"Sunshi!"
Zuo Niao Ming's zanpakutō was struck flying. With his left arm already severed, he collapsed onto the ground, completely unable to fight back.
Thinking back on the brief exchange—less than five minutes—whether it was kidō, hakuda, shunpo, or swordsmanship, he hadn't been able to match his opponent in any way.
Especially that overwhelming reiatsu—it surpassed several captains he remembered. And yet such a shinigami was only a Third Seat in Soul Society?
*I wish I could go back…*
The thought of returning to Soul Society welled up in him.
But he knew it was only a luxury.
For reasons unknown, this shinigami carried a mission to kill their expeditionary captain.
As vice-captain, Zuo Niao Ming felt he had already done his best.
*Hopefully the captain has already realized…*
Helpless, he watched as Higashino Shuuichi walked toward him step by step, zanpakutō raised, and stabbed down.
"Command the soldier—control man!"
Those were the last words Zuo Niao Ming ever heard.
His body dissolved into countless white motes, then coalesced into thirteen pure-white reishi constructs.
Higashino Shuuichi looked at where the body had vanished, his heart unmoved. This had never been a fair fight. Unless he had deliberately held back, it was only natural the battle should end this swiftly.
The only thing worth acknowledging was Zuo Niao Ming's loyalty to Sengoku Ryū. He had been a good subordinate. But good men seldom lived long.
With a flick of his hand, twelve of the thirteen reishi constructs scattered. The last exploded into raw energy, flowing back into him, replenishing every bit of reiatsu spent in the fight—with surplus to spare.
"Over there, things should be starting too…"
Rather than leave immediately, he sent the twelve reishi constructs cloaked in concealment kidō toward another battlefield.
Originally, his full plan was this: Baraggan and Starrk would put on a show of infighting, pretending to wound each other and then releasing Hollows for the expedition to capture, giving them the illusion that Hueco Mundo's strength had been crippled and Baraggan was no threat.
Next, swarms of lesser Hollows would launch suicidal charges, creating the false impression that Baraggan and Starrk feared the shinigami's counterattack and were stalling for time.
This would bait the expedition into sending small elite squads deeper inside, splitting their forces and stretching the field.
That way, there would be both time and space to kill the two captains.
And so far, the plan was working perfectly.
According to it, Higashino should now rush to meet up with Starrk, who by now would have engaged Sengoku Ryū.
But plans were only for show. He had no intention of going so early.
After all, Sengoku Ryū was still a captain. Even if he never appeared in the "original story," and might not even be Kensei's equal, Higashino Shuuichi had no interest in tackling him head-on.
As the saying from his past life went: *It's not worth risking your neck for so little.*
Better to let Starrk and Sengoku clash, wear each other down, then swoop in to finish it.
Elsewhere, Starrk—far less calculating—kept it simple. After confirming with Lilynette that Sengoku was indeed alone, he opened with a barrage of Bala.
"A Hollow?"
Even surprised, Sengoku Ryū showed his worth as a captain. With keen reflexes, he drew his zanpakutō in time, blocking the attack.
Starrk said little—ever since joining Aizen, his solitude still clung to him. Aside from Shuuichi and Lilynette, he rarely spoke.
Instead, a blazing blue Cero followed, its crushing reiatsu pinning Sengoku down, leaving him no chance to flee with shunpo—forcing him to defend directly.
"Descendant of heaven, wall of iron, dragon roars, lion's cry, tiger's howl, wolf's hunt—cut off the earth and sky before collapse! Bakudō #81, Dankū!"
Not every shinigami could abandon incantation. Sengoku Ryū was among the ordinary, but the chant for Dankū wasn't too long. His proficiency let him complete it just in time.
The great barrier blossomed before him. The azure Cero smashed against it, bursting in a cataclysm that sent sandstorm waves billowing for miles.
Through the storm, Starrk had already advanced, twin azure blades in hand, forged from his pistols, clashing with Sengoku in a flurry of steel.
The clear ring of blades echoed in the sandstorm.
From the edge, one of Higashino's reishi constructs arrived, pausing as it watched the hazy silhouettes clash. After a brief hesitation, it pressed its hands together, reiatsu gathering.
"Hadō #58, Tenran!"
The reishi construct compressed into a spiraling gust, unleashing a massive tornado forward.
An indiscriminate attack. But Higashino knew Starrk couldn't be harmed by such a spell, so he cast it without worry.
Riding on that "eastern wind" that cleared the sand, Sengoku seized the chance to release his zanpakutō, forcing Starrk back with a decisive strike.
"Sever—Raika! Katen Ryūga!"
The ground roared. Everywhere Starrk's feet would land, pillars of flame erupted skyward. Even the smallest hesitation could leave him maimed.
It was then, through another reishi construct's sight, that Higashino finally saw the form of Sengoku Ryū's released zanpakutō.
A crescent-shaped hilt, ending in a scythe-like hook. The blade itself glowed fire-red in its Shikai state.
Looking closer, he noticed something faintly coiled around Sengoku's hand gripping the blade.
Together, they stirred an uneasy recognition in him.
*No way… I've seen this blade before.*
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