(T/N: Second chapter for today!)
The Shinigami were stunned by the terrifying presence of the blazing golden giant.
"What is that?!" Ashido exclaimed.
"That's one of Sensei's sword techniques!" Azashiro Kana replied.
Although the blazing golden giant looked completely different from the last time—much larger and more fearsome—she could still sense it. That Reiatsu unmistakably belonged to their teacher.
"You call that a sword technique?!" Ashido extended his Reiatsu perception, and sure enough, it was the spiritual pressure of Katori Nanatsuki.
He glanced down at his own Zanpakutō, suddenly feeling a little less confident. He couldn't help but wonder if he'd been learning swordsmanship all wrong.
At the center of the golden giant's flaming breastplate, Nanatsuki stood, controlling its movements.
Now that he had reached the level of a captain, he could fuse three sword techniques at once.
What he had just unleashed—Flamebound Armor of Thunder and Dust—was a fusion of Raikiri, Dust Blade, and Crimson Tide.
It was essentially layering a "Thunderfire Wild Blaze" effect over the blazing armor giant. In this giant form, "Thunderfire Wild Blaze" could be maintained for much longer.
The remaining Gillian instinctively recoiled, attempting to flee.
But the golden giant raised its massive blazing blade and smashed it down onto the retreating Gillian.
Boom—six Gillian were obliterated on the spot.
The terrifying heatwave sent the lesser Hollow nearby flying. These standard-sized ones couldn't even survive the aftermath. Their bodies carbonized midair, then disintegrated into Reishi and scattered on the wind.
The giant withdrew its flaming blade, leaving behind molten lava in its wake. The intense heat had melted the stone into magma.
With a wide horizontal sweep, the golden giant shredded a swath of Gillian—not even their corpses remained, as they were vaporized by the heat into Reishi.
Wherever the blade passed, no Gillian survived.
The scene of the golden giant slaughtering the Gillian left a deep, unforgettable impression on the hearts of the Shinigami.
"That giant wiped out a whole group of Gillian with a single slash!" Saitō Akane smacked her dry lips, her mouth parched.
The presence of the blazing giant had raised the ambient temperature in the entire area. The Shinigami were all feeling a bit dried out and dehydrated.
"Sensei's strength is truly unfathomable," Muguruma Kensei remarked.
"That golden giant seems even stronger than the one we saw in the Valley of Scream," said Kobane Jin'emon.
"What we saw in the Valley of Scream was the Flamebound Armor of Dust, a fusion of Dust Blade and Crimson Tide," Hirako Shinji added, stroking his chin. "This new technique must be even more advanced—and it still involves Dust Blade."
Since Nanatsuki had taught Shinji both Dust Blade and Crimson Tide, he had some understanding of what he was seeing.
"That was incredible! We've got a long way to go," Azashiro Kana said. "There's still so much we have to learn!"
A sparkle lit up in Kuchiki Sōjun's eyes as his thoughts drifted to the child still in swaddling clothes.
'Once Byakuya grows a little older, I must beg Katori-sensei to take him as a disciple…' he thought.
Like Kobane Jin'emon, Kuchiki Sōjun had married before entering the Shin'o Spiritual Arts Academy.
While the others chatted, Nanatsuki finished clearing out the remaining Gillian.
With a thought, he dispersed the golden giant, letting it fade into Reishi particles.
At the same time, the Shadow Space rapidly vanished, and Kagehime returned to Nanatsuki's hand.
Whoosh—he used Shunpo and appeared before the group.
"Sensei, that move was so cool!" Muguruma Kensei asked excitedly, "What technique was that?!"
"That was Flamebound Armor of Thunder and Dust. It's a fusion technique using Raikiri, Dust Blade, and Crimson Tide," Nanatsuki explained patiently.
"Three techniques in one?!" Hirako Shinji groaned. "Just combining Dust Blade and Crimson Tide is already a nightmare—I still haven't pulled it off yet."
Ashido led the expeditionary team of Shinigami over and bowed in gratitude. "We're truly indebted to Katori-sensei. Without his help, we would've been in grave danger."
It wasn't hard to imagine—without reinforcements from Soul Society, they would never have been able to handle so many Menos Grande.
Just thinking about it made Ashido feel incredibly fortunate. If Katori Nanatsuki hadn't been here, he wouldn't have been able to save nearly as many comrades.
He was strong, yes—but not strong enough to swiftly crush an entire army of Menos.
"Thank goodness Katori-sensei was the one overseeing this year's graduation exam from the Spiritual Arts Academy. Otherwise, the consequences would've been unimaginable!" Saitō Akane said with heartfelt relief.
Unknowingly, Katori Nanatsuki had already changed so many things.
A few years ago, when the Kasumioji Clan targeted Nanatsuki in Karakura Town, they had dragged Flash Goddess Yoruichi into the mess.
To divert attention, the Kasumioji Clan blamed the incident on the Quincy, which led to the Onmitsukidō locating the Quincy base in the World of the Living far earlier than they should have. As a result, the Quincy War broke out prematurely.
Now, the surviving Quincy in the human world had gone fully underground. They no longer actively clashed with the Shinigami, and the last two years had been relatively peaceful.
This was why Kotetsu Ayane had arranged for Kuchiki Sōjun and the others to have their early graduation exams held in Hueco Mundo.
Otherwise, their exams would most likely have taken place in the human world.
"I'm just glad everyone's safe." Nanatsuki smiled. "Now that the Menos army is gone, let's return to camp and detoxify those who were poisoned by the Hollow Poison."
"Thank you, Katori-sensei!" Ashido replied gratefully.
Both he and Nanatsuki had intentionally lured the Hollows away from the camp to avoid collateral damage. As a result, the injured Shinigami at the camp had remained unharmed.
When those at the camp saw them return, they finally breathed a sigh of relief. Though they had sensed terrifying Reiatsu surges from afar, they hadn't known what had happened.
"Captain Ashido, was the Menos army defeated?" a guard asked. Even in his weak state—face pale, lips blackened, barely able to stand—the excitement in his eyes was unmistakable.
"We took care of them," Ashido nodded. "Now Katori-sensei will detoxify the Hollow Poison. Group yourselves by severity—those most affected go first."
Tears of joy welled in the Shinigami's eyes, quickly turning into a roar of cheers.
A tent was promptly set up in the camp so Katori Nanatsuki could begin treating the Hollow Poison.
The Adjuchas responsible for the poisoning had intentionally kept the toxin relatively mild. It wanted to spread the poison widely, so making it too lethal would have caused Shinigami to die too quickly, hindering its spread.
Its goal was to incapacitate, not kill outright—ensuring the infection went unnoticed in its early stages.
But with Nanatsuki's Kaido skills, curing such a level of Hollow Poison was a trivial matter.