"Boom!!"
An overwhelming, invisible force surged outwards, so potent it distorted the very air.
This single move consumed nearly one-tenth of Nanaya's spiritual power. Its reach was catastrophic—engulfing the entire Sōkyoku Hill and the execution platform in a blinding white light.
The force was so intense it took physical form, a luminous repulsion wave that disintegrated everything in its path.
Buildings crumbled.
The ground split open.
A massive crater yawned beneath them as shockwaves tore through the earth—like Konoha flattened by a Super Shinra Tensei.
Seeing the terrain itself transformed, Kyoraku Shunsui's expression darkened. His voice trembled.
"Jūshirō!!"
"I'm fine..." Ukitake emerged from a deep fissure, covered in dust and blood, looking disheveled but composed.
He coughed lightly and muttered, "That puppet's attacks are purely physical—wide-area damage with minimal spiritual energy. My Soul-Slaying Sword can't absorb it."
He glanced at the other Pains. "The rest are the same. If I hadn't used spiritual energy to reinforce my body, the shock alone—and those hundreds of missiles—might have torn me apart."
He looked down at his shaking hands. "...Do I need to use Bankai?"
On another side of the battlefield, Sui-Feng's eyes locked onto the newest of the Six Paths of Pain. Her face twisted in fury.
"Damn the 12th Division... they even replicated my corpse?!"
That crossed the line.
Even with Nanaya holding her secrets hostage, her rage exploded. Her spiritual energy surged as she drew her blade.
"Kill them all, Suzumebachi!!"
Her Zanpakutō transformed into the deadly stinger of a queen bee.
Just as she was about to launch herself forward—shoom—a black blur shot past her.
The Rinnegan eyes of the Six Paths flickered. Beast Path reacted instinctively.
"Yoruichi, sit."
Instantly, the black shadow skidded to a halt, crouched low to the ground, raised a paw, and...
"Meow!" she purred sweetly, waving like a beckoning cat.
Time froze.
Even Kuchiki Byakuya, locked in combat, paused mid-strike.
All eyes turned.
Then—
"SHIHOUIN YORUICHI!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" Byakuya bellowed, eyes wide with disbelief.
Indeed, the black figure was Shihouin Yoruichi—clad in night-colored gear, her face hidden under a mask, but her identity unmistakable.
This was the 20th head of the Shihouin Clan.
Former Captain of the Second Division.
Commander of the Onmitsukidō.
Chief of the Secret Mobile Forces.
A living legend.
Now—squatting like a catgirl, paw in the air, purring.
Byakuya's temple twitched. This… is a disgrace. A disgrace to the noble houses!
Other captains looked away, awkwardly clearing their throats. They knew Yoruichi was eccentric, but this? This was next level.
Someone actually trained her to do this?
"...Master Yoruichi..." Sui-Feng whispered, stunned, eyes glazed, nose twitching as if she might nosebleed from the sheer adorableness.
The once-fearsome Yoruichi slowly stood, her face frozen, then slowly flushed red.
She turned to Nanaya, trembling with rage.
"Little brat! What the hell are you yelling for!?"
Every time she ate catnip in her feline form, Nanaya tormented her.
Now, just hearing his voice triggered an involuntary reaction—she squatted without thinking.
Beast Path, wearing Sui-Feng's face, blinked innocently. "Misunderstanding! I just thought you looked naughty, so I called out."
Yoruichi nearly exploded with fury.
But not as much as Sui-Feng.
"You... you said my Yoruichi-sama is not obedient...?! N-Nanaya!! What have you done to her!?"
Her face burned crimson. Veins popped.
"I'LL NEVER FORGIVE YOU!!"
She charged at full speed—but—
A sudden wave of searing heat stopped her dead.
"C-Captain-Commander!?"
Sui-Feng spun around in shock.
Yamamoto Genryūsai had drawn his blade, flames surging around him, fury in his eyes.
"This is... outrageous!" he thundered. "One after another, you've disgraced the honor of the Gotei 13!"
His spiritual pressure crushed the air itself.
The captains bowed their heads in shame. They knew this was directed at them.
They had failed to stop the enemy.
"Hmph."
Yamamoto's gaze locked on Nanaya.
"You, human intruder. You have defiled sacred ground and committed unforgivable crimes."
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"Prepare yourself."
With that, he released his full spiritual pressure. The skies themselves seemed to groan.
He unsheathed his Zanpakutō—Ryuujin Jakka—and fire erupted around him like a living inferno.
"Reduce to ashes—Matsuna!"
"Kidō!" the Kidō Path of Pain raised a hand.
A moment later, it was ash.
So were several other Pains, reduced to nothing by fire exceeding 5,000 degrees.
Only the Deva Path remained.
It raised a hand slowly, voice like a glacier cracking:
"Super Shinra Tensei."
(TLnote-whats next ultra pro max??)
The white repulsive force exploded forward—crashing into the flames.
A shockwave followed.
And incredibly—the repulsion shattered the fire.
Yamamoto's eyes narrowed.
"Impressive," he admitted. "You actually blocked my flames..."
Few captains could have withstood his blade, much less repel it.
Then, without a word, the old man shrugged off his captain's haori—revealing a scarred yet powerful physique forged in centuries of war.
He raised his blade again—this time with intent to end the battle.
"Castle Flame!!"
A sea of fire surged outward like a tidal wave, instantly engulfing the entire execution grounds atop Sōkyoku Hill.
The sky turned crimson.
The ground cracked under the weight of heat.
Faced with the all-consuming blaze, every captain's expression shifted in an instant.
Without a word, they abandoned their positions and scattered—retreating at full speed.
When Captain-Commander Yamamoto unleashes an attack... friend or foe, it makes no difference.
As the inferno closed in, Nanaya calmly extended his palm, a faint smirk curling at his lips.
In his hand, a radiant azure orb glowed ominously.
"The Hōgyoku?"
Without hesitation, he tucked the orb into his chest, stepped forward, and vanished—reappearing at the frontlines in the blink of an eye.
Behind him, the round fan shimmered as he reached back and grabbed it.
With a powerful swing, he bellowed:
"Uchiha Rebound!!"
The moment the firestorm touched the fan—BOOM—the flames bounced back, redirected in a colossal arc.
The inferno twisted and snapped back—this time toward its original caster.
Within seconds, Yamamoto Genryūsai was swallowed by the flames he himself had summoned.
But—
In the heart of the blaze, the old man's silhouette emerged.
His tattered haori billowed in the heat, and with a single swing of Ryūjin Jakka, he sliced the flames apart like a god parting the seas.
The fire obeyed.
Its fury waned.
Nanaya narrowed his eyes and licked his lips.
He turned slightly and gestured behind him.
"Back off. All of you."
His tone was casual, but sharp.
"You won't survive the aftermath, let alone the fight itself."
Kurosaki Ichigo and the others hesitated—but seeing the intensity of the heat still rising, they knew better than to argue.
They retreated quickly, joining the astonished captains on the sidelines.
Kyoraku Shunsui folded his arms, muttering, "That kid... he's either a genius or a lunatic."
All eyes now turned toward the center of the battlefield.
A duel was unfolding that no one dared interrupt.
Yamamoto's voice rumbled across the scorched earth.
"Little brat... you wish to fight me?"
He squinted at Nanaya, studying him not with disdain—but with interest.
It had been centuries since anyone stood before him like this.
Not since the Thousand-Year War had anyone dared to challenge him directly.
Nanaya grinned.
"Of course."
He adjusted his grip on the fan, spiritual pressure quietly rising.
"It's not really my style to just take a beating. I figured it's about time I hit back."
Yamamoto's expression didn't change, but a flicker of approval passed in his gaze.
"You're bold."
In an instant, the Captain-Commander vanished—and reappeared in front of Nanaya.
No warning.
No sound.
Just raw speed.
He raised Ryūjin Jakka, flames spiraling violently around the blade.
With a thunderous roar, he swung.
CRACK—!!
The burning blade slammed down toward Nanaya like the wrath of a god.
Nanaya didn't flinch.
He raised his fan.
Clang!
The force of the strike was immense—like an avalanche condensed into a single blow.
His eyes widened.
"You're really a freakishly strong old man!"
The temperature could be reflected by the fan—but the brute strength behind the slash?
That still shook Nanaya to his core.
"Rebound!!"
A burst of spiritual light exploded as the flames absorbed by the fan were launched back toward Yamamoto again.
The air cracked from the pressure.
As the fire collided once more with its master, the captains watching all involuntarily gasped.
Even Kurosaki Ichigo's face tightened.
Because...
On Yamamoto's pristine white haori—
A blackened scorch mark had appeared.
Tiny embers danced across the fabric, sparks crawling like snakes.
A silence fell over the watching crowd.
Someone... had burned the Captain-Commander.
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