Chapter 13 - 12.5 The Raven's Cry

The simulated city buzzed faintly, its unnatural quiet broken only by Ichigo's steady breaths. He wiped at the blood on his face, ignoring the sting from the cut on his lip. One hour. That was all the time he had to ready himself.His sharp gaze swept across the crumbled cityscape. The rabbit would be back soon, stronger and fiercer. This wasn't about dragging the fight out—he needed to end it.He spotted a jagged piece of metal sticking out from a pile of debris. Without hesitation, he reached for it, his fingers closing around the sharp edge—only for it to disappear as soon as he gripped it.Ichigo's eyes narrowed, his frustration barely contained as his head tilted toward the simulated sky. He didn't need to guess."Yukio," he muttered bitterly.His attention snapped to a splintered plank nearby. He grabbed for it, and like before, it dissolved into nothing the moment he touched it.A scowl darkened his features as he rose to his feet, fists clenching at his sides. "Fine," he muttered, his voice sharp. "If that's how you want to play it..."Ichigo knelt behind a cracked wall, carefully studying the battlefield. If weapons were out of the question, the environment would have to do. His gaze traced the fractured streets, his thoughts calculating every potential opening.A leaning wall caught his attention, its weight precariously balanced against a crumbling building. Deep cracks ran along its surface, and a loose pile of debris barely held it in place. One forceful push in the right spot, and it would topple.His jaw tightened as he sized up the structure. It was risky, but if he could bait the rabbit into the right position..Without a sound, Ichigo moved, dragging rubble and shifting debris. Each motion was deliberate, creating a clear path leading toward the weakened wall.His muscles burned as he worked, his legs threatening to buckle. Every moment was a battle against exhaustion, but he pressed on.Finally, he stepped back, surveying his work. The trap was crude, but it would force the rabbit into the exact spot he needed.Crouching in the shadows, Ichigo adjusted his breathing, keeping it slow and quiet. His fingers brushed over the silver cross hanging from his neck, the cool metal anchoring him.His eyes closed briefly as he visualized the plan, running through each step in his mind. The tension in the air grew heavier. He could feel the beast's approach—the unnatural shift in the room, the faint vibrations in the ground.The silence shattered as the simulated environment trembled, the rabbit's guttural roar echoing in the distance.Ichigo rose from his crouch, his crimson eyes locking onto the direction of the sound.A guttural roar fractured the silence, the very air trembling under its weight. Dust trickled from the edges of fractured buildings, the simulated city groaning as if reacting to the beast's presence.Ichigo remained still, tucked into the ruins, his breathing being as silent as he could make it.The rabbit was searching for him. It prowled through the rubble, moving with a deliberate slowness, its remaining eye sweeping the broken landscape. It wasn't lashing out in blind fury anymore—it was hunting. The glow of its single eye flickered with malice as it followed the last trace of his presence, stalking toward the spot where it had died.The faintest sound. A pebble nudged loose beneath his boot, tumbling down the pile of debris.The rabbit's ear twitched. Its head snapped toward the noise, its glowing eye flaring with sudden focus.And then, it lunged.The beast charged toward the sound, tearing through the rubble in a violent frenzy. Clawed limbs crushed stone underfoot, its monstrous frame barreling straight into the narrow alley where Ichigo had drawn it.He was already moving.Ichigo dashed across the ruins, fast and silent, cutting through the wreckage like a shadow. The rabbit twisted, catching his movement too late. It skidded, attempting to turn its massive body, but Ichigo was already there, his fist cutting through the air.CRACK.His knuckles drove deep into its repaired eye . The impact sent a ripple through the beast's grotesque form, its head snapping back violently. A guttural, inhuman screech erupted from its maw, loud enough to shake the crumbling structures around them.But Ichigo wasn't done.He twisted mid-motion, the momentum carrying him forward as his foot connected with the side of the creature's skull in a brutal kick. The rabbit lurched backward, clawing at the air as it stumbled—right where he wanted it.The impact sent it colliding against the weakened structure behind it. Cracks splintered outward like veins across its surface, the entire wall trembling from the force. The rabbit flailed, panic flashing in its single, glowing eye as it struggled to regain footing.Ichigo exhaled, steady and cold. No words. No hesitation. Just the final step.He shifted his stance, lifted his foot—and kicked.The last supporting beam crumbled beneath his strike.The world groaned. The wall shuddered, then—collapsed.Waited.The dust thinned.No shifting rubble.No monstrous growl.Just silence.His fists slowly relaxed, the tension in his shoulders loosening. His body screamed for rest, muscles trembling from the relentless battle, but he shoved it all down. He wasn't done yet. Not until—Tch.A flicker of movement.And then—Gone.The mountain of wreckage, the very thing that should have crushed the creature beyond recognition, vanished.Dissolved into nothing.Like it had never existed in the first place.Ichigo's eye twitched. His breath hitched. And his rage ignited."God fucking damn it, Yukio."His voice was low, raw, seething.Because of course. Of course, that smug little bastard had to pull his strings at the last second.As the dust cleared, what remained of the rabbit was finally visible.It was ruined.Its body—if it could even be called that anymore—was torn and barely holding together, patches of its grotesque form missing entirely. Its left arm was gone, its torso a mangled wreck of shredded fabric and twisted muscle. The once-bright glow in its eye flickered weakly, its body struggling to move, twitching in spasms. It was alive, but only barely.Ichigo exhaled sharply through his nose.But really...What the hell do they expect from me?Fight this thing barehanded? Again? Until, what—he miraculously unlocks some Fullbring powers they've barely even bothered to explain? The thought alone made his teeth grind."Raah! "The rabbit twitched.Ichigo's body tensed.Something was off.Even in its ruined state, the creature moved differently—faster, more precise. The spasms weren't from weakness. They were adjustments. Calculations.And then—It was there.Ichigo barely had time to register the movement. One moment, the rabbit was a wreck of torn fabric and dying light—the next, it was inches from him, its ruined form snapping into perfect motion. The air cracked like a lightning, reality itself bending around the sheer force of its attack.He felt it before he even saw it.A flash—black, jagged, raw.Perfect.Pain.It hit him dead center, its mangled limb colliding with his gut in an explosion of pressure. His entire body revolted, nerves igniting in white-hot agony. The world lurched as the strike sent him flying backward, his breath stolen from his lungs before he even hit the ground.Then—impact.His back slammed into solid concrete, the force sending cracks spiderwebbing through the simulated pavement. The shock ricocheted through his bones, his skull bouncing off the ground with enough force to leave him seeing stars. Blood filled his mouth, thick and metallic, as the force threatened to black him out.But he didn't.He felt it...No.Not the Reiatsu.Though he did feel that also now so close to death.But the presure from the plushie, what he felt from it...Was indescribableThe rabbit.Its presence was different. Completely different.Its glow wasn't flickering weakly anymore.It was thrumming.Vibrating with something new.The air around it distorted, waves of tension rolling off its ruined form as if the world itself was struggling to hold its shape around it.The beast should've been dying.But instead—It was evolving." Cough ! "Pain.Ichigo's chest had collapsed inward from the sheer force of the blow, ribs splintered, digging into muscle, grinding with every ragged breath. His lungs shuddered, struggling against the pressure, blood gurgling in his throat, thick and suffocating. Each desperate inhale burned, like he was drowning in molten iron.His vision blurred, the cityscape melting into formless shadows. Somewhere in the distance, voices—urgent, shouting—but they were muffled, like hearing through water. His ears rang, the aftershock of his skull bouncing off stone scrambling his thoughts. The impact had rattled his brain, his senses sluggish, flickering in and out of focus.Something wet dripped down his face.Not sweat.Not just blood.It was warm, thicker than it should be. His head swayed, his balance completely gone, and his limbs refused to obey.His body wasn't just screaming in pain. It was shutting down.Move.Nothing.MOVE.Still, nothing.His fingers twitched, barely registering sensation. He couldn't even tell if he was upright or lying flat. Maybe both. Maybe neither.Then—pressure. A weight bearing down on his shattered chest, crushing the last of his strength. His heart lurched, skipping beats, his body screaming for air that wouldn't come.His mouth opened—blood spilled past his lips, dripping to the ruined ground beneath him.His gaze flickered, crimson irises dulling.That thing.That thing.It stood there, completely still, as if examining its own claws, flexing them like it had just discovered something new.Ichigo's pulse slowed.His body wasn't responding. His own weight felt unbearable. He couldn't breathe.This was—This was—No.His eyes, even clouded with pain, stayed locked on the plush demon.Not because he could fight. Not because he could win.But because he refused to look away.Even if this was the end—he would not look away.The pressure in his chest grew worse, his entire body spasming involuntarily as another wave of pain crashed through his nerves. He felt something give inside him, a sharp snap that sent white-hot agony lancing through his spine.His lungs collapsed in on themselves, choking on blood. His jaw clenched—his teeth grinding, the taste of iron thick on his tongue.But he refused to look away.Something in him refused to look away.The voices were louder now—closer. Someone was moving, the sounds distant and fragmented, as if the world was seconds from slipping through his grasp.Can't move.Can't fight.But he can still see.His unfocused, crimson gaze—**drenched in blood, feverish with pain—**stayed pinned to the plush demon.The air thickened.It wasn't just the weight of his broken body pressing down on him anymore. It was something else.The plush rabbit stood there, a low vibration pulsing from its mangled form.A shift.Its red eye flickered, and the black energy around it—shifted.Not just raw power anymore.Something else.Something that shouldn't be possible.Ichigo's cracked lips parted slightly, as if his body realized something before even he did.It had broken something.Shattered its limits....The simulated city groaned around Ichigo, its once-pristine structures trembling under the weight of something far worse than before. The air thickened, charged with an energy that crackled like static, making the artificial world feel distorted, off-balance—like something was crawling beneath the surface of reality, pushing against its constraints.Ichigo couldn't breathe.His body refused to move, pain tearing through him like his ribs had been replaced with shards of glass. Every nerve in his body screamed, his vision blurred, his heartbeat sluggish. Blood dripped from his lips, pooling beneath him, mixing with the simulated dust. The world around him swam in and out of focus, shadows twisting unnaturally at the edges of his vision.But the rabbit—No.Not a rabbit.Not anymore.It wasn't just a monster, not just a grotesque plaything twisted by Riruka's power. This thing... had become something more.Not just its overwhelming strength or its killing intent, but something deeper—something inside it had changed. The pressure in the air wasn't just power—And Ichigo, still crushed against the pavement, still struggling just to keep his eyes open—He was losing.His pulse was slow, his chest struggling to rise, every breath a battle against the weight pressing down on him. His body had been pushed past its limits before—bruised, beaten, broken beyond repair. He had always found a way to stand, to fight, to defy the odds stacked against him.But this time was different.He had nothing left.No Zanpakuto. No Hollow. No Quincy powers.No strength left to steal from his past.He had reached the edge, and there was nowhere else to go.His body refused to move.His vision faded.His breath shook.His fingers twitched——And his mind screamed.This isn't how it ends.A monster standing over him, glowing with stolen strength, while he lay there broken—powerless—unnoticed.He couldn't move. He couldn't do anything.The monster's claws raised, glowing with malevolent light, the warped Reiatsu around them cracking the pavement below, heat distorting the air. The force behind the next strike wouldn't just wound him.It would erase him.Ichigo's crimson eyes flickered weakly, his mind struggling to grasp onto anything—anything—that could get him out of this.And then—A blur of motion.Metal. A glint of silver.A sword.And suddenly, the air between Ichigo and the monster split apart.The sound of metal meeting flesh rang out like a thunderclap, followed by a sharp, guttural snarl as the demon's advance was halted.Kyra.Kyra.She was just there—standing where Ichigo had been a moment ago, her sword buried deep into the creature's outstretched arm. The demon jerked back, its newly formed body contorting to try and wrench itself free, but Kyra's blade burned white-hot, crackling with power.She twisted the weapon with brutal precision and tore through the limb, the wound bursting open with an explosion of corrupted Reiatsu.The demon screeched, its monstrous howl shaking the broken cityscape.Kyra didn't flinch.Her foot planted against the creature's chest, and in the next second, she kicked off, launching herself backward into a perfect landing, her sword still humming with energy.Kyra smirked as she spun her sword effortlessly in her grip, letting the corrupted blood flick away in violent arcs. Her brown eyes flicked over the shifting battlefield, her posture relaxes as she takes a look at Ichigo."Well, well... Look at that. Still breathing, Kurosaki," she mused, smirking. "Congrats on surviving a bl—"The air split.Kyra barely had time to register the movement before it was on her.The demon moved.Not the way it had before—no stalking, no twisted muscle contractions. No wasted motion.It exploded forward.Faster.So much faster.A blur of blackened flesh and pulsing, vein-like light, shooting forward like a bullet, its form contorting mid-air. No sound. No warning.Just raw, instinct-driven violence.Kyra reacted on pure instinct.She twisted, sword raised—The impact came before she finished turning.The sheer shockwave of the thing's movement sent a rupture through the environment, cracking the ground and sending debris flying in all directions.Kyra's body whipped backward, her feet dragging across the ground as she skidded to a sudden, violent stop. Her sword had barely managed to block the full strike—barely.Her muscles screamed, her arms numb from the force of the blow.The demon loomed before her.No longer a grotesque plush mockery of a beast.No longer something that even resembled the rabbit Riruka had thrown into the fight.It had fully shed its false form.This thing, standing before her now, was something else entirely.Its body had grown, stretching impossibly tall, lean and sinewy, its flesh raw and pulsating with violent energy. Dark, jagged protrusions jutted from its back like broken, twisted wings, flickering in and out of shape as if they existed in multiple realities at once. Its elongated limbs bent at unnatural angles, its razor-thin fingers twitching as if testing their own deadly precision.And its face.Its glowing, vein-like eyes had merged into a single, blinding crimson slit, running vertically down the center of its featureless head.Kyra let out a low whistle."Now that," she muttered, rolling her neck with a small smirk, "is new... But c'mon, you became uglier than last time."She flexed her fingers, tightening her grip on her sword, but her brown eyes were sharp—serious.She had fought plenty of monsters.But this?This thing wasn't just stronger.And the way it had just moved—That speed.That supersonic, almost instantaneous acceleration.But more importantly, it actually landed a miracle.If Yukio hadn't—TCH.Made a massive wall, which slammed into existence between them, materializing just in time.Kyra grinned."Good call, brat."Beyond the newly created barrier, the impact detonated—the force of the demon's next strike collapsing the entire structure instantly.Dust and rubble exploded outward.Kyra's smirk never wavered."Close one."She turned slightly, already sensing the change.The entire battlefield was shifting.Yukio wasn't just adding obstacles now.He was redefining the entire arena.The environment trembled, twisting, morphing, adjusting to the sheer speed and power of the fight.Buildings shifted positions. Streets elongated, collapsed, or restructured.New barriers, high-rises, open alleyways—everything was moving, molding itself into a constantly changing maze.All of it designed to trap and contain the monster."Better," Kyra muttered, cracking her knuckles, before stepping forward—But the demon was already reacting.The moment it was blocked, its body adjusted.It didn't just accept the wall—it used it.Instead of being stalled, the creature's jagged limbs bent at horrifying angles, piercing through the collapsing debris like spears.Then—It launched.Not at Kyra.At Ichigo.Kyra's eyes flashed in suprise."Oh no you don't—"She moved.Her feet glowed a briliant greenFaster than her own thoughts.One step—Two—The air rippled, her sword already swinging—But the monster was still ahead of her.And Ichigo was too slow.His body—barely functioning.His breath—failing.His crimson eyes—locked, unable to move, unable to defend, unable to do anything.The demon lunged—A sphere of Reiatsu engulfed it." Paralysis. "The world it self announced, executing Yukio's command.The monster screeched, twisting violently within its new prison.Its limbs clawed at the air, trying to escape the binding energy before it was too late—Kyra appeared above it, sword raised."Got you now."Her blade came down.Hard.It itself covered in a brilliant green ReiatsuA burst of light—pure force—split the battlefield in half.The sphere shattered, the explosion blasting the demon into the shifting walls of Yukio's ever-changing domain.The creature wasn't killed.But it was stunned.And Kyra was already moving again.She landed in front of Ichigo, sword still humming with power.Her back faced him.Her stance unbreakable.For the first time since the fight began—Kyra's expression wasn't cocky.It was deadly serious.She didn't turn to look at Ichigo, but her voice reached him, firm and unwavering."You're not dying here."And Ichigo—Ichigo was barely holding on.His vision blurred.His breath shallow.The world swam.Everything was fading.Until—And Ichigo knew... this is the end...Ofcourse it is....He's powerless...He's useless...He's....In despair...And.........He heard it.The scream"Work"Ichigo's fingers twitched. His body was screaming in protest, but his hand moved.Toward the cross.Not by choice.By command.And the moment his trembling fingers gripped the Quincy cross, the world itself seemed to halt.A surge of black and green energy erupted from the silver pendant, twisting and writhing, violently rejecting the air itself. The Reiatsu pulsed outward in a single, suffocating wave, sending a tremor through the simulated cityscape.And then—A raven.A green and black raven made out of Reishi.Born from nothing.It burst into existence with a deafening caw, its wings stretched wide, its feathers crackling with a sickly green light edged in black.Kyra had less than a second to react—But she didn't need to.The raven was faster.It dove—a streak of black and green slicing through the air, its beady, glowing eyes locked onto the demon's face.Then it struck.A violent explosion of force.The monster's screech was ear-shattering, its grotesque skull snapping backward as the raven tore into it.Not just a wound.A hole.A massive, gaping chunk of its head gone.The beast reeled back violently, its limbs twitching as corrupted Reiatsu poured from the wound like a ruptured vein.The raven didn't hesitate.It circled, its body pulsating with raw energy before returning.Not to Kyra.Not to Yukio.Not to anyone watching.To Ichigo.Like a weapon returning to its sheath.And unoticed to all.Ichigo's eye's...Blue.Something ancient, absolute, unyielding.And then—Crimson.Red again.Like a switch flipped.His fingers loosened from the cross, his breath ragged, his body trembling. The sudden rush of power faded just as quickly as it had come, leaving him in its wake—a breathless, broken mess.Kyra turned sharply.Her sharp brown eyes scanned Ichigo immediately, her brain catching up with what just happened—what she just witnessed.Ichigo's body shuddered.He didn't move.Didn't speak.Didn't react.His crimson eyes were wide but empty, his breath shallow, his expression a blank slate of shock, exhaustion, and something else—something darker.His mouth parted slightly, as if trying to form words.Trying to understand.Trying to catch up.But all he could do was stare.At it.The raven.Standing on his chest.On his caved-in chest.But...It didn't hurt.The weight should have been unbearable.But it wasn't.It was just... there.Perched atop his shattered ribs, as if it belonged there.Watching him.Studying him.Its head tilted at an unnatural angle, beady green eyes flickering like dying embers as if...It was looking at something.Not at Ichigo.Not at the battlefield.Through him.Peering past flesh, past bone—deep inside.Then—It moved.Slowly.Deliberately.It straightened its head, locking its gaze onto Ichigo's eyes.And then, without warning—It screamed.A sharp, ear-piercing raven's cry.A sound that tore through the unnatural silence, shattering the moment with a visceral, raw force."CHAAAA!"It wasn't just a noise.It was a statement.A declaration.A demand.A command.A promise.And then—it moved again.The raven pressed its soft, feathered head against his cheek, nuzzling him gently.The same head that had just caved in a demon's skull.It should have been terrifying.But it wasn't.It was warm.Comforting.Real.And in that moment, Ichigo understood.Understood what it was.Understood what it had declared.Understood what it meant.His breath hitched.A tremble ran through his body—not from pain, not from exhaustion—but from something deeper.Something that cracked open inside him.Something that had been missing.Something that had always been missing.And the tears came.Hot. Silent. Unstoppable.Even through the pain, even through the exhaustion, even through the weight of everything—Ichigo hugged it.His arms curled around the small creature, fingers gripping onto its warm, feathered form like a lifeline.He held it close.Desperate.Like he was afraid it would disappear.Like it wasn't real.Like it would slip through his fingers just like everything else had.But it didn't.It stayed.It didn't waver.Didn't pull away.Didn't vanish like a dream.It remained pressed against him, solid and unwavering.And Ichigo finally—finally—understood.He had it.He finally had it.Something he had always wanted.Something he had always needed.Something that had given him hope but only came in moments of despair.A companion.A being.A friend.One that wouldn't leave.One which gave him hope from despair itself.Wouldn't abandon him.Wouldn't be stolen away by fate, by war, by sacrifice.One that would protect him.Forever.......Kyra's sharp brown eyes flicked from Ichigo to the raven, and in that instant—she knew.Her mind caught up with what she had just witnessed. What she had just felt.She wasn't the type to get sentimental, but she wasn't blind.That thing—**the black and green raven, the creature pressing itself against Ichigo, the one that had just ripped a piece out of the demon's skull—**wasn't just a manifestation of some random ability.It was his Fullbring.And somehow, she knew it wasn't just a weapon.Tho the demon's head might be disagreeing with that.It was alive.Not like a tool, not like a sword that responded to a wielder's will, but something more.Like a Zanpakuto....Kyra exhaled sharply through her nose, tilting her head back slightly. Damn it. She wasn't in the mood for sentimentality.This wasn't over.The demon was still alive.And it was watching.Its mangled, monstrous form was twitching. Its glowing, vein-like eyes—burning hotter than before. Its very existence warping the air around it, as if refusing to be erased.Kyra's grip tightened on her sword.She wasn't about to let that thing get a second chance."Enough."Her voice was sharp, cutting through the distorted battlefield like a knife.The demon twitched.Then lunged.A last, desperate attack—wild, reckless, absolute.But Kyra was faster.Her blade sang.The emerald-green light around Kyra's blade detonated, raw power surging outward in a blinding arc. The very air seemed to fracture, space itself splitting apart beneath the sheer force of her swing.And in a single, decisive stroke—Her sword tore through the demon's neck.For a moment, everything was still.Then—The world split.A shockwave erupted from the tip of her blade, a searing crescent of emerald destruction surging forward like a force of nature. It wasn't just a cut—it was a cleaving force, an execution, a judgment.The energy ripped through the battlefield, tearing across the cityscape like a vengeful storm. Buildings were bisected in an instant, their structures holding for half a breath before collapsing into nothingness. The streets beneath the wave splintered apart, the ground cracking and cratering beneath the sheer force.The very fabric of the simulated world shuddered, unable to withstand the devastation.Everything in its path was erased.And then—silence.The demon's head fell.Its body, still standing for a brief second, twitched—before it crumbled, the remnants of its existence burning away into ash.Kyra exhaled, flicking the residual energy from her blade."Tch." She rolled her shoulders, watching as the emerald afterimage of her attack slowly faded into the air." A bit overkill isn't it ? " Yukio who apeared beside her couldn't help but ask, and slightly worried that her attack might have disturbed the training room and his sometimes — Usually — gaming room."Overkill?" she muttered, clicking her tongue. "Maybe... But you saw what it did...Were lucky that it was so weak before, otherwise it might have been on par with me "And Yukio himself couldn't help but accept that answer.She's right their lucky...Or unlucky since it actually landed a fucking black flash...If it was at full power when it landed it... Yukio could actually see it becoming on par with a high class devil.Kyra turned, eyes immediately locking onto Ichigo—still collapsed, still gripping the raven like his life depended on it.She stepped forward, blade still drawn, but her movements were different now—measured, assessing.Ichigo was alive.But only barely.His breathing was ragged, shallow. His body was frozen, locked in the moment, blood soaking into the cracked pavement beneath him. His crimson eyes—once fierce, burning with defiance—were now hazy, unfocused.The raven, still perched on his shattered chest, watched her.Its green-and-black feathers ruffled slightly, its sharp gaze assessing her just as much as she was assessing it.Kyra exhaled."Shit."They needed a healer. Fast.Kyra exhaled sharply, her fingers already snapping as her gaze flicked to the side. "Arlen. Now."composed voice filtered through. "I'm already on my way.""Good," Kyra muttered, eyes shifting back to Ichigo's crumpled form. "Because if this kid dies, we're going to have a hell of a problem."Footsteps echoed behind her, measured and deliberate. Arlen approached, his dark suit still immaculate despite the chaos of the battlefield. His expression, as always, was unreadable, but his golden eyes flicked to Ichigo, then to the raven still perched on his chest.He sighed. "Michael will not be pleased."Kyra's brow twitched. "Yeah, well, I don't exactly care what an archangel thinks right now—"She couldn't finish as Arlen took another step forward, his movements fluid, controlled—too controlled.The raven reacted instantly.Its sharp black-and-green feathers bristled, its small body puffing up as if to make itself larger, more imposing. A deep, unnatural caw echoed from its beak, not a simple bird's cry, but something layered—something old. A warning.And then it moved.Faster than any normal animal should. Faster than even Arlen expected.One second, it was perched on Ichigo's ruined chest—the next, it was a streak of black and green light, flaring with hostile Reiatsu as it slammed into Arlen's arm, forcing him back with a sharp gust of wind.The church member's foot slid against the cracked pavement, though his face remained impassive. He merely raised an eyebrow, his golden eyes flicking to the raven, which had now positioned itself between him and Ichigo—wings half-spread, talons flexing against the ground.It didn't trust him.More than that—it was protecting him.Kyra clicked her tongue. "Well, shit."The raven's feathers crackled with energy, its intense gaze locked onto Arlen like he was something to be eradicated. It made no move to attack again—not yet—but the raw power rolling off it was unmistakable.Arlen, to his credit, didn't look fazed. He merely adjusted the cuff of his pristine sleeve. "Interesting," he murmured. "It sees me as a threat.""No shit," Kyra muttered. Her brown eyes narrowed slightly, studying the way the raven had positioned itself, the way its Reiatsu pulsed in tandem with Ichigo's fading breath. "Too defensive. That's not just instinct."This thing—it wasn't just a mindless reflection of Ichigo's power. It was thinking. Feeling. Acting.She inhaled slowly.Time to test something.Without hesitation, Kyra stepped forward, letting her own Reiatsu flood outward—not aggressively, not in a way that would trigger an attack, but in a slow, deliberate wave. Her Fullbring flickered across her fingers, a shimmering green pulse that wove itself into her presence like an unseen tether.The raven tensed.Kyra let her energy wrap around it, just enough to touch its consciousness."Calm down."Her voice wasn't just a command—it carried weight, her Reiatsu pressing ever so slightly against the creature's instincts, guiding rather than forcing. Not domination. Not manipulation. Just... direction.A whisper beneath the surface.A suggestion.She could feel the resistance. The raven's will pushed back against her—strong, defiant. But it wasn't immune. It was connected to Ichigo, and Ichigo...He trusted her.However slightly.The tension in the air wavered. The raven's glare remained locked on Arlen, but its wings lowered slightly, its talons easing off the ground.Kyra exhaled, lowering her own intensity just a fraction. "Good. That's it... You're not in danger. He's here to help."The bird twitched, tilting its head, as if weighing the truth of her words.Arlen watched with silent intrigue. He could feel the shift.Slowly, deliberately, he raised his hands in a placating motion. "I have no intention of harming him. Quite the opposite."The raven blinked. Once. Twice. Then, almost reluctantly, it hopped backward, shifting its wings as it reassumed its perch on Ichigo's chest. It didn't relax completely—its sharp gaze stayed locked onto Arlen, feathers still fluffed slightly—but it no longer bristled with immediate hostility.Kyra smirked. "Yeah, that's what I thought."She turned to Arlen. "You can do your church magic now, priest-boy. But if it bites your hand off, that's on you."Arlen sighed, kneeling beside Ichigo at last. "Noted."His fingers hovered over Ichigo's chest for a moment before he placed them down, his touch gentle yet firm. The moment his healing energy began to flow, the raven shifted slightly—watching, analyzing, but not attacking.As golden light spread across Ichigo's battered body, Arlen exhaled, his voice calm but carrying weight."I will do whatever is required to heal him."His gaze flickered toward Kyra, sharp and unreadable."If this child dies..." His voice dropped, reverent yet unwavering. "Michael will not be pleased."Kyra scoffed, rolling her shoulders. "Yeah? Well, who could have ever guessed that low ranked demon would be able to land a bloody Black Flash, I swear that demon must have been blessed by God for that to happen "Arlen's hands never wavered as the golden light pulsed over Ichigo's shattered body, knitting broken flesh and crushed bones with a radiance that felt more celestial than spiritual. His expression, usually impassive, had sharpened—jaw tight, eyes flickering with something beyond mere duty."God would never bless those blasphemous beings!" he snarled, his voice laced with something rarely heard from him—anger. True, visceral anger.Kyra snorted, running a hand through her hair as she let out a long, exasperated breath. " Yeah Yeah I get it good is a good guy who will never do this, I agree. "Arlen's lips pressed into a thin line, the golden light of his healing intensifying as if in silent rebuttal. He didn't entertain Kyra's sarcasm. Instead, his eyes remained locked on Ichigo, his hands steady even as a deep, unnatural red bled into the boy's previously lifeless gaze.The room shifted.Not physically. Not through Yukio's modifications or Giriko's laws.Something deeper.The very air turned dense—suffocating yet electric, charged with a weight that pressed against the soul rather than the body. Arlen's sharp golden eyes widened a fraction, his breath catching as something unseen pushed against his healing light, resisting, twisting, coiling like an unseen force lurking beneath the surface.Kyra's fingers instinctively twitched toward her sword. "Oi."The raven screeched.Loud. Piercing.A sound that wasn't just heard but felt—a vibration that rattled bones, a call that reached through the room rather than merely echoing within it.Kyra barely had time to react before the raven moved.Fast. Too fast.A streak of black and green that blurred, talons slashing toward Arlen's outstretched hand, intercepting before he could lay another pulse of golden light onto Ichigo.Arlen twisted away at the last second, his enhanced reflexes barely saving his wrist from being shredded. The bird landed protectively over Ichigo's chest, its feathers bristling, its wings flaring wide in an unmistakable display of aggression."Stand down," Arlen ordered, his tone severe but calm, his posture steady despite the clear warning in the creature's eyes. "I am healing him."The raven didn't budge.It lowered its head instead, its beak parting ever so slightly, revealing something—something—beyond the physical, a glimmer of deep emerald light crackling within.Kyra clicked her tongue. "Damn," she muttered under her breath, eyes flicking between Arlen and the raven. "Looks like it doesn't trust you."Arlen narrowed his eyes. "That's a problem.""Ya think?" Kyra shot back in a whisper, tilting her head at Ichigo, who remained eerily still, save for the slow, measured rise and fall of his chest. "We need to get him fully healed, but birdie over here is acting like a damn bodyguard."And then—without warning—Kyra moved.Not aggressively. Not with the same battle-hardened force she'd used against the demon.But with precision.Her Reiatsu flared, not as an attack but as a command—a pulse of sheer presence, washing over the bird in a controlled, deliberate wave. Her Fullbring thrummed to life, lacing her voice with something just beyond words—something deeper, something instinctual, something that demanded submission."Calm down."*The raven stiffened.Kyra didn't stop.Her Reiatsu pressed—not violently, not aggressively, but undeniably. She reached past the creature's raw, protective instinct, threading her power through it like a tether, a guiding thread in a storm of instinct and rage."Calm. Down."*The bird's feathers bristled. Its wings trembled.But then—slowly, hesitantly—It lowered its head.The tension didn't fully fade, but it lessened. The sharp emerald light in its eyes dimmed slightly, the aggression bleeding into wary caution.Kyra exhaled. "That's better."Arlen, to his credit, didn't waste the opportunity. He stepped forward, his hands glowing once more, his voice measured. "I already told you, but I guess you seeing me causing him to bleed made you overeact" he said evenly, directing the words not to Kyra but to the raven itself. " But I only seek to heal."The raven hesitated for a moment longer—just a moment—before, finally, it stepped back.Kyra relaxed her stance. "See? That wasn't so hard, was it?"The bird glared at her.Kyra smirked. "Alright, alright, I'll stop talking."Arlen ignored them both, already returning his focus to Ichigo.His hands hovered over the boy's chest, and this time, when the golden light surged forward, there was no resistance.Ichigo's body tensed, then slackened. His breath evened. His bruises began to fade, the internal damage unwinding itself under the careful, divine touch of Arlen's power.Minutes passed in silence.Then—"It's done."Kyra let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. "Took you long enough."Arlen shot her a look but said nothing. Instead, he stood, rolling his shoulders slightly, his gaze dropping to Ichigo one last time before finally stepping back. "He will recover," he said simply. "His body is no longer on the verge of collapse.""Good."* Kyra glanced at the raven, which still hovered protectively beside Ichigo. "Guess that means you can chill now, huh?"The raven didn't respond. It just watched.Kyra shook her head, smirking to herself. "Figures."*And with that, the tension in the room finally began to dissipate. The battle was over. The healing was complete.Ichigo would wake soon.And when he did—To be continued !Join my shitty discord to talk with me im lonely ); https://discord.gg/7SwQYNR9z3Also what do you think of my story so far ?And Ichigo's new fullbringAnd the hints I droped so far ?And Ichigo's slight character change if u noticed it.Also didn't know it webnovel had 20 k word cap