"Damn it…"
"The new Captain Commander? What utter nonsense!"
"In all of the Gotei 13, there has only ever been one Captain Commander—and that is me!"
First Division Barracks.
Flames roared to life as Yamamoto Genryūsai's fury erupted like a volcano. The thousand-year-old Shinigami's rage merged with the living inferno of Ryūjin Jakka, and the air itself ignited.
"BOOM!"
Everything in his spiritual pressure's reach was scorched to ash. Even the air burned away, leaving behind a vacuum of blazing destruction.
Fortunately, the First Division's barracks had been constructed from Killing Stone at its founding—a material capable of resisting intense reiatsu. Because of that, the building only suffered partial incineration rather than complete annihilation.
A small mercy amid disaster.
———
Elsewhere, in the Fifth Division.
"Hm?"
"The new Captain Commander, is it?"
"Surely Kyōraku Shunsui wouldn't stage a coup. He's the Captain Commander's personal disciple, after all."
Gin Ichimaru's blue eyes narrowed into thin slits, uncertainty flickering behind his trademark smile.
He wasn't naive enough to think Kyōraku had betrayed the old man. Even if he had the nerve, he'd first have to defeat him—and that was unthinkable.
So there could be only one explanation.
That in the future shown by the footage… the Captain Commander—the strongest Shinigami in a thousand years—had fallen.
Only that possibility made sense of Kyōraku's new title.
Gin's eyes widened, disbelief and unease warring in their depths.
"The Captain Commander… killed? That's absurd."
He turned toward Aizen, voice low.
"Even you, Captain, must find that hard to believe, right?"
"Gin."
Aizen's tone was calm. The false smile he always wore had faded, replaced by quiet gravity.
"There's no need to ask the obvious. If Yamamoto Genryūsai could be killed easily, we wouldn't have spent a century weaving plans in secret."
He glanced toward the screen, eyes gleaming behind his glasses.
"Ryūjin Jakka… its Bankai alone could erase the entire Soul Society."
The simple statement carried weight—a rare show of respect from Aizen himself.
If even he considered Yamamoto's death impossible, who could accomplish it?
The idea itself was absurd.
Unimaginable.
Who could face the Captain Commander at full power and live?
Even Aizen frowned at the thought.
———
Back on the screen—
The battle continued.
Aim.
Fire.
Dodge.
Kyōraku danced within his shadow realm, using Katen Kyōkotsu's "Kageoni" game to weave through Lille Barro's shots.
Each time he lunged from the shadows, his twin blades struck—but Lille dodged with uncanny precision.
Yet shadows are endless.
No matter how many Kyōraku cut down, more replaced them.
And so, the duel between Shinigami and Quincy reached a furious rhythm—blade and bullet, light and shadow.
Once again, Kyōraku dominated with only his Shikai.
Even the Sternritter Grandmaster, Lille Barro, found himself being pushed back.
The footage reignited heated discussion across all realms.
"Starrk, it's not your fault!"
"You weren't weak—the sword's power is just broken!"
"See? Even a pureblood Quincy can't deal with it!"
Inside Las Noches, the defeated Arrancar stirred back to life. After seeing Starrk fall, they had slumped into despair—but now, watching Lille struggle, their eyes lit up again.
So it wasn't just them.
Even the Quincy were helpless before Katen Kyōkotsu.
"Whew…"
"At this rate, the Quincy's going to slip up soon," Barragan mused from his throne, skeletal fingers tapping the armrest.
"When he does, that shadow blade will pierce him. It's only a matter of time."
———
And indeed—
Barragan's words soon proved true.
"Shhhk!"
From the darkness, Kyōraku appeared, twin blades gleaming as they plunged through Lille Barro's back.
Blood sprayed across the battlefield.
"Got him?"
In the Eighth Division barracks, Ukitake smiled faintly.
"Well done, Shunsui… another victory, and by the same trick, no less."
But his relief froze within seconds.
Because the next image silenced everyone.
"Third time's the charm…"
The camera zoomed in—close on Lille's eyes.
Though his body was pierced clean through, his expression didn't change.
The blade slid through him—harmless, as if piercing air.
"You're confused, aren't you, Shinigami?"
Lille's voice was cold, calm.
"My ability—The X: All-Piercing."
"When my eyes open for the third time, this power becomes absolute."
"In other words—no weapon in this world can kill me."
"Every attack passes through me. All damage becomes meaningless."
His tone was like winter steel.
As he turned toward Kyōraku, both eyes blazed with divine light.
The scene shifted—
Lille's form distorted, expanding, luminous wings unfurling behind him.
His Quincy Vollständig—The Judgement of God.
The battlefield was swallowed by divine light.
And thus began the final phase—
the clash between a god's bullet and the Shinigami's game of death.
———
(End of Chapter)
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