"Are you actually serious about this?"
Haruto could confirm two things.
First, Kagamiya Rikugatami was most likely a Shinigami assigned to the Eleventh Division. Ever since Kenpachi Kiganjō became its captain, the division's disregard for rules had grown increasingly blatant.
Second—
They truly intended to kill him.
The first matter was not something Haruto could interfere with. Whatever direction the Eleventh Division eventually took was something the old man Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto would have to worry about.
The second…
Haruto did not know whether he was the protagonist of some grand story, but the people standing before him had certainly chosen the path to their own deaths.
Lower nobles who survived by clinging to the narrow gap between classes were often even more decisive than many middle-ranking noble families. To attempt murder over such a trivial matter—calling it mere rivalry would be an understatement.
"This place may be remote…"
Once night fell, things might be different. But during the day, after leaving Yoshiwara's central streets, the outskirts were bleak and sparsely populated.
"…but it's hardly deserted."
Dilapidated wooden houses.
Makeshift shacks.
Homeless drifters wrapped in filthy blankets.
There were plenty of eyes watching this alley.
"Are you sure you won't expose yourselves?"
Haruto spoke calmly.
"I'm already a pre-selected candidate for the Fifth Division. Even if you kill everyone here, the traces of spiritual pressure will never survive an investigation."
It was a lie.
But a believable one.
A quick check would reveal that Haruto's homeroom teacher at Shin'ō Academy was the Seventh Seat of the Fifth Division. That alone made his future assignment there extremely likely.
So Haruto did not hesitate to use the claim as a threat.
However—
"Brother! Why bother listening to his nonsense!"
The fat man finally seized the chance to speak.
"If he really had the ability, he'd either attack us directly or run for his life! The only reason he's talking so much is because he's scared of your strength!"
…
"That's true."
Onizuka's grin twisted into something savage.
His earlier restraint had merely been an act.
Despite appearing like a brute, Onizuka was far more cautious than he looked. He had deliberately provoked Haruto with conversation earlier because he was unsure if he could win.
Otherwise, there would have been no reason to bring along these useless extras.
Haruto's earlier disdain toward Rikugatami—and his sudden caution after Onizuka appeared—had already revealed something about his strength.
Around Tenth Seat level.
Against a Kidō specialist who could not release Shikai and was mediocre in Hakuda and Shunpo, Onizuka believed victory was guaranteed.
"Don't worry, brat."
Onizuka pulled his Zanpakutō free from the ground.
"Destroying corpses and erasing evidence… the Eleventh Division is far better at it than you think."
His Zanpakutō was far larger than most.
Before reaching vice-captain level, the visible size of a Zanpakutō generally reflected its wielder's spiritual pressure. The larger the blade, the stronger the Shinigami.
Haruto had seen many Zanpakutō.
Though Onizuka was only the Eighth Seat, his actual strength might exceed that ranking.
Shing.
As the blade slowly slid from its sheath, reflecting pale silver sunlight, the battle began without another word.
"Well then—"
Haruto quietly raised his right index finger.
"…that's unfortunate."
"Way of Destruction Number Four: White Lightning."
A sharp crack split the air.
A streak of blue-white lightning shot forward instantly, leaving a sizzling trail as it struck Onizuka—
More precisely, the Zanpakutō he had raised in front of him.
"…?"
Even Byakuya Kuchiki, when sparring with Haruto, deliberately imposed restrictions preventing him from using White Lightning.
Onizuka had not used Shunpo, so logically he should not have been able to intercept the spell so precisely.
"Your blade…"
Haruto frowned slightly.
"It attracts lightning?"
For some reason, it felt like every unfamiliar Zanpakutō he encountered happened to counter him.
Haruto understood his own weakness well.
Without preparation, he instinctively relied on White Lightning when engaging enemies. A specialized tool designed to exploit that habit could easily produce the result just seen.
"I can be generous and allow you a little more time to find the answer before you die—"
"Brat!"
Seeing that White Lightning had failed, Onizuka's grin widened.
Once the thick blade fully left its sheath, he roared:
"Crush him!"
The Shikai command.
An Eighth Seat capable of releasing Shikai was not unexpected.
Haruto had already been watching carefully.
The moment of Shikai release was precisely the opportunity he had been waiting for—just as he had done when sparring with Byakuya.
Unlike magical girls or transforming heroes, a Shinigami's Shikai did not grant temporary invincibility.
"Way of Destruction Number Thirty-Nine—"
White Lightning had failed to produce lethal damage. Whether it was the Zanpakutō or some special tool he carried, Onizuka clearly possessed defenses against lightning-type Kidō.
Haruto had originally intended to save an enhanced White Lightning for the exact moment of Shikai release.
But with circumstances changing, so did his strategy.
Combining his lightning-based Kidō with explosive fire-type spiritual pressure produced a massive lightning fireball several times larger than Red Fire Cannon.
"Diamond Burst."
The distance of over ten meters vanished instantly.
Heat and paralysis surged forward with the advancing sphere of lightning fire.
While not as refined as his enhanced White Lightning, it was still a lightning-type spell Haruto excelled at.
Against a seated officer of this level, even if it failed to kill instantly, it should at least immobilize or severely injure the opponent.
But—
The moment Diamond Burst struck—
Instead of exploding, the lightning fireball twisted violently, like starlight being swallowed by a black hole.
In an instant, the swirling energy was absorbed into Onizuka's—
Zanpakutō.
BOOM.
A heavy vibration echoed.
The weapon in Onizuka's hands no longer resembled a sword at all.
Rather than a blade, it was now a shield.
A massive square shield large enough to cover his entire body, its surface carved with the grotesque face of a horned demon.
"Brat!"
The shield felt weightless in Onizuka's grasp.
"Show me what else you've got!"
Haruto's expression grew more cautious.
"…Not just lightning. A Zanpakutō that absorbs all Kidō?"
This ability restricted him more than expected.
"…No."
He quickly dismissed the idea.
"If such a Zanpakutō truly existed, it would counter Kidō users far too perfectly."
"Even the Eleventh Division wouldn't let someone with that potential remain merely an Eighth Seat."
It wasn't simply a matter of spiritual pressure.
A shield could still be used as a weapon.
Weapon type meant nothing to the Eleventh Division.
"The Eleventh Division's information is practically public knowledge. The Eighth Division would definitely know about such a weapon."
"If I were Shunsui Kyōraku or Yamamoto himself, I wouldn't allow such a promising Shinigami to waste his career like this."
…
"So the limitation lies in spiritual pressure?"
Haruto's thoughts raced.
There had to be a restriction.
Perhaps mid-level Kidō were insufficient.
Perhaps anything below Seventh-Level spiritual pressure simply lacked the power to break through.
And there was also the mysterious attraction ability that appeared even before Shikai activation.
Regardless—
He could not stop attacking.
"Way of Destruction Number Twenty."
Light flared again in Haruto's palm.
A perfectly condensed sphere of golden energy, about the size of a volleyball, formed instantly.
"Illuminating Heaven Sphere."
The projectile shot forward at incredible speed.
It traced a straight line through the air before striking the upper edge of Onizuka's shield.
Thud.
It did not explode.
Just like Diamond Burst, its spiritual energy was completely absorbed.
"Hahaha!"
Onizuka burst into loud laughter.
"Brat, if that's all you've got—"
BOOM.
He stomped the ground.
The earth trembled like a minor quake.
His enormous body surged forward with shocking speed.
Not Shunpo—
But just as fast as the Shunpo Haruto was still training.
A crushing gust of wind blasted toward Haruto.
The massive shield rose high above Onizuka's head—
Then slammed downward like a falling mountain.
"Way of Destruction Number Fifty-Four—"
Haruto swung his arm.
His chanting voice remained calm and steady.
"Haien."
"Useless!"
Onizuka roared, ignoring the incoming spell.
The shield continued crashing down without hesitation.
BOOM!!
The impact thundered.
Dust and dirt erupted into the air, obscuring the battlefield.
Then—
"…Hm?"
Onizuka lifted the shield from the ground.
His strike had hit nothing.
And the Kidō had not targeted him.
"AAAH!"
"Help! Someone help!!"
Behind him came desperate screams.
Onizuka spun around.
What he saw were his four companions—
Engulfed in violent purple flames.
"What—"
His cry cut off halfway.
A whisper near his ear sent chills down his spine.
Too long without real life-or-death combat had made him forget something.
Turning your gaze away in battle was fatal.
"Who said…"
Two fingers touched lightly against his back.
"…Haien was meant for you?"
"Way of Destruction Number Four—"
The distance between them was too short.
Too short to retreat.
Too short to raise the shield.
"Wai—!"
The plea never finished.
Blinding lightning swallowed his voice.
"White Lightning."
Flash Step behind the enemy, then pierce through the heart.
The technique known as Shunkō's secret counterpart—Flash Blossom.
What Haruto recreated now was essentially the Kidō version of that technique he had nearly completed during the real sword duel.
"CRACK!!"
Blue-white lightning tore through the air like ink splashed across the sky.
…
Thud.
Onizuka's body slowly collapsed.
The shield-form Zanpakutō clattered to the ground.
Life faded instantly from his enormous frame.
Haruto looked down silently.
"Way of Destruction Number Fifty-Four: Haien."
A purple flame ignited at his fingertip.
With a small flick of his hand, it blossomed across Onizuka's corpse like a flower of fire.
Within moments—
Nothing remained.
"...Haa."
Haruto rested one hand on the hilt of his Zanpakutō and exhaled.
"You claimed to be good at disposing of bodies."
"In truth, Haien does it far better."
Haien.
Ranked fifty-four.
Its offensive power was mediocre.
But its heat and persistence were unmatched.
It was widely used in research, daily life—and especially for destroying objects.
Among mid-level Kidō, it was the most efficient method of erasure.
Nicknamed—
A miniature Amaterasu.
In truth, the battle had not been as easy as it appeared.
Onizuka's Zanpakutō had indeed caused serious trouble for Haruto, who relied heavily on Kidō.
In that brief fight—
Haruto had used eight different Kidō spells.
Through double incantation, he had secretly prepared Binding Spell Number Twenty-Six: Kyokkō while firing White Lightning.
By the time Diamond Burst struck, Binding Spell Number Twenty-One: Red Smoke Escape had already been completed.
Together, those spells formed the Kidō version of the Utsusemi illusion he had used against Byakuya.
With his improved physical ability, Haruto could now cast them faster and more fluidly.
Even the Haien that distracted Onizuka contained a hidden enhancement—
Way of Destruction Number Twenty-Six: Crimson Flame Wall, used to expand the flames' range.
Against the four nobles, even a weakened Haien was more than enough.
More importantly—
It deceived Onizuka.
His Zanpakutō possessed two abilities:
Absorption of Kidō.
And attraction of Kidō.
The first was passive.
The second required active control.
Only one attribute could be redirected at a time.
Haruto had tested this using the weaker Illuminating Heaven Sphere.
Once he confirmed the limitation—
The plan formed instantly.
Use Haien as bait.
Force the shield to redirect its attraction.
Then finish the enemy with point-blank White Lightning.
As for Haruto's second theory—
There would never be a chance to test it.
Onizuka's Zanpakutō likely had a limit to how much spiritual pressure it could absorb.
A barrage of high-level Kidō might have overwhelmed it.
But such a method would waste enormous spiritual power.
Compared to that—
Defeating the enemy through intelligence…
And ending the fight with a single enhanced White Lightning—
Was far easier.
.............................................................................................................