"Stop him! Get Enrakyōten back!"
The head of the Tsunayashiro family was terrified. He hadn't expected Tokinada Tsunayashiro to make a move right here.
What he didn't realize was that this Tokinada Tsunayashiro, who had gained the "acknowledgment" of the ancestral Zanpakutō, was a fake.
The guards were already prepared and moved to act.
The two men beside the family head simultaneously cast Kidō:
"Bakudō #61. Rikujōkōrō!"
"Hadō #63. Raikōhō!"
More than ten Hadō and Bakudō spells shot toward the "Tokinada Tsunayashiro" in the center of the hall.
However, their target was merely an illusion created by Sōsuke Aizen.
In their eyes, Tokinada Tsunayashiro swung Enrakyōten, and a surge of flames consumed all ten-plus Kidō spells.
Katori Sora had discussed this with Sōsuke Aizen beforehand.
Many people needed to be hypnotized for this operation, so it wasn't suitable to imitate overly complex abilities.
Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto's "Ryūjin Jakka" was a relatively easy Zanpakutō to mimic.
They only needed to create flame illusions and ensure the Tsunayashiro members died from fire and sword wounds, and outsiders wouldn't see any flaws.
While the Tsunayashiro members were making their move, Katori Sora was not idle.
From a perspective only Katori Sora and Sōsuke Aizen could see—
Flames ignited on Katori Sora's body and on the blade of his sword.
In the next moment, eight Katori Soras appeared beside the guards.
Sekichō: Happō Shungeki!
Eight fiery sword flashes sliced through the air. The guards burst into flames as if doused in accelerant.
The fire instantly engulfed and carbonized the guards.
"Professor's sword is so precise and fast. They didn't even have time to scream!"
Sōsuke Aizen remarked with admiration.
"Your ability is truly convenient. They didn't notice a thing..."
Sora said with a touch of wonder.
Kyōka Suigetsu's hypnotic ability was too powerful.
As long as someone's Reiatsu wasn't overwhelmingly stronger than Sōsuke Aizen's, it was difficult to see through the deception.
Sora's figure vanished again.
The next moment, he appeared beside the head of the Tsunayashiro family.
Squish—
A scorching blade of light flashed past. The family head clutched his neck, an expression of disbelief on his face.
"Urk—"
The family head's vision rapidly changed. The figure of "Tokinada Tsunayashiro" before him became strangely distorted, his face a blur.
He opened his mouth wide, as if trying to say something.
But he couldn't say anything, because his throat had been burned through by the flames.
Then, the intense fire spread rapidly from the wound.
The Tsunayashiro family head's body caught fire.
The two lieutenant-level powerhouses beside him hadn't even realized that the guards and the family head had already been killed by Katori Sora.
Sōsuke Aizen would manipulate the illusions based on how the professor attacked and how the guards died.
What the other onlookers saw was slightly delayed.
With Sōsuke Aizen's coordination, the others were cut down by Sora one by one before they could react.
The Tsunayashiro family head was no exception.
Only at the moment of mortal danger did they sense something was wrong.
But Sora's sword gave them little time to react; they were all killed with a single slash.
The remaining two lieutenant-level experts and the other Tsunayashiro clan members were no exception, soon clutching their throats and falling to the ground.
The sudden return of the confirmed-dead Tokinada Tsunayashiro was a major event for the Tsunayashiro family.
Everyone in the council hall were key members of the main and branch families.
Sora and Sōsuke Aizen had wiped them all out in one fell swoop.
"It's done."
Sora glanced at the roof. Marenoshin Ōmaeda and Jirō Obana were still there.
"Don't worry, Professor. What they're seeing is even more delayed. As long as they don't come down to confirm, they won't be able to spot any flaws."
Sōsuke Aizen was confident in his abilities.
"Then let's proceed as planned."
Sora nodded and took out the Sassengan stone box containing the 'Jigoku Rinju'.
The 'Jigoku Rinju' was a highly concentrated mass of Hell's gaseous energy.
Sora planned to use the 'Jigoku Rinju' to create evidence of the presence of Hell Reishi.
When the 'Jigoku Rinju' came into contact with Reishi, it would convert it into Reishi carrying the aura of Hell.
This would also eliminate any traces of Reishi left by Sora and Sōsuke Aizen.
"So this is the 'Jigoku Rinju' the professor mentioned. With this, there's one more piece of evidence pointing to 'Tokinada Tsunayashiro's return from Hell'."
Sōsuke Aizen said with a smile.
The Tsunayashiro family held a high position in the Soul Society. The annihilation of their clan was a major event with far-reaching consequences.
The Katori Dōjō had an irreconcilable conflict with the Tsunayashiro clan.
If the Tsunayashiro clan were suddenly wiped out, suspicion would inevitably fall on Katori Sora.
Therefore, Sora needed something or someone of sufficient weight to take the blame, directing the investigators' attention toward Hell.
"Hell isn't a place Shinigami can just go to whenever they want. They can't possibly investigate this matter in Hell," Sora chuckled. "The Lord of Hell and the very-dead Tokinada Tsunayashiro are the perfect scapegoats."
After dealing with the people in the council hall, the two of them proceeded to other locations.
They had other things to do.
On the roof, Marenoshin Ōmaeda and Jirō Obana were still watching the illusion Sōsuke Aizen had created for them.
In their eyes, the members of the Tsunayashiro family were still engaged in a fierce battle.
"They're really fighting! Should we still be here?"
Jirō Obana whispered.
With the commotion of the battle below, he dared to speak softly.
"The deaths of the Tsunayashiro family have nothing to do with us... but we can't ignore the appearance of Tokinada Tsunayashiro... Let's get away from here first, or we'll get caught in their fight..."
Marenoshin Ōmaeda decided to report this matter, but with the fighting below growing more intense, the priority was to get away from here first.
Then, Marenoshin Ōmaeda saw the longsword in "Tokinada Tsunayashiro's" hand flare with intense fire.
"Tokinada Tsunayashiro" used Shunpo to appear in front of the Tsunayashiro family head and swung his flaming longsword.
The family head clutched his throat and fell to the ground, the flames on his body quickly consuming him.
"The Tsunayashiro family head was killed by Tokinada Tsunayashiro!"
Jirō Obana gasped in a low voice.
"He's gotten much stronger... Is it because of the Lord of Hell? But it could also be the ability of 'Enrakyōten'. I've heard that the Tsunayashiro family's 'Enrakyōten' can copy the abilities of other Zanpakutō. Tokinada Tsunayashiro copied Captain-Commander Yamamoto's 'Ryūjin Jakka', which is extremely powerful!"
Marenoshin Ōmaeda felt that Tokinada Tsunayashiro had become much stronger, but he wasn't too surprised. He had also heard of the Zanpakutō passed down through the Tsunayashiro family for generations.
"The Tsunayashiro family head is dead, and we're the first to know... It'll probably be all over the Soul Society by tomorrow!"
"Tokinada Tsunayashiro has killed them all, let's go!"
Marenoshin Ōmaeda and Jirō Obana left the roof of the council hall.
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Alright guys, here come the regular chapters! A big thank you to everyone for your support and to Monester for the kind words. Don't forget, we're just 2 people away on Patreon for the story to take a big leap in chapters. There are already 100 and counting, and more will be uploaded once those 2 spots are filled.
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