Driven Mad by a Glance

"Komamura, don't draw your sword."

Standing at the front of the line, Ukitake spoke softly, while Kyōraku reached out and pressed down on Komamura's thick arm.

Komamura snapped out of his daze and withdrew his hand. His cold gaze, hidden behind the wooden mask, swept around the surroundings, but found nothing amiss.

No one joined the queue, and no one left.

Is it an illusion?

No, as Captain-level, especially given his race, how could such a misconception arise out of nowhere when his emotions are so focused?

What happened?

If you can appear in the group without anyone noticing, you can launch a sneak attack and even kill them without anyone noticing.

"Keep moving forward."

Before she knew it, Retsu Unohana's hair had come undone, obscuring her entire face and making it impossible to see her expression.

After walking for about ten minutes, Shunsui Kyōraku suddenly slowed down and stood next to Kuchiki Ginrei had been silent all along.

"Your Excellency Ginrei Kuchiki, I recall your birthday is coming up soon."

In Soul Society, nobles still have the custom of celebrating birthdays; it's a matter of prestige for high-ranking nobles.

In the dimly lit corridor, the face of the Kuchiki Ginrei was not clearly visible.

After a few seconds of silence, the aging Sixth Division Captain finally managed to choke out a sound from his dry throat.

My birthday was last month.

"Really? Honestly, I got it wrong again." Kyōraku rubbed the back of his head and chuckled.

Komamura let out a barely perceptible sigh, and casually turned his head, his large, bell-like eyes glaring at him from the cell next to him.

Because he was surrounded by countless layers of barriers, Komamura couldn't see his face or feel his Spiritual Pressure, but the sense of oppression was undeniable.

The fact that a powerful figure who had been imprisoned for an unknown period of time could suppress him with mere aura filled Komamura with awe.

Were the powerful beings of ancient times really that much stronger than the Soul Reaper of today?

Despite being severely injured, Tenzō Tenjō was still able to sweep aside multiple captains single-handedly.

Even a prisoner who is sealed away can intimidate himself.

"Abilities originate from the soul. Theoretically speaking, the abilities of billions of living beings are like fingerprints in the World of the Living; no two are exactly alike."

Ukitake answered, but concealed half the truth.

In modern terms, this means that two completely identical Zanpakuto allowed.

"Theoretically speaking, since all those powerful individuals are imprisoned in the Muken, naturally, there will be fewer and fewer powerful individuals in future generations."

The statement is somewhat strange, but it does offer one perspective on the idea that people today are not as good as those in ancient times.

That's all for now.

Even though it wasn't the end of the Muken, Unohana and the others stopped.

"Further in, even the barrier of the Muken cannot protect us," Ukitake kindly explained. "That's a forbidden zone sealed by the Soul King, the end of the Muken."

As the Soul Society's strongest fighter, how long has it been since Komamura heard such "childish" words?

The last time he was reminded in this tone was when he was at the Shin'ō Academy of Spiritual Arts.

Following the established instructions, the group began repairing the barrier. It went smoothly and quickly; even Unohana and Kuchiki Ginrei didn't have to lift a finger. Within a minute, the other team leaders had finished repairing the barrier.

Such a simple task required several team leaders to work together in an extremely covert manner.

"We leave, following the path we came from."

Be careful.

Knock off.

Among them, Komamura, who was the weakest in terms of both seniority and strength, wiped non-existent cold sweat from his forehead. As if drawn by something, he subconsciously raised his head just as he was about to turn around.

Don't look!

Just one glance.

Komamura's eyes suddenly turned red, and his brown-gray fur began to grow wildly, instantly tearing through his Captain's Haori.

The World of the Living.

Dōsan Hanyū didn't even move his hand, and the surrounding barrier remained perfectly stable. Yet, under such restrictions, a rebounding attack actually knocked down and severely injured a top-tier captain?

Regardless of their actual combat strength, Grimmjow's Spiritual Pressure is absolutely top-tier Captain-level, without any exaggeration. His strength has also been tested by Kensei Muguruma, and it is no less than Kensei's.

Of course, even Kensei Muguruma couldn't withstand a single move from Dōsan.

Kisuke Urahara pressed down on his hat, Baraggan coughed twice, and Hirako cried out in Hirako voice.

However, Dōsan Hanyū was somewhat surprised to see Grimmjow coughing up blood at the edge of the barrier.

The shot missed.

Because his target wasn't Grimmjow but the fat guy next to him, Hachigen Ushōda.

The instant Grimmjow used Cero, Dōsan Hanyū sensed the subtle Spiritual Pressure fluctuations emanating from Hachigen Ushōda. Dōsan immediately recognized it as the aura of the Kidō.

Moreover, this is not a regular Hundred-Number Hadō, but a Space-Time Kidō that he developed on his own Dōsan Hanyū's target has always been him.

This fat man had been staring at him with a meaningful smile, and the timing was so perfect. It was clear that he wanted to make a move against him. Dōsan Hanyū had been on guard against him all along.

"You bastard, Dōsan Hanyū!" Grimmjow spat out blood, glaring menacingly at Dōsan Hanyū, but did not charge at him directly.

He's a warmonger, not a fool.

In my current state, going after Dōsan Hanyū would be tantamount to suicide.

Seeing that Dōsan Hanyū Michizo was completely ignoring him, Grimmjow wanted to say something, but he didn't.

Dōsan Hanyū ignored it, but the Law of Causality that had transformed into Asauchi at his waist suddenly trembled.

"Kill, kill, kill them!"

The Law of Causality can help one avoid misfortune and seek good fortune, but after Dōsan Hanyū used it frequently, this ability seemed to have been sealed off. In the past three years, even when Dōsan Hanyū encountered some minor dangers, the Law of Causality never gave him a warning.

Dōsan Hanyū suddenly looked up, then stretched out his hand that was maintaining the barrier and stared intently at the sky.

The fighters all stopped their attacks, watching what was happening before them with a mixture of confusion and tension.

As the barrier dissipated, the undefended Karakura Town suddenly went dark, and a black cloud formed a sealed lid that seemed to solidify and not dissipate, trapping the group inside.

Within the space, there was an ominous Spiritual Pressure Spiritual Pressure raging, which materialized into blood-red, wandering threads.

Even the dozen or so top- Captain-level were somewhat taken aback at this moment.

The visitors from Hueco Mundo were even more puzzled; this was different from what Aizen had said.