In the haste of the moment, Gosuke raised his blade to parry, but the instant their steel met, an unbelievably terrifying force surged downward.
It was as if the weight of the entire world had crashed upon him.
With just a single strike, his defensive stance was shaken. Even the external layer of his Reiatsu shield let out an overwhelmed, agonizing screech.
It creaked and groaned.
'Such fearsome power must be the result of this kid giving his absolute all,' Gosuke thought. 'After an explosion like this, he's bound to be drained. That's when I'll counter—'
Boom!
The roar of an explosion erupted again.
Gosuke's eyes widened, his face masked in shock and confusion.
Naraku Sora, who had just unleashed that earth-shattering blow, showed no signs of slowing down. It was as if that strike—which had crushed the ground like it was made of tofu—was nothing more than a casual swing.
Naturally, Sora raised his Zanpakutō once more toward the crackling Reiatsu defense.
He slashed!
A burst of speed and power equal to the last strike exploded, forming a flurry of cuts woven with thunder and flame.
Then came a vertical cleave!
Diagonal slash, reverse diagonal, left swing, right swing!
The thunderous booms were endless and rhythmic, like the lightning and gale before a Great Storm, turning the vast courtyard into a testing ground.
This was the first time Naraku Sora had used his Lightning Release Mode in actual combat since acquiring it.
The results were surprisingly effective.
In truth, Kidō shared certain similarities with the Ninjutsu from a neighboring "village." The difference was that Ninjutsu required the user to possess the corresponding Chakra nature.
Kidō, on the other hand, didn't have such strict restrictions.
Or rather, the method of release was different.
Kidō also possessed corresponding attributes, but before releasing them, the user needed to convert Reishi into the appropriate property and then complete the release through rituals and incantations.
Sora could have used his Lightning Release Mode in a much gentler way.
But if he was going to seek a thrill, he was going to go all the way.
He chose to use Hadō #63, Raikōhō, as a foundation to completely detonate his lightning-attribute Reishi. This pushed his Lightning Release Mode to its absolute limit, over-stimulating his physical body.
He boosted his speed and defense to the current peak of his capabilities!
Speed was power!
The explosions were deafening. Gosuke hunched his body, stiffly maintaining the massive Reiatsu of his Bankai to construct what he believed was an impregnable defense.
And so.
Like a nail being hammered, he endured the continuous barrage of slashes.
His face was filled with disbelief. He couldn't understand it; he couldn't wrap his head around it.
Clearly, Sora had been at a disadvantage just a moment ago, suffering under the suppression of the Eight Bitterness. How could he erupt into such a violent chain of attacks in the blink of an eye?
How was he doing this?
This didn't match the intelligence reports regarding his Shikai at all!
'Could it be... has he already completed his Bankai training?'
Gosuke could clearly sense that his own Bankai was still in effect.
This meant that even under the suppression of eight different negative statuses, Naraku Sora was still displaying such a terrifying form.
His strikes weren't just a one-time burst of peak power. Every single slash maintained a consistent, high level of strength, and the offensive was relentless, swallowing the enemy like a torrential downpour.
It felt as though there would be no end to it.
Behind his Reiatsu shield, Gosuke let out a furious low growl. He gripped his hilt with both hands, desperately resisting the impact.
'A mere 3rd-class Spiritual Power—'
Wait, 3rd-class?!
Gosuke's pupils shrank. He suddenly realized that from start to finish, the power the boy was displaying wasn't the 4th or 5th-class Spiritual Power mentioned in the reports.
This was true Captain-level Reiatsu!
'How long has it been?'
Gosuke's expression was dazed. If he remembered correctly, it hadn't even been a year since the last class graduated from the Spiritual Arts Academy.
With such an exaggerated rate of growth, was this guy even human?
Furthermore, with such a horrific attack frequency, was there really no price to pay?
No matter how terrifying a technique was, it should be limited by Reiatsu and by the Soul Reaper themselves. There was a limit to the soul. No matter how violent the assault, there would be a moment where it ended.
There had to be a microscopic opening!
Gosuke drove all useless thoughts from his mind, squeezing every last drop of potential from his body. Word-like patterns began to crawl across his skin.
His eyes gradually turned blood-red. Black "sweat" flew from his pores, only to be instantly vaporized by Sora's berserk offensive.
'An opening!'
Gosuke's eyes were bloodshot as he stared intently at the moment the vertical cleave descended. The instant the blade touched a drop of that sweat, there was a fleeting, momentary hesitation in the swing.
'It's over—'
Victory and defeat were decided in a single thought!
In the space between his Reiatsu shield and his parrying stance, Gosuke erupted with his full Reiatsu. A brilliant pillar of light soared into the sky, whipping up a howling hurricane.
The full power of his Bankai was funneled into his Zanpakutō. He lunged forward, swinging for the finishing blow.
However, just as Gosuke thought victory was within his grasp, the corners of Sora's mouth curled up. He looked as if he had just seen something that delighted him.
'Wait, no!'
Gosuke felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar. A bone-chilling cold instantly raced through his limbs, eventually consuming his very soul.
His unstoppable strike landed exactly on the tip of Sora's blade. The resulting shockwave formed a vortex that blasted outward in all directions. Immediately after, the distance between the two closed to nothing.
Sora's left arm pulled back, making a sound like grinding steel. His five fingers clenched into a fist, creating a deafening sonic boom.
"Ikkotsu!"
Gosuke's head suddenly buzzed as if he had been struck by a sledgehammer. His consciousness went momentarily blank.
In the next second, the delayed impact completely shattered his constructed Reiatsu defense.
A fist wrapped in flames and lightning slammed into his chest. The sound of bones snapping was excruciatingly sharp.
A vast, indescribable, and horrific power poured into him.
A piercing explosion echoed across the battlefield. In the rapidly encroaching darkness, Gosuke struggled to keep his eyes open, but all he could see was that savage smile inches away.
'What incredible Hakuda... Lord Kuruyashiki, it seems I wasn't able to uphold the name of Kenpachi after all—'
That was his final thought before he lost consciousness.
There was no lingering shockwave, the earth stopped shaking, and there wasn't even a single drop of blood. Half of his torso had been physically erased, as if it had never existed.
The eight-spoked wheel in the sky instantly shattered, turning into a flurry of Reishi that painted the battlefield in a strange light.
With a dull thud, Sora's body stiffened in mid-air. He gasped for breath, sweat pouring from his pores only to be vaporized by the lingering aura of lightning and fire.
'He might have been a lucky replacement, but it seems Gosuke received help from the Tsunayashiro.'
Gosuke's originally unremarkable Reiatsu had become incredibly powerful and aggressive.
When combined with that unreasonable Zanpakutō ability that debuffed enemies, he was actually more troublesome to deal with than Takeda Goki.
If Arturo hadn't contributed a massive "gift" of power earlier, this battle would have been difficult to the extreme.
As the half-torso collapsed, black drops of sweat floated into the air.
Sora looked closely, and a look of realization dawned on his face.
It was the same trick as Takeda Goki. They had both obtained extraordinary power through the breath of Hell.
From the looks of it, Tsunayashiro Taketori's trump card likely involved Hell as well.
Sora took a deep breath and turned his gaze toward Ugendo, which was completely shrouded in darkness.
Within that deep gloom, Ukitake Jūshirō was hunched over. His Captain's haori was covered in sword gashes, and blood soaked through the tears, staining the white fabric red.
"Cough! Cough!"
Following a bout of violent coughing, blood leaked from the corners of his mouth.
"Give up, Captain Ukitake."
Opposite him, Tsunayashiro Taketori flicked his blade. A string of blood pearls flew off the edge and fell into the shadows at his feet.
"In your current state, you are no match for me."
"If it were Yamamoto, I might have some reservations. But a terminally ill disciple like you cannot stop me."
A flash of resentment crossed Ukitake's eyes. He gritted his teeth against the pain and forced his body upright.
"Are you not afraid of the reckoning when Teacher returns?"
"To satisfy your own ambition, you've secretly gathered the power of the Soul King, disregarding the lives of countless people."
Tsunayashiro Taketori gave an indifferent expression, spreading his hands with a mocking smile. "Ukitake Jūshirō, do you really consider yourself a high and mighty god just because you received the protection of that native deity, Mimihagi?"
"A so-called god is nothing more than a severed arm of the Soul King left behind in the Soul Society."
"Before the Soul Society was even born, we stood above the clouds. No—we are the clouds themselves."
"We reign supreme over all!"
Ukitake's gaze gradually turned cold. To a man so stubborn, no argument could shake his current mindset.
The only thing he could do was place his hope in his junior disciple.
He hoped the boy had escaped from Gosuke's hands and could notify the other Captains to come to the 13th Squad barracks for backup.
Although the hope was slim, it was all he had left.
Perhaps he could break through this shadow domain first, then use his life as a price to create an opportunity.
'Do I have to use that—'
Ukitake gripped his hilt. Strands of materialized blue Reiatsu rose from his body, lingering around him like a mist.
"Hadō #78: Zankarin!"
He swung both blades forward violently. A ring of light exploded from the edges, and a sharp, air-piercing strike pulverized everything in its path.
With the blades as the center, dirt flew, floorboards shattered, shadows vanished, and pillars were cleaved in two.
Facing such a strike, Taketori's expression became slightly more serious. The moment he raised his sword to block, the viscous shadows on the ground surged like a tide.
In an instant, they formed a sturdy shield, colliding with the Zankarin.
The light of the Kidō vanished, swallowed ruthlessly by the shadows.
Seeing this, Ukitake's heart sank halfway. Due to his physical condition, he was currently unable to use his Bankai.
Furthermore, Taketori's ability happened to counter him to a certain extent.
The shadows beneath his feet were like physical objects; he couldn't use Sōgyo no Kotowari to absorb and redirect them.
"Alright, that's enough."
Taketori waved his hand, dismissing the shadow shield. He calmly watched the panting figure before him.
"I've spent enough time talking to you. Shadow Kill is ready."
Countless sharp spikes extended from the floor, the ceiling, and even the walls, their cold tips pointing directly at the center.
Feeling the tug on his ankles, a flash of despair appeared in Ukitake's eyes. Unlike Kyōraku Shunsui's ability, being covered by Taketori's shadows caused his spiritual energy to stagnate.
Taketori's lips curled into a smirk.
"There won't be any pain, Captain Ukitake."
"It will be over in an inst—"
Boom!
Before he could finish, a deafening explosion rang out from beyond the shadows. Like a volcanic eruption, suffocating light and heat tore through the darkness by force.
Under Taketori's shocked gaze, a savage grin entered his field of vision.
"Old man, what do you think you're doing to my senior?"