"Bankai-"
"Senbonzakura Kageyoshi."
Kuchiki Byakuya turned his Zanpakutō upside down and released his grip.
Its tip pointed downward as it slipped into the ground, ripples spreading out across the surface like water.
From that calm center, two towering rows of blades rose behind him, each several meters tall and humming with spiritual energy.
Sensing the pressure flaring from his opponent, Byakuya had used Bankai without hesitation.
As the bankai was activated, immense spiritual pressure materialized into countless blades-scattered like cherry blossoms-filling the space with shimmering fragments of steel.
"You should understand the meaning of Bankai," Byakuya said with calm finality, his eyes cold and unreadable.
"That is the ultimate secret of the Zanpakutō, one only attainable by Shinigami who have reached the pinnacle."
"Even among the nobility, who are born with transcendent spiritual pressure, only one in several generations reaches this level."
"Those who do leave their names etched in the history of Soul Society."
He rested his hand on the hilt of his Zanpakutō. "Let me warn you-if you don't begin with the Final Scene: White Emperor Sword, you won't get the chance to use it at any other time."
"What did you say?"
Byakuya's expression faltered-then blood erupted from his chest before he could draw again.
It splattered across his robes in deep crimson lines.
Yuta had already stood behind him, sheathing his blade.
Byakuya swayed where he stood, staggered but refusing to fall. The wound dug deep, his ribs exposed beneath the torn fabric-but he remained upright, his posture rigid with pride.
He couldn't comprehend it.
How had he been struck down so quickly?
Senbonzakura Kageyoshi hadn't even had time to defend-he hadn't perceived any movement other than the blur of Yuta's form.
It was as though the man had simply passed through the world of blades unharmed.
"Who are you?" he asked.
"Didn't you notice? I wear the robes of the Great Kidō Chief."
Byakuya had indeed seen the black haori bearing the crest of the Kidō Corps-but he had dismissed the implication.
Yuta's use of swordsmanship had seemed too rooted in close combat, not Kidō.
Byakuya coughed harshly, blood coloring his lips. "Great Kidō Chief… when did one of you gain this level of swordsmanship?"
Traditionally, those who reached the rank of Kidō Chief had focused entirely on the arts of Kidō-chanting spells in rapid succession, mastering the highest-level techniques.
Their time was invested in scriptures and formulas-not in drawn-out swordplay or advanced movement techniques.
For one to have achieved mastery in both?
It was almost unheard of.
"Final Scene: White Emperor Sword."
Byakuya extended his hand as spiritual pressure surged around him, gathering in thick currents that distorted the air above the bridge.
It washed over the surroundings in concentric waves, shaking both sky and earth.
Dozens of blades condensed toward him as his final Bankai evolved-its form reshaped into the wings of a giant pale bird, composed entirely of light and steel.
"Your strength is surprising," Yuta admitted, watching the transformation.
Byakuya stood without expression. "Had your blade gone slightly deeper, you would have taken my life. Yet I remain-for I am the captain of the Sixth Division of the Gotei 13, patriarch of the Kuchiki clan. As long as breath remains in my lungs, I will not kneel."
"You may be Rukia's friend," he continued, "and thus act in her defense."
"But as the head of the Kuchiki family, I know rules safeguard the order of Seireitei and Soul Society."
"I saw Rukia's injuries. Even so, I had to act."
"If we forsake rules, nobility and Soul Society alike would fall into chaos-a state worse than any battlefield."
"If I cannot uphold those rules, who among us will?"
"I cannot submit-and I cannot allow you to leave with Rukia."
As the petals coalesced into the form of the White Emperor Sword, its wings expanded across the sky-like the silhouette of some vast bird of prey stretching its wingspan over the battlefield.
Yuta looked up, as if sensing movement from the distant direction of the Central 46 Chambers.
"Rules are important," he said seriously. "Especially for the head of one of the great noble clans."
"But rules weren't born from stone. They were created to protect justice-guided by what we believe is right."
"When they lose that purpose-when they become outdated-they must also be challenged."
Byakuya offered the faintest smile. "Perhaps you are correct. Let us test this-my White Emperor Sword against your conviction. Let the outcome prove us one way or the other."
He rushed forward-becoming light itself behind the wings of his final attack.
Yuta opened the spirit tome in his hand. "Everything turn to ashes, Ryujin Jakka."
Flames surged upward at once-raw spiritual pressure igniting into heat and light-and clashed with the White Emperor Sword in the air above the bridge.
Red and white formed opposing wings, colliding with thunderous force across the battlefield.
Ripples of power exploded outward.
Stone shattered beneath their feet. The prison behind Byakuya and the mountainside behind Yuta cracked and collapsed under the pressure of the clash.
Even the clouds above were pushed aside by the spiritual shockwaves-white and red force carving lines through the misted sky.
Far above-atop the hillside-Rukia awoke suddenly.
Her body had been healed. Her Zanpakutō rested beside her in restored condition.
"It's Yuta…"
Her eyes widened as she looked down and spotted his figure on the bridge.
"He escaped?"
Her gaze shifted to her brother-who had entered Bankai himself.
Before she could even process it-she watched her brother fall in one strike.
"How… how is this possible?"
"Is Yuta really that strong?"
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