"What?!"
Ganryū's eyes widened in shock as he witnessed the aftermath of the explosion. The raging inferno should have reduced anyone within it to ashes—yet, could it be that the captain remained completely unscathed?
"But what else can you do when trapped in such a violent blast, apart from shouting empty threats?"
Shaking his head, Ganryū dismissed Akira. As the head of a noble family, his pride refused to acknowledge the possibility that someone could survive such an onslaught.
Just as this thought crossed his mind—
"AARGH—!"
A pained scream tore through the battlefield.
Ganryū's gaze snapped to the source. A female retainer was engulfed in black flames—Amaterasu, the inextinguishable fire. Yet, instead of burning uncontrollably, the flames twisted unnaturally, morphing into a curved blade that slashed through a second retainer with surgical precision.
Before the shock could settle, the sea of flames that had erupted moments ago suddenly collapsed inward, as if drawn by an unseen force—
And then, in the next instant—
Akira swallowed the fire whole.
"He... ate the flames?!
The retainers stood frozen in disbelief. Even Ganryū, with all his knowledge, had never encountered such an ability.
Akira wiped his mouth, his expression one of mild dissatisfaction.
"The taste is awful. I suppose it's only natural that the flames of weaklings would be just as unpalatable."
With a shake of his head, his golden eyes gleamed ominously.
"Then let me return the favor."
He opened his mouth, and in a dazzling flash, a roaring torrent of starlit fire erupted forward—
"Ryū no Hōkō" (Dragon's Roar)!
The blazing inferno surged forth, engulfing one of the remaining retainers. The thin man's scream was swallowed by the sheer heat of the attack, leaving nothing behind but scorched remains.
The others recoiled in horror.
"Why didn't he dodge?!"
"It's his eyes!" the fat retainer shouted, his voice frantic. "Don't look into his eyes! If you do, even for an instant—your body will freeze up!"
Having experienced it firsthand, he knew all too well the terrifying power Akira wielded.
Akira turned his gaze towards him with interest. The fat retainer should have perished in the earlier attack—yet here he stood, emerging from a second, identical body.
"A clone technique? No... something different. Each one retains the same presence as the original... Interesting."
He smirked. "So, you can split yourself. But it won't change the outcome."
The fat retainer scoffed.
"You failed to kill me completely with that last strike. That means your little display of arrogance ends here!"
"Are you serious?" Akira's tone remained unimpressed. "Especially when two of your comrades have already died?"
"Even if there are only three of us left, it's more than enough!" the fat retainer bellowed. "Lord Ganryū, I'll hold him here—go! Take the Shinenju with you!"
Ganryū hesitated only for a moment before nodding. He understood the danger. Wasting time against this opponent would be a fatal mistake.
As he turned to leave, the three retainers lunged at Akira in perfect unison.
"Be careful!"
These weren't just ordinary guards—they were the strongest among Ganryū's retainers. Even Captains like Hitsugaya Tōshirō, Kuchiki Byakuya, or Abarai Renji would have needed their Bankai to deal with them.
But unfortunately for them—
They were facing Akira.
He extended his hand, his fingers crackling with energy. His voice rang out, cold and absolute.
"None of you are leaving this place."
"Tenran."
A deafening rumble tore through the battlefield as a massive vortex of wind and lightning exploded from his palm. Thunderclaps echoed as bolts of electricity rained down, scorching the earth below.
Ganryū's retreat came to an abrupt halt—his eyes reflecting the approaching storm of destruction.
The battlefield was no longer in his control.
Although Akira's Tenran this time lacked the ominous dark clouds, the sheer force of the explosions engulfed the battlefield.
"Shit…!?"
Ganryū and his retainers instinctively looked up, their eyes widening as the blinding blue light seared their retinas.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
One after another, bolts of lightening rained down mercilessly. The retainers were obliterated to their core, forced into a desperate defense. Even Ganryū had no choice but to halt his advance, drawing his sword to resist the onslaught.
The most unfortunate was the largest of his retainers—his size made him an easy target. Before he could even let out a scream, his body was reduced to ash.
"Another one… dead!?"
Even Ganryū felt an unfamiliar sense of unease creeping into his heart. He knew his retainers were no weaker than the most formidable Gotei 13 lieutenants.
And yet—how long had it been since the battle started? Akira had already wiped them out, one by one.
And look at him...
Ganryū clenched his teeth.
"He's barely even trying. I doubt he's used half of his strength…!"
A chilling thought crossed his mind—if Akira truly unleashed his full power, what then?
Would he even leave this battlefield alive?
"You two! No matter what it takes—stop him!"
His remaining retainers, battered and barely clinging to life, staggered forward. The masked warrior and the blind one—both coated in searing green smoke—stood their ground.
Behind them, Ganryū's form flickered as he accelerated, leaping into the sky.
"Out of my way."
Akira strode forward, unfazed, as if he hadn't even noticed them.
"You dare look down on us!?"
Fury erupted from the masked retainer as he swung a massive sledgehammer toward Akira.
The eyeless retainer, seething from being ignored, unleashed a surge of iron cables, sending them snaking toward their target from all directions.
Yet—Akira didn't stop. He didn't even react.
The only change—
A sudden explosion of thunder overhead.
An electric-blue glow.
—The Sea of Thunder!
In an instant, the cemetery transformed into a roaring thunderstorm.
The lightning consumed everything, a surging sea of destruction—
—and the two warriors were incinerated before they could even scream.
"Two warriors… both as strong as lieutenants… yet they couldn't even slow him down!?"
Ganryū's eyes widened in disbelief. With a furious roar, he unleashed a massive arc of sword energy while summoning a barrage of kidō to block Akira's path.
But—
It was meaningless.
Lightning surged. Fire ignited.
The combined force of Goro Goro no Mi and Dragon Slayer Magic annihilated everything in an instant.
BOOOOM—!!!
As the dust and smoke began to settle, Ganryū of Ryūdōji Temple was gone.
"Huh?"
Akira narrowed his eyes.
"Did he just open a space gate…?"
Through his Kenbunshoku Haki, he sensed it clearly—Ganryū had vanished into a spatial rift.
So that was it.
No wonder, in the original historical timeline, even three captains had failed to intercept him.
"...Fine."
Akira landed lightly on the ground, his tone carrying a trace of amusement.
"At least this so-called crisis—one that nearly brought the Soul Society to ruin—might make my survival a little more interesting."
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