On a distant street, Gin Ichimaru swung the short sword in his hand.
He stepped lightly backward, easily dodging a thick bolt of lightning that crashed down from the sky.
Gin turned his head and glanced at the distant ruins, where an explosion had left a deep crater.
Sajin Komamura's mountain-heavy Reiatsu had disappeared.
Gin withdrew his gaze, his perpetually narrowed eyes opening a fraction.
Looks like my time slacking off is over.
"Oh dear, I'd better get a little serious too."
Gin tightened his grip on Shinsō's hilt and looked at the girls ahead.
A dozen or so meters in front of him, Candice Catnipp, Meninas McAllon, and Liltotto stood in a fan formation, blocking him in the middle of the street.
Meanwhile, the one called Giselle Gewelle was peeking out from behind a broken wall farther away.
Giselle's ability could only control zombies. Without ready-made corpses, she could offer almost no help in a head-on clash like this.
Candice shook the sparks off her wrists. "Just looking at that fake smile of yours pisses me off!"
She suddenly thrust both hands forward, sending several twisting bolts of lightning straight at Gin's face.
Gin did not dodge. He merely held his short sword horizontally before him.
"Shoot to kill, Shinsō."
With the crisp release command, the silver-white blade lengthened in an instant.
Shinsō's tip pierced the center of the lightning with precision, instantly shattering the attack before continuing toward Candice's throat without losing momentum.
Candice's expression changed drastically, and she hurriedly twisted aside.
The blade grazed her neck, drawing a string of blood droplets.
Before she could regain her balance, Gin flicked his wrist.
The elongated sword swept sideways toward Candice's waist like a supple whip.
"Meninas!" Liltotto shouted from behind.
Meninas immediately stepped forward. Her seemingly delicate hands