Fire Cannon Clash, Utter Dominance

In the courtyard.

Arisugawa Ryo, an elite of the Arisugawa Clan, had come to this outpost today on the orders of his Family Head to gather the latest batch of souls.

Because they monopolized the drinking water supply, any souls in the Inutsuri District with even a little talent for Spiritual Power had no choice but to seek refuge with the Arisugawa Clan.

Unless they wanted to die again.

This even spared the Arisugawa Clan the trouble of searching everywhere.

They only needed to station themselves near Fushimi Mountain, where the drinking water was produced, to gather a large number of talented people.

Although these people could not possess Asauchi, as long as they mastered Kido, they would still make quite decent fighting forces.

After accumulating recruits for half a year, they had even exceeded their quota.

Overjoyed, Arisugawa Ryo immediately laid out a grand feast in the courtyard and invited the other clan members to join in.

Just as they were eating hotpot and singing songs, celebrating the successful completion of their task—

An abrupt change occurred.

Lightning like divine punishment came hurtling in from afar, striking the gate nearby with unerring accuracy.

Its terrifying power instantly shattered the gate and the ground, while the outer walls collapsed as well.

Dust and smoke billowed everywhere, reducing the courtyard to a complete mess.

The violent aftershock directly inflicted grievous injuries on several people closest to the blast.

"What happened?!"

"Damn it, it's an enemy attack! There's Spiritual Pressure coming from the distance!"

"Which blind bastard dares attack this place? I'll skin him alive!"

After a brief moment of shock, Spiritual Pressures erupted throughout the courtyard.

Led by Arisugawa Ryo, the group rushed from the ruins and charged toward the source of the lightning.

"Hm, there's actually a Seated Officer-level Spiritual Pressure..."

Su Feng was somewhat surprised. "Seems I really underestimated the Arisugawa Clan."

As far as he knew, the nobles of Soul Society possessed a certain degree of military power, and their clans never lacked Shinigami who were either still serving or had retired from the ranks.

Many powerful noble families even privately recruited souls with talent for Spiritual Power to bolster their own forces.

The most typical examples were the Shihoin Family and the Kuchiki Family.

Naturally, the Tsunayashiro Family had something similar as well, though Su Feng did not know much about it.

"Lord Ryo, those people over there seem to be Shinigami..."

Someone with sharp eyes spotted Su Feng and the others and cried out.

"So what if they're Shinigami?"

Arisugawa Ryo looked vicious as he accelerated his Shunpo. "There can't be the slightest mistake in the task assigned by the Family Head. Don't forget, this is the Inutsuri District."

"Kill every last one of them! Even Yamamoto Genryusai won't be able to do anything to us!"

"All units, cast Kido together—Shakkahō!"

While they were still some distance away, Arisugawa Ryo led the others in chanting the Kido Incantation.

Clusters of crimson flame gathered in their palms.

A massive amount of Reishi burst forth, causing the surrounding temperature to begin rising.

Huge fireballs soared into the sky, nearly illuminating the heavens once more. Their might was no weaker than the Raikōhō from before.

"Is that bravery or stupidity?"

Su Feng could not understand. "They actually dare resist?!"

Rangiku Matsumoto stepped forward and said without looking back, "Captain, now isn't the time to think about that."

"Shinigami Soldiers, heed my command. Shakkahō, all together."

The eleven Shinigami, including Nanao Ise, immediately chanted the Kido Incantation and formed enormous fireballs.

The high temperature warped the surrounding air, and their power far surpassed that of their opponents.

They were the regular army, after all.

And among them were a Lieutenant and a Seated Officer.

Crimson flames dyed the sky red, blanketing the area like a layer of clouds.

BOOM!!

A deafening explosion rang out as shockwaves swept in all directions. Layers of earth were torn up, scorched soil flew through the air, and flames shot straight into the heavens, swallowing even the clouds.

The aftershock pulverized the ground with unstoppable force before charging toward Su Feng and the others without losing any momentum.

Bakudo #39: Enkosen.

Su Feng raised his right hand. His tangible Spiritual Pressure instantly condensed into a massive circular shield, blocking the rapidly approaching blast wave.

With two groups launching Shakkahō at the same time, the combined power was no weaker than Kido cast by a Captain-class fighter.

The Shinigami had Su Feng to deal with the aftermath, but the Arisugawa Clan was not so fortunate.

Arisugawa Ryo was, at most, at the level of a Seated Officer.

He had poured all his Spiritual Pressure into casting Shakkahō, holding nothing back.

As a result, when the aftershock struck, all of them were sent flying and slammed viciously onto the devastated ground.

Once the dust settled.

Just as Arisugawa Ryo prepared to struggle to his feet and put up one final desperate resistance, a figure suddenly appeared before him.

"You..."

Before he could finish, a foot came down directly on his head.

Agonizing pain surged through him.

Arisugawa Ryo went blank at once.

How dared a mere Shinigami do this?!

I'm an elite member of the Arisugawa nobility, an existence of incomparable status!

"Name."

Su Feng's voice carried no trace of emotion.

Arisugawa Ryo flew into a rage and immediately tried to gather his Spiritual Pressure to resist.

But before he could make another move, tremendous force pressed down on his head again, driving his entire face into the dirt.

"Last chance. Name."

His icy tone was like a blade gleaming with cold light, stabbing fiercely into Arisugawa Ryo's heart.

At that moment, only one thought remained in his mind.

This madman really would kill me!

"Arisugawa... Arisugawa Ryo..."

A trembling voice came from the dirt.

Few people could remain calm in the face of death.

The Shinigami Soldiers stared at the scene before them in shock, their eyes filling with barely concealed admiration and fervor.

Never before.

As the Ninth Division was the Prison Guard Squad, they had to confront Soul Society's dark side head-on.

And the nobility undoubtedly made up a considerable part of it.

Whenever they dealt with noble members, they had always been timid and cautious, often simply stepping aside.

Even when a mission involved a noble, the Shinigami Soldiers would still choose a compromise in handling it.

Even the former captain, Kensei Muguruma, had needed to act tactfully.

After all.

Even Central 46 served the nobility.

Yet now, Su Feng had not wasted a single word. With absolute dominance, he planted his foot on the other man's head.

Arisugawa Ryo's carefully groomed hair was completely disheveled. There was none of a noble's elegance left in him. His mouth and nose were buried in the dirt, and even breathing had become a luxury.

Without question.

This sight left an exceptionally deep impression on everyone present.

Even Nanao Ise's gaze toward Su Feng became complicated.

"Don't recognize the name."

Su Feng shook his head. "The Arisugawa Clan monopolized the Inutsuri District's drinking water resources, causing unrest here and resulting in the deaths of a large number of souls."

"While resisting arrest, they also intended to attack this captain. Multiple crimes combined."

"According to the regulations..."

"Forget it, I can't make it up on the spot either. Tie them all up first."