Toshiro Hitsugaya's worldview was shaken once again.
The knowledge he had learned at the Soul Reaper Academy, the common sense countless Soul Reapers revered as truth, was once again utterly shattered by someone familiar to him.
The instant Renji Abarai activated his Bankai, the great serpent skeleton that should have coiled around him vanished, replaced by an entirely unfamiliar form.
Light armor covered his neck and shoulders, while his arms were clad in long black sleeves. The armor connected to fur pelts, large on the left and small on the right, while a skeletal belt wrapped around his waist.
A savage serpent-skull enveloped Renji's right arm, its gleaming blade gripped tightly in his palm. The Baboon King floated above his left arm, displaying the beauty of power.
Tangible crimson spiritual pressure swirled around him like flames, blazing fiercely as though even the surrounding air had twisted into visible ripples.
"Th-this Bankai..."
Toshiro Hitsugaya stared in shock and muttered to himself.
"I've suffered plenty for this."
Renji Abarai's gaze was resolute. "That's why I have a reason I absolutely must get through here!"
"Captain Hitsugaya, please step aside!"
Hearing how the other addressed him, Toshiro Hitsugaya's expression instantly calmed. The ice wings behind him fluttered, and the air around them dropped several more degrees.
A sharp crackling sounded from the ground around him. Thick ice spread outward across the street, covering every tangible object within sight.
"You have your path, and I have my duty."
Toshiro Hitsugaya swung Hyōrinmaru, scattering a string of ice blossoms from its blade. "I will never allow anyone who has invaded the Seireitei to pass safely before my eyes!"
His ice wings beat, and with the speed of Shunpo, he burst forth at his utmost speed, appearing before Renji Abarai in an instant. Vast cold surged