"A wood-type zanpakutō…"
"A gigantic Wood Dragon soaring through the sky!!!"
"A guy who isn't even a proper Shinigami—how can his zanpakutō be this strong?!"
As the enormous Wood Dragon bared its fangs and claws and lunged toward them—
Its overwhelming size—
And the terrifying pressure radiating from its body—
Instantly shattered D-Roy's courage.
This Arrancar—who not long ago had been arrogantly mocking Shinigami while ganging up on Matsumoto Rangiku—
Now trembled uncontrollably.
His thin, Hierro-hardened body shook like a leaf, his face drained of all color.
Facing the Wood Dragon that forced the clouds themselves to part—
He never could have imagined—
That Bai Chen would skip all pleasantries and open with a finisher.
Summoning a Wood Dragon that looked like it connected heaven and earth itself!
A dragon—straight to the face.
How the hell were they supposed to fight this?!
"A trap—this is obviously a death trap!!!"
"Aizen and Ichimaru Gin, those two damn snakes!!!"
"They deliberately hid the fact that there was a captain-level monster hiding among the trainees!!!"
As the suffocating pressure—so intense it made the air roar—
Crushed down with the Wood Dragon's descent—
Shawlong Kūfang's final mental defenses collapsed completely.
His pupils shrank violently, bloodshot and feral.
Inside, he cursed Aizen and Gin nonstop.
This was supposed to be a clean harvest.
A one-sided slaughter.
But in the end—
The real clown had been them.
Only now did Shawlong finally understand—
Why Bai Chen had "kindly" advised them at the start to release immediately.
That warning was real.
The promise of an instant kill—
Also very real.
Unfortunately—
Regret came far too late.
Even if he somehow managed to complete Resurrección in the limited time left—
A crawling insect—
How could it ever contend with a flying dragon?
In the end, they would be swallowed whole—
Just as Bai Chen had foretold—
Reduced to fertilizer for the forest.
Meanwhile—
Behind the protection of the Wooden Spindle Wall—
Matsumoto Rangiku watched the scene unfold, stunned.
"That's incredible…!!!"
"Is this really just Shikai?!"
"With this level of power…"
"Even many Bankai don't come close!"
Peering through the gaps between the wooden pillars—
Gazing up at the colossal Wood Dragon that seemed to split the sky in two—
Rangiku's beautiful eyes sparkled with shock and delight.
She wasn't exaggerating.
Nor was she praising Bai Chen out of bias.
She genuinely believed—
That the power of the zanpakutō Wood Dragon—
Surpassed that of many captains' blades.
At least in her eyes—
Byakuya Kuchiki, Sajin Komamura, Kaname Tōsen…
Their zanpakutō—
And even their Bankai—
Simply didn't feel as oppressive as what Wood Dragon was displaying now.
"This battle should end without any suspense, right?"
"And if nothing unexpected happens…"
"The Menos Gillian around here are already retreating…"
Indeed—
As Rangiku observed—
The Hollows that had once surrounded them—
Driven by primal fear of death—
Had turned from encirclement to mass escape.
Dragging their bulky bodies away as fast as they could—
Trying desperately to flee the Wood Dragon's crushing presence.
With the collapse of the Menos horde—
The desperate, near-death situation Rangiku and the sixth-years had faced—
Was resolved just like that.
All because of Bai Chen—
And his zanpakutō, Wood Dragon.
At the same time—
With death looming—
Even knowing hope was slim—
The two Arrancar subordinates refused to wait passively.
They activated Resurrección almost simultaneously.
"Devour—Sand Worm!"
"Sever—Five-Scythe Insect!"
The sealed spiritual pressure within their blades surged—
But—
In the very next moment—
The light and aura that should have erupted—
Were forcibly suppressed.
Under the descending pressure from above—
Their Resurrección—
Was interrupted mid-release!
"What's going on?!"
"Why was our release forcibly canceled?!"
"And I can clearly feel it—"
"The spiritual pressure sealed in my blade isn't returning to my body!"
"It's… it's being drained!"
"Like it's being forcibly stolen by something!!!"
In that instant—
As this horrifying truth dawned on him—
Every syllable Shawlong spoke dripped with despair.
His last shred of fighting spirit vanished completely.
Fear.
Helplessness.
Regret.
As An Espada-class Arrancar—
After finally descending into the Human World—
Shawlong Kūfang, despite not being among the Espada—
Was still considered a solid pillar within the Arrancar ranks.
Yet—
He never imagined—
That not only would his momentum be crushed—
But even Resurrección itself would be sealed.
Faced with something so unnatural—
His mind reached only one conclusion.
To stand still—
And wait for death.
"Arrancar… didn't I forget to tell you something earlier?"
At the moment Shawlong's heart sank into utter darkness—
Bai Chen's next words cut even deeper.
"Wood Dragon…"
"It's not just big."
"And it's not just destructive."
"Anywhere it flies…"
"It continuously absorbs energy."
"So once it locks onto you—"
"No one's spiritual pressure can escape."
As Bai Chen finished speaking—
The Wood Dragon roared.
It surged forward.
And in a single motion—
Swallowed both Arrancar whole.
No last words.
No final screams.
D-Roy and Shawlong Kūfang—
Along with their blades—
Became part of Wood Dragon's power.
Thus—
The one-versus-two battle—
Ended in absolute domination.
"It's over…"
"So Wood Dragon's true nature…"
"Isn't just suppression—it can also drain the enemy's spiritual pressure."
Watching the two Arrancar vanish completely—
Bai Chen's lips curved into a satisfied smile.
He could clearly feel it now—
Within the coiling Wood Dragon—
Its power had noticeably increased.
The change wasn't obvious externally—
But the sensation was unmistakable.
Through the soul-link with his zanpakutō—
The growth fed directly back into him.
In other words—
Bai Chen himself had grown stronger.
"So…"
"In future battles…"
"I can repeat this method."
"Defeat the enemy—and absorb their spiritual pressure at the same time."
His eyes burned with excitement.
From a certain perspective—
This was outright cheating.
As long as his opponents were strong enough—
And numerous enough—
Anyone ensnared by Wood Dragon—
Would have their spiritual pressure drained.
And as its master—
Bai Chen would continue to grow stronger.
A perfect win-win.
What Bai Chen didn't know—
Was that while he was savoring this discovery—
In the distant sky—
Within a seemingly empty stretch of air—
Aizen, Gin, and Tōsen—
Already cloaked in black after passing through the Senkaimon—
Were discussing the battle that had just ended.
"That Wood Dragon…"
"To think it would devour two Arrancar so brutally in one bite…"
"Aizen-taichō…"
"Good thing you're here—otherwise even I might've been a little scared."
Ichimaru Gin spoke in his familiar Kyoto drawl, feigning weakness.
Of course—
He wasn't truly afraid.
Just being his usual self.
Aizen ignored the act.
Instead, he spoke calmly:
"Gin… did you notice?"
"The moment the Wood Dragon dove in…"
"D-Roy and Shawlong's spiritual pressure weakened rapidly."
"Clearly, their power was being stolen."
"And this phenomenon…"
"Is also one of Wood Dragon's abilities."
Behind his glasses—
Aizen's deep eyes fixed on Bai Chen.
When his gaze shifted to the thorned blade—
His expression grew complicated.
Curiosity.
Amazement.
And—
A trace of wariness.
Yes.
After personally observing up close—
Not only had Aizen gained a clearer understanding of Wood Dragon—
As a fellow strong individual—
He both acknowledged its power—
And felt a long-lost sense of threat.
"Aizen-taichō, what now?"
"With two Arrancar subordinates dead, the remaining Menos will be wiped out soon."
"This plan clearly failed, didn't it?"
Gin tilted his head, purple bangs swaying, probing with a sly smile.
He wanted more chaos.
But—
Aizen shook his head calmly.
"Gin, you're wrong."
"This plan didn't fail."
"It was a tremendous success."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"D-Roy… Shawlong Kūfang…"
"Two mere subordinates of Grimmjow."
"Their deaths are insignificant."
"What matters…"
"Is that this incident perfectly revealed the true nature of that new zanpakutō."
He paused, then added regretfully:
"The only pity…"
"Is that it was just Shikai."
"If we could have forced out his Bankai…"
"That would have been ideal."
Of course—
Aizen knew that forcing Wood Dragon's Bankai—
Would require Espada.
And not just one.
Against this zanpakutō—
Ordinary captain-level opponents—
Simply weren't enough.
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