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On the outskirts of Karakura Town—
As if shaken by some overwhelming pressure, the sky had lost every cloud. Only a piercing, razor-cold wind screamed across the empty blue.
At the same time, a thunderous roar cut through the air:
"Bankai, Daiguren Hyōrinmaru!"
…
The shot slowly zoomed in.
Until it settled on the young figure of Hitsugaya Tōshirō.
Both hands clenched tightly around his zanpakutō.
His aura surged upward. In those turquoise eyes burned the certainty of victory and… the fierce pride of someone wielding the strongest ice-type zanpakutō.
A boom echoed as his words fell.
A tidal wave of frigid air exploded out from Tōshirō's small frame, wrapped in blinding white spiritual pressure. Anything touched by it froze without mercy.
In just a few breaths, the clear sky looked as if the world's final ice age had arrived.
Sunlight dimmed.
Moisture fled the air.
Everywhere Hyōrinmaru's reiatsu swept across, a thin layer of transparent frost blossomed over the landscape.
And this was only the aura released while entering bankai.
Strong enough to alter the climate itself.
Tenth Division Barracks
"Waaah! The editor of this video has insane camera instincts! Even the build-up to Hyōrinmaru's bankai looks ridiculously epic! I can't believe how good this is!"
Rangiku Matsumoto pressed a hand to her lips, stunned as she stared at the floating light screen, her generous curves doing their usual gravity-defying things as she leaned forward.
At the desk, Tōshirō braced both hands against the wood, so excited his voice nearly cracked. "Right? I think the creator is amazing too! Just with a few scenes, they captured the full power of Daiguren Hyōrinmaru!"
His arms trembled visibly with excitement.
Clearly, he hadn't expected himself to be the featured character in this round of the ranking.
Eleventh Division Barracks
"His presence alone can change the weather? As expected of the strongest ice-type zanpakutō…" Ayasegawa Yumichika wrapped his arms around himself as the room temperature dropped. His carefully maintained skin went dry in seconds.
The cold wasn't just in the video.
As the footage played, the chill seeped right into the viewers.
In the span of a moment, the room's temperature plunged by more than ten degrees.
It was honestly miserable.
"You're right, Yumichika…" Ikkaku rubbed his shiny scalp, now dusted with a delicate frost. Scowling while half impressed, he muttered, "Looks like when this fight happened, Captain Hitsugaya had gotten even better at controlling Hyōrinmaru."
Everyone knew it: despite becoming a captain so young, Tōshirō's mastery over his blade was still developing.
His bankai had only awakened a few years ago.
Right now, every time he used it, he faced one deadly flaw—Daiguren Hyōrinmaru could only last for a limited duration.
Once the purple petals behind his ice wings fell, bankai ended and the power dropped sharply.
"Aaah… too cold! Ken-chan, hug me, I need warmth!"
Not far away, Yachiru—who hated cold more than anything—hopped straight into Zaraki Kenpachi's arms, clinging to his neck like a koala.
"Heh. Giving up already? Yachiru, you're really fragile." Zaraki grinned. Out of everyone present, he was the only one seemingly unaffected.
He had, after all, become captain by basically spamming normal attacks. His body held absurd levels of spiritual pressure; a little cold wasn't going to do a thing.
The footage continued to play.
The camera shifted away from Tōshirō, turning toward the enemy facing him.
A second figure stepped into view.
"Shinigami…"
"I'll admit, your bankai is troublesome. Ordinary Hollows wouldn't stand a chance against this cold."
"But don't forget—I'm the Sexta Espada."
Confidence. Arrogance.
Loly—already in her Resurrección—curved her lips into a chilling smile.
Behind her, tentacle-like appendages writhed through the air.
"Oh? Espada? Sounds strong!"
Zaraki lifted his zanpakutō onto his shoulder, eyebrow raised with interest.
Even with his straightforward brain, the number "six" told him the ranking meant something.
"Ranked sixth? Doubt it." Ikkaku narrowed his eyes. "Other than looking creepy, she doesn't seem that tough."
The strongest seated officer below captain rank, Ikkaku had sharp instincts.
And his gut told him this supposed "Sexta Espada" was full of hot air.
Hueco Mundo, Las Noches Inner Palace
Unlike the 13 Court Guard Squads, the Arrancars reacted very differently.
They were shocked by the ice storm too.
But the moment Loly declared herself "Number Six," the room's atmosphere twisted into something bizarre.
"…Huh?"
"Did I mishear? Did she really say she's the sixth Espada?" Szayel Aporro pushed up the frame of his glasses-shaped mask, completely baffled.
What the hell?
Since when was Loly an Espada?
And somehow replacing Grimmjow of all people? Becoming the new Number Six?
Most Arrancars in the hall wore the same stunned expression.
Setting the Espada aside, there were many in the army far stronger than Loly.
No way she could replace Grimmjow.
She didn't even qualify.
"Tsk tsk… oh, this is interesting."
Recovering first, Nnoitra turned his gaze deliberately toward Grimmjow, voice dripping with mockery.
"By now everyone's probably realized it: every clip in these videos is likely something from the future."
"In other words…"
He grinned wickedly.
"Loly might not be lying. In the future, she may actually replace Grimmjow and join the Espada."
He amplified the sound with reiatsu.
His taunting words echoed across the empty hall, loud enough for every Arrancar to hear clearly.
"…"
A dead silence fell.
The air turned glacial.
Every gaze shifted toward Grimmjow.
Waiting.
Watching.
"Heh… replace me?"
"That's hilarious… absolutely hilarious! Hahahaha!"
Sitting slouched on the steps, Grimmjow's body shook with unrestrained laughter.
The smile dropped.
He clenched a fist and slowly turned his head.
His glare cut past every Arrancar and locked onto Loly.
"Well well…"
"Loly, you've got guts. You really think you can take my place?"
His face twisted into something feral.
The look in his eyes could've devoured someone alive.
And beneath that expression, a murderous intent surged upward, sharp enough to pierce the air.
"..."
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