"This Reiatsu..."
Kensei Muguruma's composure vanished. Drenched in sweat, he gained a completely new understanding of the terrifying nature of the Shino Prison.
He had thought Komamura Sajin, who had managed to kill him once, was strong enough, but he hadn't expected an even greater master to appear.
Although he possessed relevant memories in his mind, his perception was somewhat skewed because he had never witnessed it with his own eyes.
Right now, even without facing the owner of this Reiatsu directly, and despite being hundreds of kilometers away, the terrifying killing intent contained within it was enough to easily crush anyone present.
Including himself, a Soul Reaper Captain.
Not daring to be the slightest bit careless, Kensei immediately tightened his grip on his short sword. As he unleashed his Reiatsu with reckless abandon, visible gusts of cyan wind swirled around him.
The ground instantly fractured, sending countless pieces of rubble flying in a truly astonishing display of power.
"Bankai!"
"Tekken Tachikaze!"
Illuminated by the glow of his Reiatsu, the dagger in Kensei's hand vanished, replaced by a pair of twin-pronged knuckle blades. Iron-colored treads wrapped around his arms, extending all the way behind his shoulders.
A visible gale erupted from the ground, churning the nearby mountainous terrain into an absolute mess.
Kensei assumed a solemn stance. His aura was soaring, and his posture was perfectly straight, making it clear he wouldn't waste any time.
Just as he stood ready for battle, a blinding, blazing red streak suddenly flashed across the horizon.
At the edge of his vision, a star grew increasingly bright.
Immediately after, an ear-piercing screech tore through the silence of the night.
*Wait, what is that?!*
Kensei's expression went slack. A subconscious sense of foreboding washed over him. Tensing his body, his eyes widened as he tried to get a clear look at the anomaly in the sky.
At this moment.
Beneath the Shakonmaku, a slender object burning with searing flames streaked past at high speed under the blazing sun, the friction against the air sending countless sparks flying.
It howled through the midair.
Tearing through the sky, it hurtled toward the black-armored warrior towering between heaven and earth tens of kilometers away!
The blazing fire of Reiatsu ignited the air. Like a meteor, it continuously grew larger and larger as it descended from the sky...
When the terrifying heat blanketed the entire mountain forest, everyone present finally saw the true face of the meteor.
A pitch-black Zanpakutō enveloped in a blazing red radiance.
Boom!
The moment it landed, the overwhelmed ground shattered and collapsed. Like a meteorite strike, a massive mushroom cloud of dust and debris erupted into the sky!
"Gah!"
The Reigai Soul Reapers closest to the impact zone were struck as if hit head-on by a speeding truck. The terrifying shockwave instantly sent their figures flying.
Those standing slightly further away struggled like tumbleweeds in the erupting hurricane, unable to stand.
The blade sank into the massive crater. A figure approached the Zanpakutō and pulled it out with a single motion.
The next moment.
A gaze as sharp as a blade instantly locked onto the battle-ready Kensei. Naraku Sora stood there, sword in hand, half of his face shrouded in shadows, radiating an intimidating aura.
"It seems Inaba Kagerōza's technology isn't entirely without merit, contrary to what Sōsuke claimed."
"To be able to resurrect after death... it's somewhat like a barracks constantly churning out troops."
Kensei looked nervously at the figure in the nearby crater, subconsciously swallowing hard.
This powerful entrance had already completely overwhelmed their group's momentum.
Therefore, even though they held the numerical advantage, they still felt a sense of trembling fear when facing Naraku Sora.
It was as if they could be crushed at any moment.
Kujō Nozomi stared in shock at the figure emerging from the dust, a light called hope seemingly reigniting in her eyes.
A Captain's haori, burning Reiatsu.
*It's you, Lord Naraku, the one who has saved the Soul Society from disaster time and time again!*
Just as the two sides were locked in a standoff, a dazzling, incandescent white light instantly tore through the air. Accompanied by an ear-piercing shriek, it struck Naraku Sora squarely in the chest.
Then, the resounding echo of clashing metal erupted.
The tip of a blade spanning a distance of a thousand meters was pressed against the pitch-black body of his sword, sending a few brilliant sparks flying.
Seeing this, Ichimaru Gin, who had been hiding in the shadows like a venomous snake, suddenly opened his eyes wide.
"How is that possible..."
Kujō Nozomi stared at the scene before her, utterly dumbfounded. She had never imagined that a battle between powerhouses could be so perilous.
In the split second of that sneak attack, she had even thought this Prison Warden Naraku was dead for sure.
To her surprise, what was a thrilling, near-death scenario one second completely reversed the next.
So-called sneak attacks were completely useless against this man.
He was countless times stronger than the large dog Captain who had his chest pierced instantly just moments ago.
Missing its mark, the blade instantly retracted.
Shinsō shot out at incredible speed, and its retraction was equally swift.
Naraku Sora ignored the attacker hiding in the shadows. Instead, he focused his gaze on Kensei, whose muscles were completely tense and who was wreathed in the winds of his Reiatsu.
Then, he took a step forward.
The two figures crossed paths.
Kensei's eyes instantly widened, his resolute face filled with astonishment and shock.
"Impossible..."
The moment his words fell, the Bankai treads covering his arms shattered instantly. A hideous gash appeared across his chest, and a massive amount of blood sprayed out.
A trace of disbelief flashed through Kensei's eyes. For a moment, he found his own defeat hard to accept.
He knew he was no match for Naraku Sora, but as a fellow Captain-class Soul Reaper, shouldn't he at least be able to exchange a few blows head-on?
Moreover, he had the memories of his original self fighting Naraku Sora in his mind.
First, they were evenly matched, then he gradually lost ground, and finally suffered a regrettable defeat.
*Could it be that those memories were all fake?*
As if guessing the thoughts in his opponent's mind, Naraku Sora turned around and looked calmly at Kensei.
"You know, Kensei, you must understand—"
"It is very difficult to step on an ant without crushing it."
Hearing these words, Kensei's mindset completely collapsed. His vision went black, and his body slumped weakly to the ground. The moment he touched the earth, he crumbled into countless pieces of grayish-brown clay.
After thoroughly showing off, Naraku Sora looked at the injured Komamura and the green-haired girl trembling not far away.
He raised an eyebrow, guessing the sequence of events.
Komamura had loyally executed his orders, discovered the target's tracks in the Rukongai, and engaged in a battle with her pursuers. Ultimately outmatched, he had no choice but to call for backup.
That must be Kujō Nozomi, the one who had a very tragic ending in the original timeline.
*Hmm, she's quite good-looking.*
*For that reason alone, he was absolutely going to protect this girl. Not even God could stop him.*
Naraku Sora smiled politely. After giving a nod of acknowledgment, he turned and walked toward the hiding spot of the Reigai Ichimaru Gin.
*First, I'll take out the most dangerous guy among the Reigai clones. The rest will be easy.*
It was a good thing his Pesquisa had developed into an ability akin to a passive skill, allowing him to constantly sense any abnormal Reiatsu and danger in the surrounding environment.
If it had been any other Soul Reaper, such as his frail adopted son, Sōsuke.
A single strike from Shinsō would have been enough to disembowel him, followed by the injection of a deadly poison capable of dissolving cells, directly resulting in the terrifying fate of dying without an intact corpse.
Watching Naraku Sora approach step by step, Gin's emotions were somewhat complicated.
Perhaps influenced by his original's memories, he was incredibly loyal to this man who had changed the course of his life, even willing to lay down his life for him.
But on the other hand, there was the influence imposed on his soul by his creator, Inaba Kagerōza. Under this forced control, he had no choice but to launch a sneak attack.
The clash of these two contradictory emotions left him unable to flee, yet unable to stay.
He could only freeze in place, quietly waiting for death to knock on his door.
"Lord Naraku, I..."
The moment he saw the other party draw near, the Reigai Gin opened his mouth, preparing to say something.
However, before the next words could leave his lips, he saw a streak of searing fire, wrapped in flashing lightning, flash past his eyes.
Looking at Naraku Sora standing before him, a trace of melancholy flashed across his face.
*What an enviable original, to be able to follow by this lord's side...*
Naraku Sora didn't care in the slightest about the emotional shifts of the Reigai clones.
In his eyes, they were nothing more than technological creations, supplemented by a tiny bit of the Spirit King's power.
Fundamentally, they were just toy dolls possessing the memories of their originals.
As the most decisive man in the Soul Society, it was impossible for him to develop feelings for toys.
Kujō Nozomi watched the relaxed and at-ease Naraku Sora, a subtle change occurring in her eyes.
From the moment of her birth until now, she had lived in the constant fear of being on the run.
As the entity who understood Inaba Kagerōza the best, Nozomi knew perfectly well that if she fell into that guy's hands and completed the final fusion.
The Soul Society would face a fate of destruction.
A single Inaba Kagerōza could create countless Reigai clones; the fused Yushima Ōko would be even stronger in this regard.
Coupled with an explosive increase in power, no one would be able to stop him when the time came.
Her constant struggle against fate had left Nozomi physically and mentally exhausted, teetering on the edge of collapse. But after experiencing everything that had just happened...
She suddenly realized that she wasn't fighting alone.
The ally standing on her side was equally terrifyingly strong, capable of easily crushing those powerful Reigai clones with casual movements.
Just standing by his side gave her an indescribable sense of security.
*If it's Lord Naraku, he can definitely stop Inaba Kagerōza!*
An inexplicable light flickered in the girl's eyes, and her entire being became radiant with vitality.
Naraku Sora approached Komamura, and the large dog immediately revealed a guilty expression.
"I apologize, Lord Naraku. I have disappointed you."
"Not at all. You've already done very well."
With a casual wave, he cast a basic Kaidō, stopping the blood continuously seeping from Komamura.
It was a good thing the large dog had thick skin and a durable body. If it had been a Soul Reaper like Tōsen Kaname, they would probably need emergency resuscitation right now.
"L-Lord Naraku..."
Nozomi looked at the man standing before her, her expression agitated. Just as she was about to say something...
She felt a powerful Reiatsu descend. Immediately after, she saw Naraku soar into the air, the corners of his mouth curling into a grin:
"Alright, I get it!"