At least five thousand, if not ten thousand, willow leaves lay scattered across the ground. Like flying blades hurtling through the air, they surrounded Rei and attacked, forcing him to swing his greatsword as fast as he could to cut down as many of the oncoming Willow-Leaf Flying Blades as possible.
Thanks to his defense, only a dozen or so flying blades had embedded themselves in Rei's body, while another twenty-odd remained outside it.
Rei could handle the attacks from the front, but he failed to dodge a sneak attack from beneath his feet. A long root had wrapped around his left foot, leaving him unable to move with Shunpo.
"Hmph, you think this is enough to tie me down..."
Crack!
Rei broke the root beneath his foot with a defiant shout, but in the moment he was unable to use Shunpo, the willow branches overhead swarmed toward him. This time, they didn't lash at him; they bound him.
Before he could swing the sword with his raised right hand, willow branches wrapped around it, forming what looked like a tender green scabbard.
With his arms and legs bound and only his head exposed, he was immobilized like Jesus nailed to the cross. Unable to move, he couldn't swing his sword to cut the branches, so Rei could only look for another way.
Rei tried to force his way free with his Reiatsu, but Hideaki Tsunayashiro, hiding inside the tree, also released his Reiatsu at full strength, reinforcing the willow branches formed from it.
"Trying to break free with Reiatsu? Don't underestimate me!"
Hideaki Tsunayashiro relinquished control of the other willow trees and poured his Reiatsu solely into the one binding Rei, determined to keep him from breaking free. The two remained locked in a stalemate.
In this situation, Rei remembered what he'd encountered playing Elementary Schooler's Hand before. A heavily armored warrior was incredibly strong in close combat, but feared being controlled and kited by the enemy. Right now, he was clearly not only being kited, but controlled as well...
"Is it over? Vice-Captain Nangong Ling's been caught."
"Looks like it!"
"What a shame. If Vice-Captain Nangong Ling could use Bankai too, he probably could have won."
"Hahahaha, Captain Tsunayashiro won! He won!"
Whispers erupted through the stands, and members of the Ninth Division cheered and jumped for joy. Their captain was about to win.
The captains observing in secret shook their heads slightly, and even Kuruyashiki sighed repeatedly. Challenging Bankai with Shikai was never going to be that simple.
"He won't lose. Big brother definitely won't lose!"
Maki muttered to himself, his bloodshot eyes wide as he waited to see Rei break free...
The willow branches began to cover Rei's head as well, leaving only his eyes exposed. Hideaki Tsunayashiro wanted to watch him be strangled to death.
"Hehehe, hahahaha, suffocate and die!"
Hideaki Tsunayashiro's face appeared on the willow tree, and then his body gradually emerged from the trunk, with only his feet still connected to it.
"No, I've changed my mind. I'm going to flay you alive!"
When Rei lasted more than ten seconds without dying, Hideaki Tsunayashiro lost patience and moved closer. A willow branch stretched straight in his hand, like a sharp sword.
And by then, Rei's preparations were complete...
"Hadō #63: Raikōhō!"
After finding himself truly unable to force his way free, Rei had Yanis, who was at his left hand, bite through a few of the willow branches. He then opened his left hand and unleashed Raikōhō.
The bursting flash of golden Reiatsu made Hideaki Tsunayashiro blink. It was a human bodily instinct, difficult to overcome.
But in that instant, Rei, his clothes blasted to pieces, had already appeared in front of him and thrust his sword at him. Acting on combat instinct, Hideaki Tsunayashiro thrust back with the Willow-Branch Sword in his hand.
When the golden flash faded, the spectators saw that each man's blade had pierced the other's right chest, blood flowing steadily along the blades.
"Cough, cough... damn it... but this is as far as you go!"
Hideaki Tsunayashiro coughed up blood. Using his left hand and several willow branches, he braced himself against Rei's Blood Drink, preventing it from piercing him any deeper.
"...Crawling iron princess, a doll of mud that continually mutilates itself..."
Just as Hideaki Tsunayashiro was about to direct the willow branches to pierce and kill Rei, he heard Rei muttering and was instantly jolted alert.
"Wait, what are you doing? At this distance, you'll be caught in it too, won't you?"
As Hideaki Tsunayashiro shouted in fear, Rei was already halfway through the incantation, and he continued...
"...Unite, repel, extend to the ground. Know your own powerlessness! Hadō #90—Black Coffin!"
Having completed the incantation, Rei showed a savage grin. His wild laughter echoed throughout the dueling arena. "Hahahaha, come on! Let's see who can take more punishment!"
Rei's left hand also gripped Hideaki's right hand tightly, keeping him from suddenly abandoning the Willow-Branch Sword and fleeing.
When Rei's voice fell, a long, rectangular black coffin appeared, enclosing them both...
"Being able to chant a ninetieth-level Kidō isn't worth praising; he already had enough Reiatsu to cast it. But fighting in a way that takes them both down is truly frightening!"
Kyōraku lowered his straw hat to hide the shock in his eyes. Rei had actually unleashed Black Coffin, using a fighting style that traded blood for blood. No one knew its dangers better than Kyōraku; his Bankai was just like that.
"Tsunayashiro is going to lose. Vice-Captain Nangong Ling's Zanpakuto ability can heal his injuries..."
Ukitake also saw at a glance the key to why Rei dared fight this way. Kuruyashiki said nothing, but inwardly he agreed: this was how the 11th Division ought to fight...
While the captains were still shocked, Black Coffin lasted only a few seconds. When it vanished, the two men emerged from the space within.
"D-damn it!"
"Heh, cough, cough..."
As soon as they appeared, Hideaki Tsunayashiro cursed and collapsed on the spot. Rei gave a bitter laugh and fell forward onto his knees, but he had not yet gone all the way down.
Their blood pooled across the ground, but the blood on Hideaki Tsunayashiro's side quickly turned to mist and drifted toward Rei.
Inside Black Coffin, both men had felt as though dozens of sharp blades had pierced through them, injuring their internal organs and lungs. Those were fatal wounds; without treatment, they really would die.
Rei wasn't afraid, though. Blood Drink was frantically absorbing Hideaki Tsunayashiro's blood energy to repair Rei's body. Victory was assured; Hideaki Tsunayashiro, opposite him, could no longer move...
"Lord Tsunayashiro!"
"Come on, save Lord Tsunayashiro..."
"Don't move. This is a fair duel. No one may interfere; the decision rests entirely with the two of them."
After seeing Rei kneel for more than ten seconds, several Soul Reapers loyal to the Tsunayashiro Clan suddenly rose and appeared using Shunpo. But several stronger Soul Reapers from the First Division suddenly appeared and blocked their path, preventing them from interfering.
"Hehe, looks like you aren't very well liked either! Someone wants you dead, and since that's the case... I'll just have to send you on your way!"
Rei swung his sword, sending Blood-Coagulating Slash flying. Hideaki Tsunayashiro, lying in a pool of blood, was split in two... A man who had been a captain for over a hundred years had died just like that.
For a moment, the scene fell silent. Some spectators rubbed their eyes several times, unable to believe that Captain Tsunayashiro had been defeated and killed just like that.
Only when Rei, still carrying his greatsword on his back, walked out of the Ninth Division's training ground did many people take a close look at the bloodstained man.
He appeared to be covered in blood, but almost all his fatal wounds had healed, leaving only a few that weren't enough to kill him.
"Thank you for your efforts, Vice-Captain Nangong Ling."
"Mm, let's go!"
The members of the 11th Division were full of respect. When they saw Rei approach, they all nodded and bowed. Rei gave a brief response and left. He was a little weak now and needed to return to the 11th Division to rest.
Unlike the joyful 11th Division, the Ninth Division was a different story. Some members wore looks of hatred, while others looked helpless.
Those who felt helpless all believed that Rei had defeated Captain Tsunayashiro one-on-one and would very likely be the next captain. There was no use being angry.
As soon as Rei defeated Hideaki Tsunayashiro, Chōjirō Sasakibe arranged for people to stop the Soul Reapers who wanted to interfere in the duel. The Captain-Commander intended to bring the arrogant Tsunayashiro Clan to heel.
On the surface, the Five Great Noble Clans were the rulers of Soul Society, but in reality, their power had long since been divided. Central 46 had taken most of it, and Yama-jii stood on Central 46's side.
There was naturally no problem with bringing the increasingly overbearing Tsunayashiro Clan to heel. In particular, it would also serve as a warning to the various lesser nobles not to oppress the residents of Rukongai too harshly and disturb Soul Society's peace.
At present, only the Kuchiki Clan could perfectly hold itself to the proper standards. The clan had always acted openly and honorably, which was why it had become foremost among the Five Great Noble Clans...
In the hall of Central 46, the Captain-Commander had been summoned for questioning. The old man leaned on his cane with his eyes closed, and Chōjirō Sasakibe had even brought him a chair. He showed no regard for Central 46 at all.
"Your Excellency, Captain-Commander, why did you allow Nangong Ling to kill Captain Tsunayashiro? This harms the Seireitei's fighting strength."
The number fifteen was written in front of the man asking the question. His tone wasn't particularly sharp; if anything, it was somewhat mild.
"Hmph, how many things has the Tsunayashiro Clan done that violate moral principles and rules? Do you not know?"
The Captain-Commander opened his eyes and swept the hall with a piercing gaze. According to the intelligence Kyōraku had provided, several members of the Tsunayashiro Clan had committed heinous crimes, torturing Rukongai residents to death in the streets, yet they had been found innocent.
Someone like Tokinada Tsunayashiro paled in comparison. His crimes were far less serious than those of his father's generation.
"Well... it was only because there was insufficient evidence, so..."
"Silence. Some among you have become corrupt and can no longer be called sages. You accept bribes and help nobles escape punishment. I think those people had best step forward and confess of their own accord..."
One man had just tried to defend them when Yama-jii interrupted him. Several people in the hall flushed with shame, but their placards hid their faces, so no one saw.
Yama-jii had no fear of this institution whatsoever. He was the pinnacle of the current Soul Society, and aside from the Soul King, no one could command him, not even the Zero Division.
With him there, the Zero Division generally would not interfere in the Gotei 13's affairs.
Yama-jii's words also plunged Central 46 into silence. Only they themselves knew best what they had been like over the years, and Yama-jii had not been wrong.