"Bai Chen…"
Tsunayashiro Tokinada's face flushed red with humiliation and rage.
"You actually dare to treat me like that?!"
The moment he realized he'd been played, he didn't display a shred of the composure expected of the "head of one of the Four Great Noble Clans."
Instead, because he couldn't get what he wanted, his expression twisted ugly—veins bulging across his forehead, making him look downright sinister.
"From the start, this was just your wishful thinking."
Watching Tokinada's irritation boil over, Bai Chen smiled—satisfied—and spoke in a tone that was calm but locked on target:
"Besides…"
His gaze flicked to the surroundings, taking in the dozens of "attendants" and the positions they'd quietly arranged themselves into.
Bai Chen sneered and continued:
"Even if I refused…"
"You'd already planned to take it by force, hadn't you?"
"Otherwise, you wouldn't have mobilized your entire Tsunayashiro force just to be here."
Bai Chen coldly exposed him.
He remembered Tōsen Kaname's personality all too clearly.
It was precisely because his close friend had been murdered in public by Tokinada—
Yet because Tokinada held the status of "head of one of the Four Great Noble Clans," even after judgment by Central 46, the punishment was laughable:
Tokinada was merely stripped of his position in the Gotei and had his Zanpakutō confiscated, and was permanently forbidden from entering the 13th Division barracks.
That was it.
No other punishment.
And because of his special status, Tokinada still moved freely through Seireitei—no one dared stop him, and no one dared offend him.
That only fed his arrogance and inflated his ambitions further.
"Heh…"
"Bai Chen, you're right."
Even as the current head of one of the Four Great Noble Clans, Tokinada's composure had cracked a moment ago.
But his vicious, scheming nature let him regain control fast.
Meeting Bai Chen's mocking smile, he admitted it outright:
"Whether you agreed or not…"
"I was going to force you to draw your Zanpakutō."
His words were cold—certain, greedy, and full of confidence.
Then Tokinada issued an order immediately:
"Everyone—move!"
"Use the clan's sealing formation!"
"Lock Bai Chen down on this plateau!"
At Tokinada's command, the dozens of attendants—led by the Kidō Corps members—released spiritual pressure in unison and began erecting a Kidō barrier.
"Tsunayashiro Tokinada…"
"I'll give you this—you came prepared."
"To keep me here, you even dragged out your clan's secret arts…"
Bai Chen mocked him without warmth.
"And to think my Zanpakutō, Wooden Dragon, has that much appeal…"
"A Zanpakutō with destructive power rivaling Ryūjin Jakka…"
"It's hard not to be tempted!"
Tokinada licked his lips, eyes burning with greed, and slowly drew his blade—
Enrakyōten.
His gaze grew feverish.
"Zanpakutō 'Kyūten Kyōkoku'…"
"Same appearance after release. Ability: reflect all enemy attacks…"
"I'm not wrong, am I?"
Bai Chen casually recited the fake ability Tokinada used to disguise the blade's true nature.
Those words hit Tokinada like a bomb.
His face snapped into disbelief.
"Why do you know that?!"
"In Seireitei, only people closely tied to the Four Great Noble Clans would even know it exists—outsiders couldn't possibly know!"
Tokinada stared at Bai Chen as if he'd just seen something impossible.
The anger and hostility didn't vanish—
but suspicion and unease surged on top.
A creeping dread crawled up his spine.
It felt like every secret he had…
was completely exposed in front of Bai Chen.
As if even his thoughts, intentions, and hidden schemes were being dragged into daylight.
"Surprised?"
"Want me to tell you even more?"
Bai Chen raised a hand and pointed straight at the blade in Tokinada's grip—ripping away the disguise without mercy:
"What I just said—'Kyūten Kyōkoku'…"
"That's only the name you use to cover things up."
"Its real name…"
"is Enrakyōten, isn't it?"
The moment Bai Chen's voice reached Tokinada's ears—
Tokinada's body jolted as if struck by lightning.
A fear he couldn't explain rose sharply in his chest.
"Why…?"
"How could you possibly… know that much?!"
The pressure crushed down on him so hard he nearly stopped breathing.
For a few seconds, he couldn't even form proper words.
He stared at Bai Chen like he was looking at a monster.
"You pretended you only wanted to admire my Zanpakutō…"
"But really, you planned to use Enrakyōten's power…"
"to copy Wooden Dragon in secret."
"I'll give you credit—your little scheme was loud enough to rattle the whole court."
By now, the Tsunayashiro attendants had nearly finished forming their barrier.
But Bai Chen didn't care.
He even turned the formation around in his mind—treating it as a reverse cage for Tokinada.
Because Enrakyōten…
A blade ancient and twisted enough to make even Bai Chen curious.
"If I remember correctly…"
"Over the long years, Enrakyōten has copied all kinds of Zanpakutō abilities…"
"Like Sasakibe Chōjirō's Gonryōmaru… and even the abilities of earlier Kenpachi—before Kiganjō Kenpachi."
A spark of anticipation flashed in Bai Chen's eyes.
The Seventh Kenpachi, Kuryashiki.
The Eighth Kenpachi, Azashiro.
Their Zanpakutō powers were terrifying.
And after one died and the other was imprisoned in the deepest layer beneath the First Division—Muken—
their Zanpakutō were effectively lost forever.
But now, with Enrakyōten here—
a blade that had once copied their abilities—
even if it couldn't recreate them at 100%…
For Bai Chen, that didn't matter.
As long as Enrakyōten released—
it was enough.
Because with Wooden Dragon's trait of suppressing and absorbing spiritual pressure…
If his luck was good—
if he could absorb even a trace of the spiritual pressure produced when Enrakyōten mimicked those powers—
there was a strong chance Bai Chen could plunder and grasp the Kenpachi abilities himself.
He could've broken the barrier easily by other means.
But—
"Clang—!"
Bai Chen drew his sword.
He chose to respond with his Zanpakutō.
Partly to bait Enrakyōten into releasing—
so Wooden Dragon could seize its spiritual pressure and ensure it could never successfully copy Wooden Dragon.
And partly because Bai Chen had absolute confidence:
Wooden Dragon was a one-of-a-kind wood-type Zanpakutō in the Soul Society.
Tokinada didn't have the "Sage body."
And his spiritual pressure—only around an ordinary captain's level—was nowhere near enough to support true Wood Release techniques.
So Bai Chen's act of drawing his blade looked like he'd fallen into Tokinada's trap—
But in truth…
It was Bai Chen making the first move to plunder.
From the moment he drew Wooden Dragon—
hunter and prey had switched places.
Tokinada was about to become the victim.
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