BLEACH: SURVIVAL SYSTEM

Seeing the resolute stance of Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni, the hearts of all the captains skipped a beat.

Though it was disrespectful to even think it, Kyōraku Shunsui couldn't help but inwardly cry out,

"Has he gone mad?!"

Releasing this technique within the Seireitei?

It wasn't just a question of whether they could withstand it—the sheer magnitude of the explosion could consume even Yamamoto himself if he wasn't careful.

"If those pillars of fire truly detonate, it might be on par with a small nuclear blast..."

Akira's expression darkened. He wasn't certain he could endure it.

"No—I can't let him pull this off!"

Making a split-second decision, Akira unleashed his first hidden technique.

Boom!

Thunderclouds roared to life, flashing ominously as they gathered. Yamamoto merely snorted, his gaze unwavering.

"You think you can stop me? You lack both the power and the right."

"That's not necessarily true."

Akira smirked. "If anything, you should be grateful that your Zanpakutō controls flames."

Yamamoto's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"Before coming here, I had already prepared my thunderclouds as a contingency. But perhaps you lack some basic scientific understanding…"

He gestured toward the sky, where the storm clouds pulsed with an eerie blue glow.

"By flooding the battlefield with intense heat, you've evaporated vast amounts of moisture into the air, creating a powerful updraft. That, in turn, has strengthened my storm exponentially. In other words, every moment you've fought me, you've been amplifying my power!"

"What?!"

Yamamoto's pupils contracted just as his vision was engulfed by blinding blue light.

"Ten Thousand Thunderbolts!" (Man'ei!)

A deluge of lightning rained down, striking the pillars of fire in Yamamoto's Jokaku Enjō (Scorching Prison).

A storm of pure destruction erupted—lightning cascading from the heavens, flames surging from below.

For a moment, it was as if the very sky and earth had been split in two—above, an ocean of blue lightning; below, a sea of crimson fire.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The violent detonations began instantly, tearing apart the Scorching Prison before it could reach its full destructive potential.

Flames and shockwaves engulfed the entire battlefield, sending ripples of force slamming against the protective barrier.

"This is bad!"

Panic flashed across the captains' faces as cracks began spreading across the powerful barrier.

"No way… This barrier was created by the combined efforts of seven captain-level combatants!"

"And yet… it's about to break apart?!"

"Reinforce it! Pour in more spiritual energy—if we let this power escape, the entire Seireitei will be annihilated!"

Jūshirō Ukitake, Komamura Sajin, and the others shouted in unison, desperately channeling their reiatsu into the barrier.

By the time the explosion finally subsided, the protective wall was barely holding together, its surface covered in deep fractures.

Within the barrier, dense smoke billowed across the battlefield, obscuring all vision.

"What happened?" Kurotsuchi Mayuri muttered, narrowing his eyes. "I can't see anything..."

They could still sense the Reiatsu of Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni and Akira, confirming that both were alive.

This shocked everyone—what kind of overwhelming power does it take to survive such an explosion unscathed?

"…"

A faint coughing sound broke the silence. As everyone turned to look, their expressions shifted to shock and disbelief.

As the dust settled, Yamamoto Shigekuni coughed lightly, covering his mouth. His captain's haori had been completely burned away!

However, when they turned to look at Akira, his captain's haori still fluttered in the air, completely intact. His figure remained standing proudly in place, as if…

The flames couldn't touch him at all!

"This… is this a joke?"

Chōjirō Sasakibe was stunned. Yamamoto Shigekuni, wielder of the Zanpakutō Ryūjin Jakka—the strongest flame-type Zanpakutō—was injured by fire before Akira?

Though there were no visible wounds, the sight of the old captain in a slightly disheveled state felt like an impossible dream to those watching.

"As expected, detonating the explosion in advance greatly reduced its destructive force. Even you, Commander, couldn't completely escape its impact."

Akira's calm, indifferent voice echoed, making Yamamoto Shigekuni's expression darken.

"Don't get cocky, boy…" Yamamoto said, his voice steady despite the setback. "You've only been a captain for less than a year, and yet you think you can stand on equal footing with me?"

Despite having taken the first blow, Yamamoto's confidence remained absolute.

After all, he hadn't even used Bankai yet.

"If that attack of yours required thunderclouds to reach such power, then surely you can't use it repeatedly at will?"

"But I am different," Yamamoto continued. "As long as I desire it, I can summon my flames again and again!"

He gripped Ryūjin Jakka tightly, his voice a mere whisper, yet it carried terrifying weight. In an instant, a scorching pillar of fire erupted into the sky, the very embodiment of hell's fury!

"Oi, oi, oi… Seriously? You're doing it again?!"

Kyoraku Shunsui, watching from outside the barrier, broke into a cold sweat. Can this barrier even hold up a second time?!

The other captains also grimly observed the battlefield. They understood all too well—if the flames of Yamamoto's Bankai were unleashed in full force, nothing within the barrier would remain.

Already, the entire 1st Division headquarters inside the barrier had been reduced to nothing but ashes. There weren't even broken walls or debris left behind—everything had been completely incinerated.

"I have to admit… your spiritual pressure is truly immense, like an endless ocean," Akira murmured, almost in admiration.

But admiration aside—he had already seen this technique once. He had allowed Yamamoto to unleash it fully before. That wouldn't happen a second time.

"At the speed of lightning, thoughts alone aren't enough to react!"

In an instant, Akira proved his words true. A surge of electricity erupted from his body, enhancing his speed to the extreme as he charged straight toward Yamamoto!

"Hmph, impudent brat…"

Though Yamamoto still had plenty of spiritual energy, preparing such large-scale techniques required a moment's buildup. And Akira had given him no such time.

He had only managed to summon two pillars of fire before Akira had already closed the gap.

With no other choice, Yamamoto redirected his attack, swinging a blazing column of fire straight at Akira mid-air!

But Akira did not hesitate. Lightning crackled violently around him, reaching its peak as he met the inferno head-on.

"BOOM—!"

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