A terrifying giant bird of flame materialized out of thin air.
Its body roared with searing fire, the entirety of its form made from living flame. As its wings spread wide, a wave of blistering heat exploded outward, warping the air itself.
The moment the Shinigami laid eyes on it, fear spread across their faces.
"Is that... the King of Destruction? The one said to wield the power of a million Zanpakutō? The strongest execution weapon in all of Soul Society?"
Even the Shinigami standing far away couldn't help but murmur in awe.
A million Zanpakutō—the mere thought of it sounded like the end of the world.
The entire Seireitei only had about a hundred thousand Shinigami. This bird's strength was the equivalent of ten times that combined. It wasn't just an execution device—it was a force of nature.
Of course, most of them knew the truth. The "million Zanpakutō" was an exaggeration—its strength was closer to a sealed form of overwhelming power rather than an actual count. But that didn't matter. Even restrained, the thing was terrifying.
Quantity breeds quality. Under such immense force, even captains had no choice but to retreat.
"Now that the Destruction King's here, even that guy can't do anything," Sui-Feng muttered, shaking her head.
Even if you ignored the presence of all the captains gathered, this fiery beast alone was a symbol of the Seireitei's invincibility.
The giant firebird let out a shrieking cry, and with flames burning off its wings, it prepared to strike.
It looked as though Rukia Kuchiki would be incinerated in the next instant.
But then—
"BOOM!!!"
A deafening explosion rang out.
All eyes turned toward the Twelfth Division grounds.
The earth split apart, buildings crumbled, and a massive cloud of dust surged into the air. From beneath the cracked ground, a monstrous hand like a dead tree emerged.
Shinigami stared in horror as the Gedo Statue—reborn once again—clawed its way up from the depths and let out a sky-shaking roar.
"It's that monster! But didn't the Captain destroy it with a single slash last time?!"
Several Shinigami recognized the nightmarish form and instantly broke into cold sweat.
The pressure from the Gedo Statue was even greater than that of a Captain. Its titanic body, blotting out the sun, wasn't just for show.
Seeing it, Komamura Sajin couldn't help but gasp. He instinctively looked down at the sword hanging from his waist.
"Can my Bankai—Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō—even stand a chance against something like that...?"
Both his Bankai and the Gedo Statue were giant titans resembling martial gods. But while his Bankai radiated a quiet, noble power, the Gedo Statue overflowed with pure savagery.
And deep down, Komamura knew:
If his Bankai went up against the Gedo Statue... it would be shattered in a matter of moments.
Then, another explosion.
Beside the Gedo Statue, a fully formed Susanoo rose up, glowing with blue light, wings unfurled. It drew in all the surrounding spiritual energy to power itself further.
Its presence was no less terrifying than the Gedo Statue's.
Two giants—towering over everything—strode toward the execution platform. Every step they took crushed the ground and destroyed buildings in their path.
The watching Shinigami felt a chill run down their spines. Their bodies instinctively moved away in fear.
They had no choice but to run.
Against monsters like these, even being near them risked getting flattened just by a careless step.
"That's... a Ryoka!"
Sui-Feng's sharp eyes caught sight of several figures standing on the Gedo Statue's shoulders.
There stood Unohana Retsu, Kurosaki Ichigo, Abarai Renji, Ishida Uryū, Sado Yasutora, Inoue Orihime, and Shiba Ganju.
The captains all turned to look, their faces darkening with tension.
"Unohana Retsu... has joined them!?"
But this was no longer the gentle, healing Captain of old.
This was the first Kenpachi—Unohana in her true form. A demon of battle, a walking storm of death. Among them, only the Head Captain himself could claim a chance of defeating her.
As for Renji and the others... most captains didn't even consider them worth worrying about.
But then Hitsugaya Tōshirō narrowed his eyes.
"The one inside the blue giant's crystal... He's the real problem. His strength has changed. He's grown far more powerful..."
A quiet dread crept over the assembled captains.
When had these Ryoka become such a threat? Without anyone realizing, their power had reached terrifying heights.
The firebird—the Destruction King—let out another shriek. Its burning wings beat harder, and it flew back several dozen meters.
All the captains tensed.
They knew this sign.
The Destruction King was preparing to attack. Its fire was gathering. The final strike was coming—to pierce and obliterate the soul of the condemned.
Qiye saw it too. Cold light flashed in his Rinnegan, and without hesitation, he moved.
The Susanoo unfurled its wings and charged forward through the air.
"You call this execution?""Seireitei... is no place to act high and mighty in front of me!"
Kashiwamura Sajin spoke with rage in his voice, unwilling to let anyone insult his benefactor—the Captain-Commander.
New and old grudges swelled within him. Without hesitation, he released his Bankai.
"Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō!"
The massive black-armored war god materialized beside him, towering and solemn.
Equal in size to the other titans present, the warrior strode forward at Sajin's command—moving straight toward Susanoo.
Other captains stepped forward, ready to assist.
Seeing this, Yamamoto Genryūsai gave a slight nod, judging that it was not yet time to draw his own sword.
Then, the two giants collided.
As the black-armored war god clashed with Susanoo, Qiye let out an impatient scoff and swung his blade.
"Big fox... you're the weakest one here!"
Of all the captains he'd faced, even the young Hitsugaya Tōshirō had exuded more pressure than Kashiwamura Sajin.
"I am a proud member of the werewolf tribe!" Sajin roared in defiance, slashing downward with his soul-slaying sword. His massive avatar mirrored the motion, bringing its great blade crashing down.
The two giant swords collided with an earth-shaking boom.
The impact echoed through all of Seireitei. The shockwave peeled away chunks of the surrounding ground like a storm ripping skin from the earth.
Despite their equal size, the black-armored god staggered backward from the blow, its massive feet digging furrows in the ground. It nearly crashed into the captains standing behind.
But it wasn't over.
Qiye immediately followed up with a second strike—fast, precise, and brutal. The blade cleaved through the air like a blue meteor, burning with spiritual power, and slammed into the black warrior.
"What!?"
Sajin's eyes widened in shock.
KRAK!
A sharp, echoing crack split the battlefield.
Qiye's second slash, delivered with surgical perfection, split the war god nearly in half from crown to navel.
Sajin's face turned pale. Blood spilled from the corner of his mouth. He staggered backward, his strength failing him, before crashing to the ground with a heavy thud.
The black-armored giant vanished with him.
The assembled captains stared in stunned silence.
They had been ready to back up Sajin. But it all happened too fast.
With just two strikes—two—Qiye had overwhelmed and incapacitated a captain.
None of them had even been able to react.
Only Ichimaru Gin, with the lightning-fast Shinsō, might have had the speed to intervene.
But he hadn't moved.
And just like that, a powerful captain had fallen.
"You've done well."
Unohana Retsu's voice was warm with barely restrained admiration.
"You've already begun integrating over eight thousand sword techniques... and found a fighting style that fits you perfectly in the current state..."
Her eyes shone with heat.
She had never seen anyone like him.
A boy who, in less than a month, had mastered forms of swordsmanship that took her hundreds of years to comprehend—and continued to evolve through every battle.
If he kept growing like this, he would eventually surpass even the greatest swordsmen in Soul Society.
Even her.
The day would come when he stripped the title of strongest Kenpachi from Zaraki Kenpachi—and when that day came, she would personally test her blade against the seven Yoruichi.
The thought made her heart race.
Unohana's face flushed. Her hands trembled slightly as she gripped her Zanpakutō.
She wanted to fight. Desperately.
"What... Captain Kashiwamura lost!?"
The Shinigami watching from afar were in disbelief.
There were multiple captains on Sōkyoku Hill—even the Captain-Commander himself. Yet a single outsider had taken down one of them as if it were nothing.
"How can he be so strong?! So many captains, and not one could stop him!"
Cries of outrage broke out.
These were elite Shinigami—men and women who considered humans to be beneath them. But now they were watching helplessly as one human shook the foundations of Soul Society.
If this had been a duel, perhaps it could be excused.
But they had numbers. They had strength. And still—he stood alone and unbending.
Even captains like Kyoraku Shunsui looked grim.
Qiye's display wasn't just a victory—it was a public humiliation.
Even the gentle Ukitake Jūshirō couldn't hide his frown.
"Hahaha! This one's mine! None of you are allowed to interfere—this fight is mine alone!"
Zaraki Kenpachi burst out laughing.
Though he had been defeated by Qiye before, that battle hadn't dulled him. It had sharpened him. His Reiatsu had only grown more terrifying since.
Warning the other captains to stay back, he charged forward with reckless abandon.
Qiye glanced at Kenpachi charging toward him—but said nothing.
Instead, he turned to Sōkyokutai and raised his voice:
"Ichigo... It's time. Go!"
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