"This…"
"No way?!"
"Ryūjin Jakka… that's the Head Captain's Zanpakutō!!!"
"And it's only ranked fourth?! How is that possible?!"
At that instant,
the entire Soul Society trembled.
The walls of Seireitei shuddered violently as if the realm itself rejected what it heard.
The Shinigami of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads stood frozen before the screen,
their faces filled with disbelief.
To every Shinigami,
the Head Captain's name brought an image carved deep in their minds—
the strongest Shinigami of the last millennium.
Principal of the Shin'ō Spiritual Arts Academy.
Commander-General of the Gotei 13.
Master of the mightiest flame-type Zanpakutō.
Each title was a legend unto itself,
known throughout Soul Society,
feared by all.
Even Aizen Sōsuke—
so cunning and powerful that he had toyed with the Gotei 13 for centuries—
had always acted from the shadows,
never daring to move openly.
Why?
Because even he feared that man's blade.
He feared Ryūjin Jakka—acknowledged as the strongest Zanpakutō in pure destructive power.
And yet now…
the revelation that Ryūjin Jakka ranked only fourth
stunned every Shinigami to the core.
Could the video be wrong?
Or had the world gone mad?!
Inside Squad 1.
The room that had just moments ago felt solemn and reflective over Gin Ichimaru's betrayal
now fell into suffocating silence.
Every captain lined up according to rank,
heads bowed,
not one daring to look at the man seated at the front—
their supreme commander,
whose long beard and eyebrows now flared with literal sparks of fury.
BOOM!!!
In his anger, Yamamoto's very presence became a furnace.
His spiritual pressure—like a physical wave of flame—
burst outward, shredding his haori and filling the room with scorching heat.
Within seconds,
the temperature in Squad 1 soared past any normal threshold.
Moisture evaporated from the air.
Even the blood in their veins felt as though it might ignite.
"Gulp…"
Kyōraku Shunsui swallowed hard,
lifting his wide-brimmed straw hat, now too hot to touch.
He dared a quick glance at the Head Captain—then quickly looked away.
In all his years,
he had never seen the old man this angry.
Not even a hundred years ago,
when the Visored incident cost the Gotei half its captains overnight.
Back then, Yamamoto had raged for one night and then returned to his calm, stoic self.
But this—
this ranking—
was an insult.
To Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni,
Ryūjin Jakka was not just his Zanpakutō.
It was his pride, his legacy, his proof of supremacy.
And now the list had humiliated him before all of Soul Society.
"Could… could it be a mistake?"
Sasakibe Chōjirō, the Captain-Commander's most loyal aide,
forced the words out while resisting the burning air.
"Perhaps the ranking video… made an error in editing!
A mix-up in order, or a temporary glitch!"
Even as he spoke, he knew how hollow it sounded.
Since the very first broadcast,
not a single ranking had been wrong.
Every future event shown had proven true.
Every reveal had been irrefutable.
Chōjirō himself had never doubted the list's credibility.
And now—he couldn't convince even himself.
Could there really be Zanpakutō stronger than Ryūjin Jakka?
The thought made his mind reel.
He felt his worldview fracture under the weight of that question.
Meanwhile, in Silbern—
within the crystalline ice palace of the Quincy.
"How interesting…"
"With this ranking revealed, Seireitei must be in chaos now."
Valkyrie crossed her arms, smiling arrogantly.
"The mighty Head Captain of the Shinigami—his so-called strongest Zanpakutō—
only fourth? Delightful."
She laughed, the sound echoing through the frozen chamber.
Moments earlier, even she had doubted her eyes.
But as the others turned, equally stunned,
the truth became undeniable.
The subtitles were clear: Ryūjin Jakka – Rank 4.
That made things very entertaining indeed.
"It seems that over the past millennium,
the old man has actually grown weaker."
Lilge Barro smirked. "What wonderful news."
Finally, after so many rounds of rankings,
a Shinigami—one of their strongest—had been revealed to decline with time.
More importantly, a thousand years ago during the Quincy Blood War,
it had been Ryūjin Jakka's Bankai that defeated their emperor, Yhwach.
Back then, its flames had burned the empire itself to ash.
But now—
with the weapon ranked only fourth—
the message was clear: in the future, Ryūjin Jakka would no longer replicate that victory.
For the Quincy, this was monumental.
"So that means," said Haschwalth calmly,
"the three Zanpakutō above Ryūjin Jakka… and their wielders…
are the true threats to our pure-blooded race."
His icy blue eyes flickered in thought.
Aizen?
The leader of Squad Zero?
And the third… who could it be?
Even Haschwalth couldn't yet guess.
In Hueco Mundo, inside Las Noches—
Not just Shinigami and Quincy, but Hollows and Arrancar were equally stunned.
"Ryūjin Jakka…?"
"I've heard Lord Aizen mention it before."
"If I'm not mistaken—it's the Head Captain's Zanpakutō, right?"
"Can it really not even make the top three?"
Starrk looked genuinely surprised.
His usual arrogance vanished, replaced by curiosity.
Beside him, Lilynette smacked him on the head.
"Idiot! One of the top three is obviously Lord Aizen! His Kyōka Suigetsu!"
Thinking back to Gin's assassination attempt
and the chaos that followed when Tōsen was attacked,
Lilynette still shivered.
If not for Kyōka Suigetsu's illusion saving them at the last second,
Hueco Mundo might have fallen into complete ruin.
Compared to being ruled by that decaying old man Baraggan,
being led by Aizen Sōsuke again was far more reassuring.
On the throne, Aizen leaned casually, elbow resting on the armrest,
a lock of hair falling over his brow.
His lips curved into an amused smile.
He glanced down at the wounded Gin sprawled before him.
"Gin, you saw it too, didn't you?"
"Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni—ranked fourth."
Even Aizen himself,
who had already learned from earlier rankings that he would one day transcend into a being beyond Shinigami,
felt a flicker of surprise.
After all, in his subconscious, he had still always acknowledged Ryūjin Jakka's might.
Fourth place… wasn't bad.
But for the man once called "the strongest Shinigami in a thousand years"—
it was still low.
Below the throne,
Gin coughed blood and managed a faint smile.
"Captain Aizen," he said hoarsely,
"seeing that ranking… I bet you're feeling quite pleased."
"That satisfaction comes from two things:
the Head Captain's fury… and the fact that your Kyōka Suigetsu made the top three."
Despite the pain burning through his back,
Gin's voice retained its trademark playful tone.
Aizen's smile deepened slightly—
wordless, confident, knowing full well he didn't need to deny it.
(End of Chapter)
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