"Hahaha! Excellent!"
Facing Sajin Komamura's powerful attack, Zaraki laughed recklessly. He drew his Zanpakutō and swung it upwards.
Bang!
The massive weapon collided with Zaraki's Zanpakutō, erupting in a thunderous roar. The force of the impact created a crater, over three meters wide, beneath Zaraki's feet. Cracks, like black lightning bolts, spiderwebbed outwards from the crater.
"Haaaa!"
Zaraki roared. Despite the vast difference in their size, he deflected the gigantic blade with a single swing of his Zanpakutō.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Komamura staggered back several steps before regaining his footing. His Zanpakutō, Tenken, could summon a hundred-meter-tall giant, "Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō," whose movements perfectly mirrored his own.
It was an incredibly powerful Zanpakutō.
However, in its Shikai state, Komamura couldn't fully summon Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō. He could only summon parts of its body to attack.
And Tenken had a glaring weakness.
As a Zanpakutō that shared a soul with Komamura, if Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō was injured, Komamura would suffer the same injury.
It could be said that Tenken was a Zanpakutō with both distinct advantages and disadvantages.
For instance, now, as Tenken's attack was repelled by Zaraki, Komamura, as its wielder, also endured the force of that blow, forcing him to stumble backward.
"He's so strong!"
Komamura was shocked. While he had only summoned one of Tenken's arms, its attack power was among the strongest of the Gotei 13 captains.
If he were fighting Zaraki alone, without releasing his Bankai, Zaraki simply needed to take a few steps forward and attack, ending the battle in an instant.
However, Komamura wasn't fighting Zaraki alone!
"Chirp—Suzumushi!"
An overwhelming wave of spiritual pressure erupted beside Komamura. Kaname Tōsen immediately released his Zanpakutō, amplifying his spiritual pressure fivefold.
"Suzumushi, Second Form— Benihikō!"
Tōsen drew a circle with his Zanpakutō. The next moment, countless blades materialized from the circle, forming a rain of swords that showered down upon Zaraki and the others.
"Kaname!"
Komamura shouted, intending to reprimand Tōsen. In his view, there was no need to involve anyone else.
Sadly, Tōsen seemed determined to ignore him. After unleashing his attack, he immediately used Shunpo to pursue Zaraki.
Bang!
Zaraki's spiritual pressure exploded, radiating outwards in a golden aura that deflected the incoming blades.
"Hahaha, blind man, your attack is far too weak compared to his!"
Zaraki's mocking words were met with silence.
Besides Chad, everyone present had seen Ailin's King's Treasury.
Compared to Ailin's "King's Treasury," both Senbonzakura Kageyoshi's countless blade petals and Benihikō were mere child's play.
Bang!
Zaraki swung his Zanpakutō, sending Tōsen crashing into a nearby building.
If even Komamura's Tenken, in terms of attack power, was slightly weaker than Zaraki, how could Tōsen possibly withstand his blow?
However, before Zaraki could pursue Tōsen, Komamura's attack reached him.
Bang!
Another crater appeared on the ground as Komamura gripped his Zanpakutō with both hands, pushing it down with all his might.
A pair of massive black hands, wielding a gigantic weapon, pinned Zaraki to the ground.
But Komamura's trembling arms showed how much effort it took to suppress Zaraki.
"Heh…"
Tōsen and Komamura's combined attack seemed to pique Zaraki's battle lust.
He turned to Ikkaku Madarame.
"Ikkaku, I'll play with these two for a while. You go ahead and take that prisoner from the Palace of Penitence. Then, tell that Ryoka to wait for me. Once I'm done with these two, I'll go find him."
"Yes, Captain Zaraki. Let's go!"
Ikkaku didn't hesitate. He and Chad bypassed Komamura and Tōsen, who had just emerged from the rubble, and ran towards the Palace of Penitence.
In Ikkaku's view, with Captain Zaraki's strength, even when facing two captains, he could easily win.
The only question was how long those two captains could entertain him.
As for Yachiru Kusajishi, instead of following Ikkaku and Chad, she used Shunpo to move to a nearby rooftop. She sat on the edge of the roof, her chin resting on her hands, her adorable eyes watching Zaraki, cheering him on.
"Go, Little Ken! Once you're done playing with them, we can go find Little Ichi and play with him."
"Shut up…"
Zaraki grumbled at Yachiru, then ignored everything else, immersing himself in the joy of battle.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Sensing the commotion behind him, Chad glanced back while running. He saw three powerful auras erupting where they had just been.
A towering figure in armor stood amidst the destruction, wielding a massive weapon that caused widespread damage with each swing.
Chad's pupils constricted.
Was this the strength of a Gotei 13 captain?
He was still far too weak compared to these captains.
However…
"Um… Are we just going to leave Captain Zaraki there? Is that okay?"
While Chad hadn't seen a captain's haori on the burly Shinigami, from the way the others addressed him, he realized that Zaraki was also a captain.
Moreover, Zaraki was a powerful captain.
Otherwise, the two captains wouldn't have attacked him together.
"Don't worry, it's fine. He's our Eleventh Division's Lieutenant Zaraki, after all."
Ikkaku Madarame gave Chad a thumbs-up. His teeth and bald head seemed to reflect the moonlight, practically blinding Chad.
…
Clank!
A white door suddenly appeared on a blank wall within the Palace of Penitence. Four individuals completely concealed by white robes, entered the prison.
Shino Madarame opened her eyes. After days in darkness, the sudden light made her eyes ache. She raised her hand to shield her eyes and sighed.
"Is it time? It's a shame… I haven't had enough fun yet…"
Despite sensing her spiritual energy fully restored, Shino had no intention of resisting.
If her spiritual energy had returned, it meant that Ichigo had lost his Shinigami powers, becoming an ordinary high school student.
But with Ichigo's potent spiritual pressure, Hollows would undoubtedly be drawn to him. Could Ichigo, without his Shinigami powers, escape those Hollows?
Even if he escaped once or twice, could he escape a hundred times, two hundred times?
Hollows could fail thousands, even tens of thousands of times.
But Ichigo only needed to fail once, and his future would be over!
If only she hadn't transferred her Shinigami powers to Ichigo.
If they had died together that day, at least Ichigo wouldn't have to live in fear.
She was truly useless!
With this thought in mind, Shino didn't resist. She allowed the four robed figures to place a red cloth around her neck. Four chains, formed from Kidō, extended from the cloth. Each robed figure held a chain, surrounding Shino and leading her across the suspension bridge connected to the highest level of the Palace of Penitence.
…
"Almost there."
Thanks to Ikkaku Madarame, the patrolling Shinigami didn't hinder them, allowing them to reach the bottom of the Palace of Penitence unimpeded.
However…
Looking at the figure standing before them, Ikkaku's expression turned grim.
Chad felt beads of cold sweat trickle down his forehead. He had encountered several Gotei 13 captains during his time in the Seireitei.
But now, they had encountered another captain? Was their luck that bad?
"Third Seat Madarame, if I'm not mistaken, the Eleventh Division's current patrol area isn't near the Palace of Penitence. Could you tell me why you're here?"
The captain, a "Six" emblazoned on the back of his haori, turned around. His eyes were devoid of any emotion, making one wonder if he even possessed human feelings.
"Huh? Isn't it obvious?"
Ikkaku Madarame grinned, drawing his Zanpakutō.
"The one who's about to be executed is my little sister! Captain Kuchiki, do you think I'll just stand by and watch as you nobles unjustly punish her?"
Byakuya Kuchiki remained silent.
It was true that the Central 46's actions this time were beyond even his comprehension. He had personally apprehended Shino Madarame and brought her back.
Back then, to lessen her crime, he had even destroyed the Saketsu and Hakusui of the human teenager who had received her spiritual power.
This way, the teenager would lose his Shinigami powers, no longer posing a threat to the balance of the three worlds.
Based on this, considering Shino Madarame's background, Byakuya had assumed that the Central 46 would at most sentence her to a few decades of confinement.
But things hadn't unfolded as he expected.
First, the Central 46 had repeatedly altered their verdict. Then, the Ryoka had invaded the Seireitei in a way no one could have predicted, causing chaos.
Later, his own lieutenant had been defeated by a Ryoka. Ikkaku Madarame, the Fourth Seat of the Eleventh Division, had also been defeated, and Mayuri Kurotsuchi, the captain of the Twelfth Division, had suffered serious injuries in his battle against a Ryoka. This had forced the Gotei 13 to take the Ryoka seriously.
But then, the next day, Captain Aizen was found dead. There were no signs of a struggle at the scene.
In Byakuya's memory, only Ailin was capable of silently killing a captain.
But why would Ailin kill Aizen?
Could it be because, over a hundred years ago, Aizen had falsely accused Ailin of being the mastermind behind the Seireitei's turmoil? Was Ailin using this Ryoka invasion as an opportunity to eliminate Aizen?
But that didn't make sense either. Based on Byakuya's understanding of his uncle, Ailin, if he wanted revenge, he would have taken it on the spot. Why wait for decades?
While countless questions swirled in his mind, Byakuya ultimately decided to adhere to his own path. The Kuchiki Clan's honor could not be tarnished in his hands.
Having learned the Ryoka's objective, Byakuya knew today was their last chance. However, he hadn't expected to encounter Ikkaku Madarame instead of the Ryoka.
"Give up, Third Seat Madarame."
Seeing Ikkaku drawing his Zanpakutō, Byakuya attempted one last persuasion.
"You won't get past me."
"Hahaha, who knows? We won't know until we fight!"
Ikkaku Madarame laughed, his spiritual pressure erupting outwards.
"Bankai - Ryūmon Hōzukimaru!"
A crimson pillar of spiritual pressure shot skyward from Ikkaku, soaring into the clouds. An immense battle lust and killing intent radiated from him, forcing Chad to retreat.
However, amidst the oppressive pressure, Ikkaku's anxious voice reached Chad's ears.
"Hey, kid, I'll do my best to hold Captain Kuchiki back for a while. Shino… I'm counting on you."
After speaking, Ikkaku leaped towards Byakuya, the force of his jump creating a crater in the ground.
If anyone present had witnessed Ikkaku's battle with Ichigo Kurosaki three days ago, they would have noticed that Ikkaku's current strength was several times greater.
His body was now completely enveloped in crimson spiritual pressure. The two axes in his hands, and the larger axe blade hovering behind him, all radiated a red light.
The dragon crest on the hovering blade, which Ikkaku had told Ichigo required a fierce battle to awaken, now shone even brighter than during his fight with Ichigo.