"Soul King?"
"Does this kind of monster deserve to be called the Soul King?" Yamamoto roared.
Yamamoto, of course, knew what kind of existence the Soul King was.
The artificial being before him was merely a puppet of Tokinada.
Tokinada scoffed, "Why not? Compared to your so-called Soul King, he at least has all his limbs and a certain degree of self-awareness."
"Using Ginjo's body as a vessel, fused with a large number of Soul King fragments, possessing the powers of humans, Shinigami, Quincies, and Hollows, he can manipulate the Ōin to the greatest extent."
"Can he still not be called the Soul King?"
Tokinada raised his hands high, loudly proclaiming the advent of the "Soul King."
"Come here!"
He beckoned to Kugo.
Kugo obediently walked to his side and bowed.
Shin took out Nietono no Shana, drew it from its sheath, and was about to attack the two.
Seeing this, Tokinada cackled, "Someone is trying to attack your King. Aren't you Gotei 13 going to do something?"
"Nohara, don't interfere. Let me teach this ignorant fool a lesson."
Yamamoto raised his staff, revealing Ryujin Jakka within.
'It seems he is truly enraged this time.'
Hearing this, Shin stopped his movements.
Tokinada feigned shock. "The Captain-Commander, loyal to the Soul King, is actually going to attack the Soul King?"
"He's merely an artificial being!"
Yamamoto drew Ryujin Jakka, its blade engulfed in flames, and charged towards the two.
Tokinada, however, remained unperturbed, even sporting a mocking smile.
Suddenly, the space in front of Yamamoto was torn open, sucking him in, then returning to normal.
Everyone's eyes widened. Yamamoto had just vanished before their eyes.
Toshiro questioned, "What did you do, you bastard?!"
Tokinada laughed triumphantly. "Hahahahaha."
"Didn't I just say that he can use the Ōin to its fullest extent? This entire space is now under his absolute control."
Everyone understood.
Kugo had used the Ōin to teleport Yamamoto to another location.
"Where is the Captain-Commander now?"
"Who knows? The Human World? Hueco Mundo? Valley of Screams? Maybe even Hell?"
Souls that miss reincarnation and are sucked into the Dangai form pluses, which gather to form the Valley of Screams, a space with countless large and small areas.
Hell, on the other hand, is an existence independent of the three worlds. Spirits with significant sins in life are guided to Hell.
The captains' expressions were grave. Regardless of where Yamamoto was, this was definitely a conspiracy Tokinada had planned long ago.
Yamamoto probably wouldn't be able to return anytime soon.
Shin didn't care about any of that and charged at Tokinada and Kugo.
Tokinada tried the same trick again, intending to teleport Shin elsewhere as well.
Teleport!
"The same trick won't work twice."
Yamamoto had only fallen for it earlier because he was unaware of the situation.
The flaming katana slashed down towards the two, who scattered to the left and right, dodging the attack.
Seeing his objective achieved, Shin said to the Shinigami behind him, "Tokinada is yours. I'll deal with Kugo."
Thus, the battlefield was divided into two parts.
[Mission Triggered: Kill the Soul King (Fake)]
[Reward: Random weapon ×1]
'A weapon, huh? Not bad.'
Domain Expansion: Malevolent Shrine!
A black domain enveloped Shin and Kugo.
"Roar!"
Kugo looked left and right, seemingly curious about the new environment.
"Why is he acting like a child?"
...
Tokinada glanced at the black domain, he wasn't worried about Kugo.
Kugo's Reiatsu was extremely vast and profound, and he possessed the Ōin. Even by attrition, he could wear Shin down.
"Kyoraku, long time no see. I didn't have time to catch up with you earlier." Tokinada greeted him as if he were an old friend.
"Indeed, it's been a long time. I didn't expect your personality to still be so vile after being confined for hundreds of years."
Shunsui had no fondness for this man who had cruelly murdered his wife, and his words directly poked at Tokinada's sore spot.
Tokinada confessed, "Heh heh, I've become the new head of the clan now. That's the consequence of those people not punishing me back then."
He mocked the former leaders of the Tsunayashiro clan and Shunsui, who had reported his crimes.
"The situation is different now."
With that, Shunsui drew his Zanpakuto.
"I'll test his abilities first." Shunsui whispered to the other captains.
He first took off his straw hat and removed his pink patterned haori, handing them to Ise.
Then, he released his Zanpakuto.
"Flower Wind Rage and Flower God Roar, Heavenly Wind Rage and Heavenly Demon Sneer, Katen Kyōkotsu."
His Shikai could turn games into reality. As long as one was within Katen Kyokotsu's Reiatsu range, they would be forced to participate in a game, with rules set by Katen Kyokotsu. The winner lives, the loser dies.
Suddenly, a black blade pierced out from Tokinada's shadow.
Tokinada leaped, dodging the attack. He was very familiar with Shunsui's techniques.
Kageoni!
The one whose shadow is stepped on loses!
Both allies and enemies could enter each other's shadows for zero-distance attacks.
Katen Kyokotsu's blade unleashed a spinning vortex of wind, surrounding Tokinada.
Shunsui used Shunpo to move into the air, attacking Tokinada from above.
Takaoni!
The higher one stands, the more powerful the attack. As long as one's position is higher than the opponent's, the power of the slash dramatically increases.
"I humbly present, Kyoten Kyokotsu!"
Tokinada released his Zanpakuto, but its form remained unchanged. The fierce wind surrounding him instead rushed towards Shunsui.
Shunsui had to abandon his attack and retreat to dodge.
"Reflecting attacks?"
Tokinada nodded. "Exactly. Kuten-kyōkoku's ability is to reflect enemy attacks like a mirror."
"Kuten-kyōkoku's? Is that really the name of this Zanpakuto?"
Tokinada's own blade had long been confiscated by the Gotei 13. The one he held now was a Zanpakuto passed down through generations of the Tsunayashiro clan.
"That name is a bit too similar to my Katen Kyokotsu, isn't it?"
"Hahaha, it's just a coincidence."
"A lie? Is that so? What a pity."
Shunsui said something irrelevant and raised his twin blades.
Tokinada, however, saw through him. "That's the activation phrase for 'Yubikiri,' isn't it?"
Shunsui's gaze sharpened, "I haven't used Yubikiri in front of anyone before."
The rule of Yubikiri is that neither side can lie.
The first lie renders the fingers immobile. The second causes a crushing numbness in the fists and all bones. The third brings intense, needle-like pain inside the internal organs.
(End of Chapter)
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