Haschwalth's room.
"Haschwalth-sama, why don't you advise His Majesty?" asked the subordinate standing behind him.
Haschwalth said calmly, "Don't bring this up again. His Majesty naturally has his profound reasons for choosing Uryu as his successor."
...
Soul Society.
The Captain's office of the SRDI.
Shin leaned against the wall and asked, "Captain Kurotsuchi, what happened to those two Sternritters?"
During the last invasion by the Wandenreich, only two female Sternritters were left behind and survived: Candice Catnipp and Bambietta Basterbine. Without exception, both were taken away by Mayuri.
Mayuri looked at Shin with interest and asked, "Oh? Are you perhaps interested in them?"
Shin waved his hand and replied, "Just curious. What fate awaits them now that they've fallen into Captain Kurotsuchi's hands?"
Considering Bambietta's perverse pleasure in slaughtering men, even though she was quite cute, Shin couldn't muster any interest.
Mayuri spread his hands and said with an innocent expression, "Don't make me sound like some kind of devil. I merely added a few things inside their bodies so they have no choice but to obey me."
It seems the Nemuri Corps is already taking shape.
Shin asked, "Let's not talk about that. Captain Kurotsuchi, can you locate the Wandenreich's hiding place?"
Mayuri shook his head and said, "Not yet."
"Judging from the Wandenreich's invasion this time, they must be hidden in the shadows of Seireitei—two worlds existing simultaneously in the same location, yet without making contact."
"The key is finding their exact coordinates. I have a slight lead, but further research is needed."
Shin had only asked casually, he hadn't expected Mayuri might actually be able to locate Wandenreich. If that were the case, his plans might need a slight adjustment.
—
Eleventh Division Barracks.
After finishing his conversation with Mayuri, Shin came straight here, solely to fulfill the promise he made to Yamamoto.
"Shin!" Yachiru greeted Shin enthusiastically upon seeing him.
Yachiru always looked full of energy.
"Yachiru, I'm here to see Captain Zaraki." Shin rubbed Yachiru's small head.
"Ken-chan is spacing out outside the Captain's office." Yachiru said, leading Shin over.
"Captain Zaraki!"
Zaraki was leaning against his Zanpakuto, staring listlessly at the sky.
"Oh, Nohara! Let's fight!"
Seeing Shin, Zaraki immediately challenged him.
"Bring it on!"
This was exactly why Shin had come to find Zaraki.
"Huh, Shin actually agreed? Can I watch?" Yachiru hadn't expected Shin to accept Zaraki's challenge.
Shin refused, saying, "Yachiru, I'm afraid not this time. The situation is a bit special."
Yachiru was slightly disappointed but quickly recovered, cheering them on, "Go, Ken-chan! You too, Shin!"
"Where should we fight?"
Zaraki knew they definitely couldn't fight at the Eleventh Division Barracks, or the entire division would be destroyed.
Shin smiled mysteriously and activated Phantasmagoria.
Outside the Eleventh Division Captain's office, Shin and Zaraki vanished instantly.
Although Yachiru didn't fully understand what had happened, she vaguely guessed that the two must have already begun fighting, so she simply squatted down right where she was and waited.
Inside the barrier.
Zaraki looked at the surrounding vast wilderness and asked curiously, "Where is this?"
Shin explained, "This is the battlefield I prepared for you. Only when one of us falls will we be able to leave this place."
"That suits me perfectly."
Zaraki launched his attack immediately after speaking.
However, in Shin's current view, Zaraki's attack posed no threat. He effortlessly blocked the Zanpakuto with Nietono no Shana.
Shin said, "Take off your eye patch, Zaraki."
To make Zaraki realize the massive gap in their strength, Shin held nothing back, striking a blow across his chest at a speed Zaraki couldn't react to. Even with Zaraki's monstrous physique, he was severely wounded by the strike, leaving a deep gash on his chest that exposed the bone.
Feeling the pain radiating from his body, Zaraki burst into maniacal laughter. "Nohara, you're even stronger than before."
He tore off his upper clothing, ripped away his eye patch, and his golden Reiatsu erupted, solidifying into a giant skull that completely enveloped him.
He charged straight at Shin, but the skull defense, which could withstand "Hado #96: Itto Kasō," was like paper in front of Shin.
Zaraki was easily repelled again. Suddenly, his vision went black, and when he regained consciousness, he found his injuries had healed.
He realized that Shin had knocked him unconscious just now and then healed him.
The fight between the two was less of a battle and more of a one-sided slaughter. Zaraki was unable to retaliate.
Through these repeated slashes and defeats, Zaraki's power grew stronger and stronger, feeling as if he had been reborn. Previously, he couldn't even track Shin's attacks, but now he could see them clearly.
"It's still not enough, Zaraki. When will you finally be able to hurt me like this?"
Shin further provoked Zaraki to remove the unconscious self-imposed seals and limitations.
Although Zaraki was being utterly dominated by Shin, his fighting spirit never waned. In fact, he grew stronger the more he fought.
"Did I hit him?"
Finally, Zaraki managed to wound Shin with a strike, revealing an expression of excitement. This extreme fighting experience was what he had always sought.
But the next second, [Immortality] activated, and Shin's injury instantly healed.
Sensing that the time was right, Shin activated the third ability of the Fantasia Barrier, reading Zaraki's memories. He displayed the memories of Zaraki's battle with Unohana a thousand years ago, his fight with Ichigo, and his recent battle with himself, presenting them before Zaraki and plunging him into a deep illusion.
He also used the second ability of Phantasmagoria to accelerate the flow of time within the barrier.
Zaraki felt as if a long time had passed. He repeatedly lost to Unohana, Ichigo, and Shin.
He had always relied solely on his Reiatsu in combat, completely forsaking the power of his Zanpakuto. At this moment, a desire for the power of his Zanpakuto arose in Zaraki's heart, and he seemed to hear his Zanpakuto calling out.
—
One day had already passed inside the barrier.
Shin released his control over Zaraki's five senses and drew Excalibur from his Yogasa.
Within this barrier, Shin had no reservations and swung his sword with full power.
Zaraki had just snapped out of the illusion. Facing this terrifying strike, he unleashed his strongest technique, "Kendo: Ryōdan," which was far stronger than the one he used against Nnoitra.
Boom!
Shin's single sword strike carved the wilderness into a canyon, but Zaraki himself was unharmed, because Shin's target was his Zanpakuto.
Crack!
Zaraki's Zanpakuto shattered completely, leaving only the hilt behind.
(End of Chapter)
Read 40 Chapters ahead on
patreon.com/astralicity