This shocking reversal stunned everyone! Even many of the Shinigami, who had been focused on escaping, froze in place, their faces filled with disbelief.
They all stared in astonishment—Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni, the undefeated Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13, had been injured after releasing his Bankai! And, even more unbelievable, he was injured before his opponent!
"I… Am I still dreaming?" Omaeda Marechiyo muttered.
Ise Nanao removed her glasses and rubbed her eyes as if she had seen an illusion.
"That's the Captain-Commander… The strongest Shinigami… How…?!"
"Is this a joke?!"
"How is it possible that even after releasing such a terrifying Bankai, Akira is still standing?!"
Even some of the lieutenants couldn't believe what they were witnessing—the foundation of their beliefs had been shaken.
However, no one was more shocked than Yamamoto himself. The searing pain from his burned arm spread through his nerves, something he hadn't experienced in millennia.
As the wielder of Ryūjin Jakka, the pinnacle of flame-based Zanpakutō, Yamamoto had ruled over fire itself for over a thousand years. When was the last time he had felt this sensation? One thousand years? Two? Three?
"Hmph!"
But Yamamoto Genryūsai was not one to waver for long. His eyes narrowed as his scorched uniform reignited, forming a fiery aura around him. The cursed flames that clung to his body were stripped away in an instant, as if he were merely shedding a layer of clothing.
"You are strong," Yamamoto admitted coldly, locking eyes with Akira. "To have forced this old man to sacrifice an arm… I have not suffered such a wound in a thousand years."
His voice was as unshakable as ever, despite the injury. "And it has been at least two or three millennia since I last felt the burn of another's flames."
"But in the end, I am still stronger!"
As his words fell, an enormous, sword-shaped blaze erupted into the sky.
"Hadō #96: Ittō Kasō!"
This Forbidden Kidō required the user's own body as a catalyst, scorching their flesh in exchange for devastating power. Even Aizen Sōsuke, after fusing with the Hōgyoku, had struggled against this technique!
A wave of crimson fire exploded outward, engulfing Akira in the heart of its impact!
"Aaahhh—!"
The sheer force of the spell sent shockwaves across the battlefield. The faces of the surrounding Shinigami were illuminated by the blood-red inferno. Yet, despite the overwhelming radiance, they could not tear their eyes away.
"This time…" Matsumoto Rangiku, the Tenth Division's lieutenant, swallowed hard. "At least… at least this should hurt him, right?!"
At first, she had hoped the attack would be enough to kill Akira outright. But then, images of his monstrous strength flashed through her mind, filling her with doubt.
Even with such a powerful Hadō—one unleashed by the Captain-Commander himself at great personal cost—could Akira truly be defeated?
"Please… let this be enough," the Seventh Division's lieutenant, Iba Tetsuzaemon, prayed in silence. His fists clenched tightly, his heart burning with anger over his captain's grievous injuries.
Would this be the decisive moment? Or had they underestimated Akira once again?
However, due to his lack of strength, Tetsuzaemon Iba suffers from the fact that he cannot help Komamura Sajin take revenge on Akira.
With no other choice, he can only place all his anger and hope in his captain. As the battle rages on, the vice-captains watch in tense anticipation. The towering inferno of Yamamoto's Bankai begins to wane, its massive blade dissipating into embers.
When the flames clear, the sight before them is disheartening.
Despite the full force of Yamamoto's attack, Akira remains unscathed.
"I infused all my spiritual power to repair and maintain it, but I still barely managed to hold up my defense… that was dangerous."
A murmur of disbelief spreads among the gathered Shinigami, including Head-Captain Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni, who narrows his eyes at the scene.
"What is that?"
Around Akira, a translucent, purple, half-formed colossus stands, its form flickering but undeniably present.
"This… isn't Kidō," Yamamoto mutters, his brow furrowing.
It is none other than Susanoo, a manifestation of Akira's Mangekyō Sharingan, materializing in an instant to shield him from the attack.
"Another ability that doesn't exist within the realm of known Zanpakutō techniques..." Yamamoto muses. Despite his vast knowledge, even he cannot fully grasp the origins of Akira's ever-expanding arsenal.
"Still, it's of no consequence. This technique may be impressive, but it won't change the inevitable outcome of this battle."
Yamamoto's confidence stems from the visible fractures across the spectral warrior's form. Susanoo's structure resembles brittle porcelain, its surface riddled with cracks—ready to collapse with a single decisive strike.
Akira chuckles softly.
"Oh? Is that what you think?"
As he speaks, spiritual energy surges around him, and the cracks on Susanoo's surface begin to mend at an alarming rate.
"Impossible!"
Yamamoto's eyes flicker with surprise. He had assumed Susanoo functioned similarly to Komamura's Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō—a colossal force, but one that must endure its damage before being restored. Yet, Akira's ability defies that logic entirely, reinforcing itself in real time.
"This... is ridiculous."
"How can we fight him if he can just keep regenerating it?" one of the vice-captains exclaims.
"Does this mean we have to drain his spiritual energy completely!?" another shouts in frustration.
A low, rumbling chuckle escapes Yamamoto.
"So that's the source of your arrogance," he says. "Pathetic."
Raising Ryūjin Jakka, Yamamoto points the blazing blade directly at Susanoo.
"Do not think this old man is so easily impressed."
With a sudden burst of speed, he vanishes—then reappears before Akira in an instant.
"Reduced to mere scraps in the face of true power!"
Zanka no Tachi, Higashi: Kyokujitsujin.
The very air distorts from the heat as Yamamoto thrusts his blade forward. Susanoo, which had withstood Komamura's Bankai, does not even slow the attack.
With a single stroke, the purple giant is cleaved apart as if it were never there, disintegrating into nothingness.
Akira's expression shifts ever so slightly.
For the first time in this battle—his defense has been shattered.
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