"Alert! Alert!"
"Target reiatsu levels in District E13 are spiking again!"
"Why haven't the restriction release settings been transmitted yet?"
"Deputy Director, District E13 is locked by a special spatial barrier. Direct communication is currently impossible! The reiatsu seal will take at least five minutes to decode autonomously!"
"Damn it!"
Twelfth Division, Living World Observation Post.
Researchers in white coats scurried about, the spacious hall echoing with urgent reports. The clatter of keyboards and the hum of reiatsu adjustments filled the air, every face taut with tension.
Senjumaru stood before the massive screen, silently observing the towering cascade of reiatsu piercing the heavens, her eyes narrowed.
"Senjumaru!"
Kirio's face strained, forgot the formalities she'd adopted over the past century. "Let me take the Dangai team for another try!"
"If we don't break that spatial lockdown, then…"
The usually cheerful girl's voice carried a rare edge of anxiety.
What started as a routine pursuit had turned into an ambush, with both space and communication channels sealed off.
As a result, the dispatched assault team's captains were forced to fight at a mere fifth of their strength.
This scenario was entirely outside their contingency plans.
No one expected an enemy estimated to be a handful of individuals to orchestrate such a massive assault.
"Wait a little longer."
Unlike Kirio's agitation, Senjumaru remained composed before the screen.
The elegant beauty, always poised, displayed a calm that surprised Kirio, yet was hard to fathom.
"But Makoto and the others…"
"Calm down, Kirio."
Senjumaru spoke evenly. "Do you think one or two people could set up a spatial lockdown of this scale?"
Kirio froze.
"You mean…?"
"A skilled hunter often appears as prey in the eyes of others."
"The real big fish hiding in deep waters hasn't shown itself yet."
Senjumaru turned to her with a low chuckle.
"Besides…"
"Aren't you misunderstanding something?"
Kirio looked at her, confused. "Misunderstanding?"
Senjumaru's voice was soft but resonant.
"Idiot."
"That's Makoto we're talking about."
---
Rumble,
Makoto, Saito, and their group halted at the edge of the reverse waterfall, gazing at the faint figure at the storm's center.
They weren't alone.
From all directions, figures converged toward the epicenter of the reiatsu.
Host bodies, formed from rebellious Shinigami, stood like sentinels around the storm's perimeter, coldly eyeing the gathering captains.
Aside from Makoto's group, the others looked somewhat battered.
Not everyone could easily overpower these near-captain-level monsters while limited to a fifth of their strength.
"What… is that thing?"
Ginrei hovered in midair, staring at the tidal wave of Hollows converging from above, shattering and funneling reiatsu into the storm's core. His voice betrayed a hint of hesitation.
His usually fair, handsome face looked grim under the shadow of the Hollow swarm blanketing the sky.
Kinroku, quietly sensing the relentless influx of reiatsu from all directions, remarked with a sigh, "They've probably gathered half the Hollows from the Living World here, haven't they?"
"Terrifying."
He adjusted the glasses at his temple and turned to the side.
"Makoto."
"Shouldn't we clear out these pests first?"
Waiting for the final boss to undergo its three-stage transformation was a cardinal sin for protagonists.
At his words, Ginrei and Shunsui turned to him simultaneously.
Makoto stood calmly, hands tucked in his sleeves. At Kinroku's question, he merely smiled nonchalantly, his tone carrying a deeper meaning.
"Let's handle it together."
"If we can't catch it, it'll be up to you."
Kinroku gave him a second glance, seeming to grasp his intent.
He nodded slightly.
But that calm, almost arrogant tone stirred unease in Ginrei, standing nearby.
It felt as if he were the so-called 'boss,' awaiting a clown's futile performance.
Recalling his own shocked expression moments ago, Ginrei felt overshadowed.
His fingers tightened within his sleeve.
Damn it!
Is this what a noble amounts to?!
Shunsui, meanwhile, observed Makoto's unwavering composure, speculating silently.
Though Makoto was his instructor from their academy days and appeared close in age, no one from Shunsui's generation had witnessed this 'legend' of the Soul Society in full action.
Having risen to vice-captain, Shunsui, despite his youth, understood the gap between himself and some captains. Yet he was confident he'd catch up soon.
This mindset made the 'legend' spoken of by ordinary squad members seem less distant.
What an arrogant statement.
Is Makoto-sama really that strong?
Shunsui wondered.
Buzz,
The thought was cut short as the storm's roar abruptly stilled.
The Hollow swarm at the sky's zenith dissolved into nothingness, leaving only scattered reishi drifting in the air. A heavy atmosphere lingered, pressing on their chests.
Then, at the focal point of everyone's gazes, a tall, lean figure emerged amidst the storm's ruins.
Every onlooker's pupils constricted.
Even Makoto raised his eyes, a trace of surprise on his face.
"Well, now."
"This is quite…"
Before them stood a Vasto Lorde, barely over two meters tall, its body clad in pure white steel-like skin. A bone helmet, woven with dark red and pale white, encased its head, a single rhinoceros-like horn jutting skyward from its forehead.
Jet-black hair spilled from the gaps in the bone armor at its nape. Flame-like fur coiled around its wrists, and a slender, pointed tail hung behind.
A jagged mask fragment covered the Hollow hole on its left chest.
Its eye sockets glowed a vivid scarlet.
In its right hand, it still clutched a Zanpakuto.
Though it emitted no trace of reiatsu, its mere presence weighed heavily on most of those present.
"Captain Makoto?"
Kurayashiki Ryoma glanced at his captain, hand on his sword hilt, eager to act.
"Hey, kid!"
Saito cut him off, her single eye gleaming with excitement as she eyed the Vasto Lorde, her tongue flicking across her lips. She shouted, "Don't even think about stealing this from me!"
But before she could finish, a figure shot forward.
So fast!
Shunsui's brows rose.
Ginrei, charging ahead, was visibly tense.
From the moment he moved, his speed reached its peak, his form like an arrow loosed from a bow, streaking toward the ruins' center.
The host bodies encircling the area couldn't match his pace. With a single Shunpo, he bypassed their defenses, piercing straight to the core.
Ginrei's right hand gripped his sword hilt, his resolve unshaken.
Be it the horned Vasto Lorde, Makoto, or the fleeting shame and fear in his heart,
He'd sever them all!
Clang!
His blade unsheathed, tracing a crescent arc through the air.
Aimed straight for the Vasto Lorde's neck.
Yet, facing this lightning-fast, all-out strike, 'Takasugi' merely raised its blade as if fanning the air.
Ding.
A crisp ring echoed.
The dust and whirlwind trailing Ginrei's strike surged, exploding on the Vasto Lorde's other side, carving an arc-shaped shockwave through the air.
The Vasto Lorde stood unmoved.
Ginrei's expression froze, his pupils shrinking.
The next moment, the Vasto Lorde's Zanpakuto, locked against his blade, swung sharply to the right.
Ginrei was flung like a swatted fly, tumbling through the air, ripples of force radiating around him.
Boom!
He crashed into the ruins, kicking up a cloud of dust.
"Hm?!"
Shunsui's expression faltered, his eyes widening at the unmoving Vasto Lorde.
The surrounding host bodies clustered around it like guards protecting a king.
Hiss!
A long exhale sounded from beneath its mask.
But before it could take a step, its movements froze.
Amid the drifting dust, faint threads, nearly invisible to the naked eye, glinted.
"Thread Trap."
Amid the ruins, Ginrei raised his arm.
Between his fingers, faint threads intertwined, tugging at the Vasto Lorde's lifted foot.
Yet the 'threads,' tougher than steel and sharper than any blade, merely sparked against the Vasto Lorde's steel-like skin.
Its hide was unlike anything he'd ever encountered.
"Pah."
Ginrei spat a glob of blood, his other hand yanking backward.
Instantly, the Vasto Lorde's left arm and other leg were ensnared by the Thread Trap, the immense force pulling them inward.
Under the strain of these opposing forces, the Vasto Lorde's movement faltered.
For the first time, it turned its head toward Ginrei.
A red glint flickered in the depths of its eyes.
"?!"
Ginrei's heart clenched.
The next moment, the Vasto Lorde, seemingly immobilized by countless threads, leaped upward, spinning like a top. Its Zanpakuto slashed through the air, carving two swift arcs.
The dense, resilient threads snapped under the blade, ringing out in a chorus of metallic clangs.
"Net Snare!"
But the severed threads didn't dissipate. Under Ginrei's control, they rapidly converged, weaving into layered barriers across the Vasto Lorde's path.
Yet these obstacles were futile. The Vasto Lorde's form flickered like a phantom, passing through the nets.
Its blade rose high.
Boom!
A surge of earth erupted.
Ginrei's form flickered, reappearing at a distance, breathing heavily.
Despite his all-out dodge, a jagged gash marred his shoulder, blood seeping steadily. His face tightened involuntarily.
From the other side of the dust, a lean figure emerged, slowly dragging its Zanpakuto.
As if disdainful of Ginrei's battered state, the Vasto Lorde didn't advance. It merely stood, pointing its blade at him.
A taunting beckon.
Ginrei's expression froze.
Then, fury blazed in his eyes.
"Don't underestimate me, bastard!"
He thrust his palm toward the Vasto Lorde, clenching the air.
"Bankai!"
"Kazesenpu!"
A tempest of reiatsu ignited, surging endlessly from Ginrei's core, whipping the ground into a tremor.
The swirling reiatsu solidified, forming a gossamer cloak over his haori.
Up close, the cloak revealed itself as a net of countless blade-like threads woven tightly around him.
Even under the reiatsu seal's restriction, limiting him to a fifth of his power, the sheer volume of spiritual energy around Ginrei was staggering.
He rose slowly.
Pebbles lifted by the wind disintegrated silently a foot from his body.
As if sliced by invisible, razor-thin blades.
The Vasto Lorde paused.
"Tch."
"Pathetic guy."
Saito clicked her tongue, clearly annoyed that this kid stole her prey.
"Now that's more like it."
Kinroku, hovering in the air, commented flatly, ignoring the host bodies encircling them.
Shunsui, brows furrowed, watched the scene below, then glanced at the captains standing idle. A flicker of urgency stirred in him.
This wasn't the time for one-on-one duels!
Shouldn't they all attack together?
Why?
As the thought crossed his mind, a question surfaced.
Wait.
This Vasto Lorde's abilities didn't seem spatial in nature, did they?
What were they waiting for…?
Before Shunsui could piece it together, Kinroku, casually holding his blade, raised a brow.
The spatial fluctuations, absent until now, finally entered his perception.
His blade sliced through the air.
"Fuhahara!"
A grotesque rift tore open the sky.
The weathered middle-aged man moved at a speed belying his appearance, darting forward.
As he shot through, Saito and Ryoma behind Makoto split off, charging the host bodies on the ground with startling speed.
The gathered forces scattered instantly.
In that moment, recalling the seemingly casual exchange between Kinroku and Makoto, Shunsui's mind clicked.
Of course!
More than this Vasto Lorde, the real threat was the hidden figure who could whisk it away, the big fish Makoto and the others were targeting!
But…
Watching the others charge the host bodies ahead of him, Shunsui's expression turned wry.
Why did it feel like he was the only one out of the loop?
With no further hesitation, Shunsui joined the two ahead, rushing into the fray.
Makoto remained still, calmly observing the Vasto Lorde.
Incomplete Hollowfication?
It's a lot like Ichigo's bull-headed form.
Was it artificially created too?
And why does it have two masks?
As he pondered, his gaze sharpened.
The Vasto Lorde stood before Ginrei, cloaked in his ethereal threads, silently raising its blade.
From beneath its mask, a rasping, metallic 'hiss' emerged.
Ginrei froze.
Then, his face paled.
From beneath the dual masks, two voices, a man's and a woman's, rang out in near unison, calling different names.
"Rage, Rakushinyōfu!"
"Cleave, Gokusaiga!"
As the voices overlapped, two distinct yet fused surges of reiatsu erupted.
Ginrei stood rigid.
A dual release?!
***
Bonus Chapter:
100 Power Stones = 1 BC
300 Power Stones = 2 BC
500 Power Stones = 3 BC
700 Power Stones = 4 BC
1000 Power Stones = 5 BC
***
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