Your Own Responsibility

"I don't understand this, but it feels Good." Ichigo suddenly felt himself becoming stronger, all his body was beaming with energy.

Although he was first overwhelmed by Renji's attacks, he felt he could now beat him.

Side-stepping Renji's incoming attack, he ran toward him, taking support on the metal rod, he jumped toward him, putting strength in his arms and sword, and slashed down.

Renji however, reflexes were on point as he was able to avoid the hit by jumping back.

'Renji is being suppressed?' Rukia was shocked.

'How much higher can his spiritual energy go?" Renji wondered, he was as shocked as Rukia.

Ichigo not being concerned, followed with another powerful strike, and this time Renji couldn't react at all.

But contrary to Ichigo's expectations, he didn't manage to do anything find to his opponent, not it was more like he couldn't, since his sword had somehow been broken.

"I don't think he could do this from such a distance" Looking behind him at the man called Captain Byakuya by Renji, he didn't believe it was the result of the man's action.

"huh?" but looking at the man's hand, this definitely was the missing part of his sword.

'I didn't even see where the blow came from nor where he struck'

Not being able to process anything further, found himself failing unconscious as the man appeared behind him.

"You're too slow" Byakuya said with an indifferent face.

Although Ichigo couldn't tell, there definitely was a wound mark caused by a sword on his chest, indicating clearly what happened.

'It's been a while since I saw it, but he's awesome after all' Renji was taken in admiration 'if I couldn't see it coming... He probably doesn't even know what happened to him'

"No, you didn't need to help me with a kid of this level, Captain" Renji's said.

"Ichigo!" Rukia shouted, running toward her fallen friend.

Just to be stopped by Renji right on her track.

"where are you? aren't you going to help him?" Rukia once again shouted, this one however was destined for someone else.

"Why? just why? Do you really wish to hide that much?' Rukia kept shouting, but still, no one came.

"You're just wasting our time, Rukia" said the emo, thinking that this was just the last effort of a powerless girl.

"Let's go" said Rengi, dragging Rukia along.

"Really, you really make too many noises" a new voice made itself heard.

"Dai...ki?" Ichigo could recognize this voice even if he was sleeping.

"You truly are a problem magnet, aren't you?" The newly appeared Young man asked his brother.

"You, Who are you? Renji asked, he was already on the defensive.

"Could you please, shut your mouth?... In case you didn't remarque I was talking to my brother"

Said Daiki, politely of course, and with manners to top it off.

"Are you trying to interfere-" Renji was getting annoyed, but he still asked.

He couldn't even end his sentence that, Daiki, using his movement technique appeared at his side.

"I told you to Please. Shut. UP" Daiki said in a low cold and totally different tone, his expression, turned cold, but what really terrified Renji was the killing intent emanating from those words.

'What is with this spiritual pressure?'

Behind the man, he could see a Gigantic western dragon, ready to swallow him whole.

A cold shiver ran down his whole body, as sweat dripped down his face, he couldn't even move.

Renji Abarai was totally tyrannized by this new being.

"I am already holding myself back from... taking harsh actions with what you did to my brother" Daiki patiently explained, looking at Renji in the eyes, followed by Byakuya.

"So, I would like to advise you to not step any further on my toes" he said with a smile looking at Byakuya and Renji with an amiable smile.

"While this does answer the first question, the second rest unanswered" This time, the one to speak was Byakuya, although he was first surprised by the man called Daiki's spiritual power, his appearance does not change anything to his plan.

"Forget what I said, this is not advice, it's a treat, Get the fuck out of here"

As Daiki said, his spiritual Power showed all his splendor, Overbearing is all they could all say about the pressure emitted.

The Ground cracked, and Shock waves radiated with him as the center.

Ishida, Renji, and Rukia couldn't help but take a couple of steps back.

"ack" Ichigo, who was already injured, wounds worsened.

"Ho sorry! I got a little carried away" and as if the previous scene was all just fiction, he returned to his gentlemanly self, apologizing and helping his brother up.

"It seems like I still lack some self-restraint" he said "Now, I am here for him and do not plan on helping Rukia, that's his responsibility, and he will go retrieve her back himself"

He looked at Ichigo while talking, indicating that he was the one he was talking about.

"That's impossible, he won't be left with a shred of spiritual power, let alone Shinigami powers" Byakuya shook his head, he believed that what the man said was an impossible task for Ichigo.

"That's not something you should concern yourself with, you can be on your way" Daiki didn't explain, he just told them to basically go away.

"Very well, but before, I request to hear your name." Byakuya didn't bother himself with that matter anymore, but there was one last thing he wanted to know.

"My name? That's fine, I shall tell you, listen well, my name is Kurosaki Daiki, and I am the brother of the one, who will soon go claim victory over you" Daiki prophesied.

"Once again, such a course of action is impossible from this man, but I shall remember your name"

Talking anymore would be useless and Byakuya knew that much, so he took his leave with Renji and Rukia.

While all of this was happening, Ichigo didn't even have the strength to speak due to how much blood he lose.

Seeing Byakuya and companies already long gone, Daiki looked behind, toward an inconspicuous corner and said "Urahara, I know you are here"

And he was right as the man came out of his hiding spot with a smile.

"My, my, my, Daiki, to tell the truth, I expected you to do much more than just that" Urahara approached with a smile.

"As I told the other one, this is a fight that is not mine to carry out" Daiki repeated "also, this was a necessary step for his growth, but that you already know it right?"

Keeping his Pokerface Hurahara replied "Now, now, you're making me look like a manipulator" he smiled toward the end while giving Daiki another umbrella.

"Let's go, he needs to have his wounds tended or it risks really becoming dangerous" taking the umbrella from his teacher, he urged.

"But, what about you?" He suddenly asked the silent man, who almost got himself forgotten.

Clenching his fists, Ishida felt a feeling, he really hated with all his being, but soon calmed down.

"I am fine, I will also take my leave"

***

Opening his eyes Ichigo found himself with bandages all over his chest area and thigh, looking above, he was met with an unfamiliar ceiling.

"It's a relief to see that you are awake" a familiar voice, Ichigo heard.

"Daiki? what are you- No where is Rukia?" He was first confused as to why his brother was here, but soon remembered what happened and changed his question.

"I let them take her with them" Daiki answered.

"Why? from what I saw, you could have saved her, you could have prevented them from taking her? so why?" Ichigo was confused, indignant but above all else, he felt powerless.

"Yes, it's true that if I really did all I could, saving here would be possible" he took a pause

"But then what?" he asked the substitute Shinigami.

"What?" Ichigo was once again confused.

"Do you know how many being of the same level as the guy that did this to you there are? No, you don't!"

"So let me tell you, according to general knowledge there are 13 divisions/squads, meaning at least 12 others of the same level as the man called Byakuya, and even more of the same level as the one you were struggling with" Daiki educated his ignorant brother.

"Even if I could fend off this one, others would come, do you expect me to do the same every single time? to save your ass again and again?" Daiki asked, still as calm as ever, but that seemed to irk off his brother even more.

"No, that is not what I want! But what else, what am I going to do" Ichigo answered, the feeling of powerlessness even more apparent in his tone.

"That, my brother, is the question you should have first asked" Daiki smiled "Urahara, right here has the solution to your problem"

"Daiki-san, you know, you shouldn't ruin my spectacular entrance like that" Urahara complained while the doors opened for him to enter the room.

"The lines I rehearsed are now useless."

"Sandal-hat?" Ichigo asked.

Not listening to the rest of the conversation, as he already knew what was gonna happen. He took a look at the side gain of his 3 months of training with Urahara and Yoruichi.

He became much stronger, better at controlling his spiritual energy, and also better in hand-to-hand combat.

Not only that he also had an unexpected gain.

'current template' he thought

[Command recognized:

Shadow monarch Asborn's Template: 5%}

And that made me all that much stronger. Also, contrary to his expectation, he didn't gain mana, but his spiritual energy grew, meaning that mana was being equalized to spiritual energy.

'From what the system told me, because of the equalization, I wouldn't get mana but my spiritual energy would acquire the properties of mana and as such I could basically use my spiritual energy as mana to fuel mana-based spells and etc...'

'I think this is the best alternative, I prefer that to have a large number of different energy on my body every time I got another template or something similar'