Wassup?

The room grew tense at this revelation. They not only had to face off against Aizen and his vast forces, but also had the additional burden of safeguarding these pillars. Shinji, however, broke the tense atmosphere with a dry chuckle. "Still better than protecting a bunch of civilians and real buildings."

Just as they were absorbing this new information, an abrupt spike of Spiritual Pressure washed over them. Turning to the source of the palpable tension, they found Kai, casually perched on a chair in the shadowy corner of the room.

"Wassup?" he said, his eyes lazily resting on the projected image of Yamamoto. Then his gaze roved across the gathered faces, a mischievous smirk on his lips. "Leave my town in two hours if you don't want to stay locked in for the next few months."

Urahara was the first to question him, his brows furrowing. "What do you mean by that, Kurogami-san?"

Kai merely leaned back in his chair, fixing Urahara with an almost bored gaze. "Like I said before, this is my town. I will replace it with a mirror version of it, so you don't have to worry about its safety. There are also no pillars to protect. The city and people will be inside of my Bankai. You can fight as much as you want."

A moment of stunned silence greeted his announcement. Yamamoto was the first to recover, his stern gaze settling on the young Shinigami. "How certain are you?" he asked, his words punctuated by the seriousness of the situation.

Kai met the Captain-Commander's gaze with his own, a confident spark in his eyes. "I wouldn't care less if it were anywhere else, but when it comes to my town, be sure that I wouldn't even leave a 1% risk."

As the last of the non-civilians trickled out of the town, only Urahara and a few others lingered just outside its boundary. Floating above Karakura Town was Kai, his arms extended in a welcoming gesture. Around him, a massive translucent bubble materialized, slowly expanding under the powerful flow of his spiritual energy. In a matter of minutes, the bubble had engulfed the entire town. And then, with a subtle ripple in the air, it vanished.

Beside Urahara, Ikkaku Madarame squinted at the once-again familiar landscape, a frown tugging at his features. He turned to Urahara, scratching his head, "Is it done?"

Urahara, eyes reflecting an unusual spark of intrigue, simply nodded, "It is done, alright." The pseudo-town lay before them, a perfect mirror image of the original. But it was just that - an imitation, a reflection. Urahara couldn't suppress the curiosity that itched at the back of his mind. Kai's powers were fascinating, to say the least. The man had single-handedly duplicated an entire town, an unparalleled feat of spiritual manipulation.

Landing next to Urahara with a light step that stirred the dust around their feet, Kai turned his dark eyes towards the hat-wearing genius. "Is the gate ready?" He asked, his voice a low, effortless rumble that managed to carry in the night air.

Urahara simply nodded, a curt movement that was more a slight dip of the head. "Ready whenever you are," he confirmed, the faintest ghost of a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. Even in this intense situation, it was impossible for the eccentric shop owner to completely suppress his cheerful demeanor.

Following the path of Urahara's gaze, Kai turned to regard the spiky-haired teenager. "Who is coming with you, Kurosaki?" He questioned, his tone casual despite the undercurrent of gravity threading through his words.

A pause hovered in the air, tense and pregnant with the impending decision. After a moment, Ichigo pointed at the tall, broad-shouldered figure of Sado and the bespectacled, solemn-faced Uryuu who stood next to him. The unspoken proclamation hung in the air, a silent testament to their unyielding resolve.

Kai offered them a brief nod, his expression unreadable. "Alright," he accepted, his gaze lingering on Ichigo a moment longer. "It would be fine if you didn't come at all, but Aizen took your sisters. I cannot stop you from coming."

Ichigo didn't respond verbally, his silence a heavy shroud that belied the storm raging beneath his calm exterior. Instead, it was Sado who voiced a question that held no ill-will, only the echo of innocent curiosity. "Kai-san, why are you coming? When Rukia was taken, you refused to go although you helped me and Ichigo to become stronger."

A low sigh slipped past Kai's lips, a ghost of a breeze in the tense silence. "At the time, I didn't want Soul Society or Aizen to notice me," he admitted. "Now, everyone knows all the players, so there's no need for hiding. I would have wanted to go to Soul Society as well, but it was too risky. Now, the fight is in my home, I cannot run."

His words echoed in the silent night, a quiet testament to his resolve. Despite his usual lazy demeanor, there was a spark in his eyes that revealed his underlying determination. After all, as much as he avoided trouble, he never shied away when it was truly necessary.

Despite the uncanny resemblance of the replicated town above, the underground training area beneath Urahara's shop remained unaltered. The comforting familiarity of the earthen surroundings was a stark contrast to the mirrored world above. It was here, amidst the damp earth and old stones, that the small group assembled, their faces etched with grim determination. Tessai Tsukabishi, Urahara's burly assistant, had embedded a wooden pillar between two large rocks on either side, creating a sturdy, parallel framework.

"Where are Rukia-san and others?" Uryuu queried, his glasses reflecting the dim lighting of the underground space. He stood under the wooden pillars, his somber gaze flitting across the faces around him.

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