Ishikawa Sosuke was willing to swear on his life that he had never seen such a preposterous Shikai in all his years. When that Zanpakutō, wreathed in blazing fire, swung down toward him, it felt as if he were witnessing the collapse of the entire world.
At the critical moment, Ishikawa Sosuke did not abandon his last shred of hope. Exhausting every drop of his Reiatsu, he directly released his Zanpakutō. Its ability was formidable; it could instantaneously alter the temperature of the blade to influence weather patterns, and could even be combined with Kidō to form triggered traps similar to those he had used earlier.
Ishikawa Sosuke had spent nearly a full week lying in wait within these mountain woods just to perfect that cataclysmic attack. Unfortunately, it had yielded no results. He never could have imagined in a thousand years that two mere seated officers could be so absurd. Not a single one of them acted like a normal Soul Reaper. It was sinister to the extreme.
When Ishikawa Sosuke attempted to use his Zanpakutō's cooling power to extinguish the terrifying pillar of fire looming over him, he discovered to his horror that even his maximum effort only managed to dim the vibrant color slightly. Compared to the violent, oncoming heat, his resistance was practically negligible.
The pillar of fire cleaved downward, crudely whipping up a burning wind that tore through the desolate earth, filling the newly formed fissures with scalding lava once again. Countless memories surged through his mind, the revolving lantern of his life spinning incessantly until it pushed Ishikawa Sosuke's life to its end.
In the center of the massive crater, a charred figure let out a faint, pleading sound. "A Shikai... no wonder..."
"Even in the records of the Five Noble Families, there has never been a Zanpakutō like this..."
"Opposing a monster like you... I think I can see the end that awaits those people."
Naraku Sora withdrew his Reiatsu and walked slowly to the edge of the pit. The crimson aura surrounding him gradually faded as he returned to his usual appearance, though his momentum had weakened considerably.
"However..." Ishikawa Sosuke grinned, his charred features twisting into something hideously deformed. "When they realize I have died by your hand, an even more terrifying retaliation will follow. You won't live long."
"I'll be waiting for you in Hell!"
After uttering those final words filled with resentment, the last of Ishikawa Sosuke's life vanished. His charred body crumbled away like shattered porcelain.
"Whew—"
Naraku Sora exhaled deeply, adjusting to the slight hollowness in his body. It was powerful, but the consumption was somewhat exaggerated.
*Vajrayati* was the name of his Zanpakutō—or more accurately, a part of its true name. Just as the knowledge taught by Shutara Senjumaru stated, one can only know the full true name once Bankai has been completely mastered. A Shikai is essentially a reflection of a Soul Reaper's own power through the Zanpakutō.
In a sense, since the Zanpakutō is a part of the Soul Reaper's soul, even Bankai belongs to the Soul Reaper's inherent power. Unlike the flashy abilities of Kyōka Suigetsu, Vajrayati's ability was simple and unadorned: burning Reiatsu.
By burning his spiritual pressure, he could enhance himself in all aspects, instantaneously reaching the limit of what his current spiritual body could endure. For any other Soul Reaper, they might collapse within seconds, making it a useless ability. But Naraku Sora was different; having previously gained a 100% increase in spiritual body strength, he could burn his power longer and unleash even greater destructive force.
To put it simply, it was all about the stats. Perhaps because of Naraku Sora's consistent combat style, his Shikai had developed in this direction, slaughtering all enemies through an extreme boost in raw power.
According to the textbooks of the Spiritual Arts Academy and the common sense of the Soul Society, once a Soul Reaper masters Bankai, they can perform Shikai without a release command. This meant that even without the sword in hand, the release could be achieved. If he reached that stage, could he make his Shikai state permanent?
As he fell into these fantasies, the air before him rippled like silk, and a black light screen visible only to him quietly emerged.
[Successfully suppressed and killed the sinner Ishikawa Sosuke. Sin Value: 1213. Participation: 100%!]
[Your Reiatsu has increased!]
[Your Zanjutsu has increased!]
[Your understanding of Kidō has increased; perfectly mastered Triggered Kidō techniques!]
It was another reward phase. Unlike the fodder he had killed before, both the Gillian from earlier and Ishikawa Sosuke provided Naraku Sora with a substantial bounty. Although his Reiatsu hadn't directly broken through to the Fifth Class, he could clearly sense the surge in power.
So, what was the commonality between Ishikawa Sosuke and a Gillian?
Naraku Sora attempted to think and keenly captured the key point. Sin Value! Both Ishikawa Sosuke and the Gillian had Sin Values over a thousand. The sinners he had accidentally killed before usually ranged from the low hundreds to the high hundreds. Naraku Sora had solved the mystery.
Additionally, countless inspirations regarding Kidō surfaced in his mind. It felt as though he had re-experienced a segment of Ishikawa Sosuke's life; the complex and heavy experience merged and overlapped with his own knowledge. He didn't need time to adapt; it was as if it were a skill he had painstakingly mastered himself.
Naraku Sora opened his eyes, which were brighter than ever. "Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man!"
"Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march on to the south!"
The moment the incantation began, surging Kidō Reiatsu gathered in his palm, eventually forming a complex and fragile pattern. A mere touch to this pattern would trigger a Raikōhō attack. This was the most basic application of Triggered Kidō.
The more advanced version allowed one to combine their will with Reiatsu to set specific trigger conditions. Of course, they couldn't be too complicated. There were also drawbacks, such as needing to be proficient in a specific Kidō before it could be used as a trigger.
In short, it wasn't very useful for Naraku Sora himself. But in the hands of a schemer, its uses would be vast.
Just as Naraku Sora was wondering how to teach this skill, Aizen approached the edge of the pit with a complex expression. His mood today was somewhat troubled. First, in a moment of crisis, he had revealed his long-hidden secret to Naraku Sora, thinking it might create a rift between them. Instead, the guy didn't care about such trivialities at all.
Then, he had intended for Naraku Sora to create an opening so they could escape together. Instead, Naraku Sora had pulled out a massive surprise. He had gone straight into Shikai and crushed a Lieutenant-level Soul Reaper head-on. Moreover, looking at the performance, that battle was far from Naraku Sora's limit.
"Sōsuke."
"Hm?"
Naraku Sora suddenly looked at Aizen, who still wore that complex expression, and grinned. "Are you interested in doing something big?"
Aizen: "?"