A light breeze swept across the lake, sending ripples dancing across the surface.
As if a war horn had been sounded, Gosuke's figure vanished instantly. He flickered directly in front of Naraku Sora, a cold light erupting as his blade left its scabbard. With a display of sheer brutality, he swung the edge downward.
Clang!
The collision of steel produced a shower of brilliant sparks. The blades ground against each other, creating a high-pitched screeching that set one's teeth on edge.
Shockwaves burst out in layers, the aftershocks causing the wooden floor beneath their feet to groan and creak.
Gosuke channeled his raw violence to the limit. His materialized Reiatsu surged without end, like a relentless tide crashing down on Sora in wave after wave. However, the outcome of the exchange was vastly different from what he had anticipated.
In his mind—and according to the intelligence he had gathered—Naraku Sora was a genius, but he was still just a Seated Officer. Though he had managed to trade a few blows with Takeda Goki back then, Gosuke believed that was only because Goki hadn't been fighting seriously. Takeda Goki had sworn that if Shutara Senjumaru hadn't intervened, Sora would never have made it back to the Seireitei alive.
But now, the reality was spiraling out of his control.
Whether it was the intensity of the Reiatsu, the sheer force behind the strikes, or the refined level of technique, Sora gave Gosuke the distinct impression that he was fighting another Captain.
'Has this guy really only just graduated from the Spiritual Arts Academy?'
Recalling the grueling journey he himself had taken to reach this level, and comparing it to Sora—who had achieved power most Soul Reapers couldn't gain in a lifetime with such apparent ease—Gosuke felt a momentary sense of vertigo.
'Is the gap between one Soul Reaper and another truly this absurd?'
At that thought, a vein of undisguised jealousy took root deep within his heart, sprouting and tangled like gnarled roots until it gripped his entire soul. His originally calm expression grew increasingly savage amidst the sparks flying from their clashing blades.
A raw malice flickered in his eyes. His Reiatsu erupted without restraint, turning into a visible pillar of light that tore through the interior of the Kido barrier.
"I see why Head Captain Yamamoto thinks so highly of you," Gosuke snarled. "You may only be a Seated Officer, but your true strength is already on par with an average Captain."
He grinned wider. "A few days ago, you might have defeated me easily. But now... everything has changed!"
With a sudden flex of his arm, his already massive strength surged again, causing the fragile floorboards to shatter instantly. Sora shifted his body to dodge, letting the Zanpakutō crash down like a heavy sledgehammer.
Boom!
The air grew thick and viscous, as if they had suddenly plunged into deep water. Both movements and the flow of Reiatsu became sluggish.
Without hesitation, Gosuke stepped forward, his full power igniting. He raised his right hand high and brought the blade down. The air screamed like tearing silk.
Clash!
Sora raised his sword to parry, but a terrifying force—like a collapsing mountain—surged forward, sending him flying backward.
Before Sora could even regain his footing, Gosuke pressed the advantage. He exploded forward with speed that defied the naked eye, a booming roar shaking the ground as a strange light flickered across his raised Zanpakutō.
Unable to fully brace in time, Sora met the falling blade.
Boom!
It was like a meteorite impact, sending tremors through the air.
Snap!
The blade was parried, but Sora noticed something strange happening to his body. It felt as if his strength was being siphoned away. With every collision of their blades, he felt an increasing sense of heaviness and lethargy.
"Sora, be careful," Jūshirō Ukitake called out. Having been a spectator until now, the Captain finally found an opening to contribute. "Gosuke's Zanpakutō is called Kutigahara. Its Shikai can inflict negative status effects, such as weakening the enemy's strength. Avoid direct contact with his blade as much as possible."
However, before he could finish, Gosuke let out a cold laugh. "Avoid the blade? Anyone within the range of my Reiatsu is affected. Captain Ukitake, I am no longer the Gosuke you once knew. Currently..."
He glared at them. "I am terrifyingly strong!"
"Hadō #63: Raikōhō!"
Before Gosuke could finish his sentence, a cluster of brilliant golden light erupted from Sora's fingertips. Twisted arcs of electricity shot forward.
CRACK!
The violent roar was deafening. The exploding thunderbolt reached Gosuke in an instant, hitting him dead-on and blasting him backward. His figure smashed through the wall, leaving a gaping hole amidst a shower of debris.
"If my physical strength is failing, I'll just make sure my Reiatsu doesn't," Sora remarked. He blew a puff of smoke away from his scorched fingertips and glanced at the crater.
The air was thick with the scent of ozone and burnt wood. From the rising smoke, Gosuke stepped out. His Captain's haori was heavily scorched, and there were several minute cracks on his arms. But under the influence of his Reiatsu, they healed almost instantly.
While Soul Reapers did not possess High-Speed Regeneration like Great Hollows, they still possessed a physiological mechanism where their vitality was linked to their Reiatsu. Kaidō, the healing Kido, was developed based on this very principle. Medical personnel usually injected their own Reiatsu into the injured person to assist their recovery; most Captains mastered enough Kaidō to heal minor wounds themselves. Gosuke was clearly no exception.
"As a rising star, your abilities are remarkably well-rounded," Gosuke noted. "Beyond your astounding swordsmanship, even your Kido is this impressive. Given more time to grow, you might have become the next Head Captain Yamamoto. However, I won't give you that chance. My Lord's plan must succeed, and when it does, we shall become the strongest existence in the Soul Society. All I need to do is kill you, then kill Jūshirō Ukitake to seize the power that doesn't belong to him. Then, the cycle will finally halt."
Without a pause, he gripped his hilt and spun his body, exploding forward with a masterful Flash Step. He crossed dozens of meters in a heartbeat, his blade rising like a cold crescent moon. The air groaned under the pressure as the wind curled around the edge of his sword.
Clang!
Sora raised his blade to block. As their edges met, violent force erupted. After a brief stalemate, Sora was actually being suppressed by Gosuke, the ground beneath his feet continuously cracking. The collision contained a level of power that was bordering on the extreme.
As the battle reached its peak, Ukitake wasn't staying idle. He stood at the edge of the Kido barrier, attempting to tear a gap to send word of the situation at the Rainy Dew Hall to the outside world. But the appearance of another figure interrupted him.
"Tsunayashiro Taketori..."
Staring at the white-haired elder who had suddenly appeared within his sensing range, Ukitake recognized him immediately. "So it really is you. Disrupting the Seireitei, sowing chaos in the Soul Society, and inciting the Zanpakutō rebellion... what is the point of all these crimes you've painstakingly committed?"
Tsunayashiro Taketori looked at him calmly. "To reclaim what belongs to the Tsunayashiro, of course. The three worlds were meant to be ours. But because of the First Ancestor's momentary lapse into mercy, that power was shared, creating 'miracles' that should never have existed. Like you."
Ukitake frowned, sensing the implication, and instinctively pressed a hand to his chest. "Are you not afraid of the teacher finding out?"
"Yamamoto Genryūsai? Laughable." Taketori shook his head with a smirk. "Since I intend to strike at his disciples, I have naturally made sufficient preparations. By the time Yamamoto returns to the Soul Society, everything will be over. Your fate is already sealed. Accept the inevitable."
Ukitake's pupils shrank. The shadow at Taketori's feet stretched and expanded infinitely, rapidly covering the entire Rainy Dew Hall. Endless darkness poured down like a broken dam.
A flash of silver erupted within the dark, brilliant like the first ray of dawn. Taketori's movements were so fast they were practically illusions. His unsheathed blade carved a cold arc, arriving at Ukitake's neck in a split second.
Just before he could be decapitated, Ukitake raised his hands. The two children who had been in the corner of the room vanished, manifesting back into the dual blades in his hands. He parried with a reverse grip, catching Taketori's strike perfectly.
Brilliant sparks flew where the blades met.
Ukitake's eyes were filled with resolve. Despite the limitations of the pitch-black environment, he could perceive the other man's chilling killing intent through his keen spiritual senses.
"Tsunayashiro Taketori, you will not succeed."
"All waves, rise now and become my shield. All thunder, rise now and become my blade. Sōgyo no Kotowari!"
A powerful Reiatsu surged toward Taketori like a crashing wave. The very air trembled violently. However, to Ukitake's shock, this elder—who looked just as aged as Yamamoto—possessed Reiatsu that wasn't inferior to his own. In fact, it was slightly stronger.
As the head of one of the Five Great Noble Houses, he should have been living a life of luxury. Yet, he had secretly cultivated such immense strength. The sense of dread in Ukitake's heart grew.
Sensing his thoughts, Taketori chuckled softly. "For the ultimate goal of the Tsunayashiro, we have labored for a thousand years. This level of Reiatsu is but a minor piece of the puzzle. Be careful, Captain Ukitake."
The light on his blade intensified, erupting like an ocean.
Meanwhile, in the courtyard, Gosuke glared at Sora with rising irritation. He had never seen, nor heard of, such a troublesome opponent among the Soul Reapers. Whether it was Zanjutsu, Kidō, Hakuda, or Flash Step, the boy had no weaknesses. He was like a hedgehog covered in needles—there was no place to strike.
His Zanpakutō was Kutigahara. Its ability was rare even in the Soul Society. Previously, he had been unable to exert its true power due to his own Reiatsu limits, but after receiving help from Taketori, its terrifying potential had finally been unleashed.
Its ability centered on the eight sufferings: birth, aging, sickness, death, separation from the loved, association with the loathed, unfulfilled desire, and the burning of the five aggregates. By coating the area with his Reiatsu, he could inflict these debuffs individually on his enemy. Power reduction, speed decrease, dulling of reflexes, weakening of Reiatsu, degradation of the five senses—the list went on.
In Shikai, only one status effect could exist on an enemy at a time. But even so, with his augmented Reiatsu, he could suppress most Captains. Someone like Takeda Goki was no match for him.
Yet the battle had reached a stalemate. No matter which negative state he applied, it didn't seem to affect Sora. It was as if his Zanpakutō's ability had failed.
Refusing to believe it, Gosuke used an opening in his own attack to inflict the suffering of 'Sickness' upon himself. The sudden, intense degradation of his bodily functions caused him to be instantly swatted away by Sora. He drew a nearly perfect parabola in the air, slamming hard into the Kido barrier.
"Damn it..." Gosuke struggled to his feet, staring across the field, unwilling to accept the truth. He had sacrificed so much, yet his own power still didn't match the title of 'Kenpachi.' It felt as if everything he had done was a waste of time.
"I am the Kenpachi!"
"Bankai—Hachiku Rinne!"
A pillar of brilliant Reiatsu shot into the sky, and a heavy pressure instantly blanketed the battlefield. A massive, phantom eight-spoked wheel floated above Gosuke's head. Each spoke was carved with a face twisted in agony, a grotesque sight that sent chills down the spine.
The moment the cold Reiatsu enveloped Sora, all the negative states he had previously endured came crashing down at once. His body felt as if it were encased in leaden armor; even lifting a finger required immense effort. Even releasing an equivalent amount of Reiatsu couldn't nullify this suffocating weight.
His spiritual power grew sluggish, and his senses began to fail.
Then, a blazing karmic fire ignited within the Reiatsu. Endless radiance momentarily lit up the desolation, as if a sun were rising from the horizon, radiating infinite light and heat.
The moment Sora released his Shikai, the effects of the Eight Sufferings were slightly reduced, but a crushing pressure remained on his body, making it difficult to adjust. Realizing this, Gosuke let out a savage laugh, gripped his sword, and charged.
He swung!
Sora parried, feeling an unimaginable impact shudder through his arms as he was sent flying dozens of meters. After barely steadying himself, he raised his finger.
"Scattered beads of the beast's bone! Spire, Crimson Crystal, Wheel of Steel! Move and it is the wind, stay and it is the sky! The roar of the brandished spears fills the empty castle!"
Gosuke couldn't help but sneer. "Even with a full incantation of Raikōhō, what of it? Do you really think you can hit me in your current state?"
Sora looked up and grinned. "Who said I was aiming at you?"
"?"
"Hadō #63: Raikōhō!"
A brilliant burst of lightning erupted, instantly swallowing Sora's own body. The blazing flames of his Reiatsu and the lightning intertwined, fusing into one.
Gosuke instinctively held his breath, his expression one of pure bewilderment.
Within the leaping crimson flames, golden arcs of electricity twisted and jumped. Within Sora's black eyes, lightning seemed to flicker. An intimidating pressure descended upon the battlefield. Even a mere exchange of glances carried an incomprehensible weight.
A flash of solemnity crossed Gosuke's eyes. He gripped his sword tighter, preparing to speak.
But a sudden, intense sense of crisis exploded in his heart—as if death itself had already arrived.
In the next instant, a savage, ferocious grin appeared right in front of his face. Lightning-wrapped, violent flames crashed down without warning.
BOOM!
As if countless explosives had been buried underground, the entire battlefield suddenly detonated. The earth within sight shattered and collapsed. A hurricane of dust and debris spiraled upward, reaching for the sky.
In that heartbeat, the world lost all its color.
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