"Bankai."
Since his rebirth into this world, this was the first time Gosuke Shigure had openly released his Bankai before others.
In truth, even during his years as Kenpachi, he had rarely used it.
After all, because of the memories and experience from his previous life, Gosuke had mastered Bankai not long after becoming a Shinigami in this life.
His understanding of Hakuda, Hohō, Zanjutsu, and Kidō had already reached an absurd level very early on.
As a result, most enemies simply were not worth using Bankai against.
During his time in the Eleventh Division, he had defeated countless opponents through pure swordsmanship and spiritual pressure alone.
Few had ever pushed him far enough to reveal his true power.
And even among those rare battles
Almost nobody had actually seen the complete form of his Bankai.
Back then, his original Bankai had been relatively straightforward.
It was a Bankai centered around thunder and destruction.
An overwhelming power of heavenly punishment meant purely for annihilating enemies.
Later, after entering the Royal Realm and meeting Ōetsu Nimaiya the creator of all Zanpakutō everything changed.
With Nimaiya's assistance, Gosuke reforged his Zanpakutō.
More precisely
He fused the soul of the blade from his previous life into his current Zanpakutō, Raijin no Wazawai.
That fusion created a unique dual-blade existence unlike ordinary Zanpakutō.
And naturally
Its Bankai evolved as well.
The moment Gosuke spoke the word "Bankai," an overwhelming spiritual pressure exploded outward.
Kisuke, Isshin, and Ryūken all felt their expressions stiffen simultaneously.
The pressure flooding the room was monstrous.
Unlike restrained captain-level Reiatsu, Bankai released spiritual pressure so intensely that suppressing it completely became difficult even for masters.
Normally, a Shinigami's combat power increased five to ten times after activating Bankai.
But the burden also increased proportionally.
That was why most captains avoided using Bankai unless absolutely necessary.
Fortunately, this was Urahara Shop.
The barriers surrounding the area had been personally constructed by Kisuke.
They isolated spiritual pressure from the outside world completely.
Otherwise, the sheer Reiatsu Gosuke released at this moment would likely have alarmed the entire Karakura region.
Crackling thunder erupted around Gosuke's body.
White lightning danced above his head like divine punishment descending from the heavens.
Its aura carried overwhelming purity and destruction, as though all evil would inevitably be erased beneath it.
At the same time
Beneath his feet, black lightning slowly spread across the ground.
Unlike the heavenly white thunder above, this lightning felt cold, heavy, and sinister.
Yin Thunder.
Also known as Underworld Lightning.
White lightning above.
Black lightning below.
Yang and Yin.
Heaven and Underworld.
Together, they formed the original Bankai of Raijin no Wazawai
"Mugen Raigoku."
Infinite Thunder Prison.
However
That was only the Bankai of the past.
Gosuke's current Bankai was different.
After the reforging performed in the Royal Realm, his Zanpakutō had become a fused dual-blade existence.
And naturally
Its Bankai now possessed multiple stages.
To preserve Kanae Katagiri's soul, Gosuke needed the second stage.
Because the blade from his previous life
The blade called Shisha
Was fundamentally a soul-type Zanpakutō.
Its power allowed it to imprison souls directly.
In theory, the simplest solution would have been to kill Kanae with Shisha and immediately bind her soul before Yhwach could reclaim it.
But Gosuke was not dealing with an ordinary enemy this time.
He was dealing with Yhwach.
Even Gosuke himself could not fully estimate the Quincy King's true level.
Because of that uncertainty, Gosuke chose the safest possible method.
The moment Yin and Yang lightning intertwined
Everything abruptly changed.
The thunder vanished.
A dense fog spread throughout the room instantly.
Coldness filled the air.
Isshin and the others instinctively became alert.
When they looked around again, the surrounding world had become dark and mist-covered.
The eerie atmosphere immediately reminded Isshin of Aizen.
Back then, Aizen had publicly described Kyōka Suigetsu as a water-type Zanpakutō that manipulated perception through mist and refraction.
Only later had everyone learned it was actually an illusion-type Zanpakutō capable of Complete Hypnosis.
And now Gosuke's Bankai also produced overwhelming mist.
For a brief moment, Isshin could not help inwardly complaining.
So you're the real Kyōka Suigetsu?!
Of course, that was merely subconscious slander born from confusion.
Even now, Isshin still could not fully understand Gosuke's Zanpakutō abilities.
Unlike Kisuke, he had never investigated Gosuke deeply before.
To Isshin, the transition from thunder to fog felt absurdly mysterious.
But Gosuke offered no explanation.
Because at this point
His Bankai had already entered its second stage.
The true manifestation of Shisha.
"Shisha Kōrin."
The Advent of the Dead Kingdom.
Within the mist, countless souls could be summoned as spectral soldiers under Gosuke's command.
Every enemy trapped inside the fog would have their Reiatsu continuously drained and converted into fuel for those dead spirits.
And anyone who died within the mist
Would have their soul directly imprisoned by the blade.
At the same time, Gosuke could also release bound souls if he chose.
In a sense, this Bankai resembled a miniature underworld.
A realm between life and death.
Because of its connection to the concept of death itself, the binding power of Bankai far surpassed the soul imprisonment possible in Shikai.
Against Yhwach's Auswählen
Only this level of authority over souls felt sufficiently reliable.
Of course, because his Zanpakutō was now a fused dual-blade existence, the thunder stage and mist stage were merely partial manifestations.
His true complete Bankai existed beyond both.
But there was no need to use that here.
Within the dense fog, Gosuke slowly walked toward Kanae Katagiri.
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