The tragedy before him, combined with Aiyan's blatant arrogance and his disregard for the Tsunayashiro name, caused Tsunayashiro Nakahara's fury to erupt.
"Bankai!"
Driven by murderous intent colder than steel and monstrous rage, he resisted the soul-tearing pain from Hollowfication. Reiatsu surged wildly from his body, and the blade in his hand pointed directly at Aiyan.
However—
Whoosh!
Before his Bankai could even fully activate, a blinding golden light engulfed his vision, like sunlight breaking through dust, washing away all sense of direction. In his ears, only one thing remained — a voice dripping with mockery:
"Have you ever experienced a Light speed kick?"
In the next instant, Aiyan stepped forward at the speed of light, his foot dragging golden photons across the air as he landed a kick squarely on Tsunayashiro Nakahara's face.
There was no time to even process the pain of blindness before the light-speed kick sent him flying. The half-formed Bankai shattered. Even the Zanpakutō in his hand was kicked away. He himself was launched by the force of Aiyan's light-speed kick, hurtling through the air.
Boom!
Tsunayashiro was sent flying over a hundred meters, colliding with several Hollowfied elders along the way before finally crashing into a pile of rubble, setting off a pillar of skyward dust.
Upon landing, he tumbled like a broken doll before barely coming to a stop.
Crack—
A sound like silk tearing echoed. The Hollow mask on Tsunayashiro Nakahara's face shattered into pieces.
"You heads of the Four Noble Houses… you're really terrifying."
Just as Tsunayashiro's Zanpakutō was about to hit the ground, Aiyan casually reached out and caught it. He twirled the blade with a playful look.
Poof!
Nakahara, who had just barely caught his breath after being kicked half to death, suddenly coughed up another mouthful of blood mist. Whether it was from anger or injury, it was hard to say.
"Forgive me, Master Aiyan."
"It's my fault."
"I actually made you take action yourself."
Only now did Tōsen Kaname react and hurriedly step forward to take responsibility.
In his eyes, after being granted Hollow powers by Aizen, there should be no reason for Aiyan to personally get involved.
"It's fine."
"Even if you'd released your sword, taking down the head of the Tsunayashiro clan after he activated Bankai wouldn't have been easy."
"His Zanpakutō is still too dangerous for you right now. Once Bankai is released, if he lands even a single hit, not even High-Speed Regeneration could save you."
Aiyan shook his head, not blaming Tōsen Kaname at all.
"A man at death's door, used merely as a hollow experiment… he's not worth your life."
As if growing tired of playing, Aiyan casually dropped Tsunayashiro Nakahara's Zanpakutō to the ground like tossing away a worn-out toy.
Tōsen Kaname remained silent, but his heart warmed. His loyalty to Aiyan was not etched in his bones — it was engraved in his soul.
On the other side—
Tsunayashiro Nakahara, hearing Aiyan refer to him — the dignified head of a Four Noble Clan — as nothing more than a Hollow experiment, was stunned. Then, rage surged through him again.
That very emotional surge caused his Hollowfication to accelerate instantly. The mask that had just been shattered began to rapidly reform, and his Reiatsu spiked. But unlike the earlier Kuchiki Ginrei, he had not lost his mind entirely.
His personality, however, became more violent and bloodthirsty than ever.
"Lord Aiyan."
"Lord Aizen."
"There are a total of thirty-five members of the Tsunayashiro main and branch families who have undergone Hollowfication. Of those, three survived."
Yamada Seinosuke swept his gaze across the battlefield and reported flatly.
"Three?"
"That's already quite good."
"It shows that compared to the Kuchiki incident, Hollowfication has matured significantly. Even without relying on Hōgyoku, it's possible to successfully Hollowfy individuals."
Though the success rate — three out of thirty-five — was still extremely low, Aizen seemed quite satisfied.
After all, once the Hōgyoku's power is applied, the success rate becomes 100%.
The reason they insisted on hosting another Hollow Feast within the Tsunayashiro clan, aside from settling scores with Tokinada, was to experiment on the degree of Reiatsu enhancement post-Hollowfication.
As the head of one of the Four Noble Houses, Tsunayashiro's Reiatsu — after Hollowfication — had doubled in strength compared to Kuchiki Ginrei's results.
"Very good."
"Clan Head Tsunayashiro… and everyone else."
"As a gesture of thanks—"
"I'll personally raise my sword and send you on your way."
As Aizen spoke, he slowly drew his Zanpakutō from its sheath.
"Who do you think you are?"
"You're just a lieutenant. Your brother may have some qualifications, but you—"
"Aizen Sōsuke, if you want to talk like that, come back after a hundred years of practice!"
Tsunayashiro Nakahara stood up. From the broken stump of his arm, white Reiatsu gushed out, and in a blink, the arm that had been blasted off by Cero had regenerated fully.
At the same time—
The two other Tsunayashiro elders who had survived the Hollowfication gathered around him. The three of them encircled Aizen in a triangular formation.
"Brother, since the Nakahara Clan Head insists, and you handled Kuchiki last time, why not let me do it this time?"
Aizen wasn't angered. Instead, he gave a faint smile. But behind the framed glasses, his gaze had turned icy.
Only Aiyan could say such words lightly.
As for others?
They would receive the full grace of Kyōka Suigetsu… and a complete feast of the demon sword Muramasa.
"Up to you."
Aiyan glanced at Tsunayashiro Nakahara with a pitiful expression.
To die by his hand meant an instant death — no chance to feel fear or pain before facing oblivion.
But to fall to Aizen…
That was suffering of both body and mind before death granted mercy.
"Shatter—"
"Kyōka Suigetsu…"
"Whisper — Demon Sword Muramasa."
As the release phrase and Shikai name fell, the faces of all three Tsunayashiro elders immediately changed.
Though the release chant had altered, how could they forget the name Muramasa?
It was by relying on Muramasa and his auditory illusion that Kuchiki Ginrei had stolen the noble clan leadership from Tsunayashiro in the past.
"Throw away your Zanpakutō!"
Without hesitation, Tsunayashiro Nakahara hurled the sword he had just retrieved.
At the same time, he released Reiatsu in all directions to detect any potential ambush by a materialized Zanpakutō.
As the overseer of Central 46's Great Spirit Book Gallery, how could he not know Muramasa's ability?
Once Shikai is activated, the wielder's Zanpakutō rebels — takes over the user's body — and slaughters its own master.
The two other elders mirrored his actions immediately.
They all flung their blades far away, not daring to keep them in hand.
Poof—
Just as all three of them were on high alert, scanning their surroundings for a sneak attack—
Three blades pierced through their left chests.
Blood spilled down like syrup, splattering across the stone floor.
"No… impossible!"
Tsunayashiro Nakahara looked down in disbelief at the blade that had pierced his heart.
His chest — the heart — had been instantly torn open. Half his torso had turned into dust and slag.
He had studied this ability for over a hundred years—
And yet now, even that was utterly unrecognizable...
...
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