"That kid… he's from the Kuchiki family, isn't he?"
"Those pliers… no doubt about it. That's the Kuchiki family emblem."
"And that haori... Wait, is he the captain of the 10th Division?"
The murmurs ran through the crowd like electricity. It was an unexpected turn, one that even seasoned Shinigami found hard to believe.
"A genius… from the Kuchiki family?"
Kōga Kuchiki's gaze darkened, his eyes narrowing slightly as he stared at the fluttering corner of the captain's coat on Shinji's back.
Logically speaking...
Within the Gotei 13, when a Kuchiki becomes a captain, it's always, always, of the 6th Division. That seat has been hereditary for generations, passed down like sacred scripture within the Kuchiki bloodline.
But this brat... he's the captain of the 10th Division.
There's only one possibility.
Two captains from the Kuchiki clan... simultaneously.
The 6th Division seat is occupied. So this child must have climbed to the 10th. That could only mean...
The Kuchiki family is thriving like never before.
The thought made Kōga's face grow gloomy.
He clenched his fists and bellowed
"I will never acknowledge it!"
"Family honor? Soul Society's rules?"
"Everything the Soul Society did to me... what Genryūsai did to me... what the Kuchiki family did to me"
"It's time to pay it back!"
"This is retribution!"
His voice trembled with fury. His eyes, once cold and calm, now flickered with madness. A cruel grin curled on his lips.
"So... your Zanpakutō's name is Reki, huh?"
"What a fine name. And the power... It's not unlike Ryūjin Jakka, the flame of Yamamoto Genryūsai himself."
"Seems like I've found something very interesting."
He raised his blade with disdain.
"Come forth... Muramasa!"
The world fell silent.
Then... nothing happened.
"Huh?"
Kōga looked down at his own blade, confusion etching into his features.
He knew Muramasa's ability had been activated. And yet, Reki didn't materialize. It didn't rebel. It didn't even flinch.
Why?
Muramasa, the Zanpakutō with the power to control other blades. To infect them. To awaken the negative emotions buried deep in their souls and turn them against their masters.
That's how Kōga once defied the Soul Society... and almost destroyed it.
Why wasn't it working now?!
"Muramasa!!"
He roared, channeling his spirit energy, invoking the sword's power once more.
Still, Reki remained unmoved. As if... unaffected.
Uninterested.
"Nilu, you handle the sword spirits."
Shinji's voice cut through the confusion. He gestured toward the chaotic, screaming Zanpakutō avatars.
"Mm-hmm."
Nilu nodded sweetly. But in the next moment, her aura shifted. Her gaze turned cold.
And then, boom.
A suffocating Reiatsu surged forth.
In an instant, the entire battlefield was flattened.
The once-roaring Zanpakutō spirits dropped to their knees as if their spines had snapped. Trembling, they collapsed.
Shinigami watched in awe.
"Wh-what power..."
"Is that Vice-Captain Nilu?! She suppressed all the manifested Zanpakutō, just with her spiritual pressure!"
"Captain Shinji is already a monster... but even his Vice-Captain is on another level!"
From afar, Rangiku stood frozen atop the battlement.
Her eyes were wide.
"Nilu... she's really a Vasto Lorde-class Arrancar..."
She wasn't shocked by the outcome, she knew Nilu's strength. But one thing still gnawed at her.
Why was a Vasto Lorde Hollow, serving a Shinigami captain?
"Just what kind of man are you... you heartless idiot?" she whispered to herself, before rushing toward her fallen Zanpakutō, Haineko.
It was time to bring her home.
Meanwhile…
"A Vasto Lorde...?"
Kōga Kuchiki staggered back, eyes wide in disbelief.
"Impossible... How could a monster like that be in Seireitei?! And fighting for the Shinigami?!"
His voice cracked.
Why?! Why would a Menos Grande follow a brat from the Kuchiki clan?!
His confusion turned to rage. His rage turned to fear.
Muramasa's ability had failed.
He was outmatched.
"You mean Nilu?"
Shinji tilted his head casually.
"She's my partner."
"Partner?!" Kōga spat. "Don't joke with me!"
"There's no such thing as partnership! There's only control, dominance." victory!
But then, his eyes darted to Shinji's sword.
"Your Reki... why won't it manifest?!"
"Muramasa has tried again and again to stir it, to fan the flames of rebellion and doubt..."
"And still, it stays by your side!"
"What the hell did you do?!
That Zanpakutō was too powerful to ignore. Comparable to Ryūjin Jakka, capable of devouring everything in its path.
If only Muramasa could corrupt it, he'd have a chance!
But even now, Muramasa remained ineffective.
Shinji looked down at Reki, where sparks of lightning danced along the blade's surface.
And then, softly...
"Ambition? Resentment toward its master?"
He chuckled.
"Reki doesn't have that kind of thing at all."
Tap... tap...
His steps echoed as he slowly approached.
Shinji slid his fingers gently along the blade's edge.
"Sorry about this," he whispered.
"Reki's like me, lazy, easygoing. A bit of a slacker, honestly."
"He doesn't mind being used, and we both love taking it easy."
"Oops. Guess I said the quiet part out loud."
He scratched his head.
"So your power? Useless on me."
His tone shifted, cool and sharp.
"Now it's my turn."
With a burst of Shunpo, Shinji appeared right in front of Kōga.
A single slash.
And then, his voice rang out:
"From the beginning… your sword's endless whining has been really annoying."
Splatter.
Blood danced in the air.
Kōga Kuchiki stared, eyes wide in disbelief.
One slash. Just one.
He hadn't even parried, his grip had loosened before he even realized he'd been hit.
"M-Muramasa!!"
He screamed, as the blade flew from his hand.
But just as it left, it blinked back, summoned by name.
Too late.
Shinji appeared above him, foot raised.
Bang!
A brutal kick sent Kōga plummeting from the sky like a meteor. Blood sprayed from his mouth as bones cracked.
BOOM!!
A crater formed where he landed, walls crumbled, dust exploded.
Silence.
Then
"So strong..."
"Too strong… Captain Kuchiki Shinji is..."
"...a monster!"
"Is this... the power of the 10th Division's Captain?"
The Shinigami watching from a distance stood frozen, their eyes wide with disbelief.
Kuchiki Shinji... he's too strong!
Just one person, yet he had completely shifted the tide of battle.
"Looks like you're doing just fine here, Shinji."
A familiar teasing voice broke the momentary stillness.
Shinji turned.
Wearing his trademark flamboyant pink haori and straw hat, there was only one man who could appear like a joke yet weigh like a thunderclap.
Kyoraku Shunsui.
And behind him, more white-coated captains stepped onto the battlefield, drawn by the explosive spiritual pressure.
"Where's the old man?"
Shinji asked calmly, eyes narrowing.
He wasn't worried about the captains.
Their Zanpakutō were all still compromised. The only thing they could do now was throw Kidō at best, or get thrown.
But Ryūjin Jakka... that's a different beast altogether.
It wasn't that the other Zanpakutō weren't powerful.
It's just that Ryūjin Jakka's power was ridiculous.
If its Bankai ever activated, it'd be comparable to the core temperature of the sun.
That's not just overpowered, that's an extinction-level event.
If Ryūjin Jakka had manifested...
Shinji would've immediately grabbed everyone and ran.
Let the battle maniacs go wild, he wasn't suicidal.
"Relax," Shunsui said with a grin, already knowing what Shinji was thinking.
"Old Man Yama's gone up there."
He pointed to the sky.
As a fellow noble and heir to the Kuchiki clan, Shinji naturally understood what that meant.
The Soul King Palace.
Zero Division.
No need to hide it.
"Soul King Palace, huh? Well, that's a relief."
Shinji exhaled slightly. One less headache to worry about.
If Ryūjin Jakka really showed up, he'd be the one getting cooked.
The captains around him?
Forget it.
Without their Zanpakutō, they were basically glorified tourists. Hadō, Bakudō, Hakuda, and Kendo, sure, they could use them. But that's barely a fraction of their true strength.
And unlike Reki, most Zanpakutō don't have Buddha-tier patience.
As for his dear brother, Byakuya Kuchiki?
Not reliable.
Sure, Senbonzakura might resist Muramasa's control with pure willpower, but how long would that take?
So right now, who could still fight?
Just himself... And maybe that battle-crazy lunatic, Zaraki Kenpachi.
And, wait.
Shinji's eyes narrowed.
Aizen.
Neither Aizen, Gin, nor Tousen's spiritual pressure was present.
"Figures."
"Aizen wouldn't let Kyōka Suigetsu materialize. He needs all of Gotei 13 under its hypnosis, after all."
It was clear now.
Kōga Kuchiki, he was released by them.
To create chaos. To distract the Soul Society. Classic Aizen move.
But before he could think further, A spiritual pressure surged upward violently.
"…Bankai!"
"Nozuchi Korosu Mura!"
Like a storm unleashed, the Reiatsu burst forth, swallowing the ruins in blinding pressure.
Kōga Kuchiki walked out from the smoke, calm and cruel, his voice echoing through the silence
"Everyone's here?"
"Good. Then let's end this farce."
He swung his blade, The ground cracked and splintered beneath his feet, leaving a deep scar in the earth.
Shunsui sighed, rubbing his temples.
"Aahh... so it's Bankai now, huh? What a pain..."
And without warning, he shoved Shinji forward.
"Alright Shinji, go get him, it's all on you now!"
Shinji: "???"
Kyoraku Shunsui... you bastard.
With a flash of Shunpo, Shinji reappeared behind Shunsui, and slapped him across the head.
Bonk.
Shunsui crumpled to the ground, rubbing his scalp.
"Why hit me?!"
He groaned.
"Didn't you say it yourself?" Shinji snapped.
"It was me who hit you."
"Then hit Kōga, not me!"
"I feel like hitting you right now!"
"Go hit Kōga!"
"Nope. Still feel like punching you!"
"Hit Kōga!!"
"I'll hit Kōga right after I'm done hitting you!"
"Then hit him already, wait, huh?!"
Shunsui's eyes widened.
SLAP!
Another blow.
He collapsed like a rag doll.
"Ahhh… that felt good." Shinji exhaled deeply.
Seriously.
People like Shunsui, who always tried to dump the work on others, deserved it.
Just then…
"Captain of the 10th Division..."
Jūshirō Ukitake stepped forward, coughing lightly.
The moment Shinji turned his gaze, Ukitake instinctively took a half-step back.
"Ahem, among all the captains currently present..."
"Only you can still use your Zanpakutō."
"Which means… you are currently our strongest combat asset."
Shinji: "...FFFLA,"
Before Ukitake could finish, Shinji interrupted with a flat expression.
"Isn't Captain Zaraki still here too?"
Nice try. You think I want credit for this? Keep dreaming.
I'm not falling for it.
Jūshirō Ukitake: "...""
Why is this kid exactly like Shunsui?!
Isn't he a Kuchiki?!
But he wasn't ready to give up just yet.
"Although Captain Zaraki hasn't lost his Zanpakutō, what if it gets manipulated and materializes, too"
"Who said that?" Shinji cut him off again, pointing at a certain direction.
"You see that?"
Ukitake looked.
Zaraki Kenpachi was laughing maniacally, chasing Kōga Kuchiki down like a mad dog.
The sheer size difference between them made it look like a gangster bullying a school kid.
Ukitake: "...I stand corrected."
Zaraki... might actually be the perfect counter to Kuchiki Hibiki.
After all, Muramasa could only bewitch Zanpakutō through emotions.
Try confusing a guy who only feels joy when he's bleeding.
Try seducing a brain that lives for battle and nothing else.
Ukitake's gaze softened.
He looked at Kōga with genuine pity.
First he faced Reki, a Zanpakutō who was a spiritual twin to his lazy, Buddha-minded master.
Then came Zaraki, who brought a Zanpakutō that probably bit back if Muramasa tried to talk to it.
"He's got it rough..." Ukitake muttered.
And then
A voice, playful and cutting, rang through the air
"Yo..."
"Looks like I arrived just in time."