Chapter 237
"Damn it!"
Renji Abarai clenched his teeth and took a step forward. The sight before him was almost too much to bear. Those people had actually stolen Captain Kuchiki's Bankai-it was unforgivable.
"Bankai!"
"Stop!"
Just as Renji was about to release his Bankai, a cold, commanding tone cut through the battlefield.
Byakuya Kuchiki stood firm, his expression unreadable.
"We cannot allow your Bankai to be stolen as well."
"But… Captain! Without Bankai, how are we supposed to fight these guys?" Renji's shout carried both frustration and desperation.
In front of them, the Sternritter named Äs Nödt continued to approach one step at a time. A serpentine smile tugged at his lips as he spoke, his tone unsettlingly calm.
"It seems you've already started to feel it-that emotion called despair. The so-called captains of the Gotei 13 are nothing but cattle and sheep waiting to be slaughtered once their Bankai is gone."
Despair began to seep through the air of the Seireitei.
No one had expected that even with the captains mobilized together, they wouldn't be able to defeat even one of the Sternritter. It was nothing like when they had faced the Arrancar. This time, the difference in power was overwhelming. If Bankai could not be used, what strength remained for them to rely on?
How were they supposed to fight these monsters?
With a sudden whistling sound-puff!-a bluish spike hovering around Äs Nödt shot forward, piercing into Byakuya's shoulder.
"Captain!" Renji moved forward instinctively to help him.
"Stop." Byakuya's calm tone halted him. "Charging in without understanding your opponent's ability is reckless. It only wastes your advantage. Observe my battle, Renji, and analyze his power."
Sweat rolled down Renji's temple as he gritted his teeth. "In that case… Captain, at least I should take point and test his abilities."
"My Senbonzakura has been taken. You're the last one who retains Bankai. Besides," Byakuya said coldly, "I doubt you have the analytical capacity to make him show his full strength."
"That… might actually be true," Renji admitted reluctantly.
"I will uncover his hidden ability. Watch closely."
Byakuya's hands trembled faintly as he gripped his blade.
"This feeling… my limbs-they're freezing."
His gaze narrowed slightly.
"Could the spikes carry some sort of poison?"
Äs Nödt tilted his head slightly and smiled. "Ah, you noticed. Do you think poison is what's affecting you?"
"No…" Byakuya replied evenly.
"You lost the moment I touched you," Äs Nödt said. "Imagine this-after becoming captain, your strength became unmatched. Every battle ended in overwhelming victory. Over time, you forgot that one essential emotion for human survival."
"The thing you've forgotten is fear."
Renji felt his chest tighten. "Captain… is afraid?"
Äs Nödt's calm, whispering tone contrasted with the dread his words carried. "Impressive. You've resisted longer than expected. When ordinary Shinigami are struck by my arrow, they scream in terror until insanity takes them, and then they die from the anguish in their own hearts."
"Anyone shot by my arrow becomes afraid of everything. Holding their sword, moving their hands, blinking their eyes, breathing in or out-they become convinced that any motion will bring their death. Their minds collapse under the weight of that fear."
"But you've endured it so far through sheer willpower."
Äs Nödt's smile deepened. "It's impressive, but meaningless. Your heart is already consumed by fear of me."
Byakuya took one silent step forward and swung his sword in defiance.
"Fear… boredom," he said evenly. "There is no battle without fear. That emotion has accompanied me through every confrontation. My heart has no reason to suppress fear-it accepts it and moves forward through battle. I overcome it each time I fight and continue to advance."
"Mere fear…"
Äs Nödt's arrow shot forward, piercing Byakuya's chest. "Why did you stop?"
"Fear that's born from experience is nothing special," Äs Nödt said. "It's the kind that fades with willpower and repetition. That kind of fear is rational-it has limits."
"But true fear-genuine terror-has no logic. It's instinct."
"Like insects crawling up from beneath your skin. No creature alive overcomes instinct."
Byakuya roared and swung his Zanpakutō again, cutting through the space before him, but the Sternritter raised the Usurp Disk in his hand.
"Senbonzakura Kageyoshi."
Countless blades burst forth-not from Byakuya's command, but from Äs Nödt's control. Petals of pink light tore through the air and sliced across the battlefield, striking down their true master.
In only seconds, Byakuya's body fell.
"He was completely defenseless," Äs Nödt said without emotion. "Understandable. Shikai alone cannot stand against Bankai."
"Stop!" Renji shouted, rushing forward again, but Mask de Masculine intercepted him with a heavy kick that sent him crashing backward.
Äs Nödt's Senbonzakura rose once again and struck Byakuya head-on, hurling him into the wall. The captain's body embedded itself deep into the stone, blood splattering across the cracks that formed on impact.
"So that's Kuchiki Byakuya," Äs Nödt said coldly. "Nothing special afterall."
He turned to leave-but another figure appeared in front of Byakuya before he could take another step.
"Rukia…" Byakuya's trembling tone broke through the battlefield's silence. "Step back quickly. They possess the power to steal your Bankai."
Rukia Kuchiki's expression was calm, her eyes fixed on their enemy. "I know, nii-sama."
"It's useless," Äs Nödt said with amusement. "Ice cannot stop fear."
His fingers flicked lightly. Dozens of spirit arrows shot forward toward Rukia.
"Sode no Shirayuki!"
Rukia's blade released its chilling breath instantly. Layers of ice formed in front of her, intercepting the incoming spikes and arrows. The visible fear made physical was blocked-but the unseen fear seeped silently into her heart.
Her breath froze in her throat. The cold surrounding her felt unbearable-not because of her Zanpakutō, but because of the creeping dread clawing up inside her chest.
It was as if the image before her changed-she saw Hideki Yuta, the person she loved, transforming into some monstrous shadow in front of her eyes. Her body refused to move under the weight of that instinctive terror.
"I… I… I-can't move…"
"It's not your fault," Äs Nödt said, his tone proud and calm. "What you're feeling now-that is fear."
Rukia slowly lifted her gaze, her eyes bitterly cold. "And what about you?" she said. "What is it that you fear? When your ability no longer works-will that be the thing you fear most?"
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