With the Ōin (Royal Seal) finally destroyed, the remaining force of Tsunayoshi's attack shot straight into the sky, piercing the thick clouds. The Sun-attribute flames absorbed the returning sunlight, bathing the battlefield in warmth.
The barrier created by Hyōrinmaru through the Royal Seal had completely collapsed.
All that remained now was to clean up the battlefield.
But some people clearly hadn't grasped the situation yet.
BOOM!
A violent tremor erupted beneath Tsunayoshi's feet. The entire Tower of Repentance shook violently, as if it might collapse at any moment.
Without hesitation, Tsunayoshi leapt straight down from the tower.
"Kenpachi… you cut the wrong thing again."
Before he even reached the ground, Tsunayoshi already had a good idea of what had happened.
Nearly one-third of the buildings surrounding the Tower of Repentance had been sliced cleanly away.
If there was anyone responsible for that—
It could only be Kenpachi Zaraki, the battle-crazed Captain of Squad Eleven.
"Tch. Those Hollows suddenly disappeared before I could finish enjoying myself!"
Kenpachi said disdainfully.
To be fair, it wasn't entirely his fault.
While Tsunayoshi and the others were fighting atop the tower, Kenpachi had been happily slaughtering Hollows on the ground. When he saw everyone rushing toward the tower, he had reached a simple conclusion.
If the enemy is on the tower—just cut the tower.
So while fighting a Menos, Kenpachi had gathered extra Reiatsu, raised his sword with both hands—
And slashed.
Tower and Hollow together.
Unfortunately, at that exact moment, Tsunayoshi destroyed the Royal Seal.
Many Hollows summoned through the Royal Seal's spatial distortion were forcibly returned to their original dimension.
Which meant—
Kenpachi's attack ended up slicing a third of the Tower of Repentance's base instead.
The result?
The tower now leaned dangerously, threatening to collapse.
At that moment, a vast sea of pink petals surged forward and pressed against the tower, stabilizing it.
"Prisoners from the Seireitei are still held inside the Tower of Repentance. Captain Zaraki, that was reckless."
The one who spoke was Byakuya Kuchiki, standing nearby with Senbonzakura Kageyoshi still active.
Kenpachi turned his head away without looking at Byakuya.
Even he knew that slash had been a bit excessive.
But Kenpachi was a warrior who existed only for battle.
Saving buildings?
That was not something he knew how to do.
Byakuya examined the broken section of the tower.
Rather than scolding Kenpachi further, he turned his gaze toward a white-haired boy kneeling not far away.
"Captain Hitsugaya. If possible, please freeze the fractured section of the tower."
For quick structural repair, an ice-type Zanpakutō was naturally the most suitable.
Hearing someone call out to him, Hitsugaya Tōshirō, who had been drowning in grief, slowly reacted.
He had believed he had steeled himself.
But seeing his best friend again at the final moment had shattered the icy barrier he had built around his heart.
"…Huh?"
Hitsugaya stood up, not having heard what Byakuya said at all.
But once he followed Byakuya's pointing finger, he immediately understood.
Drawing his blade, Hitsugaya murmured:
"Sit upon the frozen heavens… Hyōrinmaru."
What happened next stunned everyone present.
Not only did Hitsugaya's own Zanpakutō respond—
The purple Zanpakutō he was holding also began to glow.
As Hitsugaya poured Reiatsu into the blades, frigid air erupted outward.
Two ice dragons emerged—one from each sword.
However, the dragon from the purple blade was noticeably smaller and completely expressionless.
Without thinking further, Hitsugaya swung both blades toward the tower's fractured foundation.
A freezing roar echoed.
In a single instant, the entire damaged section of the Tower of Repentance was frozen solid for dozens of meters.
This far exceeded the power Hitsugaya had intended to use.
Originally, he had only planned to create an ice support pillar.
Instead—
The attack didn't merely create ice.
It froze the structure itself.
"Wow, Captain Shiro has gotten really strong."
A soft weight suddenly pressed against the back of Hitsugaya's head.
It was his Lieutenant, Rangiku Matsumoto.
Normally, she loved teasing Hitsugaya like this.
But the moment she touched him—
She instantly recoiled several meters backward.
Clutching her chest, Rangiku stared at him in shock.
Cold.
Too cold.
Since when had her adorable Captain become this freezing?
Hitsugaya exhaled slowly, and a cloud of icy breath escaped his mouth.
A thin layer of frost fell from his body.
It had been a long time since he had felt like this.
The last time had been during his childhood in the Rukongai, before receiving formal Shinigami training, when he had no idea how to control his own power.
Hitsugaya stared blankly at the second sword in his hand.
Aside from its color, the empty-shell Zanpakutō had completely transformed into another Hyōrinmaru.
No wonder—
When Hyōrinmaru first granted its power, it had split that power into two halves.
If all of it had been given to the young Hitsugaya at once—
His weaker self might have frozen to death.
"How does it feel?" Tsunayoshi asked as he walked over.
"Can you handle that power?"
It seemed Tsunayoshi's earlier guess had been correct.
Hitsugaya had always possessed only half of Hyōrinmaru's power.
From the way Hitsugaya casually invoked the blade just now, Tsunayoshi could already tell—
With two Hyōrinmaru, Hitsugaya now possessed the same battlefield-altering effect as Ryūjin Jakka, where the environment changed the moment the blade was drawn.
Of course, part of that was thanks to the spirit of the second Hyōrinmaru sacrificing itself earlier.
Otherwise, controlling the second blade wouldn't have been so simple.
And this was still the dual-blade state.
Tsunayoshi was already eager to see how powerful Hyōrinmaru would become once both blades were fully merged into one.
Holding the purple Zanpakutō forward, Hitsugaya said quietly:
"This power… is heavy."
"But I will master it."
"Because… it was his wish."
Tsunayoshi smiled.
As long as Hitsugaya hadn't fallen into despair, everything was fine.
For the foreseeable future, Hitsugaya would have more than enough to focus on—just mastering Hyōrinmaru alone would consume all his attention.
"Well done, Sawada Tsunayoshi ."
Leaning on his cane, Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto slowly approached.
Anyone unfamiliar with him might truly think he was just a frail old man.
"I thought you might cut your way in with Zanka no Tachi," Tsunayoshi joked.
The Royal Seal was indeed powerful, capable of influencing an entire region.
But it was still merely an artificial artifact—not something on the level of the Soul King.
Its power couldn't compare to the full strength of Tsunayoshi or Yamamoto.
If either of them fought seriously, the consequences could affect all of Soul Society.
"With you present, I had no reason to worry," Yamamoto replied calmly.
He then turned to Hitsugaya.
"Hitsugaya Tōshirō. When you report to Squad One tomorrow…"
"…remember to wear your Captain's haori."
After saying that, Yamamoto began to leave.
But after taking a few steps, he stopped.
"Use that power well."
"Do not waste his sacrifice."
Hitsugaya blinked in surprise.
He never expected the stern old man to say something like that.
Warmth filled his chest.
"Yes, Head Captain Yamamoto!"
Yamamoto's lips curved slightly.
That answer meant Hitsugaya had truly returned to the Gotei Thirteen.
Time passed.
Some time later—
Sawada Residence, Seireitei
That's right.
Tsunayoshi now owned a house in Soul Society.
Ironically, his first home wasn't in the Human World, but in the afterlife.
The house had been gifted to him by Yamamoto.
Given Tsunayoshi's strength and position within Soul Society, earning a residence inside Seireitei was more than reasonable.
It also served as a temporary base for Ichigo and the others when they visited.
After all, the Shiba Clan residence was located deep in the Rukongai, making travel to Seireitei inconvenient.
Just as Tsunayoshi returned home from work, hurried footsteps sounded outside.
The door slid open without ceremony.
Standing there was none other than Urahara Kisuke.
"What brings you here?" Tsunayoshi asked.
Urahara had recently secured a research lab next to Mayuri Kurotsuchi's within Squad Twelve.
The two geniuses spent most of their time competing with each other's inventions.
Seeing him show up here was unusual.
"I've heard an interesting rumor," Urahara said casually while pouring himself tea.
"A Shinigami died in the Rukongai."
"A Shinigami died?" Tsunayoshi frowned.
"That shouldn't involve you."
The Gotei Thirteen protected the entire Soul Society.
Occasionally losing a Shinigami in the Rukongai wasn't unheard of.
Besides—
Urahara wasn't even officially part of Squad Twelve anymore.
"Ah, but this death was rather strange," Urahara said with a sly smile.
"According to Squad Thirteen's report, the Shinigami died from a blade wound."
"No trace of Hollow Reiatsu was found."
"Not a Hollow attack… blade wounds…"
Tsunayoshi analyzed quickly.
"A skilled fighter in the Rukongai?"
"…No."
"The wound itself is suspicious."
"Exactly," Urahara said.
"The Shinigami's Zanpakutō was wind-type."
"And the wounds on his body look exactly like they were sliced by wind."
"Fine. Precise. Numerous."
By the time Urahara finished speaking, Tsunayoshi had already figured it out.
"You're saying…"
"He was killed by his own Zanpakutō."
"That's my guess," Urahara said.
"And combined with what you asked me to investigate earlier…"
"I suspect he has finally appeared."
Urahara covered half his face with his folding fan, his eyes gleaming.
"So?"
"When do we move?"
Tsunayoshi immediately stood up.
"If it really is him, we must secure him."
"He's crucial to Soul Society's next stage."
"Let's go."
"To Squad One."
Inside the First Division Headquarters.
"Sawada Tsunayoshi . Urahara Kisuke."
"I did not prepare dinner for you."
Yamamoto spoke calmly.
After spending enough time around Tsunayoshi, even the old Head Captain had learned to make the occasional joke.
"No time for dinner, Old Man."
"Shopkeeper and I are heading to the Rukongai."
"And when we come back…"
"You'd better hand over that sealed location."
Hearing this, Yamamoto's expression turned serious.
He had already seen Tsunayoshi's detailed Soul Society training plan.
He immediately understood what they were looking for.
"I see."
"This matter is too important for me to act personally."
"I leave it to you, Sawada Tsunayoshi ."
"Don't worry," Tsunayoshi replied casually.
"That thing will be very useful to me too."
He stretched out his hand.
"Since we're already here…"
"How about an exit permit?"
Technically, Tsunayoshi and Urahara could slip out of Seireitei anytime without being caught.
But with Yamamoto's authorization—
There was no need to sneak around.
Author Note (Arc Transition)
The Hyōrinmaru Movie Arc has now concluded.
In this version of the story, the second Hyōrinmaru was used to elevate Hyōrinmaru's lore and power significantly.
The next time Hitsugaya returns after training—
Hyōrinmaru will stand as the rightful strongest Ice-type Zanpakutō.
Next Arc: Zanpakutō Rebellion Arc (Zanpakutō Unknown Tales)
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