"I am the Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13, Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni. I am here to make an announcement that concerns not only the Seireitei but also Rukongai—indeed, the entire Soul Society."
In the heart of Seireitei, Yamamoto's voice, amplified through Kidō and transmitted via the communication network, resonated far and wide, reaching even the outer districts of Rukongai.
"It is regrettable, but the truth is undeniable—Soul Society may only have a few moments left. We stand on the precipice of annihilation, facing a crisis that will soon collide with our very existence."
The Shinigami who had been celebrating moments earlier fell into stunned silence, their gazes turning toward the sky. It was only then that they realized—the distortions in the atmosphere, the lingering phantoms of the Living World and the Dangai—they had not vanished with the completion of the ritual.
"In these final moments, I refuse to let you die in ignorance and fear. Even if we are ultimately unable to change our fate, the Shinigami of the Gotei 13 must face death with honor, their heads held high!"
"The history of Soul Society may be coming to an end—but hope remains. All eyes now turn to the final moment, and all possibilities rest with Captain Akira!"
"Whether this is an honorable death or the salvation of the world, success or failure will be decided now!" Yamamoto concluded his speech with a heavy sigh.
Beside the Kidō Cannon, the captains stood in solemn silence.
"Tch… Leaving the fate of all of Soul Society in someone else's hands doesn't sit right with me," Zaraki Kenpachi scoffed.
Unohana Retsu let out a soft sigh. "If we had chosen to go with him from the start, perhaps we could have found a way to overcome this crisis together."
Her words struck a chord with Hitsugaya Tōshirō and Soifon, who clenched their fists in frustration. How they wished they could turn back time and fight alongside Akira from the beginning.
Yamamoto turned his gaze toward the 12th Division. "There are no 'ifs' in battle. Kurotsuchi, can we still contact Captain Akira?"
Kurotsuchi Mayuri shook his head. "No, we lack the necessary means to reach him, but…"
He grinned slightly. "If he truly possesses the intellect worthy of his rank, then he should already know what must be done."
The Dangai Precipice
With the deaths of countless souls, the boundaries of existence itself were beginning to collapse.
Akira, carrying Senna, passed through a tear in space and entered the void of the Garganta.
"The distance between the Human World and Soul Society is shrinking…"
As soon as they stepped into the broken realm, Akira felt a tremendous force pulling from both ends.
The gravitational forces of the two worlds were increasing, drawing them together with enough strength to disrupt the very fabric of space.
"I thought so too. In the end, we'll have to rely on something else to resolve this."
Setting Senna down, Akira could see in her eyes that she understood the gravity of the situation.
"The world… is ending?"
Senna stared at the crumbling landscape, her expression unreadable. Her shoulders trembled.
Even though she had been rescued, there would be no escape to a new future—because there would be no future at all. The end had already come.
"…This all started because of me, didn't it?" Senna murmured. "If I hadn't become the Rosary, neither Soul Society nor the Human World would be in this state."
She turned to Akira with a forced smile.
"Still, you saved me. So I won't let your world be destroyed. And I won't let you die because of it."
She took a deep breath, steeling herself.
"The residual spirits in the Dangai have been wiped out, but there are still countless lost souls lingering here, in the Garganta. I still have the power to control them."
"If I detonate the Garganta using these wandering souls, the force generated should be strong enough to push the two worlds apart!"
Tears welled up in her eyes, but her voice remained steady.
"This… will be my way of atoning."
It was clear that she had finally been saved. She truly didn't want to die, but at that moment, she had seen no other way.
"What are you talking about?" Akira said calmly, his voice unwavering. "Have you forgotten? I haven't even begun to fight."
"…Eh?"
Senna looked up, her breath hitching as she saw Akira gradually rising into the air, an immense spiritual pressure radiating from him. The very air trembled under the weight of his power.
"It seems time is running out," he murmured. "Let's finish this."
Senna was a last resort, a trump card—but it wasn't the technique Akira needed right now.
As he focused, the energy of the Goro Goro no Mi (Thunder Fruit) within him seamlessly merged with his Karyū no Mahō (Fire Dragon Slayer Magic), unleashing his most explosive transformation.
"Thunder Flame Dragon Mode!"
At the same time, Akira unsheathed his Zanpakutō, the Hikari Mirror.
"Reflect—Hikari Kagami!"
Upon activating Shikai, a perfect duplicate of Akira materialized beside him, mirroring his stance and power. The original and the copy raised their hands, summoning immense torrents of thunder and flame. The two volatile elements fused, condensing into massive orbs of crackling lightning and roaring fire.
Hanging in the sky like twin suns over a shattered battlefield, these blazing spheres pulsed with energy.
As the clone vanished, Akira immediately released his Zanpakutō again, repeating the technique. His spiritual pressure surged as he created even more of these celestial fireballs.
In mere moments, six Thunder Flame Dragon Suns blazed above the Dangai, their light staining the void with hues of gold and violet.
"Hah… hah…" Akira panted, his chest rising and falling heavily. This technique drained his reiryoku at an alarming rate, but he had no choice. It wasn't his strongest single attack, but in terms of sheer destructive range, it surpassed even the fiercest attacks of other Dragon Slayers.
After all, this was the fusion of the Goro Goro no Mi's Raigō and Karyū no Hōkō's Hōen, an elemental force so overwhelming that even Natsu's Gekikō Karyū Enjin paled in comparison.
"This is my limit… so let's end this!"
Akira thrust his arms forward, unleashing all six colossal spheres at once.
"RAGING THUNDERFLAME CATASTROPHE!!!"
A moment later—
BOOM!!! BOOM!!! BOOM!!! BOOM!!! BOOM!!! BOOM!!!
A cataclysmic explosion tore through the Dangai, obliterating vast stretches of space in an instant. The sheer force of the detonation caused entire sections of the boundary to evaporate into nothingness.
The blinding light pierced through the dimensional rift, spilling into the Seireitei like a second sun.
Throughout the Gotei 13, countless Shinigami shielded their eyes, unable to withstand the radiance.
"This is absurd…" Chōjirō Sasakibe muttered, raising a hand to block the light. His voice was tinged with disbelief. "If this had detonated inside the Seireitei, there wouldn't even be ashes left…"
He exhaled in relief. Sealing Akira's lightning with Bankai earlier had been the right call.
If this power had been used against Yamamoto himself, the Seireitei wouldn't just be damaged—it would be erased from existence.
Visit patreon.com/shirokendama for more chapters