Rukia and Ichigo wore bitter expressions.
They hadn't known Uryū carried something so dangerous.
A hollow bait. A lure for Menos Grande. As the name implied, it summoned them—an item of terrifying risk.
Only in large-scale hunts did shinigami or Quincy ever dare to use it.
And once activated, it could summon thousands—sometimes tens of thousands of hollows, even Gillians.
They knew they'd made a grave mistake. That's why they had come running to Cole.
Cole turned to Shinji and the others. "You may be exiles, but you're still shinigami. Won't you help stop them?"
The Vizards curled their lips.
Hiyori snapped, "If we show ourselves saving people, Seireitei will kill us first chance they get."
Unlike Urahara and Yoruichi, they no longer even had shinigami forms. They were hollowfied. If they appeared openly, the Captain-Commander himself might come to cut them down.
"Fine then. Rukia, Ichigo—we're going!"
Cole didn't waste time. His left arm looped around Rukia, his right hand grabbed Ichigo by the collar. He stomped lightly.
"Shup!!"
He vanished from the Vizards' sight in an instant.
Shinji blinked. "That fast? Hollows haven't even hit the ground yet."
Lisa muttered, "Looks more like he's running for his life… but it's not like we can chase him."
Hachigen suddenly frowned. "Wait. How did that Kuchiki girl and that human boy even get inside?"
The Vizards froze.
Right. How had they entered?
Their base was wrapped in barriers. No one entered without permission.
Tessai's heart sank. Quietly, he slipped toward the exit.
But then—
"BOOM!!"
Hachigen's voice cracked into a roar.
"The reiryoku in the barrier—gone!!"
"Which starving ghost sucked it all dry!?"
Tessai winced, bolting to flee—but Shinji's smiling hand clamped his shoulder.
"Not so fast, Tessai. Explain first."
The others ringed him, eyes dark and dangerous.
Without that barrier, even their sparring could get them detected by Seireitei.
Tessai: "…"
…
"Whew… finally out…"
Cole exhaled hard, wiping his brow.
Over the past few days, he'd drained most of the barrier's reiryoku bit by bit.
If the Vizards realized it, they'd probably kill him on the spot.
"Cole, look—the sky…"
Rukia pointed west, throat dry.
Though it was daytime, the horizon was dark—blotted by a vast tide of hollows.
Thousands. Maybe more.
And still more spilling from black rifts.
Blue arrows shot upward from the ground—Uryū's Quincy bolts, bursting hollow after hollow into particles of spirit.
But compared to the swarm, it was nothing. Like drops against a flood.
Cole took it in. Then he reached out. The golden Ruyi Jingu Bang materialized in his hand. He glanced at Rukia and Ichigo with a smile.
"The hollows in the sky are mine. You two take the ground."
Ichigo blurted, "Cole, there are too many—can you—"
"Trust Cole!"
Rukia's answer cut him off, her gaze firm.
Cole chuckled. "Rukia, I've learned a lot of kidō lately. Afterwards… let's experiment a little."
Her cheeks burned crimson.
Ichigo, still clueless, asked what experiment he meant.
"One more word and I'll kill you both!"
Rukia snapped, eyes blazing, before leaping down toward the hollows.
Ichigo scrambled after her.
Cole grinned, then raised his gaze to the sky full of hollows. The golden staff thrummed in his grip.
"Big. Bigger. Bigger still. Come on—bigger!"
With each thought, the Ruyi Jingu Bang swelled—ten meters, fifty, a hundred, three hundred…
In a heartbeat, a colossal golden pillar pierced the heavens.
So massive it seemed to hold up the sky itself.
Any human who saw it would've thought gods had descended. But in Karakura, only shinigami could perceive it.
"This… this size…"
Urahara wiped cold sweat from his brow. Even with his sharp vision, he couldn't see its top.
If it fell, it could pierce Karakura Town straight through.
"So this is the true form of Cole's zanpakuto…?"
At the Vizard base, all seven gaped in shock.
The pillar's width alone dwarfed their warehouse dozens of times over.
If it struck, their hideout would be pulp.
Hiyori swallowed hard, suddenly grateful he hadn't used this when sparring with her. Otherwise, her head wouldn't just have cracked—she'd be paste.
Shinji finally regained his voice. He clutched Tessai's shoulder.
"Oi, Tessai. Be honest. Isn't this brat's zanpakuto the strongest of all physical-type blades?"
By now Tessai had already taught Cole most of his kidō. There was nothing left to hide.
"According to Urahara, yes. It's the strongest among physical-type zanpakuto."
"—!!"
Shinji sucked in a sharp breath.
With just that, he understood. If Cole's blade appeared in Seireitei, the waves it would cause would shake Soul Society to its core.
He'd thought Cole's limit would be a cutting-type.
But no—this was the king of physical types.
Nearly ninety percent of zanpakuto were physical in nature.
And now, the strongest of them all had appeared.
Could the shinigami accept that?
Not likely. Squad 11's lunatics alone would hound him day and night.
Love and Kensei exchanged a glance, sparks of challenge flashing in their eyes.
"The strongest physical-type, huh…?"
Their blades, though infused with wind and fire, still leaned half-physical. The itch to test themselves was undeniable.
Tessai caught their looks and sighed.
"I'd give up that idea if I were you. Cole's zanpakuto may be simple—but I'll explain."
The Vizards leaned in, curiosity burning.
Just what kind of zanpakuto could bear the title strongest physical type?
...…
......
(End of Chapter)
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