Enlightenment Beneath the Bodhi Tree

THIS IS NOT A REPEAT CHAPTER.

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Within Seireitei—

As a member of the Gotei 13, and more so as a captain, the number of strict regulations one needed to follow was relatively few.

After all, the original Gotei 13 had been a ruthless assassination force.

Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, a living relic of the past and the founder of the organization, understood this better than anyone.

Blades that were shackled could never reach their full potential.

True strength required both discipline and freedom.

However—

Even for someone as lenient as Yamamoto, there was one law that remained absolute throughout the ages.

"No Bankai shall be unleashed within Seireitei."

This was not merely to prevent excessive destruction.

It was because—

Every single Bankai ever known had the power to change Seireitei itself.

At this very moment—within the battlefield of their clash—

A hundred-meter radius had already begun collapsing.

Bricks, stone walls, structures—

Every physical thing was disintegrating, crumbling into reishi fragments.

As if devoured, stolen away—drawn toward the two figures standing at the center of it all.

This was no mere duel.

It was a battle of souls.

A battle where instinct and essence clashed, where raw spiritual pressure shaped the very world around them.

A Bankai was more than just a technique.

It was a natural disaster given form.

A force so overwhelming that even Seireitei itself could not withstand its presence for long.

Kiganjō's battle in the past had left scars upon this land—

Yet this battle…

This scale…

This level of destruction…

Far surpassed it.

Because the very nature of Kensei Muguruma's Bankai made it uniquely lethal.

"A wind-based Zanpakutō…"

Aizen mused aloud, watching from afar.

He tilted his head slightly, gazing at the sky.

The once-bright moon was now completely shrouded by rolling black clouds.

How fitting.

No elegance. No subtlety.

Brutal. Wild.

A storm given will and purpose, raging without restraint.

"How terrifying."

And yet—

How will you respond, Seiya?

Aren't you excited?

—

Tekkensu Kazeshini.

His Zanpakutō had vanished—

Replaced by twin serrated daggers clutched tightly in each fist.

Chains coiled around his arms like armor—

Interwoven, winding together like a living entity.

His breath, his very presence, now carried a weight that distorted the air itself.

With every inhale, every exhale—

The wind itself howled in sync with him.

The ground beneath him split apart.

Invisible razor-edged winds spiraled outward—

Unrelenting. Unstoppable.

Just the passive effect of his Bankai was enough to shred the battlefield.

This was the power of a Captain's Bankai.

A tenfold amplification of destruction.

Faced with this storm, Seiya could only smirk softly.

So this is Kensei's full power…

Fascinating.

Sure, he had read about it before.

But reading and experiencing were two very different things.

"Oi."

Kensei's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

His grin was cocky—his stance, unshakable.

"You just released something too, didn't you?"

"But you're not attacking?"

"You just gonna stand there and think?"

Was it taunting?

A tactical probe?

Seiya only needed a moment to find his answer.

No.

Kensei was testing him.

After all—

His Bankai had no visible form.

No sword. No weapon.

Just empty hands.

An impossible sight for any experienced warrior.

That kind of unknown bred caution.

Meanwhile—

Seiya already knew everything about Kensei's ability.

Tekkensu Kazeshini.

A transformation of his Shikai, Kazeshini.

"In Bankai, every strike injects explosive force into the target."

"Upon impact, the energy surges inside, detonating from within."

Yeah…

I'd rather not get punched by that.

He took a step forward, lifting his hand slightly.

"Getting hit by that would probably hurt, huh?"

—

The air froze.

And in the very next instant—

Kensei was already there.

He moved so fast it was like he had simply teleported.

His right fist was already swinging.

The air itself twisted, dragged along with the momentum of his strike.

There was no time to dodge.

No time to block.

A direct hit.

"Still wondering?"

Kensei's smirk widened.

"Then let your body be the judge!"

—

The explosion erupted.

A storm of white energy engulfed the battlefield.

The earth split apart beneath them.

The force of the blast tore the land asunder.

Brick. Stone. Sand.

All of it was caught in the cyclone of destruction.

It was all reduced to nothing.

Not a single speck remained.

—

Kensei exhaled, muscles still tensed.

He had felt it.

The impact.

His fist had connected.

That was a clean hit.

So why—

Why was the spiritual pressure still there?

Still steady.

Still untouched.

Kensei's gut twisted.

Slowly, he turned his gaze.

From the smoking crater, two identical figures emerged.

One took a step forward.

"Damn, you really don't hold back, huh?"

The other cracked his knuckles.

"If I was a bit slower, I'd be in pieces right now."

They moved in perfect sync.

Like mirrored reflections, yet completely independent.

A strange, unnatural disconnect.

Kensei's brows furrowed.

He clicked his tongue.

"Tch. If you're gonna run your mouth, at least show your damn face."

His hands flexed, fists tightening.

"And enough with that voice filter bullshit."

"Are you a guy or a girl?"

Seiya—both of them—laughed softly.

"Does it really matter?"

Kensei scowled.

…No.

What matters is that you're strong.

If his Bankai wasn't enough—

Then he would simply use more power.

With a slow inhale, he loosened his shoulders.

"Alright, last chance."

"You surrender now, I'll consider going easy on you."

Silence.

And then—

"Sorry, no can do."

Kensei smirked.

"Yeah… figured."

His reiatsu exploded.

A storm of force sent shockwaves across the battlefield.

In the distance, Tōsen flinched.

"This spiritual pressure…"

"It's like the entire Seireitei is shaking."

Aizen's lips curled.

"A beautiful display, don't you think?"

Kensei's voice roared into the heavens—

"BANKAI!"

"TEKKENSU KAZESHINI!"

—

From the shadows, Seiya exhaled.

"Man… all that information I just gathered?"

"Completely useless now."

A voice rumbled in his mind.

"Then perhaps it's time to stop holding back, don't you think?"

Seiya chuckled softly.

"Yeah… I guess you're right."

Slowly—deliberately—

He reversed his grip on his sword.

The chains around his wrist shattered, dissolving into pale blue light.

And then, his voice came—soft, steady.

"Bankai."

"Sāgara Ryū: Ikka."

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Powerstones?

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