Action
Boom!
A golden torrent erupted into the heavens, scattering the clouds. Reiryoku screamed as it tore free, fleeing chaotically in every direction.
It rolled across towering mountains and spilled into a thatched town.
From the shadows, Shiraishi reached out as though to seize the frantic reiryoku. He muttered under his breath,
"So… the battle has really begun."
His sharpened spiritual perception rekindled suspicions about Oda Nobunaga's dealings with the Shinigami. He couldn't be blamed for overthinking; there was little trust between them, and they barely knew each other.
One sudden misstep, and suspicion would taint everything.
After all, deploying Kenpachi Zaraki simply to escort a tax shipment was far from ordinary.
And Nobunaga had already proven slippery — once escaping Soul Reapers while burdened with Kirie.
If no suspicion was raised, luck might cover it. But if doubt emerged, it would be as if the Soul Reapers had captured Nobunaga and betrayed him, opening a trap for both men.
That was why Shiraishi had slipped into the shadows without hesitation. If the situation was unclear, best to vanish, bide his time, and wait for an opening.
"It's better to act separately," he told himself. His doubts lingered, but he chose independence over reliance.
He gazed toward towering Liuyue City.
Its gray-green walls rose more than ten feet high, with a raised drawbridge and moat dug deep around the perimeter. How effective such defenses could be in Soul Society, he wondered.
Behind the gates, tax-collecting troops gathered. He couldn't see them, but he could feel their oppressive spiritual pressure.
With his abilities, leaping moat and wall alike would be effortless. But if barriers lay hidden inside, he'd rather let Nobunaga test them first.
He would not betray comrades — nor risk being betrayed himself.
Moments later, a bandaged man in purple strode across the moat outside the gates.
"Hmph." Oda Nobunaga sneered. Without even drawing his blade, he stomped the earth. Spiritual pressure cracked the ground, diverting the river.
BANG!
The drawbridge shattered, and the massive city gates collapsed with a deafening crash, stirring a choking cloud of dust. Three silhouettes stood within the haze.
"Stretch, Hōzukimaru!"
"Bloom, Fuji Kujaku!"
"Roar, Zabimaru!"
Nobunaga's charred lips curved into a grim smile. Heat rolled from his body as he lunged, sword flashing like lightning. The strike split into three arcs, each aimed at a different foe.
Madarame Ikkaku and Ayasegawa Yumichika caught the blows, but the force hurled them straight through the city wall.
Abarai Renji faltered. Blood sprayed from his chest, staining the blue tattoo between his brows, and he crashed to the ground.
"Ugh—!" Nobunaga hissed, clutching his burning, bandaged hand. He slapped it with the other, suppressing the fire. The agony robbed him of the killing stroke.
Renji, battered and bleeding, lay frozen. His wide eyes searched the rubble. Why haven't Ikkaku-san or Yumichika-senpai returned?
They were locked in their own battles.
Ikkaku faced a man with long black hair that fell to his waist, features sharp and severe. Slowly, the man drew his sword, each inch ringing like water striking stone.
"It seems fate has bound us," the dark-haired warrior said. The blade gleamed in sunlight as he declared:
"End it—Rindō!"
Steel shimmered, reshaping into a gleaming silver spear.
A Zanpakutō.
Excitement flickered in Ikkaku's eyes.
"I am Madarame Ikkaku, Third Seat of Squad Eleven!"
"Minamoto no Yoshitsune," the man introduced himself coolly. "I will not allow anyone to obstruct Lord Nobunaga."
"Hah! Samurai loyalty, is it? Doesn't matter. I just want to kill you!"
Their clash shook the walls, stones raining down as steel screamed.
Sweat drenched Nobunaga's bandages, but his strength returned. He strode past Renji's prone, bleeding body and pressed deeper into the city.
He trusted Yoshitsune. A legendary warrior of the late Heian period, undefeated even after death in Rukongai, Yoshitsune's strength was unquestionable.
Likewise, Okita Sōji, a brilliant swordsman of the late shogunate, could more than handle a Soul Reaper.
His only concern was Miyamoto Musashi. But now, all he could do was pray Musashi endured long enough.
As for Shiraishi's absence—Nobunaga cared little. He had invited the man only to observe him.
He knew conquest demanded clarity: knowing who was ally, who was enemy.
Those to be fought, he would fight relentlessly. Those to be won, he would shower with favor.
And if refused? No matter—so long as they did not become foes.
Nobunaga passed through the gate into a quiet courtyard. A three-story pavilion rose at its center, tiles glimmering under sunlight like flowing spring water.
No spiritual pressure stirred inside.
The faint traces from earlier had fled before his arrival.
He sighed inwardly, hoping the snow lotus was not already gone. With his injuries, stopping a swift retreat would have been impossible.
Just a single sword swing earlier had nearly set his body ablaze. Reckless exertion might well incinerate him mid-battle.
But soon, the lotus would cure this curse.
He climbed the steps of the pavilion and pushed open the heavy door.
Creak…
Sunlight spilled inside, illuminating piles of gold, currency, and priceless calligraphy.
He ignored it all. His gaze locked onto a massive iron safe. Within, stacks of notes and gold surrounded a single flower—
White as snow.
A snow lotus. His pupils shrank, and he rushed forward, heart surging.
But from above, a petite figure dropped silently.
Two cloth-clad feet locked around his waist.
Nobunaga tried to strike, but a hand chopped down, dislocating his shoulder. His Zanpakutō clattered to the ground.
He grunted, driving an elbow back, but his arm was seized and twisted. Something sharp pressed against his neck.
"Don't move, Oda Nobunaga. Move again and you die," whispered Sui-Feng.
Nobunaga glimpsed the flash of white. His eyes softened with resignation.
"Hah… Yamamoto Genryūsai actually sent two captains? You hold me in high regard."
"You are not the target," Sui-Feng replied coldly. "The ones behind you are."
Nobunaga chuckled bitterly.
"Then you'll be disappointed."
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