Udagawa Ryo's pupils contracted sharply. "You… a Shinigami? Dressed like that?"
He hadn't even sensed their arrival. One moment, the alley was still. The next, Shiraha and Yoruichi were standing there, their presence cutting through the heavy air like the quiet before thunder.
"Shinigami…" Yoshino Soma whispered under her breath. Encounters with one were rare enough, yet suddenly there were several standing before her.
Shiraha ignored Udagawa's glare. His calm gaze swept past him and settled on the two battered figures behind Ichigo and Renji. "Renji. Ichigo. You really made a mess of this."
With their strength, he thought, they shouldn't have been trapped so easily. A faint sigh left him as he lifted a hand. In an instant, the snakes binding Renji shattered into dust, and the steel beams pinning Ichigo's limbs crumbled away.
"I'm sorry, Captain Shiraha," Renji said, bowing deeply.
"Captain…?" Yoshino and Udagawa both stiffened. Among the Bounts, the word carried weight. They knew what it meant a captain of the Gotei 13.
Ichigo pushed the rubble off his shoulders and blinked. "Mr. Shiraha, Miss Yoruichi why are you here?"
"Urahara detected Bount activity," Yoruichi said with a teasing smile, arms crossed. "He asked us to check. You two sure know how to attract trouble."
Her words made Udagawa's expression twist with rage. "Are you ignoring me?!" His voice cracked. "Follett!"
From his right arm, a serpent burst forth, racing toward Shiraha like a streak of light.
"Captain Shiraha, watch out!" Renji shouted, stepping forward, Zanpakutō drawn. "You're still using a gigai you shouldn't push it!"
Shiraha smiled faintly, unfazed. "This little toy? You can handle it. Though it seems, Renji, you still need more practice."
A soft hum filled the air as violet-blue Reiatsu flared around him. The pressure rolled out like a wave, swallowing the alley. Yoshino and Udagawa's minds went blank; their bodies buckled instantly, forced to their knees. The serpent puppet froze mid-air, suspended for an instant before disintegrating.
If Shiraha had released his full power, their souls would have been crushed outright.
Udagawa's voice trembled as he strained against the weight. "This… this is the power of a captain?"
His disbelief melted into fear. He had assumed Shiraha's gigai limited him, that even captains weakened outside Soul Society. Now he understood how wrong he was.
Yoshino's body shook uncontrollably. She could barely breathe beneath that crushing pressure, her eyes wide as she looked up at Shiraha the calm, merciless expression of a true Shinigami.
Renji raised his head, gripping Zabimaru tightly. "You still don't get it, do you? There's a difference between captains and everyone else. You're lucky he's holding back."
Renji's words echoed with admiration and frustration. No matter how far he chased Shiraha's shadow, the gap only seemed to grow wider. Few in the entire Gotei 13 could match Shiraha's Reiatsu now.
Ichigo clenched his fists, feeling that overwhelming force wrap around him. Even restrained, it made the air tremble. This is… Shiraha's true power? Even in a gigai?
Yoruichi smiled lightly beside him. "Little Shiraha, your Reiatsu's gotten even stronger. I see you haven't wasted your time."
Back in Soul Society, Shiraha's Reiatsu had rivaled Kuchiki Byakuya's. Now, it had grown beyond that sharper, heavier, perfectly controlled. Even his Shikai had evolved.
Shiraha looked down at Yoshino, eyes softening slightly. "You have something to say?"
He withdrew his Reiatsu, letting her breathe.
Yoshino coughed violently, clutching her chest. "Captain Shinigami… I don't know your name, but… please, stop Kariya. With your strength, you can do it. I've already broken our laws. I stole human souls for power, but… it's useless. You're the only one who can stop him."
Her voice trembled between guilt and desperation. She had wanted to grow stronger, to stand against Kariya. But after witnessing Shiraha's power, that hope shifted no longer in herself, but in him.
"Traitor!" Udagawa roared, his face contorted. "You dare betray the Bounts!?"
Shiraha's expression didn't change. "So you still have something to say?" His hand rose slightly, calm as still water. "Very well. I'll grant your wish."
"Hadō no Yon Byakurai."
A flash of white lightning tore through the air. Yoshino's eyes widened; a faint smile touched her lips.
"Thank you… Captain Shinigami."
Her body aged in seconds, turning to dust that drifted away on the faint wind. The flame puppet beside her flickered and vanished.
Udagawa's voice broke in panic. "Why?! Why kill us?! We only devour human souls it's our way of survival! You Shinigami hunt Hollows who eat souls! What makes us different?! Tell me what's wrong with us!"
Shiraha's gaze was steady, his voice a quiet finality. "Thirty-fold gravity."
The air rippled. Udagawa's scream never came his body collapsed inward, crushed under the invisible weight, dissolving into red mist. The last remnants of his doll vanished with him.
Shiraha turned away, his expression unreadable. "Killing you has nothing to do with right or wrong," he said softly. "It's only a matter of where we stand."
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