NOVEL NEXT Chapter 25 – Imprisonment
Boom!
No matter if Tengumaru, Engetsu, or Ailin's Flame Tessaiga, they all belonged to the fire-type Zanpakuto.
After the explosion of spiritual pressure, the power of Ailin's Flame Tessaiga's Flame Wind Scar had nearly reached that of a Captain's Bankai.
Meanwhile, "Scorching Hammer" and "Crescent Moon Rush", were Tengumaru and Engetsu's Bankai ougis respectively.
The collision of ougis from three Captain-level Bankais directly turned a large portion of Soul Society's sky red.
The impacts of the explosions and lingering spiritual pressures blew any Shinigami that wanted to approach here away.
Those that could withstand these impacts and head towards the battle's center were mostly Captain-class wearing white captain haoris.
…
Boom!
A figure rushed out from within the flames, with multiple scorch marks on their body from the fiery explosions.
kōga!
"Damn it!"
Shock and fear still lingered within kōga’s eyes but soon converted into boundless killing intent.
Indeed, this Vice Captain, Ailin must die!
However, recalling Ailin's terrifying earlier strike, kōga’s felt dissatisfaction towards his own Zanpakuto Muramasa for the first time.
Why must Muramasa be an illusion-type Zanpakuto?
Why couldn't Muramasa unleash such powerful attacks?
Why couldn't Muramasa fully protect himself from harm when facing such mighty strikes?
kōga attributed the root cause of all this to his Zanpakuto Muramasa, blaming Muramasa for being too weak. Yet, he forgot that if he hadn't indulged so much in Muramasa's might, working hard to cultivate the four Shinigami arts instead, he could have relied on formidable swordsmanship and strikes to clash directly against Ailin's earlier assaults, or could have dodged the attacks with superior Shunpo, or could have utilized a formidable Bakudo barrier to defend...
Without realizing it, as kōga pushed all responsibility onto his Zanpakuto, their resonance began deteriorating...
Under Ailin's earlier blow, Muramasa who wasn't suited for direct confrontation had been heavily injured. But that didn't prevent kōga from still utilizing Muramasa's might.
After all, Tengumaru and Engetsu had just used Bankai against Ailin, to try destroying his Flame Wind Scar as soon as possible.
Muramasa wasn't suited for direct fights but Tengumaru and Engetsu were perfect to clash toe-to-toe against any enemy.
Right now, kōga wanted to directly control the Bankai-releasing Tengumaru and Engetsu to assault Ailin.
Under two Captain-class Zanpakutos' attacks, at most ten breaths would be enough to kill Ailin!
But— "That's enough!"
Three figures dressed in white captain haoris appeared amidst the battlefield.
Among them, Yoruichi Shihoin, Captain of the 2nd Division, stood between Ailin and the two Zanpakutos.
Ginrei Kuchiki, Captain of the 6th Division, had also undone his inner world isolation, appearing beside kōga.
Shunsui Kyoraku, Captain of the 8th Division, stood right in the battle's center. It was him who said "That's enough!" earlier.
...
In the end, the battle between kōga and Ailin didn't continue. Moreover, both kōga and Ailin were detained under the crime of "Disturbing Soul Society's Peace" by the personally escorted them to Kensei Muguruma, Captain of the 9th Division.
Indeed, the 2nd Division and 6th Division both had their own detention centers. However, Ailin was the 2nd Division's Vice Captain while kōga was the honored 1st Division's 3rd Seat. No matter which division they were imprisoned at, Yoruichi Shihoin and Ginrei Kuchiki worried the other side would make a move.
After all, as current heads of Soul Society's Five Great Noble Clans, their ancestors had done all sorts of things before attaining the honor of "Five Great Noble Clans".
There were hardly any "good people" among nobles.
Because the Shiba Clan was unwilling to get embroiled with the other three clans' shady dealings, they had been secretly targeted by the other three families since Soul Society's founding over a thousand years ago. By now, the Shiba Clan was only barely holding on to their nobility in name without any of the actual authority.
If not for this generation's Isshin Shiba, it was likely the Shiba Clan would still be living in secrecy within the Rukongai slums.
Coincidentally, the arrival of 9th Division Captain Kensei Muguruma solved this dilemma for Ginrei Kuchiki and Yoruichi Shihoin.
Kensei Muguruma was an ordinary Shinigami born in Rukongai who entered the Spiritual Arts Academy, having no ties with nobles at all.
As the Detention Unit, the 9th Division was naturally responsible for imprisoning and guarding inmates anyway. Handing Ailin and kōga over to the 9th Division eased both sides.
Under Kensei Muguruma's lead, Ailin and kōga were imprisoned within neighboring cells.
"Humph, consider yourself lucky to be saved by Captain Shunsui this time! Next time, you won't have such fortune!"
Hearing kōga’s cold snort from the next cell over, Ailin ignored him completely. Although much had transpired today, with Ailin even tarred by labels like "lecherous" and "despicable", his gains weren't small either.
First, was having a clear grasp of his current strength. Among current Vice Captain-tier experts, aside from Chōjirō Sasakibe, he should rank in the top three.
Second, was having coincidentally copied six Captain-class Zanpakutos after his fight, including Ginrei Kuchiki of the 6th Division, Love Aikawa of the 7th Division, Shunsui Kyoraku of the 8th Division, Kensei Muguruma of the 9th Division, Isshin Shiba of the 10th Division, as well as his opponent, kōga. Thus, facing kōga’s provocations from the other cell, Ailin utterly ignored him.
Indeed, if not for the other Captains arriving today while facing kōga as a true Captain-class expert alongside two Captain-class Bankai Zanpakutos, Ailin might have really perished. But simultaneously, that would also be the last time he was that powerless!
Closing his eyes with his consciousness sinking into his reality marble, Ailin swiftly forged replicas of those Zanpakutos from the information within.
With every additional Captain-class Zanpakuto created, Ailin's spiritual pressure would rise substantially.
Thus, by the time rumors of Ailin and kōga’s fight as well as the events leading up to and after began circulating through Soul Society, nobody knew, Ailin's Reiatsu level had genuinely reached Captain-class.
Moreover, having used Kensei Muguruma's Zanpakuto Tachikaze to successfully copy Tesseiga's "Backlash Wave" ougi, he had finally raised his Tessaiga to the Captain-tier as well.
At the peak of Sword Hill, or the very center of his reality marble, gazing at the ever-increasing number of weapons atop Sword Hill as well as his reality marble beginning to resemble an arsenal, Ailin swelled with heroic spirit for a time.
This would be his greatest asset in this world!
Slowly approaching towards that sinister purple blade, Ailin extended a hand gripping that Zanpakuto's hilt.
Demonic Blade — Muramasa!
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