The Roar of the Stray Dog

Afternoon

Eleventh Division Barracks

Kenpachi Zaraki donned his Captain's Haori, leaving the collar open, and slung his Zanpakuto over his shoulder. Yachiru climbed up from behind him, grabbing his hair to keep him balanced.

"Ready to go."

Ikkaku Madarame and Yumichika Ayasegawa were already waiting at the door. Ikkaku was carrying Hōzukimaru, Yumichika's fingertips lightly traced the hilt of Fuji Kujaku. The two replied simultaneously, "Yes, Captain!"

Kenpachi's one eye swept over the silent figure in black in the courtyard. "Hey, Stealth Force, lead the way."

"Please follow me." The team member bowed slightly, then flashed onto the roof.

Kenpachi grinned, revealing a chilling smile. He pushed off with his feet, his massive body slicing through the air, chasing after the dark figure towards the direction of Sōkyoku Hill. Yachiru's laughter shattered into a series of bell sounds in the wind, with Ikkaku and Yumichika close behind.

Underground prison

Yasutora Sado stood before the stone bed, his right hand slowly clenching. The Giant's Right Arm emerged from his shoulder, black and red stripes spreading along his forearm, and his massive fist gleamed coldly in the dim cell. He flexed his wrist, the knuckles making a dull cracking sound, then turned to the silent black figure in the doorway and nodded.

Hanatarō squatted in the corner, carefully folding bandages, ointments, and several packets of emergency medicine into his personal bag. His fingers were still trembling slightly, but he arranged each item neatly. "I'm clearly not Ryoka..." he muttered softly, then tied the bag tightly and slung it over his shoulder.

Ganju Shiba sat up from the stone bed, tightening his signature headscarf around his forehead. He moved his arm, which had been slashed by Byakuya; the wound was still bandaged, but he could already grip his weapon firmly. His gaze swept over his teammates' shoulders toward the dungeon door, his eyes filled with the wariness that the residents of Rukongai had for Soul Reaper.

"Stealth Force, I've heard of it—it's the Soul Reaper's intelligence agency, right? Why would they help us, kindly bringing us medical supplies and even giving us equipment?"

The team member bowed slightly. "We only act to protect Seireitei. And now, helping the Ryoka is the true way to protect Seireitei. So we took action, nothing more."

Ganju stared at him for a moment, then snorted and slung his equipment bag over his shoulder, "Tch, a mere Soul Reaper, making such a big deal out of it."

"Now that everyone is ready, let's set off."

The team member raised his hand, and the smoke grenade, already cocked between his fingers, exploded silently. Thick smoke instantly engulfed the entire cell. When the smoke cleared, the cell was empty.

On the way to the Fourth Depth Prisons of the Senzaikyū

Renji Abarai knocked down the last remaining member of the Sixth Division, and blood dripped from the tip of Zabimaru onto the stone pavement.

He didn't take the covert route provided by the Stealth Force; instead, he attacked head-on, fighting his way in. One by one, the soldiers who had patrolled alongside him fell by the roadside.

The last member leaned against the wall, his legs trembling, but he still managed to raise his sword. "Please... please put your sword away, Lieutenant Abarai!"

Renji remained silent. He drew the blade of Zabimaru again, walked past the soldier, and continued toward the Senzaikyū, his footsteps fading into the distance in the empty passageway.

He knew that to save Rukia, there was someone he had to defeat. So from the moment he decided to break in, he never considered hiding!

Entrance to the Fourth Depth Prisons of the Senzaikyū

A massive white tower stood tall in the dazzling afternoon sun. The plaza in front of the entrance was empty and deserted. Renji stood in the center of the plaza, with Zabimaru hanging by his side, his chest rising and falling slowly with his breath.

He felt that familiar, cold, moonlit yet powerful Reiatsu descending from directly above.

He looked up.

Byakuya Kuchiki stood on the roof above the entrance to the Fourth Depth Prison, looking down at Renji in the center of the plaza, his face expressionless.

"Where are you going, Renji?"

Renji tightened his grip on Zabimaru's hand slightly. "Kuchiki... Captain."

As Byakuya's Lieutenant, Renji knew better Renji anyone else how powerful he was. Even after mastering Bankai, he still feared Byakuya —feared those cold eyes, feared the Reiatsu that pinned him to the spot. But no matter how afraid he was, he had to overcome it!

"I... I'm going to save Rukia."

"No." Byakuya's voice was completely flat.

I want to go.

Byakuya did not answer.

"No matter what, you can't let me pass?" Renji's voice was very low, but each word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth.

I won't say it a second time.

Byakuya's figure vanished from the rooftop. The next instant, the air behind Renji was torn apart— Byakuya's blade, accompanied by a swirling gust of wind, pierced straight at his Saketsu and Hakusui.

Senka!

Clang!

The blade tip collided with the blade, sparks flew between the two men, and the blade tip was blocked.

Renji held Zabimaru horizontally behind him with his sword on his back, the blade precisely blocking Byakuya's thrust. The impact plowed two deep furrows in the ground between Byakuya's feet.

Byakuya missed his attack and retreated with Shunpo, landing back in the center of the plaza. He looked at Renji, and his brows finally twitched slightly.

"Senka. By using a special Shunpo with added spin to circle behind the enemy and then thrusting to break their Saketsu and Hakusui, that's your signature move, Captain."

Renji turned around, with Zabimaru blocking his way. "I've seen this many times before. I've always known the principle, but today, my body has finally been able to react."

He looked at Byakuya, his eyes devoid of smugness, only a suppressed, burning determination burning within them. "Captain Kuchiki, you can no longer kill me with this sword."

"Why have you become so talkative?" Byakuya's expression remained indifferent, his tone devoid of any emotion. "What has made you so arrogant? Do you think you can block my sword with your meager strength?"

He placed his hand on the hilt of the knife. "Scattered—"

"The Roar, Zabimaru!"

Renji is faster.

The Shikai Zabimaru transformed into several sections of snake-belly swords, slicing through the air and hurtling straight at Byakuya. Byakuya drew his sword to parry, sparks exploding between the two blades and illuminating their facing faces.

"Captain Byakuya!" Renji pressed down on his sword, his Reiatsu rising layer by layer, "I will surpass you—this isn't a thought that only started after I became Lieutenant! Long before I joined the Gotei 13, the only person I Isshin to surpass was you!"

Byakuya's eyelids twitched slightly. He looked into Renji's burning eyes, at the violently surging Reiatsu. "Renji... could it be that you have already..."

"I will surpass you, Captain Kuchiki!"

Renji gripped Zabimaru with both hands, his Reiatsu surging forth like a burst dam. He pointed the sword downwards, the blade plunging into the ground. Centered on the sword tip, the earth was torn apart by the red Reiatsu, cracks spreading in all directions.

"Bankai!"

The ground exploded. Crimson Reiatsu surged from the cracks like a volcanic eruption, dyeing the entire plaza crimson. The Zabimaru in Renji's hand began to swell, spewing out crimson light from the inside out, from the depths of his bones.

The blade rose higher and higher, each section emitting a deep the Roar, like the awakening of an ancient beast.

When the light faded, what he held in his hand was no longer a snake-belly sword.

It was a gigantic Bone Serpent. From head to tail, it was formed by countless interlocking vertebrae, each as thick as an adult's torso, with edges as sharp as knives. There were no chains connecting the vertebrae—they were connected by crimson flames formed purely of Reiatsu.

The Bone Serpent's spine meandered and coiled along the plaza, its body alone occupying an area of several tens of meters around Renji.

The snake's head hovered above Renji's head. It was composed of intersecting upper and lower jaw joints, with crimson ligaments woven from Reiatsu between each joint, allowing the giant mouth to open wide enough to swallow an entire house.

The snake's jaws rested on the stone floor, and the stone floor cracked the instant it touched the snake's jaws, baked by the Heat Reiatsu. Deep within the snake's eye sockets burned two balls of crimson light, which were light cores that spontaneously ignited after the Reiatsu was condensed to its extreme.

Renji held the snake's tail in his hand like a knife hilt. He stood in the center of the coiled Bone Serpent, while the giant snake behind him slowly raised its head, crimson flames surging between its vertebrae.

"Baboon King Zabimaru!"

Byakuya looked at the Bone Serpent that blotted out the sky, and at the crimson Reiatsu surging between the countless vertebrae. Although his expression did not change, the hand holding the sword tightened slightly.

"When... did you learn Bankai?"

"Just when you were planning to send Rukia to her death!"

Renji his sword, Bone Serpent the Roar as it charged toward Byakuya, crimson Reiatsu bursting from the edges of each vertebra. Its massive body crushed the stone slabs of the plaza, shards of stone being caught in the gaps between its joints and instantly crushed into powder.

Byakuya Shunpo.

The Bone Serpent struck the spot where he had just stood, shattering the stone bricks and sending fragments raining down. Byakuya landed on the other side of the plaza, but the Bone Serpent gave him no chance to catch his breath—its body contorted in mid-air at an almost impossible angle, its head tracing an arc as it hurtled towards Byakuya's landing spot.

Byakuya raised his sword to parry, the snake's jaws striking the blade. The immense force propelled him backward, his feet carving two deep furrows in the stone slab. Before he could regain his footing, the Bone Serpent raised its head again and swooped down from above.

"Scatter, Senbonzakura."

Byakuya unleashed his Zanpakuto, the blade transforming into countless tiny blades that resembled cherry blossom petals fluttering in the afternoon sunlight.

The petals surged toward the Bone Serpent, precisely slicing into the gaps between each vertebra, attempting to sever the Reiatsu connecting the joints. The Bone Serpent's body suddenly disintegrated under the cutting of the petals, dozens of vertebrae scattering simultaneously, like a necklace being torn apart.

But the scattered vertebrae tumbled halfway through the air before reassembling—crimson Reiatsu bridged the joints once more, and the vertebrae snapped shut again, leaving the Bone Serpent intact.

Byakuya's pupils contracted slightly.

"What connects Zabimaru's joints is my Reiatsu, not something that can be cut. You can't cut it with a knife." Renji stood in the center of the coiled Bone Serpent, his red Reiatsu reflecting on his face, making his eyes burn brightly.

"I'll say it again, Captain Byakuya." He unleashed his Reiatsu, crimson flames erupting from between each vertebra of the Bone Serpent, shattering the stone slabs beneath his feet. "I'm going to save Rukia!"

Byakuya Shunpo to retreat. "I've said it before, I won't say it a second time!"

"Then—" Renji's figure appeared behind Byakuya along with the Bone Serpent behind him, "I'll defeat you!"

The Bone Serpent opened its massive jaws and bit down on Byakuya's head. Byakuya raised his hand, his fingertip pointing at the serpent's head. "Hadō #33 - Sōkatsui!"

Azure flames exploded in front of the serpent's head, the shockwave carrying intense heat flipping the Bone Serpent over. Its massive body crashed to the ground, instantly engulfing the plaza in rubble and dust. Renji's vision was obscured by the smoke and dust. He swung his sword, urging the Bone Serpent to raise its head again, trying to pinpoint Byakuya's location through the smoke.

Found it.

The Bone Serpent the Roar as it charged out of the smoke and dust, heading straight for Byakuya. But the moment it passed the edge of the smoke, the entire Bone Serpent suddenly lost control and collapsed to the ground.

The crimson Reiatsu between the vertebrae fluctuated violently, and the joints collided with each other, emitting a piercing friction sound. Renji looked down and found that his hand holding the snake tail was trembling slightly, because the rhythm of his Reiatsu output had been disrupted by the Sōkatsui earlier.

"You're still too naive." Byakuya's voice came from the other side of the smoke and dust:

"The drawback of Bankai is that, because it changes with the ideology of the Soul Reaper, its shape and size will exceed the common understanding of swords."

Even after learning Bankai, it takes many years of practice and adaptation to fully master it. If a mere, incantationless Hadō can cause your Bankai out of control—you are far from being able to use Bankai in combat.

"So what!" Renji regained his footing, channeling his Reiatsu into Zabimaru once more. The Bone Serpent's Reiatsu stabilized again amidst the fluctuations, its vertebrae snapping shut as it raised its head once more. "Even knowing this, I'm still going to break in!"

He charged toward Byakuya, the Bone Serpent moving in sync with him, its massive jaws agape, its fangs reflecting a crimson light.

Byakuya raised his hand. "Bakudō #61: Six-Staff Light Prison"

Light shards shot in from all directions, precisely embedding themselves in Renji's limbs and torso. Renji was completely locked in mid-air, unable to move. The light shards embedded themselves in his joints, pinning him down so firmly that he couldn't even move his fingers.

He realized something was wrong, but it was too late.

"Bankai · Senbonzakura Kageyoshi."

Byakuya pointed the sword downwards and released the hilt. The blade plunged into the ground, causing the ground to collapse on both sides, and thousands of enormous blades rose from the cracks. They were neatly arranged in the sunlight, their blades pointing upwards, gleaming with a cold, sharp light. The two rows of giant blades shattered simultaneously, turning into billions of tiny blades that enveloped the entire plaza.

Petals surged toward Renji, like a tsunami of millions of cherry blossoms.

Renji's vision was filled with cherry-colored blades, each one leaving a tiny cut on his body.

Countless wounds burst open simultaneously, blood gushing from every part of his body, turning him into a crimson shadow.

The Bone Serpent was shattered by the impact of the petals, its vertebrae scattered all over the ground. The crimson Reiatsu struggled for a few moments in the sea of petals before completely dissipating. The Baboon King Zabimaru, disintegrated, its remains turning into fragments of Reishi that drifted into the pool of blood beside Renji.

The petals slowly dispersed.

Renji knelt on the shattered stone slab, covered in blood. His Shihakusho had been cut into countless shreds, and Zabimaru's blade was shattered, with only the hilt remaining in his hand. Blood streamed down his forehead, blurring his vision in his right eye. He used his remaining left eye to look ahead at the figure standing in the center of the flower petals.

Byakuya looked at him. "You can't hurt me. Don't get up again; you'll only die faster."

Renji used the ground to push himself up.

His legs were trembling, every muscle fiber screaming, blood gushing from countless wounds, flowing down his calves onto the stone slab, pooling into a small patch of dark red blood, yet he still gripped the broken hilt of the knife, his knuckles white.

"Captain Kuchiki," his voice was hoarse, but each word was enunciated firmly, "I can still fight."

Byakuya looked at him. He looked at the body covered in blood, barely able to stand. He looked at those eyes that were still burning.

"... Why? Your Bankai has been defeated, and you will soon die. Why continue fighting?"

"Stop being so verbose!"

Renji charged toward Byakuya. His steps were unsteady, each step leaving dark red footprints in the pool of blood. He gripped the broken hilt of the Zabimaru and aimed it at Byakuya's chest.

"I will save her! I swear on my soul!"

Byakuya watched Renji charge towards him, watched the broken tip of the blade get closer and closer to his chest. He could have dodged, he could have parried, he could have turned the tables and killed him, but he didn't.

The sword was pressed against Byakuya's chest.

The power drained from Renji's fingertips, and the hilt of the sword slipped from between his loosened fingers, falling onto the stone slab.

"Damn it..." Renji's voice was so weak it was almost inaudible. His eyes were still open, staring at Byakuya's expressionless face. "Why do you have such great power... yet you still refuse to save her...? I... didn't push her into the Kuchiki Clan just to send her to the executioner's block!"

He used his last strength to shout out the last word, and then completely lost consciousness.

The square fell silent. Byakuya knelt on one knee beside Renji, gazing at Renji's face covered in blood and dust, remaining silent for a long time.

He then stood up; Senbonzakura had already been sheathed. He bent down to pick up the Renji Zabimaru, which was now just the hilt of Renji's sword, placed it beside Renji, and turned to leave.

Behind him, Renji lay in a pool of blood, his breathing weak but still rising and falling, his fingers unconsciously curled, his palm covering the broken hilt of the sword.