The weaving chamber scene slowly disappeared..
Vanishing along with it was Senjumaru's body, still wearing that mysterious smile.
Seeing that he had returned to the familiar Omotesandō, Aizen did not recklessly charge toward the Soul King Palace. From the words Senjumaru had left behind alone, he could already tell that someone else would block his path.
"Pretty smart, aren't you? You didn't move around randomly. Saves me the trouble of pinning you dead halfway there!"
A familiar, arrogant pompadour appeared in midair before Aizen.
Kirinji Tenjirō.
What differed from before was that, just like Senjumaru when she used Bankai, his body was now wrapped in a layer of terrifying Reiatsu.
"You linked your lives together. In other words, any one of you can revive at any time? Or perhaps all of you can revive?" Aizen asked.
"Well, we could…"
Kirinji picked at his ear, looking somewhat bored.
"But compared to reviving the others, catching you is more important right now!"
Because of the Blood Oath Seal, if the other three revived together, their Reiatsu would once again be restricted to a lower level. Judging from the strength Aizen had displayed, anyone who wanted to face him had to use Bankai.
"Bankai!"
With a thunderous boom, a resounding clap of thunder spread to every corner of Soul Society.
Countless golden lightning serpents danced wildly around Kirinji. At some point, the Kinpika in his hand had already vanished.
Bathed in a forest of thunder, Kirinji reached forward and grasped at empty air.
At that moment, the frenzied lightning serpents seemed to find their target. They all moved toward Kirinji's palm, condensing in his hand into a golden vajra pestle as tall as he was.
"Vajra-Bika!"
Kirinji looked at Aizen with eyes full of indifference, gazing down on him like a god. He coldly spoke those words.
"Hiss!"
Seeing the scene of Kirinji's Bankai, Tsunayoshi sucked in a cold breath and said in surprise, "I feel like that old bastard Sasakibe might not be able to keep the title of strongest lightning-type Zanpakutō anymore."
Compared to Kōkō Gonryō Rikyū, whose lightning only formed a canopy, the sky-filling thunder of Kirinji's Bankai was clearly far more intimidating.
"The title of strongest lightning-type Zanpakutō has always belonged to Kirinji Tenjirō. Don't tell me you thought he earned the name 'Lightning-Fast Tenjirō' in Soul Society with nothing more than an advanced Shunpo technique?"
The one who took the initiative to answer Tsunayoshi was Retsu Unohana.
Information about Kirinji Tenjirō was something only the longest-lived Shinigami like them would know.
"I thought his Bankai would be related to those hot springs of his," Tsunayoshi said.
"Kirinji Tenjirō's hot springs are his creation. It is the same as Shutara Senjumaru. The fact that she improved the Shihakushō does not mean her Bankai is the Shihakushō."
"What does Vajra mean?" Tsunayoshi continued asking.
There was no need to ask about Bika. Clearly, it inherited part of the name from his original Shikai.
"Vajra means diamond pestle. It refers to the weapon in Kirinji's hand. In certain legends, it is the weapon of the thunder god Indra."
Retsu Unohana seemed somewhat unsatisfied and continued explaining Kirinji's background to them.
"Speed and a violent thunder-god Bankai — that is the reason Kirinji was able to leave behind the name 'Lightning-Fast Tenjirō.'"
"Although he was captain of Squad Four, when Kirinji Tenjirō held that post, he was the fastest captain at pursuing criminals. His efficiency far surpassed Squad Two at the time."
He was clearly the captain of the medical division, yet he possessed strength far beyond other captains.
Was this perhaps the tradition of Squad Four?
In the Soul King Palace, Kirinji, who had completed his Bankai, released his full aura.
In an instant, he appeared before Aizen. Only after he appeared did a delayed thunderclap finally come from where he had originally stood.
Kirinji raised the vajra pestle and smashed it toward Aizen.
The power of thunder was ferocious beyond compare. In a single strike, it shattered the Zanpakutō Aizen had raised. The vajra pestle, along with the fragments of the Zanpakutō, smashed into Aizen's chest.
Too fast.
Even the captains watching the battle had not reacted.
In a mere instant, Aizen had been severely wounded by Kirinji.
This was the might of Lightning-Fast Tenjirō.
"Do you feel it? This is the power of lightning speed!"
Kirinji lifted his pompadour proudly and laughed.
"Lightning speed, is it? It truly lives up to the name. Unfortunately…"
Aizen's pierced body slowly disappeared.
Then, his voice came from several directions around Kirinji at the same time.
"When did you come under the illusion that you had struck me?"
"Tch!"
Kirinji spat out the bamboo skewer he had been chewing and carried the vajra pestle over his shoulder, saying irritably, "Illusion-types really are annoying!"
Around Kirinji, dozens of Aizen's figures appeared.
When Kirinji activated Bankai, Aizen had already used the power of Kyōka Suigetsu.
Aizen paid no attention to Kirinji's complaint. The copies circled around Kirinji, as if searching for a corresponding weakness in him.
Kirinji did not care in the slightest.
He simply said to himself, "Do you know why Senjumaru's fate placed me first?"
The Aizens' footsteps could not help but pause.
That question was exactly what Aizen wanted to know.
Kirinji's speed was very fast, but Aizen was not without ways to counter it. Using illusions to deceive him, as he had just done, was a good method. As long as the attack did not hit, no matter how strong or fast it was, it had no effect.
Sooner or later, Aizen would adapt to Kirinji's attacks.
If that was the case, then Kirinji's appearance would be meaningless.
"Dealing with silent types like you is so boring!"
Kirinji made a sour face. He was already becoming impatient.
"In that case, let's hurry up and start the second half!"
Kirinji threw the vajra pestle into the sky. Then he formed an esoteric mudra with both hands and shouted:
"Rin!"
The vajra pestle split into countless bolts of lightning that filled the sky above the Omotesandō.
Immediately afterward, those bolts of lightning condensed into small vajra pestles and shot toward each Aizen.
Aizen frowned slightly.
Matching numbers with numbers — this kind of fighting method seemed somewhat childish to him.
For one accustomed to using illusions, he could produce as many copies as he wanted.
In the next moment, the number of Aizens multiplied rapidly, instantly exceeding the number of vajra pestles that could cover them.
Watching Aizen's response, Kirinji calmly shook his head.
"It seems you still don't understand why I was the first to appear."
"It's because all the petty tricks of illusion-types like you are nothing but falsehood before the hardest and strongest thunder!"
"Indra's Wrath!"
The instant Kirinji's voice fell, the power of thunder became violently unstable.
The Aizen figures in the sky began to fall apart, gradually leaving behind only one Aizen.
This was the secondary ability of Kirinji's lightning-type Bankai: dispelling illusion.
All false things would be forced to reveal their true form within this forest of lightning.
This was also the reason Senjumaru had placed Kirinji first — to seize Aizen!
In the next instant, Kirinji appeared behind Aizen.
Holding the vajra pestle, he hurled it straight at Aizen.
The vajra pestle pierced through Aizen's body and carried him toward one of the Squad Zero palaces.
With a thunderous boom, Aizen was pinned to a cliff.
Kirinji looked at his handiwork and nodded in satisfaction.
"Time to switch. I'll leave it to you, Kirio Hikifune. Blood Oath Rotation!"
Kirinji's vajra pestle was powerful and fast. Even Aizen had been unable to dodge it in that instant.
However, this move could not kill Aizen.
Pinned to the ground, he was currently being rescued by his Hollow power and the power of the Hōgyoku.
Precisely because of this, Aizen could not free himself from the vajra pestle for the time being.
This was the best opportunity for Kirinji to call forth Kirio Hikifune.
"Oh? The same trick again?"
Aizen sensed countless branches sweeping toward him.
As expected, it was Kirio Hikifune's Cage of Life again.
Aizen had already seen this technique many times.
"You aren't using Bankai?"
Aizen even had the leisure to ask aloud.
Seeing another Squad Zero member's Bankai might have been more interesting.
Kirio Hikifune's mature voice came from behind Aizen.
"The Cages of Life you dealt with before were grown using my Reiatsu. But now that the Blood Oath Seal has been released, the Cage of Life is no longer what it was before!"
For Kirio Hikifune, the power of the Cage of Life was directly proportional to the strength of her Reiatsu.
Her task was only to bind Aizen, not to kill him.
There was no need to use Bankai at all.
"Is that so?"
Just before the branches touched Aizen's body, a Reiatsu of the same scale as Kirio Hikifune's erupted from him.
If it was only a contest of Reiatsu, Aizen feared no one.
The branches froze in front of Aizen and could not advance an inch.
This was something Kirio Hikifune had not expected.
She had clearly used Reiatsu on the same level as Aizen's, yet still failed to do anything to him.
Sparks flickered across the vajra pestle.
It was already becoming somewhat unstable. In a short while, Aizen would break free.
Kirio Hikifune narrowed her eyes.
She raised the rice paddle in her hand high, using her own Reiatsu as a guide to mobilize the power of the five Squad Zero palaces.
Just like the Blood Oath Seal binding the four of them, the five Squad Zero palaces guarding the Soul King were also linked together.
Now that the seal had been released, Kirio Hikifune could mobilize the power of all five Squad Zero palaces.
More and more thick branches converged here from the various Squad Zero palaces.
Branches also grew from the ground beneath Aizen, sealing him in place.
Using the Reiatsu released after the seal's undoing, as well as the power of the Squad Zero palaces, Kirio Hikifune's Cage of Life finally broke through Aizen's Reiatsu.
More and more branches layered over one another and wrapped around Aizen.
Viewed from above the Soul King Palace, it looked like a brown flood.
With the power of the five great Squad Zero palaces gathered together, Aizen was temporarily suppressed.
At this point, the second hank woven by Senjumaru had been completed.
Aizen was wrapped in countless branches, unable to move.
"Whew!"
Kirio Hikifune let out a long breath.
That had nearly gone wrong. She had not expected the Reiatsu Aizen erupted with to be so terrifying.
Fortunately, she had been able to call upon the power of the Squad Zero palaces.
Next was the third hank.
Kirio Hikifune stared at Aizen's head, the only part of him still exposed. A trace of regret appeared in her eyes.
If possible, she truly wanted to personally kill Aizen, the man who had bullied Hiyori.
But there was no helping it.
Aizen had already been reserved by Ōetsu.
"Blood Oath Rotation. I leave it to you, Ōetsu Nimaiya!"
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