"More terrifying brute strength than even the Head Captain!?"
Tōsen's eyes widened in shock. "Komamura, are you certain? That brat didn't use Bankai!?"
Three questions in a row showed just how shaken he was. Komamura's zanpakuto was considered one of the largest in all Soul Society, overwhelming most in raw power. Only when facing the Head Captain was he ever forced down.
"There's no mistake," Komamura gritted his teeth. "That brat's power is monstrous, and his zanpakuto is only in shikai…"
He suddenly turned, fury flashing at Gin. "Gin Ichimaru, this is what you called 'a bit strong'!?"
Gin only spread his hands with a smile. "Now, now, Captain Komamura, don't blame me. I never fought him head-on."
Komamura glared. He then remembered another. "Byakuya!!!"
That bastard had also downplayed Cole's power. "A little strong"? A single strike nearly crushed him to death.
Soon, Squad Four's healers arrived, shocked at Komamura's state, quickly rushing him onto a stretcher.
Gin's smile faltered, his fists clenched. "Komamura… I'll avenge you."
He turned and caught Ikkaku and Yumichika eavesdropping. They straightened instantly, coughing awkwardly.
At last, Ikkaku couldn't hold it. "Captain Tōsen, is that ryoka's raw power really so terrifying?"
Tōsen nodded grimly. "Terrifying indeed. Not only monstrous strength, but his zanpakuto can expand and shrink freely. It's the strongest physical-type zanpakuto."
Ikkaku and Yumichika gulped, then grinned like maniacs. Their hearts pounded with excitement. To fight such a beast would be the ultimate thrill.
Gin chuckled. "Best to calm yourselves. Remember, spiritual pressure above lieutenant level is restricted in Seireitei, to protect the city."
They coughed into their fists. Squad Eleven would never care about such rules. Fighting was all that mattered.
"Tōsen Kaname!" Gin smiled, but Tōsen's face darkened. He despised Gin's sly interference. If not for Aizen, he'd cut him down right here.
Gin only chuckled. "I'm just protecting Seireitei, Captain. Do you have a problem with that?"
Tōsen snorted and left. Gin followed shortly after.
When the tension passed, Ikkaku and Yumichika finally noticed the ruins around them. Their faces darkened.
"Captain Komamura, don't forget to send your squad to rebuild our barracks. It was your butt that smashed it!" they shouted after the stretcher.
Komamura coughed more blood, veins popping with rage. "Those Eleventh Division lunatics…"
…
At the White Road Gate, Chad transformed both arms, bracing beneath the gate with a roar. The stone trembled, but refused to budge.
"No good… I haven't fully adapted yet. I can fight, but I can't lift this gate…" He shook his head in frustration.
"Cole, that idiot," Rukia ground her teeth. "Going alone against the Thirteen Court Guard Squads? When I see him, I'll bite him to death!"
Ichigo turned to Yoruichi. "Yoruichi-san…" Orihime and Uryu also looked to her. She had said before there were other ways to enter.
The black cat licked her paw, then padded forward. "Follow me."
…
Meanwhile, within Seireitei, Cole caressed a wall with greedy eyes.
"So rich… so corrupt… so filthy. Even the walls are made of reishi. What's the difference between this and gold?"
To him, every building was a feast.
"Absorb!"
The wall vanished before their eyes, crumbling into spirit energy and flooding into his body. Cole groaned with delight. Compared to Seireitei, Kisuke's underground training ground was a slum.
Back in the Human World, Kisuke sneezed. "Achoo! Hm, someone's cursing me… probably Mayuri again."
Tessai sighed. "Don't blame everything on him, Shopkeeper."
"You don't know him like I do. That madman nearly dissected me the moment I freed him from prison." Kisuke fanned himself, eyes glinting. "Still, with Yoruichi around, nothing will happen to them. And besides… I do have friends in Seireitei who might lend a hand."
Tessai muttered, "You should worry more about Seireitei. That brat's appetite will devour it whole."
Back in Seireitei, Cole dashed through streets, devouring walls, houses, fountains, and even flowerbeds. His system panel surged with points.
[Available Points: 117,642]
[Spirit Power: 78,890]
[Zanpakuto: 21,800]
[Hoho: 16,020]
[Strength: 9,142]
[Reiryoku Network: 1,953]
[Reiatsu Armor: 1,100]
[Swordsmanship: 1,200]
[Kido: Byakurai (#4): 763]
[Kido: Shakkahō (#31): 654]
[Bakudō #63: Sajō Sabaku: 542]
[…]
"Over 110,000 points… equivalent to 120,000 attributes." He grinned, distributing them evenly. Spirit energy was endless here — he would become unstoppable.
…
Elsewhere, Squad Eight's members emerged to a shocking sight: their plaza utterly barren.
A dumbfounded Soul Reaper stammered, "There wasn't any demolition planned, right?"
"I saw a row of walls here this morning…" another muttered.
"Where's the flowerbed? Only flowers left!"
Panic spread. "We've been robbed!!!"
Dozens of Squad Eight members rushed out, gasping at the missing walls, houses, and tiles.
"Who the hell steals walls!?"
"Even the paving stones are gone!"
"Bastard, who did this!?"
Soon, Captain Kyoraku Shunsui and Lieutenant Ise Nanao arrived.
They stared in silence at the empty plaza.
"…Even the tiles are gone," Nanao croaked.
Shunsui held his hat down. "And not even all the tiles remain…"
After careful inspection, the conclusion was grim.
"Captain, these weren't stolen. They were converted into spirit energy and absorbed."
Nanao's face darkened. "Are you sure?"
"Very sure." The man pointed at the perfectly round cavities left behind. "This wasn't chiseling — it was devouring."
Nanao exploded. "Whoever you are!!! Can't you absorb spirit energy somewhere else!?"
Her scream echoed across the barracks.
Far away, Cole twitched. "…Why do I feel like I just heard something familiar?" He shrugged and kept running, devouring more blocks.
Soon, Squad Nine's barracks suffered the same fate. Hisagi Shuhei shouted, "Which bastard devoured three whole streets!?"
Cole slipped into Squad Ten, feasting again, his reiryoku sense easily dodging patrols.
Like a phantom, he swept through Seireitei, leaving devastation in his wake.
"This is too much…" Shunsui sighed, helpless. "What, is the Human World starving? No reishi left? Eight hundred years and I've never seen someone devour buildings like this…"
He finally waved to his squad. "The culprit will be caught. Until then… rebuild."
His subordinates wailed. Rebuilding required painstaking control of reishi, far harder than absorbing it.
Their eyes burned with rage. If they ever caught that glutton, they swore they'd break his legs.
(End of Chapter)
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