(T/N: Hello!! This is chapter 1 Out of 6 for today! Enjoy!!)
The sudden turn of events in the Dangai left everyone stunned.
Tsunayashiro Tokinada and the others stared in disbelief at Tsunayashiro Yōtō's decapitated head.
For a moment, their thoughts froze.
Yōtō's head rolled across the floor—then was crushed under the foot that stepped from the darkness.
"Since you're tired of living, I'll send you on your way."
"Katori Nanatsuki!"
"Sensei!"
Azashiro Kana and Kakyō were overwhelmed with emotion. After enduring a series of powerful enemies, both had felt the creeping weight of despair. But now, their reinforcements had finally arrived.
And not just any backup—their teacher, the one person who brought them complete reassurance!
"How did you find us so fast?!" Tokinada asked in disbelief. They had only just arrived in this timeline, and yet Nanatsuki had already tracked them down.
"Thanks to Danmu-sensei covering my classes, I've been able to keep watch in the Dangai for quite a while," Nanatsuki replied calmly.
He had believed that even if Azashiro Kana and Kakyō escaped the time stream, they would likely still face the threat of Szayelaporro.
So from the moment they vanished, Nanatsuki had stationed himself in the Dangai.
He had even asked Danmu Zōsuke to substitute for him at the academy.
Now, the entire Dangai passage was laced with his Shadow Sight, and the moment Kakyō and Kana appeared, he noticed.
What surprised him was not Szayelaporro's return—but the arrival of Yōtō and his faction.
It quickly became clear: the anomaly with the Kōtotsu had been orchestrated by Tsunayashiro Yōtō.
"Sensei stayed in the Dangai this whole time..." Kana's heart swelled with warmth, her eyes stinging with emotion.
Kakyō, always sensitive, was already tearing up.
"Incomprehensible… he actually waited in the Dangai for this long..." Tokinada's face darkened. "Damn old man, boasting his plan was foolproof…"
Their journey through the temporal stream had taken nearly a year.
But the Dangai wasn't a place one could easily stay in. It was filled with Kōryū, turbulent air currents meant to purge lingering souls.
Even Shinigami couldn't survive long there.
What Tokinada didn't know was that Nanatsuki could hide within the shadows, rendering him unaffected by the Kōryū.
Tokinada began to feel a creeping dread. Yōtō had been strong, but Nanatsuki had killed him in a single strike.
The rest of them likely stood no chance.
"Retreat!" Tokinada made the smart call immediately.
But Nanatsuki wasn't going to let them get away.
If they returned to the Soul Society, they'd surely twist the narrative and accuse him of murdering Tsunayashiro Yōtō.
Before they could flee, black shadows coiled around the legs of Tokinada and the other four Tsunayashiro retainers, locking them in place.
Nanatsuki's right index finger crackled with arcs of lightning. He tapped five times in the air at blinding speed.
CRACK!
Five Reiatsu Blades burst outward, arcing through the air like streaks of lightning.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Except for Tokinada, the remaining four didn't even have time to react before their skulls were shattered.
Red and white matter sprayed across the walls of the Dangai, streaking down slowly.
Kakyō trembled at the sight—it was the first time she had seen her teacher unleash his full power.
During training, Nanatsuki had never gone all-out. His techniques always looked impressive, but never unreachable.
Tokinada managed to block the incoming Reiatsu Blade with his Zanpakutō.
CLANG!
The sheer force of the impact nearly knocked the weapon from his hands. Had he not gripped the hilt with both arms, he might have lost hold of it.
After taking just one of Nanatsuki's attacks, Tokinada understood the gap between them. There was no escape today.
"Heheheh..."
A twisted grin spread across Tokinada's face. "Looks like this is where I die!"
"Devour him—Starve!"
His Zanpakutō burst into red light, flooding the narrow corridor.
His Zanpakutō created a domain—within which, anyone caught would be subjected to his attacks.
"Kakyō! You dared reject me—go repent in hell!"
He hated this woman for daring to spurn him. If he was going to die, he'd drag her with him.
Ten blood-red spectral hands appeared around Kakyō, lunging at her.
Kana leapt in front of her, blade drawn.
"Senmai-Oroshi: Flowlight!"
A dense, azure blade arc burst forth, slicing through the blood-hands in an instant.
"Your sword's gotten faster," Nanatsuki nodded in approval.
The pressure from Szayelaporro had clearly pushed Kana to her limit. Drawing her blade in such a moment meant she had broken through another wall.
Seeing them casually chatting, Tokinada exploded with rage.
"Die!!"
Suddenly, blood-hands erupted around all three—Nanatsuki, Kana, and Kakyō.
But Nanatsuki moved faster.
He appeared before Tokinada in a flash.
Reiatsu flared from his body. The temperature in the Dangai spiked.
Flames engulfed his blade and his limbs, interwoven with arcs of lightning. Together, they formed a golden blaze:
Thunderfire Wild Blaze: Shun Strike!
The lightning-and-fire-wreathed blade shattered Tokinada's Zanpakutō in an instant.
BOOM!!!
The impact sent shockwaves roaring through the passage.
Kana and Kakyō, nearby, had to plant their Zanpakutō into the ground to avoid being blown away.
"Sensei is amazing!"
"Of course! He's the best!"
Their voices shouted over the storm.
When the wind finally died down, they looked up—Tokinada was nothing more than a half-charred corpse. His entire upper body had been incinerated.
"Sensei!"
Kana ran to him, leaping onto his back.
"I thought I was going to die this time…" she sobbed, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"It's over now," Nanatsuki said softly, patting her arms gently.
"I've been slacking lately… I'll train harder from now on! No more slacking!" Kana buried her face in his shoulder.
There hadn't been many major missions lately, and the 3rd Division was relatively peaceful. She'd let her guard down.
Facing Szayelaporro, then ambushed by the Tsunayashiro family—it had been too much.
But as a Shinigami, facing stronger foes was part of the job.
She could only blame her own lack of strength.
Thankfully, her teacher had arrived in time and saved her life.
After killing Tokinada, Nanatsuki notified Kyōraku Shunsui, who soon arrived with a team.
Not long after, Iba Chitetsu, Vice-Captain of the 3rd Division, arrived as well.
Shinigami began inspecting the bodies of the Tsunayashiro agents.
Nanatsuki had already searched them and retrieved a ritual device from one of the black-robed corpses—used to tamper with the Kōtotsu's propulsion.
"Katori-kun, you really gave me quite the surprise…" Kyōraku said, glancing at Tokinada's burnt remains. "Guess he finally paid the price for his actions."
It was obvious from the state of the body that Nanatsuki hadn't held back.
Kyōraku was perfectly fine with that.
He'd long grown tired of Tokinada's atrocities, but the Tsunayashiro clan had always shielded him.
"Still… knowing the Tsunayashiro family, Katori-kun, you've probably kicked a hornet's nest," Kyōraku warned.
"From the moment they laid hands on my disciples, there was no going back," Nanatsuki replied calmly.
He had already accepted the consequences when he chose to kill Tokinada and Yōtō.
The Tsunayashiro clan hadn't produced a Captain-level member in over a century—he wasn't afraid of them.
"Your students are lucky to have you," Kyōraku said, glancing at Kana and Kakyō as they recounted their story to Iba.
"You're strong enough to face them head-on," Kyōraku continued. "But they won't fight fair. Be careful of underhanded tricks."
"If they try anything, I'll deal with it. Thanks for the warning," Nanatsuki nodded—but his thoughts turned to Aizen Sōsuke's Kyōka Suigetsu.
'The best defense is offense.'
Instead of passively waiting for retaliation, perhaps it was time to ensure there was no retaliation at all.
Even Kyōka Suigetsu had activation conditions. Solving the Tsunayashiro threat would take planning.
'Maybe it's time for another live-blade match…'
After all, it had been Yōtō who first organized that tournament years ago, inviting all the nobles to watch.
Back then, it was to boost Tokinada's reputation—but his class had flopped, and Nanatsuki's students had stolen the spotlight.
That event, approved by Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, had since become an annual competition at the academy.
Now, the Live-Blade Dueling Tournament no longer restricted students by year.
Winners could even graduate early.
Nanatsuki planned to enter Aizen Sōsuke into this year's tournament, and have him use Kyōka Suigetsu.
It had grown into a major event, drawing the attention of nearly all noble families—including the Tsunayashiros.
If all went well, he could use Aizen's Zanpakutō to mask his intentions and end the threat once and for all.
He didn't even need Aizen to win outright—just reaching the semi-finals would be enough to appear before the noble audience.
And with Aizen's strength, that wouldn't be a problem.
"That Szayelaporro… still not found. I hope he's lost in the time stream forever," Kyōraku muttered, clearly annoyed. "If he shows up again in the future… it's going to be a huge problem."
"Only a Captain-level Shinigami can deal with him, and there aren't enough Captains to guard this place all the time."
The Dangai was a vital thoroughfare. If Szayelaporro returned and ambushed a squad on their way to the World of the Living, it would be a massacre.
"It's definitely a problem," Nanatsuki sighed.
Time was precious. If not for his students, he wouldn't have waited here for months.
"This should become a joint responsibility," Kyōraku mused. "Maybe I'll suggest it to Old Man Yama—have each Division's Vice-Captain take turns patrolling. A Vice-Captain should be able to hold out until backup arrives."
"Szayelaporro could survive drifting through the time stream for decades… this will be a long-term assignment," Nanatsuki noted.
"There's no helping it. The Gotei 13 doesn't have spare Captains to post here full-time," Kyōraku shrugged.
Shinigami from the 3rd and 8th Divisions returned to the Soul Society with the bodies of Yōtō and the others.
The events in the Dangai shattered the quiet of the Soul Society. Everyone was talking.
Some applauded the killings.
Some were moved that Nanatsuki had waited months in the Dangai for his students.
Others feared the Tsunayashiro clan's retaliation.
Still others accused Nanatsuki of defying authority—taking justice into his own hands without the Central 46's approval.
The Tsunayashiro clan quickly issued a statement: Yōtō and Tokinada had acted on personal grudges against Azashiro Kana and Kakyō, not on behalf of the family.
They claimed the clan head did not condone their actions—but still denounced Nanatsuki for killing them without trial.
Even if Tsunayashiro members had committed wrongs, they argued, it was up to the Noble Houses to judge them—not Katori Nanatsuki.
Yet, even the Tsunayashiro clan couldn't press charges easily.