"Swish! Swish! Swish!"
Blue spirit arrows flew through the air.
Several Shinigami who had been chasing them were struck, screaming as they fell to the ground.
But more Shinigami kept coming, reckless and wild-eyed. They didn't care if they were injured. They just picked up their Zanpakutō and charged at the intruders.
Thanks to the chaos Nanaya had caused earlier, Ishida Uryu and the others were now under intense pressure and attention.
Orders had already been given by the Gotei 13 captains.
Any Shinigami who managed to capture one of these "Ryoka" would be heavily rewarded.
And when a big reward is on the line, brave—or desperate—souls will always take the risk. Especially Shinigami, who were practically throwing their lives away to catch the intruders.
"There are too many of them... My hands are shaking..." Ishida Uryu muttered, sweat pouring down his face as he kept backing away.
He had already fired thousands of arrows since the pursuit began.
But the number of Shinigami hadn't gone down at all—more kept coming. And among them, stronger and stronger ones were starting to appear.
"Kazeshini, tear them apart!"
Hisagi Shuuhei, the lieutenant of Squad 9, shouted as he activated his Shikai. With a slash of his Zanpakutō, the weapon changed shape.
It released a burst of spiritual pressure and transformed into two large, curved blades connected by a chain—his signature dual sickles. The shape looked like a twisted figure-eight or an S-curve, spinning rapidly in midair like a deadly buzzsaw.
They whirled around like a pair of chained scythes meant to shred anything in their path.
Hisagi gritted his teeth, staring straight at the intruders ahead.
"You Ryoka humiliated my captain while he was down. I'm Hisagi Shuuhei, lieutenant of Squad 9, and I won't forgive you."
He clenched his fists, anger burning in his eyes as he thought about what happened to Captain Tousen.
First, Nanaya had destroyed Tousen's Bankai and left him severely beaten. Then, Kurosaki Ichigo had fought him and made things even worse.
Now, Captain Tousen lay in the 4th Division's medical ward, wrapped in bandages like a mummy.
It wasn't just a personal insult to Tousen—it was a disgrace to all of Squad 9. Every member of the division felt it.
Ishida Uryu's face darkened. He was on the verge of swearing.
Go chase the guys who beat up your captain! Why come after me?!
Before he could say anything, Sado Yasutora—Chad—stepped forward beside him, his massive body like a wall of steel. His right arm, black and red, pulsed with intense spiritual energy.
"Brazo Derecha de Gigante!"
With a deep shout, Chad threw a powerful punch. The energy behind it was so strong, it tore apart the walls nearby from the sheer wind pressure.
But as the strike closed in, Hisagi calmly raised his right hand.
A glowing blue shield appeared in the air.
Chad's punch slammed into it. Cracks spread across the shield, but it held firm—it didn't break.
Seeing this, the Shinigami behind Hisagi sneered.
"Humans are still just humans," one of them said. "No matter how weird their powers are, they'll never match our Kidō."
Several others laughed in agreement.
To them, Chad's strength was strange, sure—but it couldn't compare to the refined spiritual techniques of the Shinigami.
Ishida raised his bow again, his blue arrow aimed straight at them.
"Would you be laughing like that if Nanaya were here?" he growled through clenched teeth.
The Shinigami around Hisagi suddenly froze.
Just hearing the name Nanaya sent chills down their spines.
A name carries weight—just like a shadow stretches behind a tall tree.
Even though Nanaya was human, he had defeated several captains. His reputation in the Seireitei was terrifying.
Even just hearing his name made people nervous.
Hisagi narrowed his eyes. "The Captain-Commander has already dealt with him. If he's not dead, he's at least seriously injured. Do you really think he'll come save you?"
He didn't wait for an answer.
Still burning with the need to defend his captain's honor, he yanked hard on the chain of his Zanpakutō.
"DUB! DUB!"
The twin blades spun wildly in the air like giant meat grinders, flying straight at Ishida and Chad.
"Damn!" Ishida's face paled. He reacted instinctively, using Hirenkyaku—a high-speed Quincy technique similar to the Shinigami's Shunpo. In a flash, he was gone.
But as soon as he escaped, he realized his mistake.
His expression shifted in horror as he looked back at Chad.
"Chad! Get out of there!"
Ishida had Hirenkyaku to escape—but Chad didn't. He had no such speed technique. There was no way he could dodge in time.
The spinning blades closed in.
But Chad didn't move away.
He simply raised his massive, armored right arm.
The black-and-red arm began to expand.
In the end, Chad's right arm expanded, forming a large black-and-red shield.
Seeing this, Hisagi Shuuhei held the chain of his Zanpakutō and spoke coldly, "This blade is called Kazeshini. It's built to take lives. Its shape is meant to sever heads."
He stared at Chad's shield, his voice steady.
"I don't like this weapon… but I can't deny its strength. Among lieutenants, it's one of the most dangerous."
"Your arm will be cut off. That's your punishment—for looking down on Squad 9."
Kazeshini, spinning like a buzzsaw, slammed into Chad's arm shield.
The sharp blade dug deep.
Even someone like Chad, known as an iron wall of a man, grunted in pain. It was clear—his arm couldn't hold much longer.
Then suddenly, a cold, emotionless voice echoed from the distance:
"Banshō Ten'in."
Kazeshini stopped spinning.
It trembled, as if pulled by some unseen force, and was yanked out of Chad's shielded arm.
"What!?" Hisagi's eyes widened, and he looked toward the source of the voice. His pupils shrank.
"Captain… Aizen?!"
"No… that's not him!"
"That's one of Aizen's artificial bodies—controlled by Nanaya."
He remembered the earlier fight. Nanaya had shown the ability to remotely control these artificial puppets, using Aizen's form like a weapon.
That memory hit him—and others—hard.
He, Ikkaku, and Yumichika quickly scanned their surroundings.
If Nanaya was really close by, things could go very badly.
They could all end up dead.
But after a few seconds, they exhaled in relief.
They didn't sense his real body nearby.
Still, Hisagi tugged hard on Kazeshini's chain, trying to call it back to him.
But something was wrong.
"What the hell? Why is it so strong? I thought this puppet was only lieutenant-level!"
He gritted his teeth.
Even though it was his Zanpakutō—and he was holding the chain—he couldn't stop it from being pulled away.
Snap!
The puppet that looked like Aizen—Tendō Pain, under Nanaya's control—grabbed Kazeshini's spinning blade with one hand.
He hovered beside Chad and Ishida, calm and cold.
"Nanaya... is that you?" the two of them asked, stunned.
"Yeah," Nanaya replied through Tendō Pain's body, then turned to Hisagi.
"You really don't hold back. Did you ever think about what would happen if I took revenge?"
With that, he tightened his grip on the blade.
A sudden, invisible force—Shinra Tensei—exploded from his fingers.
CRACK!
Kazeshini shattered into pieces.
"Gah!" Hisagi coughed up blood as his Zanpakutō was destroyed. His face went pale, his body trembling.
The pain wasn't just physical—his soul was tied to that sword.
Still, he staggered, trying to raise his right hand, beginning to chant:
"Oh Lord, mask of flesh and blood, flutter of wings—"
But before he could finish, another shockwave blasted out from Tendō Pain's hand.
BOOM!
Hisagi was sent flying like a ragdoll, slamming into the wall. Blood sprayed from his mouth.
He tried to move.
Once. Twice.
Then rubble fell on him, and everything went dark.
Nearby, Ikkaku and Yumichika—two of Squad 11's toughest fighters—watched in frozen silence. Cold sweat ran down their faces.
"What… the hell is this?" Ikkaku muttered. "Wasn't this puppet supposed to be vice-captain level?"
Both men wanted to scream.
What kind of lieutenant is this strong!?
Hisagi Shuuhei, wielder of Kazeshini and one of the most reliable lieutenants in the Gotei 13, didn't even last one move.
Tendō Pain said nothing.
Maybe, to the Shinigami, all of Nanaya's puppets seemed to be on a lieutenant's level.
But that wasn't true.
Some of them—like Asura Path or Naraka Path—weren't meant for fighting.
But Tendō Pain? That one was different.
Even using an artificial body, it could unleash power rivaling a captain in Bankai.
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