Byakuya calmly read out the name of the man blocking his path, one of the people he disliked the most.
"B-Big brother?" Ganju could hardly believe his eyes. It had truly been far too long since he last saw his older brother.
Kaien merely turned his head slightly and nodded. He was overjoyed to see Ganju here, especially since the kid seemed to have grown into a man capable of standing on his own.
However, he couldn't afford to lower his guard against Kuchiki Byakuya. For now, he had to suppress the joy of their reunion.
"It's been a long time, Captain Kuchiki."
"I do not believe I should be seeing you right now," Byakuya said, raising his right hand toward his Zanpakutō. "If you think you can protect them, you are gravely mistaken."
"Watching your own sister die right before your eyes—is this your responsibility as an older brother?!"
"Everyone has rules they must obey, regardless of their status. Of course, you people from the Shiba clan would never understand such principles." Kaien's words did not move Byakuya; instead, they only hardened his resolve. "I will not let you leave here alive."
"But what if someone simply wants Rukia dead, and they're the ones orchestrating all of this?!"
Byakuya's movements suddenly paused. Just as Kaien thought he might have persuaded him, Byakuya continued, "Then that is still her own damnable fault for failing to uphold the rules in her heart."
"Scatter, Senbonzakura."
The Zanpakutō in Byakuya's hand shattered piece by piece until only a bare hilt remained in his grasp. Pink cherry blossom petals fluttered into the air, creating a breathtakingly beautiful sight.
Faced with this beautiful scenery, Kaien looked as though he were confronting a deadly enemy. Senbonzakura—its blade decomposed into a thousand tiny blades invisible to the naked eye. If one were truly mesmerized by the shower of cherry blossoms before them, the very next moment, those petals would leave countless gashes across their body.
"Surge, water and sky, Nejibana!"
Kaien shouted as he released his own Zanpakutō. A trident spun in his hands, its long shaft sweeping through the air to churn up layers of crashing waves, instantly swatting down nearly half of the petals.
At the same time, he flicked the butt of his spear backward. A gentle wave of water carried Ganju and the others back toward the gates of the Senzaikyū, moving them as far away from the battlefield as possible.
*It really is Lord Kaien,* Rukia finally confirmed in her heart. *Only Lord Kaien could execute such dance-like spearmanship.*
"Be careful, Lord Kaien!"
"Don't worry, I will definitely save you, Rukia!"
Rukia nodded frantically, not caring whether Kaien could see her or not. Beside her, Ganju watched this exchange, somewhat at a loss for words.
*Why was it an absolute 'no' when I tried to save you earlier, but the moment my big brother shows up, everything is perfectly fine? Why is that?!*
*And besides, shouldn't I, his little brother, be the one worrying about him right now? Why are you stealing my thunder?*
"Be care—" Forget it. Ganju shook his head, swallowing the words that had reached the tip of his tongue. Saying that now would make him sound a bit jealous. *A true man needs trust, not worry!*
Byakuya heard Rukia's words as well. However, this overflowing concern was not directed at him, her older brother, but rather at the man standing before him.
The speed of the dancing cherry blossoms increased. The waves Kaien churned up failed to scatter them; instead, the water was shredded by the rapidly swirling petals.
It was clear that Byakuya was now taking this seriously.
However, Kaien wasn't entirely defenseless. The spear spun rhythmically around his right hand, its tip and tail sweeping in alternating arcs. The continuous, rolling waves consistently kept the petals at bay.
Even though he despised Shiba Kaien, Byakuya had to admit that despite being imprisoned in the Maggot's Nest for over forty years, the man remained an exceptionally outstanding Shinigami within the Seireitei.
Back when Byakuya was still training rigorously to succeed as the head of the Kuchiki clan, the genius of the man before him had already spread throughout the Seireitei.
During the Shin'ō Academy entrance exams, he already possessed a sixth-class Reiryoku level, equivalent to a lieutenant. Afterward, he completed the entire curriculum in just one year and was personally invited by Ukitake Jūshirō to join Squad 13.
He was not an opponent who could be easily dispatched.
At this thought, Byakuya's right hand, gripping the hilt, suddenly thrust forward into the empty air. The airborne petals seemed to receive a new command, flying backward to converge into a thin pink stream. It circled behind Byakuya before shooting forward to pierce Kaien.
Seeing this, Kaien didn't retreat; instead, he advanced, thrusting his spear straight into the incoming stream of blossoms.
The moment they clashed, Kaien felt the shaft of his spear vibrate violently, jarring his hands to the point of pain. The water wave kicked up by the spearhead was instantly shredded, diffusing into a layer of mist.
"Get the hell away from me!"
Kaien roared, gripping the spear with both hands and forcefully swinging it upward, forcibly deflecting the stream of petals into the sky.
Byakuya's face remained devoid of any superfluous emotion. He slashed the hilt in his right hand downward with force. The deflected stream of blossoms reared up like a massive python, its awl-like head diving down to swallow the man before it whole.
Kaien held Nejibana in a reverse grip, dragging the spearhead across the ground. Surging waves spiraled upward along the spinning spear, resembling a waterspout rising from the sea, with him standing at the eye of the storm like a god of the ocean.
"Surge, water and sky!"
The python and the waterspout collided, instantly producing a thunderous boom. A rain of pink petals flew upward while a torrential white downpour slanted toward the ground. For a moment, it was hard to tell which way was the sky and which way was the earth.
*This is my chance!* Senbonzakura was a Zanpakutō with equally obvious strengths and weaknesses. Its omnidirectional, high-speed attacks made it incredibly difficult for enemies to defend against. However, its master, holding only a bare hilt, was left completely defenseless!
Kaien lifted his heel, poising his spear to thrust at Byakuya. But to his surprise, his opponent's reaction was even faster. Byakuya pointed his left hand at him.
"[Bakudō #61・Rikujōkōrō]!"
Six pillars of light instantly locked Kaien in place. He was so close—just a hair's breadth away from closing the distance to Byakuya and seizing the initiative in the battle.
Unfortunately, missing by that hair's breadth meant he would be the one to suffer a heavy blow next. Although breaking out of a level sixty-one Bakudō wasn't impossible, it required time.
Opposite him, Byakuya raised his right hand once more. The petals that had been blasted into the sky began to rain down, making it clear he had no intention of giving Kaien that time.
*I never should have let Rukia join Squad 13.* Byakuya wished he could kill the man before him right then and there. *Even after paying such a tragic price, why do these people from the Shiba clan still refuse to understand the importance of obeying the rules?!*
*Right now, he is a criminal attempting to assist Ryoka in rescuing Rukia. There is absolutely no issue with killing him; this is the price he must pay!*
However, that final strike was never delivered. A hand quietly gripped Byakuya's wrist. The cherry blossoms in the air drifted down leisurely, as if they were truly nothing more than delicate petals.
"This is far enough, Captain Kuchiki."