The Dangai was once a forbidden zone for all Shinigami—a place even more terrifying than Hueco Mundo.
But now, that conclusion… seemed to have been broken.
"This is the Dangai. A Shinigami's power can't possibly be fully released here—let alone create a space on this scale inside the Dangai!"
With reality right in front of him, Kobe Shiya—like most people—still struggled in his dying throes, as if trying to convince himself that none of this was real.
Behind him, Yushima Ōko only gave a soft snort. This Kobe Shiya had no idea what Yushima Ōko was truly capable of—
"Then that just means you—"
Before the word "don't" could even leave his mouth, Yushima Ōko's pupils shrank sharply.
Because Kobe Shiya, still stepping through burning flames, had already arrived right in front of him.
It was the opening posture of a slash Yushima Ōko knew all too well. And the terrifying Reiatsu gathering around Kobe Shiya screamed that this strike would be anything but ordinary.
"So the things he said just now… were only to lull us?"
When had Yushima Ōko ever fought in a battle filled with this kind of scheming?
Compared to Kisaragi Shūsuke—who had followed Higashino Shuuichi through all sorts of places over the years, and had also spent a long time alone protecting Matsumoto Rangiku and Kabuma Sayako while they lived over at the West Administration—Yushima Ōko's combat experience couldn't be called rich at all.
He only had experience bullying weaklings to draw on.
He had no guard up at all.
"I can drop him in one hit!"
A smug smile spread across Kobe Shiya's mouth. As expected, compared to the seasoned Higashino Shuuichi, the suddenly appearing 11th Division vice-captain Yushima Ōko was much easier to bully.
He had to twist this absolutely unfavorable two-versus-one into a one-versus-one—only then would he have even a sliver of hope to live.
Unfortunately, before his slash could even rise—
a gigantic black coffin erupted from the ground beneath Kobe Shiya's feet and swallowed him whole.
Hadō no Kyūjū: Kurohitsugi (Black Coffin)!
Kobe Shiya had calculated that Yushima Ōko wouldn't react in time.
But what he hadn't calculated was that Higashino Shuuichi not only could react in time—he could also respond in time.
"Shuuichi-sama, I—"
The delay created by Kurohitsugi gave Yushima Ōko a chance to breathe. He used Shunpō and arrived at Higashino Shuuichi's side, ready to self-criticize—
only to realize Higashino Shuuichi's gaze wasn't even on him.
…Fine. In front of Higashino Shuuichi, Yushima Ōko was very good at reading the room.
He shut his mouth and silently retreated into the shadows according to the original plan.
If he'd known, he wouldn't have come out to show off.
Now look—he didn't get to show off at all, and he probably lost points in Shuuichi-sama's eyes.
Damn it… Kisaragi Shūsuke got the advantage again!
(Kisaragi Shūsuke: I didn't even do anything?)
In the distance, at the spot where Yushima Ōko had been standing, that terrifying slash arrived right on schedule—
only it was arriving for Higashino Shuuichi.
The massive black coffin was like tofu in front of that slash—shattered instantly.
Honestly, it was a very strange phenomenon: Kurohitsugi was clearly ranked at #90, a taboo-class Kidō (Demon Arts) of overwhelming power… but ever since Higashino Shuuichi mastered it, it had never once directly one-shot an enemy.
It was always just an enemy's backdrop.
Ah… how nice it would be to have a record of "one Kurohitsugi, one captain"~
Still—this time, Kurohitsugi fulfilled its basic duty brilliantly.
"Such a shame—just a tiny bit more!"
Stepping out from the shattered remnants, Kobe Shiya walked forward, leaving burning footprints with every step.
His body was already beginning to lightly combust in multiple places from the extreme heat.
Seeing that, Higashino Shuuichi recalled some documents he'd looked up not long ago, and another bold guess surfaced in his mind.
"I've only heard that your Zanpakutō's Shikai is called Jūshi. I don't know the exact effect… but I'm guessing the Shikai you're about to use won't be Jūshi, right?"
Higashino Shuuichi could've simply unfolded Bankai and erased Kobe Shiya instantly in his strongest form.
But just as he'd said earlier—he wanted to see what Kobe Shiya's trump card actually was.
It would also help him prepare in advance for the more complicated situations he might face later.
Unless Kobe Shiya could, like that Fullbringer from the World of the Living, completely ignore reason and drag Higashino Shuuichi into another world—
then with Higashino Shuuichi, plus Yushima Ōko, Kisaragi Shūsuke, and Kabuma Sayako standing by, this lineup was so luxurious that even Aizen showing up would have to think twice.
But Kobe Shiya didn't know Higashino Shuuichi's cards. All he could see was that Higashino Shuuichi had withdrawn the suddenly appearing Yushima Ōko—
and now, within this space, there were only two people: him and Higashino Shuuichi.
Higashino Shuuichi was too arrogant!
He had a two-versus-one advantage and didn't even use it!
But that was exactly Kobe Shiya's chance!
"I'll make you understand the price of underestimating me!"
Kobe Shiya grinned to himself.
With the pressure and restrictions from the Dangai and that special corridor fully lifted, Kobe Shiya felt his body's condition reach an unprecedented peak.
Kill Higashino Shuuichi and step into the peak of life—today!
"HAHAHAHA! Higashino Shuuichi, then open your eyes wide and watch!
And repent in boundless terror!
This… is my true form!
All things in the world—return to ash!
Ryūjin Jakka!"
In an instant, Kobe Shiya's upper clothing completely evaporated under the blazing heat of his Zanpakutō's release. The scorched ground beneath his feet began turning red-hot, as if magma might erupt the very next second.
But Kobe Shiya's smile didn't last long.
It froze—then slowly twisted into something feral.
Because Higashino Shuuichi's expression didn't turn to fear from that release—not even surprise.
If anything, Kobe Shiya felt like Higashino Shuuichi's eyes said: Just as I thought.
Impossible!
He must be acting!
Yes—exactly!
Someone as calculating as Higashino Shuuichi… how could he reveal his true emotions that easily?!
"Heh heh… you're deliberately keeping your face blank, aren't you?
So fake, Higashino Shuuichi!
How could anyone see my Zanpakutō release—identical to the Gotei 13 Captain-Commander, the Shinigami hailed as the strongest in Soul Society in a thousand years, Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni—and not react at all?!
Your acting is way too fake!"
Kobe Shiya raised the Zanpakutō in his hand—burning red-hot, its blade scorching the air around it—and pointed it at Higashino Shuuichi as he shouted.
Higashino Shuuichi only let out a quiet, dismissive scoff.
"First, your Zanpakutō release isn't identical to Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni's. You might fool Shinigami who've never seen the Captain-Commander release his Zanpakutō… but fooling me? You're still a bit short.
The Captain-Commander's Zanpakutō release wouldn't look like this—where you can't control a power so strong it constantly overflows."
Kobe Shiya glanced at the ground under his feet, glowing red from the heat, at the ring of flames he couldn't suppress around his blade, at the rapidly rising temperature—
his face turned ashen.
Higashino Shuuichi had nailed it in a single sentence: with Kobe Shiya's real strength, he truly couldn't control this power.
Ignoring Kobe Shiya's expression, Higashino Shuuichi continued.
"Second, it's extremely coincidental—I happened to visit the 12th Division recently, and by chance I saw a research report about past 12th Division captains. In it, I saw a former 12th Division captain with a very interesting profile—his name was Miyazaki Sakai Masato.
Since he was also a 'traitor' of Soul Society, I naturally paid him a little more attention… and so I learned his Zanpakutō ability.
If I remember correctly, his Zanpakutō's Shikai allows him to modify a living organism however he wants.
And if you know my past well enough, you might know that in the World of the Living, I once fought a younger version of the Captain-Commander."
There were things Higashino Shuuichi didn't say outright—but the meaning was already there. Kobe Shiya wasn't stupid enough to miss that subtext.
"Third—and most importantly—Shiya-san, I hope you won't misunderstand. The reason I was willing to serve as Grand Blade-Hunting Chief in Soul Society wasn't because I couldn't challenge the Captain-Commander's position.
It was because I simply didn't want to.
You wouldn't naïvely think the Captain-Commander's power is invincible under the heavens, would you?"
The more Kobe Shiya listened, the more cold sweat poured from his head—only it couldn't be seen, because it evaporated the instant it formed under that terrifying heat.
So… could Higashino Shuuichi actually defeat the Captain-Commander?
Impossible!
Kobe Shiya refused to accept that reality Higashino Shuuichi painted.
Of course, almost no one would accept it in this situation.
So the best way… was to teach him with facts.
Higashino Shuuichi stepped forward just half a step.
His figure remained where it was—
but a flash of steel appeared right in front of Kobe Shiya.
Chōgetsu (Moon-Plucking)!
That narrow void-space forged from countless threads of ultra-compressed special Reiatsu briefly scrambled Kobe Shiya's sense of space.
In Kobe Shiya's vision, the world suddenly fell into a deathly, silent darkness—
and when light and flame returned, his entire left arm had already been shredded apart by a pitch-black Reiatsu.
But it wasn't severed off.
That result surprised Higashino Shuuichi—
yet at the same time, it also made perfect sense.
"It's that special Reishi constructs, isn't it?"
Higashino Shuuichi murmured, and inside Kobe Shiya's heart, it kicked up a storm.
The last scraps of delusion in him shattered in that instant.
"You… you know everything?"
Kobe Shiya had lost all his earlier confidence. What filled him now was terror—the terror of having everything about him seen through, stripped bare.
Higashino Shuuichi looked into Kobe Shiya's sharply constricting pupils and, in the reflection of his eyes, saw the smile on his own face.
"Before, I wasn't sure. Now I am~"
It was obvious: Kobe Shiya had been secretly sent by Tsunayashiro Kamihara to the West Administration for special modification.
The executor was likely that former 12th Division captain Miyazaki Sakai Masato.
And the "product" used was probably the young version of Yamamoto who had once fought Higashino Shuuichi in the World of the Living—who later successfully escaped alongside the Fullbringers.
Because it wasn't a Shinigami body—being a Reigai (spiritual replica body) made purely from spiritual power—so long as sufficient spiritual power was supplied, it could indeed achieve an effect similar to Higashino Shuuichi's infinite regeneration.
That was also why, back then, when the First Generation captain Sakahone Saizō was defeated by Higashino Shuuichi in the Dangai and his soul returned to Hell, his Reigai body could still remain intact and be used normally in the "deal with Rukia" incident.
Moreover, with just a little guidance, that spiritual power could also reinforce the Reigai itself.
Normally, no Shinigami would do such a thankless thing—
because a Shinigami's capacity to mobilize spiritual power was ultimately limited.
But if someone possessed limitless spiritual power… then it was a different story.
Obviously, whether it was the young version of Yamamoto back then or the modified Kobe Shiya now, they shared that advantage.
And that… was likely the confidence behind Kobe Shiya's arrogance.
"Heh… if you know that, then you should also know… that I can't be killed!"
Kobe Shiya forced out a smile.
"If you can't be killed, then why aren't you making a move? I'm this close to you.
The Captain-Commander's Taimatsu (Torchlight), Jōkaku Enjō (Castle Conflagration), Shakunetsu Jigoku (Scorching Hell)… or that Nadegiri you used to cut through my Kurohitsugi—pick one. Use it~"
Higashino Shuuichi stared him down at point-blank range, eyes locked with his.
"Not that you don't want to… but that you don't dare. Right?
Because the Reigai truly won't perish—but your soul will die.
You've already lost your original body. If you also lose your soul… then you cease to exist."
Seeing Kobe Shiya couldn't answer at all, Higashino Shuuichi fully understood it now: Kobe Shiya was probably a transitional product—somewhere between Sakahone Saizō and that dull, young-version Yamamoto from before.
Miyazaki Sakai Masato had likely used the technical accumulation gained from Kobe Shiya to later create those first-generation captain puppets that surpassed even the originals.
It was even possible that Tsunayashiro Kamihara had sent more than just Kobe Shiya to Miyazaki Sakai Masato at the West Administration—
and only Kobe Shiya had survived.
That fit Tsunayashiro Kamihara's style perfectly.
"Don't think you've seen through everything!
I'm warning you, Higashino Shuuichi—at worst, we die together!"
Kobe Shiya had completely lost his informational advantage. Even holding a Shikai that mimicked Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni, he still didn't dare make a reckless move against Higashino Shuuichi at point-blank range.
Because he truly… didn't want to die.
Unfortunately, if Kobe Shiya refused to choose—
then Higashino Shuuichi would choose for him.
"Then try it."
As he spoke, Higashino Shuuichi lightly pressed his left hand against Kobe Shiya's chest. Ignoring the terrifying heat and flames that instantly crawled up his arm, Higashino Shuuichi released his vast Reiatsu.
Bankai!
Just the purest Bankai—Kobe Shiya's chest was torn open in an instant, and through the puncture, you could faintly see the hollow interior.
No beating heart. No organs.
Absurdly, "blood" still flowed from the wound—simulated by reishi—only to be immediately evaporated by the heat, leaving a faint iron stink in the air.
"Higashino Shuuichi… fine! If you won't let me live, then we'll fight to the end!"
Kobe Shiya understood Higashino Shuuichi's resolve. His right hand finally tightened around his Zanpakutō again. This time, he stopped controlling the flame power entirely—the violent force was unleashed within this space like never before.
Flames became the only protagonist of this world in a single instant.
Both Higashino Shuuichi and Kobe Shiya were completely swallowed in it.
There were no flashy techniques in this battle.
Because with Kobe Shiya's level of skill, once he fully released the suppression he'd been forcing onto Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni's power, what remained was only—
and could only be—
a berserk rampage.
That Kobe Shiya had managed to survive back then, as an ordinary Shinigami who hadn't even mastered Zanpakutō release, was already a miracle.
But this time…
a miracle would not happen twice.
Under those terrifying flames, even Yushima Ōko could no longer maintain this space. He could only let it collapse—then watch the wild Reiatsu within the Dangai, like a rabid dog, gnaw and tear at that "endless" power.
"I really wanted… to lead the Kobe family… into becoming a great noble house…"
At the edge of death, watching Higashino Shuuichi in the distance—now shifted into a Hollow form—and feeling his own body, under the siege of countless Reiatsu currents inside the Dangai, flicker like a candle in the wind…
Kobe Shiya felt unwilling.
And regretful.
Tears—after who knew how many years—finally gathered at the corners of his eyes.
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