Seeing Kazuma cast 'Danku' without an incantation, Kōga let out a frantic laugh.
"It's useless! This is my proudest technique, and its power is immense! Even Dankū can't block it!"
BOOM!
The Ice Fang Storm slammed into the invisible barrier and shattered into harmless mist.
"Impossible! That's impossible!" Kōga felt his composure completely unravel. The tables had turned so fast it made his head spin.
This man hadn't even drawn his sword, yet he had effortlessly cornered him!
Kazuma looked completely relaxed, yawning into his hand. "Hey! Keep going, Kōga! You haven't defeated me yet!"
Trembling with a mix of anger and awe, Kōga took a deep breath to steady himself.
"Captain Kazuma, I'm using my Bankai. Be careful! Bankai : Manifest, Muramasa!"
The materialized Zanpakutō spirit bypassed Kazuma's physical defenses, diving straight into his inner world to attack his very soul.
Muramasa's sinister, echoing laughter filled Kazuma's mind.
But before the rogue spirit could even launch an attack, Hokushin Raitei scoffed from his throne.
"Where did this ugly freak come from? Such an unpleasant laugh too."
With a lazy wave of his hand, a terrifying surge of atmospheric lightning violently expelled the terrified Muramasa from the inner world.
As Muramasa was forcefully ejected, Kōga spat out a heavy mouthful of blood.
A Shinigami's soul is deeply linked to their Zanpakutō, when Muramasa was crushed by Hokushin Raitei, the massive backlash reflected directly onto Kōga.
Seeing his Zanpakutō spirit reappear with a look of pure, ghostly terror on its face, Kōga's heart dropped into his stomach.
'What kind of monster is resting inside that man's soul? Muramasa was crushed without a shred of resistance.'
Defeated, Kōga sheathed his sword and bowed his head.
"Captain Kazuma, I surrender."
Kazuma blinked, having barely broken a sweat. "Oh, surrendering already? Don't you want to fight a little more?"
Kōga gave a bitter, self-deprecating smile, the untouchable pride of a genius utterly shattered.
"You didn't even draw your sword to defend against my Bankai. What's the point of continuing?"
"Alright, alright. If you don't want to fight, we're done here. Just remember our bet." Kazuma turned around, ready to leave the training ground.
"Wait! Captain Kazuma!" Kōga called out urgently.
Kazuma paused, looking back in surprise. "You're not going back on your word, are you?"
Kōga took a deep breath, his eyes burning with a new, desperate resolve. "No! But Captain, you didn't release your Zanpakutō from beginning to end. I'm begging you to release it now! I need to see just how massive the gap between us really is."
"Are you sure you want to take a direct hit from my Shikai? You could actually die, you know."
It was the first time Kazuma had ever received such a suicidal request.
'What kind of masochist is this kid?'
Kōga stood firm. "Please release it, Captain. Even if I die by your blade today, I will have no regrets, and the Kuchiki Clan will not cause you any trouble for it."
"Sigh... You kids and your pride. Fine, I'll satisfy your curiosity. You'd better brace yourself!"
Kazuma rested a hand on his hilt, his voice echoing with ancient authority.
"Pierce the veil of night and rain down the heavenly wrath. Strike, Hokushin Raitei."
The sky instantly darkened as a massive, localized Reishi domain projected a starry night over the battlefield.
The entire Seireitei was suddenly saturated with the crushing gravitational weight of Kazuma's Spiritual Pressure.
...
Outside the barrier, Ginrei felt the suffocating Reiatsu and his face drained of color.
'Please don't let him kill Kōga!'
Across the Seireitei, the other Captains snapped their attention toward the noble district.
"That pressure is coming from the Kuchiki estate! Who is using a Bankai?"
Only the few Captains who had witnessed Kazuma's true power centuries ago weren't shocked by the anomaly.
In the Fourth Division, Batsu'unsai and Saitō stared out the window. "What is Kazuma doing? Why did he release his domain inside the Seireitei?"
Over in the 8th Division, Shunsui wiped sweat from his brow, a strained smile on his face.
"Haha... Is this really Captain Kazuma's power?" His heart filled with bitter awe.
They were both Captains, but the gap in raw strength was simply absurd.
In the First Division, Yamamoto frowned deeply. "Chōjirō, go to the Kuchiki Manor immediately. I sent Kazuma to seal a rogue sword, so why is he causing such a massive commotion?"
...
Back on the training ground, Kōga was bearing the absolute brunt of the domain.
The moment Kazuma released his sword, Kōga was slammed into the dirt by the sheer gravitational force of the Reishi, entirely unable to move a muscle.
Starlight and jagged atmospheric lightning swirled around Kazuma, making him look less like a Shinigami and more like a descending god of storms.
"Thunder God's Judgment."
A massive dragon of pure lightning coiled around Kazuma's blade before striking down at the paralyzed Kōga with blinding speed.
'It's over.... Am I really going to die here?'
That was Kōga's last conscious thought before the world went white.
BOOM!
The lightning struck, and Kōga passed out instantly.
Kazuma calmly sheathed his Zanpakutō, the false night sky shattering as the world returned to normal.
"Kōga!"
Seeing the sky clear, Ginrei rushed into the courtyard, desperate to check on his son-in-law.
When he saw Kōga lying in a crater—charred black, smoking, and smelling distinctly like roasted meat—Ginrei's heart stopped.
Fearing the worst, he scrambled forward to check the boy's pulse.
Seeing the older man's sheer panic, Kazuma quickly waved his hands.
"Relax, Captain-Kuchiki! He looks terrible, but it's not actually that bad. I only used ten percent of my Spiritual Pressure, so it definitely won't kill him... He'll be perfectly fine after a few days of bed rest!"
Hearing this, Ginrei finally exhaled, his shaking hands quickly examining the wounds.
Just as Kazuma promised, Kōga wasn't in mortal danger, he had only suffered severe superficial burns and exhaustion.
He would fully recover with some intensive Kaidō.
Ginrei wiped his brow, turning to Kazuma with a bewildered frown. "What exactly happened here, Captain?"
Kazuma shrugged, looking completely innocent. "Oh, it's nothing serious. After I beat him, the kid was upset that I didn't even draw my sword. He literally begged me to release it and hit him so he could understand the gap between us. I saw how motivated he was, so I agreed to help him out! I held back a ton, too. If I hadn't, he would've been vaporized!"
Just then, Chōjirō flash-stepped into the courtyard, looking frantic.
"Captain Kazuma! The Captain-Commander sent me to ask why on earth you used your shikai inside the Seireitei walls!"
Kazuma sighed, patiently explaining the ridiculous situation to Chōjirō all over again.
"Well, Captain Kuchiki, Chōjirō, my job here's done. I'll be heading back to the Seventh Division now. By the way, tell Kōga to come find me for his lessons once he's out of the hospital!" Kazuma called out over his shoulder as he strolled away.
...
A short while later, Kazuma strolled back into the Seventh Division barracks.
"Captain Kazuma, I heard that massive weather anomaly earlier was you releasing your Zanpakutō?" Shunsui asked, nursing a cup of sake with a wry smile.
Kazuma plopped down and grinned. "That's right, it was my Shikai. What? do you want to try taking a hit from it too?"
"No, no, no, absolutely not," Shunsui said, shaking his head rapidly.
He had felt the crushing pressure from across the city, he couldn't even fathom what it would be like to face it at point-blank range!
"Kazuma, weren't you supposed to be at the First Division? Why did you release your Zanpakutō at the Kuchiki Manor?" Batsu'unsai asked, pausing her paperwork to glare at him.
"The Head of the Kuchiki clan asked the old man to handle a discipline issue with Kōga, so Yamamoto pawned the job off on me."
Realization dawned on Shunsui. "Kōga Kuchiki? That name sounds familiar. I've heard he's a prodigy. Your attack just now didn't accidentally kill the kid, did it?"
Kazuma, who had just taken a long swig of sake, nearly choked, coughing as he swallowed.
"How could it? I only used ten percent of my power! It'll just keep him bedridden for a few days so he can think about his life choices. Don't go spreading rumors that I murder kids, Shunsui!"