"That spiritual pressure over there… it's Gin Ichimaru."
Byakuya quickly identified who was fighting the Quincy up ahead.
"Nii-sama, let's hurry over!"
Rukia called out before her body temperature had even returned above zero, then rushed toward the center of the battle.
In her view, the Sternritter Quincy were all extremely strong.
When Shinigami couldn't use Bankai, the Sternritter members were overwhelmingly stronger than many of the Seireitei captains.
Just like As Nödt, whom she had just defeated—his strength was fully comparable to her Bankai state.
If not for the fact that his Fear was countered by her Shirasaya no Toge and absolute zero, how could she have taken him out so cleanly?
"I know. Move faster."
Byakuya spoke calmly and soon reached the battlefield together with Rukia.
The moment they saw the scene, both of their pupils shrank.
They stared in disbelief at the only one still standing—Gin.
On the ground were Quincy corpses everywhere… including even a Sternritter member.
Their fatal wounds were all identical
their hearts had been pierced.
It perfectly matched Gin's Shinso style.
But what shocked them even more was that despite facing a powerful enemy, Gin's body was still spotless white.
There wasn't even a speck of dust on him.
Even Byakuya's white haori was stained with blood.
Seeing the two of them arrive, Gin put on that familiar fox-like smile from his Seireitei days and greeted them with a grin:
"Really, thank you, Kuchiki-taichou and Rukia-taichou. You two came to help me, right?"
"But unfortunately…"
"The battle here is already over."
Rukia swallowed hard and asked hoarsely, "How did you do it?"
In her mind, Gin should be around her brother's level. There was no reason he should look this relaxed.
Had he run into weaker Quincy?
Byakuya's focus was different. He stared at the Sternritter corpse for two seconds, then turned to Gin with a grave expression.
"How did you avoid having your Bankai stolen?"
After the Karakura Town battle, every captain knew Gin's Bankai.
He claimed it was hundreds of times the speed of sound—but that was a lie. The true killing move was hidden in the blade's cellular poison.
And the Sternritter on the ground had clearly died to Kamishini no Yari.
Because his corpse was dissolving.
Rukia also saw the melting and couldn't help looking at Gin.
Gin drew the short, dagger-like Shinso from within his white sleeve and said with a smile:
"What's so hard about that? Just end the fight at the fastest speed, so they don't have time to steal it."
Just now, he had used Bankai Kamishini no Yari in an instant
and ended the battle in less than one second.
From start to finish, that Sternritter hadn't even had the chance to take out the medallion.
Rukia sucked in a cold breath, staring at Gin in shock. She realized she had underestimated him.
This was a Shinigami who had nearly killed Aizen.
He was probably even stronger than Byakuya.
Ending a fight instantly with Bankai sounded easy—but doing it was almost impossible.
For example, Byakuya's Senbonzakura Kageyoshi would take at least ten-plus seconds even against ordinary opponents.
But Gin's Kamishini no Yari could end a fight in a single moment.
Byakuya's eyes grew even colder as he stared at Gin.
"Just as I thought. You really are a dangerous existence. Back then, we shouldn't have let you out."
Originally, their plan was to have Gin atone through service and help them deal with Aizen.
As for whether he would cause trouble, they believed their strength was enough to suppress him.
But now
it seemed they had underestimated him.
Gin smiled at Byakuya, lightly swaying Shinso in his hand.
"Kuchiki-taichou, don't say such scary things. What if I slip up and kill you right here?"
Rukia's heart jolted. She immediately gripped Sode no Shirayuki, watching Gin warily.
"Gin Ichimaru… are you planning to betray us?"
At that moment, Rangiku Matsumoto ran over from nearby, face dark. She clenched her fist and punched Gin hard.
"Gin, you idiot! Don't joke around at a time like this!!"
Gin sucked in a sharp breath from the pain, rubbing the back of his head with a helpless look.
"Rangiku… that hurts. I was just having a long-overdue joke with Kuchiki-taichou. Why are you reacting so strongly?"
Then he dropped the smile entirely, spreading his hands toward Byakuya and Rukia in resignation.
"And you two are way too serious. I just took out a Quincy. No matter how you look at it, I don't resemble the enemy, do I?"
Rukia ground her teeth.
"Who knows what you're thinking? You're always smiling like that."
Byakuya snorted.
"If you're not the enemy, then hurry up and help. Otherwise, once this war ends, you're definitely getting thrown into Muken (Avici Hell)."
"Yes, yes, yes…"
Gin nodded helplessly.
With Rangiku beside him, he really couldn't keep that fox-face persona.
But then he noticed Byakuya and Rukia still staring at him, with no intention of moving.
After thinking for two seconds, Gin understood why and stepped forward first.
With Kamishini no Yari around, they didn't dare stand behind him. They were afraid he'd stab them in the back.
At that speed, almost nobody could react.
But then again—
even if he walked in front, so what?
He could just angle the blade backward inside his sleeve.
Once Gin moved first, Byakuya and Rukia finally followed, still watching him like hawks.
After all, who knew if that "divine spear" might suddenly shoot out of his sleeve?
Seeing that, Rangiku got even angrier and just stayed beside Gin, beating up her childhood friend as they went.
"You idiot, big idiot! This is the perfect time for you to redeem yourself—why are you scaring people!?"
"If you get locked in Muken, we won't see each other for hundreds of years!"
Gin answered obediently, but a smile still surfaced on his face. This kind of life felt like a dream.
I really have to thank you… Cole.
If not for him saving Gin, how could Gin still be here listening to Rangiku's nagging?
With that thought, Gin stopped and looked toward the Quincy fighting Jūshirō Ukitake.
Both sides were locked in fierce combat and couldn't spare any attention for the people arriving.
It was the perfect timing for Kamishini no Yari.
Gin turned his smile to Byakuya and said:
"Respected Kuchiki-taichou, I hereby request permission to use my Bankai Kamishini no Yari. Do you approve?"
Byakuya just snorted.
Rangiku clenched her fist again.
And in that same instant, Gin laughed softly.
From inside his wide white sleeve, a streak of white light shot out like a silver dragon.
"Kamishini no Yari!"
"..."
"Bankai!!!"
"Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō (Black Rope Heavenly Punishment Bright King)!!!"
With Sajin Komamura's roar, a war-god-like Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō erupted from the ground
and Komamura himself looked over at Byakuya, Rukia, Ukitake, and Gin with joy.
"It worked! My Bankai really wasn't stolen!"
What had forced Shinigami into the lower end of the war was the inability to use Bankai.
But now that zanpakuto had materialized and could fight alongside their Shinigami, they couldn't be stolen—perfectly covering that weakness.
The surrounding Shinigami were fired up too, ready to rush to other battlefields and help other captains use Bankai without worry.
But right when everyone was celebrating
at the center of Seireitei, where the First Division stood, a violent heatwave exploded outward, and the temperature skyrocketed.
Rolling flames surged into the sky like world-burning fire.
The raging blaze even formed a "sun-like tsunami."
Just looking at it, you could feel how scorching it was, not to mention the heat slamming into them.
The Shinigami there instantly changed expression.
Ukitake blurted out, "Sensei used Bankai! What kind of enemy could force him to use Bankai!?"
A Bankai like Ryūjin Jakka's final release would always bring catastrophic destruction to the environment.
Like the last time he used it—Seireitei's temperature jumped dozens of degrees instantly.
Even in the shade, it felt like being in a steam room.
Because of that, unless it was absolutely unavoidable, captains of their level were forbidden from using Bankai in Seireitei.
Rukia carefully sensed the spiritual pressure from that direction. Her pupils shrank and she cried out
"It's Yhwach! The Quincy King—he's fighting the Captain-Commander! We have to go help, we can't let the Captain-Commander fight alone!"
Byakuya also realized how serious it was. His expression turned extremely grim.
"Could the Captain-Commander's Bankai be stolen too?"
The moment he said it—
the entire area went silent.
Everyone's scalp went numb.
If the Captain-Commander's Bankai was stolen, it would be a disaster of annihilation.
Even if the Quincy who stole it couldn't fully wield Zanka no Tachi, it would still be enough to destroy the Seireitei.
At that point, who could still care about the battles elsewhere?
Shinigami all rushed toward the First Division.
Because if the Captain-Commander fell, even if they won everywhere else, it would all be nothing but Kyoka Suigetsu.
And the Quincy were thinking the same thing.
Both sides stopped fighting and, almost shoulder-to-shoulder, headed for the First Division.
But the closer they got, the more terrifying the heatwave became—like it would roast a person into a dried corpse.
Soon, Rangiku had to stop, sweat covering her forehead as she panted.
"Gin… I can't do it. I can't run anymore. If I get any closer, I feel like I'll be burned into ashes."
At that moment, the First Division felt like a blazing sun to her.
The consequence of forcing yourself near the sun was being reduced to nothing.
Gin also couldn't help stopping.
But under Rangiku's repeated threats, he still pushed on toward the First Division.
Before long, near the inferno around the First Division, countless Shinigami and Quincy had gathered.
All of them stared solemnly toward the center
where two peak existences were talking.
(End of Chapter)
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