Kazuma and Rukia sat leisurely beside the massive skeleton, a wine jug in Kazuma's hand as he took small, relaxed sips, waiting for the five dead fools to revive.
"Rukia, want some? This is good wine, you know," Kazuma asked with a smile, holding the jug out to her.
"No, no, Sensei, you can drink it yourself. I don't really like alcohol," Rukia hurriedly refused, waving her hands.
After a while, Shuren and his four subordinates finally revived.
They stood once more before Kazuma and Rukia, but this time, Shuren was no longer as arrogant and domineering as before.
He only stared at Kazuma in silence, his gaze cold.
Seeing that, the corner of Kazuma's mouth lifted in disdain.
He lightly shook the wine jug in his hand and said to Shuren, "What, back from the dead already? Though from the look on your face, it seems you still haven't learned your lesson."
Shuren's expression darkened even further.
Gritting his teeth, he said, "Shinigami, don't get smug too soon! This time, we'll definitely kill you!"
With that, he waved his hand, signaling his four subordinates to attack together.
Kazuma, however, did not look bothered in the slightest.
With an effortless leap, he avoided their assault.
Immediately after, he moved with terrifying speed, striking Shuren and the others in their vital points almost instantly.
In the blink of an eye, Shuren and his subordinates were once again reduced to magma. This time, they did not last long at all before completely melting into a pool of red-hot liquid.
Before long, the magma began to squirm again, gradually condensing back into human form.
Shuren revived once more, a smug smile appearing on his face.
"How about that? Surprised? Hahaha! We are all immortal. There's nothing you can do to us!"
Faced with Shuren's provocation, Kazuma remained perfectly calm, looking at him with an indifferent expression.
"Oh, is that so? Then do you still think you have any chance of winning?"
Shuren froze for a moment, as though he had not expected Kazuma to be so composed.
He sneered. "Hmph. So what if you can kill us? We can revive endlessly, while you will eventually grow tired. When that happens, the winner will be obvious!"
Kazuma smiled faintly, disdain flashing through his eyes.
"True, you do have the ability to revive endlessly. But don't forget, I'm not exactly harmless either. Every time you revive, you consume a large amount of energy. If this continues, sooner or later, you'll exhaust everything you have. Besides…"
Kazuma paused deliberately.
Shuren frowned and could not help asking, "Besides what?"
Kazuma slowly said, "Besides, I've already found a way to restrain you. If I want to, I can kill you outright at any time. Your endless revival is nothing but a joke."
Hearing that, Shuren's expression turned ugly.
Gritting his teeth, he said, "You dare threaten us? Let me tell you, we won't submit to anyone so easily!"
Kazuma shrugged and shook his head helplessly.
"You people really refuse the easy way until the hard way comes knocking. Fine. Since you won't cooperate, don't blame me for being rude."
With that, he attacked again.
This time, the power he used was even stronger, instantly forcing Shuren and the others into a desperate situation.
"Well? Do you still want another taste of death?" Kazuma asked blandly. "I know you can keep reviving, but killing you is as easy as slaughtering chickens to me. Are you sure you want to continue?"
Shuren gritted his teeth and glared viciously at Kazuma.
"Don't get arrogant! We won't submit just like this! One day, we'll find a chance to strike back!"
Kazuma smiled, completely unconcerned.
"Sure. I'll be waiting. But before that, you can all obediently die one more time."
As he spoke, Kazuma unleashed several more slashes, sending them off to wait for resurrection again.
After countless deaths and rebirths, Shuren and the others remained as stubborn as ever.
They might have endless time to waste, but Kazuma did not have that much patience.
After Kazuma killed Shuren, Shiun, Garogai, and Taikon once more, only Gunjo was left standing there with a blank expression.
"The four of them are dead again. So what are you planning to do now? Are you willing to cooperate a little?"
Kazuma's mouth curved upward, his tone carrying a trace of mockery.
Gunjo raised his head, contempt showing in his eyes.
"Why should I cooperate with you? Who do you think you are?"
Kazuma frowned and shook his head helplessly.
"I didn't want to kill anyone permanently. Unfortunately, all of you are far too stubborn. Since that's the case, sorry, but I'll have to use you as an example."
"Hokushin Domain, open."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Kazuma opened his domain without hesitation.
The domain expanded instantly, enveloping both him and Gunjo.
The moment Gunjo entered it, he suddenly discovered that his connection to Hell had been completely severed, and panic immediately filled his heart.
Kazuma looked at Gunjo's flustered expression and sneered.
"Let's see how long you can keep acting arrogant."
With that, he swung the Zanpakutō in his hand.
A sharp blade of sword energy cut straight through Gunjo, reducing him to ash.
He did not even have time to scream before vanishing completely within that space.
Gunjo had believed he could rely on Hell's power to revive again and again.
Only now did he realize how naive that thought had been.
Against Kazuma's overwhelming strength, he had no power to resist at all.
And Kazuma had proved through action that if he wanted to, he could erase an enemy completely with ease.
...
When Shuren and the others revived again, Kazuma did nothing.
He simply looked at them with playful mockery in his eyes.
Seeing Kazuma's expression, Shuren felt a chill run through his heart, but he still forced himself to remain calm.
"What exactly do you want?" he asked.
Kazuma smiled.
"Nothing much. I just wanted to see whether you Togabito really can revive forever."
When Shuren and the others heard that, unease began to creep into their hearts.
For the first time, they started doubting whether they truly could revive endlessly.
Time passed second by second, and the expressions of Shuren and the others grew more and more unpleasant.
They waited for a long time.
At last, they realized something was wrong.
Gunjo never appeared.
Shuren finally could not hold back anymore.
His eyes widened as he shouted at Kazuma, "What did you do? Where is Gunjo?"
Kazuma smiled faintly.
"You mean that tentacle freak? Since you refused to cooperate, I killed him completely. He won't be reviving anymore."
Shuren's heart lurched in terror.
He could not believe it was true.
As Togabito, they were supposed to be able to revive endlessly in Hell.
"Impossible!" Shuren screamed. "We Togabito can revive endlessly in Hell!"
Kazuma shrugged.
"Oh? Is that so? I already told you I had a way to kill you permanently. You were the ones who refused to believe me."
Shuren and the others looked at one another, fear filling their hearts.
If Kazuma was telling the truth, then they were truly finished.
The long-forgotten word "death" surfaced in their minds once more.
Kazuma continued, "You don't have to believe me. Then wait a little longer and see whether Gunjo comes back."
Shuren and the others fell silent.
Their eyes were filled with despair and helplessness.
Only now did they finally realize they had fallen into a dead end.