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"Four thousand seven hundred Cero shots… and three talismans with unknown effects!?"
Kirinji Tenjirō's expression turned serious.
He realized he had underestimated his opponent.
Just one subordinate of this man had combat strength on par with a Captain's Bankai—on the level of Kyōraku Shunsui, no less.
If that was the power of just one follower… then Nanaya, the King of Hueco Mundo, might truly be far beyond anything he had imagined.
These thoughts ran through Kirinji's mind, but instead of showing concern, his grin only grew wider, wilder. He raised his right hand toward the sky and declared without hesitation:
"Human, I admit your strength is impressive… but do you really think one subordinate can kill me!?"
"Bakudō #81: Splitting Void!"
An invisible barrier appeared high above. A second later, it was struck by thousands of blazing Cero blasts.
BOOM!!!
The deafening roar shook the air. Under the relentless bombardment, cracks spider-webbed across the Splitting Void barrier—it looked ready to shatter at any moment.
The Shinigami watching from below gasped. Their eyes widened at Starrk.
During the battle over Karakura Town, only vice-captains and above had been strong enough to participate—ordinary Shinigami weren't even allowed near. This was the first time many of them had ever seen a Vasto Lorde-class Menos Grande in action.
It was terrifying.
And when they remembered… this terrifying man was merely Nanaya's subordinate, a chill ran down their spines. How powerful must Nanaya himself be?
"I knew it," Kyōraku Shunsui sighed, scratching his head. "When I fought him before, he wasn't even going all out. He just played around until the very end."
Jūshirō Ukitake nodded silently in agreement.
BOOM!
The Splitting Void barrier shattered like glass.
Thousands of Cero blasts rained down.
The nearby Shinigami felt their scalps prickle. They instinctively moved far away from Kirinji.
Even the captains—old man Yamamoto included—chose to watch from a safe distance, standing atop the rooftops to observe the fight.
"Hahaha!" Kirinji roared with laughter, swinging his Zanpakutō to meet the storm of Cero head-on.
The violent explosion that followed left him looking rather battered—his clothes torn to shreds—but he didn't seem badly injured. In fact, he still had the energy to mock his opponent:
"You're strong, I'll give you that. But you serve a human? Isn't that humiliating!?"
Starrk gave a lazy shrug. "Not at all. The King treats us well… and I get to relax every day."
His eyes sharpened slightly as he added, "But since you had to say that, I suppose… I won't hold back anymore. Prepare to die."
Up in the sky, among the Cero blasts, strange blue spells began to fall like bullets.
Seeing these unusual projectiles, Kirinji swung his Zanpakutō without hesitation, slicing one cleanly in half.
ABU!
The blue spell split apart… but in an instant, its glowing pattern appeared on Kirinji's sword.
"What is this…!?" Kirinji's eyes narrowed in confusion.
The next moment—
His Zanpakutō erupted into flames.
BOOM!!!
A thunderous blast followed, rolling fire engulfing Kirinji's entire body.
"What just happened!?" Shutara Senjumaru's eyes widened as she stared into the blaze. "What did that Hollow just do!?"
"It was just a normal Cero… how could it cause this? Is it some kind of Resurrección ability—like a Zanpakutō's power for an Arrancar?"
"Wait… why hasn't the explosion stopped!?"
Seven or eight seconds passed before Senjumaru noticed something even stranger.
The Cero itself had vanished—but the chain of explosions consuming Kirinji was still going, one after another.
The roars were deafening, as if they would never end.
Flames filled the air, and explosions went off wildly, as if they would never end, tearing the surrounding space apart.
Two more blazing projectiles shot forward, slamming into Kirinji Tenshirō's shoulders and thighs. The resulting roar was even louder than before.
The number of blasts suddenly tripled, and their destructive power became far greater.
Kirinji Tenshirō's figure was nowhere to be seen—his body was completely swallowed up by the continuous explosions.
"Is this… what Master Nanaya calls ninjutsu?" Starrk's normally lazy eyes showed a rare glint of surprise.
"To think it could reach this level… a chain of massive explosions that just won't stop…"
When Nanaya had first taught him about this "ninjutsu," Starrk hadn't taken it too seriously. He thought it was just some flashy extra technique.
But now, seeing it in action, it felt like something truly extraordinary—almost magical.
The other Arrancars also looked serious, each feeling the overwhelming power of the ninjutsu Nanaya had taught.
"My Water Style ninjutsu…" Tier Harribel's golden eyes gleamed for a moment. Then, thinking of something, her face flushed slightly.
"…I'm not made of water though…"
"My Wind Style ninjutsu…" Grimmjow's eyes lit up with excitement.
He remembered yesterday, when Nanaya had taught him personally. Of course, with his wind affinity, Nanaya had taught him multiple wind-based techniques.
"Shadow Release… Shadow Control Technique!?"
Ulquiorra's expression shifted ever so slightly, and the black shadow beneath his feet began to ripple unnaturally.
"Wow, Nanaya's amazing!" Yoruichi's amber eyes glimmered with a rare touch of admiration as she looked at him.
She didn't know how he had done it—creating so many powerful abilities in such a short amount of time.
Her own Shunkō had taken her hundreds of years to perfect.
But Nanaya's "Eight Inner Gates" technique was in no way inferior to Shunkō. In some ways, it was even more explosively powerful.
"I need to hurry and master the super strength he taught me… But this system is completely different from the Shinigami's… Ninja, huh?"
"As expected of the man I chose…" Unohana Retsu's cheeks flushed faintly. Staring at Nanaya's back with quiet obsession, she licked her lips.
"Medical ninjutsu, super strength… even the Hundred Healings Mark… With these, our… sessions… can be even more intense."
Those who stood with Nanaya were deeply moved.
They thought about the new kind of warrior he had created—a ninja, somewhat similar to the Quincy.
Yet the impression they gave was even stronger than the Quincy's, because their abilities were so incredibly versatile and powerful.
"Quincy!?"
"No…"
"This is… an entirely new power system…"
Shutara Senjumaru glanced at Starrk, her expression unusually serious. She could feel her own shock, and her gaze naturally drifted toward Nanaya.
"Has this human… been creating a whole new race?"
When Yhwach had gained his power, he had created the Quincy in the human world through sheer force of will.
Even though the Quincies had been defeated head-on during their invasion of Soul Society, their strength was undeniable.
But the boy standing before her now… was stronger than Yhwach. And the race he was building could even include Hollows within it.
The realization sent waves of shock through her.
She knew Yhwach's true identity—he was the son of the real Soul King.
The Quincy's power wasn't even unique to him. In fact, the Soul King himself, countless years ago, had possessed the same type of ability.
But this power Nanaya had created…
It was something completely new.
Something the world had never seen before.
"Far too dangerous… And yet… if it's him, he could become the next Soul King…" Senjumaru's beautiful eyes glimmered with thought.
Meanwhile—
Within the raging flames of the explosion—
Kirinji Tenshirō's body was being blasted apart again and again. At last, he could bear it no longer.
Clutching his Zanpakutō tightly, he unleashed a surge of reiatsu and roared to the heavens:
"Shine brilliantly—Kinpika!"
Golden reiatsu erupted from him, and his blade transformed into a long-handled weapon shaped like a paddle.
But even in shikai form, the explosions clinging to his body did not fade. Gritting his teeth, Tenshirō's face twisted with rage.
"Damn it! What the hell is this technique!?"