Chapter 106: Second Rank Spiritual Pressure
At the same time.
In a hidden cave in the outer districts of the Seireitei, Muramasa's stronghold lay buried in darkness.
He had gathered a large number of materialized Zanpakuto here, and over time, it had become their tacitly acknowledged main base. After dispersing and retreating from the Seireitei, they converged on this cave almost at once.
Yachiru and two others were the first to return.
"Hm? Where's Tenken?"
Hozukimaru sat at a stone table, drinking sake from a gourd he had picked up somewhere. By the time he finished one and reached for another, almost everyone had returned. He looked around, failed to spot the big guy he oddly liked, scratched his head, and asked the others.
"Dead. Cut in two with a single strike."
Kazashiro, who looked like a blood soaked vengeful spirit, spoke with disturbing enthusiasm.
"The cut was perfectly clean, smooth like a mirror. That's exactly the kind of killing I strive for."
Gonryomaru's expression soured.
"Tenken died fighting for our common ideal. What kind of attitude is that?"
"A common ideal?" Kazashiro laughed softly. "Don't make me laugh. I only joined you because I respect Muramasa, and because this looked like a good chance to kill."
He walked to the center of the clearing, turning slowly as he looked over the assembled Zanpakuto. Some sat on the ground. Some stood with arms crossed. Some perched high along the rocky walls. Others lurked in the shadows, barely visible.
"And I know I'm not the only one with selfish motives. Everyone here…"
"Enough."
A calm voice cut him off.
Muramasa descended the stone steps from an adjacent passage. He stopped halfway down, looked over everyone, and spoke evenly.
"This time was my miscalculation. I will bear all responsibility."
"The personalities of Zanpakuto differ. Arguments are normal. But regardless of temperament, our interests are absolutely aligned."
"It is precisely because you all understand that, that you accepted my invitation. Am I wrong?"
Silence answered him.
No one argued. In their stillness was a tacit agreement.
Muramasa's expression eased into a faint smile.
"Although it is regrettable that we failed to wipe out the Shinigami elite this time, we are not without gains."
"To the Gotei 13, a large number of wounded is a burden. For us, it is an opportunity."
"I hope everyone will join hands again and strike the Fourth Division, seize the wounded, and use them to coerce the rest into submission. That way we can avoid unnecessary sacrifices…"
"You're scared, aren't you?"
The sudden accusation hit like a stone tossed into still water.
Everyone stiffened.
Muramasa turned sharply, frowning at the Mushroom Woman standing on a higher ledge above him, looking down with calm, glowing azure eyes.
"I remember you are…"
"The Zanpakuto of the person you fear."
She finished the introduction for him, and the way she did it made Muramasa's expression darken.
"You say I fear him?"
"Yes," she replied, blunt and unhurried. "Because you realized he still has overwhelming combat power even without his Zanpakuto, you chose to ambush the Gotei 13's medical station. Didn't you?"
Muramasa fell silent for a moment. Then he spoke, face serious.
"If you insist on putting it that way, then fine. I admit I am afraid. Afraid of my comrades being sacrificed. That is why I made a cautious decision."
He clearly expected those words to move her, and to move the others as well.
They did not.
The Mushroom Woman's face remained expressionless, her eyes coldly mesmerizing.
Muramasa's hands, hidden in his sleeves, curled into fists without him noticing.
"That slippery ghost was right about one thing," the Mushroom Woman said softly, her tone even, as if she were simply stating facts.
"Everyone accepted your invitation because they appreciated the favor you offered, using your ability to give us a chance to act independently."
"The blueprint for the future was never that appealing. To most of us, it was only this: Since we don't know what to do next anyway, we might as well follow this plan for now."
Kazashiro pointed at himself, wearing an incredulous expression, as if asking, Is she calling me the slippery ghost?
No one spared him a glance.
Even Minazuki, hidden in the darkness, and Hollow White, propping his face in his hand with an impatient look that suggested he already regretted coming, listened intently.
Muramasa's brow tightened.
"What exactly are you trying to say?"
"Twice."
"?"
"After I manifested, I gave you two chances," she said, her gaze pressing down like a judge. "You wasted both."
As she spoke, she stepped down one stone level at a time. With each step, Muramasa found himself retreating. His right foot slid to the next step down without him meaning to.
"You dragged the Zanpakuto of three veteran Captains to ambush the First Division. You failed to turn Ryujin Jakka, and you did not even learn where Yamamoto Genryusai went."
"And then the battle at Sōkyoku Hill. You had a massive advantage, yet we lost one crucial combatant, and the enemy retreated completely unscathed."
Her eyes did not waver.
"What are you doing?"
"Why did you insist on stepping into the enemy's line of sight? Why did you insist on revealing your true name to them?"
"Your schemes looked reasonable. They looked effective. So why did they end in failure?"
"Take responsibility? That's easy to say. You still haven't understood what's wrong. You just want to repeat the same tactics."
"Ambush the Fourth Division? Capture the wounded to threaten the others? Do you think the Shinigami do not understand the Fourth Division's importance? They will reinforce it. They will fortify it. And there is every chance they have already prepared a trap, waiting for you to walk in."
Her voice stayed calm, but every word cut.
"Knowing the enemy is strong, yet still relying on petty plots and conspiracies. That is your greatest flaw."
"You seem rational, but you are arrogant. You seem clever, but you are obtuse. You are too confident in your own ability, convinced you can control everything, and you disregard everyone else."
"And through you, I can see the nature of your master."
"I know what fate awaits you both."
With each sentence, she descended another step.
Muramasa retreated until they reached the center of the clearing.
He might have endured it, but the moment she mentioned his master, Kuchiki Koga, and spoke of his fate, he finally lost control.
His Reiryoku erupted in a dark purple glow, and his face twisted into something ominous.
"What did you just say?"
Boom.
The Mushroom Woman's cloak snapped violently. Her hair rose, and a savage smile spread across her face.
Silver blue radiance burst outward like an explosion.
Her Reiryoku was not vastly higher than Muramasa's, yet the destructive force was on an entirely different level, and so was her control over the surrounding reishi.
Muramasa was blasted backward in an instant.
In full view of everyone, he crashed into the underground river nearby.
"That's how it is," the Mushroom Woman said, as if nothing had happened.
She did not even look at him. She turned to the stunned, silent Zanpakuto and spoke with graceful indifference.
"I do not want to suffer a third failure."
"And I have no intention of giving him a third chance."
Her gaze swept across them.
"What about you?"
"Will you start anew with me, or keep following him, arrogantly stepping into the abyss and dying a miserable death?"
"Everyone, don't listen to her nonsense. This woman…!"
Muramasa rose from the river, standing on the water's surface. The pose would have looked handsome if not for the fact that he was drenched, hair plastered to his face, robe soaked through.
His words stopped abruptly.
The Mushroom Woman's murderous glare pinned him in place.
"Understand your situation," she said, voice still light. "The favor I owed you has been repaid. So even killing you now would be reasonable."
"If you want to die, feel free to try."
Muramasa gritted his teeth, forcing himself to breathe.
A fight was acceptable.
A pointless fight was not.
Dying was acceptable.
Dying before rescuing Koga was not.
Kazashiro laughed at him without mercy.
"In my opinion, someone who fears death is not fit to lead. Muramasa, I apologize, but I cannot continue following you."
He was the first to declare his position.
"Hey, hey, there's no need to make things so tense, right?"
Haineko stepped forward, looking genuinely troubled.
"Even if Muramasa misjudged things, treating him like this is too much."
Muramasa's expression softened. For a moment, he thought he had found an ally.
Then Haineko spoke again, and his face froze.
"To be honest, I support Lady Yami more."
She smiled awkwardly, then leaned into it, voice turning bright.
"She's pretty, she has great presence, and she's handsome and strong too, ehehe… I mean, wouldn't it be better if Miss Yami just became the leader? Muramasa wouldn't have to carry so much stress, and Miss Yami wouldn't have to walk away with only part of the group."
"You're laughing like a creep," Tobiume snapped. "Can't you learn from me? Be elegant. Only then are you qualified to be Lady Yami's devoted fan."
"Mind your own business, you flat chested woman!"
The two immediately started bickering, as if their lives depended on it.
Perhaps overwhelmed by Yami's transcendent demeanor and strength, Haineko and Tobiume's feelings toward her had skyrocketed on the way back. After learning her true name, they had added honorifics without hesitation and openly called themselves fans.
"You two are noisy," Zabimaru said, the two bodied form sounding irritated. "But I have no objections to listening to her. The snake and I were genuinely saved once, so we have to repay that favor."
"Yeah, yeah," the other half echoed.
Sode no Shirayuki stepped forward, her expression calm.
"We are already short on manpower. If we split again, it will be even harder to withstand the Shinigami's counterattack. I support Haineko's suggestion."
"I don't care," Katen drawled lazily. "As long as I don't have to go back to accompany that boring man. Every minute and every second right now is a pleasure."
Beside her, Kyokotsu simply nodded, as if agreeing with every word.
"Mmm. She didn't forget about me and Hishagomaru when we retreated. That alone makes her trustworthy."
"Squeak, squeak…"
Gonryomaru stroked his chin, exchanged looks with Hishagomaru, then gave a slow nod.
"Clap, clap."
Yachiru, sitting on the stone table, clapped enthusiastically.
She smiled like a child watching a show, bright and delighted.
Her eyes, however, were empty like a corpse's, and the contrast was chilling.
"Yay, yay. Let's do it!"
"I didn't want to fight injured Little Kenpachi anyway. I was just thinking… if everyone really went to attack the wounded, I'd secretly kill the isolated ones, then play hide and seek and guessing games with everyone until Little Kenpachi recovered."
Her smile widened.
"It's a shame we won't get to play, but if Shimiya's Zanpakuto is giving orders, it'll definitely be more interesting!"
Hozukimaru and Ruruiro Kujaku made their choices as well.
"In that case, count me in."
"Same."
"Hey!"
Suzumebachi suddenly zipped next to Yachiru, pointing her stinger at her in outrage.
"I wanted to say this earlier. Why is there a Shinigami here?!"
Hozukimaru narrowed his eyes, answering lazily.
"Well… there are all sorts of reasons. It's better if you don't know."
He tilted his head toward Yachiru.
"In short, she's not our enemy. And don't treat her like a Shinigami."
His tone sharpened.
"And don't think she's easy to bully and run your mouth. If you get cut down, don't blame me."
"You didn't explain anything at all!" Suzumebachi snapped.
But when Yachiru's gaze drifted toward her, Suzumebachi's irritation faltered into unease. She immediately darted away, as if her instincts had screamed at her to flee.
She shot up to Yami instead, hovering in front of her face, glaring fiercely.
"Since you saved me once, I'll accept you as leader. But remember this. If you make a single wrong decision, even once, you get replaced immediately."
Her stinger pointed like a declaration.
"And I want to try being leader too. I'm not worse than you. I just haven't had the chance to prove it."
Yami stared at the tiny bee in front of her without expression.
Then she lifted her chin slightly.
The unknown object perched above her head, shaped like a mushroom cap, slammed down.
"Wh what are you doing… Woah! Let go of me! You rude brute! How does your master even tolerate you?!"
Suzumebachi was swatted down like a fly.
Yami's boot pressed onto her, pinning her effortlessly as Suzumebachi flailed and screamed.
"Leader," Yami said casually, as if Suzumebachi's cries were background noise. "It's not exactly what I pictured, but if you all believe this is better, then so be it."
Then she looked at Muramasa.
"Muramasa. What do you think?"
Muramasa inhaled sharply, jaw tight, then answered through clenched teeth.
"Since you've already gained the recognition of most, then lead us. It is better than splitting up."
Several Zanpakuto quietly admired him for saying it.
Yami scoffed, but did not comment.
With Muramasa's acknowledgment, the others no longer needed to hesitate over which side to choose.
"Heh."
But one person had never cared about anyone's authority from the beginning.
With the outcome decided, Hollow White stood and immediately started walking away.
"Where do you think you're going?" Senbonzakura flashed onto the steps, blocking his path.
"None of your business."
Hollow White's attitude instantly irritated Senbonzakura.
"You cannot go anywhere until you show respect to the new leader, unless you intend to betray us."
"Ha? Betray?"
Hollow White's grin twisted into mockery.
"I never agreed to join. I came because I was curious. Now my curiosity's satisfied."
He spread his hands.
"Why should I stay? To play house with you trash? Spare me. I didn't come out just to do this."
"You…"
Senbonzakura's anger flared. He drew his sword.
Other Zanpakuto shifted, hostility thickening.
But even under the pointed pressure of so many manifested blades, Hollow White did not change.
"Am I wrong?" he said, voice sharp with contempt. "I don't see the destructive urge that power should have. I don't see the lethality a blade is supposed to carry."
"You even picked a leader. Is that what blades do? That's what humans and Shinigami do."
His smile turned cruel.
"You're abandoning instinct. Throwing away your greatest advantage. Trying to imitate them."
"It's childish."
He turned slightly, as if ready to leave again.
"I've lost interest."
Then his eyes gleamed.
"But if you want to fight me, I'll see it through to the end. That's what a blade is for."
Senbonzakura's anger only intensified.
"We are independent entities now. What is wrong with learning how living beings survive? If you think it will dull our edge or weaken us, then try us."
"Ha." Hollow White's grin widened.
"I'd love to try."
He reached back and gripped the hilt of the sword on his back. The bandages wrapped around the blade loosened, uncoiling.
"Let me warn you. I'm not as easygoing as Ichigo. Don't expect to keep your human form after I smash you into a wall."
His voice lowered, vicious.
"I'll rip your mask off and tear apart the ugly face underneath, piece by piece."
Neither moved.
Because both of them felt it.
A gaze so intense it was almost tangible.
The emotion inside it was unmistakable.
If you fight, I will kill you.
Silence stretched.
Then Senbonzakura slowly sheathed his sword.
Hollow White clicked his tongue and turned his head toward the owner of that gaze.
"Hey, hey. Don't be such a killjoy."
He sounded annoyed, almost offended.
"I came all this way to listen to you talk. Now you won't even let me fight? That's too much. Didn't I just waste my time?"
"If you want a fight, I can indulge you."
Yami smiled faintly, but there was no warmth in her eyes.
"However, I will warn you. I am not like my creator, who bothers distinguishing good from bad."
"If I am annoyed, I will kill everyone without question. No survivors."
Her smile did not change.
"Since you came today, you will join obediently. Letting someone like you, who cannot lie, run around saying whatever you please would create trouble for me."
Hollow White's grin sharpened.
"So if I refuse, you'll try to kill me immediately. Right?"
"That's right," Yami replied lightly, stating it as a simple fact.
"I will activate my Shikai and use a hundredfold spiritual pressure amplification to erase you before you can even enjoy the pleasure of battle."
"Do not doubt whether I can do it."
Her eyes narrowed just slightly.
"You are you, and Kurosaki Ichigo is Kurosaki Ichigo. With your current power and fighting style, it is impossible for you to defeat me."
The smile vanished from Hollow White's face.
Around them, the manifested Zanpakuto looked stunned, uncertain, shaken to the core.
A Shikai that amplified spiritual pressure a hundredfold.
How could such a thing exist?
If Shikai was already that exaggerated, then what about Bankai? What kind of absurdity would Bankai become?
Hollow White, unfortunately, had already experienced it firsthand. That ultimate offense defense integrated system, built from endless special abilities, would give him a headache even if he faced it directly. He had no idea where to begin.
The best choice was to avoid the fight.
But Yami seemed to see straight through him.
"I can probably guess why you appeared," she said, amused.
"If you truly commit to running, I probably cannot catch you."
Her smile sharpened.
"But I can do everything possible to make your life difficult."
"So choose."
"Be killed here."
"Or run, and be hunted down by me."
She paused, then added another option, voice even.
"Or wait patiently."
"I can promise you time alone with your master, without interference."
Hollow White exhaled slowly, face sour.
"I really shouldn't have come."
"It was impossible for you not to come," Yami said bluntly.
"If you do not know our next move, how can you seize the timing to challenge your master?"
"Yes, yes," Hollow White replied with a lazy wave.
He released his sword and spoke perfunctorily.
"Fine. Treat it like a game to kill time before I kill Ichigo."
He tilted his head.
"You decide how we play. Happy?"
Yami looked satisfied.
"So," Muramasa said suddenly, unable to hold it back any longer, "what are you planning to do next?"
"Relax. I already have a target."
Yami turned around leisurely.
Suzumebachi, who had finally been released, buzzed up again. She did not even think about revenge. Instead, she circled excitedly in front of Yami.
"I say we attack the Fourth Division! Let me go. I don't care if there are traps. I'll use my invincible Bankai and settle everything at once. The credit can go to you, but as the one who contributed the most, I'll be eligible to run for the next leader…"
Whack.
The mushroom cap slammed down again.
Before Suzumebachi even hit the ground, Yami kicked her away. She flew straight into the water beside Muramasa with a loud splash.
Muramasa's eyelid twitched at the violence.
Yami, meanwhile, spoke as if nothing had happened.
"Everyone, prepare."
Her eyes gleamed.
"For a massive uproar."
The Zanpakuto were instantly stirred. The cave filled with a fierce, anticipatory tension, as if war itself had seeped into the stone.
Two hours later.
Fourth Division, General Relief Station, Captain's Office.
More chairs had been brought in. A long table had been set up, covered by a map.
It was modest for a temporary command post, but Takeru and Kyōraku did not care.
"My apologies, Captain Kuchiki, and little Nayura," Kyōraku said, "for summoning you away from home so urgently."
"It is fine," Byakuya replied. "Get to the point."
"That's right. I'm very busy," the young noble girl added, voice crisp.
Kyōraku sighed dramatically, though there was relief behind his smile.
"What impatience. Still, that kind of work ethic is reassuring right now."
He gestured lightly.
"Captain Shimiya requested your presence. Let him speak."
He was addressing Byakuya and the noble girl standing before him.
Neither looked surprised. They had already heard, even before arriving, that Shimiya Takeru had temporarily taken command authority over the frontline during the state of war.
So they understood immediately. He was likely preparing an important move and needed their help, which was why they had come without hesitation.
"Byakuya," Takeru said, wasting no time, "I called you here about Muramasa. That name should not be unfamiliar to you."
Byakuya's eyes narrowed slightly. He was silent for a moment, then nodded.
"If I am not mistaken, Muramasa is the Zanpakuto of Kuchiki Koga, the son in law my grandfather Ginrei brought into the Kuchiki Clan long ago."
Takeru's gaze shifted to Kyōraku.
"Regarding Koga, Captain Kyōraku should also know something."
"I do," Kyōraku replied, and his expression turned complicated.
"Kuchiki Koga… Even though it was hundreds of years ago, that name was synonymous with prodigy."
"Despite being born a commoner, his talent was exceptional."
"He mastered Bankai while still at the Shinō Academy and married into the Kuchiki Clan."
Kyōraku glanced at Byakuya.
"By lineage, he would be your uncle, wouldn't he?"
Byakuya did not answer, but he did not deny it either.
Kyōraku continued.
"His Zanpakuto held the power to manipulate hearts, though its primary targets were other Zanpakuto."
"Ukitake and I never got along with him. He always felt… guarded."
Kyōraku's eyes softened slightly, as if recalling something unpleasant.
"I felt he carried too many secrets. He never truly trusted the people around him."
"Kuchiki Koga. I have heard of him as well."
The young noble girl, Amanmon Nayura, spoke thoughtfully.
"I heard he was transferred under Lord Yamamoto Genryusai's command. Later, Central 46 punished him for harming comrades. Before the punishment was completed, he escaped. Not long after, news arrived that he had been sealed."
"As expected of little Nayura," Kyōraku said with a grin. "Knowing that kind of old history at your age."
"To search for clues about the Hōgyoku, I have been reviewing past records continuously," Nayura replied, expression full of certainty. "Events from a few hundred years ago are not even considered classified secrets. They are nothing to me."
Takeru's eyes sharpened.
"Then do you know where Kuchiki Koga was sealed, and how to unseal him?"
Nayura frowned, then her expression shifted as understanding clicked into place.
"I see. That is why you called me here."
Takeru turned to Byakuya, meeting his eyes directly.
"Regardless of whether that is the Muramasa we know."
.....
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