Ichigo dodged again and again, narrowly avoiding the lava pillars erupting beneath him. But these pillars seemed like they were tracking him—no matter how he moved, they always erupted right where he landed.
Realizing this, Ichigo instantly flash-stepped into the air. As long as he wasn't standing on the ground, the lava couldn't reach him.
But Tenbai Shūsuke had already anticipated this move. In fact, he had attacked from the ground precisely to set this up.
As Ichigo soared into the sky, Tenbai suddenly appeared above him, wielding his massive Raika Gōenka, forming an enormous fireball and hurling it straight at Ichigo.
But his plan had a fatal flaw—his speed.
Wielding such a massive blade dramatically reduced his mobility.
While Tenbai's raw power was among the highest in the Captain class, his speed couldn't compare to Ichigo's, who was a true speed demon. Even though Ichigo was wielding a large sword too, his agility far surpassed Tenbai's expectations.
As the fireball hurtled toward him, Ichigo simply flash-stepped aside with ease.
"Captain Tenbai, seriously?" Ichigo taunted. "You think that could hurt me?"
Tenbai's face darkened. He hadn't expected Ichigo to be this troublesome. Even with Ichigo's Zanpakutō sealed, he still couldn't defeat him.
What shocked him more was that Ichigo's spiritual pressure didn't feel like a Shinigami's at all—more like a Hollow's. It reminded him of the Adjuchas-class Menos he had encountered during missions in Hueco Mundo.
And with this failed ambush, his own weaknesses were fully exposed.
Ichigo began a hit-and-run assault, leveraging his superior speed.
He would slash, vanish, reappear—each strike aimed with surgical precision. His massive sword danced as if it were weightless.
Tenbai tried to block with his left hand and parry with Raika Gōenka, but he was too slow. One of Ichigo's attacks connected—a powerful kick straight to his gut.
Though Tenbai reacted in time to block with his right arm, Ichigo's foot still landed with crushing force, sending him crashing into the ruined remnants of Squad 1's barracks.
He coughed violently, blood trickling from his mouth. That kick almost ruptured his insides.
Realizing he was losing, Tenbai roared and flooded Raika Gōenka with his remaining energy, driving it into the ground again.
"Raika Ryūga (Thunderfire Dragon Fang!)"
Unlike before, this move didn't fire pillars from below. Instead, it conjured a cross-net of lava pillars, completely trapping Ichigo inside.
It looked a lot like Byakuya's Senbonzakura Kageyoshi encirclement from their fight long ago.
"Explode!!" Tenbai shouted.
The lava pillars surrounding Ichigo detonated all at once.
Tenbai gasped for air, utterly drained.
Even with the Bakkōtō's help, using such a massive Bankai consumed a frightening amount of spiritual power.
To be honest, this kind of Bankai—just like Renji's early version—wasn't practical in real combat. It was only thanks to Tenbai's monstrous strength that he could wield it at all.
Most veteran Captains could release Bankai without losing agility.
"This time... you must be dead!" Tenbai growled.
Rurichiyo's face was full of worry as she stared into the thick smoke.
Rukia gently placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Don't worry, Rurichiyo. You may not be able to sense it, but Ichigo's spiritual pressure hasn't dropped a bit."
Sure enough, as the dust cleared, Ichigo stood tall—completely unscathed.
Only a few scorch marks marred his uniform.
Tenbai's eyes widened. "Impossible..."
This fight had shaken his entire worldview. Ichigo kept defying logic, using bizarre abilities and moves that surpassed every expectation.
What really broke him was that Ichigo had taken his Raika Ryūga head-on... and wasn't even scratched.
"That wasn't impossible," Ichigo replied calmly.
"Honestly, your earlier pillar barrage was more dangerous."
"This move spread your power too thin. It blocked my movement, sure—but the trade-off was power. It couldn't even penetrate my uniform."
Tenbai's face darkened, but Ichigo didn't give him a moment to breathe.
He zipped forward again, unleashing a flurry of slashes while circling Tenbai like a spinning top.
Tenbai had no choice but to defend with Raika Gōenka and the Bakkōtō embedded in his right arm.
But he wasn't blind.
He realized Ichigo was targeting his right arm—the one fused with the Bakkōtō. If Ichigo broke it, both his and Yamamoto's powers would be fully restored.
So even if it meant taking a hit, he refused to expose that arm.
But with Ichigo's relentless assault, Tenbai couldn't keep up.
He finally let out a frustrated roar—and just like the others who had used a Bakkōtō before, he began to activate its final phase.
"Stop it!" Ichigo shouted. "If you keep going, it'll devour you!"
He still didn't want Tenbai to die—not before he explained everything.
But Tenbai wasn't worried. His spiritual pressure spiked—but his mind remained clear.
"You underestimate me, Kurosaki Ichigo! I'm not like those other fools!"
"As a Captain-level Shinigami, I've mastered this Bakkōtō! I can suppress its devouring nature with my own will! I only take its power—I don't pay the price!"
Ichigo, however, let out a sigh of relief.
Judging by Yamamoto's expression, there were still truths that needed to be revealed.
"Ha! Ha! Ha!"
Tenbai launched three fireballs straight at Ichigo.
But this time, Ichigo didn't dodge.
"Getsuga Tenshō!"
A massive black wave of energy rocketed forward.
The fireballs merged into the black wave, vanishing without a trace.
The speed of the Getsuga was terrifying. Tenbai had no chance to dodge.
With no other option, he braced himself.
"Raika Gōenka!"
He poured all his energy into his blade, clashing it against the black Getsuga.
Lava erupted.
He screamed.
And in the end—he dispersed the attack just before collapsing.
Tenbai gasped for breath—but before he could recover, Ichigo was already in front of him.
His eyes widened.
Ichigo didn't unleash another Getsuga—he swung his blade.
Tenbai relaxed slightly. This, he could handle.
He blocked with Raika Gōenka, thinking Ichigo must be just as exhausted.
But that's when Ichigo smirked.
He pressed his blade down hard against Tenbai's weapon—then suddenly unleashed a point-blank Getsuga Tenshō!
"Getsuga Tenshō!"
There was no way to dodge.
No way to deflect.
Tenbai threw up his Bakkōtō to shield himself.
BOOM!
Ichigo vanished in a flash, leaving smoke and rubble behind.
"You don't need to hide," Ichigo said calmly. "I controlled the force. You won't die."
Everyone turned toward the smoke.
Sure enough, Tenbai stood where he was, barely breathing.
But the Bakkōtō had shattered.
Its powers vanished.
Raika Gōenka reverted to Shikai.
Tenbai clutched his Asauchi, panting.
His eyes, however, burned with rage as he glared at Yamamoto.
He knew he couldn't kill him.
But the hatred still burned.
"Yamamoto Genryūsai!!"
Tenbai roared in anguish.
The rest of the Captains had arrived by now, drawn by the explosion.
But Tenbai ignored their stares.
He used the last of his strength and charged Yamamoto with his Asauchi in hand.
Even if he died—he would do it while seeking vengeance!
Most of the Captains didn't move. They knew Tenbai could never hurt Yamamoto.
But then something no one expected happened.
Yamamoto stood still.
He didn't dodge.
He didn't block.
He let Tenbai stab him.
The blade pierced Yamamoto's chest.
Tenbai froze—shocked. Then elated.
Kyōraku and Ukitake immediately drew their swords in panic.
But Yamamoto raised a hand. "Do not interfere."
The two were baffled.
Tenbai didn't understand either.
But just as he prepared to strike again, Yoruichi's voice rang out.
"Tenbai Shūsuke, stop. If you want to avenge your father, you're targeting the wrong person."
Her words struck like thunder.
"No... Impossible!"
Tenbai's eyes widened in disbelief.
Yoruichi stepped forward.
"Your father's name was Kisaragi Taigo, correct?"
Tenbai nodded.
"Then it's true. Years ago, your father discovered that the Kasumioji Clan was secretly producing Bakkōtō."
"He immediately reported it to his superior—and mentor—Head-Captain Yamamoto."
"The Head-Captain approved his request to infiltrate the Kasumioji to gather more evidence. He also filed a formal request with the Central 46 to investigate the clan."
"But that request was denied."
"Why? Because the Central 46 is formed by the noble clans. They weren't about to let the Gotei 13 investigate their own."
"Still, your father didn't give up. He infiltrated the Kasumioji estate himself, hoping to gather enough evidence to force their hand."
"But he was discovered. The clan forced him to wield a Bakkōtō. He lost control—and killed many of his comrades."
"In the end, it was your father who begged the Head-Captain to kill him—to atone."
As she spoke, Yoruichi pulled out an official report—a dossier acquired with the Shihōin family's resources.
Everything was written clearly.
Tenbai clutched the file, trembling.
His world crumbled in that moment.
(End of Chapter)
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