The billowed dust obscured the sky, and a deathly silence fell over the courtyard of the Moriyama estate.
Not only the head of the Moriyama family and the clansmen behind him, but even the other invited nobles stared with wide, astonished eyes. An involuntary chill crawled up the backs of their necks.
In their minds, Takeda Goki, as a Captain of the Gotei 13, possessed strength that was undoubtedly at the very peak of the Soul Society.
Yet, this very same existence, who just a moment ago had been making grand declarations and acting as if he would crush any intruder into dust, had been sent flying by a single sword strike before he could even finish his sentence. He was left with absolutely no dignity to speak of.
Boom!
Within the ruins, a Reiatsu as heavy as a collapsing ocean erupted. A grand pillar of light shot straight into the sky, and countless specks of dust swirled within the surging hurricane.
Takeda Goki shattered the masonry pressing down on him and slowly stepped out from the rubble. His already icy expression now lacked even a single degree of warmth.
A chilling killing intent permeated the manor, making one's scalp tingle instinctively.
Without any further redundant chatter, Takeda Goki's murderous intent reached its zenith. He raised his heavy, crystal-like Zanpakutō, which was entirely transparent, and the ground beneath his feet suddenly shook.
Countless particles of dust rose as he advanced, caught in the sweeping gale and swirling wildly.
In that fleeting instant, Takeda Goki vanished from his spot. When he reappeared, he was already within arm's reach.
His Zanpakutō was raised high. The dazzling sunlight passed through the bright blade, bursting into a brilliant, multicolored radiance.
The Reiatsu vibrated, and the air stagnated.
Pure destruction condensed upon the thin edge of the blade and, without a shred of mercy—
It fell!
Facing this suffocatingly powerful strike, Naraku Sora showed no intention of backing down. On the contrary, he stirred his own Reiatsu, and a sudden burst of scorching, burning wind surged around him.
His muscles and fascia vibrated in response. His fingers tightened suddenly, his waist twisted, and endless power erupted with his core as the axis.
A perfect arc emerged from the blade, and the majestic sound of a giant gear turning spread from the sword's ring.
[Secret Technique: Dragon Flash]!
This was a Zanjutsu technique obtained from the two Adjuchas in the Hell of Reviving. Its effect was simple and brutal: it condensed all available power into the long sword in his hand.
At the moment of the strike, the Reiatsu attached to the blade would transform into a terrifying sword pressure that could cut through anything.
Just like now.
The moment the blades collided, the clash of metal turned into a vibrating explosion that echoed throughout the courtyard.
Takeda Goki stared fixedly at the young face inches away from him. The resentment in the depths of his eyes almost solidified, and his unconcealed killing intent bore down entirely on Naraku Sora.
Ever since he sensed Aizen's Reiatsu, he had equated his attacker with the Naraku Sora standing before him.
He had just fought Naraku Sora at the Yokota manor, and immediately after reporting to the Tsunayashiro residence, he had been ambushed by an unknown assailant.
Furthermore, there was a Shutara Senjumaru backing him within this manor.
This led Takeda Goki to wonder: just who was this brat?
How did he have so many ridiculously strong helpers?
But none of that mattered now. He would kill this kid first.
Takeda Goki's thoughts flashed for an instant before his heaven-turning hatred transformed into momentum. Violent Reiatsu poured down, as if it intended to completely crush the figure before him.
In the next moment.
A destructive sword pressure erupted from the blood-red blade, tearing straight forward and shredding every obstacle in its path with unstoppable force.
Takeda Goki's pupils shrank. He subconsciously triggered a high-speed Shunpo. His figure became a blur the moment the sword pressure arrived, and the afterimage he left behind was sliced clean through at the waist.
It was as clean and effortless as a hot knife through butter.
Half of a Captain's haori fluttered down from the sky, accompanied by a viscous, crimson liquid that painted the cracked earth in a new color.
Takeda Goki's face was as dark as water. While holding his sword with one hand, he had to attempt to use Kaidō to heal the wound at his waist.
How much time had passed?
What was originally a seated officer-level Soul Reaper he could manipulate at will had, in the blink of an eye, grown into a terrifying monster capable of threatening his life.
Takeda Goki remembered clearly that when they fought at the Yokota manor, Naraku Sora was only at the level of 5th Grade Spiritual Power.
Yet in just a few days, he had not only broken through to 4th Grade Spiritual Power, but his performance was even more exaggerated.
Rather than calling him a rising genius of the Soul Society, he was more like a Captain-level Soul Reaper who could face him as an equal in a head-on clash.
Compared to their last encounter, Naraku Sora's techniques had become even more bizarre.
Even though both their Zanpakutō were locked together, with their full strength and Reiatsu pressing against each other, the boy could somehow unleash a ferociously violent sword pressure right in his face.
If he hadn't dodged in time, it wouldn't have been a Shunpo afterimage that was severed at the waist just now.
"I have to admit."
Takeda Goki slowly straightened his back. The wound had partially closed, and a trace of multicolored phantom light, born from the agitation of his Reiatsu, flickered in his cold eyes.
"In my current state, it is indeed difficult to take you down."
"But a Soul Reaper does not rely on basic skills like Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Shunpo, or Kidō to guide the course of a battle. The key factor that truly decides victory or defeat is—"
"Bankai!"
"Saga no Miizu!"
Takeda Goki flipped his wrist, pointing the crystal blade toward the earth. A massive pillar of Reiatsu erupted from the ground, forming a suffocating vortex above the dome.
Countless crystals burst from the earth within the courtyard, instantly constructing a magnificent world shimmering with multicolored light.
"This time, no one is coming to save you."
Staring at the figure below with indifferent eyes, Takeda Goki appeared like a true god pronouncing the final judgment.
As he raised his palm, countless crystals condensed into spears emitting a cold glint, their tips aimed directly at Naraku Sora.
Without the slightest hesitation, they poured down like a torrential rain.
Extreme destruction completely submerged the courtyard. Amidst the continuous explosions, the earth groaned under the unbearable weight, and dust swirled as it rose into the sky.
Even as the rising dust completely swallowed Naraku Sora, the woman who had left a psychological shadow on him did not appear.
Takeda Goki breathed a small sigh of relief.
Strictly speaking, the shadow cast by Shutara Senjumaru was far more terrifying than Aizen.
To this day, he still did not understand what had happened that day.
However, just as he thought everything had been settled, a scorching heat rose abruptly from the smoke.
Takeda Goki's pupils constricted. Only now did he finally remember a fatal oversight in today's battle.
"Ten Million Eons, Vajrayati!"
Within the turbulent dust, the release command was chanted.
Violent flames of Reiatsu completely shattered the surrounding crystals. It was as if a sun were rising from the courtyard; reflected by the crystal world, it presented an even more brilliant and dazzling radiance.
In the deep crater, Naraku Sora stood holding his sword, flashing a ferocious grin at the 'god' in the sky.
"Now, it's my turn!"