"Damn it… am I going to be killed?"
Saitō Keichirō clenched his teeth, staring fixedly at the Zanpakutō raised high in Kaname Tōsen's hand. In that instant, he made a decision deep in his heart:
No— the justice of the Saitō clan will never lose to you!!!
Whoosh!
In a flash, Keichirō decisively released his grip on his Zanpakutō.
With his right hand, he tightly grabbed Tōsen's left ankle. At the same time, his left hand swiftly smeared the blood from his chest wound onto his right arm and shouted:
"Hadō #96: Ittō Kasō (Flame Sword Burial)!"
"What?! This is—"
Tōsen was startled. Keichirō's blood instantly transformed into raging flames, scorching his entire right arm black in a blink. A crimson flame pattern rapidly extended from his arm to the back of his hand—
BOOM!!
The moment the crimson flame pattern touched Tōsen, it ignited like a vast oil field. A gigantic blade-shaped pillar of red fire shot into the sky, engulfing Tōsen in an instant!
"Hmph, Kaname Tōsen—you underestimated me! As the first heir of the Saitō clan, how could I not have a proper trump card?"
Clutching his now charred right arm with his left hand, Keichirō slowly stood up. Gazing proudly at Tōsen, who had disappeared within the towering blade-shaped inferno, he declared:
"Hadō #96, known as a 'forbidden Kidō,' requires a burned body as the medium for activation— And the blood of the Saitō clan can instantly transform into searing flames of 999°C, perfectly meeting the conditions to unleash Ittō Kasō!"
"Oh? Is that so?"
"What?! That's impossible—"
From within the massive pillar of fire, Tōsen's voice rang out.
Keichirō was stunned. Even if the incantation had been omitted and the power reduced to one-third, Hadō #96 at this distance—triggered using his own blood as the medium—should have been fatal even to a captain-class Shinigami.
So why?!
"Resurrección—Suzumushi Hyakushiki: Grillar Grillo!"
As the indifferent voice faded, Kaname Tōsen reappeared before Keichirō—now in the form of a gigantic cricket.
His entire body was pitch-black, with a small head and a broad, flattened torso. His abdomen was slightly elongated, and he possessed six limbs. On both sides of his back were two insect-like wings. His forewings were broad and oval-shaped, and his body measured roughly 59 meters in length.
Though Tōsen called this form "Grillar Grillo," his appearance more closely resembled a giant green-headed fly from the Human World. He wore an inverted triangular white mask, and two green, bean-sized eyes fixed coldly on Saitō.
"What?! Tōsen—you—"
Keichirō stared in horror at Tōsen, who had completely transformed into a Hollow.
"It seems you've completely abandoned your identity as a Shinigami and fully fallen into becoming a Hollow!!"
"Foolish."
Tōsen rebuked him lightly, then explained with a hint of pride:
"My new form is called 'Resurrección'—the true name for the release of an Arrancar's Zanpakutō. It allows our bodies to revert to our original Hollow state!"
"Tch—so you admit you're a Hollow after all?! You bastard who stains the honor of the Shinigami!!"
At this, Keichirō picked up his Zanpakutō with his left hand and held it horizontally before him. With difficulty, he raised his right arm and placed it against the blade's edge, murmuring:
"Recently, I've mastered a new power as well… Perfect timing to deal with you, you wretched Hollow! Now then—
Bankai: Susanoo no Mikoto!!"
Whoosh!
As Keichirō released his Zanpakutō, the Yamata no Orochi beneath him let out several sky-shaking hisses. Suddenly, a purple longsword burst forth from its chest and abdomen—
At the same time, the immense spiritual pressure erupting from Keichirō's body manifested into a colossal crimson Tengu warrior. The warrior extended its left arm and completely pulled the purple longsword free from the serpent's body!!
"Oh? I didn't expect a mere seated officer to have mastered Bankai. How interesting—
But to think you could defeat me with a Bankai of that level… that's nothing but a fool's dream, Seventh Seat Saitō!" Tōsen said coldly.
"Tōsen! Allow me to correct you!"
Keichirō slowly raised his left hand. The Tengu warrior mirrored his movement exactly, lifting the purple longsword in perfect synchronization with him.
"What?"
"My name is Saitō Keichirō… Third Seat of the Ninth Division of the Gotie 13! Next, in the name of justice, I will slay you—the one who has defiled the Soul Society!!"
"Is that so?"
Tōsen murmured softly. In the next instant, his entire body appeared behind the Tengu warrior. This was a high-level movement technique unique to Arrancar—Sonído—allowing them to move at speeds invisible to the enemy, circling to their opponent's side or even farther. At its peak, it could nearly break through space itself!
"What?! So fast!"
Although Keichirō had achieved Bankai, the power gap between him and Tōsen—who had mastered both Bankai and Hollowfication—was far too great. He could not even clearly perceive a single Sonído movement—
"Even with Bankai, you are as weak as an ant to me. Now... Los Nueve Aspectos!"
Green Ceros erupted from both of Tōsen's eyes, slamming into the Tengu warrior's back in an instant.
"Tch, don't underestimate me!!"
Keichirō spun around sharply. The Tengu warrior raised its purple greatsword horizontally before itself, barely managing to block Tōsen's attack!
"Too slow... and too weak! A Bankai of this level can't even touch a single finger of mine! Now, La Mirada!"
With a shift of his form, Tōsen appeared at the Tengu warrior's flank. His pitch-black limbs converted spiritual pressure into green shockwaves of sound, striking the unprepared warrior and knocking it to the ground!
Boom!
The Tengu warrior—and Keichirō with it—crashed heavily onto the ground. Before he could rise, Tōsen's right foot stomped down hard on his back, forcing him flat again—
Crack—
After enduring Tōsen's heavy blows, cracks began forming across the massive body of the Tengu warrior, spreading gradually over its entire form.
"Whether it is a Shinigami's Bankai… or a Hollow's Resurrección, both are powers that require decades—even centuries—of training to truly master!
You… are merely a beginner, yet you dare attempt to defeat me with such a feeble Bankai? I must say, you are truly arrogant!
And it is precisely because of that arrogance that you will die beneath my power! As for the 'justice' you speak of—it is nothing but worthless trash!!"
Tōsen's two green eyes looked down at Keichirō coldly.
"Heh… A bastard who has fallen so low as to side with Hollows has no right to judge the justice of the Saitō clan!! And besides… I'm not finished yet—AAAAAH!!"
With a furious roar, Keichirō released a surge of spiritual pressure once more. The shattered body of the Tengu warrior began slowly repairing itself piece by piece!
"This ends here, Seventh Seat Saitō!"
Tōsen snorted coldly. Swinging his long limbs, he firmly grasped the Tengu warrior's head—and yanked it out as if pulling a radish from the ground!!
"Urgh!!"
As the Tengu warrior was destroyed, Keichirō suffered grievous damage as well. Blood poured from his mouth, staining his silver armor crimson in moments.
"I see… Your Bankai is similar to Komamura's Kokujo Tengen Myō'ō. When the external spiritual armor is damaged, your true body suffers the same wounds!"
After crushing the Tengu warrior's helmet, Tōsen seized Keichirō in his hand and sighed:
"That is why your Bankai is too weak! It doesn't even give me the satisfaction of killing you—"
"Heh… I wonder who it was that got beaten to death by Captain Fūjin at Sōkyoku Hill… And you still have the nerve to boast here—" Keichirō sneered through bloodied lips.
"You—"
A dark glint flashed through Tōsen's green eyes. Suppressing his fury, he spoke word by word:
"You've succeeded in making me angry. But I won't kill you yet... because I want you to watch with your own eyes as that bastard Fūjin Taichi dies by my hand! I want Lord Aizen to know who his most loyal—"
Splurt—!
Suddenly, a crisp sound rang out, like scissors cutting through silk.
Tōsen's bean-sized green eyes widened like bronze bells. A torrent of green blood gushed from his chest—
"H-How could this be…"
With difficulty, Tōsen twisted his head to look behind him.
There, standing alone in midair, was an "Arrancar" wearing a black shihakushō and an antelope mask, holding a standard asauchi in his right hand.
Drip. Drip.
Dark green blood fell from the pale blade.
Yet his attention seemed already fixed on the wounded Saitō Keichirō as he asked with concern:
"Are you… all right, Shinigami?"
..
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