Bleach: The Strongest Shinigami-Chapter 240 ⥤ Next One, Bring Me The Next One!

BOOM!!

Shunsui, wielding dual blades, leaped into the sky and unleashed a devastating downward strike — one powerful enough to split a mountain.

His immense Reiatsu burst forth, enveloping both his body and twin blades, amplifying the force of each attack.

The air crackled like tearing fabric as wind-wrapped sword pressure descended from above, aimed directly at his enemy's skull with enough force to cleave it in two.

Akira showed no intention of dodging. Releasing Kūkan Mukai, he spun his blade and thrust its razor-sharp edge upward.

Their blades collided in an explosion of light that swept across the area. The aftershock instantly reduced the buildings below to ruins.

The 8th Division was completely empty — Shunsui had evacuated the division members beforehand, whether due to his inherent memories, his personality, or some other reason.

In the sky, Shunsui's lips curled into the old man's signature smile.

After his probing attack came an all-out slash, his dual blades crossing as he viciously struck forward.

⤫ Hadō #78: Zangerin ⥤ Cutting Flower Ring! ⤬

What would normally be an unremarkable sword pressure capable of killing just a few Officers became devastatingly powerful under Katen Kyōkotsu's Shikai ability.

This slash could kill at least a Lieutenant!

The sword pressure whirled with hurricane force, howling downward and leaving devastation in its wake.

Yet Akira blocked this confident attack without expression, remaining completely unharmed save for his fluttering haori.

Seeing this, Shunsui felt utterly frustrated.

The memories had often mentioned this little brother's strength and extraordinary talent, even suggesting he could match Yama-jii.

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But no one had told him this guy had become this overwhelmingly powerful!

If a full-power strike couldn't even force him to abandon his sword for fists, wasn't defeat certain?

It seemed he'd have to resort to underhanded tactics.

Shunsui furrowed his brow and continued his relentless assault, his twin blades weaving brilliant sword pressure that formed a blazing new moon in the sky.

BOOM!!

Smoke spread for kilometers, the shockwave rippling outward like a tide — so powerful that even division members in other barracks felt its force.

But they had no time to worry about others now. Nearly all divisions were like people treading water in the deep end - barely managing to keep their heads above water.

A group of muscle-bound men from the 11th Division burst into the barracks, howling like beasts in strange tongues. Within moments, they had overwhelmed all the Shinigami except the Seated Officers.

Before the Seated Officers could grasp the situation, the musclemen had stripped down and were already swinging their Zanpakutō at them.

The battle had reached a stalemate.

Above the 8th Division, Akira's expression turned peculiar.

His senior fellow disciple had proven stronger than expected. Without resorting to his trump cards, they were fighting as equals.

Shunsui's bizarre yet effective abilities often put him at a disadvantage. Though his opponent's strikes could barely pierce his defenses, they were landing hits.

He couldn't help but feel shocked. Despite believing himself invincible, it seemed Soul Society still harbored formidable warriors.

Perhaps this was to be expected from Genryūsai's top disciple?

Indeed, Shunsui had inherited the old man's teachings. Though not particularly skilled in Hakuda, he could still throw decent punches when setting his swords aside.

As these thoughts crossed his mind, the shadows below rippled like water. A black blade shot upward, aiming for Akira's waist — straight at his chains.

Metal clashed, sparks flying.

"You've truly inherited our senior fellow disciple's underhanded style." Akira sneered, "You'll do anything to win."

He knew Shunsui's Zanpakutō, Katen Kyōkotsu, intimately.

Its abilities, both in Shikai and Bankai, were considered magnificent among all Zanpakutō. Unlike certain brute force approaches, its technique was almost artistic.

Only his familiarity with these abilities allowed him to counter them — any unsuspecting opponent would have been carved to pieces by now.

A trace of helplessness crossed Shunsui's face as he watched his deflected blade.

This battle was proving insurmountable. Not only was he outmatched, but even his sneak attacks barely made an impact.

It seemed as if Akira had eyes everywhere — every attack, regardless of type, met perfect defense.

To avoid death and replace his original self, only one option remained.

Shunsui drew a deep breath, his expression turning solemn as his voice echoed across the empty ruins:

⤫ Bankai: Katen Kyōkotsu: Karamatsu Shinjū ⥤ Final Release: Bones of Heavenly Blooming Madness: Withering Pine Lovers' Suicide! ⤬

An icy aura instantly swept through the barracks and beyond, while viscous shadows writhed at his feet like living creatures.

His wrists turned as his twin blades sank into the darkness.

Reiatsu surged, materializing into an elegant shadow woman who leaned close, her arms wrapped around his neck, their faces mere inches apart.

Viscous black liquid oozed from the blades submerged in shadow, flowing down their length into the darkness. The liquid spread, forming deep shadows of pine trees, with scattered pine needles adding a touch of desolation.

The Reiatsu enveloped Akira, swallowing him whole.

⤫ Ichidanme: Tameraikizu no Wakachiai ⥤ First Act: Hesitance and Apportionment of Wounds! ⤬

If direct combat wouldn't work, they'd settle this with Reiatsu instead.

A glimmer of hope flashed in Shunsui's eyes. He understood Akira's genius well — and precisely because of this, he knew his greatest weakness.

Reiatsu required time to accumulate; talent alone couldn't bridge that gap. Akira had risen too quickly — though his Reiatsu was immense, he still couldn't match true masters.

Seeing his senior's expression, Akira's face lit with intrigue. He'd long been curious about this artistic Bankai.

As Shunsui's words fell, the wounds on his body synchronized with his junior's. Akira's haori tore, his Shihakushō revealed multiple slash marks, and blood covered him instantly — he looked thoroughly defeated.

Seeing this, he breathed a sigh of relief.

The Bankai had worked — the advantage was his. Now he'd perform the remaining acts in one go and end this pointless battle.

But just as he thought this, something strange happened.

Akira's Reiatsu surged, and the cruel wounds on his body instantly healed, his recovery speed surpassing even an Arrancar's High-Speed Regeneration.

Shunsui drew in a sharp breath, not wasting a second before activating his next Bankai ability.

⤫ Nidanme: Zanki no Shitone ⥤ Second Act: The Pillow of Shame! ⤬

The narration between acts ended — the battle's climax approached.

The shadow pine trees reappeared as an atmosphere of grief and despair spread. Irregular black spots materialized across Akira's body, transforming him into a panda-like creature.

Good news: it worked. Bad news: only for three seconds.

Having gauged his senior's full strength, Akira lost interest in this theatrical display.

Taking advantage of his opponent's shock, he sent a spinning blade across the horizon, embedding it directly into the ruins behind Shunsui.

The man's pupils contracted as he gathered his Reiatsu.

⤫ Sandanme: Dangyo no Fuchi ⥤ Third Act: The Severing Abyss! ⤬

His body erupted with Reiatsu as vast as an abyss. Black shadows blanketed the barracks, rising skyward like an inverted waterfall and dyeing the heavens pitch black.

⤫ Shunkō: Daikūhaku Hakai ⥤ Flash War Cry: Great Empty Destruction! ⤬

In the darkness, lightning-wreathed wings spread wide, revealing a spine-chilling figure beneath the heavenly curtain.

Freed from Kūkan Mukai and the Shihakushō's constraints, Akira spread his arms. His muscles and bones shifted as black flames ignited across his body. With his righteously confident smile, he appeared more terrifying than any demon from hell.

"Taste my—"

⤫ Shunkō: Tenryū Shōmetsu ⥤ Flash War Cry: Celestial Dragon Annihilation! ⤬

The punch landed, reducing both the Third and Second Acts to mere insults, reflecting them back upon Shunsui.

With no time to dodge, he could only watch as the fist expanded infinitely in his vision, consuming his entire world.

Death came knocking!

An explosive roar engulfed everything, sweeping across half of the Seireitei. From above, the devastating impact erupted from the 8th Division barracks, obliterating every building and carving an abyss-like furrow into the earth.

Shunsui's clay-like body shattered under the strike, transforming into a black crystal that dropped into Akira's waiting hand.

After examining it briefly, even his extraordinary wisdom couldn't unravel its mysteries. He simply tucked it into his pocket.

"Next one, next one!" Having defeated his senior colleague and achieved internal division, he eagerly sought his next target.

He would handle the stronger Captain duplicates personally, leaving the ordinary Captains to the 11th Division members as training.

These life-and-death battles might even help those geniuses master Bankai. Akira felt quite confident in their potential.

Except for that barbarian Zaraki, of course. That one's brain contained nothing but fighting — completely at odds with Akira's refined and easy-going style.

Forget Bankai — he couldn't even achieve Shikai.

When the opportunity arose, he'd give him a proper thrashing.

⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬

In the 12th Division, inside a certain laboratory.

Kagerōza stared at the horrific scenes playing out on the screen, his gaze flickering as undisguised fear crept across his face.

Too frightening. Was this guy even human?

Killing Captains so casually — wasn't he concerned about the consequences?

Even now, Kagerōza couldn't comprehend what had gone wrong with those Reigai Copies. How had Akira seen through them at a mere glance?

{T/N: A Reigai (Spirit Body) is an artificial spirit body that houses artificial souls (in this case a Mod-Soul of Captains) in Soul Society, allowing them to take physical form. The Research Institute uses these bodies to test artificial souls before deploying them to the Human World.}

Hadn't he been described as brainless, relying solely on brute force? Which fool had spread such rumors? Was this the behavior of someone without a brain?

In less than a day, years of careful planning lay in ruins, with multiple Reigai Captains defeated and broken.

There had been one silver lining — 9th Division Captain Kensei Muguruma's accidental injury.

But he was merely a pawn. His presence or absence wouldn't affect the grand scheme. The true prizes were the powerful Captains like Retsu Unohana and Shunsui Kyōraku.

"Kisaragi, you deserve death!" Kagerōza slammed his fist against the table with a sharp crack. Determination flashed in his narrow pupils. 'If that's how it must be, I'll have to release him!'

After a series of swift operations, a white figure flickered through the laboratory and vanished.

"Prepare to face a Kenpachi's destiny!"

⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬

Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi faced the two opponents with grief and indignation.

Though his adversary wasn't Akira himself, merely seeing those associated with him triggered a deep-seated fear in his soul.

How strange that he'd harbor such feelings, being only a copy!

Kaname and Sajin's coordination proved flawless — their feints and attacks fell like raindrops, denying him any opportunity to achieve Bankai.

Worse still, Kaname's Zanpakutō mirrored his own abilities. The grating insect sounds that filled his ears not only disrupted his Reiatsu circulation but created illusions that clouded his battle judgment.

After an intense clash, Rōjūrō — unable to unleash his full power — succumbed to Kaname's surprise attack.

As the "Captain" crumbled like clay, Sajin exhaled in relief and stepped forward to retrieve the black crystal.

"The rest stay here to guard." Kaname commanded, then "looked" toward the 2nd Division, "Sajin, let's go support Rangiku."

Despite his wounds, Sajin nodded with a composed, serious expression.

Having secured the 3rd Division, the pair headed toward their neighboring division.

Though Rangiku's talent stood out even among the genius-filled 11th Division, her brief growth period left her at a disadvantage against such a formidable opponent.

Their support would prove essential.

⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬

Akira departed the 8th Division, sensed the chaotic Reiatsu permeating the air, and made straight for the 13th Division.

Midway, he encountered his target: Reigai Jūshirō Ukitake.

"Though I loathe to fight you, these are my orders, and I must obey." Jūshirō gazed at him with a pained expression, "Forgive me, Akira — this will be the last time."

Akira made a disgusted sound, utterly unmoved by these Reigai copies' self-important dramatics.

"Another one lurking about? Come out already — don't think your sneaky ambush tactics will work on me." He fixed his gaze on the empty space beside Jūshirō.

The Reishi in the air flowed in erratic patterns, slowly coalescing into a faint white light.

Akira narrowed his eyes, the scene stirring unpleasant memories.

As more Reishi gathered, the white light sharpened from hazy to crystal clear, revealing a pristine white figure.

Sōya Azashiro's lips curved into a friendly smile.

"Long time no see, Akira..."

⤫⤬⤫

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