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Frozen.
Extinguished.
As Hitsugaya and Hyōrinmaru reached perfect unity, the instant he completed his fourth step, every element on the shattered battlefield froze solid.
Wind. Fire. Water. Earth. All were sealed.
Nothing could escape absolute zero.
Crack!
As the music swelled, each beat of the rhythm sent towering explosions of ice bursting higher along Valkyrie's body, painting the battlefield in blinding white.
He was enormous.
He stood nearly level with the sun itself.
And yet, what did that matter?
When the hunter moves, everything on the frozen plains awaits the same fate.
Just like this.
At last, before countless stunned eyes, the final surge of ice crept over Valkyrie's head.
The giant Quincy was completely sealed.
And in that moment, the Shinigami of the Gotei Thirteen witnessed what it truly meant for a miracle to occur.
Defying fate.
An icy reversal.
This was the miracle commanded by Tōshirō Hitsugaya.
"Woooooah—!"
After a brief moment of stunned silence, the cheers erupted like a tidal wave.
Across the entire Seireitei, countless Soul Reapers were shouting themselves hoarse.
Especially when the video showed Hitsugaya, now grown into a strikingly handsome adult, lightly leaping up and landing with cold composure atop the frozen Valkyrie. That single image sent the atmosphere straight through the roof.
"Captain Hitsugaya is way too cool!"
"So this is what they mean by a prince on a white horse. A man who saves the world. He's the answer, plain and simple!"
"I used to think Captain Kuchiki was the best-looking man in the Gotei Thirteen, but honestly, an adult Hitsugaya? Power and looks, both maxed out!"
…
Before he appeared, nearly ten captains had already been taken down.
The moment he made his move, he sealed the Quincy with ease and stepped right on his head.
The contrast was overwhelming. The gap between before and after was so extreme it only made Hitsugaya Tōshirō's limitless future potential shine even brighter. In one clean sweep, he won over waves of fans and shot straight to superstardom.
"So strong… Future me is actually that insane?"
Hitsugaya trembled, excitement running through his entire body.
He had never been the type to admire himself or show off.
But still…
The instant he saw his future self stepping on the enemy's head, his emotions completely broke loose. He wished time could fast-forward, wished he could grow stronger right now, even if it meant burning through his youth and potential ahead of schedule.
"Hehe. Captain, I'm really happy for you."
Long, wavy hair swayed as Rangiku Matsumoto turned toward the still-young Hitsugaya, smiling with gentle pride. It was the kind of smile you gave when watching a little brother finally grow up.
And that was exactly what it was.
Back then, when Isshin Shiba vanished on a rainy night while investigating the deaths of patrol members in the World of the Living, he left without so much as a final word.
After that, in order to push Hitsugaya to mature as quickly as possible and fill the vacant position of Captain of the Tenth Division, Rangiku poured her heart and soul into the division for years without complaint.
Thankfully, it had all been worth it.
Hitsugaya's second shining moment proved her judgment had been spot on.
"Still, as exciting as this is, there's no guarantee it can completely seal that giant Quincy…"
After the initial rush of joy, Hitsugaya was the first to regain his composure.
His gaze sharpened as he carefully examined Valkyrie, frozen within layers of ice from all directions.
The ice sculpture stood hundreds of meters tall, disturbingly lifelike.
But looks alone weren't enough to be sure the enemy was truly dead.
"No way… Even this doesn't kill him?" Rangiku's expression shifted again and again.
Blades couldn't kill him.
Even having his head blown apart by a masked captain hadn't worked.
Now, if even absolute zero ice that froze reishi itself failed…
Then what would it take to truly kill this monster?
"Hard to say," Hitsugaya replied calmly. "Otherwise Captain Zaraki wouldn't need to show up later."
"But—"
Rangiku was about to say more when suddenly—
Crack.
A sharp, brittle sound rang out.
This time, it wasn't ice forming.
It was ice breaking.
"Oh no. The miracle power inside him is reviving," Hitsugaya said, eyes wide as he stared at the screen.
He had prepared himself mentally for this.
Even so, when it actually happened, it felt like his heart dropped into an endless abyss. The excitement vanished instantly, replaced by a crushing sense of helplessness.
And deep, burning frustration.
————
Elsewhere, in the Silver Frame Castle of the Wandenreich.
"Hahahahahaha!"
"I told you! With 'The Miracle' on my side, how could I ever be taken down by some brat? Look at this. I'm about to be reborn again!"
Inside the dazzling palace, Valkyrie's arrogant laughter echoed endlessly.
On the screen, black cracks spread wider and wider across the massive ice sculpture. His face twisted into a smug grin.
Earlier, when Hitsugaya nearly overturned fate itself, the confidence the pure-blooded Quincies had built up over multiple assessments had almost shattered.
Especially Valkyrie himself, whose face had turned deathly pale.
He had never been able to accept that he might actually end up frozen solid.
Now it was clear.
Just a scare, nothing more.
In the end, the Soul Reaper captain still couldn't turn the tide. If anything, it only highlighted the overwhelming power of the Schrift.
"Tch. I thought the Soul Reapers had something new up their sleeves. Guess not," scoffed Cang Du from the left side of the crowd, his steel body gleaming faintly.
He didn't like Valkyrie's smugness, and he was deeply disappointed in the ultimate technique of Hyōrinmaru.
Looked impressive, sure. But the actual power? Mediocre.
All flash, no substance. Completely impractical in real combat.
"Hmph. If I ever get my hands on that Bankai, I'll make it far stronger," Cang Du muttered with a dark smile.
Meanwhile, as cracks spread across the ice—
Just as expected, Valkyrie burst free, reviving once more in overwhelming fashion.
The first thing he did after regaining his freedom was reach out to seize the adult Hitsugaya who had stepped on his head moments earlier.
"Die, you ice brat! You dare stand on my head? You're asking for it!"
A massive arm shot through the air.
Hitsugaya, briefly distracted when the four-directional seal failed, was caught off guard.
Thirty meters.
Twenty meters.
Less than ten—
At that critical instant—
Slash.
A golden blade pressure tore across the battlefield.
Before the stunned eyes of the Quincies, Valkyrie's enormous arm was severed clean in two. At the same time, a beast-like, exhilarated roar rang out.
"What the hell is this?"
"I was late by just a bit, and all these captains are already laid out? As your colleague, this is seriously embarrassing!"
…
That feral, half-familiar laugh instantly flipped the atmosphere in the Silver Frame Castle upside down.
"Who is it?!"
The pure-blooded Quincies frowned as reinforcements appeared one after another.
Did Soul Reapers really enjoy playing the savior that much?
How annoying.
Then, as the camera shifted, the owner of that savage grin strode into view, Zanpakutō in one hand.
"It's him. Kenpachi Zaraki."
"So this finally lines up with what we saw in that earlier assessment…"
Lille Barro narrowed his eyes, recognizing the madman instantly.
After all, in the assessment focused on Zaraki, his demonic form had left a terrifying impression on the Quincies, one that still lingered.
"Valkyrie," Lille Barro said calmly, turning away. "I suggest you sit this one out for a while."
"Why?" Valkyrie snapped back.
I can revive endlessly. Why would I fear that beast of a Soul Reaper?
"Don't forget. In that assessment, he cut you cleanly in half with one swing. You don't want to relive that kind of humiliation, do you?" Lille Barro replied evenly.
"…"
Silence.
Valkyrie didn't answer.
But behind the mask, his eyes flared with sudden, seething rage.
Hmph. Just you wait!
That stone-faced Grim Reaper captain.That white-haired ice brat.And that lunatic Kenpachi…
Even if you keep throwing yourselves at me one after another in a gauntlet,I'll still crush every last shred of your hope with the power of miracles!
———
Eleventh Division Barracks
"Little Ken, you always show up right at the most critical moment. As expected of the manliest guy in all of Soul Society…"
Watching the confident, feral figure of Kenpachi Zaraki from behind, the tiny Yachiru took a bounding step and happily hopped onto his shoulder, clapping in celebration.
"Heh… I've been waiting for this moment for a long time," Kenpachi sneered.
Before this,when he'd fought side by side with Mayuri Kurotsuchi,he'd honestly thought he was going to steal the spotlight again.
Who would've guessed?
Not only did he end up being cannon fodder right out of the gate, he also spent most of the fight bouncing between unconsciousness and waking up. Watching it all made Kenpachi furious enough to want to cut someone down.
But now…
At long last, the chance he'd been waiting for was here.
Staring at his own back with anticipation, Kenpachi thought to himself,
"This time… there's no way I, Kenpachi Zaraki, end up as a measuring unit again, right?"
"..."
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