Thud!
Under the power of that lightning, Aizen felt as though ten thousand insects were gnawing at his body. Every muscle spasmed violently as he collapsed to the ground in unbearable agony.
Clatter!
His zanpakutō slipped from his grasp and crashed onto the ground.
"Captain Aizen!"
Unohana Retsu cried out in alarm. She immediately handed her patient over to other Fourth Division members and personally rushed forward to pull Aizen back.
Although the pain was excruciating, Aizen's mind remained clear.
My earlier assessment was correct. Uchiha Ryūjin is far more dangerous than he appears.
But I never expected him to conceal himself this deeply. His strength is actually this terrifying.
Even I am no match for him. Just who exactly is he?
Aizen was deeply shaken.
He had always believed he was the one hiding the most in the Soul Society, and that aside from Captain Commander Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, no one could truly rival him.
Now, compared to Uchiha Ryūjin, even he seemed lacking.
The strength Ryūjin displayed today was beyond absurd.
Captain-level opponents were being treated like children.
One unimaginable technique after another appeared in succession, leaving everyone stunned.
Perhaps only Captain Commander Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto could suppress him.
Baraggan wasn't killed because of unstable spiritual pressure at all.
It was those eyes.
He used the same ability on Captain Ukitake, forcing Baraggan unconscious before killing him instantly.
Aizen's pupils contracted sharply.
A horrifying realization surfaced.
The emperor of Hueco Mundo, Baraggan, had actually been killed in an instant by Uchiha Ryūjin.
Even Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto couldn't accomplish something like that.
Those eyes were terrifying beyond imagination.
Remembering that even Baraggan had fallen to that ability, Aizen felt a chill run down his spine.
No matter what happens in the future, I must never look directly into Uchiha Ryūjin's eyes.
Silently, he made that decision.
At that moment, Kenpachi Zaraki appeared before Ryūjin with his eyepatch removed, zanpakutō raised high.
Without hesitation, he brought the blade crashing down toward Ryūjin's head.
Ice Release!
Ryūjin did not move.
A wave of bone-piercing cold erupted from his body.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Kenpachi Zaraki, after removing his eyepatch, was instantly frozen inside a massive block of ice.
"This... how is this possible?!"
"That's Kenpachi Zaraki without his eyepatch!"
The surrounding crowd erupted in disbelief.
Many stared with eyes wide open, unable to process what they had witnessed.
How terrifying was Kenpachi's spiritual pressure after removing his eyepatch?
Yet he had been frozen instantly.
What kind of technique was that?
What level of spiritual pressure was required to accomplish such a thing?
Everyone understood that battles between Shinigami ultimately came down to spiritual pressure.
The same technique produced vastly different results depending on the user's strength.
To instantly freeze Kenpachi Zaraki, Ryūjin's spiritual pressure had to vastly surpass his.
And Kenpachi's spiritual pressure was already monstrous.
If Ryūjin exceeded even that level, then how powerful was he?
Perhaps only Captain Commander Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto stood on a comparable level.
"So this is your true strength."
Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto finally spoke.
His voice carried both solemnity and shock.
Looking around at the Captains and lieutenants scattered across the battlefield, the Captain Commander found it difficult to remain composed.
How long had it been?
Aside from himself and Unohana Retsu, every Captain and lieutenant present had been defeated by Uchiha Ryūjin.
Not after fierce battles.
Not after exhausting struggles.
They had been defeated effortlessly.
"So you've been hiding your true power all this time."
"Hiding?" Ryūjin chuckled and shook his head. "No one was ever worth using my full strength against."
The statement sounded outrageously arrogant.
Yet nobody present found it unreasonable.
After all, this man had dominated the Soul Society using nothing but an asauchi and Hakuda.
Why would he need anything else?
Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto remained silent for a few moments before finally speaking again.
"I am beginning to believe there may indeed be more to the matter regarding Captain Kuchiki's death."
Based on the strength Ryūjin had displayed, killing Kuchiki Byakuya would have been effortless.
As Ryūjin had previously stated, there was no way he would have left Renji Abarai alive or allowed Kuchiki Byakuya the opportunity to reveal anything.
Against such overwhelming power, that scenario simply made no sense.
"But I also believe your arrival in the Seireitei was not a simple matter."
His eyes remained fixed on Ryūjin.
A powerhouse like Uchiha Ryūjin could not have emerged from the Rukongai.
Extraordinary spiritual pressure could be explained.
Kenpachi Zaraki himself was proof of that.
But Ryūjin possessed countless strange and powerful techniques.
Those could not be self-taught.
They had to come from some form of inheritance.
Kenpachi's primitive combat style was what a true Rukongai native looked like.
"Uchiha Ryūjin."
The Captain Commander's voice became heavy.
"Before I completely lose my patience, explain everything about yourself. Otherwise, the situation will become irreversible."
Ryūjin merely shrugged.
"Captain Commander, since joining the Seireitei, have I done anything that betrayed it?"
The Captain Commander narrowed his eyes.
"I have already given you a chance."
He reached for the walking cane in his hand.
In truth, it was his zanpakutō.
The moment his hand gripped it, his entire presence changed.
The old man vanished.
In his place stood a volcano on the verge of eruption.
Terrifying power radiated from him, making it difficult for anyone to approach.
The pressure was overwhelming.
Suffocating.
"Jōkaku Enjō!"
With a swing of his blade, towering walls of flame erupted.
The flames formed a massive prison, completely sealing Ryūjin inside.
There were no openings.
No blind spots.
No escape routes.
Any attempt to break through would result in immediate incineration.
This was the same technique used during the Battle of Karakura Town to trap Aizen, Ichimaru Gin, and Tōsen Kaname.
Yet moments later...
"Hmm?"
The Captain Commander's brows furrowed.
Something was wrong.
He could clearly sense Ryūjin's spiritual pressure vanishing from within the flames.
Then, beside him, space twisted.
A swirling vortex appeared.
Ryūjin calmly stepped out of it.
"Space-time movement?"
Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto's expression darkened.
Conventional methods clearly would not be enough.
"Taimatsu!"
The Captain Commander swung his blade once more.
A massive torrent of flames spiraled forward like a fiery tornado.
The heat was so intense that every Captain present felt needle-like pain against their skin.
Moisture vanished from the atmosphere.
Their throats felt dry enough to ignite.
Meanwhile, Fourth Division members frantically evacuated the injured farther away from the battlefield.
Ryūjin remained unfazed.
His eyes shifted.
The Rinnegan appeared.
Raising a hand, he activated the power of the Deva Path.
An invisible barrier materialized before him.
The Captain Commander's raging flames struck it.
Then vanished.
Absorbed completely.
"Nani?!"
"He absorbed the Captain Commander's flames!"
"How is that possible?!"
Shock exploded across the battlefield.
Everyone felt as though their minds were about to break.
The Captain Commander's entire fighting style revolved around fire.
Yet Ryūjin could absorb flames.
How could anyone fight someone like that?
It was absurd.
"My flames..."
Even the Captain Commander's expression changed.
"They were absorbed."
A headache began forming.
The opponent before him was practically his natural enemy.
In that case, Shikai would not be enough.
"Uchiha Ryūjin."
His voice grew serious.
"While there is still time, do not force me to use Bankai."
His Bankai was completely different from Shikai.
With Shikai, restraint remained possible.
Bankai was built entirely for destruction.
"Thank you for the concern, Captain Commander."
Ryūjin looked utterly unconcerned.
"But do you really think Bankai can do anything to me?"
Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto snorted.
Without another word, he released Bankai.
The instant it activated, the extreme heat vanished.
Every flame was drawn into his zanpakutō.
Zanka no Tachi.
"Zanka no Tachi, Higashi: Kyokujitsujin!"
The Captain Commander swung his blade.
The attack appeared ordinary.
Yet all the flames and heat of his Bankai had been compressed into a single point at the sword's edge.
Anything touched by it would be reduced to nothing.
Its destructive power far surpassed Ryūjin Jakka.
Facing the strike, Ryūjin neither dodged nor defended.
The blade pierced directly through him.
Yet...
Nothing happened.
His body had become intangible.
The Captain Commander's sword passed through him as though slicing through empty air.
There was no resistance.
No contact.
The same bizarre phenomenon that had rendered Ichimaru Gin's assassination attempt useless appeared once more.
Everyone watching felt their scalps go numb.
He could absorb flames.
He could ignore physical attacks.
How was anyone supposed to fight him?
Then Ryūjin's eyes shifted again.
The Tenseigan emerged.
He extended a hand toward the Captain Commander.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Several energy orbs shot forward.
This was a Tenseigan attack empowered by a Super Six Paths-level Tenseigan possessing the strength of fifteen peak Kaguyas.
Even ordinary Tenseigan techniques were terrifying.
Each orb carried power several times greater than a Nine-Tails Tailed Beast Ball.
Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto immediately sensed the danger.
He dared not underestimate the attack.
"Bakudō #81: Dankū!"
A massive barrier appeared before him.
The energy orbs collided with it.
Boom!
A catastrophic explosion erupted.
The entire Soul Society trembled violently.
Everyone felt the massive shockwave.
The First Division barracks and the surrounding streets were instantly obliterated.
Dankū shattered on impact.
The remaining force continued surging toward the Captain Commander.
"What?!"
His expression changed dramatically.
Without hesitation, he swung Zanka no Tachi.
A tide of flames erupted forward in an attempt to block the impact.
Yet...
Boom!
Another violent explosion erupted.
The Captain Commander was forced backward.
One step.
Two steps.
Three steps.
Only then did he regain his footing.
The sight stunned everyone present.
That was the Captain Commander.
And he had been pushed back by Uchiha Ryūjin.
Had they not witnessed it themselves, nobody would have believed it.
At that moment, Ryūjin casually shrugged.
"I alone can sweep through the entire Seireitei. Have you all seen enough?"
Silence answered him.
When he first made that claim, everyone believed it was arrogance.
Now, nobody dared argue.
Because it was simply the truth.
Uchiha Ryūjin possessed power on that level.
"If I wanted to do something, would I really need to cooperate with Kisuke Urahara? What a joke."
"If I intended to act against the Soul Society, which one of you could stop me?"
His words struck like thunder, echoing throughout the battlefield and ringing in everyone's ears.
===
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