Seeing Tsuna getting farther and farther away, Kūgo Ginjō—who had been chasing him—finally couldn't hold back any longer.
"Bankai!"
Reiatsu surged around Ginjō as his body began to change. His hair turned white, the whites of his eyes became black, and thick crimson fur grew around his collar. Plates of white armor formed over the vital parts of his body. Two large red cross-shaped markings appeared across his face, making his entire appearance resemble that of a demon.
His weapon also transformed.
The Cross of Scaffold gained jagged fangs along its blade. The guard twisted into the shape of a horned skull, and the hilt elongated into a rough, spine-like structure resembling a goat's vertebrae.
"Demon Executioner."
Kūgo Ginjō slowly spoke the name of his Bankai. A wave of Reiatsu burst outward from his body.
"Execution Time!"
But to Ginjō's surprise, the target of his Execution Time wasn't the increasingly distant Sawada Tsunayoshi. Instead, it locked onto an empty space behind him.
At that instant, Ginjō understood.
Illusions.
This new enemy was using illusions.
Ginjō's Bankai represented a transformation—from someone present at an execution site to the executioner himself. The Cross of Scaffold had become the weapon of a demon executioner, and both the horn-like decorations on the blade and Ginjō's own appearance symbolized a devil who governed life and death.
And once he became the executioner, Ginjō gained the right to determine the condemned.
His ability Execution Time existed precisely to lock onto his target.
Knowing this well, Ginjō did not hesitate. He hoisted the massive sword onto his shoulder and swung it directly toward the seemingly empty space behind him.
Clang!
He felt it.
That sensation—he had definitely struck something.
Even though nothing appeared before his eyes, he immediately activated his ability.
"Crushing Execution!"
Ginjō's strength surged dramatically. Even Tsuna, who was only holding a small trident, found it difficult to withstand the force.
This was the power of Ginjō's Bankai—various methods of execution.
Facing Ginjō in his fully released state, Tsuna once again dissolved into mist, clearly having no intention of fighting him head-on.
But Ginjō had no intention of letting him escape.
With a casual swing of his greatsword, he launched another execution.
"Hanging Execution!"
A green noose shot out from the sword's tip and chased after Tsuna's location. Tsuna quickly knocked it aside with his trident—but the rope curved midair and came back again.
It seemed determined to hang him.
Tsuna frowned slightly.
Ginjō's Bankai was indeed troublesome. His Mist-Attribute Shikai illusions were no longer effective against him.
In that case—
Tsuna held the trident horizontally before him, his voice sounding dreamlike.
"From nothing comes something… from something returns nothing… false illusions… Mist…"
The trident in Tsuna's hand began to change form.
It transformed into a staff-like weapon.
At the top of the staff was an indigo crystal, surrounded by six kunai-shaped spikes arranged in a ring. Similar spikes decorated the bottom end of the staff as well.
This was Tsuna's Mist-Attribute Bankai—
Vongola Gear — Mist Earring Ver. X.
However, Tsuna skipped the equipment's initial form and directly converted the earring into its combat weapon form.
With his illusion abilities strengthened once again, Ginjō's noose missed its target.
But Ginjō's expression did not change.
He activated Execution Time once more, trying to capture his target again.
This time, however—
he failed.
After releasing Bankai, Tsuna's Reiatsu was far stronger than Ginjō's. Combined with the deliberate concealment created by Tsuna's illusions, Ginjō's execution techniques could no longer lock onto him as a target.
Now it was Ginjō's turn for his expression to change dramatically.
Fear appeared in his eyes.
An enemy his Bankai could not defeat… and his companions were still restrained.
Was that scene from the past going to repeat itself again?
Damn it!
Ginjō's heart filled with anger.
Why didn't he possess a one-hit killing technique?
If he did, he could have ended the battle the moment their weapons collided.
But the so-called power of execution meant slowly tormenting the target, watching them die in agony.
While this power was formidable, it also meant that Ginjō lacked the ability to deliver an instant kill.
Memories flashed through his mind.
No…
He didn't want to see it again.
He didn't want to once again watch his companions die before his eyes while he remained powerless.
Tsuna seemed to see through Ginjō's thoughts.
He slammed the staff heavily into the ground.
Borrowing the staff's power, everything within this space fell under Tsuna's illusion control.
Suddenly—
Eyes covered the heavens and the earth.
Each eye bore numbers from one to six.
This was an illusionary domain created by Tsuna—one completely under his control.
Ginjō's heart sank to the bottom.
He knew that his life and death were now in Tsuna's hands.
Just as Ginjō prepared to struggle one last time, the most despairing scene appeared before him.
Figures began appearing around him—one after another.
Those faces were painfully familiar.
They were the people buried deep within his heart.
His companions.
The ones who had been slaughtered by the Shinigami.
Ginjō panicked.
He already knew what was about to happen next.
Soon afterward, figures wearing Shihakushō appeared, holding their swords toward the people beside him.
Run! Run!
Ginjō tried to shout.
But he realized—
He could do nothing.
He couldn't speak.
He couldn't move.
All he could do was watch helplessly as blades pierced through flesh—white steel entering, red steel emerging.
His former companions died before his eyes once again.
Tears of rage streamed uncontrollably down his face.
His body trembled violently.
Why?
He had almost managed to forget this scene.
Why force him to relive it again?
Shinigami.
Damn those Shinigami!
If only he had power…
If he did, he would slaughter Soul Society and avenge his innocent companions.
But the scene did not stop even after all the Fullbringers were killed.
A new figure appeared.
This stranger had not appeared during the massacre.
What was he here for?
Ginjō soon got his answer.
The stranger raised his blade—and began slaughtering the Shinigami who had killed Ginjō's companions.
Those arrogant Shinigami suddenly stood motionless, as if frozen, allowing themselves to be butchered.
And what terrified Ginjō even more—
The stranger's Zanpakutō suddenly transformed into his Cross of Scaffold.
Ginjō had never seen this scene in his memories.
Back when the Shinigami attacked them, Ginjō had suddenly lost consciousness. When he woke up, unfamiliar Shinigami were already chasing him down, forcing him to hide in the Human World.
But now—
Seeing this scene—
A flash of realization pierced through Ginjō's confusion.
Someone had impersonated him, slaughtered numerous Shinigami, and framed him for the crime.
That was why he had been wanted by Soul Society.
And because the wounds on those Shinigami matched those caused by the Cross of Scaffold, Ginjō had been unable to defend himself.
But why had the mastermind left him alive?
To take the blame?
That was the only explanation Ginjō could think of.
The scene shifted again.
Now Ginjō saw Soul Society from above.
Seireitei.
The scene suddenly fast-forwarded.
In a deep underground chamber, Ginjō saw rows of monitors displaying the scene from earlier—the fake Ginjō slaughtering Shinigami.
Then a pair of unknown hands operated something beneath the screen.
The figure holding the Cross of Scaffold gradually changed—
into Ginjō himself, wearing a savage grin.
Everything became clear.
He had been framed.
Ginjō felt dazed.
Now he only wanted to know—
Who was the mastermind?
And why had they framed him?
The scene changed again.
Inside an unfamiliar room, rows of bodies lay covered in white cloth.
Beneath those cloths were the faces of his former companions.
Ginjō's mind shook violently.
When he woke up back then, he had immediately been hunted by Soul Society. He had never had time to check where his companions' bodies had gone.
By the time he was finally safe enough to search—
they had already disappeared.
Crack—crack—
The entire illusion space suddenly fractured.
Like a shattered mirror, the illusion collapsed.
Ginjō returned to the old building he had been in earlier.
Beside him was Shūkurō Tsukishima, still unable to move.
Was it an illusion?
Or reality?
Ginjō could no longer tell.
He only wanted to know the truth.
Ginjō suddenly raised his head.
There was only one person who could answer him—
the man sitting casually at the bar counter.
"Hey!"
Ginjō struggled to stand but suddenly fell back to the ground.
Only then did he notice that handcuffs identical to the ones restraining the others had been placed on him.
"Ginjō!"
Tsukishima called out worriedly.
But Ginjō ignored him completely.
His gaze remained fixed on Tsuna as he shouted almost hysterically:
"Was that real?! Was it real?! The things you showed me! Who were they?! Answer me!"
Compared to the chaos on Ginjō's side, Tsuna's side was calm and peaceful.
He leisurely sipped milk while examining the bottles of alcohol on the bar counter.
Next to him lay the book Tsukishima often carried—
Book of the End.
To prevent Tsukishima from using his ability to escape, Tsuna had quietly picked up the book while guiding Ginjō through the illusion.
The moment Tsuna picked up the book—
his expression changed dramatically.
Realization.
Then joy.
He casually opened the book, and the bookmark slipped neatly into place.
None of this was noticed by Tsukishima.
From Tsukishima's perspective, Tsuna had simply wandered over to the bar and continued drinking milk.
But the reason Tsuna ignored Ginjō's shouting was simple.
The Tsuna sitting at the bar…
was only an illusion.
His real body had already left the room.
At that moment, the real Tsuna appeared in a nearby alley, holding Book of the End.
"Shopkeeper, Mr. Yoruichi—come out. It's over."
"Oh my, you even noticed we were hiding here. Tsuna-kun's perception is impressive."
Urahara Kisuke stepped out from the shadows.
A dark-skinned figure also appeared atop the wall.
"Shopkeeper, you know how it is. Mist tends to spread far… and it seeps into every gap."
After releasing his Mist-Attribute Bankai, Tsuna's Reiatsu spread across an enormous range.
That vast Reiatsu field was the foundation of his illusion domain.
So detecting Urahara's position was hardly surprising.
(PS: This also conveniently explains why Ginjō often uses Getsuga Tenshō.)
PS: I've been releasing chapters daily . Honestly, it hurts seeing almost no support on Patreon after all that work.If you're enjoying the fic, even a little, supporting me would mean a lot. It helps a student stay independent .
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