!"

Hearing this, Ganju looked at Renji lying on the ground helplessly, but finally decided to follow Hanatarō's advice, carried the unconscious Ichigo, and quickly fled the scene.

Hanatarō carefully picked up Ichigo's Zanpakutō. Ganju was only thinking about rescuing Ichigo and didn't pay any attention to his sword at all. Because he didn't have a Zanpakutō, he forgot about it.

A few seconds later, Kira Izuru led his team over, but they only found Renji lying unconscious on the ground. Ichigo and the others had disappeared without a trace.

In the tea room of the captain of the first squad, the captain, Lin Yu, and Yoruichi were constantly integrating the real-time information from Soul Society.

After learning that Ichigo had defeated Renji, Yoruichi finally understood why Lin Yu called him a "cheater." "Ichigo's a pretty good guy! After just a few days of training, he's grown to the point where he can defeat a vice-captain."

Lin Yu scoffed at this and said disdainfully: "That's nonsense! Ichigo is Isshin's son after all. His mother was a pure-blooded Quincy before, and he has the power of Hollow mixed in his body. If he doesn't become a pervert, it would be a disservice to his bloodline and his foundation."

Meanwhile, Captain Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni's face was gloomy. He knew that the current generation of Shinigami were indeed not as strong as before, but he never imagined they would be so vulnerable.

Although what Lin Yu said made sense, you have to know that it has only been a short month since Ichigo obtained the power of the God of Death.

Yet, it was this seemingly unreliable, half-baked fellow who could actually defeat a battle-hardened Shinigami, educated at the Shinō Academy of Spiritual Arts, and a vice-captain! This fact was truly difficult for Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni to accept. After all, the vice-captain was no ordinary person, but a formidable warrior who had weathered countless life-and-death battles!

Lin Yu looked at the captain's tightly clenched hands, the veins on his forehead throbbing. Knowing something was wrong, he quickly pushed the teacup in front of him. "Captain, please don't get angry! It's not good for your health! Wasn't this what we planned? Even though Renci is badly beaten, he'll definitely be stronger after this battle."

It would have been better if Lin Yu hadn't said anything, because his words actually had the opposite effect.

"Oh!"

The enraged captain punched the table. The wooden tabletop could not withstand his punch at all and broke into pieces in an instant, with wood chips flying everywhere.

Chojiro, who had been waiting outside the door, heard the loud noise and thought something had happened, so he opened the door of the tea room in a hurry.

"Lin... Captain Lin Yu!!!" Chojiro looked at the situation inside the house with a look of horror, and suddenly felt a little regretful about his previous behavior. Why did he want to pull the door? The captain had warned him not to go in and interrupt their conversation!

Lin Yu greeted him enthusiastically: "Hey! Chojiro, long time no see!" As if he was completely unaware of the tense atmosphere.

Seeing that things had come to this, Chojiro stopped hiding his true intentions. "As expected, the rumors about you betraying Soul Society and being killed by Aizen were all orchestrated by the Captain-General and you, right?"

Without waiting for Lin Yu's reply, Chojiro continued to talk. "That's right! With your abnormal strength, there's no way Aizen can kill you. Even Yhwach couldn't kill you back then. I would find it abnormal if you really died."

"Haha, Chojiro really understands me!" Lin Yu laughed and patted Chojiro's shoulder.

The captain stared at Lin Yu with a hawk-like gaze, his expression serious, even a hint of anger. He growled, "Lin Yu, stop being so playful! This operation is crucial; success is the only option! If Aizen gets wind of anything, all our efforts will be in vain!"

Lin Yu sensed the captain's anger and nervousness, and quickly put away his smile, his expression becoming serious. He solemnly addressed the captain, "Captain, please believe me, everything is proceeding according to our plan. I'm fully prepared, and when the time comes, I will act without hesitation and eliminate Aizen once and for all."

Hearing this, Chojiro couldn't help but feel a little confused. He first looked at Lin Yu, then turned to look at the captain, his eyes full of confusion. He muttered to himself: "Deal with Aizen? What is going on? Are there other secrets that I don't know? What the hell is going on!"

Lin Yu took a deep breath, then told Chojiro the whole truth. "Chojiro, since you already know I'm not dead, it's okay to tell you the details now. Over the years, everything that has happened in Soul Society is closely related to Aizen. He is the true traitor to Soul Society! Hirako Mako, Urahara Kisuke, Shiba Isshin, and others were forced to flee Soul Society because they were framed by Aizen. As for the Captain-General and I, the reason we made this plan was entirely to train those useless Shinigami."

However, the expected surprise did not occur. Perhaps it was because Chojiro was mentally strong, or perhaps he was already accustomed to accepting all kinds of unexpected facts.

In short, Lin Yu's words did not cause him much emotional fluctuation. After all, he was the sixth brother who had hidden in a pile of dead bodies and secretly attacked Yhwach, so his emotional stability was understandable.

"What should I do now?" Chojiro felt a little uneasy. He knew Lin Yu too well. As long as this guy opened his mouth, he would be in trouble.

"As expected of Chojiro! You know me so well!" Lin Yu smiled and patted Chojiro's shoulder. "Right now, there's something I need you to do, and only you can do it."

Chojiro pointed at himself with a confused look on his face. "Me? What can I do?"

"Don't worry! It's not a difficult task. I just want you to increase Kurosaki Ichigo's strength. As you can see, this kid has great potential. Even if he was beaten half to death, he can recover quickly. So I want to put some more pressure on him to make him grow faster."

"You mean... let me fight Kurosaki Ichigo?" Chojiro widened his eyes, looking incredulous.

"That's right! That's what I mean!" Lin Yu showed a sinister smile, "Go and beat him up hard, and see if he can hold on. Of course, you also have to be careful not to beat him to death. Otherwise, Zhibo Isshin will come after me to the death."

Hearing this, Chojiro's mouth twitched a few times: "Aren't you asking me to be the villain? What if Kurosaki Ichigo finds out the truth? Won't he hate me to death?"

"Hahahaha! What are you afraid of? You're not afraid that he'll hate you anyway!" Lin Yu laughed. "Besides, when he grows up, he'll naturally understand our good intentions. By then, he won't be able to thank you enough!"

Chojiro sighed helplessly, thinking to himself, "There's really nothing I can do about you! Well, since you've said so, I'll give it a try. I hope Kurosaki Ichigo can really grow up as quickly as you said."

After saying that, Chojiro turned and left, ready to find a reason to take action. After all, he was the vice-captain of the first squadron, and a small matter like the travel disaster was not enough to make him take action.