Chapter 95

"This!"

"This is Lord Senya!"

Suì-Fēng's face was ablaze with fervor.

Her reverent gaze was fixed dead upon that languid figure.

Off to one side.

Yoruichi, meanwhile, was having an existential crisis.

She knew Senya was powerful.

But—

He hadn't made any move to release his Zanpakutō, nor called out his Zanpakutō's true name, nor chanted the incantation of Bankai.

And yet he could wield a portion of Bankai's power!

Is this reasonable?

This is utterly unreasonable!

One must understand—

Soul Society.

Vast and boundless.

Shinigami beyond counting.

And those Shinigami who have mastered Bankai are one in ten thousand.

Only by making the Zanpakutō submit completely, offering everything!

Can one release a portion of Bankai's might at any time and any place.

Since ancient times.

Those who have achieved this step are exceedingly rare, even in Soul Society's million-year history!

"He."

"Has already walked to a place beyond our reach—further even than the Captain-Commander has gone…"

Yoruichi's face went blank as she murmured softly.

Even Captain-Commander Yamamoto.

Had never reached such a level.

……

At this moment.

Upon the battlefield.

Kuchiki Senya lazily yawned, surveying the unconscious figure sprawled on the ground.

Disheveled Huang Mao was streaked with dust, his whole body covered in wretched wounds.

Kurosaki Ichigo.

The protagonist of the original work.

Wielding the powers of Hollow, Shinigami, Human, and Quincy—a true hodgepodge.

And Hollow Ichigo.

Was the fusion of the Hollow and Shinigami powers within him.

It was also why he could keep cheating his way to power.

His strength had leapt to the pinnacle of the Three Worlds in just a few months.

Defeating Aizen.

Defeating Yhwach—these were the crucial reasons.

However.

To deal with the current him, there was no need for a complete Bankai.

Only a portion of Bankai's rule-based ability was needed to completely sever the Hollow power and Shinigami power within him, utterly slaying Hollow Ichigo!

Kurosaki Ichigo himself had merely fainted from weakness.

After all.

Kurosaki Ichigo himself had only fought Bai Zai out of necessity.

He wouldn't strike to kill.

Even as an older brother.

Kuchiki Senya wouldn't bother to intervene.

But Hollow Ichigo.

Had truly wanted to kill Bai Zai!

As an older brother.

Naturally, at the right moment, one must protect one's younger brother.

However.

After this battle.

Kurosaki Ichigo had lost his Hollow and Shinigami powers; within his body remained only Old Man Zangetsu, representing the Quincy power.

The hot-blooded, berserk-rage youth of days to come would never return.

"Hollow-Head Ichigo" had become a swan song.

"B-Brother…"

From behind.

Kuchiki Byakuya was a bit tongue-tied.

His usual solemn, austere expression now seemed at a loss.

This was still him.

After Kuchiki Senya had slacked off and stopped pretending to work.

After several decades, he once again called out "brother."

And Kuchiki Senya, the oppressive might from moments ago completely vanished, and the Heaven-Severing Myriad Forms in his hand quietly disappeared as well.

He merely took a lazy swig of wine, swaying unsteadily like a drunkard who could barely stand.

Forming a stark contrast with his earlier image of overwhelming dominance and invincible might.

At some unknown moment.

Several bottles of wine had appeared in his hand.

He tossed them to Kuchiki Byakuya, and to Suìfēng and Yoruichi, who had been sneakily watching from the side, then pointed toward the direction of Qianye Pavilion…

……

At the same time.

The entire Seireitei.

Felt that aura like the wrath of heaven, as if a god's gaze was upon them, a force strong enough to cut down all things!

Originally.

In the heavens.

The evenly matched flames and sharpness had already changed in appearance.

The flames had been forced into a corner.

What remained.

Was only a piercing, pure white, and the blood-colored hue mingled within it!

Everyone.

Trembled in their hearts, the cold sweat on their backs had already soaked through their clothes!

Even though they were not the target of this power, they felt they were nothing more than ants at the foot of a mountain.

So utterly insignificant!

This was the gap between mortals and gods!

Even.

Beyond the Seireitei.

The vast, boundless Rukongai all saw, in the pure white sky, a blood-colored crescent moon hanging high!

A dripping crimson, as if a god wept blood!