"Not even worth as much as dog shit."
The cold, merciless words struck like a slap across Urahara Kisuke's face.
The night wind howled.
In the shadows beneath the building, the composure and forced smile on Urahara Kisuke's face finally collapsed. His eyes, usually hidden beneath the brim of his hat, were filled with sheer terror and disbelief.
He had been completely seen through.
"Mr. Tessai!! Do it!!!"
Urahara Kisuke let out a hoarse roar.
There was no escape. Facing a monster who could erase barriers without even sparing them a glance, turning his back would only hasten death. He could only gamble everything in one desperate strike.
"Understood!"
From the ruins several hundred meters away, the bloodied Tessai Tsukabishi abruptly opened his eyes. He tore away his shredded upper garment as his hands blurred through seals at a speed that pushed far beyond normal limits.
"Forbidden Art: Time Stop!!!"
Hum—!
A strange gray-white radiance erupted outward from Tessai. This was a forbidden Kido, strictly prohibited within the Soul Society—the true trump card of the former Kido Corps Commander.
The light swept across most of Karakura Town, forcibly freezing the rain, the wind, and even the dust suspended in the air.
The world fell into absolute stillness.
"Haa… haa…"
Urahara Kisuke gasped, cold sweat pouring down his face. He alone was exempt from the effect—Tessai had deliberately spared him.
Without hesitation, Urahara drew the Zanpakuto concealed within his cane. A terrifying Spiritual Pressure surged forth, far surpassing that of an ordinary captain.
"Scream! Benihime!!!"
Boom!
A blinding crimson light erupted from the blade.
"Blood Mist Shield!"
"Razor Benihime!!!"
Urahara Kisuke pushed his power to the absolute limit, unleashing offense and defense simultaneously. A massive semicircular crimson barrier formed before him, while a fearsome sword wave capable of cleaving mountains tore through the frozen night sky, slashing straight toward Tobirama on the temple balcony.
Time Stop control.
The ultimate killing blow.
"Did I get him?!" Urahara Kisuke stared at the balcony, veins bulging in his bloodshot eyes.
Then—
A cold, disdainful chuckle echoed through the frozen world.
"Heh."
"Playing with the law of time in front of me?"
"You rats crawling in the gutter truly don't know how to spell the word 'death.'"
What?!
Urahara Kisuke's scalp went numb. Every hair on his body stood on end.
On the balcony, Uchiha Tobirama—who should have been completely frozen—was lazily rising from his recliner. The deep purple Rinnegan in his eyes spun wildly, the six tomoe rotating at a speed beyond perception.
Hum—!
A terrifying, higher-dimensional authority over time and space descended.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The Time Stop domain shattered like fragile glass, collapsing in less than a heartbeat. Control over time was seized outright—overwhelmed and reversed.
"Aaah—!"
The backlash struck Tessai instantly. His body convulsed violently as he was flung back into the ruins, collapsing motionless, his condition unknown.
"Mr. Tessai!!!" Urahara Kisuke shouted in despair.
But he had no time to turn back.
His full-power crimson sword wave had already reached Tobirama.
Facing a blow capable of killing a captain outright, Tobirama didn't move his feet. He didn't use ninjutsu or Kido.
He simply raised one slender right hand and reached forward.
Bang—!!!
A deafening impact echoed through the night.
The terrifying crimson sword wave was caught—barehanded.
Armament Haki flowed calmly across Tobirama's palm.
"This is your trump card?" he sneered.
"Too weak."
Crack!
His fingers closed.
The sword wave shattered like brittle glass, dispersing into countless red particles that scattered on the wind.
"Impossible…!"
Urahara Kisuke's legs gave out. He nearly collapsed where he stood.
Bare hands—crushing Benihime's strongest strike?!
Even Yamamoto Genryusai would never dare receive such a blow with his physical body alone.
Swish!
Before Urahara could even process the shock, space twisted.
Tobirama appeared directly in front of him.
Less than half a meter away.
That overwhelming pressure pinned Urahara in place, suffocating him completely.
"No… don't…"
Instinctively, Urahara raised Benihime to block his chest.
Tobirama glanced at the blade.
"Benihime?"
"Scrap metal."
Crack—!
A sharp, brutal sound rang out.
Before Urahara's eyes, Benihime snapped in half. Tobirama applied slight pressure, and the broken blade crumbled into fine metallic dust within his grasp.
"Pfft—!"
The Zanpakuto was bound to Urahara's soul. The moment it was destroyed, agony tore through him. He spat blood, his hat falling to the ground as he collapsed to his knees before Tobirama.
He was finished.
His intellect was meaningless.
His strategies were crushed with a glance.
His Zanpakuto was reduced to dust by bare hands.
Kneeling in the rain-soaked ground, Urahara looked up at Tobirama like a mortal gazing upon an unapproachable god.
"Kill me…" he whispered hoarsely.
"Kill you?" Tobirama looked down at him with pure contempt.
"Trash like you isn't worth dirtying my hands."
He raised his boot, hovering it over Urahara's chest—the core of a Shinigami's power.
"Death would be mercy."
Bang!!!
The stomp came down.
A sharp, hollow cracking echoed from within Urahara's body.
"Aaahhhh—!!!"
His power collapsed instantly, draining away beyond recovery.
In moments, the former captain, the famed mastermind of the Soul Society, was reduced to a powerless mortal.
Urahara Kisuke lay motionless in the rain, eyes empty.
Tobirama turned away, his dark-gold Hokage cloak billowing in the wind.
"Keep your eyes open," he said coldly.
"Watch closely how I trample your so-called Soul Society beneath my feet."