Storm.
The massive Dangai let out an overwhelming, explosive roar, stirring up monstrous waves.
Under the gaze of countless terrified eyes, earth-shattering explosions echoed one after another. Like a fleeting sun, it recklessly radiated solar flares outward.
All things seemed to lose their outlines. Space distorted under the strike, and terrifying, intense light burst forth from within.
It shattered the rock walls, obliterated the earth, and fractured the sky, forcefully wiping out a Valley of Screams that rivaled a small world.
The deep, dark night sky was instantly swept away by the shockwave.
Pure destruction transformed into a tidal wave, surging straight ahead like an apocalyptic disaster, swallowing everything in sight.
The Dangai, which had been stagnant for an unknown number of years, welcomed a long-lost light at this moment.
Senna was dumbfounded, unable to recover her senses for a long time.
As a "proper Soul Reaper," she had no shortage of memories featuring Captain-class Soul Reapers in combat.
But no matter which one she recalled, none could compare to everything happening before her eyes.
It could even be said that the two sides were completely on different dimensions.
Senna did not believe that the Soul Reaper Captains in her memory could hold a candle to the figure standing tall in the howling wind.
At this moment, in her eyes, that figure who had previously left a rather improper impression now seemed like a true god.
With a mere gesture, he changed the world!
Meanwhile, inside the Soul Society, there was dead silence.
The Soul Reapers watched in shock as the Valley of Screams collapsed, staring at the terrifying figure that had destroyed the small world.
His black hair danced wildly in the gale. On his lean, perfect physique, magma-like patterns emitted a golden-red glow, making it almost impossible to look at him directly.
At this moment, this figure was deeply branded into everyone's hearts.
Although the vast majority of people unfamiliar with Naraku Sora did not know who he was, that did not stop them from offering their highest respect.
The instinct to worship the strong was engraved in the very bones of Soul Reapers.
On the other side, inside the Shino Prison, the squad members were stunned for a moment when they saw Naraku Sora shatter the Valley of Screams with a single strike.
Immediately after, boiling cheers resounded throughout the barracks, as if they were going to blow the roof off.
"As expected of Lord Naraku!"
"So strong, so powerful!"
"Lord Prison Warden is invincible!"
"Lord Naraku, we love and respect you!"
Looking at their leader's bare back, some of the more audacious seated officers felt that something was missing. After pondering for a moment, they suddenly realized it.
He was missing a haori.
Since the Lord Prison Warden's haori was destroyed in battle, it was only right for them, as his subordinates, to prepare a new one for him.
Soon, several people left the barracks and ran toward the Tailoring Division.
For this operation, they had to prepare several haori that matched Lord Naraku's status.
"Jūshirō, don't you think this scene looks a bit familiar?"
Kyōraku Shunsui stroked his stubble-covered chin, a thoughtful look appearing on his face.
"Now that you mention it, it really does."
Ukitake Jūshirō sighed emotionally. "The last time I saw a similar scene was in our teacher's bedroom. I remember you were the one who brought me there."
"A portrait of a demon surrounded by flames."
"It really brings back memories."
Kyōraku Shunsui curled his lips. "I never said it was a demon. Although it was a bit ferocious, it was still an existence that protected the Soul Society for thousands of years."
"But I think Old Man Yama would be very pleased if he saw this scene."
Ukitake Jūshirō thought for a moment. "Not necessarily pleased. After all, back when our junior martial brother wasn't this strong, he often made our teacher so angry that he couldn't even eat."
"Causing such a huge commotion this time, who knows how furious the old man will get."
At this point, the two looked at each other and smiled, the worry that had previously piled up on their faces completely vanishing.
Easily destroying the Valley of Screams without affecting the Soul Society and the World of the Living.
*Junior martial brother, you did well!*
Nearby, Yoruichi crossed her arms over her chest, supporting her heavy burden, and muttered to herself:
"Honestly, this guy is getting stronger and stronger."
"Didn't they say that the stronger a Soul Reaper gets, the slower their power grows? Why doesn't this rule apply to him at all?"
"Now, trying to catch up to Sora might be a bit difficult."
"But there's no way I'm giving up. Even if I can never catch up, I can't stop my steps to become stronger. Closing the distance even a little bit is perfectly fine."
Thinking of this, Yoruichi seemed to have made some kind of resolution, the fighting spirit in her eyes soaring even higher.
On another side, a gentle figure had unknowingly left the courtyard of the barracks, disappearing with a Flash Step in the direction of Squad 4.
Before issuing the invitation, there were still some things that needed to be arranged.
Inside the Dangai, Naraku Sora looked at his masterpiece and nodded in satisfaction.
The moment he released his Bankai, he felt an unprecedented sense of power. A majestic, torrent-like Reiatsu surged through his limbs and bones, inexhaustible and endless.
It was as if he had transformed into a sun walking in the human world.
Unlike his previous partial Bankai, he could successfully achieve this form without having to squeeze out his own power.
It flowed naturally.
As for the ability of Vajrayati: Innate Karma, it seemed to have some connection to the scenes he saw in the Zanpakutō's inner world.
Although it was unclear whether it was a parallel world or a vision of the future, that world had indeed been destroyed.
Because Yhwach had completely ended the cycle of Reishi, causing everyone to enter a "beautiful" state devoid of fear.
But the world also stagnated as a result.
The most immediate consequence was the deathly silence of the planet.
His Bankai, on the other hand, was more like forcefully transforming a dead planet into its current state.
Just like what the Zanpakutō spirit had done when he first used the Tenshintai—
Plucking the winding, distorted stars from the sky above and transforming them into the Zanpakutō in his hand.
Compared to Yamamoto's Ryūjin Jakka, it didn't seem inferior in destructive power; in fact, it was perhaps even slightly superior.
At the same time, it could extract the residual power within the planet and merge it into himself, turning him into a tireless perpetual motion machine whose spiritual power would never run dry.
If he fought Yamamoto, he could completely adopt a "wear the old man down" tactic and easily defeat him.
As for mental exhaustion, there was no good solution.
However, since Naraku Sora's debut, he had yet to encounter an enemy capable of mentally exhausting him.
Perhaps there would be one in the future.
But when that time truly came, his strength would likely have reached an even higher level.
"Heh heh, did you see that, Sōsuke?"
"This is my true strength. Were you scared?"
Although he had already deactivated his Bankai, Naraku Sora's confidence had multiplied. Let alone a mere Valley of Screams, even if Yamamoto stood before him, he wouldn't panic in the slightest.
In the laboratory, shock surfaced on Aizen's face, while a trace of imperceptible envy flashed deep in his eyes before he returned to his usual calmness.
"I saw it. Very average."
"?"
Naraku Sora was furious and immediately prepared to verbally thrash the incompetent illusion-type Zanpakutō. However, just as he was about to speak, the other side seemed to sense something and softly warned him.
"Attention, your action of destroying the Valley of Screams just now violated the underlying logic of the Dangai. The Kōtotsu is heading your way, and there is also..."
"Bzz... bzz..."
Before he could finish speaking, a violent Reishi storm swept over, interfering with the communication between the two and directly cutting off the call.
Immediately after, a rumbling sound echoed, like countless dump trucks speeding over at full throttle.
The earth trembled, and waves of dust surged, plunging the finally brightened sky back into darkness.
"Oh no, it's the Kōtotsu!"
Senna had a look of surprise on her face. "This thing is the scavenger of the Dangai. Pure Reiatsu can't do anything to it. We'd better get out of here first."
At that moment, a massive beam of light shone toward the two of them.
Like a colossal creature formed by the accumulation of countless layers of mud, it advanced rapidly across the barren land, devouring everything in its path.
"I told you, running away isn't my style."
Naraku Sora extended a finger, and a pitch-black light flashed from his fingertip, as if space was collapsing inward to form a black hole.
Immediately after, an incomparably violent torrent of darkness erupted.
Cero Oscuras!
An advanced Cero that normally only an Arrancar could use.
Naraku Sora was exceptionally talented. After beating up Szayelaporro a few times, he had learned this skill from him.
The Cero Oscuras surged forward majestically, instantly reaching a terrifying speed that was hard for the naked eye to catch, and viciously slammed into the Kōtotsu's massive body.
Instantly, the massive "dump truck" halted in place.
After a moment of stalemate, the Kōtotsu, which symbolized the rules of the Dangai, suddenly exploded from the center.
Countless specks of dust and ash scattered, as if a black rain was falling over the barren land.
At that moment, a scorching figure enveloped in raging flames barged into the Dangai, causing the surrounding air temperature to rise sharply and rapidly evaporating the already scarce moisture.
Despite expecting it, Yamamoto's heart still skipped a beat when he saw Naraku Sora use a Cero to obliterate the Kōtotsu.
*Could this brat be influenced by Hollow powers, leading to soul suicide?*
Fortunately, there were no strange fluctuations in his Reiatsu. After calming down, he realized it was still his same idiotic disciple.
Yamamoto approached rapidly with a gloomy face, leaving a scorching trail of fire across the sky.
"You bastard, this is absolute nonsense!"
"If the Dangai hadn't been projected onto the Soul Society, I was ready to activate the Kidō Cannon. Did you want to die under that cannon's fire, you brat?"
Seeing the familiar figure, Naraku Sora grinned and said confidently:
"To be fair, blowing up the Valley of Screams and blowing me up are two different things. A mere Kidō Cannon might not even be able to break my defense."
Yamamoto's eyes widened, and he scolded furiously:
"Idiot! I meant for you to be more cautious in your actions. What kind of behavior is this, acting so recklessly all day long? You haven't learned a single bit of my mature prudence."
"?"
Question marks practically popped up around Naraku Sora's head.
Seeing his rebellious disciple's questioning gaze, Yamamoto was enraged and immediately prepared to settle all old scores at once.
Then.
An abyss-like, terrifying Reiatsu swept across the barren land, and fiery clouds of blazing flames drifted above the Dangai, painting the sky!