"Big words."
Tenjirō Kirinji stepped forward, gripping his oar-shaped Zanpakutō. His expression sharpened and in the next instant, he vanished.
He reappeared directly in front of Kurotsuki Renya.
The strike descended.
Fast so fast that even Sōsuke Aizen only caught an afterimage.
Kirinji was renowned for his speed "Lightning Tenjirō" a Shinigami whose movement rivaled instantaneous displacement.
Yet
Before the blow could land, a barrier formed.
"Bakudō #81 Dankū."
The transparent wall materialized between them, stopping the strike mid-motion.
The oar slammed against it but could not break through.
In the next moment, Kirinji vanished again, reappearing behind Renya, his weapon already descending.
But before impact
A blade pierced forward.
Clean.
Precise.
It drove straight through Kirinji's chest.
" Tch!"
Kirinji recoiled instantly, retreating as the strike forced him back. His body twisted mid-air before he landed, sliding across the ground.
Aizen lowered his hand slowly.
"So this is the Royal Guard?" he said calmly. "Underwhelming."
Kirinji's expression darkened as he steadied himself.
"Careful what you say…"
Renya spoke without turning.
"Aizen. Observe only."
Aizen smiled faintly.
"As you wish."
He stepped back.
Kirinji attacked again.
This time, his strike carried greater force aimed directly at Renya's skull.
But before it could descend
Layers of reishi barriers unfolded.
Not one.
Not ten.
Thousands.
The blow stopped completely.
"Million-layer barrier…"
Kirinji muttered.
Before he could react further
Another figure appeared.
A blade descended.
Ōetsu Nimaiya.
His Zanpakutō fell.
The barrier
Split.
Effortlessly.
"This," Nimaiya said, "is the sharpest blade I've ever forged."
His voice carried pride and certainty.
"It cuts everything."
The blade struck Renya's shoulder.
And stopped.
"…What?"
Nimaiya's eyes narrowed.
The blade had made contact but could not penetrate.
Not even slightly.
Renya smiled faintly.
"I adjusted the electromagnetic polarity of your blade."
Electric arcs flickered along its edge.
"A localized magnetic field repels it from my body. Your weapon can cut anything… except what it cannot reach."
Before Nimaiya could respond
Kirinji struck again from above.
Simultaneously
The ground erupted.
Vines.
Massive, pulsating, reishi-infused vines burst upward, wrapping around Renya's limbs, torso, and neck.
Kirio Hikifune appeared in the distance, smiling faintly.
"These are specially cultivated," she said. "They feed on energy especially lightning. The stronger your power, the stronger they become."
Renya's arm paused mid-motion.
The vines tightened.
Entities descended next.
Humanoid constructs
Spirits born from Zanpakutō.
"Asauchi manifestations…" Aizen observed quietly.
These were extensions of Nimaiya's creations living embodiments of blade potential.
They attacked all at once.
Renya's reiatsu surged
But the moment it expanded, the vines absorbed it.
They swelled.
Tightened further.
"Perfect," Hikifune said. "Keep feeding them."
Then
Kirinji raised his arm.
A surge of healing water cascaded down forcing Renya's spiritual pressure into instability, causing it to overflow uncontrollably.
The result
More energy.
More fuel.
For the vines.
At the same time
Senjumaru Shutara moved.
Her arms blurred.
Threads too fine to perceive cut through the air.
Renya's nerves
Severed.
Then she struck.
Nimaiya followed.
His blade pierced forward
Straight through Renya's chest.
At that same instant
Countless needles penetrated his body.
Soi Fon screamed.
"Renya!"
His head fell.
Rolled across the ground.
His body collapsed lifeless.
Silence.
"It's over," Nimaiya exhaled.
Even Senjumaru allowed a faint smile.
"Arrogance always ends like this."
Kirinji glanced toward Soi Fon and Aizen.
"What about them?"
Hikifune answered calmly.
"We detain them."
Soi Fon stared at Renya's corpse.
Her vision blurred.
Her body trembled.
"…He died…?"
Then
A voice.
"Don't cry."
The severed head
Moved.
Reconstructed.
Regenerated.
Renya stood again.
Whole.
Unharmed.
Soi Fon froze.
"You're… alive?"
Renya sighed lightly.
"I miscalculated. I didn't expect you to believe it so completely."
He wiped the tears from her face.
Shock spread across Squad Zero.
"That's impossible," Nimaiya said.
"We severed your head."
Renya looked at them calmly.
"I told you."
His voice lowered.
"I cannot be killed."
A flash
Nimaiya struck again.
This time
Directly through Renya's heart.
Renya collapsed.
Silence returned.
"…Now?" Nimaiya muttered.
Renya stood up again.
Smiling.
"My heart is the core," he said. "As long as it remains… I regenerate endlessly."
Nimaiya frowned.
"But I pierced it."
Renya tapped his chest.
"Not precisely."
Another strike
Same result.
No damage.
Then
The truth.
"My heart cannot be destroyed."
The fusion with the Hōgyoku had eliminated that possibility entirely.
Like Aizen before him
He had surpassed death.
Kirinji exhaled slowly.
"…You're a monster."
Renya's expression darkened.
"No."
A pause.
"You just haven't seen real monsters yet."
Then
He moved.
A flash of lightning.
He appeared behind Senjumaru.
Before anyone could react
His hand pierced through her back.
Blood erupted.
She collapsed.
Nimaiya turned
Too late.
Renya appeared behind him.
Another strike.
Chest pierced.
Hikifune fell next.
Three down.
Instantly.
Kirinji stood alone.
Frozen.
Renya spoke calmly.
"They're not dead yet."
He gestured slightly.
"Take them. Heal them."
Kirinji frowned.
"You're sparing us?"
"I have no use for corpses," Renya replied. "Only for those who can still serve a purpose."
Kirinji's voice hardened.
"We will never serve you."
Renya yawned slightly.
"I don't need you to."
He turned away.
"When I become the Soul King… you'll be reassigned. That's all."
Kirinji hesitated.
Then moved.
He gathered the fallen.
And left.
Silence returned.
Soi Fon exhaled slowly.
"That… was Squad Zero…"
Her voice trembled.
"And you defeated them… effortlessly."
Renya looked toward the distant palace.
"That wasn't effortless."
A pause.
"They just couldn't reach me."
His body had already surpassed conventional interaction.
Reishi.
Charge.
Motion.
All under his control.
His speed
Approached lightning itself.
Even Kirinji could not perceive it fully.
Renya's gaze fixed forward.
At the central palace.
There
Waited the only remaining obstacle.
Ichibē Hyōsube.
The one who named all things.
The one who stood closest to the truth of the Soul King.
And the only one left
Who could still oppose him.