"Are we really that close?"
Hearing the form of address from the person opposite him, Naraku Sora looked disgusted.
"You're just an inexplicably created artificial human. Don't take it upon yourself to assume his identity just because you have the original's memories."
"Even if Senior Brother Kyōraku were dead, you would still be a fake."
Kyōraku Shunsui sighed softly, a hint of helplessness appearing on his face. His mood at this moment was somewhat delicate.
The original plan had been excellent, almost perfect.
If a normal person had fallen into this trap, they would have been completely unable to defend themselves by now.
If he had a bit more respect for the laws of the Soul Society, they would have completely dominated the Seireitei by now, instead of being in this current situation.
They could only choose to gang up on him.
Judging from the current situation, the plan to hold Central 46 hostage was highly likely to fail.
The guy in front of him was an out-and-out rebel who didn't take the lofty Central 46 seriously at all.
Kyōraku Shunsui was one hundred percent certain that if they really took those sages hostage to threaten Naraku Sora...
The other party would absolutely strike faster than they could.
This guy didn't care about the highest judicial organ at all.
His way of thinking was on a completely different dimension from other Soul Reapers.
"It seems there's nothing left to talk about."
Kyōraku Shunsui held his twin swords in both hands, crossing them in front of his body in a cross stance.
"Flower Wind Rage and Flower God Weep, Heavenly Wind Rage and Heavenly Demon Sneer.
"Katen Kyōkotsu!"
Obviously, the clone was just as insidious as the original.
They were both the type of guys who would use any means necessary to achieve victory.
The moment the release command was chanted, the twin swords in his hands swung in sync. The heavy Reiatsu condensed into a brilliant sword pressure, transforming into a brand new full moon that bloomed in the incandescent light.
A swirling gale erupted from the sword pressure, instantly turning into an all-engulfing tornado that covered Naraku Sora's body in a flash.
"Bushō Goma!"
Naraku Sora had no intention of dodging at all. He drew his sword backhand to meet the attack, unleashing an unpretentious Secret Technique・Dragon Flash that directly sliced the howling hurricane in half.
It was as crisp and clean as a hot knife through butter.
Even the walls of several buildings behind them showed a perfectly straight crack.
*Crack—*
The buildings shifted, revealing smooth, even cross-sections. Accompanied by a continuous rumbling sound, they constantly slid down until they completely collapsed, kicking up a sky full of dust.
Seeing this exaggerated destructive power, Kyōraku Shunsui's eyes twitched wildly.
Among the several Soul Reaper Captains present, only he had the deepest understanding of Naraku Sora's strength.
Leaving everything else aside, just being able to cross swords with Yamamoto was enough to explain everything.
The reason Yamamoto was called the strongest Soul Reaper in the Soul Society was that no successor could surpass him in raw strength.
Although he was a bit old, his strength was leagues ahead of everyone else.
If a normal person took a strike from Ryūjin Jakka, even if they didn't die, they would end up half-paralyzed.
On the other hand, Naraku Sora was constantly getting beaten up, yet he always maintained a vigorous and lively spirit, showing absolutely no signs of discomfort.
He simply didn't look human anymore.
"Hadō #78・Zanka Rin."
Swinging his twin swords crosswise in front of him, Kyōraku Shunsui understood that in this state, he couldn't pose a threat to Naraku Sora at all. He could only create opportunities for the others.
A dazzling, ring-shaped halo of blades burst forth from the edge of his swords, blooming beneath the sky like a full moon.
The air was instantly torn apart, emitting the high-pitched sound of clashing metal amidst the billowing dust.
From the smoke and dust, a hazy figure stepped out.
Naraku Sora opened his left hand and pressed it against the Zanka Rin, stopping it from advancing even an inch. With a sudden exertion of force from his five fingers, he instantly crushed this Hadō spell.
Countless Reishi fragments scattered from his palm and merged into the ground beneath his feet.
The clone's strength was not inferior to the original's in the slightest.
Considering that they were inside the Seireitei, it wasn't very appropriate to directly unleash ultimate moves, so it was a little bit tricky.
Moreover, Kyōraku Shunsui wasn't the only one on the opposing side.
The other few were not weak either.
Ukitake Jūshirō, Zaraki Kenpachi, Unohana Retsu.
In terms of combat experience alone, any one of these four could easily pin him to the ground and mop the floor with him.
Yet even so, they were still shocked by the formidable power Naraku Sora displayed.
Crushing a level 78 Hadō with a single hand—this was completely inhuman.
After a brief moment of shock, Ukitake Jūshirō instantly disappeared from his spot. When he reappeared, he was already behind Naraku Sora.
His blade slashed down, unleashing a Zanjutsu technique inherited from Yamamoto, [Bisection], aiming straight for the defenseless neck.
*Clang!*
The blades clashed in mid-air, sparking countless embers.
Naraku Sora spun around and retreated, delivering a backhanded Rhino Strike. The blade danced between the twin swords, forcefully repelling the assault and landing squarely on the Reiatsu shield.
Accompanied by a series of explosive pops, the shield collapsed layer by layer.
Ukitake Jūshirō used Flash Step to retreat just in time, narrowly avoiding this fierce strike.
Naraku Sora wasn't surprised by this outcome.
Among the current Captains, Ukitake Jūshirō was definitely in the strongest tier.
Previously, he was dragged down by his lung disease, which prevented him from utilizing his full strength.
But his illness had been cured a long time ago, and judging from the clone's performance, this was clearly a healthy Ukitake.
Just then, a fully incanted Raikōhō struck from the side, accurately hitting Naraku Sora, whose previous move had just ended and who hadn't had time to pull back his power.
The dazzling golden light reflected an astonished face as his entire body was instantly sent flying backward, solidly smashing through a wall and embedding into a tall tower.
Before he could recover, a figure suddenly appeared at the top of the crumbling tower.
Kyōraku Shunsui.
"Takaoni."
"Game rule: Whoever is higher wins!"
Without a trace of hesitation, he crossed his twin swords and drew them apart, outlining a brilliant sword pressure.
A violent hurricane rose from the ground, pouring downwards without reservation, launching a saturation bombing on Naraku Sora, who was amidst the ruins.
The continuous explosions lasted for over ten seconds.
It forcibly ground a tower hundreds of meters tall into fine powder. Dust flew everywhere, and not even a complete piece of stone could be seen.
"Is it over?"
Ukitake Jūshirō appeared beside Kyōraku Shunsui, looking at the billowing dust over the ruins.
"If it were really that simple, that lord wouldn't have sent the few of us together."
Kyōraku Shunsui frowned. "However, judging from the current situation, the advantage is ours."
"As long as we maintain the current..."
Before he could finish speaking, a terrifying black Reiatsu suddenly erupted from the ruins. An unparalleled pillar of light shot straight into the sky, instantly shredding the thin clouds.
A brutal and tyrannical aura surged wildly, and a scalp-numbing creaking sound echoed in their ears.
The air let out a mournful wail of being overwhelmed, as if unable to bear this sudden impact.
Kyōraku Shunsui's expression changed drastically. He condensed Reishi footholds beneath his feet and immediately distanced himself from the area covered by the pitch-black Reiatsu.
"What is this?!"
A pale hand tore open the pillar of light in front of it. A scorching, boiling heat surged from Naraku Sora's body, and violent power burst forth from his shell.
He raised his left hand and pressed it lightly against his face.
Liquid chitin surged out, forming a hideous white bone mask.
The moment the golden vertical pupils looked up, everyone's hearts skipped a beat, and an intense unease welled up from the depths of their souls.
"Gu—"
Two rows of sharp teeth parted, and wisps of white escaped from between them. A ferocious and hideous smile appeared on the white bone mask, and unreserved killing intent poured out.
Ink-like streams of light continuously faded from Naraku Sora's body.
The next second.
The ferocious figure, firmly locked onto by several gazes, vanished out of thin air. There was no trajectory of movement at all, as if he had teleported.
Everyone was horrified, but they forced themselves to remain calm.
Although they didn't know exactly what had happened to Naraku Sora, their rich combat experience told them—
If they panicked at this moment, they would definitely die very quickly.
*Buzz—*
The ferocious figure appeared in front of Ukitake Jūshirō without any warning. The sound of Sonído arrived a step late as a large hand suddenly reached out and landed squarely on that panicked face.
The five fingers clenched, and the scorching Reiatsu broke through the defense he was so proud of.
Ukitake Jūshirō's skull let out an overwhelmed wail.
*Crack! Crack!*
Naraku Sora leaned his arm back, violently lifted the entire person up, and then viciously slammed him down.
*Boom!!*
A deafening roar echoed as a towering pillar of fire erupted from underground. The suffocating high temperature instantly swept across the entire battlefield, rapidly evaporating the moisture in the air.
When the sparks scattered, only shattered clay remained at Naraku Sora's feet.
A hint of bitterness appeared on Kyōraku Shunsui's face.
He thought their preparations this time were sufficient, but the opponent's strength seemed to far exceed their estimates.
Even when facing Yamamoto Shigekuni, the pressure hadn't been this great.
On the other hand, Zaraki Kenpachi, who was not far away, had an increasingly excited expression on his face. His eyes were bloodshot, as if he had entered a berserk state.
"Drink, Nozarashi!"
Without much hesitation, the moment his Reiatsu fully erupted and burned like raging flames, Zaraki Kenpachi stomped hard on the ground. He lunged forward like a wild beast, delivering an unadorned vertical slash.
*Boom!*
Metal clashed as two blades with a ridiculously exaggerated size difference crossed together.
The seemingly light, pitch-black blade actually solidly blocked Zaraki Kenpachi's full-powered strike.
Naraku Sora stood perfectly straight, his right hand raised high, maintaining his sword-gripping posture. However, his left hand was surrounded by intertwining black and red electric arcs, distorting the surrounding space.
He closed the distance and threw a punch!
Black Flash・Single Bone!
The moment the fist landed, the outlines of all things were distorted. The sound of shattering followed, and terrifying intense light burst forth from within.
Flesh collapsed, the chest cavity caved in, bones shattered, and the strike even pierced straight through Zaraki Kenpachi's body.
The thin clouds in the sky behind him were instantly wiped out by the shockwave.
Pure destruction turned into an ocean tide, surging straight ahead and swallowing everything in its path!
After finishing off Zaraki Kenpachi, Naraku Sora stood holding his sword. His golden vertical pupils looked at the only remaining Kyōraku Shunsui and Unohana Retsu, and the corners of his mouth curled up.
A joyful, ferocious smile that made one's blood run cold.