BLEACH: SURVIVAL SYSTEM

On the ground, Kyoraku Shunsui, having crashed through the debris, finally managed to steady himself, but his heart was filled with shock.

"Does he… does he know Katen Kyōkotsu's abilities that well!?"

Kyoraku's Zanpakutō was notorious for its complex and unpredictable nature. The specific mechanics of its games were his greatest secret and a key factor in his combat power—something he had always taken care to conceal.

How could Akira, a Shinigami barely a hundred years old, possibly know them!?

"No, calm down! Maybe he's just relying on instinct—using illusions to throw me off while instinctively attacking from above…"

Kyoraku reminded himself not to overthink. More importantly, the situation didn't allow him to.

If he hesitated any longer, Komamura Sajin would be beaten to death!

"Bakudō!"

Kyoraku executed Shunpo at full speed, appearing behind Akira as he called out, "Kuro!"

The rule of Kageoni dictated that he could only strike a target if he called out the color they bore. The greater the surface area covered in that color, the stronger the attack.

Akira, clad in his Shinigami uniform—a predominantly black Shihakushō—was the perfect target.

"Karyū no Ha!" (Fire Dragon's Fang!)

But without even turning to look at him, Akira ripped apart the armor of Komamura's Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō!

"Komamura…!"

Kyoraku gritted his teeth.

"But thanks to his focus on you, I'll take my chance and avenge you!"

In a flash, Kyoraku's blade slashed toward Akira—

"Zzt—!"

The moment his sword made contact, Kyoraku's instincts screamed that something was wrong.

Akira's body had transformed into crackling blue lightning!

The sudden shift in color nullified Kyoraku's technique entirely.

"What?! He really does know…!"

Kyoraku was momentarily stunned. The flames around Akira surged even higher, growing more intense.

"Then I'll use a technique that you can't counter—no matter how much you know!"

Without hesitation, he vanished into the shadows, re-emerging from the one cast by Komamura's Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō, aiming directly at Akira's blind spot!

"Kageoni!" (Shadow Demon!)

This attack was nearly impossible to dodge—so fast that no opponent had ever fully evaded it. But there was always a first time.

Within Akira's Kenbunshoku Haki field, Kyoraku's movements were laid bare!

"Shh—!"

Katen Kyōkotsu's blade missed by a hair's breadth as Akira completely ignored Kyoraku, instead focusing all his energy into the flames that had reached their peak—

"Ryū no Tatsu, Kōen Rengoku!" (Dragon Slayer's Secret Art: Crimson Lotus Blazing Blade!)

BOOM!!!

A violent whirlwind of flames erupted into the sky.

Komamura's Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō was blasted backward, sending Komamura himself crashing through several buildings. He coughed up blood before his massive Bankai finally dissipated into reishi.

"H-How… how could this be…?"

Kyoraku stared at the unconscious Komamura, his hands gripping his sword tightly—his knuckles white with tension.

Once again—once again, he watched as Akira cut down a captain right in front of him!

And he couldn't do anything. Not even stop him!

"Even seeing it again, it still feels unreal. Four captains surrounded him, and in moments, half of them were down!"

Ichimaru Gin's usual smirk faded slightly as he observed the battle. He knew they hadn't held back. Not even a little.

In other words, the four captains had attacked with everything they had—but Akira had taken out half of them without so much as a scratch.

"One more down. Who's next?"

Akira held the Hikari Mirror, his gaze sweeping coldly over the battlefield.

"You bastard—!"

Kyoraku Shunsui's fury surged, but it was swiftly replaced by a chilling calm. He knew that if he attacked recklessly, there was only one possible outcome—death.

"Ichimaru, it's just the two of us now. We need to work together."

Gin tilted his head slightly. "How exactly do you want me to cooperate?"

"Keep pressuring him. Even if his speed lets him counter your Bankai, you can still create openings while he focuses on you."

As Kyoraku spoke, he tightened his grip on Katen Kyōkotsu and stepped forward.

"Kageokuri."

Fighters skilled in reiatsu manipulation naturally rely on both their vision and spiritual perception. However, the stronger their combat instincts, the more they rely on the latter.

And Kyoraku Shunsui had a hunch—Akira was no exception.

If that was true, then manipulating his perception of shadows could create an opening.

Akira had already seen Kyoraku's ability to attack from the shadows, meaning he would now be hyper-aware of any shadow-based movements.

But Kageokuri wasn't just a simple shadow trick.

It fixated an opponent's perception on a false afterimage, mapping shadows incorrectly—making them seem more solid, more real than they were.

"Swish, swish, swish—!"

Dozens of shadow clones of Kyoraku Shunsui split from his form, surrounding Akira from every angle.

At the same time—

"Kamishini no Yari—No Tachi!"

Ichimaru Gin's blade extended at five hundred times the speed of sound, aiming to strike in the instant Akira was preoccupied.

An airtight attack.

For a fraction of a second, Akira raised the Hikari Mirror.

"Turn it upside down—"

In an instant, Kamishini no Yari's trajectory inverted, its force redirected—

—straight into Kyoraku Shunsui.

"Gah—!"

A violent cough. A spray of blood.

Kyoraku staggered, eyes filled with disbelief.

"H—how…? How did you see through it?"

What he didn't know was that Akira wasn't relying on mere spiritual sense.

His Observation Haki allowed him to read the battlefield beyond normal perception.

His Three Tomoe Sharingan let him analyze the flow of spiritual power within his opponents, rendering mere clones ineffective.

"The third."

Akira's voice was cold and final.

With his blade still embedded in Kyoraku, he channeled a surge of lightning through it—blue light crackling violently.

"Tch—!"

Gin barely had time to react before the raw energy surged toward him.

"Boom!"

The explosion erupted behind Akira, but he didn't even glance back.

Instead, he looked down at Kyoraku Shunsui, who was now kneeling, battered and exhausted.

"And now… you're the last one."

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