Chapter 79
He even crushed the rain and the atmosphere along with it.
Whether it was this deeply meaningful statement or this action, Yoruichi and Suì-Fēng both trembled.
Shimiya Takeru withdrew his gaze from the world and looked at the two of them directly.
"Brother Kurosaki and I are different. I was born in an era of moral decay. If he fights with courage, then I fight with malice."
"So... the Zanpakuto born from the shape of my soul, though it can shine, doesn't warm hearts like the sun. It can only protect me, not everyone."
"Many things I can't do... can only be done by others."
"By those who possess courage, who can bring courage to others."
"That way, it will never be wrong."
"Conversely, whoever stands against us is wrong."
"..."
The rain washed away the warmth from her body, and Suì-Fēng slowly calmed down. She struggled to get up from the ground and, as if confronting Shimiya Takeru, questioned him defiantly:
"So you're saying... I, who follow the rules and protect the Soul Society, am wrong?"
"Isn't that right?"
"Shimiya!"
"Are the rules you follow truly the rules of the Soul Society?"
"!?"
Shimiya Takeru's sudden counter-question instantly froze Suì-Fēng's angry expression.
"You do follow rules, appearing more devoted than anyone, but the only rule you've followed, from beginning to end, is... to sacrifice your life for others."
As he spoke, Shimiya Takeru released his Bankai, and his armor peeled away.
His terrifyingly bright eyes seemed to see through people's hearts.
"Following the rules of the Soul Society, executing orders—these actions are essentially catering to your spirit of self-sacrifice."
"Suì-Fēng, you are merely a suicide warrior. Don't talk boastfully about rules and order, and certainly don't use them to question the man standing before you right now."
"Because he is the one who truly wants to save the rules."
"The rules of the Soul Society shouldn't be like this."
"No one's blade should be held to an honest person's neck!"
"I wasn't lying when I said I wanted to save you, because if you get in the way again, I'll have no choice but to smash you, this stumbling block."
"Once you understand, behave yourself!"
"?!"
By the end, Shimiya Takeru's no-longer-suppressed declaration exploded like thunder, even shaking the rainwater away with his spiritual pressure.
Suì-Fēng's body trembled, her mind almost blank.
For the first time, she saw Shimiya Takeru angry.
But it wasn't unfamiliar.
Because it was so similar to... how the Captain Commander looked when he got angry in her memories.
So much so that when Shimiya Takeru ignored her reaction and walked past her, leaving with Yoruichi, she seemed unaware.
Until the rain stopped.
The sun reappeared.
A ray of golden light pierced her eyes.
Suì-Fēng suddenly looked back, only to find they were long gone.
Her forcibly re-energized body once again collapsed weakly.
Unlike before, this time there was a sense of relief and an inexplicable feeling of security.
"He didn't even use an honorific... a mere academy student calling me by my name... just you wait."
Chapter Seventy-Five: Rejecting the Shield of Space (Two-in-One)
At the same time—
"Are we almost there, Miss Kuchiki?"
"Yes! No mistake, we're already in the Fifth Division's jurisdiction. Inoue, just a little longer!"
Orihime, from the Human World, could only rely on Rukia, a local who was temporarily unable to use her powers, to navigate the Seireitei unimpeded, even managing to avoid many search parties with surprising ease.
However, their good luck ended there.
At the end of a secluded path lush with greenery.
Two figures wearing Captain's haori stood tall.
"?!"
Orihime slammed on the brakes, her face filled with panic.
"That's..."
Rukia, on her back, was even paler. She was about to warn Orihime, but the person in question had already recognized their identities.
"I remember Miss Yoruichi saying that the Captains of the Seventh and Ninth Divisions... on our first day, they, along with others, stopped us from entering the Seireitei."
"Did she tell you that the best strategy right now is to surrender quickly to avoid physical pain?"
Suddenly, a voice came from the side.
Orihime and Rukia quickly looked over, only to see Lieutenant Hisagi Shuuhei of the Ninth Division standing on a low wall to their left, looking down from above, appearing composed, as if he already considered them his prisoners.
"Hisagi, you shouldn't have spoken and startled them. Wouldn't it have been better to just act?"
A voice also came from the right.
It attracted Orihime and Rukia's attention.
Among the dense green foliage, a burly man wearing sunglasses stood on a tree.
It was none other than Lieutenant Iba Tetsuzaemon of the Seventh Division.
"Then why don't you act yourself, Mr. Iba?"
Shūhei rolled his eyes.
"The Captain would scold us. After all, their desire to act is stronger. As Lieutenants, we can't spoil our superiors' fun, can we? Besides... leaving Kuchiki aside, this orange-haired ryoka is said to have fought Captain Kenpachi. Such an opponent isn't someone we can provoke rashly."
Iba's expression grew more serious as he spoke, and the spiritual pressure emanating from him fully revealed his vigilant attitude.
Shūhei said nothing, merely gripping his Zanpakuto hilt cautiously.
Although the two did not intend to act, they clearly formed a pincer movement from the left and right.
If Orihime tried to take Rukia and flee, they would absolutely not remain idle spectators.
"Inoue..."
Rukia's face showed worry.
"Say no more, Miss Kuchiki. I won't surrender."
"...Then at least put me down. I can't fight like this... Don't worry, they won't lay a hand on me until you're defeated. After all, they already have victory in their grasp, so they don't mind giving a desperate enemy a fair fight."
Rukia did not lower her voice.
Shūhei and Iba could both hear her, and they did not object, seemingly accepting this statement.
Seeing this, Orihime solemnly put her down.
Gripping her Zanpakuto, she faced the formidable enemies ahead.
"A fair fight? You are wrong, Kuchiki Rukia."
Although Tōsen Kaname's eyes were closed, he could still accurately pinpoint everyone's positions, and he possessed sharp rhetoric.
"The justice we pursue has no fairness, nor any so-called Bushido spirit. It's merely... that it's unnecessary to do so."
"The mission of the Gotei 13 is to defeat the ryoka. As long as the ryoka are defeated, the execution can continue... Do you understand? No one intended to capture you, because you never escaped the Seireitei, never escaped our grasp."
"...!"
These words put a great deal of psychological pressure on Rukia, but she did not bow her head, nor did she engage in a pointless verbal dispute with him. Her resolute gaze was identical to Orihime's.
"I never thought there would be a day I would draw my blade against such a young girl, but even so, with Captain Commander Yamamoto acting, I will not hesitate for a moment."
"Wait, Komamura."
Komamura Sajin, wearing a wooden helmet, was about to act but was stopped by his friend.
"I'll do it. Your Zanpakuto's destructive power is too strong; it might accidentally harm the prisoner."
"Then I'll leave it to you."
The two quickly reached a consensus.
Although it seemed a bit dismissive of their opponent, Orihime actually felt relieved.
Facing them one by one was better than dealing with two Captains at once.
However, this thought seemed to have been caught by Tōsen Kaname.
"Are you relieved? That you only need to face me alone."
"...?"
"Then you are far too naive... Because for evildoers, every choice made by the side of justice is a highly targeted choice. Rather than feeling relieved, you should be filled with a sense of crisis; only then is there a possibility of escape. If you lack this sense of crisis, then it only means you are not worth saving."
Tōsen Kaname drew his Zanpakuto from his waist and assumed a specific stance.
The moment his words fell.
His spiritual pressure reached its peak.
"Bankai... Suzumushi Hyakushiki: Enma Koorogi."
A massive darkness instantly swept around them.
It enveloped everyone present, forming an enormous oval-shaped barrier.
Orihime felt her vision go black, and then she could no longer see anything.
Her unfailing spiritual pressure sensing ability also disappeared.
"This is me..."
She could feel herself speaking.
But she couldn't hear her voice.
Of her five senses, only touch and taste in her mouth were still functioning.
But this was far from enough to sustain a normal battle.
Against a Captain-level Shinigami, this was undoubtedly a death trap.
Orihime tried to activate "Sōten Kisshun" to regain her senses.
It failed.
Tōsen Kaname's Bankai ability was continuously active as long as the barrier existed.
It was not an effect that could be dispelled with a single attempt.
Then... what about "Koten Zanshun"?
Orihime directly swung her sword forward, unleashing a bright orange blade of light.
It tore through the Enma Koorogi barrier.
Clang!
Precious light returned.
Orihime then realized her opponent was already upon her and quickly swung her sword to block.
"You can even cut through a Bankai? But how many times can you use it?"
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