Sado Yasutora was one of the six scattered by the Spirit Orb Core.
He crashed into an unfamiliar barracks.
Judging from its layout, it was a tea room.
Quiet. Refined.
A faint floral fragrance lingered in the air, untouched by dust or decay.
Even without understanding the tea ceremony, Sado could sense the owner's devotion to it.
That tranquility shattered—
With a silent, icy glint.
Uchiha Chisato arrived without warning.
Her movement was like a scrap of paper carried by the wind—unpredictable, effortless. In an instant, she slipped into Sado's blind spot on his left, stopping beside a low shelf displaying celadon tea bowls.
Her Zanpakutō skimmed the floor, transforming into a thin silver line.
Soundless.
Yet sharp enough to cut iron and stone.
The blade swept directly toward Sado's ankle.
A crippling strike.
"—!"
Sado reacted instantly.
He did not retreat.
The narrow tea room left no room for evasion.
His left foot stamped forward, the floor groaning under the sudden weight. At the same time, his thick calf lifted like a steel pillar—
—and slammed into the side of the blade.
Clang!
A piercing metallic crash exploded through the enclosed room. The paper sliding doors hummed violently as celadon bowls were blown from the shelf, shattering across the tatami.
Chisato's eyes flashed coldly.
This man…
Using his body to block a Zanpakutō strike.
A living fortress wrapped in flesh.
"Brute force."
Her voice was calm, disdainful—like ice dropping into clear water.
"In this space, how many more strikes do you think you can block?"
She twisted her wrist.
"Hado 45: Split Light Slash."
The Saber Qi divided instantly.
No longer a single trajectory, but a blooming ice lotus—dozens of razor-thin arcs erupted outward, assaulting Sado from every angle.
Some slipped toward the gaps beneath his ribs.
Others cut for the back of his knee.
Several skimmed along the floor beneath the tea table, aimed at his supporting foot.
Zanpakutō and Kidō merged seamlessly, turning the cramped room itself into a killing field. Pillars, shelves, and furniture refracted the attacks, making their angles unpredictable.
The tea table was shredded in an instant.
Sado was trapped like a giant beast in a cage.
He roared and swung his fists—not wildly, but with brutal precision, compressing his power into tight arcs.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Dull, thunderous impacts shook the tea house as fists collided with Saber Qi.
Each clash released visible shockwaves. Hanging scrolls flapped violently, flower arrangements scattered petals across the floor.
Fragments of shattered Saber Qi sprayed like frozen crystal shards.
The tatami beneath Sado's feet caved and tore with every step, exposing splintered boards below.
Raw power erupted in the confined space, meeting the omnipresent net of lethal cuts head-on.
"Your blade won't break my resolve."
Sado's voice thundered between collisions—deep, unwavering.
He stepped forward.
His massive body surged like an advancing wall.
His right fist—compressed, brutal—shot out like a battering ram.
Ignoring the Saber Qi slicing into his side, he aimed straight for Chisato's torso.
The compressed air screamed.
The force alone whipped her hair and clothes backward, carrying enough power to pulverize the entire tea house.
"Tch. A beast."
Chisato slid backward like a startled fish.
At the same time, her blade traced a smooth, perfectly controlled arc.
Clang!
The Zanpakutō met the side of Sado's fist.
The immense force was redirected—not stopped.
Sado's punch skimmed past her and smashed into the main support pillar behind her.
Crack—BOOM!!!
The pillar—thick enough to require two people to encircle—imploded.
Wood exploded outward like shrapnel.
The entire structure shook violently. Roof tiles rained down. Sliding doors collapsed. Dust engulfed everything.
Total destruction.
"A monster that knows only how to destroy."
Chisato flashed through the smoke, appearing at Sado's exposed right side.
She landed lightly on a fallen beam.
Her breathing had quickened.
Deflecting that punch had demanded absolute precision.
"How many more of those can you throw?"
Sado said nothing.
He slowly turned.
Amid the collapsing tea house, his massive frame stood unmoved—like a stabilizing pillar amid chaos.
He wiped blood from his cheek.
His eyes burned.
His companions were counting on him.
For that belief—
He would not fall.
Chisato gazed down at him, lips curving faintly.
She raised her Zanpakutō, the tip locking onto his heart.
"The next strike ends your foolishness."
Time seemed to freeze.
Sunlight poured through the shattered roof, illuminating drifting dust.
The cold gleam of Chisato's blade met the burning will in Sado's eyes—two forces colliding in silence.
"Hado 52…"
"Sun Sever."
She merged with the descending light.
A massive arc of Saber Qi ignited—densely compressed, blindingly bright.
Its core burned deep crimson, as though drawn from the heart of the sun itself.
Silent.
Absolute.
It cut forward, slicing through space itself.
Dust split.
Air parted.
Tatami, beams, tables—everything along its path was severed with mirror-smooth precision.
This was Chisato's strongest Kidō.
Her ultimate strike.
Sado did not retreat.
His resolve erupted.
He abandoned defense entirely, pouring everything—body, soul, vow—into his right arm.
"Eruaaahhh—!!!"
A roar tore from his chest—not human, but primal, ancient.
His right arm swelled grotesquely. Veins bulged like molten magma, dark red Spiritual Pressure erupting violently.
The surrounding debris was blown away, vaporized by sheer force.
"Appear—Right Arm of the Giant!!"
His fist expanded, filling nearly half the space.
Burning with annihilating power, it smashed forward—
Straight into the descending blade.
BOOOOM—WENG—!!!!!!!!
Space screamed.
Light detonated.
The collision erased sound itself.
The remaining structure disintegrated instantly. Walls, beams, roof—everything was torn apart like paper.
Debris shot skyward before being crushed to dust.
The ground collapsed inward, layers of earth overturned as if kneaded by an invisible hand.
That dark-red torrent—
Carrying Sado Yasutora's will to protect—
Crushed the annihilating blade inch by inch.
The remaining shockwave slammed into Chisato.
"—!"
Blood sprayed as her body was hurled backward, smashing through the final standing wall.
She vanished into smoke and ruin.
The crimson glow faded.
Sado remained standing.
He breathed heavily, white steam rising with each breath.
His right arm trembled violently, skin cracked like shattered stone.
Beneath him—
A massive crater yawned, filled with melted earth and fractured bedrock.