Bleach: The Strongest Shinigami

"What is this... Where am I?"

Muramasa stared at the world before him, his expression dazed.

He had used his Spiritual Thread Method on Akira, and since the other's Inner World wasn't closed off, he had entered his Zanpakutō's world.

But the scene before his eyes seemed impossibly real.

As everyone knows, Zanpakutō spring from the souls of Shinigami, making their Inner Worlds manifestations of the wielder's subconscious mind.

Muramasa had seen countless Zanpakutō worlds — dangerous, terrifying, beautiful, magical — but never one this real.

Other Inner Worlds contained fictional landscapes, like his own world of stone pillars standing in an endless lake. Such precise scenery didn't exist in reality.

Yet everything before him now felt so authentic that Muramasa wondered if he had visited this place before.

Hills, soil, trees, country paths... He used Shunpo to explore, searching for traces of the Zanpakutō.

The trees grew increasingly dense, their shade creating a gloomy atmosphere like gathering storm clouds. At the path's end stood an imposing, majestic shrine.

"The Zanpakutō must be in here." Muramasa thought as he stepped inside.

In an instant, everything changed.

Instead of offerings, his ears filled with grinding metal that built into deafening thunder.

The shrine turned transparent, revealing countless tiny black shadows weaving within. Endless darkness flowed like viscous blood.

A heavy, fearful darkness painted across the heavens until it consumed everything in sight. The shrine fell into an oppressive silence.

"What is this..." Before Muramasa's horrified gaze, floating black chains materialized.

They stretched endlessly upward and downward, as if connecting the two ends of the world. Countless intricate links formed from soul-level Reiatsu moved slowly, generating that thunderous sound.

"Could this be Akira Kisaragi's Zanpakutō?"

Without hesitation, Muramasa activated his ability. Indigo Reiatsu burst forth wildly, surging toward the chains.

But before he could implant the thought of "rebel against your master", he sensed something was wrong.

Muramasa's pupils contracted as he tried to counter and defend with his own Reiatsu, but against this overwhelming force, his pride and power crumbled like foam in scorching sunlight.

Snap!

With a shattering sound, Muramasa's body twisted violently, his limbs and bones making spine-chilling cracks as an invisible hand crushed him into a ball.

Tree-like black shadows crawled upward, and with an explosive burst, the spherical mass vanished without a trace.

Once Muramasa's Reiatsu had completely disappeared, the shadows retreated. The shrine fell back into silence, with only the black chains continuing their slow dance above the altar.

The surroundings remained pristine, untouched — exactly as they had been before.

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Muramasa regained consciousness and immediately coughed up blood, staining his already blood-soaked white coat crimson.

His ghostly pale complexion had turned paper-white, reminiscent of Jūshirō Ukitake after centuries of illness.

With a fearful glance at the bewildered Akira, he disregarded his injuries and burst away at several times his previous speed.

"Muramasa, what are you doing?!" Kōga's voice thundered with unusual anger, his noble upbringing barely containing his fury.

Despite the many opportunities Kōga had created, Muramasa had not only failed to capitalize on them but had ended up in this pitiful state — an infuriating outcome.

"Kōga, I..." Muramasa hesitated, bone-deep terror causing him to recoil instinctively, "This one is different — my ability has no effect on him."

Kōga's Reiatsu flowed into him, partially healing his wounds.

The situation left him discouraged. Against this pursuing enemy, he was not only useless but had to constantly rely on his master's Reiatsu for healing.

"If your ability doesn't work, we'll handle him another way!" Kōga's voice turned ice-cold.

Muramasa's expression flickered at his master's tone, but his deep-seated loyalty quickly erased any doubt.

Without hesitation, he drew his sword to strike. His Reiatsu shattered and merged into the blade, its edge radiating terrifying power.

Even without his special ability, Muramasa's raw combat prowess exceeded that of ordinary Shinigami Captains.

Unfortunately, he faced Akira — someone who defied all common sense.

As Muramasa roared and swung his blade, Akira cast aside all hesitation and charged into battle.

Deep purple flames erupted into terrible pillars of fire, consuming everything around them. Black chains coiled around his right arm, further enhancing his Spiritual Body, filling him with overwhelming power.

⤫ Genshiki-ryū: Kūhaku Hakai ⥤ Origin Style: Single Empty Destruction ⤬

A powerful punch shot straight forward.

As chains met blade, metal clashed and friction burned, creating a piercing resonance that echoed like splitting clouds and shattering stone.

The ground around them erupted in circles of dust, the earth groaning under unbearable strain as countless fissures spread evenly across the battlefield.

Kōga raised his Zanpakutō, its tip aimed at Akira as frost crystallized along the blade, brewing with intense cold.

⤫ Hyōga Seiran ⥤ Glacier Vapor Storm! ⤬

The temperature plunged!

As his blade fell, countless shards of ice and snow burst from its tip, surging like a broken dam toward Akira. Everything in their path froze instantly beneath a thick layer of ice.

"Bring it on!"

Akira grinned, his Reiatsu exploding as he charged forward. His powerful frame slammed into Muramasa, sending him flying backward, unable to maintain his hold.

Eyeing the incoming Hadō, Akira twisted away and used Shunpo to dodge, letting the freezing blast sweep past him.

⤫ Murasaki Kaen Bakuha ⥤ Purple Flame Burst! ⤬

Though frost had formed in his hair, it melted instantly as purple flames erupted around him. The carefully aimed Hyōga Seiran hadn't been useless — just completely off-target.

Kōga's eyes widened. He hadn't expected Akira, who'd been charging straight ahead until now, to suddenly dodge.

What fighting style was this?!

"You soulless magician, let me show you what real Kidō looks like!"

⤫ Hadō: Kenami: Raien ⥤ Sword Rain: Thunder Fire! ⤬

Drawing on his rapidly recovering Reiatsu, Akira unleashed his full power, conjuring countless swords of thunder and flame that floated in the air around him.

Scorching heat warped the air as electrical arcs crackled endlessly. The once-pristine battlefield had transformed into a garish light show, the blinding display making Kōga squint.

Watching this outrageous scene, Kōga's mouth twitched. He couldn't fathom what manner of being Akira was.

Could this be... what they called an all-rounder?

The combat techniques Akira casually displayed were beyond what ordinary Shinigami could achieve in a lifetime.

Kōga had always thought himself Soul Society's greatest genius, but seeing this opponent made doubt creep into his heart.

Had Ginrei refused to acknowledge him because he'd met Akira?

Akira had no idea he'd become — in this madman's eyes — the neighbor's kid everyone gets compared to.

With a casual wave of his hand, Akira's excited voice rang out:

"Witness your doom, those who dare violate the sanctity of the King's Treasure!"

⤫ Gate of Babylon: Thunder Fire Treasure of the King! ⤬

At his command, an arsenal materialized in the sky — swords, spears, axes, and more, each wreathed in fire and lightning, their crystalline forms creating a dazzling display.

Around him erupted countless beams of light, interweaving into what appeared to be a heaven-piercing sword. It slashed horizontally and vertically, tearing apart the earth, annihilating swirling dust clouds, and shattering all defenses.

⤫ Bakudō #81: Dankū ⥤ Splitting Void! ⤬

Kōga refused to accept death passively. Sensing the intense danger, he immediately released his strongest Bakudō.

Materialized Reiatsu burst forth, condensing into a transparent barrier several meters high.

The barrage of thunder and flame weapons crashed against it, instantly creating dense spider web-like cracks!

Kōga's expression shifted as he used Shunpo to dodge. The lethal assault followed him like a shadow, and as a magnificent pillar of light soared skyward—

Akira materialized before him.

With a fierce grin, he threw a punch that shattered the air.

Kōga barely blocked with his blade before being hurled backward!

Boom! Boom! Boom!—

Air explosions thundered across the sky. His body felt as if it had been struck by a locomotive — every inch screaming in pain.

Crawling from the deep crater, he saw the obvious cave-in of his chest cavity. His chest bones lay shattered.

"Cough!" Kōga spat blood, his right hand glowing with healing light as he attempted emergency treatment on his grievous wounds.

Just as Akira prepared to finish his downed opponent, another Reiatsu — familiar yet strange — appeared near the battlefield.

Turning, he saw a beautiful woman in plain clothes rushing toward them, her tall figure moving so swiftly it left afterimages.

"Kōga's reinforcements?" Akira clenched his fist with a thunderous crack, a savage smile curling his lips.

He hadn't expected Kōga to be so cunning, trying to shake his resolve with beauty. Unfortunately for them, while he appreciated beauty, he knew when to stay focused.

⤫ Genshiki-ryū: Chōshinsei Nenshō ⥤ Origin Style: Supernova Burning! ⤬

As his fist fell, pillars of deep purple fire erupted, surging forth. Low rumbling filled the air as waves of pressure spread outward, flames roaring as they swept forward.

Seeing this, Kyōka Suigetsu's expression changed dramatically as she grasped the true extent of Akira's raw power.

He hadn't even bothered with questions before attacking.

She barely managed to dodge the scorching heat, landing gracefully before spinning forward.

The faintly glowing blade rested in her delicate fingers. No release incantation was needed — merely seeing the blade's light would complete the hypnosis.

⤫ Hadō #73: Sōren Sōkatsui ⥤ Twin Lotus Blue Fire, Crash Down! ⤬

Azure flames streaked through the darkened sky, mercilessly engulfing Kyōka Suigetsu as she activated her ability.

When the residual heat dispersed, her initial elegance was gone, replaced by a singed and disheveled appearance. If she hadn't defended with Reiatsu in time, that Hadō would have reduced her to ashes.

"Damn it..." Kyōka Suigetsu turned to face the last person she wanted to see.

His expression remained purely calm, as if nothing could stir his emotions.

"Hey, Sōsuke..." Akira's initial grin faded as his expression suddenly shifted, "Wait, something's wrong!"

This was trouble.

Aizen sighed helplessly; despite his haste, he'd arrived too late.

Kyōka Suigetsu's complete hypnosis activated instantly — the moment you saw it, you became its puppet.

He could break it through knowledge and keen observation.

But Akira...

Aizen shook his head, resisting the urge to curse. After all, he had dragged this man into this situation.

Kyōka Suigetsu flashed a victorious smile as she took control of the hypnosis. Under her power, she erased her own existence along with Kōga's and Muramasa's.

Aizen was transformed to appear as Kōga. With the false Muramasa and Kyōka Suigetsu in place, all actors were ready — the grand show could begin!

"Sōsuke Aizen, clever as you are, how will you handle betrayal between close friends?"

Kyōka Suigetsu smiled, savoring the feeling of controlling others' fates — no wonder Aizen so enjoyed using complete hypnosis on his test subjects.

The frustration she had endured with him would be repaid through Akira. Based on her understanding, this muscle-head would never see through the deception.

Let the killing begin!

Akira stood scratching his head as his vision blurred and the scene transformed.

Whatever — no point overthinking it. He had his own way of judging things.

As the man and sword faced off, a figure wreathed in purple flames descended from above, powerful pressure exploding from his fist.

Aizen's expression flickered as he prepared to dodge.

Kyōka Suigetsu watched with anticipation, ready to enjoy the spectacle.

However, when the fist suddenly enlarged before her eyes, her expression froze.

BOOM!!

A pillar of fire shot skyward, heat waves surging!

⤫⤬⤫

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