Though the Gate of Hell had vanished, something had escaped through it—something that now stood upon the altar in Soul Society.
A new figure had appeared atop the altar: none other than Nobutsuna Shigyō, the long-missing first Captain of Squad 7.
But Katori Nanatsuki immediately sensed that something was wrong.
Behind Shigyō's back floated a large ring of bone. Chains curled along his arms and torso like tattoos. His eyes were pitch black, deep as the abyss—emotionless and hollow.
"There's something off about Captain Shigyō…" said Kyōraku Shunsui, his face tense.
Shigyō slowly turned his head to face Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto.
"…What a shame—"
"Such—a rare—opportunity—"
"Still—ended up—being found—"
Each word out of Shigyō's mouth came with bizarre pauses and an eerie, distorted tone.
"Could it be… that he's no longer truly Captain Shigyō?" Ukitake Jūshirō frowned deeply. He had good rapport with many captains over the years—Shigyō included—but this version felt like a stranger.
"Are you still Nobutsuna Shigyō?" Yamamoto asked calmly.
Shigyō didn't answer. "Since—I'm—here—"
"Let's—test—"
"Your—strength—"
"Genryūsai—Shigekuni—Yamamoto!"
With a flick of his left hand, Shigyō hurled a mass of black liquid into the air.
It expanded rapidly, spreading into a pool of inky darkness.
From it, over a dozen Hollows with massive bone rings began to crawl forth—creatures with strange, grotesque appearances.
Everyone understood immediately: this Shigyō was no ally. They all drew their Zanpakutō.
"These look like Hollows… but their Reiatsu is warped," Nanatsuki muttered, frowning. He had studied Hollows extensively, and their Reiatsu patterns were familiar to him—but these bone-ringed ones were different.
"Yeah… I've never felt a Hollow's pressure that actually made me uncomfortable," Ukitake added seriously.
Nanatsuki glanced at Shigyō's Status Interface, and what he saw startled him:
[Nobutsuna Shigyō]
Talent: S+
Reiatsu: Lv. 98
Reputation Level: Hostile
Status: Hellborne Possession
'Hellborne Possession'? So he's being controlled by Hell's will itself?' Nanatsuki thought.
Before he could ponder further, Shigyō raised his Zanpakutō and activated its power:
"Bankai—Frozen Hell: Warden's Calamity!"
A pale haze overtook the world, as if the entire scene had been painted over with a frosty white filter.
The temperature plummeted.
The ground and altar began to freeze solid. Even the unconscious souls lying nearby were instantly encased in frost—frozen statues in seconds.
"He can still use his Zanpakutō's power!" Ukitake said. Shigyō's Zanpakutō had always been of the ice-type.
"You've returned to your prime, Nobutsuna Shigyō…" Yamamoto narrowed his eyes, noticing that even the ambient Reishi in the area had stopped moving.
The very flow of spiritual particles was frozen.
Before he went missing, Shigyō's strength had already been waning due to age. Now—he was back at full force.
"So this is what the first generation of Captains was like… I can't even manipulate the air's Reishi anymore," Kyōraku muttered, deeply shaken.
Without the ability to use airborne Reishi, he couldn't form footholds—he couldn't even move properly through the sky.
"If he'd been this strong during the war against the Quincy… he never would've lost," Nanatsuki thought. Freezing the atmosphere's Reishi was a direct counter to the Quincies, whose powers relied heavily on absorbing external Reishi.
Unfortunately, when he had fought in the World of the Living, Shigyō no longer had this strength and had been defeated by a Quincy wielding a Sanrei Glove.
Suddenly—Shigyō vanished.
In the next instant, he was directly in front of Yamamoto.
CLANG! Their blades met with a deafening clash.
Yamamoto's Ryūjin Jakka ignited with fearsome flames, dispersing the surrounding cold.
The Reishi around him came back to life.
The others felt torn between extremes: searing heat and bone-chilling cold all at once.
Nanatsuki glanced back at Komamura, who was nearly paralyzed. His Reiatsu was too weak to endure the cold. Even his internal Reishi had begun to freeze.
Without hesitation, Nanatsuki grabbed him by the collar and retreated rapidly.
Kyōraku and Ukitake also fell back.
At the same time, the bone-ringed Hollows surged toward them.
Nanatsuki's Reiatsu surged. His upper garments were shredded by the spiritual pressure as he entered Shunkō mode, then transferred some of that chaotic Reiatsu into Komamura's body to protect him from being frozen.
The bone-ringed Hollows were fast. Some had already caught up to Kyōraku and Ukitake, who engaged them in battle.
"These things aren't your average grunts," Kyōraku muttered, kicking one square in the chest—but it didn't even flinch.
"Hadō #63: Raikōhō!"
Ukitake raised a hand and fired a bolt of thunderous energy, which struck the Hollow Kyōraku had launched and blew its head clean off.
"Seems their weak spots are the same as regular Adjuchas," Ukitake noted.
As one Hollow fell, more took its place.
Nanatsuki watched carefully. These creatures… every one of them was as strong as an Adjuchas-class Menos.
"Komamura, watch closely," Nanatsuki said. "This is your first lesson—observe the Katori-ryu way of battle!"
He flipped his blade.
"Bankai—Shosō Eijin!"
His Zanpakutō melted into inky black fluid, expanding at a speed too fast for the eye to follow.
It carved a shadow zone—severing Shigyō's frost domain.
Nanatsuki's Reiatsu surged again, fully unleashing Captain-class power.
But this time, he didn't expand his shadow domain too widely.
Both Shigyō and Yamamoto remained outside. Inside, he pulled in Komamura, Kyōraku, Ukitake, and the surrounding Hollows.
Then—
A violent sandstorm mixed with frost wind erupted.
The airborne sand and pebbles merged with the raging frost winds, forming a giant humanoid made of condensed icy storm.
Frostfang Armor of Dust!
Nanatsuki had merged Frostfang Wild Dance, Windchase, and Dust Blade into one technique.
Combining three Kidō-Sword Techniques required immense strength and spiritual power—so full Zanpakutō release was essential.
The resulting storm tossed everything into the air—stones, trees, buildings—everything lost its grip on gravity.
Even Komamura was swept into the sky. He clung to a flying boulder and stared wide-eyed at the frost giant forming in the center.
"So… this is Sensei's strength…? I can't even stand beside him!" he thought, overwhelmed.
Kyōraku and Ukitake, having released their own Zanpakutō, remained grounded and unaffected.
"What a display… Katori-kun's strength may already surpass mine," Kyōraku said.
Though he wasn't the strongest among the Captains, he was still a pillar of the Gotei 13. And Nanatsuki, not even a Captain yet, had shown strength equal to or beyond his own.
"Is that his Zanpakutō's ability?" Ukitake asked.
"Probably not. His Zanpakutō manipulates shadows. This looks like a custom Kidō Sword Technique," Kyōraku replied, recalling when Nanatsuki used lightning and fire-based versions during training with Yamamoto.
"If it is, then… that technique alone is worthy of founding a whole new school," Ukitake remarked.
"Look out! It's coming down!" Kyōraku shouted.
The frost giant raised its hands. A massive tornado sword formed in its grip.
Kyōraku and Ukitake used Shunpo to distance themselves from the Hollows.
The sword dropped—
The Hollow horde, along with the earth beneath them, was engulfed in a spiraling blizzard.
When the sword rose again, no trace of the Hollows remained.
They had been absorbed into the whirlwind—bodies shredded into shards of ice, becoming part of the weapon itself.
As the last pieces were torn apart, the storm began to calm.
Everything in the air—rocks, sand, shattered wood—was coated in ice.
And then it all fell—hail raining from the sky.
"Ow ow ow! Getting hit by these hurts!" Kyōraku yelped, dodging falling ice.
Komamura came tumbling down too.
"In the middle of summer… and I'm freezing…" he muttered. His world had just been shattered.
In Shigyō's frost domain, everything—including spiritual particles—was frozen solid. If Nanatsuki hadn't dragged him out, even his thoughts would've been locked in ice.
Nanatsuki's technique, on the other hand, was sheer chaotic force. Without his protective Reiatsu, Komamura couldn't have survived.
He shook violently, ice falling from his fur.
"Sensei! What was that technique?!" he asked, breathless.
"That," Nanatsuki said, "was a fusion of Frostfang Wild Dance, Windchase, and Dust Blade. Let's call it Frostfang Armor of Dust."
"I'll teach you sword techniques that suit your powers later."
"Kidō Sword Techniques, huh… I'll train hard!" Komamura said, his eyes sparkling.
"You're this powerful and still not a Captain?" Kyōraku walked over.
"With strength like that, you could take any division," Ukitake added with a smile.
"I want to teach one more class," Nanatsuki replied warmly. "I plan to get Komamura into the Academy. This year's freshman batch has several of my students—I'm not comfortable leaving them in someone else's hands."
Though the admissions list was already finalized, he could easily make room for one more with a word to Kotetsu Ayane.
Komamura, being a wolfman, didn't know much more about Soul Society than the average Rukongai dweller. The Academy would be a big help.
"You're really a dedicated teacher, Katori-kun," Kyōraku smiled. "Komamura's lucky to have you."
"To be Katori-sensei's student… it's an honor beyond words," Komamura nodded solemnly.
"Let's see how things are going outside," Nanatsuki said, undoing his release. The shadow space vanished, and Kagehime returned to his hand.
Despite Shigyō's overwhelming power, they all had faith in Yamamoto. That's why they'd had time to chat mid-battle.
Outside the shadow space—
The battle was already over.
A wave of scorching heat slammed into them.
Shigyō's frozen realm was gone, replaced by a blazing inferno.
Amid the burning ruins stood Yamamoto, firm and unshaken, Ryūjin Jakka in hand.
Shigyō lay on the ground, his body blackened and split open, like a charred husk.
"Whoa! Old man Yamamoto—were you trying to burn us alive?!" Kyōraku cried, hopping from foot to foot. Even through his shoes, the ground felt like molten rock.
Their return caught Yamamoto's attention.
He turned slightly—his eyes glinting like molten lava, exuding a fearsome presence.