Battle of Revenge

The battlefield lay in a forest clearing deep in the woods, flattened by force. Scorched earth covered the surroundings, and broken trees lay strewn about, evidence of a fierce battle that had already taken place.

Two figures faced each other in the clearing.

On one side stood Kaien Shiba, the current head of the Shiba Clan and vice-captain of the Thirteenth Division. He had his trademark short black hair and handsome features, but his eyes now burned with icy fury and the unwavering resolve for revenge.

His Soul Reaper Robes were slightly damaged, yet he stood tall, gripping his Zanpakuto tightly as its blade reflected a chilling gleam.

Spiritual Pressure surged around him, carrying the weight and force of hidden waves.

On the other side was the Hollow Metastacia.

Its appearance was bizarre. Its main body was an irregular, twisted white bone mask, beneath which writhed and extended countless sharp-tipped tentacles that thrashed wildly through the air.

It radiated greedy, malicious Hollow Spiritual Pressure, forming a stark contrast to Kaien Shiba's rage.

Several deep sword wounds already marked its body, and several tentacles had been severed at the roots. Foul-smelling mucus flowed from the stumps, showing that it had suffered in their earlier exchange.

Seeing Kaien, Rukia let out a slight sigh of relief and immediately wanted to rush forward to assist him.

However, the moment she moved, Kaien Shiba's voice came clearly through, carrying an unquestionable command that was almost pleading.

"Captain Ukitake! Rukia! Please, stay back!"

His gaze first swept over Jushiro Ukitake, full of absolute trust and a trace of apology, before finally settling on him with firm resolve.

"Captain, please allow me... to deal with it alone. This is a grudge that must be settled between that Hollow and me!"

A complicated emotion flashed across Jushiro Ukitake's pale face—concern, understanding, and deep helplessness.

He looked at his vice-captain, whom he regarded as both family and his most capable assistant. Seeing the unshakable flame of determination in Kaien's eyes, he fell silent for a moment before finally nodding slowly.

"Fine."

That single word contained a captain's respect for his subordinate's choice, as well as unspoken trust and a heavy burden entrusted to him.

Rukia anxiously wanted to say something, but Ukitake stopped her with a glance.

She could only bite her lip, clench her fists, and watch the battlefield tensely.

Liu Chuan remained where he was, his calm gaze resting on Kaien Shiba.

This young head of the Shiba Clan possessed pure, powerful Spiritual Pressure. His fighting style was fierce yet disciplined, and his earlier suppression of the Hollow had indeed been impressive. He truly deserved his reputation as a genius.

Liu Chuan found himself somewhat interested in observing the battle to come.

Having received Ukitake's permission, Kaien Shiba no longer had any reservations.

With a low roar, he shot toward Metastacia once more like lightning!

His Zanpakuto became streaks of light in his hand. Every strike contained surging Spiritual Pressure and exquisite swordsmanship, driving the Hollow back again and again. Its tentacles flailed wildly in defense, yet several were still severed, spraying foul liquid everywhere.

Kaien Shiba's assault was like an enraged tide, relentless and unending. He completely suppressed his opponent, combining the fury of revenge with masterful swordsmanship to display astonishing combat strength.

At last, he caught a tiny opening. His left hand shot out like an iron claw and seized the base of one of Metastacia's thicker main tentacles as it lunged toward him!

"Got you!" A cold gleam burst from Kaien Shiba's eyes. He raised his Zanpakuto high in his right hand and shouted.

"Let Suiten Sakamaki—"

The Zanpakuto's release command was about to be spoken! Surging Spiritual Pressure gathered madly around the blade, which began to ripple with brilliant blue waves. A terrifying power, as though it could reverse the flow of rivers, was rapidly building!

Expectation appeared in both Ukitake and Rukia's eyes. Once Nejibana was released, Kaien Shiba's strength would be more than enough to kill this Hollow completely!

However, at the very moment victory was about to be decided—

"Hee..."

Metastacia, whose tentacle had been caught, twisted an eerily humanlike "smile" across its distorted bone mask.

At the same time, countless tiny suction cups carrying strange Spirit Particle fluctuations suddenly opened and wriggled at the base of the tentacle gripped in Kaien Shiba's left hand.

Kaien Shiba felt an odd numbness and emptiness spread through his left palm. Then something that stunned him happened—

Nejibana, the Zanpakuto in his right hand that was about to be released and was closely bound to his soul, suddenly... vanished into thin air!

It had not broken, nor had it slipped from his grasp. It was as if it had never existed at all, completely losing all connection and resonance with him!

"What?!" Kaien Shiba's pupils contracted sharply, and his mind went blank. His Zanpakuto... had disappeared?! How was that possible?!

That instant of distraction and shock exposed a fatal opening.

Another tentacle Metastacia had been holding in reserve lashed fiercely against his chest like a venomous whip!

Bang!

With a dull impact, Kaien Shiba was sent flying as though struck by a heavy blow. He crashed through a large tree before rolling to the ground, vomiting a mouthful of blood.

He struggled to rise, but his Spiritual Pressure had fallen into chaos. The soul-level backlash from having his connection to his Zanpakuto forcibly severed left him dizzy and disoriented.

"Vice-Captain Kaien!" Rukia cried out and was about to rush forward.

"Rukia, wait!"

Jushiro Ukitake reached out and stopped her.

The frail captain's face had grown even paler, but his gaze was exceptionally calm, carrying a profound sorrow and understanding.

He looked at Kaien Shiba as he struggled to his feet in the clearing, blood at the corner of his mouth and disbelief and fury in his eyes. His voice was quiet, yet it reached both Rukia and Liu Chuan clearly.

"If we intervene now, we can indeed save Kaien and even help him kill that Hollow. But... doing so would completely shatter the last of his dignity as a man."

He paused, staring at that stubborn figure from behind, then slowly continued.

"There are two kinds of battle. One is fought to protect lives and guard what is important. The other... is fought to defend one's dignity, uphold one's convictions, and settle cause and effect.

"Kaien... is fighting the latter battle now. He chose to face it alone not just for revenge, but for his dead wife. If we interfere now, we would be denying the path he chose and denying the meaning of his battle."

Rukia froze. She looked at Captain Ukitake's solemn yet compassionate expression, then at Vice-Captain Kaien, isolated and helpless in the clearing but still standing with his back straight.

Her clenched fists trembled slightly before finally loosening slowly, though the concern and anxiety in her eyes did not lessen in the slightest.

Liu Chuan quietly listened to Ukitake's words. Dignity? Conviction? Settling cause and effect? He understood what Ukitake meant, and he respected Kaien Shiba's choice.

But Liu Chuan did not entirely agree with placing "dignity" above "life" and "victory."

In his view, the ultimate purpose of battle was to achieve one's goal, destroy the enemy, and preserve oneself and one's companions.

Methods, process, and even so-called "dignity" could all be temporarily set aside when life and death were at stake.

If a person was dead or defeated, what use was that so-called "dignity"?

It was nothing more than a small comfort for the living, or a subject for the enemy's mockery.

At this moment, the situation in the clearing had already reversed. Having lost his Zanpakuto, Kaien Shiba's strength had plummeted. He tried to gather Kido for a counterattack—"Hadō #31: Red Fire, Crash Down!"

A crimson fireball shot forth and struck Metastacia's flailing tentacle, but it only made it pause slightly and scorched a patch black. It did not inflict much damage. Instead, it provoked an even fiercer attack.

Liu Chuan shook his head slightly. Kaien Shiba's Kido proficiency... truly was as mediocre as the rumors claimed. At least compared to his talent with the sword, the gap was obvious.

Moreover, relying too heavily on one's Zanpakuto meant that once it developed a problem, one's combat power would fall off a cliff. This was a common failing of most Soul Reapers, and also their weakness.

The battle that followed became a one-sided chase and desperate evasion.

Relying on his rich combat experience and agile movements, Kaien Shiba barely maneuvered through Metastacia's storm-like tentacle attacks, occasionally retaliating with Hakuda and low-level Kido.

But the results were minimal. Fresh wounds kept appearing across his body, his aura rapidly weakened, and his Spiritual Pressure was being drained at an enormous rate.

Finally, after barely evading the strangling assault of several tentacles, Kaien Shiba stumbled and dropped to one knee. He panted heavily as sweat mixed with blood and dripped onto the ground. He was near his limit.

"Hee hee hee... Have you had enough, Soul Reaper?" Metastacia let out a piercing shriek of laughter as countless tentacles danced excitedly around it.

"In that case, you and your wife... can share the same fate!"

Before its words had even faded, every tentacle on its body suddenly straightened like countless venomous snakes poised to devour their prey, their tips flashing with an eerie purplish-black light.

Carrying greedy Spiritual Pressure that intended to "possess" and "corrode," they shot toward the exhausted Kaien Shiba from all directions!

This attack was clearly meant to completely devour and control Kaien, just as it had treated his wife back then!

"Kaien!" Rukia screamed. Jushiro Ukitake's expression changed drastically as well, and he instinctively reached for his sword.

At that critical moment, when even Ukitake was nearly ready to abandon his argument about "dignity" and intervene—

"Bakudo #81: Severing Void."

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