As bursts of Reiatsu erupted across Sōkyoku Hill—and with Tōsen Kaname's Bankai suspended high in the sky—the battles, aside from Unohana Retsu and Tatsuki's restrained exchange, began to intensify across the board.
"Chad, should we go bring Rukia over?"
Below the execution platform, Orihime and Sado Yasutora were hiding near the cliff, shielded by Santen Kesshun as they observed the battlefield.
They hadn't joined the fight.
Not only were they still lacking the strength to face captains, but more importantly—they were the fallback plan.
Once Rukia was rescued, Ichigo would inevitably be tied down.
If Rukia could reach them, they would take her and escape.
"Inoue, don't rush. Can't you see? Rukia can't get through right now."
Beside them—
Yoruichi hung upside down from the cliff, hidden from view.
She was their true safeguard.
If someone like Gin or Tōsen broke through—
She would act.
"Let's wait," Chad said quietly, clenching his fists. "This isn't a fight we can interfere in."
Despite his calm words, frustration burned within him.
He had sworn to fight alongside Ichigo.
To guard his back.
Yet now—
Facing these captains—
He could only watch.
His strength… was still insufficient.
(If Tsunayoshi heard that, he'd probably snap—you've trained for how long and already reached lieutenant-level strength, what more do you want? You're not Ichigo, a walking cheat code who bulldozes people with centuries of training!)
Near Rukia—
Sasakibe and Soi Fon were locked in a high-speed duel.
Sasakibe repeatedly lunged toward Rukia, prepared to accept punishment for carrying out a private execution.
But every time Gonryōmaru came close—
A golden stinger would deflect it.
Soi Fon never attacked him directly.
She only stopped him.
Thus, Sasakibe shifted tactics—
Circling Rukia at high speed, engaging Soi Fon in continuous Shunpo exchanges.
If he couldn't kill Rukia—
Then she wouldn't escape either.
Soi Fon had no objections.
To her, this was just… training.
Earlier, she had considered ending this quickly with Shunkō.
But Tsunayoshi had firmly stopped her.
If she forced Sasakibe too far—
He might release his Bankai:
Kōkō Gonryō Rikyū.
With that level of lightning-based Reiatsu—
His thrusts would become truly lethal.
And Rukia might die instantly.
At first, Soi Fon doubted Sasakibe's speed.
But after hearing that one of Yamamoto's scars had been left by him—
She dropped the issue entirely.
So now—
They "sparred" harmlessly.
A strangely peaceful stalemate.
"I don't quite understand what you're implying, Captain Hitsugaya," Gin said with a smile. "If you don't wish to follow orders, feel free to step aside."
"I'm not interested in word games. Just stay right there," Hitsugaya replied flatly.
"Oh… I'm afraid that won't do."
A flash of steel—
Gin struck.
His blade aimed for Hitsugaya's shoulder.
Normally—
He would have gone for the head.
But that would kill him.
And Rangiku…
Would be sad.
To Gin—
Nothing mattered more than Rangiku.
Not power.
Not Aizen's ambitions.
Only her smile.
Even if what he was doing now…
Wouldn't bring it back.
He had witnessed it himself—
Aizen taking a fragment of Rangiku's soul.
That fragment—
Had been used to create the Hōgyoku .
The artifact that fulfilled desires and broke all limits.
The root of everything.
Gin didn't care about the Hōgyoku itself.
Only—
That stolen piece of Rangiku.
Aizen's Hōgyoku was incomplete.
So he sought Urahara's.
If the two were combined—
It might become perfect.
And perhaps—
Return what was lost.
Clang!
Hitsugaya deflected the strike effortlessly.
He had always been wary of Gin.
But—
"Shoot to kill—Shinsō!"
In an instant—
Gin's blade extended.
Piercing through Hitsugaya's shoulder.
Too fast.
Too close.
No time to react.
The blade retracted—
Then swung down again.
Extending into a massive weapon.
Aiming for the other shoulder.
Disable both arms—
End the fight.
But—
A frozen claw blocked it.
"Ice Dragon Armor…"
"Bankai—Daiguren Hyōrinmaru!"
Frost exploded outward.
Ice wings spread from Hitsugaya's back.
With a single beat—
He shattered the attack and countered.
Gin vanished.
Already in the air.
Just in time.
Had he stayed—
The ground would have frozen beneath him.
And the next strike—
Would have been lethal.
Hitsugaya pursued.
Against Shinsō—
Both close and long-range combat were dangerous.
But with his ice armor—
Close combat was preferable.
He showed no hesitation in using Bankai early.
Using one's strengths—
Was what mattered.
But Gin had already anticipated this.
A flash—
One wing pierced.
Another strike—
The second wing shattered.
That was the problem.
Against Shinsō—
Even if you saw it coming—
You couldn't always stop it.
Especially when Gin concealed the blade's trajectory within his sleeves.
Without his wings—
Hitsugaya lost his speed advantage.
He sighed inwardly.
Then—
Raised his blade.
Ice pillars erupted—
"Thousand-Year Ice Prison!"
They enclosed Gin.
Now—
Hitsugaya could close the distance.
Though Gin could still attack through gaps—
His angles were limited.
Hitsugaya could now defend.
Thus—
Two massive battlefields formed in the sky:
Enma Kōrogi
Thousand-Year Ice Prison
Holding back Aizen's two strongest subordinates.
Elsewhere—
Uryū was running circles around Mayuri.
A tactic Tsunayoshi had dubbed:
"Walking the dog."
Uryū knew Mayuri would be fully prepared this time.
So he kept his distance.
Firing arrows.
Harassing.
Avoiding traps.
A textbook Quincy approach.
Ichigo—
Had already activated Tensa Zangetsu.
Clashing head-on with Zaraki Kenpachi.
To his shock—
Kenpachi only needed to remove his eyepatch to grow stronger.
No matter how much Reiatsu Ichigo poured out—
Kenpachi endured it.
Like an ocean—
Bottomless.
Kenpachi, meanwhile—
Was having the time of his life.
Laughing wildly.
This—
This was a real fight.
Unlike Tsunayoshi—
Where he didn't even understand how he lost.
Under Tsunayoshi's planning—
The battlefield had fractured into multiple skirmishes.
Chaotic.
Disordered.
And within that chaos—
A faint aroma spread.
Roasted sweet potatoes.
Unohana and Tatsuki—
The "most relaxed" pair—
Noticed it first.
Tatsuki's face darkened with black lines.
If she weren't maintaining appearances—
She would've dragged that person away immediately.
That person—
Was Tsunayoshi.
Squatting beside the wall of flames created by Ryūjin Jakka—
Carefully roasting sweet potatoes.
He had once seen somewhere—
That Yamamoto liked roasting sweet potatoes using Ryūjin Jakka's flames.
Canon?
Fan rumor?
Who knows.
But today—
He had brought two sweet potatoes.
Just to test—
Whether flames of the strongest fire-type Zanpakutō…
Made them taste better.
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