Rumble!
In the Kuchiki clan's residence, a fiery explosion suddenly burst out, lighting up the night sky in a dazzling blaze.
Swish!
A slash of blue Reiatsu shot out from the shadows, instantly obliterating the entire house.
A man clad in black, gripping a Zanpakutō, slowly descended to the ground.
"That should've knocked them out."
He stared at the wreckage and spoke in a calm voice.
His name was Tsunayashiro Yunobu, a retainer of the Tsuna Yadai family and a captain-level Shinigami.
This time, he had been ordered to assassinate Kuchiki Shinji.
His plan was to first capture Nilu, the Adjuchas-class Arrancar that Kuchiki Shinji seemed to cherish. He'd use her as a hostage to force Shinji into submission, then, in one clean strike, finish him off.
After all, Kuchiki Shinji was also a captain-level Shinigami, and Tsunayashiro wasn't one to take unnecessary risks. He had no intention of confronting him in a fair fight.
As for Nilu?
That green-haired little Adjuchas-class loli Arrancar, he had all the intel.
Typically, an Adjuchas-class Arrancar rivals even a Vasto Lorde in power and can fight on par with a captain-level Shinigami.
But Nilu was different.
According to the reports, she was basically a harmless mascot, no combat ability whatsoever.
She just clung to Shinji all day, crying or acting spoiled.
The perfect opening.
"...No response. Looks like it worked."
Tsunayashiro waited for several seconds, alert and cautious. But nothing happened. He finally let out a small smirk.
With Nilu in hand, Shinji would be helpless.
This time, he could complete the mission flawlessly.
With that thought, Tsunayashiro moved through the debris, searching for Nilu.
Despite the situation, he kept his guard up. He scanned the area, observed every shadow and movement.
Then, bang!
The broken tiles exploded upward, and a small foot burst through the rubble.
"She didn't faint? Hah, as expected of an Adjuchas-class Arrancar. Even if she's not a fighter, her defense is tough."
Tsunayashiro smiled and reached out to block instead of slashing, he didn't want to accidentally kill her.
Boom!
A shockwave blasted out at his elbow.
Tsunayashiro's expression changed. The strength of that kick was no joke, it launched him into the air.
But it wasn't over.
The rubble blew apart. Nilu's eyes burned with rage as she shot up to him like a bullet and struck him square in the abdomen with a powerful kick.
Boom!
A white shockwave exploded midair.
Tsunayashiro spat blood, his eyes wide. He was blasted out of the sky and crashed into the ground.
Rumble!
Rocks and dust flew.
Tsunayashiro knelt in a crouch, wiping blood from his lip. He stared up at the green-haired girl hovering above him.
"That power... you were faking it?"
He stretched his tingling elbow and slowly stood up.
Boom!
Another explosion erupted in the distance.
Nilu didn't respond. Her normally warm eyes were now cold and filled with killing intent.
It was a killing intent born of her true self, a female Vasto Lorde-class Arrancar.
"You hurt Shinji…"
"I'll never forgive you!!!"
All the gentleness in her expression vanished, replaced with pure rage and bloodlust.
Even Nilu, who was normally kind and innocent, had savage instincts buried deep within.
Blinded by fury, she vanished.
Then,
Tsunayashiro vomited blood again.
His body had been struck like a meteor, rolling hundreds of meters across the ground before finally coming to a halt.
He'd been kicked, again!
"This is... the power of an Adjuchas-class Arrancar? This doesn't make any sense..."
Clutching his stomach, Tsunayashiro got up and started using Kaidō to heal his wounds, flooding his body with Reiatsu.
He watched Nilu descend toward him, step by step.
Troublesome enemy.
He thought she was just a harmless mascot... but she really was a full-fledged Adjuchas-class Arrancar.
And her spiritual pressure... he still hadn't seen the full extent of it.
Maybe that was his chance.
Tsunayashiro raised his Reiatsu to the maximum in an instant.
A terrifying pressure engulfed the entire Kuchiki residence.
He had no concern for the well-being of any Kuchiki clan members. All he saw now was Nilu, the target of his mission.
"So... you shouldn't be able to move under this... huh?"
His voice froze in his throat.
In front of him, the small figure of Nilu stood tall.
Thick green Reiatsu blazed around her like a wildfire.
In just an instant, her spiritual pressure had completely resisted his, and even overwhelmed it.
The Reiatsu that had blanketed the area vanished in a blink.
"This is Shinji's home. Who gave you permission to run wild here?"
She stared at the still-burning wreckage of Shinji's home, her gaze sharpening.
"The intel was wrong... this spiritual pressure, this is a real Adjuchas-class Arrancar."
Tsunayashiro's heart sank.
The original plan was to knock her out quickly and rush over to support his companions who were fighting Shinji.
Now, he was trapped in a fight with her.
He needed to end this fast.
After all, this was the Kuchiki estate.
Even if Byakuya wasn't home tonight, he could return at any moment. And with his speed...
"Shikai!"
"Speak... Kiruotsi!"
He gripped his Zanpakutō and activated Shikai.
Boom!
A column of dark purple Reiatsu erupted skyward. His spiritual pressure surged several times over.
Now, his Zanpakutō transformed into a sickle-shaped weapon with a crimson beast eye at the hilt, glaring viciously.
Dark purple Reiatsu spread through the air like a web of curses.
"My curse activates with sound."
Tsunayashiro ran a hand along his blade.
A burst of dark purple light.
And then, nothing.
No movement. No noise.
"As strong as you may be, you can't fight back against this."
Swish!
Tsunayashiro vanished.
His Shunpo was now several times faster.
That's the power of a Shinigami, lifeforms made of compressed spiritual energy.
The more Reiatsu one has, the stronger their existence becomes.
In Shikai, his Reiatsu had quintupled.
He was on a completely different level now.
"Fast…"
Nilu frowned and dodged, avoiding his slash.
The ground behind her shattered.
But then, slash!
A blow appeared from nowhere, striking her.
Boom!
A dark purple flash exploded.
"What... just happened?"
She looked confused. She was sure she had dodged it. So why had she still been hit?
Then, another invisible slash landed on her.
"What is this...? I can't even see the attacks!"
She glanced at the white seal on her arm. These attacks couldn't pierce her Hierro, but still...
"It's confusing, isn't it?"
"You never know where the next attack is coming from. You don't even know if the next one will cut your throat."
"This kind of fight... it's hopeless, right?"
Tsunayashiro smiled, removing his mask to reveal a rather plain middle-aged face.
He ran a finger along his Zanpakutō's blade.
"Invisible attacks…"
Nilu's eyes sharpened.
Then, another slash flew at her from the void.
She blocked it.
Her gaze drifted to the faint purple threads in the air.
"I see... it's sound."
"Those purple Reiatsu threads are capturing sound. Anyone who makes noise inside this 'domain' is instantly targeted."
"But you, the caster, are exempt."
As she whispered to herself, several slashes struck her in quick succession.
She blocked them with crossed arms.
"You were trying to provoke me into speaking… weren't you?"
"Hmph… you figured it out already?"
Tsunayashiro's brow furrowed.
Indeed, "Curse of Sound" created a spiritual field where anyone making a sound would be slashed, except for him, the wielder.
With this ability, he had assassinated over ten vice-captains and even gravely wounded a captain.
"But... so what if you've figured it out?"
Tsunayashiro sneered, his ominous Reiatsu rising again.
"Curse of Sound: Duet!"
In that moment,
The purple threads in the air grew denser.
Nilu took a step back, her eyes narrowing as she prepared for what was coming next.
But it really seemed to trigger a chain reaction!
Rumble!
The purple Reiatsu net lit up instantly.
Then, a torrent of slashes fell like rain.
"Got you!"
A proud smile appeared in Tsunayashiro's eyes.
As an advanced version of the Sound Spellcaster, the "Duet" was even more dangerous.
In this Reiatsu field, the enemy didn't even need to speak, just making any kind of sound was enough: breathing, panting, footsteps, the soft creak of bones, even the blink of an eye or the faint rustling of clothes, any of those could activate the Duet's assault.
This was an absolute dead end.
Each slash carried the might of a captain-level Shinigami. Continuous, relentless. Even a captain couldn't hold out for long.
It wasn't just a matter of physical endurance, blocking this endless barrage was near impossible.
"The victory... is mine. I will not fail the mission assigned by my Lord."
Tsunayashiro rushed forward and shouted:
"Next strike, arm!"
Endless strikes rained down.
Nilu calmly raised her arm in response, partnered.
BOOM!
The clash of metal echoed!
A massive shockwave erupted, sweeping everything away like a storm.
Tsunayashiro grinned in mid-air, then suddenly retreated, laughing loudly.
"You're already dead, Nilu. What a pity."
Looking at the unmoving Nilu, he spoke as if whispering to himself:
"You know, the core of my Zanpakutō's ability is a curse. Its ultimate power... is death declaration."
"Before striking, I declare where I'm going to hit. Then, if I land a blow on that exact spot,
The result is instant death."
"It's a one-hit kill."
Tsunayashiro stood waiting, smile widening, expecting Nilu to fall any second now.
But that smile soon froze.
Time passed,nearly a minute in a blink.
Nilu was still standing.
"What...?! Why aren't you dead!?"
Tsunayashiro shouted in disbelief.
His death declaration had never failed before!
Anyone hit by that curse would die within seconds. But here, a full minute had passed.
And Nilu, was completely fine.
Then, realization struck him.
Could it be... her Reiatsu completely surpasses mine?
That would explain why the curse had no effect.
Her spiritual pressure was in a different realm, it made her immune to his death curse.
But how?! She's just an Adjuchas-class Arrancar!
Same level as me!
"You're boring." Nilu's eyes were calm now.
"I'm not playing anymore. I need to finish this quickly and go help Shinji."
"I didn't really want to use it. But... for Shinji..."
Green Reiatsu erupted like a geyser from her body.
Tsunayashiro watched in horror as her spiritual pressure surged to a whole new dimension.
One that far surpassed captain-level.
POOF!
White smoke exploded around her.
When the smoke cleared, a tall woman nearly 1.8 meters stood there, her face resembling Nilu's younger form.
Her long green hair flowed down to her waist. Her body had matured, curvy and powerful, almost rivaling Rangiku Matsumoto's figure.
The skull mask on her forehead had changed, now a broken horned skull.
The cyan cloak that once covered her completely as a loli now barely reached her waist, revealing firm abs and smooth white thighs.
The wind blew gently.
The edge of her cloak fluttered up slightly...
Revealing a black number, "3".
For the first time, after milking Shinji countless times, Nilu returned to her true form as a Vasto Lorde-class Arrancar.
"Y-You...you're not Adjuchas-class at all...
You're a king-class Vasto Lorde Menos Grande...!" Tsunayashiro screamed, eyes wide with terror.
Gone was his arrogance. Gone was his confidence.
Only pure, bottomless fear remained.
This was a Vasto Lorde-class Arrancar.
The royal class of Menos Grande, beings who already surpassed captain-level in power.
Just how far beyond was Nilu now?
He didn't know.
But he didn't need to.
Just her Reiatsu alone made him want to collapse. Every cell in his body screamed. It was suffocating, like all the air had been crushed from his lungs.
And that... was just from her pressure.
"I... I can't fall here... The Lord's mission... must be completed!"
He roared with desperation, forcing himself to stand.
"Bankai!"
In the Seireitei, Bankai release was prohibited for those above vice-captain level?
That didn't matter anymore.
This was his only chance at victory, he had to release Bankai now and get a boost in Reiatsu.
It was all or nothing.
But the very next moment,
Nilu disappeared.
She teleported right in front of him. His pupils shrank to pinpoints as he stared at the pale hand flying toward his face.
Just like Shinji's attacks, Nilu had started to imitate him.
BOOM!
His head was grabbed and smashed straight into the ground!
Instantly, within 100 meters sank several meters. The center collapsed into a massive crater.
Dust exploded dozens of meters into the air.
Then,
Nilu leapt lightly out of the pit.
Her eyes softened.
The killing intent and fury disappeared, replaced with joy.
She dashed toward a figure in the distance with a bright, girlish smile:
"Shinji!!!"