No Cheat in Bleach ? Watch me help Aizen then.-Chapter 105: Over Already? No, This Was Just the Warm-Up: Dual Bankai!

Chapter 105 - Over Already? No, This Was Just the Warm-Up: Dual Bankai!

"What an incredible ability..."

Amid the ruins of a street now beyond recognition, Kusajishi Yachiru gazed upward in awe at Higashi Shuuichi, whose presence had changed entirely.

In the distance, Kuchiki Ginrei stood midair, his Zanpakutō already released—shaped like a ceremonial staff with a dangling tassel. A gentle breeze extended from its tip, curling around Shuuichi, wrapping him softly like a silken shroud.

That breeze crept insidiously, warping Shuuichi's awareness—gradually disarming his alertness, lulling him into a trance of pleasure, relaxation... leading him closer to death.

Had Shuuichi's Bankai not been a passive activation type, Ginrei would've struck already. But since it was, he had allowed Kenpachi to wear him down slowly.

And the plan had worked—though there was a brief moment where Shuuichi's sheer willpower seemed to break through the illusion, it passed quickly. The cycle resumed. He was once again prey being chased by Kenpachi's hungry blade.

"I admit your reiatsu exceeds my expectations, your strength even surpasses many captains," Ginrei murmured coldly, "but it's a pity. You've chosen the wrong path, Higashi Shuuichi. Death... and Hell—that is your proper end."

As one of the Five Great Noble Houses' heads, Ginrei knew of Hell—and that Shinigami who reached Shuuichi's level of spiritual power were almost guaranteed to be condemned there. Few ever returned to spirit particles.

But something shifted. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ

Hadō #4: Wind-enhanced Byakurai.

An unseen bolt pierced Ginrei's abdomen. The paralysis robbed him of shunpo.

And that meant he couldn't evade the next spell: Hadō #88: Fire-enhanced Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō.

The explosion tore through the sky.

Ginrei's eyes widened. Shuuichi stood opposite him, his body drenched in blood, gasping, his reiatsu flaring chaotically from exhaustion. Hollow howls echoed faintly beneath his mask.

But the reason Shuuichi looked like this—

Was because he'd deactivated his Bankai.

"So you released Bankai just to return to Shikai and break free? I underestimated your wit... and your resolve, Higashi Shuuichi."

Ginrei instantly understood. That blade in Shuuichi's hand, now back in its Shikai form—he remembered its abilities well.

Shuuichi had used his Reishi clones' perspective—not affected by Ginrei's hypnosis—to break the cognitive illusion.

Ginrei's Shikai didn't alter memory—it only subtly steered perception, nudging the subconscious to ignore things. But the sensory input from Shuuichi's Reishi clones bypassed that trick.

It sounded simple, but in battle? To deactivate one's own Bankai—abandoning power—just to risk death from Kenpachi, all for a possible solution?

That took guts. And Ginrei respected that.

But...

"So what, Shuuichi? Can't maintain your Bankai? Not enough! Not enough!! Give me more!!"

Zaraki's eyes gleamed. Shuuichi's reversion to Shikai was unacceptable. He didn't even wait for a reply—he charged, blade raised, craving more blood.

Hypocrite, Shuuichi thought. You're smiling like a child.

Now fully aware of the illusion, he looked around and finally understood: this had been a mind trap, not unlike Kyōka Suigetsu.

Such abilities were rare among Zanpakutō, but not exclusive to Aizen. Even Hirako Shinji, ex-Captain of Squad 5, had wielded a mind-bending Zanpakutō arguably worse.

"Disgusting power... not deadly, but damn infuriating."

He'd stepped right into it.

No wonder no one knew Ginrei's release power—not something you'd reveal in combat unless you had to.

But now Shuuichi knew.

And his own Zanpakutō's ability countered it perfectly. He just needed the Reishi clones to remain his eyes.

And Bankai doesn't prevent the use of constructs made in Shikai—only suppresses their creation.

"Alright, Kenpachi. As you wish...

Root of Warcraft—Bankai! Kuru-niku (False Flesh Strategy)!"

Kenpachi's joy exploded.

"YES!! That's what I'm talking about! You're the one I chose! Come—again!"

He had feared Ginrei's interference would end this precious battle early. But no—this was far from over.

From afar, Ginrei, still being harassed by Shuuichi's Reishi constructs and kidō barrages, heard the unfamiliar release chant and immediately grew uneasy.

Usually, when you had a bad feeling in battle—it wasn't just a feeling.

Reiatsu surged.

A single leak of power gouged a crater in the ground.

Kenpachi approached, roaring. Shuuichi raised his blade.

Fuzan.

The air stilled.

Even time seemed to pause.

Then—collapse.

Buildings in the distance crumbled like dominos.

Kenpachi stood... nearly cleaved in half, surviving only through sheer willpower.

Still alive.

Barely.

Just one more Byakurai would do it.

But—

Shuuichi hesitated.

Because Kuchiki Ginrei had...

Unleashed his Bankai.

"Howling Wind That Walks Beside Me Always—Bankai, Kamikaze."

A black wind swirled around Ginrei like a physical force. Just witnessing it from afar crushed the heart.

The Reishi clones collapsed under its presence, trembling, fading from existence.

That wasn't the reason Shuuichi held back, though.

No.

The silver-haired man who stepped between him and Zaraki was.

"They say you used to be gentle, Shuuichi. Someone who dreamed of becoming a captain to shield others. Have you forgotten who you were?"

"Ukitake-taichō... I've never once forgotten.

It's Central 46 who denied my existence."

His voice trembled. His pain was real.

"There's still hope," Jūshirō Ukitake said. "They think all Vizards lose their minds, turn into monsters. But you're proof it isn't true. You're rational. You can—"

"Do you really believe that?" Shuuichi asked, gaze sharp.

Ukitake went silent.

Because he knew—it wasn't likely. Not in this Seireitei.

Then, another presence arrived.

Ikkaku Madarame's replacement, 1st Division's vice-captain: Sasakibe Chōjirō.

"Higashi Shuuichi! You're surrounded! Surrender peacefully!"

Shuuichi laughed.

"If you want me to surrender...

defeat me.

Or kill me.

Those are your only two options."

"Foolish brat..."

Maybe it was the provocation. Maybe it was a flicker of overconfidence.

Ginrei used shunpo, appearing before Shuuichi.

His blade and the black wind tore forward.

Shuuichi parried. Easily.

But when he went to counterstrike—his arm shook uncontrollably.

Heavy.

Like a mountain sat on his joints.

Another ability.

"Bakudō #61: Rikujōkōrō!"

Six rods of light shot forth—but the black wind swirled, scattering them before they could bind Ginrei.

And in the window created by casting kidō—

Ginrei's sword reached Shuuichi.

"Sink into the abyss—Yūgoku Kamikaze!"

The black wind enveloped him, crushing in from every direction. Pressure. Terror.

Mind slowing.

He fell from the sky.

Ukitake watched the plummet in silence.

Soi Fon, nearly dead. Kenpachi, broken. Seireitei in ruins.

And all from a vice-captain.

"If only he hadn't Hollowfied...

He could've been a great captain."

So thought Ukitake.

Now, only Urahara Kisuke, Tessai Tsukabishi, and Yoruichi Shihōin remained.

He remembered her fondly—the feline woman who used to lounge in cat form across Soul Society.

Now he would have to help bring her down.

That would hurt.

He knew Kuchiki Ginrei's Bankai.

It was death to the unprepared.

Shuuichi managing to break his Shikai illusion had been remarkable.

But Bankai?

Ukitake had never seen anyone escape it.

And as he turned to tend to Kenpachi, and Sasakibe advanced to deliver the finishing blow—

From within the black whirlwind—

A whisper.

"Bankai—Blooming from the Tree."

At that moment, far away in Hell, Ikeda Kōsuke, locked in battle with ancient Gillians, felt a violent tug at his soul.

This time it wasn't the seal on his body.

It was worse.

"That damn Shinigami brat... he's stealing from ME?!"

His Zanpakutō vanished from his hand.

And in Soul Society—

Hell itself screamed.

Wailing shadows, shrieking and mad, wrapped around Shuuichi's broken frame.

Even the black wind of Kamikaze could not consume them.

Ginrei. Sasakibe. Ukitake. Yachiru. Even Kenpachi—still barely conscious—all stared in disbelief.

From the wreckage...

Higashi Shuuichi stood.

"Himei of Jigoku... Flames of Sin...

Endless Pain, Eternal Fate...

Dual Bankai: Wicked Spirits Cling!"