Yoruichi, clad in her Thunder God Battle Form, moved beyond the limits of sight—
a bolt of divine lightning tearing through the battlefield.
This was an ultimate offensive, one capable of crippling—or outright killing—an ordinary captain in a single blow.
Yet Senya stood unmoving.
His feet were set neither wide nor narrow, perfectly balanced.
His hands embraced Yin and Yang.
The slow, gentle Tai Chi Opening Stance now carried a composure as deep and unshakable as the ocean itself.
Rumble—!
No probing. No testing.
Consumed by fury, Yoruichi chose the most direct and violent approach.
A massive purple lightning fist, brimming with power capable of shattering mountains, slammed straight toward Senya's crossed arms.
At the moment of impact—
Time seemed to pause.
There was no thunderous explosion.
No violent shockwave.
At the final instant before contact, Senya's arms traced a perfect circle.
The Sharingan's ultimate insight allowed him to seize the fleeting line hidden within the destructive torrent.
His hands—embracing Yin and Yang—were at once precise as machinery and fluid as flowing water, brushing the very edge of the raging lightning.
"Rise."
Senya murmured softly.
His body retreated like drifting willow leaves, spinning smoothly along the direction of the overwhelming force.
The lightning—meant to annihilate everything—was drawn in, guided, and swallowed by the invisible circle his hands had formed.
"Damn it… that strange technique again!"
Shock and fury surged through Yoruichi.
Once more, her Thunder God Battle Form had been neutralized by that infuriating, formless power.
Impossible.
Her spiritual pressure erupted like a volcano, intent on crushing this slippery opponent through sheer force alone.
"Borrow strength… and return it."
Senya's voice flowed like cold stream water.
The instant Yoruichi pushed her power further, his hands shifted.
One slid up her arm like a serpent, targeting her elbow joint.
The other clamped onto her wrist as her force momentarily stiffened.
A soft yet inexorable force took hold.
Yoruichi's eyes widened.
Her body was pulled—twisted—spun violently, like a top losing control.
Carrying her own momentum, her full-powered strike was redirected—
Boom—!
It slammed squarely into her chest.
"Hmph. It's over."
A cold glint flashed in Senya's eyes as he pressed forward without hesitation.
As Yoruichi staggered from the backlash, Senya's palm shifted into two fingers, striking with lightning speed at a deeply concealed acupoint along her inner thigh.
Simultaneously, his other hand pressed smoothly against her back as she pitched forward.
"Joint lock."
"Bone penetration."
A sharp, searing pain erupted through Yoruichi's leg, as though a heated needle had been driven into it.
Her condensed lightning scattered instantly.
Her right leg went numb—tendons and bones seemingly robbed of strength in an instant.
The follow-up force slipped past her spiritual defenses like a venomous serpent, striking directly into her internal organs.
"Urgh—!"
Pain surged.
Her Thunder God Battle Form collapsed like a punctured balloon.
The purple lightning dimmed, then vanished.
The phantom lightning drums behind her disintegrated into nothingness.
Now.
Senya did not hesitate.
He appeared behind her like a phantom.
His hand, fingers pressed together like a blade, struck cleanly toward the nape of her neck.
"Stun."
Bang.
Yoruichi's golden eyes widened in defiance—then slowly lost focus.
Her body stiffened as her spiritual pressure receded like a retreating tide.
She collapsed.
Senya caught her effortlessly.
The heat of battle still lingered against his palms.
Looking down at the unconscious wildcat in his arms, he saw a face no longer fierce or untamed—
only faintly pained, frozen in disbelief.
"…Thunder God Battle Form," he muttered. "Living up to its name. I nearly failed."
Sweat beaded at his temples.
The constant use of the Sharingan, Tai Chi redirection, and acupoint techniques had pushed him to his limit.
Guiding that final strike—one mistake would have meant death.
Ding.
Defeated a Captain-level opponent.
Five remaining to complete the mission.
Suddenly, Senya looked up.
His crimson Sharingan pierced the darkness at the battlefield's edge.
Several overwhelming spiritual pressures were closing in rapidly.
"Tsk… fast."
One burned wild and violent—Zaraki Kenpachi.
One sharp and icy—Tōshirō Hitsugaya.
And one vast and crushing, like an ancient mountain—
Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto.
"Kenpachi alone is trouble enough… and with the others…"
Senya exhaled.
Carrying an unconscious Yoruichi, and already exhausted—
Staying would mean death.
"I can't linger."
He tightened his hold and vanished.
Moments later, several figures landed where he had stood.
Kenpachi sniffed the air, grinning.
"Ran away? Hah. Boring."
"But this spiritual pressure…" he laughed. "Interesting."
Yamamoto surveyed the ruined battlefield—craters, scorched earth, shattered stone.
His eyes narrowed.
"…Yoruichi was defeated."
Suì-Fēng arrived in silence.
Her gaze locked onto the crater.
Her blood ran cold.
Level One Alert.
The order echoed across Seireitei.
Deep underground, far from the chaos,
Senya set Yoruichi down and leaned against the stone wall.
Exhaustion washed over him.
In the darkness, he smiled faintly.
"The game has just begun."