"Damn it—at least let's die together!"
A surviving dark faction member, bruised and barely conscious, tore open his blood-stained tunic.
Beneath the fabric, a chain of high-explosive Flame Stones strapped across his chest.
A crude fuse linked a dozen of the volatile crystals together. One stone had been modified with a mechanical trigger, converting the cluster into a suicide vest.
As soon as that core bomb triggered, the entire chain reaction would detonate.
A single Flame Stone could vaporize the remains of a first-tier Adventurer.
Wearing over a dozen strapped directly to the chest created an explosion a Level 4 could not survive at point-blank range.
Seeing the human bomb charge toward him, Rayleigh remained perfectly still.
"Hadō #1: Shō."
Without breaking his stride, he pointed an index finger at the charging fanatic.
An invisible shockwave erupted from his fingertip.
The kinetic hammer struck the cultist square in the chest, launching him into a backward flip before he crashed hard onto the scorched earth.
The fanatic struggled back to his feet, fueled by pure spite.
Watching the stubborn display, Rayleigh felt an inexplicable nagging worry that the fanatic might suddenly start shouting a hero's monologue about friendship, dreams, or unbreakable bonds!
"You people are the designated villains of this story. Why are you acting so hot-blooded?" Rayleigh asked dryly.
He repeatedly triggered Hadō #1: Shō, chaining the low-tier shockwaves to force the cultist further backward.
The kinetic impact lacked fatal force, but the cumulative blunt trauma and jarring pain rattled the fanatic's bones.
Realizing he could not close the distance, the fanatic ripped the Flame Stone chain from his chest, preparing to hurl the explosives like a grenade.
Rayleigh brought his index and middle fingers together, executing a chantless Bakudō #61: Rikujōkōrō.
Six wide beams of golden light slammed into the cultist's torso, locking him in place.
The restraining force paralyzed him entirely, he could not even twitch a finger!
"You look like you are struggling. How about I lend a hand?" Rayleigh asked.
He casually formed Bakudō #4: Hainawa.
Flicking his wrist, he sent the crackling, golden rope of spiritual light snaking outward.
The glowing lasso hooked the fanatic's paralyzed hand and coiled tightly around the mechanical trigger mechanism.
If Rayleigh pulled his end of the rope, the tension would squeeze the trigger and detonate the Flame Stones.
Holding the glowing tether, Rayleigh slowly turned and walked away.
As the distance grew, the fanatic's expression twisted in absolute horror.
"Wait!" he shrieked.
Rayleigh stopped. T
he abrupt halt drew a desperate breath of relief from the fanatic.
He could not see Rayleigh's expression, if he had, he would have recognized a uniquely cruel smile on his face.
Rayleigh had originally intended to detonate the bomb and let the fanatic reap what he had sown.
But the looming, impossible-to-ignore presence of the Greatest Evil sparked a better idea in his head.
Why waste the explosion when he could recycle the trash? The cumulative yield of a dozen Flame Stones offered serious value.
Rayleigh yanked the Hainawa rope, reeling the paralyzed fanatic closer.
He swung the tethered human bomb in a wide, accelerating arc. After a dozen full rotations to build maximum velocity, Rayleigh let go.
The fanatic launched like a guided missile, flying straight toward the Greatest Evil's gaping maw!
Riveria and Ais paused, watching the black blur sail perfectly into the dragon's throat.
BOOM!!!
The human missile detonated violently deep inside the monster's digestive tract.
The terrifying blast blew the Greatest Evil's chest cavity wide open from the inside out. The dragon shrieked in agony, its wings faltering.
It plummeted from the sky, crashing into the scorched bedrock and carving a massive crater.
Within the roaring flames, the monster's ruined body twisted madly. Its high-speed regeneration engaged.
However, the internal burns severely compromised the healing process.
The restored flesh warped into grotesque, mismatched shapes, rendering its terrifying appearance even more unnatural.
The black aura radiating from its scales solidified into thick tentacles, whipping wildly in all directions.
Wrapped in her localized Ariel typhoon, Ais refused to dodge.
She charged the flailing appendages head-on instead.
The crackling rapier blade of Gonryōmaru struck with absolute precision, severing the tentacles one after another.
"I'm going to kill you!!! AAAAAAAHHHH!!!"
Ais's madness deepened, the black malice of her Avenger skill fully consuming her rationality.
She plunged straight into the inferno, using her wind armor to part the flames, and began wildly hacking at the monster's charred hide.
Crack.
A visible fracture spiderwebbed up the steel of Gonryōmaru.
Ais's expression froze.
The black winds swirling around her abruptly weakened by half.
'Gonryōmaru…?' The Zanpakuto's phantom pain transmitted directly into her soul.
'How could this happen?' Deep guilt washed over Ais's face.
The corrupted wind armor flickered and died as she clutched her head, dropping painfully to her knees amidst the flames.
[Ais, don't let the hatred consume you. If you wish to defeat this enemy, do not rely on that dark power—rely on me!]
Gonryōmaru's voice echoed clearly inside the young berserker's mind.
It was gentle and.. kind.
"Rely on your power…?" Ais whispered, sounding utterly confused.
[I don't know what the consequences will be, but it's better than letting that black power shatter your soul. I will bear the burden of the side effects! Now… let me tell you my true name!]
The golden-haired girl stood before the pitch-black dragon.
An oppressive, suffocating pressure erupted from her small body.
High above her—or rather, localized entirely within that specific airspace—a massive thundercloud began to churn.
"Thunderclouds? That's impossible—we are deep inside the Dungeon!" Riveria gasped in shock.
Rayleigh stared at the anomaly in astonishment.
He did not need visual confirmation. Through his Reiraku perception, he felt the fundamental shift in Ais's soul.
'Could this be…?' In a fleeting daze, Rayleigh saw a phantom silhouette materialize beside Ais.
The humanoid figure bowed deeply toward him.
Its lips moved silently, offering a final vow.... or farewell to him.
Only Rayleigh could see any of this.
'I see. Though this was your own decision, it was still somewhat cruel, then I will bear witness to both of your—resolves.'
"BANKAI!"
The black malice of the Avenger winds dispersed completely. In its place, a glorious, blinding pillar of divine thunder descended.
In a fraction of a second, churning thunderclouds spread across several kilometers, casting a dark shadow over the fiery wasteland.
A terrifying pressure gathered from the natural world descended upon the 18th Floor itself.
Even the battle on Alfia's side came to a halt as she turned toward Ais's direction in surprise.
"What is this?"
Ardee, Ryuu, and the Astraea vanguard stared in equal shock.
"Alise… this feeling, could it be…?" Ardee asked hesitantly.
The red-haired Captain gripped the hilt of Engetsu.
For a brief moment, a flicker of sheer competitive unwillingness crossed her face.
Then, her shoulders slumped slightly. "I did not expect... her to beat me to it."
Hearing her Captain's admission confirmed the theory.
"Then this really is what I thought it was…" Ryuu murmured.
"Yeah. I'ts a Zanpakuto's..... Bankai."
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