For any Shinigami, there is one thing more intolerable than defeat—having his Bankai belittled.

Let alone a captain who bears the name of the Gotei.

Faced with Aiyan's repeated mockery of his Bankai, Muguruma Kensei no longer spoke. He buried his fury and answered with steel.

With a burst of Shunpo, he cut through the sky, trailing waves of compressed air in his wake, and landed atop Susanoo's head—eye to eye with Aiyan.

"Enhanced Sandbag beat!"

His gaze was cold. His fists, like twin dragons, howled with hurricane-forged Reiatsu and thundered forward—straight at Aiyan.

But Susanoo's face stood in his path.

"A Kidō construct dares stand in front of my Bankai?"

Yet Kensei didn't hesitate. Both hands pressed flat against Susanoo's face, the power of the storm released in continuous, devastating bursts through his fists, battering the titan's visage.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Each impact sounded like cannon fire, a relentless rhythm of destruction. The howling storm surged in all directions, tearing across the heavens and ravaging the ground below. For the first time, the clouds over Seireitei scattered under the pressure, shattering into pieces like glass.

The battlefield—already in ruins—crumbled further, the very earth buckling under the weight of the hurricane. Dust and debris spiraled into the sky, forming a massive column that swallowed Susanoo whole.

Crack.

Amid the dust storm, the sharp sound of splitting glass rang out.

A beat later.

A towering figure, like a mountain, staggered backward from the cloud of dust.

"It cracked!"

In the distance, Ōtoribashi Rōjūrō spotted the fracture running across Susanoo's face and couldn't help the joy rising in his voice.

Boom!

The crack widened.

The previous blow had shattered Susanoo's face. Muguruma Kensei exhaled heavily, eyebrows lifting.

But he didn't pause.

His fists remained locked against the giant's face. Hurricane force poured from him like the endless current of the River, an unceasing torrent. The fractures spread, until finally—

Boom!!

The entire face collapsed. Fragments of spiritual pressure scattered like shards of glass across the sky.

"Yo. We meet again, Aiyan."

Kensei stood mere feet away now, proud and battle-worn, staring directly at his opponent.

"What was it you said earlier?"

"Something about the 'level' of my Bankai?"

"Sorry—turns out, my Bankai is more than enough to deal with your little Kidō trick."

Before the words had even finished falling—

His right fist shot forward once more, aiming directly for Aiyan's face, the hurricane roaring from it like a beast let loose.

Boom!

A flash of golden light.

At that moment, the ruins of the Execution Grounds blazed with brilliance. Every Shinigami in the vicinity turned instinctively toward the light.

In the distant forests of Seireitei, a colossal form emerged from the veil of dust and fire—a golden titan.

Golden body.

Golden armor.

Wings unfurled behind its back.

Four long swords hung at its waist.

It stood a hundred meters tall, its head piercing the clouds, its feet planted deep into the earth. Though unmoving, it exuded a terrifying aura of utter destruction—the posture of a Martial God.

Its appearance, like the sun breaking through the storm, cast golden radiance across the battlefield, lighting up every mountain and tree within Seireitei.

"...What?"

Suspended in mid-air, Muguruma Kensei stared dumbfounded at the point of impact.

His fist… had struck Susanoo's knee.

That was wrong.

He had been eye-level with Susanoo's head. His punch should have landed clean on Aiyan's face.

But now—

Susanoo had transformed. Its armor shone like divine iron, wings spread wide, facial features refined and sharp like a true Shinigami. Its size had grown again—several times over.

What had once been face-to-face…

It was now knee-to-face.

Worse still—his strike, which had previously shattered Susanoo's visage, now left no mark on the giant's armored knee.

It had taken Enhanced Sandbag beat head-on—without a scratch.

"This… this is still Kidō?"

"No… it's not even an exaggeration to call this Bankai!"

"What kind of forbidden Kidō has Aiyan created?!"

"Even compared to the full-chant Goryūtenmetsu, this is stronger… no, beyond it!"

The moment Aiyan revealed the complete form of his Kidō Forbidden Technique—Susanoo—the entire battlefield fell silent.

Even Kyoraku Shunsui and Jūshirō Ukitake, who had been preparing to fight Yamamoto Genryūsai head-on to rescue Hikifune Kirio and Shutara Senjumaru, froze.

Then—without a word—they released their grips on their Zanpakutō and canceled Shikai.

Even the strongest Shinigami in history, Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni, sheathed Ryūjin Jakka.

"It's over."

Kyoraku's voice was bitter—but filled with awe.

He hadn't lost to Old Man Yamamoto.

He had lost to Aiyan.

And there was no shame in that.

Because what now stood before them—

Was like a god.

From the very moment Aiyan revealed this form, the outcome of the battle had been decided.

"Captain Kirio… forgive me."

Jūshirō Ukitake's face was as pale as ash, his voice hoarse with resignation.

"In these thousand years, I've witnessed countless Kidō… but none like this."

"To emit such colossal Reiatsu… to give it form… and to maintain it with such stability… This Reiatsu structure—it's no different than that of a Zanpakutō."

"As far as Kidō goes, I willingly call you—the strongest."

"Not just in Kidō," Yamamoto Genryūsai added slowly, eyes locked on the golden god before him. His voice, normally unshakable, now carried a rare tremor.

"In all of Soul Society—no Shinigami surpasses him."

Even he, the most arrogant and powerful Shinigami in a millennium, was forced to acknowledge it.

Aiyan's self-created Kidō.

His mastery.

His sheer presence.

Unmatched.

"Surprised?" Aiyan's voice echoed calmly, high above them.

"You thought you had won? That was only Susanoo's fourth form."

"This…" He gestured around him. "This is the complete version—the true form of my Forbidden Kidō: Susanoo."

"Ah, but… could I trouble you to stand a little taller?"

"Even if I look down, the gap in scale between us is far too vast. You're practically invisible—like specks of dust drifting in the wind."

Aiyan stood upon the shimmering Reiatsu crystal embedded between Susanoo's brows, peering down at the battlefield far below.

He squinted slightly.

Still couldn't see Kensei.

With no other choice, he gently lowered Susanoo's head.

Only then could he spot the lone figure of Muguruma Kensei, standing atop the titan's knee like an ant on a mountaintop.

"We meet again, Kensei."

The moment the words landed, Kensei's face darkened to a deep purple.

"Don't get cocky."

"A battle between Shinigami isn't about size."

"So what if you're bigger?"

"My Bankai crushed your Kidō once—I'll crush it twice. Hell, three times if I have to."

Kensei took a deep breath, swallowing the unease that had crept into his heart.

Then, with a burst of Shunpo, he rocketed into the sky—rising to match Aiyan's height once more.

"Enhanced Sandbag beat!!"

His right fist struck forward, slamming directly into Susanoo's brow. The blast of Reiatsu exploded like a river breaking its dam, forming a massive tornado that swallowed Aiyan and Susanoo's head whole.

But—

When the smoke and storm cleared…

Aiyan stood as he had before.

Unmoved.

Unaffected.

Susanoo, too, was untouched.

That final blow—

Had not even made it tremble.

...

If you enjoyed this book, don't forget to vote with a Power Stone and take a few seconds to leave a review

Join my P@treon for advance chapters and special content!

[email protected]/Ren_Saga