One ink spot represented one wound.
Lille Barro's body was covered in countless black spots, making him look like a terminal patient on the verge of death!
This chilling scene, broadcast through the showcase video, sparked a torrent of curses in the Shinigami world!
---
Second Division
The moment the camera focused on Lille Barro, Ōmaeda Marechiyo, watching cautiously, jumped in fright, "Holy crap! A ghost! What's with this horror show?!?!"
Terrified, his 300-pound frame shot backward, nearly crashing into the desk, only to be kicked hard in the rear by Soi Fon.
Boom—!!!
Soi Fon showed no mercy, sending Ōmaeda flying like a balloon, leaving a clear shoeprint on his backside, glaring disdainfully, "Ōmaeda!!!"
"You're a lieutenant! This is your courage? You're an embarrassment to the Second Division!"
"Captain, I'm so sorry. I nearly wet myself…"
Even after crashing face-first, Ōmaeda didn't dare look at the screen again, his bulky frame curling up timidly, almost comically!
"Hmph…"
Ignoring his excuses, Soi Fon rolled her eyes, then said seriously, "But… you're not wrong. I didn't expect Captain Kyōraku's Bankai to be this terrifying!"
She continued, her expression odd, puzzled—
Bleeding, wounds, terminal illness, despairing repentance…
Damn!
It had all the most malicious elements!
What kind of dark soul awakened such a cruel power?!
Shunsui Kyōraku, though frivolous and carefree, often carousing in taverns and cavorting with courtesans, didn't seem like a sociopath bent on revenge!
So why was his Bankai so perverse?!
Just thinking about it made Soi Fon shudder, sincerely remarking, "Truly, you can't judge a book by its cover!"
Noticing her strange expression, Ōmaeda cautiously suggested, "Captain, maybe we should keep our distance from Captain Kyōraku?"
"I think our Second Division stands for positive energy. We should avoid people like him!"
"I agree…"
Soi Fon nodded slightly, for once not scolding Ōmaeda.
Yes!
He was right!
Better to keep Shunsui Kyōraku at arm's length!
A pristine beauty like her didn't want to be cursed behind her back!
---
Twelfth Division Barracks, Technical Development Bureau
"Ugh…"
"What is this?! So gross!"
"This scene reminds me of that lab rat that died during a drug experiment!"
Compared to the Second Division, the situation here was no better—vomiting and complaints filled the air.
Even the Technical Development Bureau's staff, used to biological experiments, couldn't stomach Lille Barro's state.
This showed how anti-human the second act of Karamatsu Shinjū, Pillow of Shame, was!
"Captain, what do you think of this battle?" Suppressing nausea, Akon, the third seat, stared at the video, trying to find any clues on Lille Barro.
"Rather than Kyōraku's Bankai, I'm more curious about that Quincy's current form!"
Unlike others, Mayuri Kurotsuchi's focus was entirely on Lille Barro, a gleeful smile spreading across his face!
He had long been fascinated by the near-extinct Quincy race.
He'd repeatedly targeted the Ishida family, hoping to uncover their secrets!
Thus, from the moment the scene shifted to Silver Frame City, Mayuri's mind raced, analyzing every detail of Lille Barro—his form, abilities, habits, and combat style!
"Captain, found a new clue?" Akon asked excitedly, knowing Mayuri's pleased smile meant a discovery!
"Hmm… not exactly, more of a personal hypothesis!"
His long-nailed pinky twitched upward.
Mayuri stroked his chin, organizing his thoughts before cutting to the core:
"Zanpakutō Puppet…"
"Or rather, the Quincy's ultimate form—the strongest power any Quincy can wield, bar none!"
On Quincy abilities, Mayuri spoke fluently, "But…"
"Observing this inhuman Quincy, I've noticed his form differs from the above. It seems to be a new ability!"
His eyes gleamed with excitement, as if he'd stumbled upon a major breakthrough.
"A new ability?!"
Akon smacked his lips, puzzled, "But… the Quincy families in the living world have dwindled, and their techniques haven't updated in decades, right?"
"Who said it's the living world's Quincy?"
Mayuri's eyes glinted wickedly, "The Sternritter and the ancient Quincy families in the living world are clearly two different factions with opposing ideologies!"
"As for the ability I mentioned…"
"Given the two Quincy we've seen are obsessed with 'holiness,' let's call their form: Quincy Vollständig!"
---
Meanwhile, as the world reeled, the battle in True World City between Shunsui Kyōraku and Lille Barro reached a fever pitch!
"Cough—!!!"
In mid-air, Lille Barro coughed blood, his eyes bulging, his state critically weak.
Seizing his vulnerability, Shunsui showed no mercy, swinging his Zanpakutō again.
"Pure-blood Quincy…"
"It's about time. You can't speak now, but I suggest you embrace repentance and welcome the grand third act…"
Shunsui's voice seemed to sink into the deep sea.
As his final syllable echoed, the video's camera rose, offering a bird's-eye view of the battlefield!
Then—
Gurgle—!!!
Gurgle—!!!
Gurgle—!!!
Suddenly, countless bubbles appeared.
The black pines that had filled the space vanished instantly!
In their place was a deep, bottomless, dark ocean!
The abrupt transition was jarring yet natural, as if the two had been submerged in this sea from the start, only now realizing it!
"What… what ability is this…?"
Struggling to speak, Lille Barro seemed to exhaust all his strength, coughing up blood.
But the sinful blood didn't blend with the water, quickly dispersing into nothingness.
"Act Three, Dan no Ura!"
Arms spread, Shunsui positioned Katen Kyōkotsu's blades at his sides.
Calm and confident, his captain's haori swayed rhythmically in the thick seawater, unaffected by the deep sea's pressure or confinement!
"From your eyes, you still don't understand, just like the first two acts?"
Taking in his foe's pitiful state, Shunsui's gaze was cold, "Those bearing shame, we sink together in this deep sea until one of us exhausts their spiritual pressure and suffocates!"
"That's the purpose of Dan no Ura, or rather… the Abyss of Breathlessness!"
---
Living World, Urahara Shop
Staring blankly at the screen, Urahara Kisuke, Kurosaki Isshin, and Tessai Tsukabishi broke out in cold sweats.
"Consuming your own spiritual pressure to earn the right to breathe and float? Another 'self-harming' ability! Katen Kyōkotsu's Bankai is getting weirder…" Urahara pinched a bead of sweat.
This act, Abyss of Breathlessness, pitted Shunsui's spiritual pressure against his enemy's!
Whoever had stronger spiritual pressure lasted longer!
The loser would not only suffocate but also sink forever into the deep sea, drained of all spiritual pressure!
To Urahara, using this move was the act of a madman betting his life!
"Only Shunsui Kyōraku could pull that off…" Isshin laughed bitterly, "Anyone else would've died in that sea in minutes!"
Back when he was still Shiba Isshin, he often bonded with Shunsui over drinks in the Rukongai after captain meetings, growing close.
Isshin thought he knew Shunsui well.
But now, he realized he was too naive!
Though Shunsui seemed frivolous, lazy, and prone to slacking in fights, Karamatsu Shinjū's three-act drama revealed him as a ruthless man willing to risk his life!
"Sentiments aside…"
"But speaking of which, that Quincy's on his last legs. It's time for the killing blow, right?" Urahara said expectantly.
Shunsui's Bankai was outrageously strong!
Its unreasonable rule-based abilities and his top-tier spiritual pressure gave him the capital to solo a "divine messenger"!
Sure enough—
As Urahara's words fell, Shunsui acted in the video:
"The cruelty of a woman's love is often beyond a man's understanding…"
"See it? The white threads drifting in this deep sea symbolize all that's unbearable to let go…"
To everyone's surprise, Shunsui gripped his blades in reverse, sheathing them.
Then, lifting his hand, he pinched his fingers, guiding the white threads in the deep sea.
With a swift motion… he slashed toward Lille Barro's throat…
"Pure-blood Quincy, sink into this deep sea with your final regrets!"
"This is Karamatsu Shinjū's final act…"
"Thread-Cutting Scissors, Throat Drenched in Blood!"
--------------------------------------------
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