"Bankai!"
"Shunsui… if I remember correctly, the last time I saw Katen Kyōkotsu's Bankai… was several centuries ago!"
"At the time, we were still sparring—and that was your very first full release, wasn't it?"
Inside the 8th Division barracks, Ukitake Jūshirō's pale face lit up with excitement.
Even now, the immense pressure of that Bankai made his frail body tremble uncontrollably.
His skin had gone cold, veins dark beneath the surface—his lungs heaved as the heavy reiatsu pressed down upon him.
But as an old friend—one who had known Kyōraku for hundreds of years—Ukitake couldn't help but smile.
Because this was it.
After who knew how many centuries, Katen Kyōkotsu's Bankai had finally returned to the world—
and before the eyes of all realms, through the great ranking broadcast itself!
He didn't need to imagine it—once that full release was shown in its entirety, the sheer scale of its power and its dreadful beauty would shake the Soul Society to its core.
Kyōraku Shunsui—
and his Katen Kyōkotsu—
would finally prove themselves worthy of standing among the Ten Strongest Zanpakutō.
Ukitake was thrilled. Truly thrilled.
"Yes…"
"Once Bankai is released, there's no going back. Only one of us will walk away."
Shunsui's calm voice carried into the endless darkness of the screen.
He raised his head slightly, eyes glinting beneath the brim of his straw hat.
"No matter what happens in the future—whatever title I may or may not bear—after this battle, I doubt even the old man will be disappointed."
He knew himself better than anyone else.
The lazy grin, the easy laughter—it all hid a mind as sharp as a blade and a heart loyal to the very end.
And that was why Shunsui believed in his future self.
He wouldn't have called himself the new Captain Commander without reason.
If such a day had come… it must have meant that Yamamoto Genryūsai had fallen in battle—
and Shunsui had inherited that title not out of ambition, but duty.
This battle, then, was one of pride—
for the honor of the Gotei 13,
for the old man's memory,
for the name of the Shinigami themselves.
Katen Kyōkotsu's Bankai was inevitable.
Meanwhile, on the screen—
"Pureblood Quincy…"
"Tell me something. What do you see right now?"
Shunsui's tone was gentle, almost teasing as his sandals clicked softly on the blackened ground.
"Does the world look dark to you?
Empty?
Hopeless?"
Lille Barro's vertical pupils narrowed.
His deep, solemn voice answered slowly, one word at a time.
"Yes."
"Darkness. Loneliness. Despair."
The words, carried across the great projection, struck every viewer like a cold wind.
And suddenly—everyone watching felt the same.
"Yeah…"
"He's right!"
"Captain Kyōraku didn't even move, but I feel this crushing weight in my chest!"
"My hierro's trembling—my whole body's shaking!"
"What is this power?!"
Grimmjow's blue hair quivered as he clenched his jaw, fangs bared in fury.
At first, he'd thought it was a trick of his mind.
He was in Las Noches, surrounded by Arrancar—how could he admit fear?
But now, hearing Lille Barro himself confess that same terror…
he could no longer deny it.
Grimmjow let out a feral roar, smashing his fist into the ground, unable to contain the primal dread building inside.
And he wasn't the only one.
Every Arrancar in Las Noches felt it.
Even Coyote Starrk, watching silently from the corner, lowered his head.
"Kyōraku Shunsui…"
"To lose to that man… maybe it wasn't unfair after all."
"From the very beginning, he was on a completely different level."
Starrk exhaled quietly, the air trembling with sorrow.
For the first time, he could say it honestly—
he was proud to have fallen to that man.
Back to the battle.
"You're overthinking it, Shinigami," Lille Barro growled.
"Sure, your Bankai turned the world dark. But despair? That's a stretch."
He spread his massive wings and rose higher into the sky.
His golden halo flared behind him as he ascended, blotting out what little light remained.
And then—
"BOOOOOOM!!!"
A beam of divine radiance burst forth, annihilating everything in its path.
It wasn't light—it was destruction incarnate.
The explosion filled the screen in less than a heartbeat, swallowing the battlefield, the mountains, the sky itself.
Even through the transmission, the shockwave spilled into the real world.
"W-Watch out!"
"The blast—it's breaking through the projection!"
"Everyone, get back!!"
Across every realm, viewers were hurled backward by the violent surge of energy.
Captains and Lieutenants alike flared their reiatsu just to remain standing.
The world shook.
For a fleeting instant, the mighty True World Castle was engulfed—
one-fifth of the entire area disintegrated, melting into glowing ruin.
"Insane…"
"This power's beyond anything a Shinigami could reach…"
"If we were inside that blast, our bodies would've vaporized in a second!"
In the Urahara Shop, shelves rattled violently.
Boxes crashed to the floor as Yoruichi braced herself.
Even from afar, the destructive pressure clawed at her skin.
And this was just the aftershock.
Could Katen Kyōkotsu's Bankai really overcome such a monster?
The world held its breath.
(End of Chapter)
[100 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter]
[10 Reviews = 5 Extra Chapters]
[Check out my Patreon to read 20+ chapters ahead]
[[email protected]/Zukooo]
[Thanks for your support!]