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One swing. Instant kill.
On the video screen, a massive arc of blood came crashing down from the sky. The gigantic Valkyrie—towering shoulder to shoulder with the heavens—was split cleanly in half, starting at the head and cleaving straight down the body.
Splash—!!!
Where the blade passed, an overwhelming torrent of blood poured from the sky like a violent downpour.
The pristine white of True World City was instantly dyed crimson, transformed into a blood-soaked hellscape.
And yet, even after slaughtering a "false god," Demon Kenpachi showed no sign of reverting back.
If anything, bathed in that rain of blood, the murderous aura around him grew even more terrifying. In a single surge, it pulverized the surrounding ruins and shot straight upward, as if even the sky itself might be dragged down by that killing intent.
And then—
The footage cut out.
Tenth Division Barracks
"That was insane! Compared to anyone we've faced before, that giant calling itself a 'divine envoy' didn't have a single obvious weakness! And Captain Zaraki still cut it down with one swing after Bankai?!"
Even after the screen went completely black, Matsumoto Rangiku hadn't snapped out of it yet.
Her mind was still replaying the image of Demon Kenpachi cutting down a god with a single slash.
A normal swing.
Just a normal swing.
Always a normal swing.
Before release, after Nozarashi's Shikai, and even in that final, nameless Bankai where he became a demon—Zaraki Kenpachi never changed his style.
Brutal. Simple. Direct.
The true king of basic attacks. No exaggeration.
Hitsugaya Toshiro nodded and cracked a timely joke. "You're not wrong, Rangiku. Looks like we'd better stay on Captain Zaraki's good side from now on. In the future, he can handle the killing up front, and we'll just cheer him on from the back."
"Still…"He paused, a hint of regret crossing his face. "It's a shame the footage cut off so suddenly. If I could, I really wanted to see for myself just how high my future potential goes."
With that, Hitsugaya let out a quiet sigh.
Ever since learning that his future self's spiritual pressure would multiply, he'd been desperate to know just how powerful Hyorinmaru could become at its absolute peak.
"Captain, it's fine."
Rangiku calmly patted his shoulder and smiled. "From what we've seen, there's one thing we can already figure out. When they're ranking other people, characters from earlier rounds can still show up again."
"So you really don't need to worry."
"Who knows? In the later rankings, you might end up fighting side by side with someone again."
Her words were light, but encouraging.
"Yeah… I guess that's true," Hitsugaya said thoughtfully, nodding. "These are all future scenes, after all. No one really knows what's going to happen."
The impatience in his heart slowly settled.
Elsewhere
First Division Headquarters
"Captain-Commander!"
Standing before the desk, Chōjirō Sasakibe bowed deeply, barely able to hide his excitement. "The Research and Development Bureau just sent word! Captain Mayuri has come up with a new theory!"
"Oh?"The old man's clouded eyes flickered slightly. He nodded, clearly pleased. "So he's finally found another lead? Go on. What's his conclusion?"
"Captain Mayuri recently visited the Great Library Corridor and went through a massive amount of ancient records and historical documents. He believes he's found… something."
"Hm?"The Captain-Commander held his breath, anticipation flashing in his eyes.
Chōjirō continued. "According to his findings, after the Quincy were defeated in the Thousand-Year Blood War, there were indeed some pure-blooded Quincy who scattered across the Human World. The Ishida family in Karakura Town is the most well-known example—something I believe you're already aware of."
"Indeed," the Captain-Commander said calmly, nodding. "I've heard of them."
The name Ishida was familiar to him. The last surviving pure-blood Quincy family, constantly under the strict watch of the Shinigami.
"But…"Chōjirō's expression grew serious. "According to Captain Mayuri, some of them fled elsewhere. And they didn't just disappear—they vanished through 'concealment,' becoming permanently untraceable."
"Concealment? Permanently gone?"The Captain-Commander frowned deeply, his brows knitting together. "Where could they have gone? Are you saying they simply evaporated?"
Impossible.
Everything in this world was made of reishi. Unless they self-destructed, it was impossible to vanish without a trace.
"We don't know yet," Chōjirō admitted, shaking his head. "But Captain Mayuri left us with one line: if we think in reverse… then perhaps the most dangerous place is actually the safest place."
"?!"
The words sent a chill straight down the old man's spine.
A cold shiver crept across his scarred back as his expression darkened.
The most dangerous place… is the safest place?
Could it be—
Just then—
Flash!
The black screen suddenly flickered. White static filled the air as the video feed came back to life, cutting off the Captain-Commander's train of thought.
Both of their gazes snapped to the translucent screen.
"Is the next ranking starting already?"The Captain-Commander stared intently, pushing their earlier conversation aside.
At first, he'd dismissed the whole thing as nonsense. But after everything he'd seen so far, even his curiosity had been thoroughly hooked.
He was also rather confident that among the remaining top ten… he'd probably be ranked first.
The image fully stabilized.
Then, a new line of text slowly appeared.
[NO.10]
[Second Captain-Commander, Kyōraku Shunsui]
…
The sudden words hit the Captain-Commander like a bolt of lightning.
"What?!" His aged eyes widened slightly. "Chōjirō… am I seeing things? Why does Shunsui's title say Second Captain-Commander?!"
His tone was sharp, laced with unmistakable anger.
In that instant, the old man's stubborn, domineering nature flared. To him, this was a direct insult to his authority.
Nonsense!
Utter nonsense!
He, Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni, was the founder of the Gotei Thirteen!
Since when did the Gotei Thirteen have a second Captain-Commander?!
BOOM—!
His fury exploded outward.
A scorching, overwhelming wave of spiritual pressure erupted from his body like a primordial volcano, instantly incinerating every document piled on his desk into ash.
If parts of the headquarters hadn't been reinforced with seki-seki stone, the entire room would've been reduced to dust on the spot.
Meanwhile
Thirteenth Division Barracks
Crash!
A teacup shattered on the floor.
Hot tea splashed everywhere, soaking Kyōraku Shunsui's carefully treasured floral kimono.
His expression was frozen solid, like stone. His suddenly widened pupils reflected the flashing words on the screen:
[Second Captain-Commander, Kyōraku Shunsui]
Silence.
Absolute silence.
The once warm, relaxed atmosphere in the office vanished in an instant, replaced by a suffocating tension that made it hard to breathe.
Across from him, Ukitake Jūshirō was completely dumbfounded.
His shock was no less than Shunsui's.
"I… I'm not seeing things, am I?"Ukitake slowly raised a trembling finger, his tongue nearly tying itself in knots. "Shunsui… y-you… since when did you become Captain-Commander?!"
Shock.
Disbelief.
The sickly man's entire worldview had just been obliterated.
On one side was their teacher, the strongest Shinigami in a thousand years.
On the other was his closest friend, the captain who—aside from the Captain-Commander himself—had served the longest.
And yet…
In the future, Kyōraku Shunsui actually takes over?
What the hell is going on?!
In that moment—
Ukitake Jūshirō felt like he was about to lose his mind.
"..."
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