"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
In the barren wasteland of the training dimension, Cole sat atop a mountain peak, casually swinging his golden staff. Yet even a lazy swing brought catastrophic destruction under its unknown power.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The deafening explosions echoed across the skies.
Mountains untouched by his strikes collapsed as if crushed by invisible force.
Perched on his shoulder in cat form, Yoruichi muttered in awe,
"Millions of tons of weight, plus gravity suppression… your zanpakuto really is the ultimate physical weapon."
With Cole's monstrous strength, the weapon's crushing weight, and now its gravity field, she couldn't imagine anyone overpowering him.
Cole chuckled.
"The old man Yamamoto, if he used bankai, would still outmatch me in raw power."
Yoruichi smacked the back of his head with her tail.
"Arrogant brat. The Captain-General's strength isn't just his muscles."
"I know," Cole said simply. Ryūjin Jakka's true terror lay in its apocalyptic flames. If he fought it head-on, he'd be ash before their weapons even clashed.
Suddenly Cole looked around.
"Where's Soi Fong? Shouldn't she be orbiting you as usual?"
"She's on assignment," Yoruichi replied lazily. "Hunting Aizen and his two followers."
Cole burst out laughing.
"They still haven't found the Hōgyoku? I thought they had it already, hahaha…"
Just picturing the cunning, scheming Aizen reduced to crawling through Seireitei in frustration made him howl with laughter. Without the orb, he was just a king of Hueco Mundo at best—and maybe even cannon fodder in the future war.
Yoruichi rolled her eyes.
"Laugh while you can. Once Urahara finds out how much trouble you've stirred, he'll kill you."
Cole shrugged.
"He deserves it. A trickster like him should line up and take a punch from the old man himself."
Down below, Ichigo was still locked in trial, struggling with Zangetsu. He shouted upward:
"Cole, how are Chad and Ishida?"
Cole waved.
"They beat Mayuri. They're heading for Eighth Division. Don't worry—Kyoraku won't harm them. And Unohana's watching too."
Then he cupped his hands and yelled,
"Come on, Ichigo! Rukia! You're the best, keep going!"
Their spirits ignited, both pressed forward, slashing blade after blade.
Yoruichi patted Cole's hair with her paw, sighing.
"You've had it rough, haven't you? Days spent fighting, nights dragged into Unohana's… sparring… You always come back battered."
Cole coughed hard, nearly choking.
Battered? More like drained.
"…Alright," Yoruichi leapt down, her body shifting back to human form.
"Come. I'll teach you a few hoho tricks. Let's see your Shunkō as well."
…
At Eighth Division, Ishida's blue bow flickered weakly. Gasping for breath, he glared at the scruffy captain before him.
He and Chad had thought to regroup with Cole's squad, but this laid-back man—Kyoraku Shunsui—had blocked their path. They'd fought desperately, but no matter how many arrows Ishida fired, none pierced his defense.
"Boys, we've fought long enough. You know you can't win." Shunsui sighed, raising his blade lightly. He hadn't wanted this job. But Yamamoto's fury over fallen captains left him no choice.
Chad's fists transformed—the white-red demonic left arm, the black-red giant's right.
"Demon's… Left Arm!"
The punch split the ground and blasted through walls, yet Shunsui caught it on his blade. Behind him, rubble collapsed in heaps.
"Kid, that wall was just rebuilt," he groaned. "Nanao's going to scold me for this…"
But before he could continue, he felt a pressure behind him. Turning, he found Unohana smiling sweetly from a rooftop.
"…Of course," Shunsui sighed, removing his haori and squaring up. "Let's end this quickly."
The fight was brutal but short. First Chad crashed unconscious. Then Ishida, a black eye swelling, toppled beside him.
Shunsui exhaled, weary.
"Captain Unohana, just how much did Cole bribe you? Why involve yourself in trivial matters like this?"
Unohana's cheeks tinged red as she stroked her stomach, recalling the "benefits" she'd received.
"He accompanies me in battle. In one spar, I struck him three thousand one hundred and forty-two times. If you want to spar too, Captain Kyoraku, I won't mind ignoring these children."
Shunsui shivered. Even he dared not cross the First Kenpachi. He quickly shook his head.
"No thanks."
Pointing to Chad and Ishida, he asked, "You want to take them?"
"No. Leave them here." Unohana shook her head. She had no time to babysit.
Shunsui nodded, then asked seriously,
"Have Aizen, Gin, and Tōsen gone to your division?"
"…No," she answered honestly.
Shunsui frowned. He had felt them, but never seen them. The complete hypnosis of Kyōka Suigetsu was terrifying indeed. He had nearly unleashed bankai just to drive them away.
"Aizen…" Unohana murmured, her expression darkening.
…
Elsewhere, Aizen's own expression soured.
"Why is it nowhere!?"
He could sense Urahara's Hōgyoku in Seireitei, yet it eluded him no matter where he searched. Grinding his teeth, he asked,
"Gin. Where haven't we looked?"
Gin smiled slyly.
"Only a few spots left. The execution grounds, the four gates, and perhaps Captain Byakuya's Sixth Division."
"…Then we check the execution grounds."
…
Back in the training dimension, Ichigo's eyes lit up as he clashed with Zangetsu.
"Zangetsu… I found you!"
The old man nodded, but barked,
"Stop hesitating! Time is almost up—use your bankai!"
"Got it!" Ichigo roared, gripping his blade.
"Bankai!"
A torrent of blue reiryoku exploded skyward, winds tearing across the wasteland.
From the mountain peak, Yoruichi—now in human form—gaped.
"He really did it…"
Cole shrugged.
"Wasn't that the point of the Tenshintai? What's so shocking?"
"…I never thought an idiot like him could pull it off," Yoruichi muttered.
Ichigo's blade shrank, slim and black, with a chain dangling from its hilt. His clothes shifted to a tight black coat with jagged hems and red lining.
"…Such a small zanpakuto? That's a bankai?" Yoruichi frowned.
Cole tilted his head.
"Looks fine to me. Byakuya's and Hitsugaya's weapons aren't huge either."
"Size isn't the measure," Yoruichi explained. "Byakuya's bankai is the myriad petals. Hitsugaya's wings and dragon are extensions of his blade. But Ichigo's… is purely physical."
Cole blinked in realization. No wonder Byakuya had sneered at Ichigo's "tiny" sword.
Down below, Ichigo laughed, swinging his black blade.
"Cole! You're not my match anymore—Getsuga Tenshō!"
A wave of blue energy roared forth, splitting mountains and carving gorges as though to slice the very moon.
And in an instant, the blade of energy reached Cole's face.
(End of Chapter)
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