Synopsis: As he observes the mysterious creature from behind, Isshin muses about how weird it is to see a black Hollow. The creature turns to face him and slowly opens it's mouth, and lets out a loud howl as it's power rises substantially. Isshin observes that it's black all over and it's hole has been filled in with something, but it's definitely a Hollow. The Hollow rushes towards Isshin, who swipes his sword out in return.
From afar, Aizen, Gin, and Tosen watch the fight. Gin is surprised to see Isshin there, and Tosen says they received no word of his deployment. Gin surmises that he must have gone on his own, so this won't end well. Aizen disagrees though and thinks this is an added bonus, and asks if there's any way they can see this from up close.
Inside her room, Masaki senses an amazing reiatsu on the move, a Hollow and something else. She starts to rush out to look into it, but is stopped by Ryuken who says there's no need for her to go. He reminds her that the Quincy don't head out until after a Soul Reaper dies, and even then, Katagiri (the maid from before) and the other 'mischlinge (German for mixed-bloods) will take care of it. He implores her to consider her position, and says her top priority now is to stay out of harms way. He insists that they of the 'reinbluetig' or 'Pure-Blooded' class aren't meant to shed their blood over such petty matters, but Masaki continues to argue.
In the fight, Isshin is pushed back, saying that he's being pressured into doing nothing but defending from the Hollows attacks. The Hollow rushes in again and stabs at him, but Isshin manages to block it with his zanpaku-to. Isshin finds it odd that though his foe is clearly a Hollow, this feels just like crossing blades with a fellow Soul Reaper. He curses how tough his opponent is, when suddenly his name is called out from behind. Another Soul Reaper is running to him asking what he's doing in the area under Division Thirteen's jurisdiction, and ISshin is surprised he's been pushed back that far already. The Hollow suddenly dashes away from Isshin and heads for the other Soul Reaper instead, developing a Cero between it's horns. Isshin yells for the Soul Reaper to run, as the Cero is fired.
Masaki and Ryuken both sense the surge in power, and Masaki uses the distraction to run away despite Ryuken's attempts to stop her. Masaki stops long enough to tell Ryuken she respects him, and how considerate he is of his mother and the the future of the Quincy, but she doesn't belong to him. Taking care of herself means not running or avoiding something she has the power to stop, and says that if she let a life be lost because she stood by just because it was protocal, she'd never be able to look herself in the mirror again. Masaki leaves, and Ryuken uses his cell phone to contact Katagiri, telling her to prepare the Reishi (Spirit Particle) armor, he's heading out.
Isshin is shocked that the Hollow used a Cero as only Menos are supposed to be able to use those. He rushes in to attack again, and as they clash, Isshin talks to the Hollow, asking who's behind it's appearance, as such a strong beast couldn't hide without help. It doesn't answer, and Isshin says that's fine with him - whether it answers him or not, he's about to turn it into a barbeque. Isshin releases his shikai by saying 'Burn, Engetsu', and a large amount of flame wraps around his blade. Out of nowhere however, a large cut appears in Isshin's shoulder, and he falls to the ground wondering what just happened. Behind him, three black-cloaked figures float in the air, one holding a sword that is revealed to be Aizen.
Thoughts: Not surprised that Aizen is wanting to see the fight from up close - though I am a little surprised to see him wanting to interfere in it. The entire fight is going to be an experiment for him I'm sure, so I don't know why he would attack and 'help out' his creation.
Masaki continues to show her sweet side too, and a bit of a heroic one, as she refuses to let anyone - even a Soul Reaper - die if she can help it. It's looking like she's definitely not going to fit in well with the rest of the Ishida clan, so it's going to be interesting to see the gap widen between her and them as she ends up with Isshin.
I had completely forgotten that Cero is something that only the Menos are supposed to be able to do. It's easy to forget that this is possibly the first Arrancar we're looking at here - it'd make sense in a way - so that we shouldn't really be knowing about how that all works despite the fact that we do.
Overall, another really good chapter, with some more world building as we continue to finally flesh out Isshin's back story. I hope this keeps up well through him and Masaki getting together, as I'd love to see some cute moments between the two.
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