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In that instant, Shiraha felt the surge of his own abilities. His Reiatsu swelled violently, expanding and deepening in a way he had not experienced before.
Boundless Space has finally reached perfection, he thought, a faint glint in his eyes.
The domain had undergone a monumental change. Its range had doubled, expanding from eighty thousand meters to one hundred and sixty thousand. More terrifying still, it could now pour nearly five years' worth of meaningless information directly into the enemy's mind, overwhelming their senses, dulling thought, and paralyzing action. Against opponents on the level of Urahara Kisuke, ten seconds of incapacitation was now possible—ten seconds in which Shiraha could end a life or shift the tide of any battle.
The drawback remained: only three uses per day. Still, the strength it conferred was overwhelming.
At his waist, the cane-blade quivered again, a voice neither male nor female whispering faintly from the depths of his soul. Master Shiraha, call me. My name is… The words remained just out of reach, muffled yet insistent.
"Only five percent left," Shiraha muttered to himself. The progress of the Gojo Satoru template was nearing completion, and with every step forward, the voice of his Zanpakutō grew clearer. Soon, the full revelation would come.
On the rope bridge, Kurosaki Ichigo descended in silence. The strips of cloth around his body fell away, unraveling into ash as the skeletal walking stick he carried gleamed faintly in the light. It was the heirloom weapon of the Shihōin family—one of the god-forged arms Yoruichi had taken with her when she abandoned the Seireitei.
"Idiot, what are you doing here?" Rukia cried, her voice trembling with both fear and anger. She wanted nothing more than to drive him away before disaster struck. Ichigo's Reiatsu now rivaled that of a captain, but to her, the thought of him facing Byakuya and Shiraha simultaneously was suicide.
"Rukia, I came to save you." Ichigo's gaze hardened, shifting from Byakuya's impassive face to Shiraha's calm smile.
"Save her?" Shiraha's voice carried both amusement and disdain. "With your strength? Do you think you can take Rukia from me?"
Kira Izuru, standing nearby, frowned in confusion. "Captain Shiraha, didn't he just fight Captain Zaraki? How could he make it here alive?"
Shiraha waved off his concern with an easy smile. "Kira, it's fine. Just a reckless boy. Nothing to be concerned about."
Ichigo clenched his jaw, determination burning in his eyes. "Shiraha. Byakuya. I'll defeat you both and take Rukia back!"
Byakuya's cold gaze met his, a flicker of disdain in the noble's expression. "Arrogant child. Do you understand who you stand before?" His tone was measured, almost detached, but his words cut sharper than steel. To him, Ichigo's newfound resolve was little more than a farce.
Shiraha lifted his hand, fingers tracing the air. "Then let's end the farce quickly. Domain Expansion—Boundless Space."
The world shifted. A field of overwhelming scope erupted outward, smothering everything within a radius of one hundred and sixty thousand meters. Reality itself seemed to bend under the weight of it. Ichigo's mind was instantly drowned by a torrent of useless memories—five years' worth of static thought, repeated impulses, broken signals, false perceptions.
His body locked up, muscles seizing, vision blanking. He staggered, then collapsed, eyes dull and uncomprehending.
"Seems it works well," Shiraha murmured, a faint smile tugging at his lips. Based on Ichigo's current Reiatsu, only equivalent to a standard captain's level, Shiraha calculated that he would remain incapacitated for at least five full minutes. More than enough.
"ICHIGO!" Rukia screamed, desperate to reach him. Her legs buckled before she could take more than a step, still weakened by her imprisonment.
"Don't panic," Shiraha said softly. "He isn't dead—just temporarily paralyzed." With a casual gesture, he released the domain, the suffocating weight vanishing as abruptly as it came.
Byakuya's sharp eyes lingered on him. "What did you do just now?" He had seen no movement, felt no kido, no release of Zanpakutō—only Ichigo falling helplessly into a stupor.
"Merely an ability of my Zanpakutō," Shiraha replied smoothly, masking the truth. There was no simple explanation he could give without revealing the system that underpinned his strength, so he let the lie stand.
Byakuya did not press further. The more powerful Shiraha became, the more pride stirred in him as the elder brother.
"Foolish child," Byakuya said coldly, appearing in front of the downed Ichigo in a single Shunpo. Senbonzakura gathered like a storm, the countless blades forming a lethal tide poised to swallow Ichigo whole. "If you insist on throwing your life away, I will grant you death."
"Brother Byakuya, please stop!" Rukia cried in desperation, her voice hoarse with despair.
Byakuya ignored her. The hilt of Senbonzakura shifted in his grip, ready to cut down the boy.
Then, in a flicker of white, another hand caught his wrist.
"Let's end this here, Byakuya," a warm voice said softly. Jūshirō Ukitake stood behind him, smiling gently despite the tension in his eyes. His grip was firm, unyielding, the weight of his presence calming yet resolute. "This has gone far enough. Don't you agree, Captain Kuchiki? Shiraha?"
Jūshirō had been in the squad barracks when he sensed the surge of crushing Reiatsu from the Senzaikyū. Alarmed, he rushed immediately to the scene—and what he found stunned him.
Kurosaki Ichigo stood before him, battered yet unyielding, bearing an uncanny resemblance to Shiba Kaien, the beloved vice-captain he had lost years ago. The resemblance stirred something deep within him, a conviction that he could not ignore.
He would not stand by and watch Kaien's shadow—or the boy who carried it—be slaughtered here.
"Captain Ukitake…" Rukia's voice trembled with emotion, her wide eyes reflecting both surprise and relief.
Jūshirō turned his head toward her, his expression softening. "Rukia, you've lost weight. You've suffered too much. Are you holding up?" He smiled gently, his concern genuine even in this storm of clashing powers.
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