He couldn't see, everything before him was only darkness.
He couldn't hear—the world around him had gone silent, his perception of Reiatsu cut off entirely.
Even the faintest trace of spiritual energy vanished from his senses. His awareness of sound, scent, and spiritual pressure was swallowed by the void.
This was Suzumushi Tsuishiki: Enma Kōrogi, Tōsen Kaname's Bankai—an ability that seals away its opponent's sight, hearing, smell, and spiritual perception, leaving only the sense of touch.
But even that remaining sense was cruel.
Kurotsuki Renya could still feel the brush of his tattered uniform against his skin, the weight of his Zanpakutō in his hand, the trembling of his own heartbeat.
Only touch… and pain.
A low rumble rolled across the battlefield. Renya's fingers twitched—lightning gathered in the sky above, condensing around the black dome of Tōsen's Bankai.
He released his Reiryoku, calling forth thunder to tear open the darkness. If he could shatter this barrier with raw force, he might escape.
But as the bolts of lightning struck down, a transparent wall materialized midair.
"Bakudō #81: Dankū."
The Kidō barrier flashed, effortlessly deflecting Renya's lightning storm.
Watching from outside, Ichimaru Gin chuckled softly, his foxlike grin sharp.
"Captain Aizen really does think of everything."
Renya realized what had happened. His attack hadn't reached them—it was blocked.
He gritted his teeth and raised his Zanpakutō. "Then I'll just break through myself!"
Blue light swirled around the weapon's tip. He began to chant the incantation for Hadō #88: Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō—a blast strong enough to tear through Tōsen's Bankai.
But before he could release it, pain tore through his arm.
Tōsen's Zanpakutō sliced deep into his right arm, the blade biting to the bone. Renya twisted away just in time to avoid losing the limb, but blood streamed freely down his side.
"Ah—!" The cry tore from his throat. With only the sense of touch remaining, pain became overwhelming—magnified, endless, consuming.
Tōsen's calm voice echoed in the darkness, though Renya couldn't hear it.
"This is my Bankai. Within this world, you are stripped of every sense but touch. Tell me… can you feel pain?"
He smiled faintly to himself. "No—of course you can't hear me."
Still, he admired his opponent. "Impressive… I aimed to take your arm, but you only suffered a cut. Your body is far more resilient than I thought."
Tōsen's figure flickered, his movements soundless. In an instant, fresh wounds carved themselves across Renya's body. Small cuts—but each one flared with unbearable agony.
He was being dissected slowly—tortured by pain alone.
Damn it.
Renya swung his spear-shaped Zanpakutō, Raijin no Yari, and several small lightning orbs burst forth.
Boom! One detonated in the distance—his instinct told him where the current shifted.
"There!"
He lunged, thrusting his weapon into the space before him. The strike missed—Tōsen's blade slashed across his back instead, hot blood spraying into the void.
Renya's breath came ragged. His Chidori-like energy attacks could be reflected to sense location—but the feedback wasn't fast enough to track Tōsen's movements.
He had to change tactics.
Lightning surged across his body, forming a rotating field of crackling energy. The air itself vibrated.
Tōsen attacked again, his blade sweeping for Renya's midsection—
—but the moment it entered the magnetic field, the steel hummed, generating current from the interference.
Renya's instincts screamed. He seized the incoming blade with his left hand. Sparks exploded between his palm and the metal.
"Got you."
With a savage grin, Renya drove his lightning-charged spear forward.
Tōsen's eyes widened beneath his visor as the weapon pierced his left side.
The Captain of the Ninth staggered backward, clutching his abdomen, his calm mask cracking into fury.
"What… a monster."
Renya couldn't see him, but he felt the movement, the displacement in the air. Lightning coiled again at his spear's tip.
Sensing the charge, Tōsen lunged forward for a killing blow.
Renya anticipated it. His magnetic field shifted—the feedback guided his block perfectly. Their weapons clashed, steel shrieking.
Then Renya's right leg glowed with blue light.
"Raijin Kyaku."
Thunder roared. His kick landed clean, hurling Tōsen backward with devastating force.
Using magnetic induction and current, Renya could now feel the metal of Tōsen's blade and armor through distortion in the field—his makeshift radar.
Across the darkness, Tōsen steadied himself, fury rising. "Enough games. I'll end this."
Renya gathered energy again. The air thickened with pressure.
Tōsen vanished into Shunpō, appearing behind him, blade poised for Renya's spine.
But Renya was ready. He drove his spear into the ground, releasing an invisible pulse—
"Electromagnetic Burst."
A wave of lightning-infused spiritual energy exploded outward. The shockwave distorted the very air, and even Aizen's distant barrier flickered.
Within that sphere, electrons danced wildly—Reiatsu interference turned into pure radiation.
Tōsen faltered mid-strike. The heat seared his skin; his breath hitched, his nerves screaming in confusion.
He tried to move—but the next instant, blood splattered from his mouth. His internal organs burned from within.
He staggered backward, still alive—but shaken.
"That's enough," Renya muttered, driving his lightning-charged fist into the ground. Electricity erupted outward in a storm, racing toward Tōsen.
Caught in the surge, the Captain cried out, his movements slowing.
Renya appeared before him in a blur of static, thrusting his spear straight through.
Tōsen barely managed to block with his Zanpakutō—
—but Renya's left hand flicked, launching a small, compressed lightning orb.
"Raijin Shot."
The projectile tore through the air and punched a hole clean through Tōsen's chest.
Blood poured down his robes. His Bankai flickered and shattered—the black world collapsing.
Panting, Renya dropped to one knee, his body trembling from exhaustion.
Tōsen appeared several meters away, gasping, his vision returning. He knew he couldn't continue—this child's power was monstrous.
"I can't win… not like this."
He released his Bankai and vanished, retreating toward Aizen and Ichimaru Gin.
Aizen's eyes narrowed, his calm voice laced with mild disappointment. "You failed, Tōsen."
Tōsen knelt, pressing a hand to his wound. "Forgive me, Aizen-sama."
Aizen's gaze drifted to Renya, who stood amidst the scorched ruins, lightning still flickering faintly around him.
"It seems," Aizen said softly, "your power surpasses even my expectations."
Renya straightened, blood dripping from his arm, eyes sharp as steel. "Then tell me—who's next?"
Gin's smile widened, blade half-drawn. "Captain, how 'bout I handle him?"
Aizen raised a hand slightly. "No. Our time here is nearly up. I'll capture him myself."
The air trembled. The storm wasn't over yet.