Bleach: White Blossoms

Chapter 17: 17



Upon arrival, Yurei's eyes narrowed as she surveyed Karakura Town, her keen senses detecting the subtle pulse of hollow energy seeping through the streets. The town appeared peaceful on the surface, a sharp contrast to the unsettling, growing unrest beneath. The Hollow forces, though hidden, were already making their presence known, their energy faint yet unmistakable. Every shadow seemed to pulse with a threat.

Yurei moved through the quiet streets with the precision of a predator, her mind already calculating the necessary steps. She could feel the faintest stirrings of the Crowned Hollows—these twisted, deadly creatures—lurking in the edges of reality, waiting to strike. But she had already anticipated this. There was no time for hesitation. Her hand rose, and with a sharp flick of her wrist, her reiatsu surged like an unstoppable wave.

"Kagami no Shirayuri Enbu."

The moment she invoked her Bankai, the world seemed to bend around her. The mirrored walls of her domain unfolded, shimmering like a thousand prisms, each one reflecting her perfect control. The very air was thick with the pressure of her power as the mirrors grew, spreading across Karakura Town, their crystalline surfaces dancing with eerie light. Within seconds, the entire town was trapped within the web of light and reflection.

The Hollow energy, once scattered and disorganized, was drawn into the mirrors, reflecting and amplifying with each passing moment. Time itself seemed to warp under Yurei's influence, the pace of the world slowing as the mirrored labyrinth took shape. The Crowned Hollows, their dark reiatsu barely contained within their bodies, began to realize they were trapped.

The first Crowned Hollow—a massive, grotesque figure with black and gold armor—lunged at Yurei with an earth-shaking roar. Its claws slashed through the air, aiming for her chest, but she moved with an elegance that belied her power. In an instant, her blade danced through the air in a flash of white light. The Hollow's torso was cleaved in two, its monstrous form reduced to nothing more than a shattered reflection in the mirrors surrounding them.

As the beast crumpled, its soul flickered and evaporated, absorbed into the glass, its energy feeding the mirrors, amplifying them further. The shattered fragments of its body reappeared as a distorted reflection, spiraling out of control as the power drained away.

The second Hollow, this one a twisted woman with long, flowing hair of pure shadow, tried to evade the same fate. She dashed to the side, her movements swift and unpredictable, but Yurei's mirrors responded with even greater precision. The very air warped as the light from the mirrors bent and fractured. A beam of concentrated energy shot from a nearby reflective surface, piercing the Hollow's side before she even realized it. The blast sent her crashing into the ground, her body disintegrating into a thousand fragmented images in the mirrors, until not a trace of her remained.

The third Hollow, a large beast with six eyes and a gaping maw, howled as it charged Yurei. But before it could even make contact, Yurei raised her hand, her voice commanding, "Shinsei no Senritsu." The melody of her voice echoed throughout the mirrored labyrinth, reverberating with a power so pure it shattered the very air itself.

The petals of the white lilies, which had been silently observing the battle, now sprang to life. They formed an intricate dance of light and death, spinning faster and faster, until they encased the Hollow in a cage of gleaming petals. The Hollow struggled, its massive form thrashing violently, but with each passing second, its energy was drained, absorbed into the mirrors, and turned against it.

Its desperate attempts to escape were futile, and within moments, the Hollow was nothing more than a pile of empty, lifeless reflections. Its energy had been absorbed, leaving it as nothing more than a fading image in the mirrors.

One by one, the Crowned Hollows were struck down with ruthless efficiency. There was no mercy, no hesitation in Yurei's movements. Her mirrors had become a prison, a reflection of death itself. Each Hollow, in turn, fell before her power, their attempts to resist broken and reflected back onto them until their very essence was consumed.

From a distance, Ichigo Kurosaki watched in stunned silence. He had been in the middle of fighting a Crowned Hollow himself, his sword clashing with its massive, armored form when the world around him began to shift. The Hollow before him had been dangerous—its raw power was immense, and he had been struggling to keep up.

But then, in an instant, the creature was torn apart by an unseen force. The Hollow's body splintered into a thousand mirrored shards, and its roar of defiance was swallowed by the sudden, oppressive silence that followed. Ichigo's sword hung limply in his hand as he turned to witness Yurei's power unfurl.

"What... the hell just happened?" Ichigo muttered under his breath, eyes wide as he took in the scene. The Crowned Hollow had been gone in an instant—nothing left but the shimmering mirrors that encased the town.

Rukia Kuchiki, standing nearby, observed the same scene with wide eyes. "Yurei's Bankai... I didn't realize it could be this powerful." Her voice was quiet, almost reverent. She had always known Yurei was formidable, but the sheer scale of her power was staggering. Rukia could feel the weight of the mirrors pressing down on them, distorting the very air around them. It was as though the very essence of the town had been captured, locked in a shimmering cage.

Yoruichi Shihoin, standing at the edge of the scene, couldn't hide her admiration. She crossed her arms, a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "Not too bad," she remarked. "You're finally letting a bit of your power show, I like that."

The others—Chad, Uryu, and Orihime—stood on the outskirts, watching in awe. Chad's massive frame remained still, his fists clenched, but his eyes never left Yurei. "Her power... it's like she's controlling everything," he murmured. 

Orihime's eyes were wide with awe, her hand covering her mouth as she looked at the mirrored labyrinth. "It's like... the town is being reshaped. Yurei's Bankai... it's absolute control and domination over her enemies."

Uryu Ishida's sharp eyes scanned the scene, his analytical mind working overtime. "Her mirrors are reflecting everything... energy, light, there's nothing that can touch her. She's controlling the battlefield completely. There's no escape for the Hollows once they enter this domain."

In the midst of this, Ichigo's gaze was fixed on the final Hollow that Yurei was dealing with—a massive creature that had taken refuge in the farthest corner of the town. The Hollow had been preparing to attack the others, but before it could make its move, Yurei's blade flicked, and with a single gesture, the Hollow was ensnared in the mirrors. It howled as its energy was absorbed, but there was nothing it could do. Within moments, it too was reduced to nothing, its essence consumed by the mirrors.

"Unbelievable," Ichigo muttered, his voice tinged with awe and a hint of frustration. The battle had been over before it had even begun. "She made that look too easy."

Yurei stood amidst the shattered reflections of her enemies, her expression unreadable as she surveyed the remnants of the battle. Karakura Town was quiet once again. The Crowned Hollows were gone, erased from existence, and the mirrors slowly began to dissipate, their hold over the town fading. Yurei's power had crushed them all—relentlessly, without mercy—and the town was once more safe.

But the peace was fragile, and Yurei knew this would not be the last time the shadows would stir.

"Until next time," she whispered, her voice barely audible as she disappeared into the distance, her figure fading as quickly as the reflections around her.

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