Whisper, Muramasa

"Swish, swish, swish..."

"Clang, clang, clang..."

Two figures flickered outside the gates of the Kuchiki Clan estate, their Zanpakuto clashing in an unbroken stream.

The moment Hibiki Hoshino made his move, he held nothing back.

He intended to kill Ailin right here.

Facing Hibiki Hoshino's assault, Ailin steeled himself and responded with everything he had.

The commotion from their battle outside the Kuchiki Clan estate quickly drew the attention of many people.

In particular, members of the Sixth Division, Seventh Division, and Tenth Division rushed over at once.

The head of the Kuchiki Clan was the captain of the Sixth Division, and the Sixth Division's barracks were not far from the Kuchiki estate. Upon sensing the spiritual pressure from the battle, the Sixth Division's Shinigami swiftly gathered there.

The Seventh Division was the Inner Court Guard, chiefly responsible for maintaining security and order in the nobles' residential district.

A battle had broken out at the Kuchiki Clan estate. It was a matter they had to handle.

The Tenth Division was the patrol and security force. Any crimes or breaches of discipline throughout the Seireitei fell under their jurisdiction.

Ailin and Hibiki Hoshino's battle could already be considered the fiercest conflict below Captain-level.

This was also the worst incident to occur in the Seireitei since Captain-Commander Yamamoto was attacked five years ago!

"Captain Kuchiki!"

"Captain Kuchiki!"

The first to arrive were the Sixth Division members stationed closest to the Kuchiki estate.

They quickly gathered around Ginrei Kuchiki, drew their Zanpakuto, and shielded him at the center.

With their strength, they could only barely make out Ailin and Hibiki Hoshino's figures.

If they faced either of those two, they might be killed in an instant.

Yet even so, they did not retreat or leave their captain standing at the forefront alone.

"Alright, all of you stand behind me. This isn't a battle you can interfere in."

Fortunately, Ginrei Kuchiki was not the sort of cruel captain who would knowingly use his subordinates as fodder to wear down an enemy.

By the time the Sixth Division Shinigami had moved behind Ginrei Kuchiki, the Seventh and Tenth Divisions had already arrived.

"Captain Kuchiki, who are these two?"

The captain of the Seventh Division was a stern-looking middle-aged man with hair shaped like a khaki starfish.

Aikawa Love!

Upon reaching the Kuchiki estate, Aikawa Love first asked Ginrei Kuchiki about the situation.

"One of the two currently fighting is Hibiki Hoshino, Third Seat of the First Division. The other is Ailin, Vice-Captain of the Second Division."

Ginrei Kuchiki nodded to Aikawa Love and explained what he had seen.

"I invited Hibiki Hoshino to the Kuchiki estate as a guest today. By chance, we discovered this Second Division Vice-Captain following my daughter, so Third Seat Hoshino took action to apprehend him on my behalf."

After hearing this, Aikawa Love stroked the beard on his chin.

"I see. Then it seems we only need to wait for the battle to end."

Generally speaking, there was a vast gap between a Third Seat and a Vice-Captain.

After all, a Vice-Captain was effectively the second-in-command of a division, the strongest person besides its captain.

But if that Third Seat came from the First Division, it was a different matter entirely.

Within the Gotei 13, only captains were entitled to wear white Captain's Haori, while other Shinigami could only wear black Shinigami uniforms.

Yet in the First Division, Vice-Captain Chōjirō Sasakibe was the sole person who wore a white Shinigami uniform modified from a Captain's Haori.

Though Chōjirō Sasakibe was extremely low-profile, his strength surpassed that of most captains.

A Third Seat from the First Division was basically on the same level as Vice-Captains from other divisions.

What Aikawa Love failed to notice was that Ginrei Kuchiki fell visibly silent after he said that.

With their strength, they could naturally see Ailin and Hibiki Hoshino's battle clearly.

From the looks of it, Hibiki Hoshino and Ailin were evenly matched.

No, as the battle continued, Hibiki Hoshino was gradually being suppressed by Ailin instead!

Since they were fighting outside the Kuchiki Clan estate, neither Ailin nor Hibiki Hoshino used Kido. They were only competing in Zanjutsu and Shunpo.

In terms of spiritual pressure alone, Hibiki Hoshino surpassed Ailin.

But unless the difference in spiritual pressure reached a qualitative level, a Shinigami's Zanjutsu, Shunpo, Hakuda, and Kido could greatly enhance their combat strength.

Compared to ordinary people, Hibiki Hoshino's Zanjutsu and Shunpo were already quite good.

But Ailin possessed the experience of four Captain-level powerhouses: Kisaragi Taiho, Shihoin Yoruichi, Urahara Kisuke, and Soifon from two hundred years later.

Kisaragi Taiho's Zanjutsu, Shihoin Yoruichi's Shunpo, Urahara Kisuke's Kido, Soifon's Hakuda from two hundred years later...

If Hibiki Hoshino had not possessed greater spiritual pressure and thus a stronger all-around boost, he would have long since been defeated by Ailin.

Aikawa Love had assumed that the Ailin holding the upper hand was the First Division's Third Seat, which was why he said they only needed to wait for the battle to end.

But Ginrei Kuchiki knew that the one at a disadvantage was the true Third Seat of the First Division.

Still, he could not say anything at this moment.

If he spoke up to deny it, it would mean he believed Hibiki Hoshino was inferior to Ailin. How would Hibiki Hoshino take that?

At this point, Ginrei Kuchiki's evaluation of Hibiki Hoshino had unknowingly dropped considerably.

Indeed, in terms of Zanpakuto abilities alone, Hibiki Hoshino could practically be called the "strongest."

He was undoubtedly the "nemesis" of most Shinigami.

But a Shinigami's strength was not limited to their Zanpakuto's abilities.

Hibiki Hoshino clearly relied too heavily on his Zanpakuto's power and had neglected training in other areas.

Against Shinigami, Hibiki Hoshino would hold a tremendous advantage.

But beyond Soul Society, Shinigami also faced Hollows in Hueco Mundo, as well as the surviving Quincy remnants of the Light Empire from a thousand years ago.

Against powerful Hollows or Quincy, Hibiki Hoshino's Zanpakuto ability would be of little use.

Just look at him now. Although Ginrei Kuchiki did not have a favorable impression of Ailin, that did not cloud his judgment.

Aside from being somewhat lacking in spiritual pressure, this Second Division Vice-Captain's Zanjutsu and Shunpo were formidable even among captains.

"Damn it!"

Though they were locked in high-speed combat, both Ailin and Hibiki Hoshino heard the conversation between Ginrei Kuchiki and Aikawa Love.

How could someone as proud as Hibiki Hoshino endure being looked down upon?

After Ailin's sword sent him flying back, Hibiki Hoshino immediately released his Zanpakuto.

"Whisper, Muramasa!"

"Boom!"

A vast surge of spiritual pressure erupted from Hibiki Hoshino's body.

At the same time, a ripple of purple spiritual pressure spread from Hibiki Hoshino's blade toward Ailin.

"What?"

When that purple ripple of spiritual pressure reached Ailin, he suddenly felt Tetsusaiga slip from his control.

No, it was more than simply losing control. Tetsusaiga was actually controlling Ailin's right hand, the hand gripping the sword, and slashing toward Ailin's own neck...