His palm slowly descended.
Then, a cracking sound was heard.
Under Shūsuke Amagai's shocked gaze, the gauntlet of Raika Gyōen Kaku was completely shattered.
The next second, His vision slowly fell.
His body was split in two from the chest down, and the light in his eyes gradually faded.
"Hiss… to destroy that incredibly defensive Bankai with bare hands, Little Junior Brother is truly terrifying!"
Kyōraku Shunsui looked at Aozaki Reiji's palm with admiration, feeling an itch for his own Zanpakuto.
After a moment of thought, he gave up on his unrealistic idea.
Everyone's hands are made of flesh, so how can you do something like this?
Using a hand-blade, he shattered Shūsuke Amagai's Bankai and cut him in half.
This kind of power was simply unbelievable.
Just at this moment.
Swish!
Yamamoto landed expressionlessly beside Kyōraku Shunsui.
Kyōraku Shunsui unconsciously Shrink shrank his neck, pulling his straw hat low.
After all, he had been slacking off throughout the entire battle, so he felt a little guilty.
However, the Old Man didn't even glance at him, only quietly observing Aozaki Reiji and the fallen Shūsuke Amagai.
And Sasakibe Chōjirō, who followed closely behind Yamamoto, now had eyes filled with horror.
Although he was far away just now.
But as a Shinigami of Captain-class strength, his astonishing eyesight still allowed him to vaguely see Aozaki Reiji's astonishing "blade."
"Junior Brother Reiji's Hakuda should have surpassed Lord Genryūsai by now, right?"
Sasakibe Chōjirō couldn't help but swallow.
It should be noted that this was a Bankai close to a Class 1 Reiatsu state.
Moreover, it seemed this Bankai also possessed powerful defensive capabilities.
Yet, such a powerful Bankai was shattered by Aozaki Reiji with his bare hands.
Sasakibe Chōjirō even began to wonder if Lord Genryūsai could do such a terrifying thing!
"You're late, Old Man, remember to add another entry to my Gonggong merit ledger!"
Aozaki Reiji, however, had an indifferent expression.
As if what he had just defeated was not a powerful Captain-class enemy, but an ant.
Yamamoto nodded slightly.
Looking at Shūsuke Amagai on the ground, a hint of sorrow appeared in his eyes, but he remained silent.
Aozaki Reiji noticed the Old Man's expression, looked at Shūsuke Amagai, and seemed to recall something.
This guy's father seemed to have some connection with the Old Man.
"Cough, cough…"
Just then, a faint cough broke the brief silence.
Shūsuke Amagai's originally lifeless eyes moved slightly, as if experiencing a final burst of vitality.
But his Reiatsu rapidly weakened, like a candle in the wind, ready to extinguish at any moment.
He was about to die.
"Aozaki Reiji, you possess both Bankai and Bakkōtō, how could I lose to a Shinigami?"
Shūsuke Amagai's voice was extremely weak, as if squeezed through his teeth, with a hint of unwillingness and confusion.
He truly couldn't understand.
Why a Shinigami without Zanpakuto power
Could defeat him, who had unleashed Bankai and even fused with the Bakkōtō, gaining power from multiple cores.
Aozaki Reiji looked at him quietly, slowly knelt down, meeting Shūsuke Amagai's gaze, and softly said:
"Whether one or two specks of dust are swept away, to the naked eye, there is no difference."
"So it was… like that?"
Shūsuke Amagai looked at the remains of Raika in his hand.
"Is my life… just dust?"
"I was talking about power, don't you go changing the subject," Aozaki Reiji pouted.
Shūsuke Amagai was slightly stunned upon hearing this, then suddenly laughed.
"I see, does my life also have weight?"
"Aozaki Reiji, I misjudged you twice."
"You are different from your Unwinged Angel and ruthless teacher. If only the person my father followed was like you."
He moved his body with difficulty, stiffly turning his neck, and looked at Yamamoto with hateful eyes:
"Yamamoto… Genryūsai… Shigekuni."
"You have an excellent disciple. This time… I lost."
"But I didn't lose to you, but… to someone I can't bring myself to hate."
"It's a pity I couldn't kill you. I'm sorry, Father."
Aozaki Reiji: "?"
I beat you into this state, and you don't hate me?
What kind of thought process is that?
Could it be that this Lord is some kind of universally adored succubus saint, whose charm even enemies succumb to?
I'm not Rangiku!
"Shūsuke Amagai, is your father Kisaragi Qin Yue?"
"You still remember his name!"
Shūsuke Amagai sneered.
"That's truly surprising."
"How could this Old Man not remember the name of his own disciple?"
Yamamoto shook his head slightly and slowly walked forward.
"I just didn't expect you to be his son."
His voice was low and hoarse, as if bearing the vicissitudes of time.
"This Old Man thought his son had already died under the Kasumioji Family's blade."
Upon hearing his words, Shūsuke Amagai's eyes trembled slightly, and a complex emotion surged within him.
Disciple?
What does that mean?
Father was his disciple?!
"It seems you still don't know the truth of the matter."
Seeing Shūsuke Amagai's stunned expression, Yamamoto understood and let out a long sigh.
"This Old Man had long suspected the Kasumioji Family's research into forbidden matters."
"That's why I sent him to the Kasumioji Family to investigate, to find evidence."
"However, what happened later also exceeded this Old Man's expectations."
Yamamoto's brows furrowed slightly, and a hint of helplessness and sadness appeared on his face.
"You are using the Bakkōtō, you should know the power of that blade."
"Kisaragi, holding that blade, became a monster controlled by the blade, losing his reason and self."
"He came before this Old Man, and then… this Old Man personally cut him down."
Having said that, Yamamoto took a deep breath.
Although he had killed countless people, recalling the scene of personally killing his own disciple still made it difficult for his heart to be at peace.
"Be careful of the Bakkōtō, the Bakkōtō…"
Shūsuke Amagai suddenly recalled his father's dying words, his heart jolted, and his pupils sharply contracted.
Ever since his father's death, he had been investigating the Bakkōtō.
It all stemmed from his father's words.
After a period of effort, he learned that his father had also been investigating the Bakkōtō before his death, and was ultimately killed by Yamamoto.
Therefore, he believed that Yamamoto had killed his father to conceal the secret of the Bakkōtō.
To avenge his father, he had to gain enough power to defeat Yamamoto.
He decided to cooperate with the Kasumioji Family.
What he didn't expect was that the true enemy was Gyōkaku Kumoi, who he was cooperating with!
Fortunately, Gyōkaku Kumoi had already died by his blade, which brought him some comfort.
The Bakkōtō was forged by the Kasumioji Family at Gyōkaku Kumoi's behest.
The death of Kisaragi Qin Yue could be said to be inextricably linked to Gyōkaku Kumoi.
And in this encirclement battle, at a critical moment, Gyōkaku Kumoi
Had to entrust the power of the Bakkōtō to Shūsuke Amagai.
Hoping he could turn the tide of the battle.
After getting what he wanted, Shūsuke Amagai, of course, couldn't let that Old Man continue to live.
So he cut him down with one slash.
"Was I blinded by my own eyes, and thus failed to see the truth of the matter?"
Shūsuke Amagai raised the remains of Raika, the light in his eyes completely faded, but his body spontaneously combusted.
None of the people present intervened to stop him.
They knew this was the release Shūsuke Amagai desired.
"Huh, so he's Senior Brother's son, I didn't remember that!"
Aozaki Reiji stood up, "Teacher, you should have told me earlier, I definitely would have gone easier."
"You're talking nonsense again, Junior Brother. When Junior Brother Kisaragi passed away, you weren't even born yet, what could you remember?!"
Kyōraku Shunsui said wearily.
He felt like he just couldn't keep up with this Junior Brother's train of thought.
"Actually, this Old Man only found out after investigating."
"I originally thought he disappeared, having been secretly harmed by the Kasumioji Family, but I didn't expect him to change his name and join the Gotei 13."
Yamamoto looked at the burning figure, the firelight flickering in his eyes, and said in a deep voice:
"Reiji, don't feel burdened."
"Although there were reasons for it, he indeed did many wrong things. His death is not your fault."