The blaring of sirens echoed through the Senzaikyū.
At the instant the Shishinrō (Repentance Cell) was breached, countless guards in white uniforms rushed toward the lower levels.
Within moments, all of Seireitei knew—there had been a prison break.
---
First Division Barracks
A suffocating pressure erupted from within the Captain-Commander's office.
"Seireitei has been infiltrated. The Senzaikyū… has been breached."
The deep, commanding voice of Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni rolled through the chamber, calm yet terrifying in its weight.
Sitting upright, his aged face revealed no emotion, but the air itself trembled.
"It seems this era is determined to test me again," he murmured coldly.
"Chōjirō," he ordered, "relay my command. Sixth Division Captain Kuchiki Byakuya and Seventh Division Captain Komamura Sajin—dispatch immediately to the Senzaikyū."
"Yes, Captain-Commander!"
With a respectful bow, Sasakibe Chōjirō vanished in a flash of Shunpo.
Direct transmission via Tenteikūra was deemed unsafe—the situation was too delicate. And with Seireitei's dense reishi field disrupting long-distance communication, only personal delivery could suffice.
Fortunately, the barracks of the Sixth and Seventh Divisions were close. Within minutes, Byakuya and Komamura were on their way.
---
Meanwhile, Hitsugaya Tōshirō had already fought his way out of the prison, Hinamori Momo in tow.
What puzzled him was that the further he advanced toward the exit, the weaker the resistance felt.
The Sekkiseki-infused walls suppressed most of his spiritual pressure, cutting his combat power by more than half. The guards could not stop him—but they delayed him significantly.
Still, the defenses of the Senzaikyū were nowhere near as unbreakable as he had imagined.
Everything had gone too smoothly.
"…Someone's fighting ahead?"
Unable to sense spiritual pressure in this place, Hitsugaya relied on sight.
And then, as he closed the distance, he saw them—Izuru Kira and Renji Abarai locked in combat with a squad of guards.
"Kira! Renji!"
Both looked up, shocked. "Captain Hitsugaya?!"
"Hinamori!"
In an instant, everything became clear.
"There's no time," Hitsugaya said quickly.
"The Gotei 13 will send reinforcements—at least Captain-class. You two take Hinamori and get her out. I'll stay and hold them off."
Renji frowned, but Kira nodded immediately. "He's right. If we stay, we'll only slow him down."
"Go," Hitsugaya urged, ushering them toward the exit.
But just as they neared the high-ground bridge of the Senzaikyū, Hitsugaya's body froze mid-Shunpo.
"Well, well," came a calm, mocking voice ahead. "Didn't expect you to have the guts, Shirō."
At the sound, Hitsugaya's expression darkened. He recognized that voice—and the crushing spiritual pressure that followed made his blood run cold.
"…Kyōraku Shimo."
Soft, unhurried footsteps echoed down the stone corridor—each one like a toll of death.
"I can't say I'm surprised we'd meet again this way," Shimo said, his tone light, almost pleasant. "Still, I had hoped it wouldn't come to this."
He smiled faintly. "Two options. Hand over Hinamori and face the Captain-Commander for judgment… or—"
"The first one's impossible!" Hitsugaya snapped before he could finish.
Shimo chuckled, shaking his head. "So be it. Show me, then—your strongest self. Prove your resolve."
Hitsugaya stepped in front of the others, blade drawn. "All of you—fall back. Now."
But before he could act, two more immense spiritual pressure signatures appeared behind him.
"Those who defy law and order…" a stern voice spoke.
"Captain Kuchiki! Captain Komamura!" Kira and Renji gasped.
Three Captains now stood in their way.
---
"Yo, Byakuya-boy," Shimo greeted casually, waving.
Byakuya turned his head away, expression unreadable. He refused to acknowledge the nickname Shimo always used—"Byakuya-boy."
He'd protested it many times, but it persisted.
The last time he'd tried to scold Shimo about it, Unohana had appeared in his barracks, demanding a bottle of the Kuchiki clan's finest sake. The timing was too coincidental.
Byakuya's instincts told him Shimo had been behind it.
"If you don't accept it," Shimo said mildly, "I might just let the entire Seireitei hear it tomorrow."
Byakuya coughed lightly. "…What do you need?"
"Just your cooperation," Shimo said with a small smile. "You and Komamura handle perimeter support. Leave the fighting to me."
Komamura's deep, muffled voice rumbled from behind his helmet. "No objections."
Shimo, of course, still insisted on calling it a wooden bucket, no matter how many times Komamura explained otherwise.
"Alright then," Shimo said, eyes returning to Hitsugaya. "It's just you and me, Shirō. If you can defeat me, you can take Hinamori and go."
Hitsugaya drew Hyōrinmaru, his gaze burning with defiance. "I've improved a lot over the years."
Shimo waved lazily. "So have I. Don't assume I've been standing still."
"Come," Hitsugaya said, his spiritual pressure surging.
"Sit upon the frozen heavens—Hyōrinmaru!"
A freezing cyclone erupted around him, the air turning brittle and white. Snowflakes drifted through the dim light as the atmosphere plummeted in temperature.
From afar, the storm was breathtaking—but within it, deadly.
"Guncho Tsurara!"
Ice pillars formed midair and launched like a flock of frozen spears toward Shimo.
"Hadō #4: Byakurai."
Shimo raised a hand. Blue-white lightning burst from his fingertips, roaring skyward before crashing through the storm.
Thunder cracked, vaporizing the hail and icicles in its path, the blast continuing straight toward Hitsugaya.
The boy captain braced, swinging his blade and dispersing the lightning with sheer force, but the shockwave sent him skidding back.
His face was pale. The gap between them was overwhelming.
It had been over a decade since they last crossed blades—and Shimo's power had only grown more unfathomable.
"I'll defeat you!" Hitsugaya shouted, raising his sword again.
"Tear through the heavens, Ice Dragon!"
A massive dragon of solid ice surged forth, roaring as it spiraled toward Shimo, its wings tearing through the storm clouds.
"Impressive," Komamura murmured. "Even in Shikai, his power is formidable. Truly a genius among Captains."
Byakuya remained silent, watching intently.
The dragon lunged—yet Shimo's expression didn't change.
"You've improved," he said softly, "but your swordplay is still crude."
He extended his arm. "Hadō #88: Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō!"
A column of blinding lightning erupted from his palm, twisting into a colossal dragon-shaped beam that collided with the ice construct.
The resulting explosion consumed the battlefield in light.
When it cleared, the ice dragon was gone—melted into vapor.
Hitsugaya staggered backward, eyes wide. "Impossible…"
Two strikes—one to test, one full strength—and both were neutralized effortlessly, without even the use of a Zanpakutō.
Not once had Shimo drawn his blade.
"This… is Lieutenant Shimo's true strength?" Komamura muttered, awe in his tone. "Even I could not stand against that."
Byakuya's gaze narrowed slightly.
When did his power reach this level?
...
Hitsugaya steadied his breath. Despite his frustration, his respect for Shimo remained.
He knew this wasn't hatred—just opposing duties.
"…Then I'll show you my final trump card," he said quietly.
The temperature plummeted even further.
Frost crept across the ground, forming crystalline patterns that spread for meters.
Shimo's eyes sharpened. "So you're going all out."
Hitsugaya raised his sword, his voice resolute.
"Bankai—Daiguren Hyōrinmaru!"
Crack—!
Ice blossomed across his body, encasing his right arm and shoulder. A massive pair of crystalline wings spread from his back, glimmering under the dim light.
Behind him, three giant petals of ice rotated slowly, emanating a terrifying chill.
From that frost, a new ice dragon emerged—far larger than before, its wings stretching wide as the earth itself froze beneath its aura.
The ground crystallized instantly, a mirror of frozen blue.
"Magnificent," Shimo murmured. "So this is the might of the strongest ice-type Zanpakutō."
The next moment, Hitsugaya vanished. His speed skyrocketed, reappearing before Shimo in an instant—blade descending.
The sword met resistance, and in a flash of cold light, Shimo was encased in a massive cross-shaped block of ice.
"Got him—!"
But before Byakuya could even draw his blade to assist, the ice shattered.
An overwhelming surge of spiritual pressure burst forth, scattering shards into the air like glittering snow.
From the mist, Shimo walked out—completely unharmed.
"That was your strongest move?" he said softly. "Then I'm sorry."
Hitsugaya gritted his teeth. "I'm not done yet!"
Lifting his blade high, spiritual pressure surged like a blue-white pillar into the sky.
The dark clouds above Seireitei began to spiral.
The air froze. The world dimmed.
As snow fell in blinding waves, Hitsugaya whispered his final invocation:
"Hyōten Hyakkasō! (Frozen Heavens Hundred Flower Funeral)"
--------------------------///
Advance Chapters on Patreon!
p(a)treon(.)com/HudaLin
-Remove the parenthesis to access patreon normally
Thanks for the Support!