Early the next morning, Jun set out from the Shihoin Family estate, prepared to encounter some small fry.
Only small fry should come. For the people pulling the strings, things had not yet reached the point of no return, so sending people to test Jun first was their best option.
Jun had also learned something at the Shihoin Family estate. On the first day, Yoruichi had killed Yukinoshita Hanato, the captain of the Ninth Division. Captain Yukinoshita had been a fool: he had actually believed certain people who told him that killing Yoruichi would make the Yukinoshita Clan one of the great noble clans. Jun had no idea what had been going through his head.
On the other hand, Jun had learned that, among the eleven captains in the current Gotei 13 apart from Yamamoto and Retsu Unohana, only Kirio Hikifune and Kuruyashiki Kenpachi were not of noble birth. However, the first two were also figures who had rendered distinguished service in the First Thousand-Year War, and Kuruyashiki Kenpachi belonged to the 11th Division.
Then there were the captains from the original story: Soi Fon of the Second Division came from a minor noble family; Gin Ichimaru of the Third Division came from Rukongai; Sōsuke Aizen of the Fifth Division had started out as an ordinary Soul Reaper; Byakuya Kuchiki of the Sixth Division came from one of the Four Great Noble Clans; Sajin Komamura of the Seventh Division belonged to another race; Shunsui Kyōraku of the Eighth Division came from an upper noble family; Kaname Tōsen of the Ninth Division came from Rukongai; Tōshirō Hitsugaya of the Tenth Division came from Rukongai; Kenpachi Zaraki of the 11th Division came from Rukongai; Mayuri Kurotsuchi of the Twelfth Division came from Rukongai and had even been a prisoner; and Jūshirō Ukitake of the Thirteenth Division came from a lower noble family.
The number of noble-born captains had dropped from nine to just four. Moreover, the Second and Sixth Divisions could not be changed unless both the Shihoin and Kuchiki clans were gone. Kyōraku and Ukitake, one from an upper noble family and the other from a lower one, were also the old immortal Yamamoto's trusted and beloved pupils.
Leaving aside the original story, there were the Visored captains from over a hundred years before it: Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi of the Third Division had started out as an ordinary Soul Reaper; Shinji Hirako of the Fifth Division came from Rukongai; Love Aikawa of the Seventh Division had started out as an ordinary Soul Reaper; Kensei Muguruma of the Ninth Division had started out as an ordinary Soul Reaper; Isshin Shiba of the Tenth Division came from a branch cast out by one of the Five Great Noble Clans; and Kisuke Urahara of the Twelfth Division came from a noble vassal family, though he was a special case too.
Seen this way, the far-reaching effects of this incident were no joke. It had completely changed the state of affairs in which the nobles controlled Soul Society, even the Gotei 13, and given ordinary Soul Reapers a chance to rise. Then, after a few more centuries and Aizen's mad schemes, those from Rukongai had finally risen to prominence.
That was why Yamamoto Genryūsai was truly formidable for sitting back and letting things unfold. No matter what the noble vassal families did, their schemes remained in the shadows, unable to bear the light of day. In the end, all it would take to defeat those schemes completely was for someone to tear off the roof and expose everything to the light.
Jun still did not know who would tear off the roof, nor how far things would have to go before that happened. But he knew what gave them the confidence to do it: the strongest Soul Reaper in Soul Society. As long as that man existed, Soul Society's final line would remain, and no one could cross it.
The moment Jun left the Shihoin Family estate, he donned a black cloak. After he activated Kyokkō, he disappeared.
As mentioned before, the estates of the Five Great Noble Clans lay just outside the Thirteenth Division. The Shihoin Family and Shiba estates stood to the south and north respectively. Cutting through the area by the Thirteenth Division made the trip less than three kilometers, passing through the Sixth Division and Seventh Division areas.
The people selected for those two divisions were either nobles or exceptionally high-ranking individuals from Rukongai. Most had homes outside the Gotei 13. After such a major incident, the two divisions had been practically emptied out, and those who really had not left could not blame the others for being ruthless.
Jun had considered countless ways his enemies might deal with him, but this time, he truly felt he had miscalculated, because—
"Shishō Saemon? Isn't that a bit much?"
Jun was somewhat dumbfounded. He could only watch the Kidō take shape. First, blue Spiritual Power formed two enormous gates in front and behind him. Then, on the left, wheels of bone flew out of the void to form a barrier, while countless ice-blue hexagonal crystals stacked up to seal the right. Finally, a huge crimson umbrella overhead cut off the path to the sky.
Shishō Saemon was not one of the ninety-nine numbered Bakudō, but a special Kidō mastered by the Kidō Corps. In the original story, the one who used it was the Deputy Kidō Chief, Hachigen Ushōda. Of course, he had used it alone, while normally the Bakudō required four people working together.
The Bakudō's defense was practically invincible. Since its invention, it had never been broken in Soul Society's history. Its confinement area could also be altered, and the Shishō Saemon currently trapping Jun completely enclosed the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Divisions.
Some people who had still been hiding in the four divisions suddenly panicked. They ran out and flew into the sky, only to be instantly cut down by blades thrusting out of the void. On the surface, there was not a soul in sight, but in reality, people were everywhere.
Jun was in an alley at the border between the Fifth and Seventh Divisions. He was a little panicked; this was far too grand a display. Still, it was not bad, actually.
In an instant, a figure appeared high in the sky. The next moment, dozens of Kidō blasted the spot where the figure stood to pieces.
"Ho ho~ How frightening~" Jun had merely cast Bakudō #6: Kagyō, a Bakudō that created an afterimage. But how had he produced that effect the instant it appeared? This was proof that Aizen was here. Their signal was for Jun to cast Kagyō and Aizen to cast Kyokkō on it.
Jun was not afraid of anyone deciphering this signal. Kagyō was extremely easy to cast and was an excellent Bakudō for drawing fire. Normally, someone would simply blast it with Hadō, as the enemy had just done. No one would bother casting Kyokkō on a Kagyō, so casting Kyokkō on it was the signal.
Kagyō really was a remarkably useful way to send signals. Jun cast another one. The Kagyō held its left thumb, index finger, and middle finger together, while its right hand extended and bent the index finger alone.
This Kagyō was also blasted to pieces, as expected. But at the same moment it was destroyed, two enormous fireballs, each nearly fifty meters in diameter, suddenly appeared.
"Hadō #79: Kongōbaku!"
Its effect was to send a huge fireball of lightning surging forward with tremendous power.
The appearance of the two Kongōbaku completely disrupted the ambushers' plans. Although someone hurriedly cast Bakudō #81: Dankū, some people were still left outside it. Moreover, there were two Kongōbaku, and the directions in which they had been fired caused them to collide.
The enormous explosion shook even the Shishō Saemon.
The situation inside went without saying. The explosion blew open many people's robes, exposing them. The instant they were revealed, countless violet-red spheres of light suddenly flew out of the void, picking them off one by one. Their tremendous destructive power punched straight through the Dankū that had blocked the earlier explosion, as well as many defensive Bakudō cast in haste, killing the people inside.
The enemy was no fool. They located the caster of Hadō #91 Senju Kōten Taihō, and dozens more Hadō shot toward that spot. But a blade suddenly flashed, and the spot under bombardment turned into a corner of a wall.
It was Bakudō #67: Body Replacement. Jun had cut off a section of the wall's corner and swapped it for Aizen, bringing him to his side. Then the two used Shunpo to leave. In that instant, Kidō blasted the whole area to dust.
After the brief exchange, more than half of the Fifth and Seventh Divisions' office areas had disappeared from the map. Over twenty enemies were dead, but more remained, their positions and exact numbers unknown. Jun hid beneath the White Tiger Wall while Aizen hid on a beam of the Vermilion Bird Roof, both slowly recovering their Spiritual Power.
Jun made another Kagyō. This time, his left hand formed a capital D, meaning the number of enemies. Aizen then made a Kagyō in Jun's likeness, its hands signaling thirty-seven.
Both Kagyō were again subjected to a barrage of attacks. They both knew thirty-seven was not an exact count, only the number of people exposed so far. The other side also knew Jun had a helper, but still not one of them showed themselves.
Jun made another Kagyō, signaling ninety-nine. Aizen's Kagyō responded with a middle finger. Jun returned the gesture, and the Kagyō were blown apart again.
Jun laughed inwardly. He had just asked Aizen to use Hadō #99: Five Dragon Destruction. Powerful as Aizen was, he had not yet learned Five Dragon Destruction, or at least could not use it in actual combat. Honestly, being able to use Senju Kōten Taihō in combat already put him who knew how many levels above Jun. As mentioned before, each number among Hadō above 90 represented a different level of power.
The difficulty of training also increased accordingly. One could think of it this way: training in the ninetieth Hadō, Kurohitsugi, was one level harder than training in the eighty-ninth, Mad Dragon Divine Wind Strike. The ninety-first, Senju Kōten Taihō, was ten levels harder than Kurohitsugi, with 90.1, 90.2, and so on between them and ninety-one. That put Hadō #99: Five Dragon Destruction eighty levels beyond Hadō #91 Senju Kōten Taihō, making it harder to master than going from zero to eighty-nine.
Under the current circumstances, the best choice was actually an instant-cast, wide-area Hadō attack. However, among those below ninety, Kongōbaku really was the most destructive such skill.
Many Hadō in the eighties dealt sustained damage or concentrated their attacks on a single point, which was frustrating. In terms of damage alone, they were certainly stronger than Kongōbaku, but unfortunately they were not suitable.
So this time Jun did not even send a signal. He fired a Kongōbaku straight out. Aizen was bound to be half a beat slower, but that was how coordination developed. Aizen aimed his Kongōbaku at Jun's, deliberately making them collide.
Another enormous explosion followed. This time, it again blew open the cloaks of more than a dozen people and killed two outright. Those whose cloaks had been blown open were instantly killed by Jun's Hadō #83: Gaki Rekko. Jun and Aizen changed positions again and rested.
Peace returned to the inside of the Shishō Saemon, but for Jun's enemies, it was only the calm before the storm. The pressure mounted without limit.
There were too many people on the enemy side for them to use the same outrageously extravagant area attacks as Jun and Aizen. They had to be careful not to kill their allies. Jun and Aizen were different. There were only two of them, and both were highly skilled. Even if one launched an attack at the other, there would be no accidental injury between them; they could dodge it or cancel it out.
But in any case, Jun and Aizen had now cast four number seventy-nines in succession. Aizen had used a number ninety-one, while Jun had used a number eighty-three and a number sixty-seven Bakudō. Both needed a proper rest.
Yet this kind of prolonged silence was precisely the sort of situation that magnified every emotion. The two sides were essentially fighting a sniper battle: as soon as a sniper on either side revealed a position, the enemy would kill them immediately. Aizen and Jun were the most elite snipers, while the enemy snipers were relatively ordinary.
A sniper battle tested more than a sniper's technical skill; it placed even greater demands on their mental resilience. From the day snipers first appeared, the reasons for their attrition had been split almost evenly between death and mental breakdown. Without nerves of steel, one could not withstand that kind of pressure.
Then, suddenly, one man threw off his cloak. He had broken down. He ran to the Azure Dragon Gate and pounded desperately on it, crying and shouting, "Let me out!! I want to get out!! I'm begging you!!! Aaaah~~~"
Aizen sent out a Kaei that made a throat-slitting gesture, asking whether they should kill the man.
Jun sent out a Kaei that held one palm upright and open, meaning no.
Jun's reason was simple: killing the man would expose their whereabouts, making it a poor trade. But leaving him there to cry and shout would put even more pressure on the enemy. Either way, they would lose nothing.
But the man still could not escape death. A blade thrust out of the void and pierced his heart. He lowered his head in disbelief, looking at the blade protruding from his chest, then strained to look back. But the blade had already been withdrawn. He could not see anyone, and he died just like that.
At that moment, Jun sent a Kongōbaku flying without another word. Aizen again acted in sync with him, making their attacks collide once more. Unfortunately, the result was even smaller than last time: only three people were exposed. The two each fired a Hadō #71: Shinraisō, killing one apiece. Aizen even pulled a flashy move, executing the third with his sword.
This showed Aizen's hidden flamboyance and strong appetite for risk, which Jun greatly admired. Hadō #71: Shinraisō, meanwhile, was the most damaging and fastest Hadō below ninety, making it just right for killing a single target.
Silence fell once more. This time, however, Jun and Aizen felt a tremendous Reiatsu being released, and the Shishō Saemon suddenly dissipated.
Jun snorted coldly and continued forward. He had won this round.