With the re-liberation of Akira's Zanpakutō, Hikari Mirror's fourth ability finally surfaced.
"This is…!?"
Jūshirō Ukitake's pupils shrank the moment he saw it.
Before him, Akira had seemingly split into two identical beings! Yet, unlike illusions or afterimages, both figures exuded identical, undiminished Reiatsu—neither halved nor weakened in any way.
"This is the true essence of the mirror—the power of reflection," Akira stated calmly. "Though it only lasts for a few seconds, the mirrored avatar within Hikari's reflection wields the same power as me."
A faint smile formed on his lips.
"So… are you ready to die?"
Jūshirō's expression darkened. "Don't tell me, you intend to—!"
In that instant, he understood exactly what Akira was planning.
Jūshirō Ukitake's Bankai, Yin Yang Sōgyo no Kotowari, possessed a formidable ability—but it had a fundamental limitation. It could only absorb one energy-based attack at a time before redirecting it. That restriction had always been its greatest flaw.
Akira had found a way to exploit it.
By launching two overwhelmingly powerful energy attacks simultaneously, he would force Yin Yang Sōgyo no Kotowari to absorb both at once—something it was never designed to do. If it failed, the Bankai's defensive mechanism would be bypassed entirely.
And as for Ukitake's ability to reverse the effects of fatal injuries…
If he were killed instantly, before his Bankai could activate its healing properties, then it wouldn't matter. It would be too late.
Suddenly, the sky darkened.
Thunder rumbled overhead as storm clouds gathered, blotting out the light.
"Why now…?!" Jūshirō muttered, looking up in alarm. The sudden shift in the weather filled him with unease.
Then, it struck him.
"Could it be…? His lightsaber evaporated an enormous amount of water earlier—accelerating the formation of storm clouds?"
It was too late to question fate.
The two Akira standing before him erupted with immense, suffocating Reiatsu. One raised his hand toward the sky, while the other gripped his sword with both hands.
Lightning coalesced in the storm above, golden arcs crackling with devastating energy.
Faced with two simultaneous, overwhelming attacks, Jūshirō made his decision in an instant.
Shunpo wasn't fast enough to escape their range. Kidō required an incantation he didn't have time for.
The only option left was to rely on Yin Yang Sōgyo no Kotowari—absorbing one attack and using its power to counter the other.
"I don't know if Yin Yang Sōgyo no Kotowari can withstand this, but I have no choice but to gamble!"
Jūshirō swiftly aimed his Bankai at the sword-wielding Akira. He had witnessed Hikari Mirror's lightning-based attacks before, and while they were devastating, their speed was slightly slower than the torrent of light unleashed by the holy blade.
He made his choice.
He would absorb the light attack first—then use it to neutralize the incoming thunder.
"Excalibur!"
"Thunder Sphere!"
In an instant, the Holy Sword of Light descended, while the colossal Thunder Sphere tore through the sky.
It all happened in less than a heartbeat.
Jūshirō's thoughts, his strategy, his reaction—everything converged in that fleeting moment.
And then…
"You've been tricked."
In Jūshirō Ukitake's sight, filled with nervous anticipation, Akira coldly uttered his words.
In an instant, the spatial positions of both Akiras shifted!
If it were merely a reflection technique mirroring an avatar of equal strength, it wouldn't be enough for Akira to contend with a Bankai while wielding only his Shikai, nor would it allow him to escape from the crushing depths of the precipice of Duanyuyuan. However, the Hikari Mirror's ability went beyond simple replication—it enabled the instantaneous spatial transposition of Akira's real body and his avatar.
"What?!"
Jūshirō's eyes widened in shock, but a cold dread seized his heart.
It was too late!
Just as this realization struck him, the blinding radiance of the Sword of Oath of Victory surged from an unexpected direction, consuming him whole.
"Boom!"
A dazzling explosion erupted into the sky.
"Uaaahhhh—!"
Jūshirō's body writhed within the destructive beam, his very form caught in a cycle of disintegration and regeneration. With Sōgyo no Kotowari and masterful micro-manipulation of yin and yang, he forcibly reversed his own state, staving off total annihilation.
If he could hold on long enough, perhaps he could endure until the energy of the Sword of Oath of Victory dissipated.
But Akira would not grant him that opportunity!
"Boom—!!!"
The Thunder Sphere sphere of destruction followed immediately, unleashing a second cataclysmic force that consumed the entire space.
The combined devastation of these two attacks exceeded the regenerative limits of Sōgyo no Kotowari.
"A! Ki! Ra!"
With one final hoarse roar, Jūshirō Ukitake vanished within the deafening eruption.
As the dust settled over the massive crater, only Akira remained, floating above with a frown as he observed the aftermath.
"…Is that the Spirit King's right arm?"
Akira had expected Jūshirō to be reduced to ash, but instead, a bizarre black substance surrounded his entire body.
According to legend, this was the indigenous god known as the One-Eyed Lord, a deity that granted protection to those who sacrificed an eye in offering.
In truth, this was Mimihagi, the right arm of the Spirit King, a force capable of shielding its host. It was because of this entity that the young Jūshirō Ukitake had survived his fatal childhood illness—and now, it had intervened once more.
However, Akira had a vague inkling of what this entity truly was.
He recalled that during the Rite of the God-Hanging, one could sacrifice their internal organs to the One-Eyed God, temporarily assuming the position of the Spirit King.
"…Since this involves the Spirit King, it's certainly worth studying."
Akira landed gracefully, approaching the black mass. He raised his blade and slashed off a portion.
Since Zangetsu—the Zanpakutō of Kurosaki Ichigo—would one day be capable of cutting down the Spirit King, it stood to reason that the right arm of the Spirit King could also be severed.
The moment Akira laid hands on it, the black substance surged toward him, attempting to invade his body.
"Hm? Trying to possess me?"
However, Akira's body was elemental, and the foreign entity found itself repelled. Instead of successfully assimilating him, it was violently ejected as if it had plunged into a storm of raging electricity.
"If this were a Shinigami with a normal physical body, perhaps it would have succeeded."
Akira let out a cold snort and, as a precaution, ignited dragon flames, incinerating the writhing black matter with overwhelming force.
This time, the entity finally yielded, lying motionless in his palm.
"Hsssss—!"
As Akira manipulated it, the black substance encasing Jūshirō Ukitake let out an indescribable shriek.
Severely damaged, it recoiled like a retreating tide, withdrawing from Ukitake's body entirely.
"Oh?"
Akira, watching intently, came to a realization.
"…So the piece in my hand is the core of the Spirit King's right arm?"
It seemed that Mimihagi had deemed Ukitake an unfit host and was searching for a new vessel—Akira himself.
What a pity.
There was no being in existence that could parasitize Akira against his will.
Visit patreon.com/shirokendama for more chapters.