"Just that?"
"The Zanpakutō Shinso doesn't seem all that powerful…"
"I admit, its extension speed is insane—the camera barely caught it—but still, it's just a stabbing thrust! No special property, no real flash!"
"Unless its Shikai or Bankai hides another layer of power, I can't accept it ranking this high!"
Inside the Silver Ice Palace,
the Quincy of the Wandenreich all frowned, murmuring among themselves.
Suspicion and disappointment filled the air.
They had expected something grand—
a rule-type ability, something elegant and terrifying.
But this? A simple spear thrust?
A slightly longer dagger?
It looked unimpressive.
What justified its place at number five?
If not for the earlier rankings already proving the terrifying might of the Soul Reaper captains,
the Quincy would have long burst out laughing, mocking Shinso as trash.
"Haschwalth, what do you think?"
"Could this ranking be wrong? Ichimaru Gin isn't that strong. He's nowhere near Zaraki or Urahara!"
That sentiment was shared by many.
Compared to Benihime or Nozarashi,
Shinso's showing so far was lackluster.
Haschwalth raised his eyes slightly, calm as ever.
"Hard to say. The ranking has only just begun. This is the second battle sequence—"
"And Ichimaru's opponent, that human Kurosaki Ichigo, is far too weak to draw out his true strength."
He, too, felt mild disappointment.
Still, as the Emperor's second, Haschwalth had far more composure than the others.
"Perhaps," he continued, "there will be a reversal later. That man is always smiling…
men like that hide things."
And so they waited.
In the outskirts of Karakura Town,
inside an abandoned warehouse—
the Visoreds were already arguing.
"Tch… every time I see that smirking face, I wanna slap him with a sandal."
"I've lived for centuries and never met anyone so two-faced. He even bullies rookies like Kurosaki Ichigo!"
"No wonder he and Aizen make such a perfect pair—both snakes!"
Hands on her hips, Yoruichi's former lieutenant Sarugaki Hiyori ranted non-stop at the translucent screen,
her temper rising by the second.
She still remembered that day a hundred years ago.
They'd all been ambushed by Aizen's experiments, collapsing into their Hollowfied forms.
And from the trees… came Gin—still a boy then—
smiling with that same sly grin.
That image had burned itself into her mind.
From that moment on, Hiyori had hated Ichimaru Gin with every fiber of her being.
"Don't underestimate him, Hiyori," Shinji said with a lazy grin.
"He might've looked plain just now, but you'd be surprised how fast he can cut."
"Tch! Bald-headed idiot! You think I'd lose to him?!"
She huffed proudly, chin tilted high.
"If it's just that Shikai of his—'Shinso,' the stretching stab—I could take him three-on-one!"
"If I go Hollowfied, even three captains wouldn't be a problem!"
The others—Kensei, Lisa, Rose—just laughed quietly.
No one bothered to argue.
They all knew when Hiyori got riled up, even Shinji couldn't calm her down.
But none denied her strength, either.
Then the screen brightened again.
The next combat clip began.
The camera panned over the inner courtyards of the Seireitei, moonlight spilling across the stone.
"My, my…"
"Captain Hitsugaya, don't you think that's a little harsh?"
"For a wounded girl who's lost her way… you really shouldn't strike so hard."
Ichimaru Gin's voice echoed softly through the corridor.
The pale moonlight stretched his shadow long across the floor.
Opposite him stood Hitsugaya Tōshirō, gripping his Zanpakutō Hyōrinmaru.
Between them lay the injured Hinamori Momo, motionless on the ground.
"You bastard!" Hitsugaya shouted, eyes blazing.
"Don't play innocent! You're the one who hurt her!"
"For every drop of her blood—you'll pay!"
His reiatsu exploded.
The captain's pressure tore through the courtyard, shaking the ground, frosting the air.
Even the video image wavered under the sudden surge of ice-filled energy.
Mist and frost cloaked the scene, turning it into a shimmering frozen battlefield.
Viewers everywhere gasped—
a duel between two captains, both wielders of Zanpakutō in the top ten.
Excitement surged through the audience across worlds.
"Ahh…"
"Captain Aizen, looks like your plans in that old timeline unfolded perfectly."
Gin's teasing voice floated through Las Noches.
He glanced upward toward Aizen's throne.
"But seeing poor Hinamori lying there… don't you feel even a little sorry for her?"
Aizen didn't blink.
"You already know my answer, Gin.
Sentiment is useless. She fulfilled her purpose."
"Cold as ever," Gin chuckled. "No matter the world line, Hinamori always ends up crying because of you, huh?"
Aizen said nothing more.
His expression stayed still, unreadable.
"Focus on the fight, Gin. Let's see how the you of that timeline escapes Hitsugaya's blade."
Back on screen.
Hitsugaya lunged, sword flashing.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Metal shrieked as Hyōrinmaru and Shinso collided again and again, each impact sparking under the moonlight.
The clash of their spiritual pressures sent waves of ice and wind across the courtyard.
"Heh… a duel between two of the youngest captains in centuries," murmured Zaraki Kenpachi from afar, his grin widening.
"Now this looks fun…"
His fighting spirit flared even as he watched.
"One ranked below me, one above me… tch. If only I could jump in there myself!"
He laughed roughly, his killing intent filling the viewing hall.
On the screen, Shinso extended again—
a flash of white steel that vanished faster than sight.
A streak of blood sprayed through the cold air.
Hitsugaya froze—eyes wide.
For an instant,
his ice dragon shattered.
The sound of cracking glass filled the courtyard.
Then—
Bang!
A white blur struck his forehead.
Blood exploded outward.
The audience gasped.
The young captain's body was hurled backward, crashing through ice shards.
His face went blank—
a clean hole through his head where Shinso had struck.
Gasps filled both Soul Society and Hueco Mundo.
Gin stood there, smiling faintly, blade still extended.
"Ahh… sorry 'bout that, Captain. I might've… overdone it."
Even Unohana and Kyōraku went silent.
The clip froze on that image—Hitsugaya motionless, Hyōrinmaru shattered beside him.
The title overlay faded in:
[Single Combat: Shinso vs Hyōrinmaru — Victory: Ichimaru Gin.]
(End of Chapter)
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