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"You… damn you… Shinigami…"
"What did you just do?!"
…
Just as everyone thought the dust had finally settled,as the explosion seemed about to fade into silence—
A terrified scream suddenly rang out from the video.
Lille Barro's voice tore through the air without warning, sharp and bone-chilling.
The abrupt twist instantly hooked everyone's attention.
—
Eleventh Division
"Huh? Did I hear that wrong?"The man who called himself a 'god' just screamed, didn't he?!"
Standing at the very front of the transparent screen, deliberately shielding his subordinates, Kenpachi Zaraki froze for a moment. His brow furrowed as doubt crossed his face, half-convinced his ears had deceived him.
"A turnaround?!"Behind him, Ikkaku Madarame's eyes lit up.
"Kyōraku's Zanpakutō has multiple rule-based effects even in Shikai. After Bankai, it should be even more ridiculous!" Ayasegawa Yumichika said calmly, analyzing the situation. "My guess is Captain Kyōraku countered him with some special effect."
That sudden reversal instantly swept away the heavy, suffocating atmosphere that had filled the room moments earlier.
The trio from Squad Eleven grew visibly excited, staring at the screen without blinking, desperate to see what had happened to Lille Barro.
—
Elsewhere — Inside the Silbern
"Hm? What the hell just happened?"
"That was… a scream?"
"Lille Barro… that didn't sound good at all."
When the panicked shriek echoed through the hall, the previously relaxed Sternritter stiffened, their expressions changing rapidly.
What was going on?
Hadn't the Shinigami already been punished?
Why was his voice still there?And why was Lille Barro screaming?
Don't tell me…
Could a fight that had looked so utterly one-sided actually turn around?
No way.
Doubt spread like fog, and the atmosphere inside the inner hall grew strange and oppressive.
As for Lille Barro himself—
He ignored the uncertain looks cast his way. His face darkened as he stood motionless, eyes locked onto the screen, anger slowly surfacing within them.
As captain of the Schutzstaffel,as the final man personally granted a Schrift by Yhwach—
He refused to believe he could lose to a Shinigami.This overwhelming difference in power shouldn't allow for any reversal at all.
It had to be a mistake.
And yet—
As the smoke from the explosion finally cleared, his angelic form, wrapped in wings of light, came fully into view.
The moment he saw it, the Lille Barro in reality couldn't help but cry out in disbelief.
"Impossible! That's impossible!"
"Why am I injured?! And what are those two bloody holes?!"
…
Impatience. Rage.Fury blazing in his eyes.
Lille Barro completely lost his composure. His already dark complexion twisted into something vicious.
Because what he saw was horrifying.
On the screen, his own body bore two massive, gruesome wounds—one at his waist, the other at his left shoulder.
Blood dripped steadily from them.
Drip.Drip.Drip.
As the echoes of the explosion faded, crimson drops fell from the pristine white angelic body, splashing onto the ground.
Each drop struck straight at Lille Barro's sanity, tearing it apart piece by piece.
When the blood finally pooled into a shallow puddle at his feet, his fury reached its limit.
"Damn it!!!"
"Curse you, Shinigami! You filthy, insignificant insect! How dare you hurt someone infinitely close to godhood?!"
Whether on-screen or in reality, both Lille Barros roared almost in unison, their eyes burning with venom.
Unfortunately for him—
Kyōraku Shunsui remained utterly unfazed.
He casually brushed the dust from his shoulder and flashed a carefree smile.
"This is the first act. Shared probing damage," he said lightly. "Looks like you can feel exactly what I felt earlier."
He chuckled, then deliberately pointed to his own waist and shoulder.
"Pure-blood Quincy… or should I say, exalted divine messenger who judges all things.Didn't you notice? Our wounds are in the exact same spots."
"Oh?""Judging by that hesitation in your eyes, I already have my answer. So the 'closest to god' title only applies to your volume, huh?"
…
The mockery came in rapid succession, like a brutal combo of punches smashing straight into Lille Barro's face.
The situation flipped completely.
Moments ago, Kyōraku Shunsui had been hunted like a rat, written off as good as dead.
Now he stood unscathed, openly taunting his enemy.
Meanwhile, Lille Barro's cocoon-like body was being soaked red as blood continued to pour from his wounds.
And when an angel is no longer pure—
It means only one thing.
Fall.And destruction.
—
Thirteenth Division
"Shunsui, beautifully done," Ukitake Jūshirō said, giving a thumbs-up."So you transferred all the damage you took before Bankai straight onto that pure-blood Quincy."
As Kyōraku's longtime closest friend, he understood Black Pine's ability just as well.
"Pretty much," Kyōraku replied with a wry smile."Good thing I took two shots before releasing Bankai. Otherwise, injuring that monster wouldn't have been nearly so easy."
Even though the earlier battle footage hadn't been shown, Kyōraku could piece it together.
Lille Barro had fought exclusively at long range, which meant his ability was clearly tied to sniping.
That explained the wounds perfectly.
"But still…" Ukitake frowned. "He's angry, but his presence hasn't weakened much. That alone won't be enough to kill him."
Though they were discussing things from the present looking ahead, the video depicted a very real future. Lives were on the line.
Ukitake didn't want to see his best friend fall.
"Heh… you worry too much, Jūshirō," Kyōraku said, his expression turning serious as his gaze locked onto Lille Barro."I'm not naïve enough to think the first act could kill that thing."
"To truly finish him… it'll have to wait until the curtain falls."
"And by then," he added softly, "it'll probably cost a life."
"Isn't that right?""Future me?"
"And present me would still step forward without hesitation… wouldn't he?"
—
Meanwhile, the battle in the video continued.
"Shinigami… I never expected you to hurt me," Lille Barro said, forcing his emotions back under control."I underestimated you."
He was, after all, the captain of the Schutzstaffel—one of the strongest Sternritter alive. A couple of wounds weren't enough to make him lose his mind.
"Exactly," Kyōraku replied calmly, meeting his gaze.
He narrowed his eyes, arms moving in opposite directions as if tracing a Bagua pattern in the air. Behind him, endless black pine shadows gathered.
"That was only the prelude."
"Now watch closely.Act Two—The Pillow of Shame."
As his words fell, the black pines erupted violently.
Under the crushing pressure of Bankai, they spread in every direction—through cracked earth, rubble, shattered walls…
Even into the sky.
Yes.
If there was even the slightest gap, the black pines would invade it, growing savagely and without restraint.
In mere moments, they filled the entire screen.
Blue skies vanished.All color disappeared.
Only endless darkness remained—and the pool of blood on the ground.
Oppressive.Terrifying.
—
"What… what kind of ability is this?!"
The instant darkness descended, Hitsugaya Tōshirō felt cold sweat soak his entire body.
That sensation of drifting within infinite blackness—
Heavy. Suffocating.So oppressive it made one want to kneel and repent.
"Captain… tell me the truth," Rangiku Matsumoto said shakily."Am I terminally ill or something?"
When Tōshirō turned, he saw her lips drained of color, her skin pale as a corpse. Beneath her Shihakushō, her limbs had gone limp, as if her cells were dying en masse.
At first glance, she looked like someone on the verge of death.
"Rangiku, it's okay," Tōshirō said quickly."Deep breath. Calm down. This is just an illusion."
Even as he reassured her, shock roared through him.
Black Pine's target was the pure-blood Quincy inside the video.What he and Rangiku felt was merely spiritual pressure leaking through the screen.
And even that tiny fraction had nearly broken a vice-captain's will.
He couldn't imagine what the actual target was enduring.
The answer came quickly.
Once Rangiku steadied herself and Tōshirō looked back at the screen, a horrifying sight greeted him.
"Splurt—!"
The sound of flesh bursting echoed repeatedly.
Lille Barro's angelic body was now covered in countless ink-black spots, densely packed across his entire form.
Tōshirō's first reaction was pure revulsion.
Every hair on his body stood on end.
The sight alone nearly made him vomit.
Worse still—
From each of those black spots, blood began to explode outward.
Forehead. Face. Neck. Torso.
There wasn't a single place left untouched. The already blood-soaked angelic body was riddled with holes.
At this point, he could no longer be called human.
Nor a divine messenger.
He looked more like a grotesque pathogen—a mass of black stains and blood stitched together.
A pitiful creature,about to die in atonement.
"..."
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