"So that's how it is."
Isshin stroked his chin, putting on an enlightened expression.
But from the 'wise' look in his eyes, Kyoya could tell that Isshin hadn't actually grasped the hidden implications behind the incident.
"Tsukabishi-dono."
"I'll leave these three Hollows to you. Please escort them to the 12th Division and hand them over to Captain Urahara."
At this point, Kyoya didn't bother explaining further to Isshin. Instead, he turned to Tessai with his request.
As the Captain of the 11th Division, his responsibility was combat missions.
Now that the Hollows appearing in this area had been captured by Kyoya, the follow-up matters would need to be handled by the 12th Division and the intelligence division. The rest had nothing to do with him.
Kyoya also had no intention of interfering in the confrontation between Aizen and Kisuke at this time.
Of course, if Aizen deliberately sought to clash with him, Kyoya wouldn't mind testing the depths of Aizen's abilities.
"No problem."
Seeing Tessai agree, Kyoya waved his hand, and the chains binding the three Adjuchas-class Hollows instantly dissolved into light and vanished...
Freed from their restraints, the three Adjuchas, whose injuries had partially healed, rose to their feet, ready to attack the other three again.
As for Kyoya…
Well, they were Hollows, but not mindless Gillian-class Menos… they were Adjuchas, who are still on the path of evolution.
Kyoya had defeated them in an instant earlier, so they naturally had no intention of seeking another beating by targeting him again.
'But these two newcomers and the little girl… surely they couldn't be as strong as that guy, right?'
'That man had made it clear: if we didn't cause some chaos in Seireitei, we would face punishment upon returning.'
Having witnessed the fate of the Hollows used as test subjects by that man, these three Adjuchas would rather die fighting in Seireitei than return to Las Noches in disgrace without making any waves, only to suffer his wrath.
However, once again, they had chosen the wrong opponents.
In terms of raw power, Tessai might not be Kyoya's equal.
But when it comes to methods of dealing with enemies, Tessai is not inferior at all.
To be able to become a Great Kido Chief, Tessai's mastery in Kido must be among the best.
Tessai clapped his hands together and shouted, "Bakudo #99, Kin!"
In an instant, countless white bandages materialized around the three Hollows, swiftly wrapping around them.
In just two seconds, the three Adjuchas were completely bound, mummified by the bandages, rendered utterly immobile.
Kido, for Shinigami, was a power system no less formidable than Zanpakuto.
A master of Kido, even without a Zanpakuto, could still be a terrifying force.
Bakudo #99 is considered the highest level of Bakudo.
Even a Vasto Lorde-class Hollow, once restrained by a Bakudo #99, would find it difficult to break free.
"Whoa! As expected of the Great Kido Chief."
Isshin, who is standing nearby, exclaimed in shock, patting his chest: "To cast a Bakudo #99 without even chanting..."
The difficulty of mastering Kido far surpassed that of achieving Zanpakuto's Bankai.
On average, the Gotei 13 produced one genius Shinigami with Captain-level strength every fifty years.
If a Shinigami was hailed as a once-in-a-century prodigy, they were undoubtedly capable of reaching Captain-level.
However, a true master of Kido appeared even less frequently, perhaps only once every hundred years.
As the Captain of the 10th Division, Isshin naturally had some knowledge of Kido.
But his own proficiency in Kido-
Well... it left much to be desired.
Previously, Isshin hadn't encountered many Kido specialists… or rather, Shinigami like Yamamoto and Unohana, who possessed immense skill in Kido, rarely demonstrated it in front of him.
This had left him somewhat ignorant of the true heights of advanced Kido.
But now, witnessing Tessai effortlessly seal three Adjuchas-level Hollows with a non-chanted Bakudo #99, Isshin's eyes were truly opened.
As for Kyoya, he didn't show much expression.
Indeed, as a Great Kido Chief, Tessai's mastery of Kido is extraordinary.
However, in the future, there will be Azashiro continuously releasing the Hado #91, [Itto Kaso], a hundred times in a row, and Aizen unleashing the most powerful Kido-
Hado #99, [Goryutenmetsu].
Compared to these two, Tessai's feats as the Great Kido Chief do seem somewhat lacking.
Of course, this is purely in terms of the destructive power of Kido.
When it comes to the depth of research and understanding of Kido, Tessai undoubtedly surpasses Azashiro.
He might even surpass Aizen.
After all, Tessai is the only character in the entire Bleach Series who has successfully cast the forbidden Kido spell, [Jikanteishi].
Hearing Isshin's words, Tessai's expression remained completely unchanged, as if he didn't take the Captain's praise to heart at all. This left Isshin feeling a bit awkward.
However, Isshin was naturally a carefree person. After spending this time traveling together, he had already gotten a sense of Tessai's personality, so he didn't dwell on it too much.
"Captain Shiba, Tsukabishi-dono."
"Since matters here are settled, I'll take my leave now."
"If you need me for anything else later, just send a message to the 11th Division."
With that, Kyoya didn't wait for a response from the three of them. Transforming into a streak of golden light, he vanished.
At full speed, Kyoya returned to the 11th Division in just over ten seconds.
Without even taking the time to explain anything to Rangiku, Kyoya entered the Captain's quarters, set up a barrier, and sat down cross-legged.
Perhaps Kyoya's luck had finally turned, or perhaps it was the result of accumulated effort finally paying off.
After using his Bankai this time, Kyoya suddenly felt a resonance between his Observation Haki and his light-based abilities.
Because of this, after handing the three Adjuchas over to Tessai, Kyoya immediately rushed back to the 11th Division to begin secluded training.
No matter the circumstances, the strength of one's own abilities always comes first.
As for everything else… so long as one possesses sufficient power, there are almost no difficulties in this world that cannot be overcome.
A faint golden glow emanated from Kyoya's body.
However, this time, the light surrounding him wasn't the result of concentrated spiritual particles. Instead, it appeared to be ordinary light itself.
As a user of the Pika Pika no Mi, Kyoya had essentially achieved what would be considered [Awakening] in the One Piece World after completing his Zanpakuto's Bankai Training.
Awakening a Devil Fruit allows the user to assimilate their surroundings with their abilities.
For example, after Luffy awakened his powers, he could turn even lightning, fire, the ground, and light into rubber… either gripping them in his hands or reshaping them to reflect enemy attacks.
Doflamingo could transform the ground around him into controllable 'strings', drastically enhancing his combat capabilities...
Logia-type Devil Fruits are ranked first among the three types of Devil Fruits precisely because they are the manifestation of natural phenomena in the world.
Simply by consuming a Logia-type Devil Fruit, the user can influence their surroundings.
Upon awakening, this ability is greatly amplified, expanding the range of the user's control.
For instance, Kuzan could instantly freeze an entire stretch of ocean spanning hundreds of kilometers.
The battles between two Marine Admirals could permanently alter an island's environment and climate.
However, compared to abilities like ice and magma, light doesn't seem to have much impact on weather or climate… aside from speed.
After all, no matter how strong Borsalino is, he can't create phenomena like the midnight sun or polar night.
In the Bleach World, after achieving Bankai, Kyoya's control over light expanded exponentially.
One could even say that, if he wished, he could manipulate all the 'light' in the Soul Society.
But for Kyoya, this still wasn't enough!
He wanted to fuse his abilities with Haki, making himself even stronger.
Enel combined his Observation Haki with the Goro Goro no Mi to develop the [Mantra], an Observation Haki that could cover the entire Skypiea, allowing him to monitor everything happening there in real time. (T/N: In fact, Mantra is just another name of Observation Haki, and Enel's named subordinates can use it.)
Whenever he detected someone violating his laws, he would immediately deliver 'divine punishment'.
If Kyoya could fuse his Observation Haki with the Pika Pika no Mi's abilities, his power would undoubtedly undergo a dimensional leap, putting him on par with entities like Ichigo Kurosaki, the [Miniature Soul King].
After all, Kyoya's current strength is built upon two foundations.
The Shinigami Power System is based on physical prowess + swordsmanship + Reiatsu.
The One Piece World System is based on physical prowess + swordsmanship + Haki.
Currently, Kyoya can indeed combine physical prowess + swordsmanship + Reiatsu, then further enhance his physical attacks with Haki to deliver his strongest strikes.
However, because Haki and Reiatsu belong to entirely different systems, they are fundamentally incompatible, and at best, they can only achieve a simple additive effect of 1+1=2.
But once Kyoya successfully merges his Haki with his Devil Fruit Abilities, he will be able to fuse Reiatsu, Devil Fruit Powers, and Haki into a unified force through the Pika Pika no Mi's capabilities.
Only then will Kyoya achieve his most perfect form.
Moreover, once he completes the fusion of his abilities and Haki, even if Rangiku hasn't yet reached Captain-level strength, Kyoya can begin executing his plans.
After all, at that point, Kyoya will be capable of monitoring the entire Soul Society in real time.
As long as Rangiku remains within the Soul Society, she will be under Kyoya's perception, ensuring she faces no life-threatening danger.
Because Kyoya will be able to eliminate any threat to Rangiku before it even reaches her.
…
"Kyoya…"
Outside the Captain's quarters, Rangiku glanced at the barrier-sealed room, her eyes flickering with worry.
Her right hand unconsciously rested on the hilt of her Zanpakuto.
Never before had Rangiku felt such self-loathing for her own weakness.
Three days ago, after returning from a Captains' Meeting, Captain Kyoya had locked himself inside his office.
No one knew what had happened that day.
At the same time, a shocking incident had erupted in the Seireitei.
Urahara Kisuke, the 12th Division's Captain had been conducting forbidden experiments, specifically, Hollowfication experiments, on multiple high-ranking Shinigami.
They're none other than Captain Otoribashi of the 3rd Division, Captain Hirako of the 5th Division, Captain Aikawa of the 7th Division, Captain Muguruma of the 9th Division, Lisa of the 8th Division, Kuna Mashiro of the 9th Division, and the Vice Kido Chief, Hachigen. (T/N: It's written Sarugaki Hiyori of 12th Division, but since Hiyori is with Kyoya, I assumed it was a typo and changed it to Kuna Mashiro, who is also a Visored in the original work.)
These four Captains and three Lieutenant-level officers had already succumbed to Hollowfication and were sealed away by Tessai using the forbidden Kido spell, [Jikanteishi].
Furthermore, according to intelligence gathered by the 2nd and 8th Divisions, conclusive evidence of Kisuke's Hollowfication experiments had been discovered in the 12th Division's barracks and an underground facility beneath the Seireitei.
It was said that Kisuke had already been arrested.
Alongside him, Tessai, who had violated Seireitei's laws by casting the forbidden Kido spell, [Jikanteishi], had also been taken into custody.
For the past three days, alarms had been sounding intermittently across the Seireitei. Zaraki had been attending the Captains' Meetings in Kyoya's stead, representing the 11th Division.
Neither the 11th Division's members nor the other Captains had any objections to this.
Given Kenpachi's strength, treating him as the de facto Captain of the 11th Division was hardly an issue.
It was through Yachiru that Rangiku had learned these classified details.
Of course, Rangiku didn't care about any of those people.
What she feared was whether Kyoya had also fallen victim to Kisuke's schemes… whether Hollow's Reiatsu had been forcibly implanted into his body.
After all, the timing of Kyoya's seclusion coincided almost perfectly with the Seireitei's announcement of Urahara's Hollowfication experiments.
Now, due to the barrier, Rangiku had no way of knowing Kyoya's condition inside the Captain's quarters.
She didn't know what she would do once Kyoya emerged.
Would she have to purify him as a Hollow?
Would she let a Hollowfied Kyoya escape?
Or… would she die at the hands of a Hollow-transformed Kyoya?
Anxiety gnawed at her as she paced outside the sealed room.
On one hand, she had to prevent others from noticing anything amiss with Kyoya.
On the other, she had to monitor the barrier's fluctuations, ready to assess Kyoya's state the moment it shifted.
…
'Should I tell Gin…?'
The thought crossed Rangiku's mind.
This was another dilemma for her.
After Gin left the 11th Division, Kyoya had warned Rangiku not to reveal her relationship with Gin. Otherwise, it might put Gin in grave danger.
Though Rangiku didn't fully understand why maintaining contact with Gin would endanger him, she trusted that Kyoya wouldn't lie to her without reason.
This likely had something to do with that private conversation between Kyoya and Gin… the one they'd had without her.
Gin and Kyoya were definitely hiding something from her.