The man at the front slowly took a step forward.
His short reddish-purple hair stood out sharply in the darkness, and his long bangs fell like a curtain over the left side of his face, half-hiding it and giving him a mysterious air.
His eyes were a deep emerald green, like two glittering gemstones that drew the gaze without warning.
His face were handsome and firm, as though carved by time itself, every line carrying a sense of hard-edged resilience.
His body was slender and lean, yet it seemed to contain endless strength, giving him an unreadable presence.
Around his neck was a heavy, rusted restraint. Long chains extended from it, coiling over his broad shoulders like two vicious snakes.
A blue-gray cloak with red lining hung over him, fastened by black-and-white masks as clasps.
Beneath the cloak, he wore a tight gray-white suit that wrapped closely around his body.
"My name is Shuren. These are my subordinates—Shiun, Gunjo, Garogai, and Taikon."
Shuren's voice was low and powerful, as though it could pierce straight through the soul.
His burning gaze locked onto Kazuma and Rukia, cold light flickering in his eyes.
"Shinigami, tell me your purpose for coming to Hell. If your answer does not satisfy me, then prepare to face my wrath."
His words carried both threat and authority, his presence surging like a violent wave that could not be ignored.
Kazuma was immediately annoyed.
"Do you know what I hate the most?"
The corner of Shuren's mouth lifted into a disdainful smile.
He looked coldly at Kazuma and Rukia without saying another word.
His gaze seemed to say, 'You aren't even worth another sentence.'
Anger rose in Kazuma's chest.
The thing he could not stand most was someone acting high and mighty in front of him.
He tightened his grip around his Zanpakutō and said coldly, "What I hate most is people acting like hot shit in front of me. Who the hell do you think you're showing off to?"
The words were packed with mockery and anger, leaving everyone present momentarily stunned.
The instant his voice fell, Kazuma grabbed his Zanpakutō and charged straight at them without hesitation.
He did not even bother releasing his blade. His figure flashed, rushing toward the five like a ghost.
His speed was terrifying. In an instant, he appeared before them.
Blade light flashed like lightning cutting through the night, carrying a sharp killing intent.
Here in Hell, Kazuma had no need to hide his true strength.
He intended to let these arrogant fools taste the agony of dying and reviving over and over again.
In one sentence—just beat the crap out of them.
Shuren's pupils contracted sharply. He had not expected Kazuma to attack so decisively.
Even so, he showed no intention of retreating.
His figure moved like lightning, swiftly avoiding Kazuma's fierce slash.
At the same time, Shiun, Gunjo, Garogai, and Taikon each unleashed their own unique abilities.
Their ghostlike figures shuttled rapidly through space as they launched a fierce counterattack against Kazuma.
For a moment, five figures crossed and flickered around him.
The battle was intense, like a thrilling struggle between life and death.
Kazuma was surrounded, but there was no fear on his face.
With his superb Zanjutsu and swift, flexible Shunpo, he dismantled their attacks again and again.
"Not bad. A little interesting, but only a little."
Kazuma gave a cold shout.
"Rukia, watch closely. This is what real Zanjutsu looks like!"
Lightning covered the blade of Kazuma's Zanpakutō as he swung with blinding speed.
In the blink of an eye, Garogai was cut down by a single slash.
The movement was so fast and effortless that it looked no harder than slicing through vegetables.
Immediately after, Kazuma's swordsmanship unfolded like a violent storm.
The remaining four enemies were cut down almost instantly, all five of them collapsing to the ground and obediently waiting to revive.
Rukia stood at the side, staring at the scene in disbelief as if she had just been struck by lightning.
Her eyes were wide, and she shook her head in disbelief, muttering, "How is this possible…"
Everything happening before her left her utterly shocked.
A star-type Zanpakutō could actually use the power of lightning?
That completely exceeded her understanding of Zanpakutō abilities.
And more than that, the strength Kazuma displayed left her speechless.
His combat power was so overwhelming that he had slaughtered those enemies with ease.
Rukia could not help thinking back to her impression of Kazuma. In her eyes, he had always been a gentle, lazy teacher.
But what she was seeing now was completely different from the image in her heart.
Could it be that this was the real Kazuma?
She began wondering just how powerful Kazuma truly was.
Kōga Kuchiki had once told her that Kazuma was strong, but hearing it was one thing.
Seeing it with her own eyes was something else entirely.
This level of power had already surpassed Rukia's understanding of captain-class strength.
She had heard about the strength of other captains after Bankai, but compared to Kazuma, the difference felt like heaven and earth.
Suddenly, the image of Byakuya Kuchiki flashed through Rukia's mind.
She could not help comparing Kazuma's strength with Byakuya's.
If the two of them fought, even Byakuya might struggle to withstand Kazuma's terrifying slashes.
The moment that image appeared in her mind, Rukia quickly shook her head.
"Someone this strong was killed by Captain Aizen? That has to be a joke! Does that mean Captain Aizen is even stronger?"
Rukia murmured to herself.
She could not imagine it.
If even someone as powerful as Kazuma could be killed so easily by Captain Aizen, then just how terrifying was Aizen?
At this point, she no longer believed the old rumors at all.
Before long, the magma beside the skeleton began to writhe.
Shuren, the strongest among them, was the first to revive.
His face carried both rage and fear.
He was furious that the man before him had killed him once.
But he was afraid because he had been killed without the slightest ability to resist.
"Damn it!"
Shuren gritted his teeth, fury blazing in his eyes.
He clenched his fists tightly, every muscle in his body tensing as though he were ready to attack at any moment.
However, when he saw Kazuma's cold gaze, a chill rose in his heart, and the courage that had just surged within him vanished instantly.
Shuren took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.
He understood that he could not act recklessly right now.
First, he had to figure out what the other party wanted.
So he tried to stay composed and asked with that same arrogant expression, "Who exactly are you? Why did you kill us?"
The corner of Kazuma's mouth lifted slightly, forming a faint smile.
He did not answer Shuren's question.
What greeted Shuren instead was another slash.
"Stop wasting words," Kazuma said coldly. "Who gave you the courage to act so arrogant in front of me? Since you still dare talk to me like that, go die one more time."
With that, Kazuma raised his Zanpakutō again, ready to deliver a fatal blow.
Despair flashed in Shuren's eyes.
He knew he was no match.
But he refused to die again so easily, so he decided to fight back with the last of his strength.
Shuren roared and released his reiatsu with everything he had, trying to stop Kazuma's attack.
However, Kazuma's strength was far beyond his expectations.
His reiatsu could not shake Kazuma in the slightest.
Expressionless, Kazuma looked at Shuren and lightly swung his blade.
The slash tore through the air like lightning.
Shuren's eyes widened as he watched the blade light close in, powerless to dodge.
Pfft.
The slash pierced through Shuren's chest, bringing a spray of blood with it.
Shuren let out a muffled groan as his body slowly collapsed, his face still frozen in disbelief.
Then his corpse turned into magma once again.