Not a Mob: Psycho

Figuring they could cover more ground if they entered on opposite sides of Las Noches, Ohta told Ichigo, Renji, Chad, and Uryu to wait around an hour while he took Rukia, Orihime, and Karin around the perimeter of the megalithic structure.
Less than a minute after separating from the other group, Karin asked, "Say, Orihime, since when were you a Shinigami...?" while staring at the voluptuous ginger with a hint of suspicion.
Answering in Orihime's stead, Ohta explained, "I made her into one after she saved my life and helped me save Rukia." Then, before she could ask, he said, "I was willing to make you one as well, but only once you were a bit older. The higher your concentration of Reiryoku, the slower you age in soul form. That's another reason to reclaim your body and seal away your current power. I doubt you want to be caught in the middle of puberty for a hundred years."
"Ugh...yeah, that's a hard pass..." groaned Karin, borrowing a phrase from Ohta. She had only had to endure her period twice, but it was a harrowing experience. The thought of falling behind Yuzu in terms of 'development' also wasn't particularly pleasant, so as long as it didn't require her to give up her current power, she would revert to being human for at least a few years, maybe until she finished college.
Realizing there were still many things she wanted to accomplish in the human world, a grimace marred Karin's face. She and Yuzu planned to become fully-fledged Nurses, working at their family's clinic even after moving out to start their own families. Now that she knew just how 'big' the world beyond her family's clinic was, Karin wasn't sure she could ever be satisfied with such a 'mundane' lifestyle. Not when there was so much more to see and experience...
Though he had no idea what Karin was thinking, Ohta asserted, "You're overthinking things. Only fools think long-term when they don't even have control over their present. Focus on being happy at any given moment. If that proves difficult or impossible, focus on fixing or removing whatever it is that's making you unhappy..."
"I know what would make me happy..." contended Karin, staring at Ohta with half-lidded eyes as she added, "But I also know that's not an option right now..."
"You've got that right..." replied Ohta, meeting the petite Arrancar's gaze with half-lidded eyes of his own. She had become increasingly aware of her feminity during their training, and, thanks to her dumbass of a father, an otherwise ordinary crush became the seed of precociousness. It was perfectly normal for elementary and middle schoolers to have crushes on boys older than them, but because Isshin gave her 'permission,' Karin had expectations outside the norm, exacerbated by her induction into a world that defied general conventions and common sense...
Keying in on the 'tension' between Ohta and Karin, Rukia raised her brows before adopting a serious expression as she said, "You're much too young to have that sort of relationship with Ohta-kun, Karin-san. I could permit it once you reach your third year in Middle School, but not a day sooner..."
Blinking in surprise, Karin shifted her attention to Rukia, asking, "What do you mean you'd permit it? You allow other girls to be in a relationship with Ohta-kun...?"
Directing her gaze toward Orihime near the end of her query, realization struck Karin like a hammer to her head. At least, that's what she thought had happened. In reality, Ohta gave her a firm karate chop, stating, "This isn't a conversation that's going to happen right now..."
Turning to Rukia, Ohta made no effort to hide his displeasure as he said, "You crossed the line on this one, Rukia. I was fine with making Karin my protege, but now you've planted a dangerous seed in her mind that won't go away unless I crush it willfully..."
Realizing she had overstepped her bounds, Rukia hung her head, offering a faint, "It was never my intention to make things more difficult for you..."
Plopping his hand down upon the petite Shinigami's head, Ohta remarked, "Woman, if I didn't adore you, I'd have given your perky ass the boot the moment you started spouting crazy shit like having me 'gain experience.' Just let me decide when, how, and who I gain that experience with...I 'do not' need you scouting, much less grooming future lovers for me. I might be a monster, but I'm not a degenerate..."
Returning his gaze to Karin, Ohta firmly asserted, "I have no intention of entering a committed relationship with anyone but Rukia. If you overstep your bounds and attempt to force me to overstep mine, don't doubt for a moment that I won't cut ties with you..."
Though she furrowed her brows deeply, Karin didn't hesitate to respond, "I understand..." in an affirming tone. However, while she knew she didn't stand a chance in the present, she wouldn't give up. Not after what Rukia had just said...
Seeing the resolution in Karin's eyes, Ohta's frown deepened as he turned his gaze to the front. He knew the person most responsible for this series of events was Isshin, so while he was more than a little annoyed by Rukia and Karin alike, he didn't blame them. The former simply wanted him to be happy, and the latter was at an age where even normal kids were prone to delusions. Karin 'knew' she was special, and the more that sentiment was reinforced, the more disconnected she would become from conventional standards and reasoning. After all, there weren't exactly an excess of 11-12-year-olds that could fly around and fire off nukes at will...
("Looks like I need to give Isshin a piece of my mind once we return...") thought Ohta. At the same time, he increased the speed of his psychic construct, feeling a sudden urge to reclaim Karin's body and expedite her return to 'normality' before things became even more convoluted...
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After reaching the opposite side of Las Noches, using the imprints he had placed in Ichigo and the others as a point of reference, Ohta drilled a hole through its incredibly thick walls before leading the way in on foot. Inside, they found themselves in a seemingly well-lit corridor lined with torches, but if you looked up, the ceiling was so far away it was completely cast in shadow.
"From this point on, the three of you must remain together at all times; is that clear?" asked Ohta.
Representing the group as its de facto leader, Rukia answered, "We'll do our best to stay out of your way. However, unless a powerful enemy like an Espada appears, you should let us deal with them. Orihime and I need the experience, and Karin clearly needs to acclimate to her powers as an Arrancar..."
Punching her right fist into the palm of her left hand, producing a tiny shockwave, Karin exclaimed, "Right on! These assholes kidnapped me because I was weak. Now that I'm strong, they deserve to experience what it feels like to be helpless...!"
Noticing Karin's vest open to a dangerous degree when affected by the shockwave she produced, Ohta promptly removed his cloak, throwing it over her head as he said, "Put that on. Also, unless you have no choice, you should avoid killing anyone in your current state. I'll let you fight, but if I determine that things are getting out of hand, I'm pulling you out and grounding your ass. Understood?"
While donning Ohta's cloak with a smile, Karin half-heartedly responded, "Whatever you say, boss man. So long as I get a kick on that creepy emo bastard that abducted me, I'm fine with protecting Orihime and cheering from the sidelines."
Though it was a little awkward hearing Karin state she would protect her, Orihime pumped her fists and said, "Let's do our best to provide the best support, Karin-chan~!"
Raising her gaze to stare at Orihime's breasts, noticeably even with the cloak she wore, Karin clicked her tongue and repeated, "Whatever you say..." before averting her gaze to scan their surroundings. Her spiritual sense was unrefined, but her instinct and other senses had been amped far beyond their natural limit, compelling her to remark, "I think someone is watching us..."
"More than one..." affirmed Ohta, raising his gaze to the darkness above and peering into it without issue. There were hundreds of large, beetle-like Hollow 'slumbering' on the walls, but what caught his attention was the complex network of tracks resembling a miniaturized railway on the ceiling. He had seen similar setups in the factories of his previous life, but this particular setup seemed to be for surveillance as there were hemispherical devices resembling security cameras...
("The technology here is pretty advanced...") noted Ohta. ("An advanced monitoring system, and I'm assuming these beetles function similarly to maintenance drones or some kind of automated defense...")
Though he was tempted to extend his hand and trash the entire system, the circumference of Las Noches' outer wall was approximately 500km. It would take significant time and energy if he wanted to do any meaningful damage to it, especially if the slumbering, beetle-like Hollows really were maintenance drones. Considering the almost incomprehensible size of Las Noches, it made the most sense...
"What are you looking at...?" asked Karin, unable to sense the slumbering Hollows. Instead, what she felt was the figure wearing a skull-like Hollow mask, standing motionlessly atop a support beam that ran about halfway up the inordinately tall wall. Similar figures stood on every other support beam, functionally identical in terms of height, appearance, and Reiryoku.
Instead of responding to Karin's words, Ohta asked, "You assholes going to come down and say hi, or should I be the one to greet you...?"
In response to Ohta's words, an Arrancar with a bull-like mask appeared around a hundred meters away, his body garbed in a long-sleeve jacket with a high collar, a soot-black sash, white hakama, and black gloves. As for his Zanpakuto, it had a pale blue, practically white hilt, a rectangular tsuba, and an inordinately straight sheathe that matched the color of his grip.
Standing with his hands behind his back, the bull-masked Arrancar introduced himself, declaring, "I am Arrancar #61, Rudbornn Chelute of the Exequias. The place you have infringed upon is near the domain of Lord Barragan, the Segunda Espada. Lord Aizen advises that you leave and resume your conquest elsewhere..."
"Sure," replied Ohta. "Just tell me where the Primera and Cuatro Espadas live, and I'll be on my way..."
"Lord Ulquiorra's palace can be found near the southern gate, opposite your current location," replied Rudbornn. "As for Lord Starrk, he does not have a palace of his own but guards the entrance to Lord Aizen's..."
"Then I'm guessing that Harribel chick can be found in the East...?" asked Ohta, assuming the most powerful Espada guarded the cardinal directions while the weaker ones defended the intermediates.
"That is correct," replied Rudbornn, adding, "However, I would advise you to remember Lord Aizen's warning. If you attempt to eliminate-"
"I'm going to 'advise' you to shut the fuck up," interjected Ohta. "I didn't come here to play your Master's game. Once I'm finished with Ulquiorra, that gunslinging bastard will pay for what he did back in Karakura Town. Now, piss off before I fuse every single one of you into a sphere the size of a grapefruit, perfect for shoving up your Master's ass."
".."
Though he had been ordered not to engage Ohta, Rudbornn's body trembled with silent fury as he suppressed the urge to unsheathe his Zanpakuto. He was among the most loyal of Aizen's subordinates, so he couldn't stand hearing Ohta badmouth him. Fortunately for him, his loyalty also meant he wouldn't dare disobey Aizen's orders, so after a very tense silence, he abruptly disappeared along with the entire group of identical, skull-masked Arrancar...
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(A/N: Could this be the start of Ohta's speedrun...?)

"What the heck? How did we end up outside...?" asked Karin, staring wide-eyed at the blue, cloud-filled sky overhead.
"This isn't outside," replied Ohta. "It's the interior dome of Las Noches..."
Though he was just as surprised as Karin, Rukia, and Orihime, Ohta was a lot calmer than the trio as he scanned the vast stretch of desert in front of him, dotted with slanted red pillars more than a kilometer tall and slightly shorter white towers that were predominately cylindrical but sloped near the base. Ohta didn't know their exact height, but he approximated them to be at least 700m tall and well over a kilometer in diameter. Since there were windows interspaced throughout the structure, particularly near the top, he presumed them to be residences of some kind.
"How is building something like this even possible...?" asked Karin, unable to imagine what kind of technology would be required to construct such a colossal dome.
"Who knows?" asked Ohta, producing a platform of psychic energy before stepping onto it, compelling everyone else to do the same. The place they had exited from had them standing on a landing that appeared to encircle the entirety of Las Noches' interior outer wall, placing them at least 300m from the desert sands below.
Before Ohta could pick which direction to fly in, Rukia said, "If the Cuatro Espada is on the opposite side of Las Noches, that's where Ichigo, Renji, Chad, and Uryu are. We should leave him to them and focus on searching the palace of another Espada."
"Any preferences...?" asked Ohta, curious to hear what Rukia had to say. The only Espada he had a 'vendetta' against was Starrk, but it probably wasn't the smartest idea to charge into Aizen's palace to attack him. Not because he feared either of the two but because their battle would likely cause the dome of Las Noches to collapse...
Sporting a serious look, Rukia replied, "If we think about what's meant to happen after our return, we should try to eliminate as many powerful foes as possible. The Secunda Espada, Barragan, shares the name of Hueco Mundo's King. Assuming they're the same entity, defeating him before he can invade the human world could save many lives..."
"Someone's trying to redeem themselves..." teased Ohta, placing his hand on Rukia's head as he added, "I would 'love' to kill the so-called God-King of Hueco Mundo..."
As Barragan had purportedly been around since the formation of Hueco Mundo more than a million years ago, his existence and powers were well documented. Yourichi had warned Ohta to be wary but never told him not to fight the incredibly ancient entity. As far as he was concerned, that was the same as encouraging him to do so...
Shifting his attention to a massive, pure white palace complex visible on the horizon, meaning it was between 20-30km away, Ohta concluded that the interior of Las Noches was even bigger than the outside. However, as that was a common theme among the study chambers created by Kisuke, that wasn't particularly surprising. Spatial compression, as futuristic as it sounded, was regarded as a very old technology within the Soul Society, nearly dating back to its creation.
"If that bull mask was telling the truth, I assume that big ass palace over there is Barragan's," remarked Ohta.
"That would make sense..." replied Rukia, feeling a little embarrassed as Karin and Orihime stared at her with 'longing' as Ohta continued to caress her head. Fortunately, Ohta soon retracted his hand, rising into the air as he said, "I want to try something..."
Before the trio could question him, Ohta formed a rectangular prism-shaped barrier around Rukia, Orihime, and Karin as he slapped his palms together, shouting, "Bankai! Kuroinu-no-Anpu, Souten-no-Seigyo...!"
Brandishing his bandage-wrapped Bankai, Ohta gripped it with both hands before drawing a wide arc with the end resembling a khopesh. As he did so, a large crimson blade of energy was unleashed from the edge, its size exceeding fifty meters and its velocity exceeding Mach 3. This wasn't particularly fast considering the base speed of a flawless Shunpo was close to Mach 20, but that would change quickly as, each time Ohta received the rebounding crescent of energy, its speed, range, and overall destructive power effectively doubled.
Though the initial energy crescent only extended 300m, the second and third reached 600 and 1200m. Every subsequent crescent flew twice the distance in the same amount of time, so unless Ohta was interrupted, he simply needed to establish and maintain the same rhythm to receive and unleash each succeeding energy crescent.
By the time Ohta reached the eighth iteration of the energy crescent, its size had only grown to around 300m, but its speed had exceeded Mach 384. The energy within also caused space to warp as it traveled, ripping up sand from the ground and causing a violent sandstorm as it inevitably impacted Barragan's palace, producing a tremendous explosion that left the entire structure obscured by a cloud of sand and dust.
"..." x3 (Rukia, Orihime, Karin)
As his blade failed to return to him, Ohta clicked his tongue and mused, "Damn, I should have aimed up and gone for a ninth resonance. Well, you live, you learn..."
Brandishing his spear a second time, Ohta was planning to start the cycle anew when a magenta-colored beam of destructive light tore through the devastation he had wrought, impacting his psychic barrier. However, while the power within the presumed Cero was tremendous, it ultimately curved away from him, visibly veering as he unleashed the first crescent.
"You ant...!" screamed a deep, raspy voice that seemed to echo from every direction as what could best be described as a Lich tore through the sandstorm with a large, double-sided black ax in his hand. His body was garbed in billowing purple robes with a collar of abyssal black flames, but his most notable features were his skeletal visage, the golden, jewel-encrusted crown denoting his status as a King, the conspicuous, eye-shaped pendant around his neck, the bracelets around his wrists, and the many jeweled rings adorning his bony fingers.
With every instinct he possessed telling him to dodge, Ohta practically teleported out of the way as the monster he presumed to be Barragan cut through every layer of his psychic barrier as if it didn't exist, his oversized black ax leaving behind an eerie black trail that instantaneously decayed anything it touched, even the Reishi in the air.
"You dare launch a sneak attack on my palace...!?" shouted the lich-like entity, exuding a purplish-black aura from his body that reminded Ohta of his Kusho but more gaseous.
Spreading his arms wide, Ohta sported a toothy grin as he replied, "I dare, bitch...!" before cackling as Barragan surged toward him at a comparable but slightly inferior speed.
After realizing he might have jumped the gun a bit, Ohta intended to draw Barragan as far away from Rukia and the rest as he could. Fortunately, the barrier he created prevented their Reiatsu from leaking out, so the furious God-King hadn't detected them.
To preserve Barragan's focus on him, Ohta unleashed an energy crescent toward the enraged lich, shouting, "Eat shit...!" as he did so. He wasn't too surprised when Barragan didn't even attempt to dodge, barreling through the crimson energy crescent and causing it to scatter into motes of pitch-black energy. However, every hair on his body stood erect when the lich-like Arrancar opened his mouth, condensing a twisting mass of magenta-colored energy that abruptly became pitch-black as he fired it.
Dodging the near-instantaneous attack, Ohta's pupils contracted as he saw the black beam sweep through and impact the sands below. Instead of exploding, the eerie black beam caused the pure white sands to ignite, black flames spreading hundreds of meters per second until a section of desert more than twenty kilometers in diameter had become an abyss of death. In the process, every slanted red pillar and cylindrical tower in the vicinity was destroyed, swallowed up, and seemingly disintegrated by the abyssal black flames...
"Now you've done it..." said Barragan, turning toward Ohta and adding, "You will pay for this slight..." as if he were the one that had just destroyed a large section of the self-titled God-King's domain.
"Yeah, no..." replied Ohta, allowing his spear to float behind him as he brought his hands together, surprising Barragan by closing his eyes as he said, "I am immovable..."
In response to Ohta's words, his Kusho state was immediately activated. However, instead of forming a 3m sphere around his body, it was closer to ten as he added, "All things revolve around me..."
"Hmmm...?"
Though he had heard the reports of Ohta's power, Barragan's skeletal visage appeared particularly grim as he watched his Senescence Flames be drawn toward and seemingly devoured by the energy surrounding the former's body. Said flames could age whatever they touched, even Reishi, at extreme speeds. Even timeless beings like Hollows, which had no fixed lifespan, would be reduced to dust within seconds by his unique Aspect of Death, the power that had allowed him to reign as God-King of Hueco Mundo for more than a million years.
"You truly are a monster..." remarked Barragan, raising his ax overhead as he added, "However, I know the weakness of that technique! You cannot see or sense anything beyond the field that surrounds your body! Now, all I need to do is wait for you to run out of energy before your life is mine to collect...!"
As if in response to Barragan's words, Ohta slowly opened his eyes, the inverted crimson triangles that had replaced his pupils exuding an intense glow as he said, "Nothing escapes my pull..."
Opening his palms, Ohta revealed the usual sphere of black energy, but this time there was no discernible effect on his surroundings. Instead, the only thing drawn toward him was Barragan, startling the lich-like entity as he was abruptly pulled off balance and nearly drawn into the destructive sphere around Ohta's body instantly. He managed to recover and create a significant distance between them using several consecutive Sonido, but no matter how far he moved, he felt the pull on his body growing stronger.
"What...what is this...!?" groaned Barragan, the strain eventually causing his bones to creak as the robes on his body were gradually torn from his skeleton, revealing a fleshless rib cage, within which sat an abyssal black sphere.
"You dare...!?" screamed Barragan, attempting to use Sonido but failing to move more than a few meters. In response, he tried to condense another magenta-colored Cero within his skeletal maw, but the energy dispersed faster than he could gather it. Ohta had locked on to his specific Reiryoku, not his physical body, so Barragan felt like the marrow was being drained from his bones as he was invariably drawn closer to the destructive black sphere.
"I...WILL...NEVER...DIE!!!" screamed Barragan, charging 'toward' Ohta at the last moment, brandishing his ax with meteoric force to cut through the black sphere and execute the 'upstart' within. His ax was a condensation of his power, so it managed to hold up for several seconds as black, red-tinged lightning emanated from the impact, creating several prominent cracks within the destructive sphere. Unfortunately, while his ax was able to achieve a temporary stalemate with the sphere, he was unable to resist its immense gravitational pull, ultimately resulting in him clinging to his ax as his body was dragged feet first toward oblivion.
"I...I yield...!!!" screamed Barragan, fear overtaking him as his fingers slid along the embedded ax's handle. However, as Ohta was still senseless, the King's cries fell on deaf ears. Thus, after more than a million years of existence, Barragan, the self-titled Lord of Death, God-King of Hueco Mundo, ceased to be, leaving behind a crown and several pieces of gold jewelry, and a double-sided ax that ultimately rebounded away from the sphere and even survived the sea of Senescence Flames burning below...
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(A/N: O_O...)

After moving everyone to a reasonably safe location, Ohta gave Karin a flick on her bone forehead protector, surprising her as she actually felt a sharp pain.
"Ow! What was that for...!?" shouted Karin, staring at Ohta with a pout as she rubbed her forehead or, at the very least, tried to. The bone mask representing her Hollowfication prevented her from massaging the area directly, so she promptly gave up.
"Karin-chan...is that you?" asked Orihime, recognizing Ichigo's little sister at a glance but refusing to believe her eyes as it indicated Karin had been killed or had her soul extracted from her body...
"Oh, hey, Orihime," replied Karin, raising her hand as if nothing was out of the ordinary while looking around at the surprisingly large group of people accompanying Ohta, presumably to come to her rescue. Her eyes lingered on Rukia for a bit, but she didn't say anything and simply smiled. It wasn't by much, but she was taller than the 144cm woman, and her breasts were markedly larger. Not 'large,' but big enough.
"Did all of you come here to rescue me...?" asked Karin, already knowing the answer but still feeling compelled to ask.
Before anyone could respond, Karin shrugged her shoulders and added, "Well, as you can see, I'm perfectly fine. I'm not human anymore, but the same can be said for everyone here."
"What are you saying, Karin!?" exclaimed Ichigo, staring at his younger sister in disbelief as he shouted, "You've been turned into a Hollow! How can you be so calm...!?"
Digging into her left ear with her pinky, Karin rolled her eyes, sporting an annoyed look as she contended, "You and that big guy in the back also have Hollow powers. Or what, are you mad because you're not the only one who's special? Well, tough luck. This is the new me. I'm never going back to being weak, defenseless, and scared all the time."
Punctuating her words, Karin grabbed Ohta's arm, asserting, "I'm going to live and train with Ohta from now on. You and Tou-san couldn't protect us, so I might bring Yu-"
Before Karin could say anything else, Ohta plopped his hand atop her head, ruffling her surprisingly cold hair with a bit of force as he said, "Don't think your newfound power allows you to say or do whatever you want, boku. That Aizen cunt clearly messed with your common sense, so remain calm and choose your words carefully. You're someone who cares about their family and was willing to endure extreme hardships to become strong enough to protect them. Your brother is the same, so don't criticize him for being too weak at sixteen to overpower enemies that have sucked air for hundreds or thousands of years..."
Retracting his hand from Karin's head, Ohta added, "Besides, just look at you. In your current state, you wouldn't be able to return and reside in the human world for an extended period due to the lack of Reishi. I doubt you want to devour human souls to live, so we need to recover your body and find a way to seal your Hollow powers. Then you can work to master them like your brother..."
As she had conditioned herself to listen to Ohta during her training, Karin hung her head and reflected on his words. The thought of devouring the souls of humans didn't bother her, but she knew it 'should.' She also knew Ohta would hate or regard her as a monster if she acted like one, so even though she felt no attachment toward Ichigo and her father, the two who had 'betrayed' her, Karin knew she should at least pretend to get along with them. As for her twin sister, Yuzu, she was still determined to protect her with her life...
"You're right..." conceded Karin, staring down at her body and the palms of her hands as she added, "I'm...not myself right now..."
Raising her head, Karin forced a smile as she looked at Ichigo, adding, "Sorry, Ichi-nii...I know you're doing your best..."
Feeling relieved now that Karin was back to 'normal,' or at least getting there, Ichigo exhaled a sigh, adopting a far more heartfelt smile as he replied, "And I'm sorry for keeping secrets and not being there when you needed me the most. Once we return to the human world, let's sit down and have a long talk with dad and Yuzu, okay?"
Nodding her head, Karin's smile broadened as she replied, "I'd like that," in a sincere-sounding tone. However, while Ichigo was easily convinced, everyone else had the distinct impression something was 'off.'
("Looks like we have a little psychopath on our hands...") thought Ohta, recognizing many of his qualities in the current Karin. His 'condition' had improved since his reincarnation, but his opportunistic nature was a side-effect of a much darker period in his life. A time when he would have done just about anything to get his revenge...
Ruffling Karin's hair a second time, this time much less forcibly, Ohta said, "That's better. Now, explain to us what happened. If that's too much right now, settle for telling us where your physical body is."
Shrugging her shoulders, Karin replied, "I have no clue, but that Aizen guy told me to tell you it's being kept in the palace of something called an Espada. He also said the order to preserve it would only last thirty-one hours, so if I want to regain my humanity, you should stay away from his throne room and give him a good show."
Though his expression didn't change from a relaxed smile, Ohta internally growled, ("I seriously fucking hate scheming bastards...")
"Anything else...?" asked Ohta.
"Three things," replied Karin, holding up three fingers as she revealed, "He said there are three rules you must obey if you enter Las Noches. First, he said my body isn't being held by the Primera, Secundo, or Tres Espada, so you're not supposed to attack them. Secondly, the other Espada have all been told to remain in their palaces and are prohibited from leaving unless you attack them directly. Lastly..."
Looking directly at Ohta, Karin said, "He said that if you choose to ignore his rules and attack the Primera, Secundo, or Tres Espadas, you shouldn't kill more than one of them as it would ruin the balance between the three realms."
"Of course, it would..." replied Ohta, rolling his eyes so forcefully it hurt. Yoruichi had given him a similar warning in her texts, but he told her he would slaughter each of them if push came to shove. After all, it was far better to kill them and deal with the consequences later than allow them to be weaponized by Aizen...
"Then that settles it," said Ichigo. "We can't leave without Karin's body, so we stick together and find out which of these Espada bastards is keeping it. After that..."
Looking at Ohta, Ichigo furrowed his brows as he asked, "Can I ask you to ensure she gets to safety? You're the only one that can move freely in this place. If the enemy tries to pursue us, I'll defend the rear with my life..."
"Did you forget what comes after this?" asked Ohta. "Alongside me, you're one of the 'weapons' meant to counteract Aizen's Zanpakuto. The thirty-one-hour timeframe coincides with the timeline of the final battle, so if we can't find Karin's body within twenty-four hours, we'll need to leave it and find a way to return..."
"What are you&ndash;we can't do that!" shouted Ichigo. However, before he could say another word, Ohta silenced him by drawing his lips together with psychic energy, stating, "Calm down. If we can't recover her body, that bastard Kisuke can supply her a Gigai no different from a normal human. If Aizen slaughters us and succeeds in supplanting the Soul King as literal God, do you think recovering her body will have any meaning...?"
"..."
Though he initially panicked when Ohta zipped his lips, Ichigo had calmed down by the time the former was finished speaking. He didn't like it, but it was true that if they couldn't defeat Aizen, it wouldn't matter if Karin was a Hollow or a human. They would all be dead...
Not really helping the situation, at least from Ichigo's perspective, Karin shrugged her shoulders and said, "If I can acquire a new body once we return, we might as well just leave. This place isn't nearly as creepy as it was, but I'd rather not stay here if I don't have to."
"As reasonable as that is, I'm going to have to disagree," declared Ohta, crossing his arms and asserting, "I might have come here to rescue you, but I also came to beat the asses of the people who kidnapped you. The rest of you can return, but I'm not leaving until I paint these sands with at least one of the top three Espada..."
"If you're staying, I'm staying," declared Rukia, prompting Orihime to add, "And if the two of you are staying, I 'have' to stay~!" in a forcefully bubbly tone.
"Yeah, there's no way I'm leaving my little sister's body in the hands of these monsters," appended Ichigo, meeting Ohta's gaze as he affirmed, "Twenty-four hours..."
Nodding his head, Ohta repeated, "Twenty-four hours..." before pulling out his phone and setting the alarm. He knew he wouldn't get any signal in a place like Hueco Mundo, but he had brought it with him, just in case.
Waiting until Ohta had returned his phone to his pocket, Karin said, "I'm fine with sticking around for a while longer, but if we're going to split up into groups, I'm going with you. I want to show you how useful I am, and if we meet that asshole who abducted me, I want to give him at least one good kick before you tear him apart slowly."
Not expecting to hear such 'violent' words from his little sister, Ichigo muttered, "Karin..." in a faint tone. Inversely, Ohta had to suppress a smile as he ruffled the feisty lass's head and said, "Of course. Just remember to back away when I tell you to and make sure to guard Orihime. If you can't do that, you can follow your brother."
Before Karin could respond, Ichigo asked, "Wait, are we actually splitting up? Wouldn't it make more sense for us to stick together...?"
"We can cover more ground if we split up," contended Rukia. "Also, in case you've forgotten, Ohta's power isn't very friendly to his allies. If there are too many of us around, he won't be able to protect and attack effectively."
"Yeah, I get that..." replied Ichigo, scratching the back of his head as he looked around at the rest of the group with an awkward look. He was fine with splitting up, but he could tell at a glance how the groups would be broken down. Chad, Uryu, and Renji had gotten much stronger, but Ichigo didn't think they could survive without his or Ohta's protection. However, if they were with him, he also couldn't go all out due to the instabilities of his Hollowfication...
"Chad, Uryu, Renji...I think the three of you-"
Before Ichigo could finish speaking, Chad materialized his red and black gauntlet, throwing a powerful punch that sent the ginger Shinigami flying. At the same time, as if they had coordinated things in advance, Uryu lept into the air, forcing Ichigo to evade a rain of arrows while Renji activated his Bankai, manifesting a giant red-maned snake whose body was formed of interconnected bones. He also gained a furry mantle and pauldron with a baboon's skull affixed to it, but the most notable thing about his Bankai was how much it screamed 'overcompensation'...
With the trio refusing to let up even after he screamed at them multiple times to cut it out, Ichigo was eventually forced to release his own Bankai to escape the pressure. Once he had, the trio immediately ceased their assault, Chad representing the group by asking, "Still think we're weak...?"
Retorting from the side, Karin, standing with her arms crossed, said, "Ichi-nii can be really full of himself. He thinks he-"
Though he didn't say anything, Ohta interrupted Karin's grousing with a light chop to her head. He had similar thoughts about her brother's hero complex, but there was a time and a place for everything...
...
..
.
(A/N: My psychotic kouhai can't be this cute...also, daily reminder that Not a Mob: Psycho is NOT a harem novel.)

Chapter 80: Entry