Byakuya Kuchiki's Zanpakutō slipped slowly from his hand. The air in front of him rippled gently.
Then, behind Byakuya, a massive Zanpakutō rose silently.
"Senbonzakura Kageyoshi."
Byakuya's expression was calm and detached, his eyes like cold steel.
The giant blade dissolved into a sky full of gleaming cherry blossom petals. Each petal glimmered with deadly light—each one a blade.
The sea of cherry blossoms surged toward the twelve Adjuchas.
The air shimmered as they were swallowed whole by the swarm.
"Yeah, yeah… Even though I've seen it before, I have to say, Captain Byakuya's Bankai is just too damn cool…"
Kyoraku Shunsui tilted his hat back, eyes gleaming with admiration.
"Che, flashy showoff," muttered Zaraki Kenpachi with a sneer.
The other captains narrowed their eyes, gripping their Zanpakutō tightly as the cries of the Adjuchas were muffled by the blades.
Boom!
A sudden explosion erupted from within the cherry blossoms.
Then, one by one, the remaining eleven exploded in unison.
Twelve overwhelming waves of Reiatsu erupted into the air.
The captains' expressions shifted. Their eyes darkened.
They knew this wouldn't be that easy.
Through the drifting petals, the twelve Adjuchas emerged—bloody but very much alive. Their wounds, though present, were shallow.
"Tch. I knew it. Just a bunch of smoke and mirrors," Kenpachi scoffed.
"These guys… their skin's like armor," Kyoraku muttered, lowering the brim of his hat.
Byakuya's face twitched ever so slightly.
Shiba Isshin, standing nearby, spoke grimly.
"That Reiatsu… What the hell is it?"
Everyone had felt it. The Adjuchas' spiritual pressure wasn't just strong—it was monstrous.
Stronger than some of the captains present.
Adjuchas were supposed to be mid-level Menos Grande. They weren't meant to be this powerful.
This was no natural evolution. Something was very wrong.
"Jie jie jie… Enjoy it. This is the power gifted to us by the gods," the leading Adjuchas cackled.
The captains' eyes went cold.
"Gods?" Kenpachi muttered, then lifted his head slowly.
His eyes burned with primal fury.
"Do you know what we are?"
With a flick of his wrist, Kenpachi raised his blade and charged.
"We are Shinigami!!"
The rest of the captains charged as well, unleashing their spiritual pressure into the heavens.
The sky turned into a battlefield of clashing Bankai and monstrous Reiatsu.
On the ground, chaos reigned. The division squads battled ferociously against the invading Gillians.
Zanpakutō sliced through the air, colliding against red flashes of Cero.
Smoke, screams, and energy blasts engulfed the battlefield.
"Sit upon the frosted sky—Hyōrinmaru!!"
Hitsugaya Tōshirō's voice rang out like a blade of ice.
Despite having only joined the Gotei 13 for less than three years, his strength was unmistakable.
A prodigy like Ichimaru Gin, he had awakened Shikai as a student.
Now, countless icy blades shot toward a towering Gillian.
He wasn't on par with the captains yet, but the force of his attack turned heads.
The ice blades exploded on the Hollow's body, spreading frost across its skin.
Its movements slowed.
Seeing the opening, Hitsugaya called out.
"Now! Everyone, attack together!"
Squad 10 leaped into action, launching coordinated strikes.
"Whisper—Haineko."
With cool determination, Matsumoto Rangiku activated her Zanpakutō.
A wave of ash enveloped the Gillian, cutting through it from within.
Within moments, the Hollow collapsed into dust.
"Hah… these guys are tougher than they look," Rangiku muttered, wiping sweat from her brow.
All around, team members struggled to keep up.
Without their captains, even low-level Hollows were overwhelming.
Vice-captains led valiantly, but the gap in power was undeniable.
Casualties mounted. The red blasts of Cero rained endlessly.
In the chaos, no squad struggled more than the Second Division.
Their captain had taken a direct hit and his condition was unknown.
Their newly appointed, frighteningly strong vice-captain? Nowhere to be found.
Omaeda looked ready to cry.
He had hoped stepping down would spare him from the battlefield.
Now? He was in command.
"I'm gonna die," he muttered, trembling.
"Mr. Omaeda, what now?!" Shimizu Ken shouted in panic.
Other squads had already taken down a few Gillians.
Second Division? None.
Their skillset—execution and stealth—was useless against towering Gillians with thick armor.
Omaeda roared in frustration.
"How should I know?! You think I have answers?!"
Where the hell is that goddamn vice-captain?!
Meanwhile…
"Renji, let's go! They need help!"
Rukia's voice was urgent.
Renji nodded. "Right! Su Li, let's—"
He turned.
But Su Li was gone.
Renji blinked in surprise, but there was no time to dwell. He and Rukia raced toward the battlefield.
In the sky, the captains clashed fiercely with the Adjuchas.
Kenpachi stood out among them—one man against three.
His blood sprayed into the wind.
But so did theirs.
One Adjuchas had already lost an arm. The other two bled from deep wounds.
But Kenpachi wasn't untouched.
A massive gash tore across his chest, still bleeding. His back was shredded with claw marks.
Yet his face showed no pain. Only joy.
"Come on!! Kill me or die!!" he roared with glee.
The Adjuchas trembled.
The fight exploded again.
Elsewhere, captains were locked in their own deadly duels.
Each captain squared off against an Adjuchas—except the leader, who had vanished.
Sweat poured. Muscles tensed.
Even with Bankai, the captains were only just holding their own.
What kind of "god" gives this kind of power?
Suddenly, the missing Adjuchas appeared behind Tousen Kaname.
"Tousen! Look out!!"
Komamura Sajin's voice cracked through the air.
But it was too late.
Shlkk!
A claw punched through Tousen's abdomen. He dropped from the sky like a stone.
The Adjuchas howled in triumph.
"Damn you!!"
Komamura's eyes blazed. His Reiatsu burst like thunder, his armored form towering.
"Captain Komamura, get back!!"
Jūshirō Ukitake's eyes widened.
He yanked Komamura away just as—
BOOM!!!
An eruption tore through the sky.
Everything near the Adjuchas evaporated in an instant.