When Shinji's Zanpakutō made contact, sparks flew and vanished in an instant.
Then, Kurotsuchi Mayuri's expression changed drastically as he finally understood why Tōsen Kaname had been sent flying.
A massive force struck him, and Kurotsuchi Mayuri was sent sliding across the ground for hundreds of meters like a meteor, only barely managing to stop.
"This strength... What kind of monster are you...?"
His right arm trembled uncontrollably. The immense impact had torn his muscles and cracked his bones to varying degrees.
And this was merely the result of blocking one of Shinji's strikes.
With a grim expression, Kurotsuchi Mayuri pulled out a tube of blue reagent and injected it into himself.
Almost instantly, all signs of discomfort vanished, and his arm was restored to its original state.
"Now, let's continue."
Shinji swiftly closed the distance and swung his Zanpakutō again.
Purple lightning descended from the heavens, striking repeatedly.
Shinji's attacks were fast, precise, and relentless.
His mastery of the fundamentals had reached its peak, and his swordsmanship was both powerful and overwhelming.
In just a few seconds, he delivered hundreds of strikes.
Kurotsuchi Mayuri had no ability to retaliate and was forced into a position similar to Shinji's earlier predicament, being repeatedly struck down, only to get up again.
Each time he fell, he got back up, only to be knocked down once more.
He couldn't stop; if he did, Shinji's attacks would aim directly at his vital points.
"Why aren't you attacking? Are you afraid of me, Captain Kurotsuchi Mayuri?"
With clear, sharp eyes, Shinji flicked his Zanpakutō, causing droplets of Kurotsuchi Mayuri's blood to splatter onto the ground.
"Hah... Hah... You damned brat..."
Kurotsuchi Mayuri panted heavily, his body slightly hunched as exhaustion took its toll.
"So, you're observing my attacks, trying to find patterns in my offensive style? Or perhaps you're searching for weaknesses?"
Shinji asked while tilting his head slightly, his left hand subtly covering his chest.
The Hōgyoku was burning hot!
Its pulsing heat echoed within him.
Shinji had already entered the state of "Beng Er Fusion" and had rapidly advanced in his fusion progress in a short span of time. He had almost crossed half of the entire fusion stage!
"You're a tough one, Captain Kurotsuchi Mayuri," Shinji remarked, his tone icy. "But this ends now."
Kurotsuchi Mayuri's face turned grim. He discarded yet another severed arm and used another regenerative technique.
His Reiatsu was being consumed at an alarming rate due to the repeated use of regenerative substances.
"With such a strong body, your internal defense must be weaker than your surface defense. I just need an opportunity to inject poison into your body, and then... victory will be mine!"
Kurotsuchi Mayuri's thoughts raced as he devised a strategy.
He grinned wickedly as his hand grasped his Zanpakutō's hilt tightly.
"Let's take this to the next level, shall we?"
Kurotsuchi Mayuri's Shikai command echoed:
"Rip, Ashisogi Jizō!"
With those words, his Zanpakutō transformed, and his Reiatsu surged dramatically.
But he wasn't done.
Without hesitation, he uttered the command for his ultimate release:
"Bankai!"
"Konjiki Ashisogi Jizō!"
The surrounding area trembled violently as his Reiatsu shot upward like a beam of light piercing the sky.
"He's releasing Bankai here?!"
Kyōraku Shunsui, observing the battle from the sidelines, took a step forward in alarm. His face was pale with shock.
Even Rukia, Renji, and the others were left speechless.
A grotesque, golden, baby-like creature with bulging gray eyes appeared amidst the chaos. Its body was adorned with countless blades and centipede-like appendages, and it wore a flowing red cloak.
"This is Konjiki Ashisogi Jizō."
Kurotsuchi Mayuri smirked with newfound confidence.
"Now, Kuchiki Shinji, let's see how you handle this."
His Bankai was one of the rare "biological forms" that he had enhanced through his experiments. Konjiki Ashisogi Jizō contained countless potent toxins that could devastate entire cities with just a small amount.
"Is this your trump card?" Shinji asked calmly, his gaze fixed on the monstrous form before him.
Kurotsuchi Mayuri sneered. "You should be terrified right now, but you're putting on a brave face. Let's see how long you can last!"
As time passed, Kurotsuchi Mayuri began to feel uneasy.
Shinji was dodging the attacks of Konjiki Ashisogi Jizō with ease.
And more importantly, why wasn't the poison taking effect?
"Are you wondering why your poison isn't working?"
Shinji's calm voice broke the tension.
His hand rested over his chest.
The Hōgyoku pulsed furiously.
Shinji had evolved.
Through his fusion state, the toxins had accelerated his evolution, and now, he was completely immune to Kurotsuchi Mayuri's poison.
"So, this is the extent of your confidence?"
Kurotsuchi Mayuri's face twisted in rage.
"Konjiki Ashisogi Jizō!!!"
He shouted, commanding his Bankai to unleash its full power.
The grotesque creature let out a deafening wail, spewing massive amounts of toxic mist that spread like a tidal wave.
"Is he insane?!" Kyōraku Shunsui muttered, wide-eyed. "Releasing Bankai and spreading poison here... Is he trying to kill us all?"
But before the mist could engulf everything, a blue-purple slash cleaved through the air.
The ground shook violently, and space itself seemed to fracture.
With one decisive blow, Shinji had sliced Konjiki Ashisogi Jizō cleanly in two.
The monstrous Bankai fell to the ground, shattered into countless pieces.
The spreading poison was halted by the sheer power of the slash.
"Bakudō #81. Dankū."
Shinji's quiet incantation activated a transparent barrier, sealing off the remaining toxins and protecting the surroundings.
"It's over," Shinji declared, his cold eyes fixed on the defeated Kurotsuchi Mayuri.
---
"The spread of the sword pressure and poisonous gas… has been suppressed."
Kyoraku Shunsui murmured in shock.
"Is it that ability again? Compared to the shield that blocked Captain Tousen's slash earlier, the scale this time is on an entirely different level."
He adjusted his bamboo hat, trying to make sense of the scene.
"Zanpakutō's ability? Hmm… probably not. How could a Lightning-based Zanpakutō possess such an unrelated power?"
Kyoraku Shunsui analyzed, piecing together the data.
Finally, he concluded:
"This… This must be related to 'Bakudō #81: Splitting Void.'
"Which means…"
"Kuchiki Shinji… did you develop an entirely new Kidō on your own?"
At this thought, Kyoraku Shunsui gasped, his bamboo hat sliding off his head.
A Reiatsu seemingly beyond the captain level, an unrecorded Bankai, and the ability to create unique Kidō, this young master of the Kuchiki family was nothing short of a monster.
"...Unbelievably strong. A true monster."
Tsunayashiro Aomine muttered blankly.
From the beginning, Shinji had utterly dominated two captain-level Shinigami with overwhelming power.
While Tousen Kaname had been sealed before he could even use Bankai, Kurotsuchi Mayuri's situation was far worse. His Bankai had been cut to pieces, leaving him utterly defeated.
"Damn you, Kuchiki Shinji, you've hidden yourself well… What a monstrous bastard."
Abarai Renji, finally snapping out of his shock, growled through gritted teeth.
They were supposed to be comrades, lifting each other up and growing together.
Yet Shinji had secretly claimed Rukia for himself, and now, he was cutting down captains as if it were nothing.
"Well, this should be enough. If this drags on, things will escalate."
Kyoraku Shunsui sighed, picking up his hat as he vanished with a shunpo.
He couldn't let Shinji kill Kurotsuchi Mayuri outright, it would lead to chaos in the Soul Society.
"Kuchiki Shinji, that traitor…"
Renji muttered angrily.
But then, a cold voice pierced through the air, chilling him to the bone.
"Renji Abarai, care to repeat that?"
Renji turned, already shaking, and froze.
Standing before him was Byakuya Kuchiki, head of the Kuchiki family and captain of the Sixth Division.
"I… C-Captain Kuchiki!"
Panic surged through Renji as he tried to recall if Byakuya had heard him.
But Byakuya had already disappeared.
Meanwhile, in the wreckage of the battlefield, Shinji approached Kurotsuchi Mayuri, who lay nearly shattered on the ground.
"You've lost, Kurotsuchi Mayuri. It's over."
Though his body was mangled beyond recognition, Kurotsuchi Mayuri was still alive, barely. His modified physiology granted him an almost inhuman resilience.
His flesh was decayed, his bones exposed, and even his brain seemed visible. Yet he clung to life.
Silence hung in the air.
"Unconscious already?"
Dragging his Zanpakutō, Shinji walked closer. The blade left a deep gash in the ground, crackling with sparks.
"Captain Kurotsuchi Mayuri… You know, I don't have grand ambitions or lofty ideals.
"I just want to live peacefully, protecting those around me.
"Everything could've ended when Captain Tousen swung his sword.
"I would've failed the assessment, been exiled to some remote area, and stayed far away from the Seireitei.
"But you… you had to cause trouble. You had to harm Nelliel."
Shinji raised his sword, prepared to strike.
But as his blade descended, it clashed against another.
Clang!
Sparks flew as Kyoraku Shunsui blocked Shinji's attack, though he was pushed back several meters from the sheer force.
His right hand trembled with paralysis as he sighed, muttering, "What a monster…"
He returned to his position, standing between Shinji and Mayuri.
"Kuchiki Shinji, that's enough. Kurotsuchi Mayuri has already paid the price for his actions. The Central 46 and Captain Yamamoto will judge him."
"This ends here, Shinji. Any further, and things will spiral out of control."
Shinji stared at him for a long moment before replying coldly, "I don't think so."
With that, he raised his blade.
"One Sword Style: Thunderbolt!"