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"Captain…"
"I—I could almost swear, in the future, you've actually grown up! You're taller, and your face looks much more mature too!"
Before the transparent screen,
Matsumoto Rangiku leaned closer, her beautiful eyes fixed on the image.
Reflected within was the handsome figure of Hitsugaya Tōshirō from the future. She couldn't help but sigh in awe.
Unlike his earlier zombie form,
this Hitsugaya had clearly changed—perhaps because his Hyōrinmaru's Bankai had finally reached full maturity.
Thus,
under the complete influence of his Zanpakutō's power,
his entire body had undergone a visible transformation.
Even just his silhouette exuded composure and confidence.
No wonder Matsumoto nearly forgot for a moment
that the boy beside her was still a child.
"Yes…" Hitsugaya nodded eagerly. "I'm not quite sure how I broke free from that zombie form…"
"But at least now, my future self seems stronger than ever—
on par with Captain Kuchiki!"
"I've truly reached the summit of the Shinigami!"
His emerald eyes shone with excitement.
His instincts told him—
if Senbonzakura possessed an ultimate secret technique,
then surely Hyōrinmaru did too.
He could feel it.
A new attack—
grander, more magnificent than Hyōten Hyakkasō (Frozen Heaven Hundred Flower Burial)—
one that would shake the entire Soul Society!
Under his eager gaze,
the video continued to play.
"It seems, Captain Hitsugaya,"
"your limit has already been reached."
The camera shifted.
Byakuya Kuchiki furrowed his brow, his calm voice carrying a hint of concern.
He looked down at Hitsugaya, half-kneeling beside him.
From the footage,
it was obvious that after the fierce battle,
Hitsugaya's reiatsu was nearly drained.
The ten crystalline ice-flowers behind him
were visibly beginning to crack—
his Bankai, on the verge of collapse.
It looked like Hyōrinmaru's time was running out.
But—
"No…"
Hitsugaya turned slightly, half his body facing away from the camera,
breathing heavily, yet shaking his head firmly.
"You misunderstand."
"I never said the falling petals meant my Bankai was ending."
That single line—
broadcast across the entire Soul Society—
left every Shinigami stunned.
"Huh?"
"You mean… it doesn't end when the flowers disappear?"
"Wait, wasn't that always how it worked? When Captain Hitsugaya uses his immature Bankai, those purple cross-shaped ice flowers above him count down the time limit!"
"That's been common knowledge for years!"
Indeed—
Because he had awakened Bankai too young,
his Hyōrinmaru was incomplete.
The ice-flowers symbolized its unstable duration—
a sign that his power was temporary.
It was something every Shinigami had taken for granted.
Yet here, before their eyes,
future Hitsugaya himself had overturned that belief.
Completely unexpected.
"When the ice flowers scatter," he said,
"Daiguren Hyōrinmaru is finally complete."
The moment those words left his lips,
his body began to transform.
As the ice crystals dissolved,
a new, evolved form emerged.
His youthful features vanished.
His height increased.
Amid swirling white mist,
Hitsugaya became an adult.
His white hair flowed freely, his features sharp and striking.
The traditional captain's haori
was replaced by a flowing white fur mantle, fluttering in the icy wind.
He didn't even move.
He simply stood there.
And yet—
his very presence radiated a commanding aura.
A glow seemed to emanate from him,
like a protagonist stepping into the light.
The charisma, the pressure—
unmistakable.
This scene,
too dazzling and too perfect,
instantly sent the audience into uproar.
"So handsome!"
"Adult Shiro looks like a completely different person!"
"His presence… it's even stronger than Aizen's!"
Near the Fifth Division barracks,
among the officers watching the video,
Hinamori Momo stood transfixed.
Her eyes sparkled as she gazed at the grown Hitsugaya.
As childhood friends,
they had grown up together in Rukongai, neighbors and playmates.
But she had joined the Gotei 13 first,
chosen by Aizen for the Fifth Division,
where her admiration for him had turned into blind devotion.
From then on,
her relationship with Hitsugaya had grown distant.
Yet now—
seeing this new, radiant, mature version of him—
she suddenly realized:
from the very beginning,
the most remarkable person had been beside her all along.
Even Aizen couldn't compare—
not to this shining, adult Hitsugaya,
the man who had saved everyone.
Meanwhile, inside the video—
"?!"
Valkyrie's eyes widened.
"Shinigami, what did you just do? You already released your Bankai once!"
"Not that it matters. Your fate is sealed either way!"
With a sneer,
Gerard Valkyrie raised his massive sword and shield,
charging forward with unstoppable arrogance.
But—
"Shunpo!"
A white blur flashed.
Hitsugaya moved with ease,
dodging each attack in rapid succession.
Four times he shifted position,
his movements precise and fluid.
On the fourth step,
he gripped Hyōrinmaru in one hand,
his eyes cold and sharp,
his breath a plume of frost.
"It's over," he said icily.
"Pureblood Quincy… perhaps you didn't notice."
"I've already taken four steps."
"When Hyōrinmaru is fully released, its power unsealed,
everything within four steps can be frozen—
matter, spirit, or element."
Then came the declaration—
"Shikai Hyōketsu (Four-Worlds Freeze)!"
His shout echoed.
The entire screen turned white.
An ocean of freezing energy surged outward below absolute zero,
spreading, crawling, engulfing everything in sight.
In the blink of an eye—
the towering figure of Valkyrie vanished,
his enormous form overtaken by the white blizzard.
Before the shocked eyes of all who watched—
the giant was sealed in ice.
A colossal frozen statue stood upon the ruins,
its icy radiance more breathtaking
than the snowfall that once covered Karakura Town.
A perfect, miraculous victory.
A true savior's finale.
(End of Chapter)
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