Small Fry

"Kuchiki, we meet again." Among the six, the white-haired man in the middle wearing a cloak said. He was the one who had exchanged blows with Byakuya earlier.

Seeing that Byakuya made no response, the man immediately stood up straight. "I am Ryudoji Ganryu, the Kuchiki of the Kuchiki family, know the Ryudoji family?"

"I know." Byakuya Kuchiki wasn't exaggerating. As the captain of a noble squad, he had read all the nobles' files. "The Ryudoji family was sentenced to Dangai by the Central 46 for seizing control of the Seireitei."

Hearing Byakuya's emotionless words, Yanlong was enraged. The pain of their exile was just a light, casual remark from Byakuya, which only strengthened his resolve to destroy the Soul Society.

"Master Kuchiki, hand over the Thought Bead, and we might let you go tonight," Yan Long said arrogantly.

In his view, so what if Byakuya is a captain? There are six of them on their side, and because of their exile to the Dangai, their clan has mastered the ability to use the Blanks. There are a large number of Blanks around them to replenish their power, so taking down a captain is not difficult.

"Shut up." Byakuya had no intention of continuing the conversation with Yanlong. Since his opponent was looking for Akina, he might as well just attack. "Scatter, Senbonzakura."

With the Zanpakuto, a sea of pink flowers shot into the sky. Yanlong and his group had the advantage in numbers, and Byakuya had never feared a group battle.

Charged by Senbonzakura, the six members of the group immediately dispersed, each wielding their own weapons, and launched an attack on Byakuya.

Crossbows, twin giant hammers, double-edged greatswords, mandarin duck halberds, and mechanical grappling hooks are the weapons under Yan Long's command. The combination of his weapons and equipment, whether at long range or close range, is more than enough to fight a positional war.

Unfortunately, they encountered Byakuya, who was least afraid of positional warfare. Byakuya kept adjusting the direction of his sword, and under the onslaught of Senbonzakura, these people couldn't get close to Byakuya and his companions at all.

Because he wanted to protect Akina, Byakuya kept most of the cherry blossoms around himself, and for a while he couldn't find a good opportunity to take down one of them.

Seeing the stalemate, Akina immediately removed her Gigai, released her Zanpakuto, and declared resolutely, "Byakuya, I can fight too!"

Glancing at Akina's Zen Staff, Byakuya didn't dampen her enthusiasm. Instead, he deliberately found an easier enemy for Akina: "That guy with the double-edged greatsword is yours."

"Understood." Akina stepped on maple leaves, wielding her Zen Staff, and charged out. Akina's charge immediately attracted the attention of everyone at Ryudoji Temple.

At that very moment, Senbonzakura suddenly transformed into a spiral shape, and a powerful spiritual pressure from the Senbonzakura (Kido energy) surged forth along with it.

"Hadō 73 - Sōren Sōkatsui!"

The powerful Kido instantly knocked down one person, and the petals of Senbonzakura severed the opponent's hands, rendering him unable to use his exaggerated weapon. Byakuya's first choice was the guy wielding the giant double hammers.

As soon as his companion was taken down, a series of steel cables came hurtling towards Byakuya. Byakuya calmly threw out a light rod, which split into multiple beams, completely blocking all the steel cables.

"Sixty-two Bakudo, Hyappo Rankan"

Byakuya's voice rang out from behind the man using the steel cable. After throwing the Hyappo Rankan, he immediately used Senka to move behind the opponent. Senbonzakura re-condensed into a sword, and with one slash, Byakuya cut down the man and his steel cable toolbox.

They were all instantly defeated upon meeting; Byakuya's fighting power after being unleashed was simply beyond the capabilities of the servants from Ryudoji.

Aside from the one person Akina held off, there were three remaining. Yan Long, the leader, had his eyes fixed on Akina, meaning that only two people truly posed a threat.

To finish this quickly and before Yanlong could react, Byakuya immediately released his Zanpakuto and said, "Bankai! Senbonzakura Kageyoshi!"

A massive amount of cherry blossoms suddenly covered the entire area, obscuring Yan Long's vision while launching an attack on his remaining two subordinates.

The woman holding the crossbow had no chance to resist and was instantly swallowed up by the sea of cherry blossoms.

The other dark-skinned man wielding the Mandarin Duck Halberd tried to resist, but was enveloped by a large cluster of cherry blossoms. "Senbonzakura Kageyoshi Gokei blossom ball would shatter him.

It was only then that Yanlong belatedly realized that, apart from one who was still playing with Akina, all of his subordinates had been killed by Byakuya alone.

Is the gap really that big? No, Ryudoji Temple has its own unique strength.

"Idiots! Use the Blanks!" Yan Long shouted, and his subordinates belatedly realized that although exile had deprived them of the power of their Zanpakuto, their clan had also mastered the use of the Blanks within the Dangai.

With a casual gulp, the man wielding the double-edged greatsword drew dozens of Blanks into his sword.

The sudden burst of sword light, several meters long, startled Akina. In her hasty attempt to defend herself, she not only had Miroku Maru cut in two, but she was also struck by the aftershocks, her chest covered in blood.

"Akina!"

The unexpected turn of events at Akina's place startled Byakuya. Just as he was about to rush over to provide support, a massive spiritual pressure appeared above his head.

It was a green lightsaber tens of meters tall. While calling on his companions to absorb the Blanks, Yan Long had already begun his operation. He was like the center of a vortex, absorbing a large amount of the power of the surrounding Blanks.

When Yan Long infused the power of the Blanks Blade into it, the power contained within the blade surpassed that of Captain-level.

Before destroying Soul Society, I'll take some interest from the Kuchiki Clan first. With this thought in mind, Yanlong plunged his lightsaber down without hesitation.

"Byakuya- sama!" At this moment, Hisana's memories once again took over, and Akina let out a painful cry.

At the critical moment, Byakuya still stood in front of Byakuya, preventing him from being killed by Genryu's attack. However, Byakuya was indeed not in good shape after taking Genryu's attack head-on.

After the cherry blossoms dispersed, the spiritual pressure generated by the exploding lightsaber caused Byakuya to be covered in tiny wounds all over his body, and soon he became a blood-soaked figure.

"He really looks pathetic." Seeing Byakuya in this state, Yanlong smiled smugly. Just as he thought, with enough Blanks, a mere captain was not invincible.

Seeing Byakuya's miserable state, Akina forgot her own pain and tried to run towards Byakuya, but the next moment the man holding the greatsword appeared behind her, grabbed Akina by the back and threw her into the sky.

Akina was powerless to resist. Although her mind was entirely on Byakuya, the wounds from her Zanpakuto and body were real. She was thrown away and fell into Genryu's hands.

Yan Long's smile deepened. The Thought Bead fell into his hand, and with the imminent slaying of Byakuya Kuchiki, the head of a great noble family, everything seemed perfect.

A large amount of Blanks surged into Yanlong's right-hand short sword. He used the same trick again, and the short sword rapidly expanded. He pointed his ten-meter-long greatsword at Byakuya, which was a fatal blow.

Akina panicked. She struggled desperately but couldn't affect Yan Long at all. In desperation, she could only bite Yan Long's left arm.

However, Akina's anger did not stop Yan Long's actions; the slight pain in his hand only amplified his inner pleasure.

It'll be soon, it'll be soon. Byakuya Kuchiki, you're going first. I'll soon make the entire Soul Society pay for your death!

The giant lightsaber in his hand slashed down at Byakuya. Despite being at a complete disadvantage, Byakuya Kuchiki's expression remained calm, as if he were not the one facing imminent death.

Byakuya even had the leisure to tidy up his attire. As his fingertips brushed against the fabric, the collar of his Shinigami Uniform opened slightly, revealing a white camellia on his left chest.

"Limit lifted." Byakuya Kuchiki said calmly, and a terrifying spiritual pressure suddenly erupted from his body, shattering the lightsaber above his head with just the impact of the spiritual pressure.

As one of the most disciplined captains in Soul Society, how could Byakuya Kuchiki not follow the requirements and inscribe a limit on his spiritual pressure upon visiting the World of the Living?

While Yanlong and the others were appearing, Byakuya had already quietly submitted his application to be released from quarantine to the Soul Society. Because of the current state of emergency, the Soul Society responded quickly, and Byakuya's application was swiftly approved.

Yan Long was dumbfounded. He had never seen such powerful spiritual pressure before. Were all the captains this strong? Was the revenge against Soul Society just a joke?

For a moment, Yan Long couldn't react at all, until a sharp pain shot through his left arm. The petals of the Senbonzakura blossoms shattered his left arm, and Akina fell from the sky.

The sea of flowers formed a slide in the air, safely escorting Akina to Byakuya's side.

"Are you alright?" Byakuya asked as he caught Akina.

Akina shook her head repeatedly, her hand still a fist's distance from Byakuya's arm, her eyes full of heartache. Whenever Byakuya himself was involved, Hisana's memories once again took over.

"I'm sorry, it's all because of me, Byakuya- sama..."

Byakuya placed his hand on Akina's head, forcefully stopping her from blaming herself. "We'll talk about the rest later. I need to deal with these small fry first."

Yan Long's face was ashen. He frantically absorbed the Blanks, trying to heal his severed arm, but with little success. This was not an injury that could be healed in a short time.

The thought of escaping crossed Yanlong's mind; capturing Akina would have to wait for another opportunity.

At this moment, Yanlong's subordinates who had been knocked down by Byakuya had absorbed the power of the Blanks and recovered to some extent. They gathered around Yanlong, awaiting his orders.

"Walk..."

Before Yanlong could even utter the words "escape, "Byakuya had already raised his hand towards them, releasing a chilling killing intent at that moment.

The scenery of Senbonzakura Kageyoshi.

The massive sea of flowers was about to engulf Yan Long and his men. In desperation, Yan Long didn't bother issuing any orders. He made strange Kido seals and instantly seized control of his five subordinates' bodies.

This is a secret technique possessed only by the main branch of the Ryūdōji Clan. When members of other branch families are born, the main family plants a special Kido in them, which allows the main family to temporarily control their bodies.

It was precisely by relying on this secret method that the Ryūdōji Clan survived the Kotsutotsu currents of the Dangai, by sacrificing the most marginalized members of the clan at the critical moment.

Now, having activated his secret technique once again, Yanlong arranged his five subordinates in front of him. Byakuya's spiritual pressure was too overwhelming for him. No matter how long these subordinates could hold out, he was determined to fight for that last glimmer of hope.

The pink waves engulfed the entire Ryūdōji Clan, while Byakuya manipulated Senbonzakura to grind them up meticulously, giving them no chance of survival.

A hint of displeasure flashed across Byakuya's face. There were only five bodies among the Senbonzakura; that Genryu had really managed to escape...