"This zanpakutō—if it were wielded by Aizen, there'd be no one who could stand against him, except perhaps Youhabakh and that monk from the 0th Division. I wonder… did Aizen never notice this sword, or did he simply abandon it because of its side effects?"
After delving even deeper into the abilities of Enrakyōten, Daniel Davis became ever more aware of just how powerful this zanpakutō truly was. Its mimetic power isn't limited to manifesting just one sword at a time. If desired, its ability allows the simultaneous use of multiple zanpakutō—each of their powers coexisting in unison.
In simpler terms, after activating Senbonzakura and using the "Gray Cat" technique, one can have both Senbonzakura and Gray Cat attack an enemy at the same time—harnessing the power of several active zanpakutō concurrently.
For someone with insufficient spiritual pressure, such a weapon might prove to be rather mediocre. But if one were like Aizen, with overwhelmingly potent spiritual energy, then—frankly speaking—they could wield a dozen, even dozens of zanpakutō at the same time. In some cases, the abilities of these swords would be no less impressive than those of Mirror Flower, Water Moon.
Over the years in the Soul Society, countless zanpakutō have been born—so many that, aside from that monk in the 0th Division, hardly anyone knows their true origins. Even the Tokinada family itself cannot possibly know the Shikai of every single zanpakutō. And yet, what is known already suffices. For instance, several of the earlier captains' swords from the Eleventh Division were immensely powerful—one of which is even still confined in the depths of the Infernal Pit.
"I wonder… could it even mimic Bankai? If it could, that would be indescribable."
Although no memory in Tsunayashiro Tokinada's recollections confirmed this, Daniel Davis suspected it wasn't that the sword was incapable—it was more likely that Tokinada's own strength was insufficient to replicate Bankai.
"It seems there's no need to seek out Niejianli anymore."
Daniel quickly set aside the matter of Enrakyōten. Even if he were to study it further, it wasn't urgent. With everything the Tokinada family controls—and more precisely, the privileges they wield—he no longer needed to hunt down Niejianli for Extinction Cultist training materials. Originally, Daniel had planned to obtain such materials from Niejianli, who had dedicated years to researching the Extinction Cultists. There's no doubt that Niejianli would have an abundance of training documents. But now, those same materials are available from the Tokinada family as well.
They might not be as detailed as Niejianli's, but for Daniel, they're more than sufficient.
"Look at the spiritual pressure emanating from Ishida and Ichigo—they've clearly both run into formidable foes. And with Rukia's execution only days away, we've got a few precious days to work with."
Suddenly, four distinct surges of powerful spiritual pressure arose. Two of them were familiar to Daniel—those belonging to Ichigo and Uryū Ishida. It was clear that both had encountered their own adversaries.
After noting the directions from which the spiritual pressure surged, Daniel ceased his surveillance and instead made his way deep into the underground depths of the Tokinada estate, where he began studying advanced Kidō techniques.
As the head of one of the four great noble families, the Tokinada clan naturally had comprehensive training in Shinigami swordsmanship, hand-to-hand combat, and Kidō. For the aristocrats of the Soul Society, their family education far surpassed that of the True Spirit Arts Academy. There, one's primary goal is to build up a reputation for eventual entry into the Thirteen Court Guard Squads—think of it as akin to the likes of Byakuya Kuchiki.
"I gotta ask, Yoruichi—how on earth did you get on her bad side? It sure looks like she hates you."
Daniel's shadow clone had originally intended to check out the duel between Ichigo and Gengmu Jianba, but halfway there, it encountered a fascinating fight: Captain Suìfēng of the Second Division was relentlessly chasing Yoruichi. And at that moment, Yoruichi wasn't in her usual "talking cat" mode.
Yoruichi was fighting a tactical retreat, while Suìfēng roared in pursuit, his zanpakutō slicing without mercy.
"You know it's me?" Yoruichi asked, dodging one of Suìfēng's strikes before leaping over to join Daniel's clone, her expression one of surprised disbelief. After all, she had never before appeared in this more… human form around Daniel, Ichigo, and the others.
To Ichigo and Orihime, Yoruichi was nothing more than an oddly articulate cat. Strange as it seemed, in a world where Shinigami and Hollows were real, encountering a talking cat wasn't entirely unexpected.
"Your spiritual pressure hasn't changed a bit," Daniel noted. He wasn't Ichigo—he still couldn't identify people by spiritual pressure, and Suìfēng had relied on that very method to recognize Yoruichi.
"Where were you these past few days?" Daniel asked as he and Yoruichi split off to opposite flanks. Even as they conversed, Suìfēng's relentless assault continued unabated.
"While Ichigo and that Third Division captain were busy fighting, I snuck in here. I was expecting you guys to show up sooner—I didn't realize you'd taken so long."
"Now's not the time for idle chatter. Ichigo might be facing an enemy right now—go support him. We can talk later."
"Alright, have fun."
Though Suìfēng was formidable, there was still a noticeable gap between him and Yoruichi. If Yoruichi truly wanted to disengage from combat, she'd have already done so. The fact that she was still trading blows with Suìfēng perhaps indicated a touch of nostalgia.
"Looks like a decision has been made—after all, it wasn't long before a lieutenant captain was decisively defeated."
By the time Daniel reached Ichigo's position, he witnessed Ichigo landing a decisive blow on Asanai Renji. Keep in mind, Renji wasn't in his limited "real world" mode at this point. Admittedly, Ichigo wasn't unscathed either—Renji's Snake Tail Blade had inflicted noticeable injuries.
"Teacher Davis, I'm so glad you're here," Ichigo said with a faint smile as he spotted Daniel. Daniel had been worried sick when he learned that Ichigo had infiltrated Seireitei alone.
"You seem mighty strong—how about a spar? Let's have a bout." Just as Daniel was about to speak, a tremendous crash resounded from a nearby rooftop. A figure leapt down, and the sheer force of his spiritual pressure shattered the ground for several meters around him.
Even at a glance, Daniel recognized the man immediately: it was Gengmu Jianba, captain of the Eleventh Division. Trailing behind him was a petite girl with shoulder-length pink hair—clearly, she was his vice-captain, Hachisuru Ryuu. Judging by their demeanor, she wasn't just any subordinate; she was the physical manifestation of Gengmu Jianba's zanpakutō and also served as the head of the Soul Society's Female Shinigami Association—a force even Byakuya Kuchiki couldn't easily contend with.
"Not interested. If you want a fight, take it up with him," Daniel replied dismissively.
Daniel had little interest in dueling Gengmu Jianba. He wasn't a bloodthirsty warrior, and he had no real desire to test his mettle against Jianba—even if he was merely a shadow clone. In fact, while most people grow stronger with each battle, Daniel's power actually diminished with combat; his strength was so vast that fighting provided little satisfaction, so he deliberately held back.
There was also another reason: the Central 46 is terrified of uncontrollable power. That's why Captain Yamamoto only taught him a single day's worth of swordsmanship before cutting him off.
Daniel understood Gengmu Jianba's character well. Though he couldn't dissuade Jianba's desire to fight, he simply diverted the conflict, letting him face Ichigo instead. Even if Ichigo looked injured, as someone with Three-Clan blood, he only grew stronger with combat—and if his life were in peril, he had backup.
"Though he's decent, you seem even stronger."
Before Daniel could finish speaking, Gengmu Jianba raised his zanpakutō with his right hand. A frigid, formidable surge of spiritual pressure radiated from him. At that very moment, the Hachisuru Ryuu on his back leapt off and landed on a rooftop behind him.
Boom.
With a single blow, an earth-shattering impact erupted, sending a massive cloud of dust and smoke billowing in front of Gengmu Jianba. Yet his expression remained unsatisfied. Muttering under his breath, his gaze shifted toward the wall on his left—where Daniel was quietly standing atop it.
Facing Gengmu Jianba's concentrated surge of spiritual power, Daniel's shadow clone didn't attempt to parry directly; instead, it used Shunpo to sidestep. Gengmu Jianba's sword merely carved out a roughly ten-meter-wide crater in the Soul Society's ground.
"If you want to fight me, I'll give you a chance. Defeat him, and I'll fight you one-on-one," Daniel declared, turning his gaze toward Ichigo before pointing at Gengmu Jianba. "Ichigo, since you've come to the Soul Society, you should understand that rescuing Rukia isn't an easy task. There are thirteen captain-level figures here, and he is one of them. If you can't even overcome him, you'll never be able to save Rukia."
With that, Daniel disregarded Gengmu Jianba's furious roars and instantly vanished via Shunpo toward the Penitence Palace. With Daniel's target gone, Jianba naturally shifted his focus onto Ichigo.
Ichigo was nothing more than a pawn in Aizen and Urahara's grand game—and it wasn't time to break the board yet. After all, the chaos served Ichigo well; his rapid growth in power was largely a product of battle experience. Even his own father had no objections—just as Uryū's father, Ryugen Ishida, had agreed despite knowing the perils of venturing into the Soul Society.
"Rukia."
"Teacher Davis, what are you doing here? I heard from Renji that Ichigo has arrived too."
"Right—it's not just Ichigo. Chad, Uryū, and Orihime have all come along."
"You guys shouldn't be here. This is all my fault—this place is extremely dangerous. Teacher Davis, please take Ichigo and the others and get them out of here."
As a member of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, Rukia was well aware of the might of the Soul Society. Alone, Ichigo and his crew were no match for the forces keeping Rukia confined. In fact, Rukia's spiritual pressure was nearly depleted—she could clearly sense the ensuing chaos in Seireitei.
"Do you really think Ichigo will heed your orders? Don't worry—none of them are in any real danger."
Thanks to Urahara's preemptive planning and the fact that Ichigo and his allies were here to rescue Rukia, the vast majority of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads wouldn't harm them. And if they did, it would be for capture rather than outright slaughter.
The chaos in Seireitei wasn't caused by Ichigo's group. Excluding Daniel and Yoruichi, there were only four of them—and Orihime wasn't exactly battle-ready, while Chad was a gentle soul. There was no way such a small force could have triggered such widespread disorder.
"Miss Rukia—ah, Traveler."
While Daniel was conversing with Rukia, a neat-faced teenage boy carrying a broom approached from one side. Upon seeing Daniel, the boy trembled violently—almost letting out a scream—then quickly clamped a hand over his mouth, as if recalling something he shouldn't say aloud.
"You're here to rescue Miss Rukia, aren't you? That's wonderful—I've always believed she was innocent. I won't breathe a word of this to anyone."
"Captain Yamamoto would be furious if he heard that," Daniel muttered.
Observing the relieved expression on Yamada Hattaro's face, Daniel couldn't help but feel exasperated. No matter what, Hattaro was now an enemy of Seireitei—and yet here he was defecting.
"Thanks, I appreciate it. Don't worry—I'll knock you out so you won't get dragged into this."
"Miss Rukia, please—hurry and leave. I'm afraid reinforcements will be here any minute."
This young man, who seemed even more eager to rescue than Daniel himself, immediately urged Daniel to lead Rukia away.
"Really? That's great. By the way, I've got a key with me."
Yamada Hattaro produced the key to the Penitence Palace's main gate.
Hattaro had come here to tidy Rukia's room. Even though Rukia was now detained as a criminal, as the eldest daughter of the Kuchiki clan, her treatment was naturally preferential.
Speaking of Hattaro, he held the position of Third Seat in the Fourth Division. Unfortunately, his timid nature had relegated many mundane tasks to him—cleaning the Penitence Palace, scrubbing the underground sewers, and so on.
Ordinarily, a Third Seat wouldn't be expected to handle such responsibilities, especially since, for a division, aside from the captain and lieutenant, the Third Seat is the highest rank. But that's the way it is in the Fourth Division of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads—no one respects them much.
Many Shinigami in the Soul Society look down on the Fourth Division. Given the choice, a Shinigami would never want to be assigned there, as it signifies exile. (Of course, no one would say such a thing in front of Captain Uru Kuro, who appears gentle but is truly diabolical. If he heard this, he wouldn't hesitate to strike—though his subsequent "treatment" would be excruciating, with no proper bed, and he'd be tossed straight to the floor. As long as they don't die, that's all that matters.)
These people simply don't know Uru Kuro's true nature; otherwise, they'd never dare to underestimate the Fourth Division.
Hattaro's ability to secure the position of Third Seat despite his cowardly nature was due in large part to his zanpakutō's mysterious power. In a way, if it weren't for Hattaro's own weakness, his sword would have been a formidable weapon.
"Thank you very much," Daniel said as he took the key, preparing to unlock the palace gate and free Rukia. Since he'd come here, he wasn't about to leave without a few words with her.
"No, I can't leave like that—otherwise my brother won't be able to answer for it." But at that moment, Rukia refused. One of the reasons she was willing to admit her guilt was to preserve the reputation of the Kuchiki clan.
Among all the noble families in the Soul Society, the Kuchiki are the most incorruptible. Rukia didn't want her actions to tarnish their image as principled and unselfish. Frankly speaking, even if the Central 46 were to act without Aizen's Mirror Flower, Water Moon, they'd still have a hard time letting Rukia go free—after all, it's a rare opportunity to bring down the Kuchiki clan, and many of the Soul Society's four great families covet that position.
Just as the Shiba clan, the Shiba were once easily expelled from Seireitei for similar reasons.
"Alright, let's go."
Sighing, Daniel inserted the key into the gate and unlocked the Penitence Palace.
(End of Chapter)
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