This world is boring and mean.
Or in other words, all the people and things in this world are just his playthings.
Tsunayashiro Tokinada has always thought this way.
Some people are born evil, and Tsunayashiro Tokinada is such evil.
That year.
With a twisted personality and a terrible outlook, he loathed this world even more after witnessing the Tsunayashiro family's stone tablet that recorded the hidden history of the Soul Society.
The Spirit King?
That stationary, mutilated god-fragment who was sealed and dismembered to hold the worlds apart—such a pitiful, half-alive existence—was unworthy to stand above his head and "rule" reality.
The Soul Society?
What "Four Great Noble Houses," what "Gotei 13," what "Central 46"—their only purpose seemed to be to interfere with Tsunayashiro Tokinada's joy in twisting and remaking the world to his liking.
Especially after meeting the woman called Ge Kuang, everything changed.
After orchestrating the vicious slaughter incident known as "One Hundred and Fifty," Tsunayashiro Tokinada amused himself by manipulating and humiliating Tōsen Kaname repeatedly.
Later, Tōsen Kaname vanished from his reach—it was said he had entered the Gotei 13 as a Shinigami.
And then, that infuriating Kyoraku Shunsui—Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni's disciple—reported him to the Central 46.
From then on, Tsunayashiro Tokinada found he could no longer experience the same unrestrained thrill of dominating lives at will.
Was it because he no longer enjoyed breaking others?
No!
The strong are born to rule over the weak!
The reason was not loss of taste—only loss of position and power.
Once he understood that the Captain level was far from a Shinigami's true limit, and that the Spirit King's existence was the lynchpin of all realms, his ambitions grew.
Mere nobility was not enough.
He would seize greater power, claim the throne of godhood in this world—
And from there, look down upon, toy with, and discard all creation.
But now, Tokinada found it increasingly hard to feel that rush of control.
He wanted to shackle these fools in front of him bit by bit, watch them writhe in pain and despair, and then let them die slowly.
That would be his "gift" to them.
"Can you even block Shinsō's attack? It's getting more and more interesting."
Tsunayashiro Tokinada licked his lips, eyes gleaming with undisguised malice.
With pretenses abandoned, there was no need for the false noble mask—it was only ever a source of disgust to him anyway.
That last strike? It had been aimed for Kurosaki Masaki.
First, it drew Kanbaru's attention—then, he had sought to exploit the opening and cripple Masaki.
If it had worked, the half-blood Quincy brat would now be in agony, watching his "sister" suffer right before his eyes.
Just as he once broke Tōsen Kaname's heart—oh, that had been exquisite—this would be just as satisfying.
Nothing pleased him more than pushing someone until their mind snapped.
"But that's all."
Tsunayashiro Tokinada's laugh was jagged, cruel.
"You can block that slash… so—how about this!"
Boom!
In the dim surroundings, an explosive flash of flame erupted!
The heat was blinding, the air itself igniting for an instant.
And that was only the beginning.
Boom!
Flames roared higher, turning the street into a sweltering hell, swallowing houses and searing the ground.
Everything became fire.
"This temperature…?"
Kurosaki Masaki's eyes narrowed, bloody vein-lines flaring across her skin as her Blut Vene automatically triggered to shield her from the sheer heat radiating from that blade.
It was hard to fathom how high the temperature had climbed.
"Now then… what will you do, child?"
Tsunayashiro Tokinada's satisfaction deepened at the wary look in Masaki's eyes.
Yes… that look.
And this was the true might of Yan'ō Jingdian!
A Tsunayashiro heirloom Zanpakutō, its power was to replicate any Zanpakutō the wielder had personally seen—and to wield several abilities in combination at once.
For example: unleashing Shinsō's instant thrust and Suzumushi's auditory incapacitation simultaneously.
As former overseer of the Central 46's "Imaging Hall," Tokinada had reviewed the combat records of nearly every seated officer's Zanpakutō in the Gotei 13.
As a result, his Yan'ō Jingdian could mimic the techniques of almost any blade.
However—there was a flaw.
The imitations' strength depended on the user's Reiatsu. The copied powers could never match the original Zanpakutō's full potency.
And there was a greater cost: each release of Yan'ō Jingdian eroded the user's very soul—permanently reducing their spiritual lifespan.
For most Shinigami, who could live for millennia, this limit was a death sentence in slow motion. Once pieces of the soul were consumed, they could never be restored.
That was why the heads of the Tsunayashiro family before him had almost never wielded it. The side effect was simply too severe.
But Tokinada was different.
He was a true degenerate—willing to gamble even his existence for the thrill of supremacy.
What did it matter if years were shaved away?
Once he claimed the Spirit King's power—whether by seizing the King's essence or, if possible, merging with the Hōgyoku to achieve that perfect symbiosis Aizen sought—lifespan would become irrelevant. A god of all realms would not wither.
Then he could channel the full, unmitigated power of Yan'ō Jingdian without fear of the price.
Boom!
The crimson blaze spread, vaporizing everything it touched.
Somewhere in the roar, he could almost hear the wailing of insects—so small, so fragile.
Tokinada's mouth split in a wide, unhinged grin, breaking into peals of laughter.
This… was the fire of Ryūjin Jakka—the blade of Yamamoto Genryūsai, the strongest Zanpakutō of flame, feared for centuries as a power capable of reducing the world itself to ash.
End of Chapter.
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