The Black Coffin stood tall, bathed in silent moonlight.
A sudden silence fell over the area above the Spirit Arts Academy.
All the remaining rebels who were still breathing looked at the scene before them with some suspicion.
For many of them, this was the first time they had ever seen a completely chanted Black Coffin. The intense, piercing aura of death deeply shook their souls.
Among these surviving rebel warriors were some who had participated in the earlier attack on the Central Council Tower, and they knew all too well the horrors of Lin Nan's battles.
Although the Soul Reaper Squad's Kido was providing cover from behind, this guy seemed invincible, constantly moving around and reaping lives amidst the encirclement of a dozen or twenty people.
Whether it's a slash, Kido, or Shunpo; no matter what kind of encirclement he faces, this white-haired youth always has a new way to kill the enemy in front of him.
Even just now, seeing his fatigue, he was still able to hold on under the siege with his unique tactics and even killed nearly ten people.
But now, was this guy really killed by that huge black stone coffin?
It wasn't that they didn't trust Commander Iwamoto; they simply couldn't believe Lin Nan could be dead.
Iwamoto, expressionless, gave the order to the samurai, "Elite troops, set off again."
A small team was tasked with finishing up the unfinished mission from the previous night: wiping out all the Seijoto Kyorin of the Central 46 of the Pure Tower and the Central Council Tower, along with their families;
Second and third squads, proceed to White Way Gate and take complete control, awaiting the arrival of the main force;
Fourth squad, you are the fastest on foot. You are responsible for patrolling the area between the White Way Gate and the Central Council Tower, eliminating any possible escapees.
"Yes!" Everyone snapped out of their daze and agreed.
A soft "crack!" sounded from the Black Coffin.
The rebel warriors who were about to leave suddenly stopped in their tracks, and many of them turned their gazes directly to the Black Coffin.
"The time limit for the Kido is almost up, there's no need to worry."
Seeing the unease on his subordinate's face, Iwamoto Raizo didn't think much of it and spoke up to reassure him.
How could anything go wrong with the 90th Hadō, which was fully chanted by Captain-level spiritual pressure?
Upon hearing this, everyone bowed to their commander and prepared to head to Seireitei.
"Crack!" The crisp sound of the Black Coffin cracking rang out. In the now-ruins Spirit Arts Academy square, this faint sound was as loud as a thunderclap.
More eyes were drawn to the Black Coffin. The figure who had turned away earlier couldn't help but stop and look back again.
Iwamoto's expression changed slightly, and he frowned, saying, "I've already said, this is a sign that the Kido is nearing its time limit. Don't waste any more time!"
Just as he was giving his speech, a series of even crisper cracking sounds came from the Black Coffin.
"Click-clack-click-clack-clack-clack-clack-clack!"
A crack ran through the top and bottom of the Black Coffin, and under the moonlight, the inside of the Black Coffin emitted a faint bluish-purple light.
The samurai stared blankly at the crack, a growing unease and curiosity rising within them. Many were unsure whether to turn back and continue their mission or stay and see what would happen.
Iwamoto turned back thoughtfully and looked at the cracks in the Black Coffin.
However, nothing else happened except for that crack.
"The commander already said it, it's just that the Kido's time limit is almost up. Haven't you seen the Kido collapse before? It's pointless, I'm not watching anymore."
Several impatient rebels waited for a while, but finding nothing amiss, they simply waved their hands in boredom and turned to their comrades beside them, talking as they walked away.
Iwamoto also looked back at the Black Coffin behind him, then turned back, thinking to himself, "Logically speaking, a fully chanted Black Coffin should last a little longer."
However, in previous battles, he had never had the opportunity to fully chant the 90th Hadō, so he didn't have a particularly clear idea of how long a fully chanted Black Coffin could last.
Just as everyone lost interest in the crack and was about to go back to their own business, a loud, clanging sound suddenly came from behind them.
The sound was so loud that it made your bones tremble!
Everyone on the field looked in surprise and doubt toward the direction from which the sound came.
The enormous Black Coffin shattered instantly. The bluish-purple light inside had vanished, and the black outer shell turned into countless fragments, which drifted into the air like snowflakes.
Everyone present stared in astonishment at the scene before them. The black snowflakes fluttering in the sky possessed a strange and tragic beauty.
However, before they could even express their feelings, the scene before them forced them to swallow all their emotions back—
A dark shadow instantly pierced through the outer shell of the Black Coffin, like a strange, enormous black serpent, and surged into the air under the moonlight.
The Black Coffin, which had not yet completely lost its shape, was smashed open by the immense impact, creating a hole the size of a room.
The fragments were carried into the air by the surging impact. As they flew, they gradually changed from large pieces to small pieces, and then gradually turned into dust, which was absorbed by the black shadow that rushed into the air.
"What is this?!"
"How strange! Is this an enemy plot?!"
A cacophony of exclamations erupted from the rebel ranks. Everyone's gaze was fixed on the strange black shadow in mid-air.
Iwamoto's gaze also turned with suspicion to the eerie black shadow that was constantly tumbling and twisting in mid-air.
He couldn't sense anything from the shadowy figure, but his intuition told him that it was extremely dangerous.
Amidst a sky full of "black snowflakes," a dark shadow twisted and tumbled. Wherever it passed, the fragments in mid-air shattered into invisible dust, chasing after the shadow's movement and ultimately being absorbed by it.
The long, serpentine black shadow almost circled once in mid-air, but its tail remained inside the gradually crumbling Black Coffin, yet to emerge.
"What's going on? What is this thing?" Iwamoto stared at it nervously, not daring to look away.
The head of the "long snake" seemed to have something wriggling inside. However, it was completely obscured by the night sky.
In a daze, tiny red lights flickered from within.
"Are they the eyes of a long snake?" Iwamoto, somewhat puzzled.
In an instant, the "long snake" turned and twisted again, exposing its other side to his view.
Iwamoto's eyes widened instantly; he saw it clearly.
It wasn't just a long snake, but a long snake biting a black figure. And those faint red lights just now were the figure's eyes!
The figure was pinned down by the long snake, its upper body tightly gripped. The figure was brandishing a long sword, relentlessly slashing at the snake's head.
The snake turned around in an instant, and then returned to its normal state. Iwamoto believed that apart from himself, probably no one else present could have seen what had just happened.
A bead of cold sweat rolled down his forehead.
Two dark figures twisted and fought fiercely in mid-air. Although the figure was restrained, the long snake seemed to have no other way to stop him except to bite him.
Finally, as if making up its mind, the long snake twisted its body rapidly, preparing to swoop down, seemingly intending to smash the mysterious figure to death on the ground.
As the eerie black snake swooped down, the rebels on the ground felt goosebumps rise all over their bodies.
A strong sense of crisis instantly filled everyone's heart. The more timid ones collapsed to the ground, their legs giving way; while the bolder ones had already raised their long knives.
"The monstrous snake is charging at us! Attack!" Various Soul Art, each radiating a unique light, instantly lit up the ground and slashed at the swooping snake's head.
Iwamoto immediately exclaimed, "Idiot! Stop right now!!"
But it was too late.
Dozens of beams of light shot towards the "snake's head" and struck it squarely.
Although it didn't cause any real damage, the snake seemed startled, and its head suddenly shifted away in the direction of the attack.
Unable to stop it, Iwamoto could only watch helplessly as the long snake, carrying a black figure, crashed into the Black Coffin, which was still two-thirds of its original shape.
A deafening crash rang out again, and this time, the entire Black Coffin collapsed with a thunderous roar!
There were no flying debris or billowing dust as expected.
All the fragments of the Black Coffin turned into pitch-black dust and were sucked into the spot where the snake's head had fallen to the ground.
The instant all the black powder was absorbed, a bolt of black lightning shot into the sky! The long snake was struck on the head by the lightning and flung high into the air!
Under everyone's horrified gaze, a pitch-black figure slowly rose into the air from where the lightning originated.
The black snake that had been flung away came to a stop.
The figure, wielding two swords, hovered low in the air, its body seemingly engulfed in black flames. A faint red light flickered in its eye, like a dancing flame, as it silently watched the crowd on the ground.
The black snake, which had just been locked in a fierce battle with him, stopped moving. Its head was raised high, forming a graceful arc in mid-air, before it looked down at the ground.
At this moment, the people on the ground finally saw the snake's shape clearly—it wasn't a snake at all, but a strange, long, black hand.
The snake's head is positioned in the shape of a right hand. In the center of the palm, there is a single eye shape formed by a cutout.
The figure engulfed in black flames suddenly let out a deep sigh.
"Oh..."
Before the sound had faded, the figure had vanished from the spot.
At the same time, the strange hand in mid-air also slightly rose, and then slammed heavily onto the ground.
"Attack the enemy!!!" A voice from the rebel warriors cried out in anguish.
Everyone subconsciously raised their spiritual pressure to its maximum and unleashed their Soul Art at their strongest!
Various Soul Art instantly enveloped the Zanpakuto in everyone's hands!
A gigantic black hand loomed overhead, enveloping the crowd; but before the hand could strike, a figure engulfed in black flames appeared among them.
A longsword wreathed in black flames suddenly swung, silently sweeping across the crowd; another sword pointed straight to the sky...
A loud explosion instantly rang out from the Spirit Arts Academy plaza, almost echoing throughout the entire Seireitei.