Madarame Ikkaku fell.
But he fell with honor.
Not only did Ayasegawa Yumichika step in front of Ikkaku immediately—one Shinigami after another voluntarily moved up to stand before him as well.
"We won't let you take another step forward!"
Holding his Zanpakuto at the ready, Ayasegawa Yumichika spoke on behalf of all the Shinigami and declared it to Higashino Shuuichi.
"Just you lot?" Higashino Shuuichi scoffed with a smile.
"Just us," Yumichika said seriously.
He had always been the rational type, but the moment Ikkaku's Zanpakuto was shattered while in Bankai, he silently apologized to the person he used to be.
Before now, because he served in Squad 11, he had been unwilling to show the other Shinigami what his Zanpakuto truly was.
It was a Kidō-type Zanpakuto—completely incompatible with Squad 11's philosophy of raw, primal hacking and brawling.
But now Yumichika understood.
He had been wrong.
He never should have clung to such a foolish idea in the first place.
Shuuichi-sama had been right back then.
He didn't need to care about anyone else's gaze. The only thing he needed to do… was be himself.
"Bloom in manic splendor… Ruriiro Kujaku!"
Powerful reiatsu erupted from Yumichika's body as strand after strand of glassy, lapis-colored vines crawled across the earth.
Higashino Shuuichi knew what they did: they absorbed an enemy's reiatsu, and once they finished absorbing—once the flowers bloomed—it would mean the enemy's death.
In terms of effect, it was actually very similar to one of Yushima Ōko's Zanpakuto Shikai abilities.
The difference was that Yushima Ōko's Shikai didn't carry an instant-kill effect like this.
And with Yumichika's ability, Ruriiro Kujaku, if the vines wanted to absorb reiatsu, they had to physically touch the target first.
Against that, Higashino Shuuichi only needed to draw slightly on the surrounding reishi, form a few Hairihi Pufairu (Holy Arrows), and fire them into the vines.
"With only that, you still dare talk big?" Higashino Shuuichi said calmly, even while surrounded by a sea of furious Shinigami. He looked straight at Yumichika. "Why don't you just tell me where Sōkyoku Hill is, hmm?"
Yumichika didn't answer.
But behind the curtain of lapis vines covering his face, his lips seemed to move.
"A turbid crest faintly emerges—arrogant, untamed talent.
Surge… deny… numb… in an instant, obstructing long sleep.
Crawling iron princess; mud doll that endlessly wounds itself.
Unite—rebound—extend to the earth, and know your own powerlessness.
Hadō 90: Kurohitsugi!"
This was Mokusei Einshō (Silent Incantation), something Yumichika had learned from Higashino Shuuichi back when the Hirugetsu Class still existed.
A special technique most Shinigami looked down on and refused to learn.
Yumichika loved it.
Because it let him hide perfectly.
When he was forced to use Kidō, this technique made it possible to cast without others realizing it was him.
And now, he was using it the same way—right in front of Higashino Shuuichi—as a means to ambush him.
His Zanpakuto Shikai?
That had only been a feint.
Yumichika was different from the other Shinigami of Squad 11.
What he was proudest of wasn't his swordsmanship or his hakuda.
It was his Kidō.
A black coffin shot up from the ground in an instant.
Darkness swallowed Higashino Shuuichi.
Above him, the coffin—bristling with cross-shaped stakes and grave markers—rose like a tower into the sky.
"So this is me… getting played by a student I taught?" Higashino Shuuichi said, scratching the side of his nose with one hand inside Kurohitsugi, laughing awkwardly as he felt the crushing reiatsu pressing in around him.
He had guessed Yumichika wouldn't be reckless enough to fight him with Shikai alone.
Most Shinigami didn't know it, but Higashino Shuuichi did—Yumichika had already mastered Bankai too.
So with Ikkaku already defeated, Yumichika had no reason not to use Bankai…
Unless he had a better option.
Still, just like he had been willing to give Ikkaku a chance to show himself—
Higashino Shuuichi was willing to give Yumichika a chance too.
A chance to recognize the difference in their strength.
"This Kurohitsugi…" Higashino Shuuichi murmured in the darkness.
He slowly raised both hands, then pressed his palms together in front of his chest.
A Shurifuto (Sacred Letter) ability activated—fabrication, imagination.
This time, the image that appeared was a Quincy woman.
Her designation was E—an ability described in detail as "Explode."
Bambietta Basterbine.
After what happened earlier, Higashino Shuuichi couldn't be certain the fabrication would succeed this time—but he had enough margin for error to try.
Kurohitsugi alone wasn't enough to kill him in such a short span.
Luckily, at this point in time, it seemed Bambietta Basterbine still hadn't been granted her Shurifuto (Sacred Letter) by Yhwach.
Outside the coffin, countless Shinigami stared at the enormous black structure.
Ikkaku revealing Bankai had already shocked them enough.
But now, Ayasegawa Yumichika—a mere Fifth Seat of Squad 11—had cast Hadō 90.
That shook them even more.
Because everyone knew the reason:
Ever since an accident nearly a century ago, when the Captain and Vice-Captain of the Kidō Corps both left…
The Kidō Corps had never recovered.
The result wasn't just that Soul Society's overall Kidō level dropped sharply after that.
It also meant that Kidō above the 90s—techniques that weren't even permitted to be learned freely in Shin'ō Academy or the Gotei 13—had effectively become half-lost arts.
Unless a captain was willing to personally spend time teaching their subordinates, ordinary Shinigami had no real path to ever touch Kidō above the 90s.
And as for Squad 11's captain, Zaraki Kenpachi…
He was universally recognized as a complete Kidō idiot.
Rather than believe Kenpachi could cast Kidō above the 90s, it was more believable that Kenpachi wouldn't get lost.
So for many of the younger Shinigami here, this was the first time they had ever seen Kidō above the 90s.
To them, it was basically a legend.
From that perspective, the status Yumichika held in their eyes right now was obvious.
"Will it work?"
"It will! It has to! That's Hadō 90!"
Yumichika saw their reactions.
Many of them were Shinigami from Squad 11 as well.
He'd always thought Squad 11 would look down on him for using Kidō.
But they didn't.
In his comrades' eyes, he saw only respect.
"So using Kidō doesn't…" Yumichika suddenly smiled.
He was laughing at his past self—so foolish in hindsight.
If he had used Kidō to support Ikkaku earlier, maybe Ikkaku's Zanpakuto wouldn't have—
As that thought passed through him, the enormous coffin in front of him suddenly exploded apart.
Higashino Shuuichi stood there completely unscathed.
In his hand was a Hairihi Pufairu (Holy Arrow) that had just finished forming.
"Your Kurohitsugi… isn't very good~"
Higashino Shuuichi raised his left index finger and wagged it at Yumichika.
Your Kurohitsugi?
So there were others?
He'd seen other Shinigami use Kurohitsugi before?
In just a few words, Yumichika had already read a great deal of information.
But none of it mattered right now.
Yumichika narrowed his eyes.
If Hadō 90 failed, then he'd switch to something else.
"Arrogant dragon, corrupted land—unstoppable rage, the primal source that jolts nightmares awake.
Gale, flame, frost, thunder, earth—break karma and emerge, return without obstruction.
Let all be destroyed, let all return to the beginning.
Hadō 99: Goryūtenmetsu!"
This was the strongest Kidō he currently possessed.
It was also something he had learned from Higashino Shuuichi back then.
Only, at the time, Yumichika's reiatsu hadn't been enough to support casting Kidō of this level.
Now it was.
No Bankai needed—this Kidō alone could end the battle completely.
Yumichika had that confidence.
His talent for Kidō was enough to justify it.
"Kabuno-senpai!"
At the heart of the storm, Kurosaki Masaki saw that Higashino Shuuichi not only showed no intention of resisting—he even tossed aside the Holy Arrow he had just formed.
She thought he'd pushed too far, and now had no answer for a Kidō of this level.
So she rushed toward him without hesitation, raising both hands in midair like a bow and drawing an arrow.
She was going to help Kabuno-senpai.
Masaki's kindness and stubborn resolve wouldn't let her stand by and watch him be swallowed by despair.
But before she could reach him, she saw Higashino Shuuichi gently shaking his head.
"Kabuno-senpai… he doesn't want me to die with him?"
"But how could I possibly watch Kabuno-senpai get killed by Shinigami?!"
Masaki felt certain she understood what he meant—but she had her own conviction.
So she still used Hikama-kyaku (Flying Scythe Kick) to force her way to his side.
She would protect Kabuno-senpai.
She would give him confidence—until the very last moment, he must not give up!
"Senpai, don't give up! We can definitely escape back!"
Masaki tried to encourage him.
"Who said I'm escaping?" Higashino Shuuichi asked with a helpless smile.
"But you—"
Masaki didn't understand.
Higashino Shuuichi didn't answer. He only lifted his gaze toward the distance.
Where the heads of the dragons were rising, a figure appeared.
"This is bad, senpai—another Shinigami is here! And it looks like a captain! Hurry and run!"
"I'll handle the rear!"
Masaki didn't even know where her courage came from.
Maybe it was because of Higashino Shuuichi's selfless teaching over these past days.
Maybe it was because she was grateful for the help he had once given her grandparents.
Whatever the reason, in that instant, what she truly wanted was for Higashino Shuuichi to get away.
But Higashino Shuuichi acted as if he hadn't heard her at all.
Because the Shinigami who had arrived—yes, he was a captain—
But he was the current captain of the Tenth Division.
His name was Kisaragi Shūsuke.
"Sever them—Raika!"
The moment he arrived, Kisaragi Shūsuke released his Zanpakuto.
That overwhelming reiatsu blanketed down from the sky like it could blot out the heavens.
"This is it—we've got it! Even Captain Kisaragi of Squad 10 is here!"
"Those two Quincy are finished!"
"Thank goodness! We held out this long and finally a captain arrived!"
"Have some shame—was it you holding out?"
"Wasn't it Third Seat Madarame and Fifth Seat Ayasegawa who did the work?"
"Aren't they on our side? If I say 'we,' what's wrong with that?"
"Fair—wait!"
"What is Captain Kisaragi doing?!!"
The Shinigami around them saw Kisaragi Shūsuke arrive and instantly felt like they'd found something solid to hold onto.
No Shinigami could face a Quincy as terrifying as Higashino Shuuichi and still keep a perfectly calm heart.
If Yumichika hadn't stepped forward, they would've likely charged with the resolve to die, just to stop Higashino Shuuichi from advancing.
But their "reassurance" hadn't even finished sliding down their throats before Kisaragi Shūsuke's next action shocked it right back out of them.
In the air, Kisaragi Shūsuke gripped the newly released Bakkōtō and slashed down at the spirit dragon Yumichika had just summoned—one clean Nadegiri.
It lacked the same "something" in Higashino Shuuichi's or Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni's strike…
But it still carried apocalyptic force, driven purely by Kisaragi Shūsuke's vast reiatsu.
"So it really is like that…"
Down below, unlike the stunned Shinigami around him, Yumichika wore a bitter smile—as if he'd expected this.
He had long suspected Kisaragi Shūsuke and the others would never stand by and watch Nemu be publicly executed.
After all, she was an artificial being made using Higashino Shuuichi's genes.
Whether or not the rumors were true—that she was like a daughter to Higashino Shuuichi—
Kabuma Sayako-sama and the others would never allow Nemu to be publicly executed.
Because that would be the same as slapping Higashino Shuuichi—and, by extension, Kabuma Sayako-sama and the other Shinigami connected to him—across the face.
That was why Yumichika had once suggested that the former members of the Hirugetsu Class step forward to support Kabuma Sayako-sama and her side.
One reason was that Yumichika also felt something was off about Nemu's punishment.
He just hadn't expected that when they offered themselves as support, Kabuma Sayako-sama would refuse.
That woman didn't want them to get dragged into it.
But if the two sides truly ended up going to war…
Yumichika lowered his eyes.
Right now, he didn't know what choice he should make anymore.
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