"It's you?!"
Shihōin Buji finally remembered the intelligence he had seen that night.
"Naraku Sora!"
"Damn it, damn it, damn it!"
"Do you have any idea what you are doing?!"
Hysterical roars shattered the dead silence of the ruins, echoing through the night sky and causing the very air to tremble slightly.
"As a member of the Shino Prison personnel, breaking into a noble residence without a summons and attacking a member of the Five Great Noble Houses... you are knowingly breaking the law! Your crimes are unforgivable!"
Amidst the screaming, other retainers appeared near the study to protect the old man, forming a front line against Naraku Sora.
These were Soul Reapers secretly raised by Shihōin Buji. On the surface, they were Shihōin retainers, but in reality, they followed only his commands.
Without a moment's hesitation, upon seeing that demon-like posture, the burly man at the front immediately triggered his Shikai.
"Harden, Kinteimaru!"
Surging Reiatsu erupted like a collapsing dam, instantly blanketing the entire battlefield.
The Zanpakutō in his hand melted and dripped like wax, crawling up his palm and spreading until it covered his entire body. His skin turned a silvery-white, resembling metal, while sharp barbs and ridges grew continuously to protect his relatively fragile joints.
In an instant, heavy armor solidified into shape.
Already possessed of a hulking frame, he now stood among the ruins like a giant, radiating an intense sense of pressure.
The moment the release was complete, the burly Soul Reaper launched an attack on Naraku Sora.
As one of the retainers guarding Lord Buji, nearly allowing his lord's life to be threatened was a dereliction of duty. If he didn't take down the culprit quickly, he feared being expelled from the Shihōin Clan. He had worked hard for many years to obtain this prestigious status; he couldn't let it slip away so easily.
Therefore, anyone who defies the will of the nobility... die!
A ferocious glint flashed in his eyes as he charged like a full-throttle tank. The ground shook with every step, sending countless pebbles flying. His thick, silver-white arm, sturdy as a pillar, smashed down toward Naraku Sora's head.
BOOM!
The moment the arm collided with the blade, a terrifying impact erupted. The sound of clashing metal rang through the sky, adding more heat to tonight's grand performance.
"Die!"
With a muffled low growl, the burly Soul Reaper unleashed his full strength, delivering a physical shockwave capable of crushing any defense.
However, after putting forth his maximum effort, he was shocked to find that the youth below remained standing in place. Holding his sword with a single hand, the boy's lips curled upward into a smirk, as if the attack had been completely ineffective.
Competing in strength?
Who gave you the delusion that a larger body equals greater power?
That old man from the neighboring Squad who likes to go shirtless isn't even as tall as your waist, yet he can still blow apart Captain-level combatants with a single punch.
Under the crescent moon, the shadows boiled.
The dim shadows cast upon the ground suddenly grew dense, swirling and solidifying into a physical form. They shaped themselves into a humanoid, medium-sized monster with four arms. It hugged the ground, rushing toward the two figures locked in a stalemate.
How could a prominent Elder of the Shihōin Clan raise only one retainer?
Had it not been for the oversight of the Central 46, Shihōin Buji would have even wanted to personally train Captain-level Soul Reapers, rather than relying on ambushes and group tactics to win as he did now.
*Screech—*
The fire of Kidō ignited upon the blade. Azure explosive flames rose up, carrying the weight of Zanjutsu, and forcibly sent the burly man flying back.
Naraku Sora flipped his wrist, swinging his blade toward his rear with unabated momentum as his surging Reiatsu erupted.
In that instant, it felt as though the entire residence shuddered.
A pillar of lightning descended from the heavens. The whistling, terrifying roar of thunder robbed everyone present of their hearing; in the midst of the intense ringing in their ears, only a terrifying, soul-chilling silence remained.
[HADŌ #11: TSUZURI RAIDEN]
The moment the brilliant golden pillar of lightning fell, it roared again, agitating intense light and wantonly displaying ultimate destruction.
It was, as always, the perfect fusion of Kidō and Zanjutsu. In the Shikai state, this already devastating move had its power multiplied several times over.
Though it had seen little effect during his sparring sessions with Unohana Retsu, when facing an enemy even inferior to Ishikawa Sosuke, it was enough to complete a total, crushing defeat in an instant.
When the thunder and tremors subsided, the shadow monster was reduced to fragmented remains. Its extra arms had vanished, and a horrific hole was visible in its chest, nearly splitting it in two.
With a single strike, the trump card Shihōin Buji viewed as his hope was shattered.
He had thought the sneak attack was a sure thing, but before the shadow could even reach the target's side, it had been hacked into a state of total incapacitation.
Through the cavity in its chest, one could clearly see slightly twitching, charred flesh.
Clearly, this too was a Soul Reaper. The shadow-like form was the manifestation of his Zanpakutō's ability after release. With such a gruesome injury, let alone continuing the fight, even surviving was now a luxury.
"Run, Lord Buji, run quickly!"
The burly Soul Reaper, having moved in with Flash Step, saw his expression change drastically. He could no longer care for the one who had met a tragic end; he threw the dazed Shihōin Buji onto his back and fled.
Perhaps these high-and-mighty nobles didn't understand, but as a battle-hardened man who had risked his life for the nobility countless times, the burly retainer understood all too well.
When the opponent shattered his colleague with one strike, the battle lost all meaning. The two sides were simply not in the same league.
On the surface, the boy seemed to have only a Grade 6 Spiritual Power—far inferior to him, and not even reaching the level of the weakest Lieutenant. But that world-ending destructive power had completely shattered his resolve.
This was absolutely not the level of power a seated officer should possess!
The burly man launched himself like a cannonball, vanishing into the edge of the night without hesitation. He sprinted all the way to the outskirts of the Noble District before finally putting the old man down.
"Lord Buji, you go first. I will hold him off for you."
Shihōin Buji was stunned. He finally realized the loyalty of the man before him. He opened his mouth to say something, but in the end, driven by an intense desire to survive, he turned and ran in another direction.
When the burly man saw Shihōin Buji's back disappear from view, he didn't hesitate for a second. He turned and sprinted in the opposite direction.
Go back and fight that monster? What a joke!
He only wanted a bit of insignificant power and status; it wasn't worth gambling his life. Those two direct clashes from earlier had left his arms in such agonizing pain that he could hardly bear it. Even though his defense increased greatly in Shikai, he had still nearly lost his life. This was not an enemy he could handle.
How much did Shihōin Buji even pay him per month? Why throw his life away!
The burly man seemed brainless, but in reality, his heart was as clear as a mirror. However, as he rounded a few corners and entered a secluded, deserted alley, his footsteps suddenly froze.
A youth roughly the same age as Naraku Sora stood there quietly, as if he had been waiting for him specifically.
At this moment.
An uncontrollable chill rushed up his spine to the top of his head, making his scalp go numb!
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