Chapter 45

"Hahahaha, Miyako Amamiya, I finally understand the nature of your power. So you're... a Quincy!"

"And the power of Hollows is deadly poison to a Quincy!"

After Aizen's defection from Soul Society, Seireitei had finally returned to its former tranquility. Though the Gotei 13 was methodically making arrangements for a series of matters, peace had finally returned to Seireitei, and everyone had begun to breathe a little easier.

"Rukia, do you know how your Zanpakuto differs from Captain Hitsugaya's?" Miyako Amamiya had taken a rare day off from training and was chatting with Rukia at the Thirteenth Division.

"My Sode no Shirayuki? It can't compare to Captain Hitsugaya's Hyōrinmaru. Captain Hitsugaya is the youngest captain in Soul Society, and his Zanpakuto has the power to change the weather, just like the Captain-Commander's... My Sode no Shirayuki can't do anything like that yet."

Rukia clearly believed that Sode no Shirayuki was inferior to Hyōrinmaru, but that idea was actually wrong. Miyako knew what Rukia's true Bankai was like, which was why he wanted to give her a hint now.

"Rukia, your Sode no Shirayuki is different from Hyōrinmaru. Hyōrinmaru can freeze the moisture in the air directly, but yours can't. Do you think that's a problem with Sode no Shirayuki's ability?"

"Huh? I really can't freeze water vapor directly. My Sode no Shirayuki has to release cold to freeze other people."

"That's right, but that doesn't mean your Sode no Shirayuki is inferior to Captain Hitsugaya's Hyōrinmaru," Miyako explained carefully. "Your Zanpakuto is more inclined to release cold itself to affect your enemies. The cold is only a medium. As long as your Reiatsu is strong enough and the cold spreads far enough, you could even freeze an enemy faster than Hyōrinmaru."

"...I never thought about that. Miyako, how did you figure it out?" Rukia asked in surprise.

"I've seen all three of Sode no Shirayuki's moves. Until you finish executing each move, you have to rely on your sword to release the cold. It's easy enough to see," Miyako said with a smile. "So? What do you think of my powers of observation?"

"I have to admit, I'm impressed," Rukia said with a pout. "But Reiatsu... Increasing it is still really difficult."

"Then how about working on the direction and speed at which your cold spreads?" Miyako suggested.

"The direction and speed?"

"Yeah. Take your Some no Mai: Tsukishiro, for example. Stop limiting it to a circle. When you face an enemy, choose to spread it straight ahead instead, and limit the cold to foot level. That way, you can freeze your enemy more effectively."

I see. I never thought of that, Rukia thought pensively.

"All right! It's settled! Let's go work on Sode no Shirayuki's abilities right now! Come on, let's go to that place you told me about!" Rukia said excitedly, pulling Miyako along as she ran out of the Thirteenth Division.

Rukia no longer paid any attention to the strange looks the surrounding division members gave her. More than that, she cared about whether she could protect her comrades.

"All right, all right, stop pulling me!" Miyako's voice grew fainter and fainter until the people of the Thirteenth Division could no longer hear him.

The other members of the Thirteenth Division had a few complaints about this.

"Why does that Kuchiki monopolize Lieutenant Amamiya every day? I want Lieutenant Amamiya to give me pointers too."

"Idiot, doesn't Lieutenant Amamiya usually give you pointers too?"

"That's true, but... she gets to spend time alone with Lieutenant Amamiya. Damn it, I'm so jealous!" a female member said through gritted teeth.

Outside the Tenth Division Captain's Office, Tōshirō Hitsugaya was communicating with his Hyōrinmaru.

Although Tōshirō Hitsugaya had achieved Bankai, his Reiatsu was not sufficient to draw out the full power of Hyōrinmaru's Bankai because of his age.

Just as Hyōrinmaru was about to touch Tōshirō Hitsugaya, the entire dragon suddenly turned to ice and vanished, leaving him utterly puzzled.

But the commotion from the Captain's Office made a vein bulge on Tōshirō Hitsugaya's forehead, and he stopped thinking about it.

Tōshirō Hitsugaya returned to his Captain's Office, only to find Rangiku Matsumoto with her Zanpakuto stuck in the floor, cursing at it.

"Damn it, what kind of lousy Zanpakuto is Haineko? How dare you call your master an old lady! Hey, Haineko, get out here!"

"Hey! Matsumoto!" Tōshirō Hitsugaya called out to stop her, exasperated. Dealing with the Tenth Division's paperwork after his body had recovered was already enough of a headache, and now Matsumoto was shouting here too. Tōshirō Hitsugaya felt like his life was about to be cut short.

Rangiku Matsumoto didn't seem to hear Tōshirō Hitsugaya's shout and continued cursing over there.

"Matsumoto!" Tōshirō Hitsugaya came up beside her and shouted. Rangiku Matsumoto finally heard her captain's voice and stopped.

"What on earth is going on? Why are you shouting in here?"

"Captain! It's my Haineko. She started mocking me to my face today. We've had our differences before, but we could still communicate normally. I don't know what happened today, but Haineko suddenly started hurling insults at me. And after she was done, she ran off and stopped responding altogether!" Rangiku Matsumoto said aggrievedly.

Hearing this, Tōshirō Hitsugaya couldn't help feeling amused.

"Looks like your Zanpakuto thinks you need to take a good look at yourself too," Tōshirō Hitsugaya said with a smile.

"Captain! How can you say that too? Don't tell me you and Hyōrinmaru have never fought?" Rangiku Matsumoto said aggrievedly.

"Hyōrinmaru? I've always had a good relationship with him. Whether it was Shikai or Bankai, Hyōrinmaru helped me a lot. Though just now..." Tōshirō Hitsugaya trailed off into silence.

Rangiku Matsumoto didn't hear the last part and couldn't help complaining, "Must be nice. My Haineko and I have been a little at odds ever since Shikai. Even achieving Shikai took me a huge effort."

"A Zanpakuto is your partner. It must have turned out this way because you didn't communicate with her properly," Tōshirō Hitsugaya said helplessly.

"Captain! But Haineko was really strange today! What kind of Zanpakuto treats her master like that?" Rangiku Matsumoto said angrily.

Tōshirō Hitsugaya wanted to give her a proper lecture about it, but a familiar voice came from outside the Captain's Office.

Isane Kotetsu arrived at the Tenth Division barracks and gave Rangiku Matsumoto the details of the lieutenants' meeting.

After hearing that Isane Kotetsu's Zanpakuto had also been acting strangely lately, Tōshirō Hitsugaya began to realize there was a problem.

One person is a coincidence, and two could still be treated as a coincidence. But all three of us have experienced the same strange behavior... The perceptive Tōshirō Hitsugaya realized there was a problem and immediately left the Captain's Office, intending to question the captains and lieutenants of the other divisions.

At dusk, Miyako and Rukia returned to the Thirteenth Division after finishing their training, only for Ukitake to call them over.

"Miyako, Rukia, you're just in time. The Captain-Commander is summoning us." Ukitake

"The Captain-Commander? At this hour?" Rukia asked, puzzled.

Miyako was puzzled too, but soon realized what the problem was. Still, Miyako had absolute confidence in his Zanpakuto, and he might even be able to make use of this incident.

"I don't know the details myself. Let's talk once we get there. If Master Genryūsai is summoning us, it must be important." Ukitake had no doubts about Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto's summons and immediately led Miyako Amamiya and Rukia Kuchiki over.

When they arrived at the gathering place, they found that the Gotei 13 members were all present. Most of those who had come were captains and lieutenants, with only a few exceptions.

"Shunsui? Were you and your lieutenant summoned here by Master Genryūsai too?" Ukitake asked in surprise.

"Yeah. I don't know what Old Man Yamamoto wants us here for. And he didn't just summon the captains and lieutenants..." Shunsui Kyōraku looked at Rukia Kuchiki, as well as Ikkaku Madarame and Yumichika Ayasegawa of the 11th Division, a hint of confusion on his face.

While everyone was discussing the matter, Chōjirō Sasakibe emerged from the mist. He had a grievous wound on his body, and he collapsed.

Shunsui Kyōraku looked at the wound through Chōjirō Sasakibe's body and showed his surprise.

Why does this wound look so much like one caused by my Katen Kyōkotsu's Kageoni? Shunsui Kyōraku wondered with a frown.

Everyone hurried over to check Chōjirō Sasakibe's injuries, and Retsu Unohana and Isane Kotetsu began emergency treatment.

Just then, a figure appeared behind them, and everyone turned to look at him.

Miyako studied the "person" before him.

He was tall and thin, with extremely messy dark brown hair. The makeup around his eyes made him look as though he hadn't slept for three days and nights.

Muramasa, a Zanpakuto that's exceptionally unique even in Soul Society... Miyako said nothing and watched quietly. Fortunately, Aizen had only just gone to Hueco Mundo, and his attention should be focused far more on the Hōgyoku than on Soul Society.

"The Captain-Commander won't be coming," Muramasa said calmly.

"You're saying the Captain-Commander is gone?" Sajin Komamura used Shunpo to reach him. When it came to Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, Sajin Komamura was always the one most concerned.

"Then I'll make you suffer before you tell us the truth!" Sajin Komamura slashed at Muramasa, but Muramasa dodged the blow with a light leap.

Muramasa waved a hand, whipping up a gust of wind that affected everyone present.

Miyako carefully sensed the wind. With his power of absolute rejection, he was highly sensitive to any Reiatsu that tried to invade his body.

The power Muramasa had just released was trying to invade Miyako's Zanpakuto, but Miyako had easily separated it from him.

Seeing that Muramasa's ability seemed formidable, Sajin Komamura immediately used his Bankai, Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō.

But Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō did not strike at Muramasa. Instead, it brought its blade straight down on Sajin Komamura, shocking everyone.

In the end, Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō's enormous body vanished, becoming a person as tall as Sajin Komamura.

Tōshirō Hitsugaya immediately tried to step forward and help, calling out his Zanpakuto's Shikai release command, but there was no response.

The same thing happened to Soi Fon and the others.

"What's going on...?" everyone said grimly.

"It's simple. I've liberated your Zanpakuto. They're no longer on your side," Muramasa said with a smile, closing his eyes.

Suddenly, blood flowed from one of Muramasa's eyes. He waved a hand to the side, and explosions and flashes of fire erupted in the darkened Seireitei.

"What did you do, you bastard?"

"It wasn't me. Your Zanpakuto did that. Your Zanpakuto have now completely broken free of the Soul Reapers' bonds. Hahahaha!" Muramasa began to laugh wildly.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Muramasa. The Soul Reapers' dominion over the Zanpakuto ends tonight. From now on, the Zanpakuto will rule..." Muramasa stopped short because he had noticed something unusual.

His gaze shifted to Miyako Amamiya, because the pair of swords at Miyako's waist still possessed Reiatsu.

"What's wrong? Didn't you say all the Zanpakuto had broken free of their bonds?" Miyako stepped forward and spoke softly.

"You..." Muramasa looked gravely at the pair of swords at Miyako's waist and waved his hand again.

But Miyako's Zanpakuto still did not appear. Muramasa remained unable to summon it, as though something were blocking him.

"Separate, Divine Arrow: Severed Thought." Miyako drew his twin blades and spoke his Shikai release command.

The two blades joined to become a black-and-white bow and arrow. Miyako smiled at Muramasa and said, "I'll drop my defenses this time. How about trying again?"

"Miyako, what are you saying?!" Rukia hurriedly tried to stop him. Although she didn't know why Miyako's Zanpakuto could enter Shikai, his tone now made it seem as though he wanted Muramasa to try liberating his Zanpakuto again. If the enemy really succeeded in liberating it, then their only fighting force would...

"Miyako, that's too reckless. Put your Zanpakuto away for now. Even my Zanpakuto has stopped responding. We can't afford to lose yours too," Ukitake came over and warned him.

"Don't worry, Rukia, Captain," Miyako said softly. "Come on. Weren't you going to try again?"

"How dare you underestimate me..." Muramasa's expression turned angry, and he used the Reiatsu he had accumulated to invade the bow and arrow in Miyako's hands.

This time, there was finally a reaction. The bow and arrow in Miyako's hands began to glow white, the light gathering to one side and gradually taking human form. At the same time, Miyako's Zanpakuto reverted to twin blades.

Black-Haired White-Clad Jue Nian stretched beside him, then said helplessly, "Miyako, what you're doing this time counts as taking the easy way out."

"Come on, wouldn't it be a waste not to take advantage of such a good sucker?" Miyako said with a smile.

When everyone saw that Miyako's Zanpakuto had also taken physical form, they grew wary, silently blaming Miyako for his actions.

"I order you, attack him!" Muramasa said hastily, but even as he spoke, he froze. What was this Zanpakuto's name again?

Jue Nian, meanwhile, began whistling as if it had nothing to do with him.

"My Zanpakuto has a name. It's Jue Nian. What, didn't he tell you just now?" Miyako came over beside Jue Nian and asked softly.

"...What did you do?" Muramasa asked in a low voice. Although he had indeed used his Reiatsu to draw Miyako's Zanpakuto out and materialize him, he had not been told the Zanpakuto's name.

"Yes, what did I do?"

Muramasa carefully recalled the process of materializing Miyako's Zanpakuto. In fact, he had not entered Miyako's Mindscape. He had merely given it a thought, and Miyako's Zanpakuto had come out on his own, using up a considerable amount of Muramasa's accumulated Reiatsu in the process.

The other captains and lieutenants looked surprised to see that Miyako's Zanpakuto had not betrayed him.

Miyako had only shown Aizen the full Shikai ability of his Zanpakuto. The others did not know what his Zanpakuto's true ability was. Even Renji Abarai and Rukia, who knew a little more than the rest, only knew the power of Miyako's half-Shikai, Divine Arrow: Severed Thought.

The true power of God-Repelling Jue Nian was rejection. One of its functions was to reject any foreign Reiatsu that attempted to invade Miyako's body. Even Aizen's Kyōka Suigetsu could not affect Miyako, much less Muramasa.

"Miyako, this is cheating. If you make me submit like this, you'll only get half the power at most. And you won't be able to account for it to 'him' either, will you?" black-haired Jue Nian complained.

"Half, huh... Half is enough. I never intended to make you both submit at once," Miyako replied.

That was right. What Miyako was doing was Bankai training.

With Miyako's current Reiatsu, he was not yet capable of fully materializing his Zanpakuto, but Muramasa's arrival had given him an opportunity.

Miyako intended to borrow Muramasa's Reiatsu to forcibly materialize Jue Nian alone, rather than bring Kyokushin and Jue Nian out at the same time.

Now it seemed Miyako's plan had succeeded. He had used his half-Shikai, Divine Arrow: Severed Thought, and relied on his own Reiatsu, Muramasa's special ability, and part of Muramasa's Reiatsu to successfully materialize Jue Nian alone.

So even if I succeed in making Jue Nian submit, the Bankai I learn will only be a false one. It won't count as a true Bankai yet. But a false Bankai is still a Bankai. I'll take it one step at a time. Miyako knew how terrifying an amount of Reiatsu it took to fully materialize his Zanpakuto, so he planned to use this opportunity to complete half his Bankai first.

Muramasa looked silently at Miyako. He had now lost some of his Reiatsu, and he still did not know the true ability of Miyako's Zanpakuto.

At last, Muramasa took his sword, plunged it into the ground, and said in a low voice, "Soul Reapers, your Zanpakuto have become my comrades. They will no longer be at your command."

Everyone suddenly noticed figures emerging behind them, and the features those figures bore were unmistakably those of their Zanpakuto.

"The Zanpakuto... have all materialized?" The most surprised were naturally the lieutenants who had only learned Shikai.