Bankai!

Gin Ichimaru and Kaien Shiba leapt onto the dueling platform from opposite ends, all eyes locked onto them.

Both had followed strikingly similar paths over the decades, often compared, discussed in the same breath. But today, at last, the question of who was stronger would be answered.

Lieutenant Sasakibe had already vacated the ring, leaving the wide arena to these two vice-captains.

Their acquaintance was superficial at best—a nod when passing, a polite greeting. Kaien had only truly witnessed Gin's strength during the last inter-division meet.

Kaien had considered speaking before the battle began, but this was no trivial match—it was a contest for the position of 3rd Division Captain. He feared any words might seem arrogant in hindsight.

"Lieutenant Ichimaru. I'll be in your care."

Gin nodded politely.

Shiiing—

Both men drew their Zanpakutō at the same time.

The watching crowd fell silent, not even a whisper; the air was tight as a drawn bow.

From the wide sleeves of his uniform, Gin raised his hand slightly, pointing his dagger-like blade at Kaien.

"Ikorose, Shinsō!"

The release phrase slipped from his lips, and the tiny blade shot outward, growing several meters in an instant, thrusting toward Kaien's chest like a silver lightning bolt.

Kaien didn't flinch. With a clear ting, he raised his blade horizontally, deflecting it.

"Bakudō #21: Sekienton!"

Boom!

Red smoke exploded beneath Kaien's feet, spreading rapidly outward and engulfing his figure.

Gin instantly retracted Shinsō, sharpening his focus.

Whoosh!

From the smoke, a massive fireball erupted, roaring straight toward him.

Unfazed, Gin flipped his blade and pointed it behind him.

Shing!

Shinsō shot backward in an instant—Kaien had flash-stepped to his rear, only to be forced back by the sudden counter.

Calmly, Gin raised his other hand. His Reiryoku surged.

"Bakudō #8: Seki!"

A glowing barrier shimmered to life just in time to block the fireball.

Whoosh!

Kaien swept in from the side, slashing again—but the now-shortened Shinsō easily intercepted the blow.

After a brief exchange, they both leapt apart, landing several meters away from one another.

Just from that short skirmish, each had taken the measure of the other's reflexes.

In terms of speed, they were equals.

Kaien rotated his Zanpakutō slowly in his hand, his breathing even and steady.

"Mizuten Gyakumaki, Narehana!"

Swish!

Water erupted at Kaien's feet, swirling upward as his blade twisted in his grasp. The sword transformed into a trident-like naginata, spiraling with flowing Reiryoku.

With his blade's release, Kaien's aura shifted. Water danced around him. The long weapon spun in one hand before stabbing into the ground. With a burst of energy, a razor-sharp wave carved through the arena floor, rushing at Gin.

Gin flash-stepped away just in time, the water crashing upward behind him. His silver form blurred within the spray, countering with a flash of Shinsō.

Kaien stepped back, spun his weapon, and conjured three spiraling water barriers in front of him. Shinsō's strike was caught by the final one, swirling currents gripping the blade tightly until Gin had no choice but to retract it.

Swoosh!

Kaien's movement left behind trailing rivulets. He swept his trident wide, launching compressed blades of water.

Gin sidestepped the first; the second came slicing diagonally.

White sleeves fluttered like moth wings as Gin whispered a Kidō chant beneath his breath:

"Bones of beasts scattered across the stars—"

Kaien turned mid-strike, water surging upward from nothing.

"—Thundering wheel, creaking spindle—"

But Gin finished first, abandoning the chant's incantation:

"Hadō #58: Tenran!"

A spiraling tempest tore through the mist, sweeping the steam aside. The blast shredded Kaien's robes, but Kaien raised walls of water in every direction to block the storm.

Six golden rods materialized around Gin, attempting to pin him.

But he vanished, reappearing mid-air like a ghost, eyes locked on Kaien.

Gin had planned to fire Shinsō again—until he recalled the water wall's grip from before.

In its Shikai state, Shinsō wasn't fast or strong enough to break through.

So instead, Gin leapt toward Kaien directly, weaving through crashing waves. Mist clung to his skin; his blade struck first.

Clang!

Narehana's trident pierced the fog, meeting Shinsō's hilt. The redirected blow shattered the arena floor beneath them into a web of cracks.

Splash!

Water erupted. Afterimages blurred—blades clashed in a rhythm of breathless strikes. Each of Shinsō's thrusts darted like a serpent's tongue, while Narehana's tide turned each space into an impregnable fortress.

Kaien finally caught a gap in Shinsō's retraction and lunged.

But Gin twisted his wrist, his blade slashing in a swift, crescent arc.

The strike halted Kaien's assault cold.

Any deeper, and it wouldn't have been just his uniform that tore.

"Hadō #33: Sōkatsui!"

Boom!

Blue flames exploded between them. Gin flash-stepped away, gaining precious distance.

Water rolled down both men's faces—sweat, or residue from the attacks, neither could tell.

The water Kaien's Zanpakutō had stirred made the temperature drop around the ring.

Beyond the arena, Tachikawa Shin sensed something. He glanced upward.

The once-clear sky had dimmed, and the wind howled louder.

Elsewhere, Hitsugaya Tōshirō looked skyward too, eyes narrowing in surprise.

This feeling... why did it seem so familiar?

Back in the arena, Gin and Kaien faced off again. Neither moved.

Kaien's lips curled into a faint smile.

"Seems we'll have to show our real strength."

Gin's heart stirred. He understood what those words meant.

Sure enough, Kaien drove his trident into the ground.

Boom!

His Reiatsu burst upward like a tidal wave. The shallow waters from earlier surged toward him, summoned by force of will.

"Bankai!"

Whirling torrents encased him in a massive blue sphere of water.

Moments later, it shattered.

His armor was now liquid—a dark blue cascade formed a suit of Reiryoku-infused plating. His lower body was wrapped in scale-patterned skirt-armor. The trident had vanished, replaced with a larger, fluid one, and behind him floated seven black orbs of water.

"Wazumi Narehana: Suigoku Hakkei!"

His eyes stared coldly ahead, water lifting him above the platform like a sea god made manifest.

The transformation stunned everyone. That Reiatsu was unmistakably Captain-class.

"This is… his Bankai…" Shin whispered, breath caught.

Kaien's usual cheerful demeanor was gone—replaced with divine menace.

Even the captains, including Shiba Isshin and Ukitake Jūshirō, were stunned. None had ever seen Kaien's Bankai before.

Gin's shock was no less intense. He had known Kaien possessed it—but seeing this with his own eyes sent a chill down his spine.

This was no bluff.

Kaien's trident arced forward, hurled with monstrous force.

Gin barely avoided it with a flash step. The impact struck the arena and exploded upward in a towering wave.

"Ichino: Kyōten Kyōmei!"

The spiraling wave locked onto Gin, chasing him like a sea dragon. It slammed down—he dodged again—then it rose and struck again, over and over. Each impact left a glowing water ring on the ground.

Gin noticed and avoided them.

He tried attacking Kaien, but the liquid armor was shockingly resilient.

Soon, the entire arena was covered in these water rings.

Something was wrong.

Suddenly, every ring burst upward into gigantic water pillars, each over ten meters tall.

The platform was a forest of water.

Even seated captains' eyes went wide.

But Kaien looked strained. His Reiatsu was draining rapidly. The cost of Bankai was steeper than he'd expected.

He had to end this fast.

One of the seven black water orbs behind him vanished.

"Nino: Muken Chōrō!"

He dismissed his armor, forged a new trident, and stepped into a water pillar.

Then it happened—Gin's blood ran cold.

Kaien's form appeared in every water pillar.

An illusion?

A trick?

But then—he felt it.

Pure instinct made him spin and block.

Boom!

The real trident slammed his dagger. The force launched Gin across the platform, blood spraying from his lips.

There was no flash step trail—Kaien had simply appeared behind him.

Could he really move freely between the pillars?

Gin staggered upright, wiping blood from his mouth.

He thought he'd heard something… looked briefly toward the crowd.

"…"

But he turned back.

This was Kaien's battlefield now.

He sighed.

Should he surrender?

…Or one more try?

He clenched Shinsō tightly.

Even Kaien couldn't be completely impervious. Not like Shin was.

Another splash—Kaien lunged from the nearest pillar.

Swish!

Gin had been ready. He dodged. Kaien vanished into the next pillar.

Now Gin was surrounded.

Which one?

Which direction?

His eyes scanned the mist—then he turned, blade aimed backward beneath his robe.

"Bankai—"

"Kamishini no Yari!"

A silver flash split the air, piercing multiple water pillars, shooting straight into the heavens.

Blood bloomed on Kaien's shoulder.

His massive trident fell, dissolving into water.

The cut was clean.

His shoulder split open—Kamishini no Yari had hit true.

Kaien grit his teeth and vanished into another pillar, his right arm now useless.

Another black orb behind him vanished.

Gin had no triumph in his face.

But then—he froze.

All around him, the towering water pillars began to coalesce, each one forging a three-meter-long trident.

All of them aimed at him.

"Sanno: Dankai Sanzaki!"

Third Form: Ocean-Splitting Tridents of Three Thousand!