"Naraku, wait for my signal."
Aizen's voice resonated directly in Naraku Sora's mind despite his lips not moving, causing Naraku to look at him with a face full of wonder.
Ignoring the boy's expression, Aizen continued impassively, "The man before us is a Soul Reaper of at least Lieutenant level. Facing him head-on is not a wise choice. The moment the Danku barrier dissipates, use your strongest power to create an opening for our escape."
Naraku Sora nodded thoughtfully. "My strongest power? Got it."
Since Aizen had said it, there had to be a reason for it.
For some reason, looking at the expression on his companion's face, Aizen felt a faint, creeping sense of unease. At such a life-or-death moment, surely Naraku wouldn't pull any of his usual nonsense again?
As the two communicated in secret, the Soul Reaper standing guard nearby was growing impatient.
The boy's Spiritual Pressure seemed similar to his own, so why hadn't his Spiritual Power run dry yet? This kid had released six Bakudo spells in a row—spells that even an average Lieutenant would find difficult to master—and he wasn't even winded.
Who exactly was he?
Thinking of how he himself still couldn't cast Danku with an incantation abandonment, a trace of spite appeared on the man's face. He wanted nothing more than to cleave through the Danku barrier right now and crush the two brats inside.
Comparison only breeds resentment.
Once, Ishikawa Sosuke believed himself to be a genius in the field of Kido. He had graduated from the Spiritual Arts Academy with a perfect score in the subject. But looking at it now, true geniuses only got perfect scores because that was the limit of the grading system.
Even among those with perfect scores, there were levels.
In the midst of his resentment, Ishikawa Sosuke suddenly noticed the barrier in front of him beginning to blur. Even the boy maintaining the Bakudo showed a visible paleness on his face.
"At your limit?"
He gripped his hilt, his face twisting slightly. His Spiritual Pressure began to wrap around his body like a physical shroud, exerting heavy pressure on the surroundings.
The moment the Danku shattered, Ishikawa Sosuke intended to cut them both down with lightning speed, leaving no room for a counterattack.
However, to his surprise, Naraku Sora—the target who had been loafing around this entire time—suddenly shifted his fingers and pressed his palm lightly against the hilt at his waist.
"A desperate struggle?" Ishikawa Sosuke laughed. "If the brat next to you were at his peak, the outcome might be uncertain. But does he have any strength left to fight?"
"You're a fool who can't read the situation. Your only end is death."
"If you must blame something, blame yourself for standing in a way you shouldn't have blocked."
Naraku Sora grinned. "How do you know it won't work if we don't try?"
"Also, you said I'm blocking a path I shouldn't. You wouldn't happen to be talking about the Kuchiki Clan, one of the Five Noble Families, would you?"
Ishikawa Sosuke froze for a moment before nodding in admission. "Indeed. I am acting on the orders of Lord Kuchiki Ginrei—"
Before he could finish, he saw Naraku Sora turn to Aizen.
"Confirmed. He's a remnant of the Shihouin Clan."
Ishikawa Sosuke: "?!"
Aizen: "..."
Aizen didn't really want to get involved in the nonsensical dialogue between the two, but the Danku could no longer be maintained. His hopes were now temporarily pinned on Naraku Sora. As long as the boy could stall for a moment, they could seize the chance to flee.
Realizing he had been played, Ishikawa Sosuke erupted in rage. His already dense Spiritual Pressure surged, standing like a pillar of light upon the cracked earth.
*Crack.*
The sound of shattering echoed from the front. A surging tide of Spiritual Pressure rushed toward them. The heavy weight of it caused the already fractured ground to groan under the burden.
It was falling apart.
However, to Aizen's surprise, the expected powerful attack did not manifest immediately. It seemed Naraku Sora had failed to grasp the timing of the Danku's collapse.
"Now's my chance!"
Seeing neither of them move, Ishikawa Sosuke's eyes lit up. He prepared to unleash his strongest strike to instantly kill the pair.
But the moment he raised his Zanpakuto, an intense feeling of unease flooded his senses.
Naraku Sora took a similar stance, raising his own Zanpakuto. His calm face showed not a single ripple of emotion. The tip of his blade lowered, pointing directly at the cracked earth.
Strands of blood-red Spiritual Pressure coiled around his body, slowly consuming his form until not a single trace of his aura leaked out.
In the silence, a brilliant light seemed to rise. A calm voice rang out across the dead battlefield:
"Ten million aeons, Bajraye Te."
BOOM—
An incomprehensible scene unfolded.
Blazing karmic fire ignited within Naraku Sora's Spiritual Pressure. The endless radiance instantly illuminated the gloom of the wasteland, as if a sun were rising from the horizon.
It radiated infinite light and heat.
Even as extreme heat blasted his face, a bone-chilling cold took root deep within Ishikawa Sosuke's heart. Even his facial features began to contort.
"What... is this..."
Naraku Sora, his entire body wreathed in roaring flames, grinned.
"Power."
The moment the word left his lips, a shadow blurred across the earth. The blood-red blade was raised high and swung forward without any fancy flourishes.
Not daring to be careless, Ishikawa Sosuke raised his sword in a reverse-hand block.
In the next heartbeat, a gargantuan force surged through his blade.
It felt as though he had been hit head-on by a mountain moving at high speed. He was sent flying instantly, like a meteor streaking across the sky.
Only after his figure had receded did the deafening roar of the impact shake the heavens and earth.
With just a single probing clash, the roles of attacker and defender had been reversed.
Ishikawa Sosuke hadn't even recovered from the shock. When he finally forced his eyes open, all he saw was a terrifying figure shrouded in scorching heat.
Like a demon!
Without a word, the blade rose again.
"Bakudo No. 39: Enkosen!"
In the moment of crisis, Ishikawa Sosuke instinctively chanted his most practiced binding spell. A circular shield of Reishi materialized in front of him, attempting to block the strike.
An exquisite radiance exploded from the blade. Whether it was the Bakudo defense or the condensed Spiritual Pressure, everything crumbled under that simple, unadorned slash.
It was total devastation.
The moment the blade fell, a rampaging wind of fire and a brilliant pillar of lightning rose from the ground, painting the entire forest in a different hue.
Staring at the exaggerated scene, Aizen's face showed a rare trace of bewilderment. He looked at Naraku in disbelief.
He suddenly remembered what he had said earlier.
Wasn't this "strongest power" of his a bit too much of an exaggeration?
And was the gap between one Zanpakuto and another truly this vast?
Aizen thought of his own Kyoka Suigetsu, and a sense of helplessness rose in his heart.
He was tired. Let it all burn.