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Chapter 137: “I Bet These Eyes of Mine on the Future”

Chapter 137 - “I Bet These Eyes of Mine on the Future”

Time rewinds to the moment when Higashi Shuuichi set up the spiritual barrier and cleaved the crucifix atop Osaka's central cathedral.

He had personally ensured that the wounded Kaien Shiba, along with Ikkaku Madarame and Yumichika Ayasegawa, exited the prefecture safely without any unusual spiritual pressure trailing them.

That's when the former 3rd Division lieutenant of Soul Society, Yokosawada Tsuna, made his appearance.

"So, the Soul Society dogs chased me all the way here only to retreat with their tails between their legs? How flattering."

Yokosawada's voice brimmed with arrogance as he blocked Kaien and the others.

"Yokosawada Tsuna... You came to us?" Kaien unsheathed his Zanpakutō despite his lingering injuries, his fighting spirit undiminished.

"Haha! You must be Kaien Shiba, the next heir of the Shiba clan? Imagine dying here—what a scandal for the Great Noble Families!"

Yokosawada pointed his blade arrogantly.

Ikkaku cracked his knuckles and scoffed. "Cut the crap, Yokosawada. Try taking a strike from Ikkaku Madarame!"

Launching high into the air, Ikkaku descended with a forceful overhead slash—his signature, direct style.

But Yokosawada responded faster than expected. His Zanpakutō, Nikurumarumaru, released in Shikai form, transformed his arm into a massive, pressure-wrapped fist that sent Ikkaku flying, blade and all.

The gap in spiritual pressure was too wide. Fighting spirit alone couldn't bridge it.

"Ikkaku!" Yumichika cried. But he knew his swordplay wouldn't suffice, not against an opponent like this.

Though he loathed relying on kidō, he chanted anyway:

"O sovereign! Mask of flesh and blood, all creation, fluttering wings, crowned with the name of man! Scorching heat and strife, rolling across the sea southward, step forth—

Hadō #31: Shakkahō!"

Unlike most Eleventh Division brutes, Yumichika possessed unusual talent in kidō—so much so he'd joined the Gotei 13 as a third-year student from the Shin'ō Academy. His full-incantation Shakkahō should have been no small threat.

But that same universal truth rang cruelly clear:

In a battle between Shinigami, the one with superior spiritual pressure wins.

Yumichika's fireball fizzled like a spark against a storm. Yokosawada swatted it away with ease, then mirrored his earlier move—massive fist, explosive force—and sent Yumichika hurtling through the air like a ragdoll.

Only after both comrades were down did Kaien force his reiryoku back into flow, pushing past the residual flames from the Fullbringer who'd injured him.

"Churn the skies and seas, Nejibana!"

Kaien's Zanpakutō shifted into its trident-shaped Shikai, the triple-pronged spear gleaming, spiraling with fluid reishi.

He stood surrounded by a fine mist of water particles, poised and resolute.

Yokosawada sneered. He knew that as long as the Fullbringer's residual flames still gnawed at Kaien's body, interfering with his reiryoku flow, this display was just for show.

"Let's end this. One punch!"

His enormous Shikai-empowered fist came crashing down.

Kaien tried to counter but the second he manipulated his reiryoku, the searing spiritual flame reignited from within—devouring him from inside out. Nejibana shattered back into sealed form.

Spurt! Blood sprayed from Kaien's mouth. He braced, lifted his blade defensively, and somehow stood his ground, though trembling.

"Hahahahaha! So this is the great heir of the noble Shiba clan? What a joke! I should be the noble now—me, Yokosawada Tsuna!"

He leapt high, fist raised for the killing blow—when a human girl suddenly jumped between him and Kaien.

She placed a hand on the lotus-shaped pendant on her collarbone.

"Divine Aspect: Lotus Pearl."

A phantom lotus flower with three petals bloomed beneath both her and Yokosawada's feet.

"Hmph, trying to be a hero? Then die together!"

But as his fist dropped, the expected impact never came. His arm reverted to normal mid-strike, like a balloon deflating.

"What the hell... A Fullbringer?! Impossible! We control all Fullbringers in Osaka—!"

Yokosawada's mind finally caught up. If he'd learned anything from his time among Fullbringers, it was this:

"They're all monsters."

Spiritual pressure? Irrelevant. Their abilities? Deranged.

The ones gathered in Osaka weren't just any Fullbringers—they were elite. He, a former lieutenant, was out of his depth.

And the girl before him? She exuded that same monstrous vibe.

He turned his gaze toward a distant rooftop, where a shadow loomed—

"Yuki Seisui! Hel—"

"Divine Aspect: Lotus Wither."

One petal of the phantom lotus beneath them wilted.

Black sludge surged from the air, crawling up Yokosawada's legs. He resisted, but it was futile. The sludge shrank him down, twisted him into nothing, and swallowed him whole.

Kaien, bleeding and propped up on his Zanpakutō, looked up at the girl. "Who... are you?"

She didn't turn back. "Nagazawa Satomi. Lord Shuuichi sent me."

Her eyes remained fixed on the approaching figure in full black shinobi garb, katana strapped to his back, metal forehead protector spinning in one hand.

"You must be Yuki Seisui," she said coldly.

"I've heard of you. Divine Aspect: Lotus Pearl. We once tried to recruit you... but you killed our envoy. Shame."

He paused.

"But it's not too late. I'm here to invite you again. Join Reshape Corporation."

Satomi laughed, voice like ice. "Reshape? That psycho Ranbu was one of yours? You call that an invitation?"

She pointed back. "I don't know what you are. But I know Lord Shuuichi. If you're his enemy, then you're wrong. That's enough for me."

Seisui's voice turned colder. "A Fullbringer serving Shinigami? A lapdog?"

"A lapdog? Hah. You? You change clothes more than faces. You're a ronin turned ninja—what's next? A priest?"

"Ronin was a disguise. Ninja is my true self."

He shook his head. "Your ability is troublesome, I admit. One-on-one, I'd lose. But I'm not after you. As long as I don't hurt you, you can't stop me."

Satomi's face darkened. Shuuichi had miscalculated. Their enemy not only knew about her power, but how to circumvent it.

But she refused to back down.

"You can try. But you won't lay a finger on the Shinigami behind me. Divine Aspect: Lotus Pearl!"

Two-petal lotus sigils bloomed beneath them both.

Seisui remained unfazed. He donned the metal protector, made hand seals, drew his katana.

"Ninjutsu: Ichiryū—Wind Slash!"

Satomi felt wind whoosh past—too fast to react. Then the sound of steel sinking into flesh.

Warmth splashed her nape.

She didn't need to turn. It was Kaien's blood.

"Damn it!"

She turned to fight—then froze.

Kaien still stood, unharmed.

And the one who had been struck was...

"Shuusuke?!"

Her hands flew to her mouth.

Kisaragi Shuusuke—formerly of the Fourth Division—stood, blade drawn. The one who had struck Seisui.

He nodded silently. "Satomi. Get Kaien and the others out of here. Now."

Seisui narrowed his eyes. "Kisaragi Shuusuke... Former Fourth Division Ninth Seat, turned Hollowfied exile under Urahara Kisuke."

"I know my own story. You don't need to recite it to me."

"Oh? Judging by your spiritual pressure... you've reached Captain level. Perfect. One less target to hunt."

Seisui wiped blood from his shoulder, then raised his katana.

"Steam Geyser!"

As Satomi escorted the others away, Shuusuke rammed his Zanpakutō into the ground. Flames surged up, burrowing beneath Osaka's scorched earth.

The ground cracked. Jets of flame burst from the fissures, rushing Seisui.

But the ninja remained calm. He carved four quick slashes:

"Ichiryū—Wind Barrier!"

Air walls deflected the fire, pushing it back in layers.

Then Seisui vanished.

"Ichiryū—Flowing Draw, Blade Chain!"

His afterimage lingered behind him. And his real self reappeared behind Shuusuke, katana arcing for a fatal slash.

Impressive.

Shuusuke mentally nodded. That speed and stealth surpassed most Captains.

But thanks to Higashi Shuuichi's training, Shuusuke had a trump card.

"Bankai—Raika: Karma Shell!"

Flames and spiritual pressure burst outward, a firestorm radiating from Shuusuke's body. Seisui's strike was instantly stopped.

"Flame Thrower!"

Shuusuke pointed his blade. The entire weapon morphed into a flame cannon, belching fire across the battlefield.

But the man burning in that blaze was... a log?

"Substitution Jutsu?!"

A wooden stump stood in the flames. Seisui had vanished.

He reappeared beside Shuusuke, slashing again.

This time, water surged from the ground, pinning Shuusuke in place.

"Ichiryū—Flowing Decapitation!"

His blade transformed into a torrenting water dragon, slashing toward Shuusuke's throat.

A fatal trap.

But Shuusuke didn't panic. Instead, he funneled reiryoku into his Zanpakutō—and let go.

"Flame Fang Eruption!"

The instant the blade hit the ground, a ring of fire pillars exploded upward.

Would Seisui risk it?

No.

Human durability wasn't on par with Shinigami. He retreated.

But that hesitation sealed his fate.

Shuusuke reclaimed his blade, his gaze sharp as razors.

"Dragon Prison: Cremation."

The battlefield turned molten. Flame walls rose, dragons shrieking. A cage of fire collapsed inward.

When the blaze cleared, only charred bone fell. Seisui's metal forehead guard shattered against the ground.

From the cathedral's ruins, another massive wave of spiritual pressure erupted.

Shuusuke turned.

"That's Lord Shuuichi's reiatsu. The barrier's broken?"

The intensity meant the fight inside was far worse than his.

He yanked his Zanpakutō free.

"Lord Shuuichi... You always shoulder the worst alone. But this time—I'll fight beside you."

And with that, ignoring his scorched body, Kisaragi Shuusuke flash-stepped toward the final battlefield.

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