For some reason, a heavy, oppressive feeling welled up in Muramasa's chest.
As he searched this inner world for the Zanpakutō's presence, something in a blind spot behind him shifted—dry bones, cracked by heat, making a faint sound.
A warped torso creaked. A grotesque skull slowly straightened, its hollow eyes locking onto the intruder in this desolate world.
Crack.
As Muramasa walked, he accidentally crushed a piece of scorched ground. The brittle snap sounded like a signal—and a sharp tearing sound suddenly came from behind.
On instinct, he dodged to the side.
A twisted, desiccated skeleton lunged out from behind him. Its vicious aura erupted like a breached flood and swallowed him.
The cracked earth began to fracture and pop. One skeleton after another crawled up from the ground, rapidly filling his field of view.
A flash of purple light—then a long blade appeared in Muramasa's hand.
He couldn't tell anymore whether this was Naraku's Zanpakutō ability manifesting, or if the inner world itself was simply this warped.
The only thing he knew was that if he didn't respond, he might be torn apart by these unknown creatures.
A cold slash flashed.
The thing that charged him was split apart instantly. Fragments flew with embers clinging to them, the dry remains tumbling into the fissures of the earth and dissolving back into the cracks.
Before long, Muramasa realized these creatures weren't individually strong.
But they were endless—cut one down, two more crawled out of the fissures.
Fighting like this was meaningless.
Muramasa frowned and decided to use his ability to locate the Zanpakutō's true body, finish the mission quickly, and leave this eerie inner world.
He gripped his sword and pointed it at the sky.
Purple Reiatsu became a vast pillar of light that shot upward, instantly covering the cracked wasteland as far as the eye could see.
The air thickened and grew heavy, like liquid mercury.
Muramasa's unique power spread through the world, eroding everything without discrimination.
Then—
A pale hand appeared in front of the Reiatsu pillar and pressed lightly against it.
Seeing that, a hint of relief flickered in Muramasa's eyes. Strange as it was, he'd found it.
So this would still be an easy job. All he had to do now was—
Boom!
An unimaginable force erupted.
The Reiatsu pillar shattered like glass struck by a hammer, breaking into countless shards of light that scattered through the burning wind.
Muramasa's pupils shrank. He instinctively raised his sword in front of him, trying to block the sky-falling blow.
Crack—
In his bewildered stare, the blade didn't last even a heartbeat. The moment it met the force, it exploded into fragments that sprayed outward.
That crushing weight landed fully.
As those pale fingers closed—
A terrifying snapping sound ran through Muramasa's long, slender body beneath the white robe. Bone-breaking cracks were painfully clear.
Blood soaked the ground. The shattered figure fell into a fissure and was greedily licked clean by tongues of flame.
In an instant, Muramasa's Reiatsu vanished.
The wasteland returned to its former stillness. Hot winds rolled forward, sweeping up black ash.
"Pff—!"
As violet light flashed, Muramasa reappeared in the underground prison—only to immediately spit out a mouthful of thick, metallic-smelling blood, staining his white robe red.
"Muramasa!"
Kuchiki Kōga turned pale and rushed to his Zanpakutō's side.
At this moment, he could feel a weakness in Muramasa he'd never experienced before—like all of his power had been drained away.
Never once.
This was the first time since Kōga had mastered Bankai that he'd seen Muramasa like this.
With Kōga feeding Reiatsu into him, Muramasa recovered a bit and rasped out in a hoarse voice:
"I'm sorry, Kōga."
"M-My ability doesn't work on Naraku-sama's Zanpakutō."
Kōga was stunned.
Naraku grinned—this was exactly what he'd expected.
Since mastering Shikai, Naraku had practiced blade meditation almost daily, sinking into his inner world to "bond" with Punishment of Jaya and deepen their connection.
He had once asked her: if someone else's ability interfered, would she betray him?
In response, the woman's refined face had shown that teasing smile. She leaned close to his ear and repeated the very words she'd spoken the first time they met:
"No matter where you are, I will remain by your side… even if the world itself overturns…"
After that, Naraku never asked again.
And now the facts proved it.
Punishment of Jaya truly meant it.
Judging by Muramasa's condition, he'd come close to dying.
Naraku cradled his Zanpakutō. On its spotless blade, it almost seemed like a familiar smile flickered for an instant.
Kōga withdrew Muramasa with a complicated expression.
He didn't want to believe it—but reality left him no room to argue.
His "invincible" Muramasa couldn't even summon the physical form of Naraku's blade, let alone turn it.
For someone who had relied on Muramasa for so long, Kōga couldn't help feeling lost.
Had all his thinking up to now been wrong?
"Just like I said," Naraku spoke seriously. "Overreliance makes you lose yourself inside that power."
"A Shinigami's training should center on the Shinigami—not the Zanpakutō."
"Kōga, you're walking the wrong road."
Kōga froze, murmuring quietly, "Then… what am I supposed to do?"
Naraku's smile turned triumphant.
"So you're saying you'll give up your ideals just because you can't rely on your Zanpakutō?"
"Completely wrong!"
"A Shinigami isn't so inconvenient a thing!"
"Come on—inside!"
Before Kōga could protest, Naraku dragged him into an unused training hall in the Central Prison.
"Now then, Kōga—today I'll teach you what it means to be a Shinigami."
Naraku rolled his shoulders, giving off an overwhelming presence. Even without releasing Reiatsu, the pressure in the room felt heavy and stifling.
Kōga's eyes burned with excitement.
He'd been curious about Naraku's strength for a long time. As one of the only two sons-in-law among the Five Great Houses, Naraku clearly had something extraordinary.
And besides—
Was it really possible for a Shinigami to be strong like this without using their Zanpakutō's abilities?
"I'm coming."
The instant Kōga spoke, his pupils shrank.
Naraku's fingers closed into a fist. A shocking burst of compressed air popped between his knuckles, and hot wind slammed forward.
Kōga had no time to think. He raised both arms instinctively, crossing them in front of his chest.
Boom!!
The impact was overwhelming, like a tidal wave of force crushing down. The explosion-like boom rattled his ears painfully.
He held for only an instant before his body shot across the dōjō like a meteor and slammed into a wall that had been reinforced more times than anyone could count.
Kōga staggered up from the cratered wall, feeling like he'd been trampled by a herd of bulls. There wasn't a single place on his body that didn't hurt.
"W-what… is this…?"
Naraku cracked his fists together, the sound like raw iron striking raw iron. He bared his teeth in a savage grin as his low voice echoed through the empty hall:
"Genryū."
~~~
Patreon.com/Weze_
— You can read more Chapters in my Patreon Page! please vote, comment, share this, or visit my Patreon Page and join the Free Membership!