Chapter 35: Akira vs. Byakuya Kuchiki
Narrator POV
Akira let out a quiet sigh, relaxing his shoulders.
"One down… now you," he said, turning slowly toward the other Shinigami. "You, with the weird hairstyle. Who are you people? Were you the ones who hurt Rukia?"
Byakuya barely turned his head toward him. His tone was calm, almost detached, as if what had just happened were nothing more than a breeze interrupting a routine day.
"Since you can see us, I will answer. I am Byakuya Kuchiki, Captain of the Sixth Division of the Gotei 13. We came because Rukia Kuchiki has committed a crime."
"Rukia? A criminal? Please—she's the kind of girl who reads the entire instruction label before opening a juice box."
Rukia lowered her gaze, cheeks burning from embarrassment. Did he really say that out loud?
But Akira didn't pay her any mind.
"Kuchiki, huh? So you're family… and yet you come to hunt her down like she's some fugitive." He crossed his arms, his tone steady but sharp. "What kind of brother does that? Nothing is stronger than family."
In his head, the system suddenly played "Bandolero" — clearly a Fast and Furious reference.
His voice wasn't angry, but firm — heavy with conviction. For him, loyalty wasn't a choice. It was a rule. And he couldn't comprehend how someone with shared blood could treat Rukia with such cold indifference.
"Family means nothing when the law is broken," Byakuya replied, his voice as cold as steel. "Rukia transferred her Shinigami powers to a human. That is forbidden. Rules exist to maintain balance, and it is our duty to preserve that order. As head of the Kuchiki Clan, I must lead by example."
Before he even finished, he vanished in a burst of shunpo, reappearing behind Akira in less than a heartbeat — time itself seemed to halt. He passed like a shadow, silent and precise.
But Akira was already moving. In the blink of an eye, his daggers were out, intercepting Byakuya's zanpakutō with surgical precision. The clash sparked a metallic flash that briefly lit both their faces.
"Not bad…" Byakuya murmured, pressing his blade harder.
Akira matched his strength effortlessly, the friction between their weapons spitting tiny sparks of energy.
"You've got an unusual power for a human… and those daggers — they're not ordinary."
"What can I say? I like shiny things." Akira grinned, and then his tone shifted. "Critical Strike."
His movements changed instantly. The daggers flowed like extensions of his body, every slash aimed precisely at vital points. Byakuya dodged each one with the grace of a master swordsman, but even he was caught off guard when Akira's speed suddenly spiked mid-fight.
A thin cut appeared on Byakuya's cheek. He stepped back, analyzing his opponent in silence. Akira smirked slightly. Despite the clash, he was still holding back — a lot.
"Perhaps I underestimated you… but that won't happen again." Byakuya's voice remained calm, though determination edged his words as he raised his zanpakutō with deadly elegance.
"No, Brother! Please, don't!" Rukia shouted desperately, knowing exactly what was coming.
If Byakuya released his shikai, Akira might not walk away unscathed. She doubted even he could withstand the might of Senbonzakura.
Before she could reach them, Akira reacted — gently but firmly grabbing her by the waist and pulling her out of harm's way. He knew words wouldn't sway Byakuya's heart.
He was about to use his Governor's Hand skill to seal the shikai release when something — or rather, someone — crashed down from the sky like lightning.
Ichigo.
He descended in his Shinigami form, landing between Akira and Byakuya with his zanpakutō raised high. But Byakuya dodged his attack effortlessly — as naturally as breathing.
"Hey, Rukia, you o—" Ichigo stopped mid-sentence, blinking at the scene before him: Rukia in Akira's arms, Akira staring at him with one eyebrow raised. He looked at them, then again… and again. "Wait… what the hell did I miss here?"
"So you're the human to whom Rukia gave her powers." Byakuya's icy gaze locked onto Ichigo, his tone final — a judge's verdict.
"Yeah, and what about it?" Ichigo shot back, resting his massive sword on his shoulder. "I'm Ichigo Kurosaki — Substitute Shinigami."
"Perfect… saves me the trouble of finding you."
Without warning, Byakuya moved. Ichigo barely registered a flicker before the captain was already in front of him — the distance erased like it had never existed.
Byakuya used his signature shunpo technique — Senka. In a blink, he disappeared from sight, reappearing behind Ichigo with impossible fluidity.
Two clean, precise strikes sliced through the air — and before Ichigo could even react, his spiritual nodes, the Saketsu and Hakusui, were sealed.
The result was immediate. A sharp crack echoed as his zanpakutō broke, followed by his body collapsing heavily onto the ground. His spiritual energy plummeted, nearly extinguished.
"No! Ichigo!" Rukia screamed, breaking free from Akira's grip.
He didn't stop her. He understood. She rushed to Ichigo's side, kneeling beside him, heart pounding as she checked if he was still alive.
Akira narrowed his eyes, his expression hardening. He stepped forward, his aura thickening — the air itself seemed to grow heavier. The atmosphere responded to him, trembling under a rising, unfamiliar pressure.
"You're quite arrogant, Captain…" he said, his tone low and cold. His blue eyes gleamed faintly. "Enough games."
He released a fraction of his cursed energy — and the world shifted. The overwhelming spiritual pressure that had filled the air was suddenly replaced by something darker, denser, suffocating.
An energy alien to Soul Society itself. His eyes glowed like those of a predator that had stopped testing its prey.
In a blur, Akira vanished… and reappeared right in front of Byakuya.
The captain's eyes widened — just slightly — as he barely had time to block the descending daggers. The impact forced him back a single step. Just one… but for someone like him, that was a lot.
(He's faster… and stronger. This isn't reiryoku… it's something else. What is he?) Byakuya thought, his mind racing even as his expression stayed composed.
Akira's daggers were now wrapped in a thin, liquid-like aura of cursed energy, each motion charged with lethal precision. The air crackled around him, tension sharp enough to cut.
And then, the real fight began.
Sparks burst through the air as Akira and Byakuya clashed in a furious exchange — speed and technique intertwining in a violent dance. Every strike shook the ground, every impact roared like thunder.
Their movements were so fast that no ordinary eye could follow them, but the force of their blows was enough to make the nearby structures tremble.
Rukia watched with wide eyes, still beside Ichigo's unconscious form. Her heart pounded as awe and fear collided within her. Akira — a human — was pushing back her brother, one of the strongest captains in Soul Society.
But wonder soon turned into dread. She clenched her fists, lips trembling as she looked at Ichigo's still body.
(No… I don't want Akira to end up like him… not because of me. I can't bear to see someone else fall for a choice I made…)
Meanwhile, Akira kept his confident smirk, fighting as if this was nothing but sport.
"Is that all you've got, Captain Kuchiki? I expected something flashier from someone so refined."
Byakuya deflected his attacks with practiced grace, unflinching. Then, with a sharp motion, he countered — a clean, precise slash aimed straight at Akira's face.
"Don't be arrogant."
Akira dodged with a smooth sidestep, countering with a kick that struck Byakuya's side, forcing him back several meters.
Both of them knew they weren't fighting seriously — not yet. Byakuya was limited by the mission's boundaries; Akira, by choice. They were testing each other… but also holding back.
"Stop, Akira!" Rukia's voice rang out, trembling but resolute. "That's enough… you have no right to interfere in what's between my brother and me!"
Akira glanced at her from the corner of his eye, one brow raised. He didn't need her to explain. He knew what she truly meant — she didn't want him to die for her. She was begging him to live.
And Akira understood.
He never intended to alter this event anyway. It had to happen — so that a certain bespectacled Shinigami would finally reveal his true face.
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End of the Chapter.