"..."
The Visored froze.
How did he do that?
Hachigen's fully-incanted Bakudō—broken without a trace of spiritual pressure.
No. Not broken.
Erased.
"What kind of power is this?" Shinji's pupils contracted as he stared at Shigure.
Shigure's expression stayed calm. "Didn't you think you could control me just now? What about now?"
Shinji's face darkened.
Hiyori's temper flared. She leaped up, foot flying toward his head.
"Stop talking big!"
Boom!
Her spiritual pressure-infused kick cut through the air. Not as strong as Mashiro, but still devastating.
Wind exploded around them.
Shigure casually raised his arm.
Bang!
Perfect block.
"..."
"OWWWW! That hurts!"
Hiyori crashed to the ground, clutching her leg.
Everyone stared. Was his body really that hard?
Hiyori glared at Shinji, face red with pain and anger.
"What are you staring at, baldy?! We already decided!"
"If he refuses, we beat him until he gives up!"
Shigure's gaze shifted.
The Visored hesitated. They'd discussed this plan, sure—but only Hiyori had actually proposed it. In this one-versus-many situation, they hadn't expected Shigure to refuse.
Now they were stuck.
Rose chuckled. "Looks like Hiyori's method is our only option. What do you think, Kensei?"
"Why ask me?" Kensei shrugged. "Shinji decides."
Before Shinji could answer—
BOOM!
Lisa's spiritual pressure exploded.
"Do we have another choice?"
Her voice stayed cold. Behind her glasses, her eyes were ice. Her school uniform whipped in the spiritual storm.
"Haguro Tonbo!"
Clang!
Brilliant white sword light erupted. The other Visored scattered.
"Hey! Lisa! You trying to kill us too?!"
Lisa's lips curved in an almost invisible smirk. But her blade kept moving, slashing down hard.
Then everything went quiet.
Ting.
One tiny sound. Everyone froze.
"What?"
"He caught it... barehanded?"
Lisa's technique could destroy a Gillian in one hit when Hollowfied. Even without her mask, it packed serious power.
But Shigure had stopped it with one finger.
No spiritual pressure. Nothing.
Lisa's eyes widened in shock. She immediately jumped back.
A three-meter circle around Shigure cleared instantly.
Eight pairs of eyes turned deadly serious.
"Shinji, what's the call?" Love's deep voice cut through the tension.
They were shocked by Shigure's strange power. But not afraid.
Shinji straightened, shouldering his Zanpakutō.
"Let me handle this."
His gaze locked on Shigure.
"With strength like yours running free, we can't rest easy. Not when we're planning revenge against Aizen."
"This time, we're absolutely determined."
"We need to understand everything about you. Only then can we move forward without worry."
"You get it now, right?"
Shinji lowered his eyes, raising his blade.
"Fall down, Sakanade."
The other Visored retreated, giving Shinji space.
Golden spiritual pressure burst forth. His blade's guard transformed into a ring.
The weapon rotated in his hand, emanating eerie light.
Shigure caught a faint sweet scent.
The next moment, everything flipped.
The factory, Shinji, the entire world—upside down. Only Shigure remained in place.
Shinji hung inverted in the air, expression calm.
"You've lost, Segawa."
He lunged forward.
Shinji was certain—Shigure had only noticed the visual inversion. He'd missed everything else.
This strike would end it.
But just as the blade reached him, Shigure spun around, back to his attacker.
He reached into empty air.
Clang!
Caught the blade.
"What?!"
Shinji materialized, pupils contracting in horror.
Impossible. This was his first time seeing Sakanade's Shikai.
How had he figured it out instantly?
The other Visored stared in shock.
Then they moved.
No words needed. They couldn't leave Shinji in danger.
Spiritual pressure flared. All of them charged at once.
Shigure's expression never changed.
Left hand gripping Shinji's blade, he spoke calmly:
"I really am completely underestimated."
He raised his right hand.
Black-purple energy swirled in his palm. Eerie. Heavy.
The charging Visored felt something wrong but didn't stop.
At the back, Hachigen's heart stopped.
His face went white. He screamed:
"GET AWAY FROM THERE!"
Too late.
The Visored had already reached Shigure.
Shigure's eyes lowered. His lips parted:
"Hadō Number Ninety-Nine..."
"Goryū Tenmetsu."
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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