After seeing the crimson sphere of light form at Mazuru's fingertips, the expression on Shunsui's face changed drastically.
Of course, he recognized what it was.
"Gran Rey Cero!"
The instant the crimson orb exploded, it transformed into a piercing beam of light that tore through the atmosphere like a divine judgment.
*Zzzt!*
Shunsui barely dodged to the side, his haori fluttering violently as he coated his entire body in dense reiatsu for protection. The radiant flash of destruction grazed past him, narrowly avoiding a fatal blow.
But Mazuru wasn't done.
With a calm breath, a second crimson sphere had already formed at his fingertip—another Gran Rey Cero, launched at terrifying speed.
Though it resembled a standard Cero, fired like the ones used by many Gillian-class hollows, the truth was far more sinister. The concentrated spirit energy within it was packed with layered destruction—an attack that could obliterate a reformed arrancar body in a single blast.
Shunsui's instincts screamed at him as his spiritual perception picked up the overwhelming danger of the incoming blast. He tried to Shunpo to safety.
But the coverage was too wide.
Mazuru, standing at ease, had already begun layering crimson light spheres in the air. More than a dozen Gran Rey Cero attacks ignited in succession, each one bursting into columns of searing red light and vaporizing sections of Hueco Mundo's sand dunes in an instant.
Even with his mastery of Shunpo, Shunsui couldn't avoid them all.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*
One of the beams clipped him. His bamboo hat was flung into the air, charred and shredded. The elegant floral haori he wore was reduced to ribbons, and his body—now drenched in blood—trembled in pain.
As the dense smoke cleared, Mazuru lowered his arm and looked toward Shunsui, who stood barely upright in the swirling dust.
It was clear.
He had overestimated one of the Gotei 13's veteran captains.
"I don't seem to see any advantage in you." Mazuru said plainly, his tone devoid of contempt—just cold truth.
Shunsui didn't respond.
He didn't have the strength to refute the words. Mazuru's indiscriminate bombardment had overwhelmed him completely. And what disturbed him most wasn't the sheer power—it was the terrifying control.
Unlike Cero Metralleta from Starrk, which relied on relentless repetition, Mazuru's attacks were deliberate, precise, and devastatingly efficient.
He raised Katen Kyōkotsu again, blood trailing from his lips, clearly preparing for a desperate last stand.
*Whoosh!*
His figure flashed forward, twin blades arcing toward Mazuru once more.
But Mazuru didn't even flinch.
"An attack of no value."
That was how he evaluated Shunsui's charge.
Knowing he possessed High-Speed Regeneration, such straightforward attacks were utterly meaningless. He didn't bother firing another Gran Rey Cero—instead, he swung his sword in a broad arc.
A blood-red light surged outward—not a mere slash, but a composite wave of overlapping sword energy that condensed into a titanic crescent slash. It crashed into Shunsui's twin blades, swallowing his silhouette in a storm of destructive force.
*BOOM!*
Shunsui's body was flung like a ragdoll across the sand, tumbling as dust and debris followed. His landing buried him partially in the shifting dunes.
"You lose." Mazuru said flatly, already lowering his weapon.
"…Did I lose?"
Shunsui lay in the dust, his thoughts flickering.
He coughed violently, blood spilling from his lips—but then, with a sharp gasp, his eyes refocused with grim resolve.
"No…"
Somehow, from the depths of his battered body, he found strength. He forced himself upright, leaning heavily on his dual swords. Blood dripped freely from his limbs, dyeing the sand crimson.
It looked like he was finished.
But he knew—he still had one option.
As a captain of the Gotei 13, there was one final measure he had not yet used. A trump card shared by all captains.
Bankai.
This was why he had ordered Ashido and Zaraki Kenpachi to take Roka and retreat earlier—not just to protect them, but to clear the battlefield.
Because from the moment he saw Mazuru's monstrous regeneration and monstrous-level power, he had been prepared to resort to this.
Now that he was alone—now that he was on the brink—he no longer hesitated.
*Fwooooom...*
A deep, reverberating hum echoed outward as a chilling reiatsu pulsed from Shunsui's body.
The sky over Hueco Mundo darkened.
The pale light of the artificial sun vanished, devoured by the encroaching gloom.
The air turned frigid, and a deep silence spread as all light, warmth, and color seemed to drain away.
The world itself had changed.
Mazuru's eyes narrowed, a glint of curiosity surfacing in their depths.
"So this is your Bankai?"
He looked around, feeling the spiritual oppression weighing down on him. The very environment now felt melancholic, somber, and cold.
Compared to Mazuru's own barrier-like dominion, this Bankai lacked grandeur, but made up for it with an unsettling eeriness.
"Bankai—"
"Katen Kyōkotsu: Karamatsu Shinjū!" Shunsui said solemnly.
Behind him, a dim, ghostly feminine figure appeared—her shadow merging with the ground like the withered branches of an old pine tree.
Once activated, this Bankai affected everything within its range—friend and foe alike. It was why he had rarely used it in his long career.
Because it was a Bankai that enacted shared fate.
He looked directly at Mazuru and whispered, "Ichidanme — Tameraikizu no Wakachiai(First Act — Hesitance and Apportionment of Wounds)!"
Suddenly, Mazuru staggered.
*Splurt!*
A deep wound tore open across his chest—identical to the one on Shunsui's own body.
His footwork faltered, blood dripping onto the sand.
He glanced down, stunned.
The injury... mirrored Shunsui's almost exactly.
"A fitting name." Mazuru admitted, his voice low. "So… it shares the damage. Clever."
He clenched his teeth as pain wracked his body.
No wonder Shunsui never used this technique lightly. If the rule was shared trauma, then the more broken he appeared, the more damage he would reflect upon the enemy.
Mazuru understood now—Shunsui had been waiting for the perfect moment to activate his Bankai.
If he had used it at full strength, Mazuru could've recovered easily. But now? With Shunsui bleeding and battered, the Bankai brought them both down to a 50-50 standoff.
"You saved this just to die with me?" Mazuru asked, narrowing his eyes.
Shunsui's reply was calm. "If that's what it takes."
*****
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