Bleach: The Fifth Division Captain

"You've already lost."

"Release your Bankai."

"Continuing to resist is meaningless."

Pinned to the ground, Six-Car Kenji struggled to lift his head. He wanted to say something defiant, but before he could even speak—

Seiya calmly pressed down his left hand.

Crack—!

A sharp, chilling sound echoed, enough to make anyone's teeth ache just from hearing it.

Both of Kenji's shoulders were dislocated in an instant.

His eyes widened in shock, and the words of mockery he had planned to say twisted into a pained scream.

"AAAHHHHHH!!"

"No need for unnecessary words. Even if you don't intend to release it, I'll do it myself."

There was no emotion in Seiya's voice—only a cold, machine-like detachment.

After all, in the vast time spent within the "Salted Sea," Seiya had come to fully understand the essence of this man named Six-Car Kenji.

"You bastard!!"

Gritting his teeth so hard they felt like they might shatter, Kenji refused to surrender.

Because in his mind—this fight wasn't over yet.

But just as that thought took shape—

A familiar voice rang out beside him.

"Shatter it, Tengu Maru!"

A violent wind howled forward, forcing Seiya to step back, loosening his hold on Kenji.

He quickly retreated several dozen meters, barely avoiding the massive, warped, club-like form of the released Zanpakutō.

Standing there, Seiya remained silent.

'I could've blocked it, but there was no need.'

'Weapons like that usually rely on brute force.'

'Better to avoid direct confrontation when possible.'

He watched as Love Aikawa landed lightly on the ground, resting his enlarged club on his shoulder while glancing at Seiya. At the same time, he crouched down next to Kenji.

"Hey, Kenji! You still alive?!"

"Isn't it obvious... you idiot…"

Reinforcements had arrived.

The captain of the 7th Division, Love Aikawa.

Since the 7th Division was responsible for guarding the inner court, it made sense that he would be the first to respond.

It was a bit faster than expected, but ultimately, it wasn't surprising.

After all, as mentioned before—

Using Bankai within the Seireitei caused massive spiritual disturbances.

Even Kyōka Suigetsu couldn't conceal the impact of a clash between Bankai.

It was like trying to hide an earthquake—no matter how perfect the illusion, you couldn't erase the sensation of the ground shaking beneath your feet.

Even a sleeping person would wake up.

And much less someone like Love Aikawa, who was always on high alert.

As Kenji, now supported, struggled to stand, Seiya silently stepped back.

There was no point in staying—he couldn't capture his target anymore.

But tonight's goal had already been accomplished.

He had tested his simulated Bankai.

Even if it wasn't a true Bankai, it had still proven that Seiya could stand on the same battlefield as these people.

Now, he just had to escape—

"Where do you think you're going?"

A sudden voice rang out from behind.

A chill ran down Seiya's spine as he instantly threw a punch backward.

The explosive force of Shunko surged outward, a concentrated blast of spiritual energy crashing into the space behind him like a cannonball.

BOOM!

A shockwave tore through the air, leaving a massive trench of destruction in its wake.

"Hoo~ You're pretty lively, huh? Even after fighting Kenji, you still have this much energy?"

"Seriously, what are you?"

"Well, it doesn't really matter. Once we capture you and interrogate you, we'll figure everything out."

Sitting casually on a broken slab of stone, Shinji Hirako grinned.

He had already drawn his Zanpakutō, casually spinning it in his hand.

"Collapse, Sakanade."

"…!"

In that instant, Seiya felt an overwhelming sense of nausea.

It was as if he had suddenly become seasick—his balance lost, his body swaying uncontrollably.

His head felt heavier than his feet, and an intense wave of dizziness hit him like a storm.

'The moment the release command is spoken, it causes immediate disorientation.'

'A distraction to mask the true effect of inversion… I see.'

'For first-time victims, it's an almost guaranteed kill.'

Watching Seiya freeze up, Shinji smirked.

"How does it feel? The world—turned upside down."

"You must be loving it."

WHOOSH!

A sudden gust of wind roared through the battlefield.

Charging in from the front, Love Aikawa swung Tengu Maru straight at Seiya.

Seiya barely had time to react, raising his arms to shield himself.

BANG!

Flesh collided with metal.

An overwhelming force slammed into him, sending him crashing deep into the shattered ground below.

Like a nail being hammered into concrete, Seiya was driven into the earth.

Aikawa and Shinji didn't immediately follow up.

They positioned themselves on either side, effectively trapping Seiya.

This was their home ground.

And the Gotei 13 weren't amateurs.

The longer they dragged this out, the more reinforcements would arrive.

Time was on their side.

Meanwhile…

"Hey, hey, what's with all the ruckus this late at night?"

A rough voice echoed through the battlefield.

A towering figure with a long scar across his face stepped forward, his captain's haori tattered at the edges like jagged teeth.

The massive man rested his enormous sword on his shoulder, striding toward the battlefield.

"I can smell blood."

"Heh… now this is exciting."

"If it's that kind of fight—"

"Then let me in on it too!"

Kenpachi Zaraki grinned.

None of the other captains responded to his arrival.

After all, he was still new to the position.

And his division—Squad 11—was purely focused on combat.

It would take time for them to truly integrate with the others.

"He's moving!"

Kenji, whose arms were still injured, was the first to notice.

From the rubble, a battered figure slowly emerged.

His uniform was torn, his left arm covered in jagged wounds like bite marks from a wild beast.

'So this is what a club-type Zanpakutō does, huh?'

'Yeah… I'd rather not take another hit.'

With a quiet sigh, Seiya scanned the battlefield.

Four captains surrounded him.

And among them—one opponent he definitely couldn't defeat yet.

"Seriously…"

"If I didn't have another card to play, this would be the end for me."

But fortunately—

The "simulated" Bankai had more than one form.

Raising his right hand, Seiya made a small motion.

Immediately, all eyes locked onto him.

Shinji was the first to react—

'Wait… this guy's movements…'

'Why does he seem completely fine despite my ability?'

'It's almost like…'

'He's trained to resist the effects of Sakanade?!'

Before Shinji could fully process it, Seiya's voice rang out.

"Thank you for your hospitality tonight."

"In due time…"

"I will return the favor—with interest."

Then, Seiya raised a single finger.

Behind him, Sāgara Ryū—his Zanpakutō—began to manifest.

Simulated Bankai was not an evolution of his Zanpakutō.

It was a transformation.

And in this state—

Seiya temporarily lost access to Sāgara Ryū.

"Bankai."

A calm, steady voice flowed from behind his mask.

The captains tensed.

'Is he about to—'

A wide, maniacal grin spread across Kenpachi's face.

"Oh, hell yeah…"

"This is gonna be fun!"

Seiya's already depleted spiritual energy surged outward.

A deep blue light enveloped his body, forming swirling torrents of energy.

And within that radiant glow—

Seiya's next simulated release took shape.

Sāgara Ryū: Shatan.

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Powerstones?

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