"Take the criminal Urahara Kisuke, as well as the captain and lieutenant who disrupted the execution ground, temporarily into prison and into the Senzaikyū to await the verdict of Central 46.

"As for Hikifune Kirio and Shutara Senjumaru—

"The execution continues."

As the battle at Sōkyoku Hill ended, the Shinigami from the First Division arrived one after another.

Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni immediately issued two orders, which made many captains and lieutenants change their expressions after hearing them.

"Captain Aiyan!"

Faced with the imprisonment order issued by Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni, and the verdict of Central 46 soon after, Yadōmaru Lisa, Sarugaki Hiyori, and the others did not care.

They only cared about the life and death of Hikifune Kirio.

However—

Although Kyōraku Shunsui and Ukitake Jūshirō were not imprisoned, there was nothing they could do.

The relationship between Unohana Retsu and Hikifune Kirio was indeed not bad, but it was not so good that they would risk their lives to save each other.

Even if they wanted to, they couldn't.

After the captains, Kidō Chief, lieutenants, and vice–Kidō Chief gathered together to try to free the prisoners, Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni directly drew Ryūjin Jakka, then removed his captain's haori and shihakushō, revealing the clothes underneath.

Countless Shinigami were ashamed of their own physiques compared to his lean muscles. He then stood guard in front of Hikifune Kirio and Shutara Senjumaru like a hen protecting her chicks.

Want to try and free prisoners? Fine.

First ask me if Ryūjin Jakka is in the mood.

At this moment, Yadōmaru Lisa and the others could only look to Aiyan for help.

This was also their last hope.

"Headmaster."

Aiyan gave Yadōmaru Lisa and the others a calm look, then stopped guards, who had arrived after hearing the news and wanted to take Hikifune Kirio and Shutara Senjumaru back to the execution ground.

"Captain Aiyan."

"Do you want to test the sharpness of my Ryūjin Jakka?"

Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni saw Aiyan, the captain who had just turned the tide and suppressed many rebellions, stand up at this moment. His eyes widened, and his reiatsu suddenly soared.

"The Kōfūin is no lesser threat."

Seeing Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni release reiatsu without hesitation, Aiyan's face remained unchanged as he calmly responded in kind.

Boom—

In an instant, the sky and the earth within a radius of one kilometer were filled with two waves of reiatsu as vast as the sea. Every gram of air, every drop of water, and every particle of dust was suffused with the two reiatsu, becoming extremely heavy.

"…Tch!"

Everyone, from captains on down, was crushed by these two terrifying reiatsu until their faces turned pale, they could hardly breathe, and their bodies trembled.

At the critical moment, Unohana Retsu, Kyōraku Shunsui, and Ukitake Jūshirō looked at each other, stepped forward, and released their own reiatsu — not to oppose Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni, but to shield the lieutenants behind them from the overwhelming pressure.

Boom—

As Aiyan's and Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni's reiatsu continued to soar, after reaching a critical point, the space for several kilometers seemed to be cut in half.

One side was blazing red like fire, and wherever Yamamoto's reiatsu passed, it became a sea of flames.

The other side was a realm where light and darkness coexisted — at times dazzlingly bright, at times without sun or moon — day and night shifting with the rise and fall of Aiyan's reiatsu.

"It's still around Muguruma Kensei's level Reiatsu remaining."

"My reiatsu is about to reach the Shinigami limit."

"When the time comes, either the boundary between Shinigami and Hollow will break, or both zanjutsu and reiatsu will stagnate together."

After clashing reiatsu with Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni, Aiyan roughly judged that in terms of reiatsu, he was not far from the Shinigami limit.

Once reiatsu hit a bottleneck, zanjutsu would also enter a bottleneck.

Even if he created new techniques, the boundary between Shinigami and Hollow could not be broken. Reiatsu strength and zanjutsu power would not improve, and the most essential nature of the soul would not advance to the realm of the Soul King— it would remain within the scope of a Shinigami.

Only the Zanpakutō, even if reiatsu and zanjutsu stagnated, could still evolve through training.

This was the case with Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni before him.

Thousands of years ago— or even earlier— his reiatsu and zanjutsu had reached the limits of a Shinigami.

But thousands of years later, his Bankai had continued to evolve.

Not only zanjutsu, but also reiatsu without flaw.

Not only as vast as the sea, but even incorporating the characteristics of the Zanpakutō into the spiritual core.

"It's amazing. In only ten days or half a month, you'll catch up to me."

Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni stared at Aiyan deeply, his voice holding unconcealed admiration.

As the strongest Shinigami in a thousand years, he had seen geniuses as numerous as the sands of the Ganges— yet he rarely praised anyone.

But facing Aiyan, he felt that no amount of praise was enough.

For nothing else—

Simply because his own accumulation over thousands of years still could not match Aiyan's single year of practice.

Yes—

Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni had already noticed that Aiyan's reiatsu was only six levels away from the Shinigami limit.

"Where!"

"Compared to you, Headmaster, I'm still a little inferior in one Mugurama Kensei's reiatsu."

Aiyan was rarely humble.

He could feel the speed of his reiatsu growth, magnified by the Kōfūin.

Indeed, he thought, Yamamoto was truly skilled at judging people.

Half a month—maybe.

In another half month, his reiatsu would reach the Shinigami limit, comparable to Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni, the strongest Shinigami who had trained for millennia.

…

After hearing Aiyan's words, the captains and lieutenants present showed slightly odd expressions.

Especially Yadōmaru Lisa and the others who were close to Muguruma Kensei.

Pfft—

After being rescued by Unohana Retsu, Muguruma Kensei had only just been pulled back from the edge of death. When he heard this, he spat out a mouthful of blood mist, his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed again into unconsciousness.

"Six Kensei's?"

"That's quite a vivid unit of measurement for reiatsu."

When Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni heard this, he couldn't help but laugh. His anger even subsided somewhat. But remembering what Muguruma Kensei had done—gathering people to free prisoners and openly defying the Soul Society's judgment—he immediately made up his mind.

When he returned tonight, he would have the Shin'ō Academy revise its textbooks and announce to the Gotei 13 that Muguruma Kensei would now serve as a unit of measurement for Shinigami reiatsu.

"Captain Aiyan."

"The sinner Urahara Kisuke once said something that makes sense— you are an unparalleled captain of the Gotei 13."

"Don't make the mistake of arrogance."

Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni suppressed his thoughts and offered a reminder.

"Headmaster, that time at the Kuchiki manor was not only a regret for Byakuya, but also for me."

"Because I listened to Central 46, the Kuchiki family met an irreparable end."

"The moment I took the captain's haori from Byakuya, I swore I would not make the same mistake again. The responsibility of Soul Society is above all else—but those who control that responsibility are not infallible."

Aiyan naturally understood Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni's warning. But when it came to verbal manipulation, in all of Soul Society, who could match the Sōsuke family?

...

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