"So strong!!!"
"Captain Kuchiki, your future self—and the power of Senbonzakura—how unbelievably overwhelming!"
"This kind of oppressive force… it's practically at the very peak of Soul Reapers… on par with the Head Captain himself!"
Within the 6th Division headquarters—
Renji Abarai's face was flushed with excitement, his emotions surging as he spoke.
Even though he wasn't directly involved in the battle just shown…
And the fight had nothing to do with him personally…
Still!
As vice-captain—someone who had followed Byakuya Kuchiki loyally for years—
Renji's heart swelled with pride, truly in awe of Senbonzakura's strength.
It was insane…
Just moments ago, in the last scene…
That mysterious giant warrior of unknown origin had been casually killing off captains one by one, showing a terrifying power that left everyone hopeless.
But then—
When Senbonzakura unleashed its ultimate technique—
The unstoppable Gerard Valkyrie was suddenly no longer invincible! Instead, he was on the verge of having his head blown clean off!
The contrast between before and after…
Only served to highlight how devastatingly powerful Senbonzakura truly was.
Renji couldn't help but admire his captain all the more.
And the rest of the audience… could no longer raise the slightest doubt!
"Yes…"
"You're right, Renji…"
At this moment—
Byakuya Kuchiki finally shed his usual icy demeanor.
Beneath the sweep of his dark hair, that handsome face of his showed, for once, an unmistakable shift—excitement, even exhilaration.
Yes!
Even he hadn't expected this!
His future self, truly fulfilling the honor of the Kuchiki noble house, standing firm in a decisive battle—
Not only defending the Soul Society's safety—
But also displaying power that surpassed anything Byakuya had ever envisioned, strength that defied his own imagination!
Senbonzakura's Bankai secret art…
If not for this video being revealed to the world…
Even Byakuya himself would never have known such a power lay within his blade.
Nor dared believe it.
That in the future—having mastered this secret art—his strength would stand at the very pinnacle of Soul Reapers… at the same level as the Head Captain himself!
That was the most shocking thing of all!!!
Meanwhile—
The video continued to play—
"It's over…"
With his back to the camera—
Byakuya's cold, level voice rang out, like a final verdict, pronouncing Valkyrie's death.
"BOOM!!!"
With the impact of spiritual pressure—
The endless, uncountable blades of Senbonzakura Kageyoshi's final form surged forth, carrying overwhelming might, cleaving violently toward the giant's skull!
In an instant—
The battlefield shook violently!
The explosion of spirit particles tore the air apart, a deafening roar that seemed to split the heavens themselves!
And within that blinding flash—
All the watchers could clearly see—
The towering head of Gerard Valkyrie…
Pierced through, blown apart—
Until nothing remained.
Leaving only a massive, headless corpse—
His final, grisly end laid bare!
The video of this ranking closed here—ending on that scene of cataclysm, Byakuya Kuchiki and Senbonzakura standing tall.
Revealing his greatest future feat—defeating alone, in single combat, an enemy of Soul Reaper apex level!!!
In that moment—
All of Silbern, the silver fortress of the Wandenreich, fell into dead silence.
So quiet that one could hear a pin drop.
Just earlier—
As comrades—
Seeing Valkyrie rampage through the future battlefield, slaughtering captains left and right, the entire palace had erupted in joy.
The pure-blooded Quincy had been exultant, their morale soaring, mocking that Soul Reapers were trash, boasting that the invasion of Soul Society was inevitable.
But then…
That wild celebration was abruptly snuffed out—by the sight of Valkyrie's head exploding!
Crushed under Senbonzakura's ultimate art.
Now, the Sternritter all fell silent—
Each one wearing an expression of deep dread as they stared at Byakuya's cold back.
As though they were staring not at a noble, but at a god of death incarnate.
A true Shinigami… who could massacre them without effort.
"Damn it…"
"As one of His Majesty's Schutzstaffel…"
"Granted the Schrift—M, the power of the Miracle—how could I ever be slain by a mere captain?!"
Gerard Valkyrie seethed with fury.
Behind his ornate mask, his eyes were wide, trembling with rage, as he roared his defiance.
He was the very heart of the Soul King himself.
And on top of that, gifted by Yhwach with the Schrift "M"—the Miracle.
So even confronted with the undeniable truth—
Even watching his future self beheadless in plain sight—
Valkyrie could not, would not accept it!
There was no way he would ever lose to a Soul Reaper!
"Valkyrie…"
"Compose yourself. Rage now will not change anything…"
"It will only disturb His Majesty's slumber."
From the high dais at the end of the hall—
Jugram Haschwalth, the Sternritter Grandmaster, golden hair and cold blue eyes, spoke with calm authority.
And his words made one thing plain—
For now, at this point in the timeline—
The true emperor, Yhwach, had not yet awakened.
He still slumbered, regathering his full power.
Until then—
The Wandenreich was under Haschwalth's control.
"…Still. I must admit—we opened the champagne too soon."
"In the future… the captains of the Gotei 13… they will not all be weaklings."
Now—
The first of the Schutzstaffel, Lille Barro—his dark face tense, his arrogant air dimmed—finally spoke with grave seriousness.
The very first Quincy granted a Schrift by Yhwach himself—
Lille Barro had always looked down on Shinigami, and on Arrancar.
To him, only pure-blooded Quincy stood above all, destined to reclaim dominion over the world.
But after seeing this battle revealed—
Even his pride wavered.
Especially the last strike—Senbonzakura's ultimate art—
That sight still weighed heavily on his chest, leaving his heart unsteady.
And for the first time, doubt arose within him.
Even if Yhwach awakened in the future…
Even then, against captains whose powers would also multiply by leaps and bounds…
Would the Wandenreich—would the Quincy truly have victory in their grasp?
For the first time—Lille Barro's confidence faltered.
The arrogant superiority he had always carried—gone.
But then…
Just as the mood fell to its lowest—
The blackened screen suddenly flared back to life—
The video resuming!
And with it, a new line of glowing text appeared—
[9th Place]
[Zanpakutō: Hyōrinmaru!]
(End of Chapter)
If I see that this fanfic has support, I will upload it to Patreon!!
[[email protected]/Zukooo]
[Thanks for your support!]