Soul Reaper: My Zanpakuto Is a Bit Trendy

"If you're referring to the Reiatsu Theory..."

"Ginrei Kuchiki continued."

"I'm sorry."

"Kōga might not have been able to do it five years ago, but after returning from the Hueco Mundo Expeditionary Force, he has officially been promoted to Second-Class Spiritual Pressure."

The core of Reiatsu Theory lies in the gap between different individuals.

First-Class Reii might be able to shatter the rules with Reiatsu against Third-Class Reii; however, if the difference in strength between the two is only one class... even if the Captain-Commander has the combat power of a peak First-Class Reii, he cannot make Ryūjin Jakka immune to Muramasa's effects.

"I see."

Haruto stood up from the neat and comfortable tatami mat.

" Over Kōga..."

I'll go too.

At the same time, Byakuya stood up and interrupted Haruto with absolute determination.

Byakuya! Stop fooling around!

Grandpa, I--

"You can Bankai now?"

This time, it was Haruto interrupted Byakuya.

"Certainly."

After Byakuya gave an affirmative answer.

"Grandpa, let Byakuya come with me."

"If you fight Kōga, will you still have the strength to protect him?"

"Byakuya doesn't need protection; we are comrades-in-arms."

"..."

Ginrei Kuchiki fell silent.

He had to stay at home to prevent chaos, and with Sōjun injured and Kōga "defecting," Byakuya became the only member of the Kuchiki Clan capable of launching an attack.

Logically speaking...

No.

Under Byakuya's unwavering gaze, Ginrei Kuchiki saw the growth he desired.

"Good!"

"Byakuya is in --"

Then, before Ginrei Kuchiki could finish speaking...

"Bankai."

"!!"

A deep, Bankai sound, like birdsong, emanated simultaneously from the sheaths of everyone's swords.

"Gokujō Tsumakiyori Muramasa!"

Volume 1: Chapter 162, The Seireitei

"!!"

At the same time as hearing the sound of Bankai.

"Sōjun!"

Ginrei Kuchiki immediately pressed down on the Zanpakuto beside him, and his originally majestic and solemn aura, along with his solid and steady Reiatsu, vanished without a trace.

"Clear!"

Kuchiki Sōjun's movements were no slower than Ginrei Kuchiki's.

As he slowly closed his eyes, the Reishi flames that had just ignited on his Zanpakuto Azure Rainbow, quickly dissipated completely.

"..."

Haruto and Byakuya exchanged a quick glance.

"Go out!"

Closed-off mental world.

Without specific training, this isn't something you can do just by wanting to.

If the Zanpakuto doesn't cause any trouble, Sōjun's wife can protect the father and son—regardless of their background or whether they married into the Kuchiki Clan, the women of the main family are basically all Vice-Captain-level fighters... Not having Zanpakuto in this situation actually becomes an advantage.

"Whoosh!"

Haruto and Byakuya had just Shunpo out of the side hall using Shunpo.

"Boom!!"

"Ah!"

"Help!"

Explosions, screams, cries for help.

Not to mention the Kuchiki Clan, the entire Seireitei is probably in chaos— Haruto finally understands why everyone is so wary of Kōga; his Zanpakuto Muramasa, is no longer just a phantom god in the civil war...

It's simply the Zanpakuto Destroyer.

Those who cannot Shikai their Shikai will only be stabbed a few times by their own or their teammates' swords, with the impact limited to their surroundings; however, the Zanpakuto of the Seated Officer and the captain and vice-captain... materialized Zanpakuto, not only taking away half of the wielder's Reiatsu, but also expanding their attack range to the entire area that Muramasa can influence.

At this time.

"Zheng!"

Byakuya and Haruto's Zanpakuto were simultaneously released from their hands, their dense, almost solid Reishi surging and reforming, quickly transforming into two distinct humanoid forms.

Senbonzakura transformed into a samurai wearing a fierce demon mask.

The dark red armor, trimmed with gold, was covered with patterns made of cherry blossom petals.

The Seisen is...

A short-haired woman wearing a close-fitting white military uniform.

His blonde hair, cut past his ears, accentuated the signature angle of his hair, and his deep blue pupils seemed to hold swirling waves within them.

"..."

I won't go into detail about Byakuya's Senbonzakura.

If Byakuya, as an adult, inherited Senbonzakura's impulsive and impatient personality from his childhood, then Senbonzakura at this stage most likely possesses the outwardly cold but inwardly warm and expressionless demeanor he has as an adult.

Under Muramasa's influence, the Zanpakuto and its wielder's personality are basically opposite.

"Who are you..."

Byakuya instinctively reached for the hilt of his sword, only to suddenly realize that his waist was empty.

"Senbonzakura?"

"..."

The masked man did not respond.

"Byakuya."

Haruto, standing back to back, reminded him without turning his head.

"Muramasa's Bankai is still active. The sword and the person's personality are opposite. Use Kidō and Shunpo to subdue him."

As talkative as Byakuya is normally, Senbonzakura is just as quiet in this state.

"I know without you saying it!"

Having understood Haruto's meaning, Byakuya charged straight towards Senbonzakura.

Subdued.

Moreover, they can only be subdued through force.

If a materialized Zanpakuto is "killed," then the Zanpakuto can never be restored, and it is the kind of Zanpakuto that is damaged beyond repair, even if it is damaged by Bankai.

This is another terrifying aspect of Muramasa.

Or...

During this period, the Muramasa was broken.

That's right.

Muramasa Zanpakuto capable of fully materializing and possessing extremely high autonomy.

Even if Muramasa were to Bankai, killing Kōga wouldn't stop him from continuing his actions; there was no better way than to break Muramasa.

"Yugram - Seisen?"

Haruto looked at the blonde woman in front of him, who seemed impressive in every way, and asked...

"Little brat."

The other person's appearance was exactly like that of the Quincy Order of Knights who invaded Soul Society a thousand years ago, so there was nothing wrong with her addressing Haruto in this way given her seniority.

"You're quite good with a knife."

Yugram glanced down at the sheathed blade at her waist—in her hand, "Seisen" resembled more closely the saber used by Schubert.

"What aspect are you referring to, Miss Yugram?"

While Haruto was talking with a smile, his body was already prepared for battle.

When a Zanpakuto materializes, it takes away a Shinigami's spiritual pressure. Yugure appeared in Quincy form and took away half of Haruto's Shinigami and Quincy abilities.

In fact, the power of Gillian could also be taken away by Yugram.

However, due to the Quincy's inherent fear of Hollow Poison, she subconsciously rejected the fusion of this power when she materialized.

This is Haruto's chance.

Certainly.

Fighting yourself is never easy, even with an advantage... Haruto knows very well how difficult he is to deal with right now.

Especially...

Haruto cannot kill himself with his own Zanpakuto.

This crucial point almost erased the final gap between the two sides.

"Of course, it's about Soul Reaper."

"... You flatter me."

Yugram's words were not a compliment.

The Gotei 13 of a thousand years ago were incredibly brutal; even their "vice-captains" were stronger than many of today's captains. Even though Yugram Seisen was already very strong in her lifetime, she still couldn't secure a single Captain-level victory.

Before being Auswählen from Yhwach.

Her target was named...

Yachiru Unohana.

"Little brat."

Yugram drew his military knife, and the surrounding ocean of Reishi stained the silver-white blade with a watery sheen.

It was Heilig Pfeil, resembling a sword but not a whip.

The exaggerated concentration of Reishi was like condensing the Sankt Bogen into an inconspicuous hidden arrow.

"Use your Quincy abilities to fight me."

Yugram did not use the power of the Seisen —while the two were talking, Haruto was still thinking about how to break the ability of Flow and Stillness: only when faced with it firsthand can one know just how troublesome these two opposing rules really are.