Whoosh!
A gigantic golden cross suddenly surged into the sky. With thunderous force, it pierced straight through Kaname Tōsen's body, pinning his entire "Grillar Grillo" form onto the cross, rendering him completely immobile!
"What… what is this—"
Tōsen stared in shock at the golden cross suppressing him, frantically twisting his body in an attempt to break free—
But what terrified him even more was that, at this very moment, the spiritual power within his body seemed to have been instantly drained. He could no longer sense a single trace of spirit particles. Even the surrounding world felt as though it had frozen in that instant!
"Blazing Flame · First Layer · Hikizokure!"
Fūjin Taichi stepped before Tōsen and said indifferently:
"This is the ability I obtained after Hollowfication… the first layer of the Twenty-Sixfold Purgatories of the Blazing Flame Demon."
"Damn you… you bastard!"
Tōsen's two green eyes glared hatefully at Fūjin Taichi, as though trying to kill him with his gaze alone—
Yet even as he cursed inwardly, his mind raced, desperately searching for a way to escape this bizarre state.
"In the world of the Blazing Flame, space, time, and mass are all under my control.
In other words, for the next seventy-two hours, I can unleash countless abilities upon you.
As you've seen, the First Layer—Hikizokure… to put it simply, is what the Human World calls the 'Hell of Tongue-Pulling'!So then—"
Suddenly, Fūjin Taichi reached out with his left hand, clamped his fingers around Tōsen's tongue, and forcibly pulled it two meters out of his mouth—then, in one swift motion, severed it at the root!!
"Guh aah!!!"
An agonizing pain exploded within Tōsen's mouth. With his tongue cut out, he could not even scream—only muffled, desperate sounds escaped him as bright red blood slowly overflowed from his lips…
"Tōsen, the tongue-pulling is punishment for injuring Keichirō. Originally, I intended to torment you here for three days and three nights…
But considering you are a pitiful man who was deceived first by Tsunayashiro Tokinada and then by Sōsuke Aizen, I will grant you a fair judgment. Now then—Blazing Flame · Ninth Layer · Ukyōto!"
Fūjin Taichi spread his left hand forward. Instantly, a massive hollow golden cauldron filled with boiling oil appeared beneath Tōsen's feet. His enormous body slowly began to sink into the oil—
Sizzle, sizzle!
Once Tōsen's body was fully submerged, it wasn't long before the faint aroma of deep-fried cicada pupae seemed to drift through the air, carried away by the gentle breeze…
After Tōsen's life force completely vanished, Fūjin Taichi crushed the mask on his face and dispelled the Blazing Flame domain.
Ashido, looking bewildered, asked, "What just happened? Where did that Hollow go?"
"I deep-fried him."
Fūjin Taichi replied casually. After studying Ashido's mismatched attire for a moment, he asked:
"You're a Shinigami, right? Which division?"
"Ah…"
Only now did Ashido notice that Fūjin Taichi was wearing a captain's haori. He sheathed his asauchi and answered:
"Captain, my name is Ashido. I belong to the 'Tenchu' Expeditionary Force!"
"Tenchu?"
Fūjin Taichi glanced at the asauchi at Ashido's waist, rapidly searching his memories for details about "Ashido"—
But it had been decades since he had transmigrated into the world of Bleach. All he could vaguely recall was the phrase: "the Shinigami stranded in Hueco Mundo."
"Mm… Tenchu was the designation of the expeditionary force that campaigned into Hueco Mundo 315 years ago—if I remember correctly.
At that time, the captain of the Ninth Division was Matsushita Shima, a former student of Captain-Commander Yamamoto," Ashido recalled.
"Sorry… doesn't ring a bell. And I'm not particularly interested in 'archaeology'."
Fūjin Taichi walked over to Saitō Keichirō, lifted the unconscious man onto his back, then looked back at Ashido.
"Since you're a Shinigami, once we return to the Soul Society, join my division."
"Uh?"
Ashido blinked, then replied, "Captain, before I joined the expeditionary force, I belonged to the Eleventh Division under Kuruyashiki Kenpachi! I—"
"He's dead. The current Eleventh Division captain is Captain Zaraki, the eleventh Kenpachi."
Hoisting Keichirō securely, Fūjin Taichi added over his shoulder:
"Don't misunderstand—Kuruyashiki Kenpachi wasn't killed by Zaraki. He was killed by a Shinigami named Azashiro Sōya. Supposedly, not even two years after becoming captain, he was imprisoned in Muken by Central 46."
"Azashiro Sōya…"
Ashido repeated the unfamiliar name under his breath. Subconsciously clenching his fists, two lines of tears streamed from his eyes as he murmured:
"I… I really want to avenge Kuruyashiki Kenpachi! But… with his personality, he definitely wouldn't approve of me doing that, would he?"
"Ashido, in the Human World they often say, 'A life for a life, a debt repaid in full.' I agree with that wholeheartedly.
Since Azashiro Sōya killed Kuruyashiki Kenpachi, as his close friend, you should do everything you can to avenge him! If—"
Fūjin Taichi paused when he saw Ashido still hesitating, then continued:
"If you join my division, I can help you achieve that revenge."
"…"
Ashido hesitated only briefly before shaking his head and refusing.
"No. I still believe we should respect the wishes of the deceased…
If Kuruyashiki Kenpachi truly felt unwilling to accept his death, then his vice-captain, Hayakawa Gosuke, would have sought revenge against Azashiro on his behalf… but he didn't."
"Very well. I respect your choice."
Fūjin Taichi took out a transit permit from his robes and handed it to Ashido.
"This is a special Ninth Division transit pass. I still hope you'll return to Soul Society with me."
"What?"
"Right now, Soul Society is in troubled times. Not long ago, three captains of the Gotei 13 defected to Hueco Mundo and took with them a forbidden item—the Hōgyoku.
The Arrancar currently fighting the expeditionary forces were forcibly created through the Hōgyoku's power! If you still uphold a Shinigami's sense of justice, then you should return to Soul Society with me."
"…"
Ashido looked toward the distant dunes and rocky plains. More Shinigami expeditionary troops had joined the battle, swiftly overwhelming the Hollow horde like a storm of wind and thunder. The fight was clearly nearing its end.
"Ashido, gold will shine wherever it is! Rather than fighting alone in Hueco Mundo, wouldn't it be better to join forces with us to protect Soul Society and the Human World?"
As he finished speaking, Fūjin Taichi freed his left hand and used his Zanpakutō to slice open a cross-shaped dimensional passage in front of him. Carrying Saitō Keichirō on his back, he stepped inside.
"This is…?"
At the sight of the pitch-black cross-shaped spatial corridor, Ashido's pale gray eyes widened in shock.
"Hashirama… You—what is your relationship with Fūma Hashirama?"
"Fūma Hashirama?"
With half his body already inside the dimensional passage, Fūjin Taichi suddenly froze. Turning slightly, he looked at Ashido.
"You know Fūma Hashirama?"
"Mm… He was both my closest friend and my comrade in the expeditionary force. About 250 years ago, when we ventured deep into the Forest of Menos, we were attacked by thousands of Gillian—and even Togabito.
Hashirama… in order to protect us, entrusted me with the Fūma clan's hereditary Jade Magatama Guardian Star Emblem.
Not long after defeating that Togabito, he passed away…
But on his deathbed, he instructed me to return this Guardian Star Emblem to the Fūma clan—"
As he spoke, Ashido removed a green magatama-shaped jade pendant from around his neck. Fixing an intense gaze on Fūjin Taichi, he asked:
"The ability you just used is the Fūma clan's unique bloodline technique—Amenomitsu. So… you are also a descendant of the Fūma clan, aren't you?!"
...
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