The memories of the dead suddenly struck at Higashino Shuuichi.
He remembered—a shinigami named Shūsuke Amagai.
In the original story, he had only appeared later, after Aizen, along with Gin and Tōsen, "retreated" to Hueco Mundo. To fill the vacant captain seat of Squad 3, Soul Society had temporarily recalled the expeditionary captain—TShūsuke Amagai.
But his zanpakutō had not been a true zanpakutō at all. It was a *Makaōtō*, secretly developed by the ambitious Kasumioji family.
The *Makaōtō* mimicked a zanpakutō, granting its wielder abilities akin to *Shikai* or even *Bankai*.
Unlike zanpakutō, however, its power came not from a bond with the shinigami, but from its own inner "core." Anyone who held the same *Makaōtō* would manifest the same ability.
But because of that, it constantly drained its wielder's reiatsu. If the wielder could no longer sustain it, the *Makaōtō* would devour them instead.
So seeing one in the hands of someone other than Shūsuke Amagai wasn't strange. What puzzled Higashino Shuuichi was that one had appeared this early.
Thinking carefully, it wasn't impossible. Any new technology required years of trial, failure, and research.
Even Aizen had wandered for decades before finding the true path of the Hōgyoku. And even then, it took him more than a century to perfect his plan.
The Kasumioji were far inferior to Aizen. That they had begun experimenting early was no surprise.
"Maybe that's why Sengoku Ryū suddenly achieved Bankai and volunteered for the expedition," Higashino murmured through his reishi doll's vision.
Because of its nature, a matured *Makaōtō* could make even a shinigami incapable of *Shikai* fight at captain-level overnight. The temptation was immense.
But he was sure Sengoku Ryū's *Makaōtō*, Raika, wasn't yet perfected. The technique *Katen Ryūga* was only an introductory application. There was a stronger form—*Hōen Ryūga*.
And Sengoku Ryū hadn't used it. Against Starrk, he'd only shown *Katen Ryūga* twice and a handful of Raien projectiles.
Attacks like that couldn't trouble Starrk.
Indeed, Starrk grew tired of the childish, turn-based exchange. If regular strikes couldn't settle it, then it was time for something real.
"Infinite Reload—Cero!"
Cero was ordinary for a Hollow. But ten Cero? A hundred? A thousand?
No embellishments, just sheer overwhelming numbers.
When ants are many enough, they can topple giants. But Sengoku Ryū wasn't the giant, and Cero weren't ants.
Faced with that flood, he had only one option—escape.
"Oh, finally my turn?"
From afar, through his reishi doll's eyes, Higashino saw the stage prepared for him.
"Bakudō #75, Gochūtekkan!"
On Sengoku's path, a white phantom emerged from the sand, then vanished. Five colossal iron pillars crashed down from the sky like a mountain, sealing him.
"Bakudō?!"
The word flashed in Sengoku's mind, nerves screaming—if struck, he'd be trapped for five seconds. And in a battle like this, five seconds meant death.
"Bankai—Raika, Gōenka!"
A black dragon coiled around his right arm. The hilt of his *Makaōtō* was clad in silver-white scales.
"Shun'on Ryūgin!"
The blade trembled. Inaudible waves surged outward. The five pillars shattered to dust. Two of Higashino's reishi dolls nearby vanished without warning, destroyed by the resonance.
From a distance, Higashino shed a tear—no, drooled on Aizen's behalf.
In the original story, Raika was a shinigami-killer. It unraveled zanpakutō powers, even preventing them from being released. Not even Yamamoto Genryūsai was exempt.
If Aizen had possessed it, he'd never have needed to create the so-called "firefighter" arrancar. With Raika in hand, he could have carved through Soul Society seven times over.
But Aizen hadn't known. Not until his defection did he ever learn of the Kasumioji family's schemes.
Now it was different. Sengoku Ryū would die here, and Higashino would never allow the *Makaōtō* Raika to return to the Kasumioji.
"Hadō #88, Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō!"
From farther away, two reishi dolls combined their energy into a colossal beam, roaring toward Sengoku.
"Useless!"
Sengoku roared, blade vibrating again. Soundless waves spread. The massive light cannon disintegrated.
But Starrk had closed in once more.
"Infinite Reload—Cero!"
Some Hollows were simply born overflowing with reiatsu. What others considered a trump card, they could throw out as a casual strike. A gift of nature, beyond imitation.
And against Starrk's onslaught, Sengoku had no bravado.
Because Raika was a weapon designed for shinigami. Against a Hollow, it was far less effective.
He flashed away with shunpo. Fleeing.
This was the weakness of the Hollows—violent, destructive, but with little control or utility. Against captains, they could never truly pin them down.
Which was exactly why Aizen had sent Higashino to assist.
"You can't run. Hadō #96, Ittō Kasō!"
On Sengoku's route, Higashino's last six reishi dolls gathered. Five embraced, condensing into pure energy. The sixth raised an invisible blade—and struck.
The fiery wave consumed the doll itself, burning it out.
The cost of a single swing.
In Sengoku's sight, a wall of flame surged skyward, filling the heavens.
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