"This is quite an unexpected development—I suppose I really have changed a few things."
Watching the battle ahead, Daniel Davis couldn't help but let a slight smile tug at his lips. For the two combatants clashing before him were none other than Gin Ichimaru and Tōsen—both of Aizen's subordinates. The fact that they were fighting meant there was only one possibility: Gin must have preemptively struck against Aizen due to something he said.
"However, it appears that it's ended in failure."
Judging by the bloodstains on Gin's body and by the way Tōsen, even while attacking, was questioning Gin about why he betrayed Lord Aizen, there was no doubt that Gin had failed.
For Tōsen, Aizen had been a beacon of light in his darkest hour. His extraordinary adoration for Aizen meant that any act of betrayal against him was, in his eyes, unforgivable.
"Is it that by clinging to your own sense of justice, you won't even take revenge?"
Daniel had once been curious why, during Aizen's bloody rampage in Soul Society, Aizen didn't also kill Tsunayashiro Tokinada—after all, the others in Soul Society refrained from attacking him due to his status (even though they were all preparing to defect at that time). But now, he understood.
For Tōsen, the death of Ge Kuang was caused not only by Tsunayashiro Tokinada but also by the very system of Soul Society. Tōsen longed to completely repudiate the existing order and to see a new world—a new world that Aizen, in his own way, could deliver.
"Kidō Binding #81: Break Void—you seem to need some help."
Perhaps due to the injuries he sustained, Gin could only retreat step by step under Tōsen's relentless assault. Tōsen, fully aware of the weaknesses of his spiritual spear, gave Gin no chance to unleash his Zanpakutō.
At that moment, a familiar voice echoed in their ears. Both Tōsen and Gin then noticed a transparent barrier—over a dozen meters tall—materialize between them, separating the two.
"It's you," they said in unison as they turned to see a figure in a black cloak emerging from one side—none other than Daniel Davis.
"Seems you're rather perceptive," Daniel murmured to himself as he noted Tōsen's gaze fix on him.
"Why don't you grant me the courtesy of ending this here?" Daniel said softly as he addressed the two men, now divided by the Break Void barrier.
"I don't mind, but this fellow doesn't seem inclined," Gin replied coolly, his expression as steadfast as ever despite his injuries.
"Betraying Lord Aizen guarantees nothing but death—let them cry out, Qingchong!" Tōsen declared as he released his Zanpakutō. As soon as it was unleashed, the surrounding air filled with a continuous, buzzing chorus—like the incessant chirping of insects. This is, after all, why his Zanpakutō is named Qingchong.
"Such petty tricks won't work on us. If you wish to fight, then show me your true skill!"
The incessant insect-like buzz wasn't the sound of actual insects; it was the result of the rapid vibration of spiritual pressure emanating from Tōsen's Zanpakutō. These sounds weren't harmless—they served to hypnotize enemies with lower spiritual pressure.
"Qingchong Form II: Crimson Locust!"
With a cold snort, Tōsen leaped skyward. His Zanpakutō pointed downward at Daniel and Gin, and in the next instant, a barrage of razor-sharp blades rained down like a storm over the desert battleground.
"This is going to be troublesome," Gin remarked, his gaze fixed on the darkened, blade-filled sky—placing all his hope on Daniel.
"Hadō #58: Tenshan Lan!"
Daniel swept his left hand toward the direction of Tōsen, and a powerful hurricane burst forth from his palm. Growing with the wind, it quickly expanded into a massive vortex roughly six or seven meters in diameter, which immediately swept away all of Tōsen's blades and forced him to abandon his position.
"But that alone won't hold us back," Daniel mused.
"Bankai: Qingchong Final Form – Yama Cricket!"
Witnessing the sheer strength of Daniel's Kidō, Tōsen finally ceased hesitating and immediately activated his Bankai. In the next moment, a gigantic black barrier materialized, trapping Daniel inside it. Seizing the opportunity, Gin quickly used Flash Step to distance himself from the barrier.
Having battled for so long, both Gin and Tōsen were well acquainted with their Bankai's intricacies.
"Is this what it feels like inside Yama Cricket? An ordinary person entering might well be at the mercy of being slashed to pieces—but unfortunately, Tsunayashiro Tokinada has been keeping a close eye on this," Gin commented.
If one were to ask whose Zanpakutō Tsunayashiro Tokinada is most familiar with, there would be no doubt that it's Tōsen's—after all, that Zanpakutō originally belonged to his wife, Ge Kuang. After Ge Kuang's death, Tōsen took possession of it, and its abilities remain identical to hers.
Thus, the notion that Soul Society permits two identical Zanpakutō is nothing more than a ruse concocted by the higher-ups to conceal something.
For Tsunayashiro Tokinada, the former Tōsen was just a minor figure—someone he could have crushed at a whim. He didn't kill Tōsen back then simply to indulge his own twisted amusement.
However, Tsunayashiro Tokinada never anticipated that even then, Aizen had already set his sights on him, and later—when Jing Le Chunshui intervened—he was directly captured and thrown into the Maggot's Nest. By the time he emerged, he discovered that those figures he once could have easily crushed had grown to a level that even he now had to reckon with.
This, however, only excited Tsunayashiro Tokinada further. In his own twisted script, there was a scene in which he would engage Tōsen in a life-or-death battle, so he could once again mock him. Alas, whether in the original or in the present, that scenario can no longer come to pass.
"This Bankai works well against others, but unfortunately, I don't rely solely on spiritual pressure to track people—I have Hadō #91: Thousand Hands of Celestial Purge."
Trapped within the Bankai, Daniel hadn't even given Tōsen a chance to strike before he began unleashing a torrent of light cones around him. Amid the cacophony of explosions, the barrier of Yama Cricket shattered.
"Ah—"
The Bankai was broken, and so swiftly that Tōsen couldn't accept it. He roared, and as he did, a strange white substance instantly formed a white mask over his face, as though he were beginning to Hollowify.
"Is that a return to blade form? I won't let you succeed—Kidō Binding #66: Six Staffs of Light Prison!"
Tōsen's Zanpakutō is one of the few that can not only activate Bankai like a Shinigami but also revert to its original blade form like an Arrancar. While several Shinigami are capable of Hollowification, none can alter their Zanpakutō's abilities in this manner.
"I say, you weren't nearly serious enough earlier—leaving me to face the Bankai all alone," Daniel complained to Gin, who was watching the scene.
"I'm severely injured—staying here would only hold us back," Gin replied.
"Someone's coming; let's get out of here," Daniel ordered.
Before Daniel could inquire further, he noticed several surges of spiritual pressure—not less than that of a Soul Society captain—rushing in from the distance. He quickly proposed that they leave.
Gin, having sensed it too, nodded, and the two immediately used Flash Step to escape. Along the way, Gin recounted his situation.
As Daniel had previously suspected, from what he learned from Gin regarding the fusion of the Hōgyoku with Aizen, Gin had been seizing every opportunity to steal the Hōgyoku. For Gin, restoring Rangiku's soul was paramount; killing Aizen came only next. He never cared for his own safety.
Speaking of which, poor Gin is truly pitiful; after Tōsen died, thanks to Tsunayashiro Tokinada's subsequent actions, many people recalled Tōsen, while Gin—aside from Rangiku Matsumoto—was hardly remembered.
After a moment of reflective silence, Daniel suddenly asked, "How much do you know about the Spirit King?"
"Spirit King?" Gin responded, a note of puzzlement in his voice.
"Let me rephrase—do you know what Aizen's true objective is?"
"Rumor has it that the current Spirit King is nothing more than a puppet, and that he intends to replace the Spirit King to become the true one."
"It appears Aizen hasn't told you the truth. The so-called Spirit King is, in reality…" Daniel immediately began revealing all the secrets of Soul Society he had learned from Tsunayashiro Tokinada.
He wasn't trying to recruit Gin; rather, he felt a twinge of pity for him. Within his power, Daniel still longed for Gin and Rangiku to be together—and fortunately, he now possessed that power.
"There's one thing you might not know," Daniel continued as Gin fell silent. "If Aizen hadn't struck Rangiku first, then the next target would have been the Kōmyada family."
"Why?" Gin's face immediately darkened at the mention of Rangiku.
"Because of the power of the Spirit King's fragments. The reason Rangiku, despite having most of her soul ripped away by Aizen, not only survived but even became a vice-captain is that her body contained the power of a Spirit King fragment. The Kōmyada family possesses the ability to detect that power—much like Tōsen's friend Ge Kuang. That, in fact, is why Tsunayashiro Tokinada married Ge Kuang."
Wu Yi Cuo Yi Shou Yi Fa Yi Nei Yi Rong Yi Zai Yi 6 Yi 9 Shu Yi Ba Yi Kan!
Back in the old days, fearing the resurrection of the Spirit King, the Kōmyada family dismembered his body—scattering his heart, left arm, right arm across the world, while grinding the rest into powder and dispersing it among humanity. Over the years, some fortunate materialization practitioners among humans inherited portions of that power.
Among the Shinigami, there are also lucky ones—like Ge Kuang and Rangiku Matsumoto—whose innate talents far exceed others thanks to these Spirit King fragments. Unfortunately, the Kōmyada family has always coveted that power.
As for Tōshirō Hitsugaya, whose body is host to a parasitic right arm that should have made him immensely powerful, fate had other plans; as a Shinigami, he remains exceptionally frail and ill.
There are still matters that Daniel hasn't fully grasped—such as why the Spirit King's right arm, Mimihaki, is venerated as a deity in Soul Society, while the Kōmyada family seems to have done nothing about it.
"Kōmyada family," Gin spat, his eyes narrowing and exuding a fierce murderous intent. He was well aware of what befell Tōsen, but it didn't concern him. However, he nearly became the second Tōsen himself. At that moment, Gin wished he could wipe out the entire Kōmyada family—something in which he and Tōsen differ entirely.
"You want me to help restore Rangiku's soul? That I can manage. But to restore her so that she once again wields the power of the Spirit King's fragments—that, I'm afraid, is impossible."
After thorough study, Daniel understood well what the Hōgyoku was—a Philosopher's Stone containing a substantial amount of the Spirit King's power. That was the real reason he wasn't tempted to seize Aizen's Hōgyoku.
Moreover, the Spirit King fragments that the Kōmyada family has ruthlessly acquired over the years are merely the heart and the left arm among the Star Cross Knights—both of which suffice.
As for those on others, like Tōshirō Hitsugaya and Dao Yuhen Auwula, let them be.
"How do we proceed?" Gin asked eagerly.
"We make a deal with Aizen—have him use his Hōgyoku to restore her," Daniel replied, "and in exchange, we do our part."
"Why are you helping me like this?" Gin questioned. From the moment he met Daniel, this man had been aiding him—whether by passing along intelligence or rescuing him from Tōsen's grasp. Gin couldn't believe anyone would be so kind without ulterior motives.
"Perhaps simply because I'm in a good mood," Daniel answered sincerely. When it came to matters of the heart, even a protagonist rarely intervenes. For example, he had long assumed that Ichigo would end up with Rangiku rather than Orihime—even though, in the end, Ichigo did pair with Orihime and Rangiku with Gin.
But even if he were dissatisfied with the outcome, he would never meddle in such affairs; personal matters are best left undisturbed.
Besides, when rescuing Rukia in Soul Society, Daniel had inadvertently overheard someone say that Rukia regarded Ichigo as someone else—namely, Shiba Kaiyan. After all, Ichigo and Kaiyan do bear a resemblance, being of the Shiba clan.
"Clearly, meeting Aizen won't be that easy. But since we're here, let me at least offer you a welcome gift: Hadō #99: Five-Dragon Spiral Annihilation."
Outside the Void Night Palace, as Daniel surveyed the Arrancar arrayed before him—several of whom were among the Espada—he immediately unleashed his Hadō #99.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Five colossal spiritual dragons, each tens of meters in length, appeared in an instant and inundated the Arrancar army. The skeletal battalions of the Burial Corps, which had long relied on sheer numbers, were completely annihilated before they could even make an impact.
"Hey, you look strong—chatter on, Leopard King."
"That is my opponent, Grimmjow. Pray, Holy Cry Mantis."
"Let me kill him—then I'll finally earn my place among the Espada. Hang him, Nyonya."
Just as the Five-Dragon Spiral Annihilation decimated the Arrancar forces, and as the dust settled, three Arrancar with distinctly different auras emerged from the Void Night Palace. The three exchanged hostile glares, and in unison, they activated their blade forms—each charging at Daniel from a different direction.
"Grimmjow—the battle maniac of Soul Society; and Hueco Mundo, too, has its battle maniac. Thankfully, the Human World is free of such fiends," Daniel mused. As the first, a white leopard, charged toward him—its claws poised to strike—Daniel raised his hand and declared, "Kidō Binding #81: Break Void!"
Boom!
A tremendous explosion burst forth, and a flash of white light appeared. The Break Void barrier remained unyielding; meanwhile, the leopard-like Grimmjow's right claw—three of its claws detaching—was blasted backward several steps by the counterforce.
"Truly, it pales in comparison to that wolf. If it weren't for his lack of a Hollowification mask, one might easily mistake him for a Hollow."
"Just stay down," Daniel ordered.
The Break Void barrier separated Grimmjow, but it did not isolate the other two Arrancar. They flanked Daniel from both sides and began to pincer him.
(End of Chapter)
[Get +20 Extra Chapters On — P@tr3on "Mutter"]
[Every 100 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop]
[Thanks for Reading!]