Yoriichi Tsugikuni held his Zanpakuto upright before him in one hand, his expression as calm as ever.
"Draw in the breath of the sun, burn all Hollow filth, Hekyō."
As his words fell, a dazzling blue pillar of spiritual energy shot into the sky, and an overwhelming Reiatsu instantly enveloped the surroundings.
A fierce wind swept through the courtyard. Nanao Ise raised a hand to shield her eyes, her Vice-Captain's Haori snapping in the wind.
The sword in Yoriichi's hand had changed.
The once dark gray blade had turned scarlet throughout. Golden-orange flames flowed along its edge, and fine flame patterns appeared along its spine.
The surrounding temperature rose rapidly.
Shunsui Kyōraku lowered his straw hat, his smile fading a little.
He could even use Shikai.
And this Reiatsu was already far beyond that of an ordinary Seated Officer.
"It won't be as safe as it was just now."
Yoriichi looked at Shunsui Kyōraku and said calmly, "Please be careful. Don't get hurt."
Shunsui Kyōraku froze for a moment.
The one holding the sword was clearly a Ryoka, so why did it sound as though the boy was worried about him, a captain?
"Young man, saying that makes me look rather bad."
"I'm sorry."
Yoriichi gripped the hilt with both hands.
The next instant, he vanished.
Shunsui Kyōraku's pupils contracted, and he immediately brought his Zanpakuto across his side.
Clang!
The scarlet blade crashed down. The ground beneath Shunsui Kyōraku's feet split instantly, and his legs sank a little with it.
So fast.
It wasn't just his Flash Step. The speed of his sword strikes was frightening, too.
More troublesome still, the searing Reiatsu coming from that blade was traveling along his Zanpakuto and invading his arms.
Shunsui Kyōraku turned sideways to deflect the force and slashed back at Yoriichi's waist.
Yoriichi did not retreat. He merely pressed his blade downward, blocking the strike perfectly.
The two blades collided again.
Sparks flew.
"First Form, Dance."
A scarlet slash swept out. Shunsui Kyōraku immediately ducked, and a piece of his hat's brim was sliced clean off.
He had just been about to put some distance between them when Yoriichi stepped after him.
There was no wasted movement, nor any hesitation.
Every swing went straight for the weakest point in Shunsui Kyōraku's defense.
Shunsui Kyōraku blocked several strikes in succession, cold sweat gradually beading on his forehead.
This boy could see through his movements.
"If all the Ryoka who broke in this time are as strong as you, young man, this really will be a disaster for the Seireitei."
Shunsui Kyōraku was still complaining, but the twin swords in his hands did not slacken in the slightest.
"I'm different from them."
As Yoriichi finished speaking, he shifted his footing slightly.
"Fifth Form, Aerial Limit, Hazy Glow."
Several figures appeared around Shunsui Kyōraku at once, a dense flurry of scarlet sword flashes slashing down from different directions.
Shunsui Kyōraku retreated repeatedly, blocking continuously with both swords.
Clang, clang, clang, clang!
In the space of a single breath, several tears appeared in his haori, along with small cuts on his arms and shoulders.
The wounds were shallow, but they burned persistently.
Nanao Ise stood in the distance, tightening her grip on the book in her hands.
Ever since the battle began, Shunsui Kyōraku had been retreating.
Yoriichi, meanwhile, had not even shown any signs of fatigue.
After another collision, the two separated at the same time.
Shunsui Kyōraku landed before the courtyard wall. He raised a hand to touch the wound on his shoulder and said helplessly, "Young man, you don't seem like a Ryoka. You seem like a Soul Reaper who has spent years immersed in swordsmanship, both in how you fight and in your abilities."
"I'm just an ordinary person who gained a special power."
Yoriichi let Hekyō hang at his side.
"Since awakening my power, I've never had a chance to determine how strong I am."
He paused briefly, then continued, "I came here mainly to save Rukia. Along the way, I also wanted to find out what level I'm at now."
Shunsui Kyōraku looked at him, momentarily at a loss for words.
Had anyone else spoken of testing their strength against a captain of the Gotei 13, it would have sounded rather arrogant.
But Shunsui Kyōraku believed he had the right to say it.
"As much as I hate to admit it, you really are strong, young man."
Shunsui Kyōraku put away one of his swords and said seriously, "At the very least, an ordinary captain would have a hard time stopping you."
Yoriichi nodded.
"Thank you."
The corner of Shunsui Kyōraku's mouth twitched.
This boy really had taken his assessment as a test result.
Just then, a wave of Reiatsu suddenly spread outward, swiftly covering the entire Seireitei.
A solemn voice rang in the ears of every captain and vice-captain.
Tenteikūra.
Shunsui Kyōraku and Nanao Ise looked up at the same time, their expressions changing completely once they heard the news.
Fifth Division Captain Sōsuke Aizen had been found murdered that morning.
The suspected culprits were the Ryoka who had infiltrated the Seireitei.
All divisions were to heighten their vigilance immediately and devote every effort to apprehending all the Ryoka.
Once the message ended, silence fell over the courtyard.
Shunsui Kyōraku looked at Yoriichi, a trace of scrutiny entering his eyes.
"Young man, where else have you been since entering the Seireitei?"
Yoriichi could sense that a special Reiatsu had just covered the entire Seireitei.
Shunsui Kyōraku and Nanao Ise had clearly received some sort of message.
"I landed nearby. I hadn't gone far before I ran into you."
Yoriichi looked at the two of them and asked, "Did something happen?"
Shunsui Kyōraku did not answer immediately.
"Among the Ryoka who came with you, is anyone else as strong as you?"
"No."
Yoriichi answered without the slightest hesitation.
Then he added, "This may be a little disrespectful to them, but the gap between us really is enormous."
Shunsui Kyōraku stared at Yoriichi for a while.
The boy's expression was open, and there was no evasiveness in his eyes.
He didn't seem like someone who would lie.
Or rather, he simply disdained using lies to conceal himself.
If Yoriichi had met them as soon as he entered the Seireitei, then Aizen's death could not have anything to do with him.
As for the other Ryoka...
Even this boy, the strongest among them, had personally acknowledged an enormous gap. It was almost impossible for them to kill a captain in the Seireitei without anyone noticing.
Shunsui Kyōraku sighed softly.
It seemed someone wanted to use the Ryoka invasion as an opportunity to do something.
"You're quite lucky, young man."
He smiled again and said, "Running into us happened to clear you of suspicion."
"Suspicion?"
"One of our captains has died. The news just came in. Apparently, he was found this morning."
Yoriichi fell silent for a moment.
It really was Aizen.
The previously muddled timeline had finally fallen into place at this moment.
Aizen had arranged everything long ago.
The Ryoka would break into the Seireitei and cause enormous chaos, and he would then fake his death to move into the shadows. Whatever happened next, the Gotei 13 would suspect Ichigo and the others first.
"It seems things aren't entirely peaceful within your ranks, either."
Yoriichi turned his wrist slightly. The flames on the scarlet blade gradually died out, and it returned to its dark gray color.
He sheathed his Zanpakuto.
Shunsui Kyōraku did not dispute it.
Yoriichi looked ahead, his tone as calm as ever.
"So, can you let me through now?"
Before you continue