While Shinji Hirako was still trying to say something—anything—to buy time, Naraku Sora, who never wasted time, had already swung his blade at him, the shriek of violent thunder bursting from it.
"Bakudō #81: Dankū!"
A massive amount of reishi condensed in an instant, and an indestructible transparent wall appeared out of thin air.
Annihilating lightning sprayed from Naraku's Zanpakutō in a straight line, ripping the air apart and compressing into a terrifying single streak—like it split the earth into two halves.
To Hirako, the crisp cracking sound that followed was deafening.
He stared in shock at the hairline fissures spreading across the Dankū barrier, where warped golden arcs of electricity danced and crawled.
Dankū—said to fully block all Hadō below #89—looked unbelievably fragile in front of that bizarre sword-pressure.
What kind of monster was this?
Pouring in a flood of Reiatsu, Hirako's power erupted. He gripped his sword with both hands and forced himself forward.
That guy had already beaten Sakanade, and he'd even shattered a Dankū—he had to be heavily spent, right?
Maybe Hirako could use that to turn the tables.
He hardened his expression. An unprecedented fighting spirit rose in his steady eyes. The moment Dankū shattered, Hirako unleashed Reiatsu strong enough to twist the air.
And then—
Boom!
The instant their blades collided, Hirako realized just how catastrophically wrong he was.
Overwhelming force crashed down with a thunderous roar. A single slash made the ground beneath his feet shake.
The guard stance he'd barely managed to form was instantly broken. His vision went dark, and he almost got nailed into the ground like a spike.
But before he could even catch his breath, the blade—dragging brutal flames at beyond sonic speed—lit up Hirako's stunned face.
The firelight flashed past.
Another blaze erupted. Naraku's gaze burned with predatory heat, and for the first time in a while he felt genuine exhilaration.
Compared to the earlier opponents who crumbled in one hit, this one finally had some bite.
In an instant, Reiatsu surged. His attack came down mercilessly, like a volcano erupting straight into the sky.
A blade-light condensed to the limit and fell. Violent airflow and shockwaves rampaged forward.
It cut through Reiatsu and screamed onward.
Inside the barracks, the boiling dust, collapsing buildings, and the roaring gale in the air all suddenly split with a seam.
Where the blade passed, everything was cut in two.
Rip—
A cloth-tearing sound burst from Hirako's body. Blood sprayed out as a terrifying cut ran from his left shoulder down to his waist.
With his Zanpakutō rebelling, Hirako's Reiatsu had fallen to a humiliating degree.
And Naraku's Reiatsu wasn't even that "high"—yet its quality felt different on a fundamental level. Their clash was like egg versus stone.
One touch, and it shattered.
In a daze, Hirako thought he saw a familiar face. From the features, it looked a lot like that kid who kept dropping by Fifth Division.
Wait—Sakanade's ability… has it been released?!
Hirako's eyes widened. He tried to speak—
But that familiar face suddenly filled his vision, and a fist shot out without warning.
A Reiatsu-wrapped punch swallowed his entire world, forcing the words back down his throat.
Under the heavy straight punch, Hirako's vision went black, and he lost consciousness.
Aizen Shunpo'd in, looked at his fallen captain, and sighed.
"Sakanade's ability already ended—why hit him that hard?"
Naraku gave him a weird look.
"Didn't you say Hirako's been targeting you, and you suspected he'd noticed something?"
"I figured I'd take the chance to help you vent."
Aizen's expression turned complicated.
He hadn't expected a casual remark to stick in Naraku's head this long.
"The crisis in Fifth Division is temporarily resolved," Naraku said, jumping onto a rooftop and looking out across Seireitei.
"But judging from the chaotic Reiatsu everywhere… this is a disaster affecting the entire Gotei 13."
Aizen focused his senses and nodded.
"There are many abnormal Reiatsu fluctuations. Not just Fifth Division—other divisions are probably in no better shape."
Naraku rubbed his chin, frowning.
"Doesn't make sense… Kōga shouldn't be that extreme."
The only Zanpakutō that could make other Zanpakutō rebel was Muramasa.
"Has he shown any abnormal behavior lately?" Aizen asked.
Naraku thought back carefully.
"A few days ago, when Kōga returned from Rukongai, there was an unbelievable ambush."
"The area was suddenly covered by a Kidō barrier. Then the Shinigami' Zanpakutō rebelled all at once—exactly like when Muramasa uses its ability."
"Then Kōga, lightning-fast, smashed all their Zanpakutō apart and stopped a disaster."
"Afterward there was no proof he did it, but the situation was so severe that the old bald man temporarily confined him."
"I visited him in First Division a few days ago."
Aizen frowned.
"Are you sure Kuchiki Kōga wasn't playing you—telling lies to manipulate you?"
"Maybe he staged the whole thing himself."
Naraku shook his head.
"If I hadn't known him before, I might think that too. But after knowing him this long, there's no need."
"By feel and by how he acts, he's my type of person."
"Only difference is he's a bit extreme in the head—easier to go off the rails. Not like me, with my enviable wisdom."
Aizen ignored the nonsense and thought quietly for a moment.
Then he looked up at Naraku, serious.
"Sora… they might not be able to hold back anymore—"
...
First Division barracks.
Two figures faced off. Crackling arcs shimmered in their surging Reiatsu, thunder popping through air that smelled faintly scorched.
One was Vice-Captain Sasakibe Chōjirō.
The other wore a warrior's outfit, with a miniature Western-style building ornament on his back. He held a long staff wrapped in white cloth, his face full of dissatisfaction.
"Tenken… is this Kuchiki Kōga?" Sasakibe's expression was cold and stern. "Stirring up such a massive upheaval—what is his goal? Does he know the consequences?"
Tenken shook his head.
"Don't know. Don't care. I'm only here to take revenge on you."
"Revenge on me?" Sasakibe looked stunned.
Tenken lifted the staff and pointed it forward.
"Yes. As a Zanpakutō, I can't fight the way other blades can, and I've barely had any training for years."
"When was the last time we fought side by side? It must have been centuries."
"You once dared to draw against the Quincy King. Now you spend your days running around with useless paperwork."
"Chōjirō—repent for what you've become."
As he finished, Tenken charged like a warrior, purple lightning crackling as he came.
Boom!
Thunder erupted from flat ground.
Seeing the crater blasted beneath him, Sasakibe's face went pale.
Just as Tenken said—he had been buried in administrative work and neglected training and combat. Even his own Zanpakutō had been ignored.
Now he could only swallow the consequences.
He only hoped the Captain-Commander was alright.
If Ryūjin Jakka also rebelled like Tenken, then the trouble would be catastrophic.
"Hmph. Chōjirō—fighting me and still spacing out?"
Tenken, who knew Sasakibe best, read his thoughts at a glance.
The metal staff snapped up. A blinding glow—enough to scorch eyes—flared along it, wild arcs writhing like madness.
In the next moment, the thunderlight shot straight into the sky.
The heavens seemed to crack.
Heavy storm clouds gathered and covered the barracks. Violent lightning brewed within, like enraged sea serpents writhing through black ink.
A terrifying natural disaster was forming.
Sasakibe's expression tightened. His body tensed.
Tenken was one of the few Zanpakutō capable of altering the weather, and its destructive power was top-tier.
If Sasakibe hadn't been holding it back all these years, Tenken's name might have been far greater.
The metal staff pointed.
Lightning within the clouds condensed instantly and struck down at Sasakibe's position, the boom deafening, the light blasting away every shadow.
The bolt hit. The ground shook. Cracks burst outward. Shockwaves rolled in every direction.
Sasakibe barely avoided the first strike—but more followed immediately, as if the lightning had eyes, striking wherever his Shunpo tried to land.
As the strongest lightning-type Zanpakutō, even limited by its Shinigami, once it was linked to the sky, this level of attack cost almost nothing.
If Tenken wished, it could rain lightning without end.
"Tenken, listen—let me explain—!"
Sasakibe dodged in panic, trying to reach the blade with sincerity.
But Tenken, furious, had no interest in talking. He mocked him while calling down lightning again and again.
He pressed in, staff swinging with brutal force. Arcs snapped and crossed, driving Sasakibe into disadvantage.
"Explain?"
"You think a few light words can erase a hundred years of being ignored?"
"That feeling of being unimportant—you don't understand it, Chōjirō!"
As he spoke, Reiatsu condensed and detonated.
A blinding column of light surged upward and swallowed Sasakibe entirely.
Sasakibe was hurled away faster than the eye could track, flying across the battlefield, smashing through broken walls again and again before finally stopping.
"Haa…"
The First Division vice-captain was charred black, with injuries across face, chest, and waist.
His breathing was ragged and chaotic.
A "recruited" Zanpakutō really didn't hold back when it came to overturning the order.
"It's over, Chōjirō."
Before Sasakibe could recover, Tenken appeared in front of him, staff raised high, arcs of destruction flashing.
Just as the staff was about to come down, scorching heat erupted from the street. A crescent-shaped sword-pressure flew over a hundred meters and engulfed Tenken in an instant.
With a booming explosion, Tenken was blasted away.
Dazed, Sasakibe forced his eyes open—and saw a blurry, familiar silhouette ahead.
Scorching heat pressed outward, flames warping the air, and an awe-inspiring pressure made it hard to look directly.
It felt like returning to that war centuries ago.
Even with only the back visible, it carried an indescribable sense of safety.
"G-Genryūsai-sama—"
"Hm? Chōjirō-dono, what nonsense are you saying?"
Naraku Sora—who had just slashed Tenken away—turned his head.
"I'm the one who should be asking: Seireitei is in this mess—where did Teacher go?"
Hearing the familiar voice, Sasakibe snapped back to himself and finally recognized the figure.
So it wasn't Genryūsai-sama after all—
"Not sure," Sasakibe shook his head as he rose from the rubble. "I was handling documents, then I sensed my Zanpakutō act strangely. When I came to, Tenken had manifested in the room."
He looked anxiously toward the captain's office.
At that moment, Tenken returned, wrapped in purple lightning like a spear piercing the air, charging straight at them.
Sasakibe straightened his back and shouted sharply:
"Tenken—will you still not awaken?"
"Your true nature isn't this. You're being influenced by another force—"
Before he could finish, Naraku snarled and chopped down, scorching sword-pressure dropping like a bomb and blasting flames skyward.
"A brat that doesn't behave needs proper discipline."
"Chōjirō-dono, why waste words with him?"
With that, the fire-hot figure lunged, appearing instantly in front of Tenken.
Seeing that feral smile inches away, Tenken felt a flash of panic for no reason.
"Wait, I—"
Naraku rolled his shoulders. Joints ground and popped like thunder as volcano heat swept in.
Ikkotsu!
A fist that filled the world expanded in Tenken's vision. Even the strongest lightning couldn't stop it.
Under Sasakibe's helpless stare, Tenken—who had nearly crushed him—shattered apart in sudden agony—
Blown to pieces by Naraku's clean, brutal punch.
~~~
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