"Roar—Neptune Blade!"
The figure charging forward was none other than the current Captain of the 9th Division—Shiba Kaien.
As his voice echoed across the execution grounds, his Zanpakutō transformed into a three-pronged trident. His standard captain's haori warped into a flowing, ocean-blue battle robe.
In the blink of an eye, the ground surrounding the Sōkyoku transformed into a surging sea—hundreds of meters of water rising from nowhere, swallowing the whole execution plateau.
Kaien's Bankai manifested as a complete oceanic domain, conjuring tides reminiscent of the primordial seas—waves carrying destructive spiritual force and crushing pressure.
Standing atop the churning waters, Kaien let the waves rise and fall beneath him. A towering wall of water erupted upward, blocking Captain-Commander Yamamoto, the captains, and lieutenants witnessing Rukia's execution.
At the same time, another torrent of water surged forward—forming massive waves aimed directly at the execution platform.
In moments, the guards surrounding Rukia were swept aside effortlessly.
Kaien walked across the waves, reached Rukia, and pulled her into his arms.
"I'm taking you out of here."
He commanded the water beneath them, carrying both of them away at incredible speed—riding the ocean he had created.
But—
"Scatter—Senbonzakura."
Captain Kuchiki Byakuya's Zanpakutō dissolved into a storm of countless glowing pink blades, surging toward Kaien.
Halfway through, the petals slammed into Kaien's water barrier—held back by the sheer mass of the ocean.
"Scatter—Senbonzakura Kageyoshi."
Seeing his Shikai halted, Byakuya immediately released Bankai. His blade sank into the ground, expanding into two massive rows of obsidian plates—each plate disintegrating into thousands of blades.
Petals descended like falling death, slicing toward Kaien from every angle.
Some petals were blocked by the ocean wall—
but others slipped around, curving to strike from blind spots.
Kaien had originally planned to escape with Rukia immediately—but the incoming storm of petals forced him to reinforce the surrounding waters, encasing both himself and Rukia inside a rotating sphere of ultra-dense water.
Pfft—pfft—pfft—
Senbonzakura's countless blades struck the water sphere, but Kaien continuously replenished and reinforced the water, preventing the petals from piercing through.
Inside the sphere, Kaien continued manipulating his trident, guiding the enormous flow of water around them.
"Captain Kaien—let me go! You'll be hurt because of me!"
Rukia's voice trembled—shocked that Kaien himself had come to save her.
Kaien smiled.
"You used to be my subordinate. And if that kid—Kurotsuki Renya—were here, he'd definitely come rescue you too."
Rukia knew Kaien was referring to Renya, but she still worried.
"But you can't defeat Byakuya!"
"Really? He made captain before me, sure—but when I became vice-captain, he was still just a quiet noble kid."
Kaien swung his trident; a tidal blade of compressed water slashed toward Byakuya.
Byakuya leaped into the air with a toe tap of Shunpo, avoiding it smoothly.
But the sea rose beneath him, spiraling into a colossal waterspout that engulfed him.
BOOM!
Blades rained from the heavens as Senbonzakura Kageyoshi shredded the waterspout. The burst of water scattered into countless droplets—each droplet reshaping into a sharpened needle of water, all firing at Byakuya.
He was forced to block and evade simultaneously.
The all-encompassing water continued to counter Byakuya from every direction, but Byakuya's relentless petals kept Kaien from escaping fully.
Then—
"Thank you for saving Rukia. Leave Kuchiki Byakuya to me."
A voice cut through the battlefield as a young man with orange hair leaped forward, brandishing a massive Zanpakutō.
"Kurosaki Ichigo!?"
Rukia cried out from within the water sphere.
"That's the guy who broke into the Seireitei for you?" Kaien asked. "Fine—then I'll get you out of here first."
Kaien compressed the surrounding ocean, using half of it to intercept Byakuya's petals and the other half to propel himself and Rukia into the distance at high speed.
Byakuya moved to pursue—
—but Ichigo's blade crashed against his.
Byakuya dodged with minimal motion, his face stern.
"Since you wish to die… I will oblige."
Senbonzakura surged like a tidal wave, engulfing Ichigo instantly.
"Worthless."
Byakuya turned to give chase—
KA-THOOM!
A blast of force erupted, scattering petals in all directions. Ichigo shot upward into the sky with a short blade, then descended in a fierce downward strike.
"…He survived?"
Byakuya's eyes narrowed. He redirected petals toward Ichigo—
—but Ichigo vanished mid-strike, reappearing beside him, swinging from point-blank range.
Byakuya's petals instantly formed a barrier, blocking the slash.
The two clashed repeatedly, exchanging Shunpo-level blows so fast their figures blurred into streaks.
Kaien was nearly out of Byakuya's range—
when Yamamoto Genryūsai reached for his Zanpakutō.
But just before he activated it, a figure appeared in front of him.
"Captain… forgive me. I can't let you interfere."
Kyoraku Shunsui blocked his path, wearing his usual carefree smile.
"You dare violate the laws of Seireitei?" Yamamoto growled.
Shunsui shrugged. "I just think things shouldn't end like this."
"You cannot stop me alone."
"And me."
A white-haired figure appeared—Ukitake Jūshirō—holding his Zanpakutō at his side.
Yamamoto's face grew darker.
Ukitake smiled gently.
"Has Rukia already been rescued? What a shame—I even borrowed a specialty artifact from the Shihōin clan hoping to break the Sōkyoku."
"Kaien saved her… now we have even bigger trouble," Shunsui muttered, glancing at Yamamoto's expression.
"You two have violated Seireitei law," Yamamoto declared. "I shall personally capture you."
He drew his blade—
but Shunsui grabbed Ukitake.
"Run. The old man's mad. If we fight him head-on, Kaien won't make it out."
"Agreed."
The two captains vanished in Shunpo, fleeing down the hill. Yamamoto narrowed his eyes.
"Sasakibe Chōjirō. Stop Shiba Kaien."
He gave chase to his two rogue captains, disappearing over Sōkyoku Hill.
Hearing his captain-commander's order, Sasakibe immediately released his Bankai:
"Bankai—Kōkō Gonryō Rikyū."
A massive thunder canopy appeared overhead; bolts of lightning hung like blades around its edges.
He pursued Kaien at full speed.
But before he could advance further—
a figure appeared before him.
"Lieutenant Sasakibe, your Bankai is impressive… but compared to Kurotsuki Renya, your lightning still falls short."
It was Abarai Renji.
He drew his Zanpakutō.
"Bankai—Sōō Zabimaru!"
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