The eternally unchanging sky of the Soul Society was now covered by the radiance emitted by a red moon.
That blood-colored crimson moon seeping out from the void not only obscured the original hues of the sky but also resembled the pupil of some high-dimensional existence looking down upon all living beings.
Above the endless white walls of the Seireitei, the Spirit Particles that originally flowed freely seemed to have fallen into complete stagnation at this moment.
Rumble—
That bus, painted with bright yellow paint and looking completely out of place with the style of the Seireitei no matter how one looked at it, crushed the barrier constructed of Spirit Particles with a swagger and parked at the edge of the battlefield.
The sound of tires rubbing against the road surface seemed particularly ear-piercing in this capital of Death Gods, where dead silence reigned, as if mocking the fragility of this order that had remained unchanged for a thousand years.
Suke, having rearranged the tables and chairs for the tea party by the roadside, was not in a hurry.
After all, there was definitely someone more anxious than him right now.
"Hiro, does this Zanpakuto feel comfortable to use?"
"I heard you learned Kendo before, so you must carry this Zanpakuto with you at all times. What if you unlock your Shikai one day?"
"That way, even if you go alone to some desolate wilderness to investigate a strange village, you won't need to be afraid. And as for school violence, that goes without saying!"
Suke patted the shoulder of Nikaido Hiro, who had already undergone Witch-transformation, and offered her words of encouragement.
A fifteen-year-old Yamato Nadeshiko maiden, holding a Zanpakuto after transforming into a Witch, afraid that the school wasn't violent enough.
Forget about some Magical Girl abiding by the rules of a village; so what if it's the mountain village of the thousand-year-old corpse Chu Renmei? They would all just be ghosts under the blade of my Great King Hiro!
Nikaido Hiro: "..."
Hiro didn't know if it was her illusion, but she found that Suke's care for her was truly unique.
It wasn't that this care was bad for her, but if possible, she hoped Suke could switch to tormenting someone else and not come to persecute her every time.
"Uncle, does that driver lady really not need our help?"
"The current Koko feels super strong! Look!"
Sawatari Koko, whose one eye had turned into a double pupil after Witch-transformation, slashed the Zanpakuto in her hand toward a basketball-sized crushed stone by the roadside!
Whoosh—!
With just the sound of wind passing by, the spirit stone material originally used to build the walls of the Seireitei was split in two, giving the girl a confidence that shouldn't belong to her.
Suke: "..."
Girl, in the game... oh no, even if you are connected to the Great Witch's essence, no matter how powerful you are, it's fake! It's not real!
Although the frontal combat power of these Little Witches after transformation wasn't necessarily weaker than some Witches of Sin who weren't good at fighting, they were still young after all. Suke still didn't have the heart to let the Boy Scouts serve as cannon fodder.
"Kids shouldn't participate when adults are fighting, understand?"
"Thinking about fighting and killing at such a young age, what will become of your future!"
"Uncle, that's not what you said to Hiro just now... Ugh, waah, perverted Uncle, don't pinch people's faces!"
Nikaido Hiro watched everyone frolicking, pondering who she was and where she was.
One had to know that initially, she only agreed to come here to help because she heard the news from Suke that Tsukishiro Yuki was critically ill.
As a result, after taking the bus to the scene, she discovered that Tsukishiro Yuki just had a cold, and was almost recovered.
She was still a student who had just started high school. The time needed for this 'help' was taken from leave she specifically requested from school.
She had previously agreed with Emma to accept an invitation from a blue-haired female classmate to form a band, but because of this matter, they even turned down the other party's invitation to go to the performing arts room to rehearse instruments.
She, Nikaido Hiro, age fifteen, living in the tower mansion area of Minato Ward, Tokyo, unmarried, with a regular daily schedule, must drink a cup of hot milk before bed. Even Meruru said she is very healthy.
She just wanted to live a quiet high school life!
"Don't look so bitter, Little Hiro~"
"By the way, I heard you and Emma transferred to Tsukinomori High School. You guys didn't happen to meet some blue-haired little girl inviting you to join a band or something, right?"
Nikaido Hiro: "?"
Hiro suddenly had an ominous premonition.
"Looking at your expression, you met her?"
Suke was a bit surprised. Seeing Hiro's indescribable expression, he knew he had guessed right.
But thinking about it, it was actually fine. A high school Jirai Onna playing in a band was better than fighting and killing.
"Well... it's alright, I guess. It's just a Hajimi similar to you."
"If she hisses at you, you can hiss back immediately!"
"Don't worry, she can't out-hiss you!"
Suke patted Nikaido Hiro's shoulder again, offering a bit of comfort.
Immediately after, he narrowed his eyes and looked toward the battlefield under the red moon in the distance.
The Little Death God Tripoka, versus the Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13, Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni.
Standing under the red moon was the old man named Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni, who had once personally slain the King of Quincies, Yhwach.
This old man who had guarded the Soul Society for a thousand years was currently confronting Tripoka with that ancient Zanpakuto which had cut down countless evils, his eyes sharp as a falcon's.
"All things in the universe, turn to ashes—Ryujin Jakka."
The old man's tone remained consistently flat.
With merely the action of Shikai, the scorching flames bursting from his body instantly drained the surrounding air dry.
He turned the ruins of the buildings beneath his feet, which had already collapsed from the collision of the two parties' Spiritual Pressures, into flowing red-hot magma!
A heatwave surging enough to evaporate flesh slapped toward Tripoka wave after wave like a tide, and even headed toward the sky, attempting to evaporate this anomaly of the red moon that did not belong to this world!
However, in the center of such high temperatures that were enough to instantly melt metal and iron, Tripoka just stood quietly, her petite body steady as Mount Tai.
She tightened her pitch-black cloak. The cloak rose and fell slightly in the searing hurricane, yet not even a trace of scorch marks was left behind, as if these flames were merely background to her.
Her white, drill-twin-tailed hair flickered with silver light in the firelight. On that emotionless little face, the third blood-colored eye was calmly watching the old man's movements.
"Fire... is a very warm thing."
"Just like the afterglow of life."
Tripoka's ethereal and emotionless voice penetrated the roar of the flames, falling clearly upon the ears of Suke, who was watching the battle from the sidelines, and Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni.
"But in the Kingdom of Night, no matter how vigorous the fire, it is merely a terminal lucidity."
As her soft whisper fell, the giant scythe in her hand, capable of severing fate and harvesting all creation, suddenly slashed across the void!
Crack—
A shattering sound rang out, but it was not the sound of matter breaking.
It was the raging flames being severed!
The originally violently roaring crimson flames, upon touching that glimpse of the dark scythe blade, were swallowed and annihilated without any resistance, as if they had encountered a bottomless black hole.
This was not a collision on the level of Spiritual Pressure and power, but a control over rules derived from one's essence.
That was the only pass to the myriad worlds.
As a Little Death God whose essence was the "Lord of Night," when Tripoka faced flames piled up by Spiritual Pressure, this suppression of divinity destined that the flames could not cause her the slightest harm.
She did this more to protect Your Holiness on the spectator stand and the others.
"Such a powerful Ryoka..."
"Could she be the reason Central 46 asked us to clear the perimeter of the Seireitei? But power of this level..."
The Soul Reaper Captains murmured to themselves. They all looked toward Captain-Commander Yamamoto; the subtext seemed to be asking if there was anyone other than the Captain-Commander who could handle such a Ryoka.
And even that strongest Soul Reaper elder who had lived for a thousand years did not display his usual composure of killing any enemy with a single slash when facing this Ryoka.
Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni's brows were locked tight. He could feel the heat emitted by his Zanpakuto flowing away rapidly along some invisible cracks.
He could not let this drag on any longer. The strength of this Ryoka exceeded his expectations.
"Taimatsu—!"
Accompanied by a low roar from the old man, he drew his blade and slashed!
A majestic Spiritual Pressure like a mountain range, mixed with blazing flowing fire, transformed into a tornado of fire hundreds of meters high and charged to kill Tripoka.
This fire tornado, which seemed as if it would burn the sky dry, instantly swallowed Tripoka's petite figure completely!
"Is she done for?"
"To actually force the Captain-Commander to use Shikai, even as a Ryoka, is enough to be proud of."
The Soul Reaper Captains in the distance discussed animatedly. Although there was a fact they were unwilling to admit, it was that this Ryoka was far stronger than all of them except for the Captain-Commander!
One had to know that if any one of them fought a duel with the Captain-Commander alone, let alone forcing the Captain-Commander to use Shikai, he wouldn't even draw his Zanpakuto.
Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni possessed such a tier-breaking level of strength; just his fists and feet infused with Spiritual Pressure were enough to defeat all of them.
However, when the fire tornado, which would not cease until it burned the enemy to flying ash, dissipated, and the figure of the girl in the black cloak was revealed once again...
All of their expressions changed.
"Mmm... Stubborn old man. Tripoka seems to have met a decent opponent."
The Death God maiden, immovable as a mountain, finally shifted her posture.
The flames that devoured everything had blackened the edges of her cloak somewhat, but in the next moment, those blackened spots were restored to their original state.
As expected of Captain-Commander Yamamoto, who was able to physically stab the King of Quincies to death a thousand years ago, making even the evolved Aizen and the revived Yhwach dare not engage him in a frontal confrontation.
Taking this scene into his eyes, Suke felt a bit of emotion. He realized he still couldn't underestimate the people of the world.
Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni represented the purest "Numerical Value" of this Soul Reaper world.
His mechanics might not be strong, but absolute force overcomes all techniques.
Whether it was that Bankai capable of completely evaporating all moisture in the Soul Society, or that Spiritual Pressure which wouldn't even naturally dissipate after death, they all represented the pride of the number one powerhouse nurtured by this world over two thousand years.
If he had only brought Tsukishiro Yuki, Abigail, and BB, this single hurdle would have been enough to stall one of them.
Especially with Tsukishiro Yuki not restored to her prime, a two-on-one fight still carried a probability of failure.
This was likely one of the calculations Yhwach made in choosing this point in time.
Upon discovering that the essence he had acquired was inexplicably draining away, he immediately realized that the Great Witch, Tsukishiro Yuki, was not simple.
What a pity, he was still too late!
Swish, swish.
The swung scythe blade carried the death energy that ended all life. Clearly, it did not hit Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni, yet it made the old man feel as if every strike was dissecting his soul.
The girl was merely swinging at the air, yet the scythe blade would naturally peel "life" from the old man named "Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni," making the old man feel his own weakness intensifying.
There wasn't that much time left for him to think and worry!
Watching Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni, who began to accumulate power and prepare to activate Bankai, Suke raised an eyebrow.
He wasn't worried that Tripoka would lose.
Actually, if not for wanting to let the Little Witches broaden their horizons so this trip wouldn't be too boring, he would have taken Tsukishiro Yuki, BB, and Abigail to gang up on the thousand-year-old man right from the start.
But clearly, as an outstanding young man of the new era, he possessed the traditional virtue of respecting the old and cherishing the young~
Well, of course, there was also the reason that he feared the King of Quincies, who might be observing all this, would be scared away directly.
This was his home field after all. Heaven knows if he, who hadn't shown his face yet, had any methods of escape.
"It looks like the remaining Captains can't sit still anymore either."
Suke turned his head, looking at those Gotei 13 Captains who had already drawn their Zanpakuto and were closing in with guarded expressions.
Perhaps seeing that they couldn't interfere in the Captain-Commander's battle which was on a different tier, they turned their attention to Suke and the others at the edge of the battlefield, who looked like Ryoka at a glance.
Although Suke really wanted to let Tripoka accomplish the magnificent feat of defeating the entire Seireitei with her own strength alone, unfortunately, things went contrary to wishes.
They were still too weak; without power, they had to be strengthened.
"Miss Witches, you don't expect these underage Little Witches to charge at the front, do you?"
As Suke's voice fell, the Witches of Sin who were originally sipping tea leisurely, or even somewhat drowsy, finally slowly put down the snacks in their hands.
This made Nikaido Hiro and the others, who had subconsciously drawn their Zanpakuto in alertness, relax their expressions slightly.
"Cough, cough..."
"Little Yuki, drink slowly, be careful not to choke!"
"Boohoo, Lady Great Witch, please, you must take care of your body..."
Of course, Tsukishiro Yuki was an exception. This Great Witch who had just recovered from a serious illness still looked so weak that she would choke from coughing every now and then even when drinking tea.
So much so that Suke had to give her the most care, not knowing if she was faking it or if it was real.
Of course, Hikami Meruru was also included. At this moment, having grown an eye on her forehead after Witch-transformation, she still had that look as if she were about to cry.
"That is fine as well."
"My curiosity can hardly be suppressed anymore; it is truly making one impatient."
The Witch of Greed, Echidna, spread open her fair five fingers. In those pupils filled with a desire for knowledge, a highly dangerous light of curiosity flickered:
"The soul architecture of 'Death Gods', the new substance named 'Spirit Particles'... truly, one after another, they are new subjects that one cannot refuse."
She elegantly brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. Her seemingly frail figure, however, emitted an oppressive sensation that distorted the surrounding space in an instant.
At this moment, all the Witches present here had already completed the summation and unification of their essence thanks to the secret technique pre-laid by Tsukishiro Yuki.
This meant they were no longer separate individuals, but a whole, completely making up for the glass cannon problem of the Witches of Sin from the Re:Zero world.
Any damage landing on one of them would be instantly shared by all the others until it became insignificant.
Moreover, there was also a conceptual-level healer like Hikami Meruru present to provide long-range support.
____
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