(T/N: Third and final chapter for today! Hope you guys enjoyed the read! and Thanks for the support!!
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Katori Nanatsuki sensed two officer-class Shinigami inside the Mizutani residence—one of them being the elderly man now before him.
Which confirmed one thing: this elder was not a Reishi Shell.
According to what he'd gathered from his student, Mizutani Oto, this man should be her uncle—the head of the Mizutani family, Mizutani Shingo.
A Shinigami of officer-class strength was already considered mid-to-upper tier within the Seireitei, and Mizutani Shingo was also the family head. Nanatsuki was quite curious: with both status and strength, why had someone like Mizutani Shingo gotten involved with Reishi Shells?
But Shingo didn't answer Katori Nanatsuki's question. Instead, he shouted:
"Enemy attack!!!"
The loud bellow startled everyone in the estate, and they quickly gathered toward the source.
Twenty armed guards surrounded the building in formation.
"Do those guards give you confidence?" Nanatsuki frowned, concerned about the students in the teahouse. "Release—Shosō Eijin."
The Shadow Space rapidly expanded, pulling in the elder, the guards, as well as the students and the unconscious Reishi Shell girl from the teahouse.
Inside the Shadow Space, Nanatsuki no longer needed to worry about surprise moves.
"Katori Nanatsuki... You really did master Bankai!" Mizutani Shingo's expression grew heavy.
Nanatsuki had already demonstrated his Bankai during the early graduation assessment of his disciples, though he hadn't revealed the full scope of its abilities.
Though retired, Shingo had once been a Shinigami officer, and his intel wasn't as fresh as those still in service—but he had heard whispers of Katori Nanatsuki's strength.
Still, even knowing Nanatsuki's power, he had no other option now but to fight with everything he had.
During his collusion with Miyamoto Tetsuya, many Shinigami and spiritually gifted souls had been harmed. If he were caught, death would be inevitable.
"All of you, attack!" Mizutani Shingo drew his Zanpakutō.
"Devour, Gamemaru!"
His Zanpakutō transformed into a rare biological type. Upon release, it turned into a giant toad, its expanding form smashing through the roof.
Thankfully, Nanatsuki had anticipated this and activated his Bankai beforehand.
Two dark shadows swiftly carried the students and unconscious Reishi Shell girl to safety.
Shingo now stood atop the massive head of the creature, appearing quite formidable.
On the other side, Nanatsuki pulled a black blade from the shadowed ground.
In a blink, a streak of Flowlight cut across the Shadow Space.
The twenty charging Reishi Shell guards felt a chill in their stomachs—then the world spun.
Splat.
Blood sprayed.
Their bodies split cleanly in two.
"AAAAHH!!!"
The remaining upper halves didn't die immediately. Their spiritual pressure kept their souls bound—prolonging the agony.
To Nanatsuki, these guards—no stronger than ordinary squad members—were just small fry easily handled.
Then, Gamemaru moved.
Its massive mouth opened wide, releasing a powerful suction force.
Nanatsuki was pulled directly into its gaping maw.
Inside was a chamber made of pulsating, fleshy walls.
Mizutani Shingo followed him in.
"Your shadow manipulation depends on the external space, doesn't it? Inside Gamemaru's belly, you won't find many shadows to use." Shingo had noticed earlier that Nanatsuki's black blade and the shadows that whisked away Oto and the girl all came from existing darkness.
"You think that's enough to defeat me?" Nanatsuki chuckled.
The gap between their strength was fundamental. In his eyes, Shingo's efforts were no more than a desperate flail before death.
"So you are Mizutani Shingo, the family head. Tell me—why is your granddaughter a Reishi Shell?" Nanatsuki asked.
"The Mizutani family must have an heir!" Shingo began merging into the meat walls.
His son had died young, leaving behind only a granddaughter. But she too had fallen gravely ill.
That's when Miyamoto Tetsuya came to him, offering to create a Reishi Shell of the granddaughter.
Though Reishi Shells lacked potential, if she could bear children, the Mizutani line could continue.
In desperation to preserve his lineage, Shingo agreed to support Miyamoto, helping him from the shadows.
Suddenly, Shingo reappeared behind Nanatsuki.
Nanatsuki shifted slightly, dodging the attack, then spun around and swept Shingo's legs out from under him.
The elder flew across the chamber, slamming into the wall of flesh. The impact shook the entire space.
"Your spiritual pressure is too weak," Nanatsuki said, shaking his head.
"If this is all you've got, you'd best surrender."
Fwoosh—Nanatsuki vanished.
The next instant, he was right before Shingo.
Before the elder could react, Nanatsuki drove the black blade straight into his abdomen.
Shktt—
"I've fused with Gamemaru. This kind of sword wound can't kill me!" Shingo sneered.
At once, more versions of Mizutani Shingo sprouted from the flesh walls.
"Biological Zanpakutō really are interesting," Nanatsuki muttered. His spiritual sense couldn't distinguish the real Shingo among them.
The Shingos began chanting in unison:
"Scattered bones of beasts, towers of red crystal and wheels of steel. Motion is wind, stillness is sky. The sound of spears colliding fills the void..."
Layer upon layer of Kidō incantations overlapped in the chamber.
"But you thought being stuck in this space meant I couldn't use shadows?" Nanatsuki thought to himself.
Suddenly, the shadows beneath the multiple Shingos came alive and wrapped tightly around them.
Tighter.
Tighter.
Until—snap—each head was twisted off.
The chorus of incantations fell silent.
Arterial blood sprayed in torrents, splashing across the walls.
The difference in spiritual pressure between them was so vast, Nanatsuki's binding shadow technique could now serve as a killing move.
Yet even with all the necks snapped, the Toad's Shikai remained active.
"Looks like I'll have to destroy this space," Nanatsuki raised a finger and recited:
"Hadō #63: Raikōhō!"
Lightning exploded from his hand.
The bolt shot straight into the fleshy walls.
BOOM—the chamber was obliterated.
A massive bolt of thunder blasted through Gamemaru's body, annihilating all trees and buildings in its path.
When the light faded, the toad was gone.
All that remained was Mizutani Shingo—bloodied, broken—lying on the ground.