At that moment, the sky and the earth were connected by a mass of inky black clouds. With a thunderclap that cracked the air like an explosion,the black cloud turned into a pitch-black downpour, drenching the land that had once symbolized purity.
The black rain swallowed up the entire world; for a time, all color was devoured by darkness. Droplets struck the high platform, sending ripples through the air, the waves spreading endlessly.
The ground seemed to have turned into a water's surface. On this black tide, Tsunayashiro Kojiro's body trembled ever so slightly — yet he still stepped forward, slashing fiercely toward Asano Kiyoshi!
It was a slash that seemed like it could tear through the darkness — but not every glimmer of light can cut through the night.
From the heart of the darkness, an unimaginably vivid red slowly emerged. It was a blood-red pavilion beyond words,and atop its gate, the characters "鬼門关" (Demon Gate) seemed to be etched into the hearts of all who looked upon it, dragging them into eternal entrapment.
The sword light crashed into the pavilion — yet it didn't stir even the faintest ripple, swallowed whole by the endless darkness!
A sea of eerie flowers bloomed behind Asano Kiyoshi, exuding a fragrance so thick it seemed to freeze the air, instantly flooding the entire platform.
A gentle breeze blew through, sending the sea of blossoms swirling. A single crimson petal drifted down into Byakuya's palm. Feeling its icy touch, he gave a small nod.
Standing in the stands, Aizen gazed at the boundless field of flowers and murmured:
"Such a beautiful release."
Gin said nothing; whether Aizen could see him or not, he simply nodded to himself.
Nearby, Tōsen Kaname stood quietly. Though he couldn't see the flowers, he could smell their fragrance — and that scent drew a single clear tear from the corner of his eye. This fragrance… it smelled just like Kakyo's…
At the far edge of the crimson flower field, a tall mountain loomed. Its peak was shrouded in mist, its full form obscured.
Asano Kiyoshi's Shikai release exceeded everyone's expectations. The sheer magnitude of his release dwarfed even the Bankai of many captains! (Looking at you, Muguruma Kensei~)
The spectators craned their necks beneath the platform, stretching like ducks being held up by the scruff of their necks.
Tsunayashiro Sosuke narrowed his eyes slightly, his narrow gaze fixed on Asano Kiyoshi, a dangerous gleam flickering within — though the smile at the corner of his mouth never faded.
Yumichika looked at the dazzling release with open envy and intoxication written all over his face.
Ikkaku just scratched his head indifferently. A real man's release should be a weapon! Something like this was just to trick girls — tch, he'd never envy that! ╭(╯^╰)╮ Hmph!
But up on the platform, Kojiro faced Asano Kiyoshi's fully awakened Shikai head-on, a trace of bitterness on his face — yet the resolve in his eyes only grew sharper.
After fully releasing his Zanpakutō, Kiyoshi's face noticeably paled. The massive output of spiritual pressure clearly strained him — but if he didn't open his domain, he'd have no chance of countering Kojiro.
Having activated the domain, Kiyoshi didn't hesitate. He incanted:
"Devour yourself, black hound of Rondanini! With a single glance, burn to cinders! Sever your own throat!"
"Bakudō #9 — Hōrin!"
Thick black chains, as wide as a grown man's thigh, lunged toward Tsunayashiro Kojiro. Kojiro understood exactly what Kiyoshi was trying to do — he wanted to force Kojiro to repeatedly use his Shikai ability and analyze its weaknesses.
Such a basic strategic instinct was something Kojiro naturally understood. Seeing the ink-black chains, he instinctively chose to dodge first.
But just as he tried to use Shunpo to escape, Kiyoshi's voice rang out again:
"Hadō #12 — Fushibi!"
With his words, a massive red net dropped from the sky, cutting off every avenue of escape except one — directly through Kiyoshi himself.
But before Kojiro could act, Kiyoshi, as if needing no rest at all, unleashed yet another Kidō:
"O ruler! Mask of flesh and blood, all creation, fluttering wings, that which bears the crown of man! Heat and discord, surge across the sea to the south, take but one step forward!"
"Hadō #31 — Shakkahō!"
Flames gathered in Kiyoshi's palm, roaring with a terrifying heat as they cut through the night sky, sealing off Kojiro's only escape route!
Seeing this, Kojiro's face showed a trace of helplessness and bitter admiration. As expected of the Head Captain's protégé…
Kiyoshi's brilliant chain of spells drew waves of praise from the audience below. Nanao in particular watched with shining eyes — this application of Kidō had opened an entirely new world for her!
Seeing his excited vice-captain, Kyoraku Uncle teased:
"Little Nanao, if you want to use Kidō like Kiyoshi, you'll have to master both post-incantation and double incantation, you know~"
"I know, I know~ stupid captain!"
Even the ever-proud Byakuya, witnessing Kiyoshi's masterful use of Kidō, fell into thoughtful silence. Such Kidō was indeed worth learning — but its uniqueness made it nearly impossible to replicate…
Up on the platform, Kojiro remained trapped!
But there was not a trace of fear on his face. He stared at Kiyoshi and shouted:
"Open everything! Seal everything! Kensoku!"
With Kojiro's words, his Zanpakutō transformed again. The blade turned blood-red, as if coated in fresh blood.
With a roar, Kojiro slashed viciously at the oncoming black chains!
In front of that blood-red short blade, the chains were like paper, sliced cleanly in two, shattering into tiny inky Reishi particles.
And in that moment, Kojiro's strike laid bare his attack pattern for Kiyoshi to see!
Within his domain, Kiyoshi could observe every fluctuation of Kojiro's spirit energy — the scattered Reishi from before, how it destroyed the structure of the Bakudō — he'd seen it all!
Meanwhile, the Shakkahō collided with the Fushibi net, the two spells merging into a devouring wave of flame that crashed down on Kojiro!
Kojiro drove his blade into the ground, the platform's stones and soil rising up to form a dome-shaped shield that wrapped around him completely.
When the smoke cleared, Kojiro still stood on the platform — mostly unscathed, though a few more strands of white now streaked his hair.
Seeing those new white hairs, a flicker of complicated emotion flashed through Kiyoshi's eyes.
Kojiro seemed to notice Kiyoshi's feelings. He simply brushed his fingers through his hair and said firmly:
"Don't pity me. Understand this — we're enemies. No matter what means it takes, I will defeat you! Even if it burns my soul to ash!"
T/N: For up to 20 chapters ahead on all my translations, become a p@tron at [email protected]/LordHipposApostle
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