Punishment of Jaya, the custom shihakushō, and perfect hollowfication—three forces ordinary Shinigami could never reach—stacked together and produced a beautiful spiritual "chemical reaction."
From it was born a kind of numerical beauty that made no sense.
And the boost to his growth potential played a crucial role as well.
He didn't have any nauseating "rule-based" abilities, but Shinigami combat, at its core, was always a battle of numbers.
You're Grade 2, I'm Grade 4.
My number's bigger—advantage is mine!
Naraku's long blade swept out. The flame-covered edge swung brutally at Takeda Satoru.
A slash.
With a thunderous roar, the supposedly unbreakable crystal shield wall was smashed apart by that plain, no-frills strike.
There was none of the "elegance" swordsmanship was supposed to have.
It looked more like raw violence being displayed to the world.
And yet that very crudeness turned Takeda's face pale—while the nobles behind him felt an inexplicable chill race up their spines.
In the distance, Aizen watched, stunned.
He'd assumed Naraku would be crushed by Hadō #88 head-on; even if he survived, he should have been badly injured.
Instead, only the shihakushō looked severely damaged.
And the half-charred body? That barely counted as a wound.
Aizen knew Naraku's recovery was terrifying—what normal Shinigami considered "severe injuries" would heal on Naraku in no time.
Add healing Kidō on top, and the regeneration speed only became more absurd.
Even now, Aizen still didn't understand what Naraku's "construction" truly was.
But it was exactly these abnormal traits that fueled Aizen's curiosity.
Once this was over, maybe he could ask Naraku for a vial of blood to study.
While Aizen calculated how to extract maximum value out of Naraku, the battle in the courtyard had already reached a boiling point.
The blazing blade shattered incoming crystal spears. Shimmering fragments rained down, whipping up a gale and tearing open the ground beneath.
A clean gap cut forward in a straight line, stretching nearly a hundred meters in an instant until it reached the edge of the courtyard and hit Aizen's Kidō barrier.
Naraku was freely pouring out the power called "stats," probing the limits of what his body could withstand.
As the uniquely "one-of-a-kind" existence Shutara Senjumaru claimed he was, Naraku's perfect hollowfication wasn't the same thing as the hollowfication countless researchers had tried to force in the past.
Shinigami had limits.
Even if the legends claimed Shinigami only used a fraction of their soul's power, that breaking the "shackles" could unleash horrifying strength—there was still always an upper bound.
The quality of a Shinigami's soul defined that ceiling.
But Naraku was different. The moment he perfectly accepted Hollow power, he no longer counted as a traditional Shinigami.
And on top of that, he had the product of perfect Kidō–sword fusion, plus sword techniques that didn't even belong to this world.
With all those stacked buffs, he could break past his Reiatsu's own limits and release destructive power far beyond what his "rank" should allow.
The blade came down again.
Secret Technique: Dragon Flash!
With a roar, Takeda raised a single arm. A crystal blade formed out of nothing, but under the crushing force pouring into it, cracks spread instantly until it looked ready to shatter.
A weight like an overturned ocean pressed forward.
"Hadō #63: Raikōhō!"
Brilliant golden arcs exploded. Scorching lightning condensed into a blinding pillar and slammed into the terrifying, all-cutting sword-pressure that was about to erupt.
The collision detonated the entire courtyard.
The ground for hundreds of meters collapsed and shattered, crystal fragments mixed into the destruction, shining with strange brilliance amid ruin.
"I have to admit…"
Takeda flicked a glance at Aizen standing at the courtyard's edge. At this moment, his desire for revenge wasn't urgent anymore.
Because he knew—if he couldn't kill Naraku first, revenge meant nothing.
"You're far stronger than I expected."
"Your top-tier vice-captain-level Reiatsu is practically the least impressive thing about you."
"Attack, defense—no matter which, you're beyond common sense. Even in Soul Society's history, it's hard to find anyone who compares."
"But… never underestimate a captain."
Light intensified in Takeda's eyes, shining like two crystals.
"That's also common sense in Soul Society!"
"Muku Ruriiro!" (Pure Lapis Glass Color)
Boom!
The crystal world collapsed at once. Takeda became like a black hole—an enormous gravitational pull dragged countless glittering fragments into his body in an instant.
His Reiatsu exploded like a flood. The sweeping storm shredded the remaining buildings like rotten paper, and the courtyard became total ruin.
In the churning gale, Takeda's form changed drastically—his entire body looked as if it had been forged from crystal.
A pillar of Reiatsu poured out of him, spreading crushing pressure in all directions.
In this state, Takeda seemed to lose all emotion. His glassy eyes stared at Naraku with cold indifference.
In the dead silence, a blinding streak flashed over the ruins. The wind screamed, and a piercing collision sound rang out.
The ground trembled, the charred soil turning over and over.
Somehow, a long blade of lapis-colored crystal had formed in Takeda's grip.
"It's over."
A streak of afterglow cut across the sky.
Takeda vanished.
When he appeared again, he was already behind Naraku.
The next instant, a cloth-tearing sound rang out. The already shredded shihakushō finally disintegrated. The blade cut through Naraku's Hierro, and dark red blood burst outward.
Yet to Takeda's surprise, even with such a severe wound, Naraku didn't fall.
He stood there like a stone monument in the ruined wasteland.
"Just a candle guttering in the wind…"
Takeda raised the lapis blade to deliver the finishing blow—
And then a deep, black pillar of Reiatsu erupted from the ground. Extreme savagery exploded with a deafening boom, erasing everything in its path.
A figure stepped out of the black light, flashing Takeda a feral grin.
In the next instant, a large hand appeared abruptly in Takeda's view, giving him no time to react before it slammed down.
A terrifying force, utterly unreasonable, exploded outward.
With a thunderous impact, the crystal body was smashed down hard.
The ground caved in and cracked.
Cracking sounds spread across the crystal shell—fractures everywhere!
Through the gaps between his fingers, Takeda stared in stunned confusion at the face inches away—black eyes reflecting pure, violent brutality.
On Naraku's forehead, a bony ornament stood out sharply.
W-what was that?
Naraku had no intention of answering.
The hand lifted. Fingers clenched. Black Reiatsu arced around his fist like lightning.
One Bone!
Boom!
An unstoppable punch drove Takeda's chest inward. The earth shook and collapsed.
The courtyard was gone—replaced by a scorched crater.
Looking down at Takeda Satoru—broken like shattered porcelain—Naraku's eyes flickered with undeniable exhaustion. His lips curved slightly.
"It's over…"
~~~
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