"What a truly grand gift."
Tsunayashiro Tokinada's expression turned ruthless. The fake smile completely vanished from his face, replaced by a serpentine glare locked onto the figure in the sky.
It was as if he wanted to swallow the man alive.
Yamamoto Shigekuni's disciple, the culprit who ruined Tsunayashiro Taketori's plans and caused the downfall of the Tsunayashiro Clan, had single-handedly altered the grand structure of the Soul Society that had been maintained for a million years.
As a member of the Five Noble Families, his current miserable state was entirely thanks to Naraku Sora's actions.
Therefore, saying he harbored a deep-seated, burning hatred for him was no exaggeration.
If Tsunayashiro Tokinada had to pick the person he despised the most in the entire Soul Society, it would undoubtedly be Naraku Sora.
He had originally assumed that Ishida Sōken would lure out multiple Captains of the Gotei 13, and had even calculated the possibility of the Soul Society's strongest Head Captain making an appearance.
However, the actual situation somewhat exceeded his expectations.
Ishida Sōken had only brought two reinforcements.
One possessed a ferocious presence; whether it was his outwardly exuded Reiatsu or the attack he had just called a greeting gift, both far surpassed the level of an ordinary Captain.
No wonder he was able to ruin that idiot Tsunayashiro Taketori's plan.
Even if you beat that old man to death, he probably never would have imagined that a mere Soul Reaper who had recently joined the squads could display the terrifying combat prowess of a Captain.
As for the other one, he wore a pair of plain glasses, had an unremarkable presence, and possessed weak, unnoteworthy Reiatsu.
There were dozens, if not hundreds, of Soul Reapers like him in the Gotei 13.
He was completely unremarkable.
He could simply be ignored.
As for the Quincy, Ishida Sōken, he was even less worth mentioning.
"Although this deviates slightly from my plan, baiting you out is more than enough."
Tsunayashiro Tokinada brushed the dust off his clothes, regaining his usual composure as if nothing had just happened.
Even though Naraku Sora's display of strength was somewhat exaggerated, as long as he activated his backup plan, everything would be reduced to nothing.
The outcome was already set in stone.
He would first let Yamamoto Shigekuni taste the pain of losing a disciple.
Sensing the other party's contempt for him, Aizen quietly stepped back, distancing himself from the battlefield as much as possible while analyzing the surrounding environment to figure out the source of Tsunayashiro Tokinada's confidence.
Although they had never met face-to-face, the moment Aizen laid eyes on him, he determined the inherent baseness in this man's bones.
A person like this would consider every possible angle before taking any action.
Since he chose to show his hand to the Soul Society, he must have already prepared to face the Gotei 13 head-on.
He needed to discover and dismantle his trump card as soon as possible.
"Baiting me? You severely overestimate your own worth."
Naraku Sora sneered disdainfully. He spread his fingers, and the Zanpakutō embedded in the ground instantly spun into his grasp.
"I can't be bothered to waste words on you. You're not worthy of hearing them."
"A mere fugitive on the run. Today, I will undoubtedly execute you right here and now."
Hearing this assessment, Tsunayashiro Tokinada's gaze darkened once again.
Originally, the people he hated the most were those like Kyōraku Shunsui and Ukitake Jūshirō, who held onto their own convictions deep in their bones. Not only did they believe in so-called justice, but they also firmly believed that this world, rotten to its very core, could still be saved.
They were stubborn to the extreme.
But looking at it now, compared to Naraku Sora, his two senior martial brothers were much better.
At least those two could be reasoned with.
But this brat completely killed any desire for conversation. He was simply unreasonable.
Just as he was silently slandering him, Naraku Sora raised his Zanpakutō without warning and slashed downward without another word.
Terrifying Reiatsu condensed into a single beam. An unpretentious glow bloomed on the blade, shooting forward following the guidance of his arm.
The crescent-shaped sword pressure swept across the sky, triggering a shrieking sound as it tore through the air.
"Damn it!"
Tsunayashiro Tokinada cursed, drawing his sword backhandedly while dodging with Flash Step.
It engulfed the area.
A dazzling pillar of Reiatsu erupted from the ground, instantly dyeing the sky and forcing the spectating Ishida Sōken to retreat further away from the battlefield.
The sword pressure seemed to crash into an indestructible fortress wall, instantly shattering into pieces and scattering into the air as fine Reishi.
"Bakudō #21: Sekienton."
Red smoke explosively expanded with Tsunayashiro Tokinada at the center, enveloping the massive battlefield while completely swallowing the figure in the sky.
Naraku Sora frowned, keenly catching the rapidly moving figure within the smoke.
Under these circumstances, the smoke formed by Sekienton could block a Soul Reaper's Reiatsu perception, obscuring the user's movement trajectory to a certain extent.
But this kind of technique was completely ineffective against Naraku Sora.
Ever since he comprehended Pesquisa, he found that this ability was much more useful than so-called Reiatsu perception.
Even without actively releasing it, he could sense other people's Reiatsu and attacking intentions.
The only drawback was probably that its range was slightly inferior to Reiatsu perception, and it couldn't form a synergy with a Soul Reaper's Kidō.
For example, communication-type Kidō like Tenteikūra.
Tsunayashiro Tokinada flickered with Flash Step, appearing behind Naraku Sora. He extended his right hand, keeping his five fingers together:
"Hadō #63: Raikōhō."
The moment his voice fell, dazzling lightning erupted from his palm. Flashing, ferocious arcs of electricity shot into the sky, transforming into a golden torrent that covered the figure in front of him.
Boom!!
An explosion that pierced the clouds rang out, and extreme heat instantly boiled the surroundings.
The Hadō landed a precise hit without the slightest deviation.
But at the same time, Tsunayashiro Tokinada furrowed his brows, looking in astonishment at the endlessly rolling smoke.
Something unexpected happened.
Naraku Sora, who had taken the sixty-third Hadō head-on, was completely unscathed. There were only a few indelible scorch marks added to his Shishakushō.
He tilted his head and looked at the utterly bewildered Tsunayashiro Tokinada, sneering disdainfully.
"What a thoroughly despicable fighting style. I have no idea how Old Man Yama managed to teach a piece of trash like you."
"You're a disgrace to the Genryū style. Just quit."
A flash of anger flickered in the depths of Tsunayashiro Tokinada's eyes.
That's right, he was also one of Yamamoto's disciples, and could even be considered a contemporary of Kyōraku Shunsui and Ukitake Jūshirō.
Moreover, his talent was quite exceptional.
However, because he was taciturn during his time as an academy student, he didn't receive much attention.
If it were solely based on Reiatsu, Tsunayashiro Tokinada could even be considered top-tier among the many Soul Reaper Captains.
Yet even so, the full-powered sixty-third Hadō he just unleashed still failed to inflict any damage on Naraku Sora.
Looking at that practically unharmed figure, the disgust in Tsunayashiro Tokinada's eyes became increasingly apparent, almost solidifying into something tangible.
Facing the incoming malice, Naraku Sora grinned. Lightning and fire erupted in tandem, and a massive, scorching pillar of flames rose from the ground behind him, shooting straight into the sky.
The wind howled and surged.
Stomping heavily, his Flash Step speed instantly multiplied. Accompanied by sweeping shockwaves, his figure vanished from the spot, leaving only a straight streak of lightning etched across the sky.
Under Tsunayashiro Tokinada's terrified gaze, he raised his Zanpakutō high.
A brilliant light tore through the air!
Accompanied by a deafening boom, Tsunayashiro Tokinada was instantly sent flying backward. He crashed through high walls, shattered buildings, and snapped an unknown metal landmark in half.
Visible rings of shockwaves exploded in the sky as he plummeted into the ground like a meteor, kicking up a towering cloud of dust and sending countless shards of rubble flying.
Tsunayashiro Tokinada staggered out of the ruins, his eyes dazed as he looked at the figure standing tall in the distant sky.
In Naraku Sora, he saw a familiar shadow.
His entire body was wreathed in scorching flames, the surrounding air distorting from the continuously permeating high temperatures. It was the demon of the sword who had once nearly destroyed the Soul Society.
No wonder Yamamoto indulged this brat so much.
Blood seeped from the corner of Tsunayashiro Tokinada's mouth as he revealed a sinister smile.
If such an outstanding talent were to die in the Human World, the Head Captain of the Gotei 13 would surely be heartbroken.
Naraku Sora looked strangely at Tsunayashiro Tokinada in the ruins, unable to understand how this guy could still smile after being beaten so miserably.
Did everyone in the Tsunayashiro Clan have some kind of special fetish?
The noble circles were truly a mess.
As the blade was raised, the figure burning with Reiatsu was already close at hand. The moment Tsunayashiro Tokinada's pupils shrank, a loud bang erupted.
A mighty roar suddenly echoed through the sky. Like divine punishment, lightning descended.
It was also the sixty-third Hadō, just mixed with some insignificant Zanjutsu techniques.
An unprecedented chill instantly enveloped Tsunayashiro Tokinada's soul, prompting him to raise his blade to block while not forgetting to cast another Bakudō.
"Bakudō #81: Dankū!"
A transparent barrier generated out of thin air, towering in front of him like a majestic city wall, at least dozens of meters high.
The dazzling golden lightning swept over like a torrent, crashing against the barrier and emitting a scalp-numbing creaking sound.
When he saw the cracks emerging on Dankū, Tsunayashiro Tokinada's facial features instantly twisted.
However, before he could make his next move, the invisible barrier shattered. The lightning-wreathed blade solidly struck his Zanpakutō.
Immediately after, his vision went black.
It felt as if he had been smashed by a meteor.
The majestic power poured entirely into his body along the blade. His skin cracked with fissures, the Zanpakutō in his hand trembled uncontrollably, and blood soaked his clothes.
Facing that almost tangible malice, Naraku Sora mercilessly raised his blade and, without pause, delivered the most brutal punishment upon Tsunayashiro Tokinada.
Watching Tsunayashiro Tokinada, who was completely suppressed yet showed not a shred of remorse or fear on his face, Aizen couldn't help but frown.
From beginning to end, he had not discovered the backup plan the other party had prepared.
Could it be that his conscience had simply awakened, and he was using this method to surrender to the Soul Society?
Impossible.
How could a guy who was rotten to the core possess such a luxury as a conscience?
There must be a detail he hadn't noticed.
Aizen expressionlessly released his Reiatsu to conduct a more meticulous observation, not even missing the fluctuations of Reishi.
Until he saw a fleeting glimmer on the blade.
*A Zanpakutō?*
Just as Aizen was about to warn Naraku Sora, Tsunayashiro Tokinada's Reiatsu suddenly erupted, growing significantly out of thin air as a brilliant glow expanded into a ring.
"Finally, it's complete..."
Tsunayashiro Tokinada wiped the bloodstains from his face, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly. Under Naraku Sora's puzzled gaze, he suddenly plunged his Zanpakutō into the ground.
Countless intricate patterns emerged from the dust, expanding and spreading at a speed difficult for the naked eye to catch, instantly enveloping the entire Karakura District.
The sweeping dust was cleared away, replaced by the complex, interwoven patterns.
"Prepare to welcome despair."
Tsunayashiro Tokinada revealed a delighted smile. "This is a gift... I specially prepared for you."
As his voice fell, Naraku Sora was surprised to find that the flames of Reiatsu burning on his body were slowly fading, as if suppressed by some invisible force.
No matter how he tried to drive it, he couldn't awaken it again.
"Did you notice?"
Although Tsunayashiro Tokinada had lost his initial elegance, he still wore an expression of certain victory. He spread his hands and said slowly:
"The power of the Zanpakutō has been sealed."
"Whether it's Shikai or Bankai, in the face of this absolute authority, they are all not worth mentioning."
"Naraku Sora, I win."
"Harboring that disgust and hatred for the Tsunayashiro Clan, just obediently die."
Hearing these words, and looking down at his unresponsive Zanpakutō, Naraku Sora raised his gaze and revealed an eerie smile.
"So, this is your trump card..."
---------------
Want more chapters? 50+ extra chapters are available on my Patreon:
patreon.com/Hard_Worker