The storm had been coming for hours.
Not a sound thundered across the hills of Rukongai's outer edge. But to those attuned to spiritual energy, the silence was deafening. Pressure still lingered in the air like the final chime of a struck bell, the echo of Akira's Bankai rippling through the seams of Soul Society.
And it had been heard.
Aizen stood at the mouth of the cave, Kyōka Suigetsu in hand, his eyes glinting with a strategist's calm. Layers of illusion spread like spider silk across the terrain, bending light, muffling sound, falsifying reiryoku trails. Beside him, Akira emerged, wrapped in the still-settling aura of Bankai.
Gold and black threads of spiritual energy drifted around him like falling stars.
"They'll be here in minutes," Aizen said without turning.
Akira nodded. "I can feel them. A lot of them."
[SYSTEM ALERT: Hostile Forces Approaching – Estimate: 17 Units. Composition: Gotei 13 Patrol Divisions, Noble House Combat Teams. Alert Level: RED]
[ZHUOYIN BANKAI INTERFACE ACTIVE. Synchronization: 7%. Suggesting Combat Engagement Protocols.]
The ground trembled slightly. A ripple of pressure swept over the land as a scout patrol moved into formation.
From the treeline below, the first of the attackers emerged. Cloaked in regulation Shihakushō, they moved with trained precision, but their intent was unmistakable. Some bore emblems of noble houses. Others, more ominously, carried spiritual binders—devices designed for capturing fragment-bearers.
Akira narrowed his eyes.
"You set the traps?"
Aizen smiled faintly. "Always. But even illusions need time to work. We hold the mouth. Force a bottleneck. I mislead the forward team. You clear the path beyond."
Akira stepped forward, his hand falling to Zhuoyin's hilt.
"Time to see what this power can do."
The blade shimmered, then split.
Bankai: Zhuoyin no Kōmyō – Resonant Seal of Radiant Eclipse.
The ground beneath Akira split open with radiant force. A circle of dual-light symbols spiraled outward as the Bankai bloomed in full. Twin swords—one forged from condensed golden light, the other from liquid shadow—floated at his sides, then snapped into his grip.
His robes shifted, adorned now with radiant script and dark sigils dancing along the hems. His spiritual pressure no longer pulsed—it sang, a high and low harmony that pressed down on the land like a divine verdict.
[ZHUOYIN: Bankai Phase One - Initiate Light/Dark Spiral Execution]
The first wave of attackers lunged. Kidō spells illuminated the battlefield. Chains of light and shadow clashed midair.
Akira moved.
He vanished in a blur of motion. Not Shunpo. Something faster.
A crescent of golden light carved through the ground—four attackers were thrown back before their blades could rise. A second slash, shadow-born, followed from behind, severing restraints before they reached him.
Behind the illusion line, Aizen stepped through three enemies without ever raising his blade. Their eyes turned glassy as they turned on each other, tricked by Kyōka Suigetsu's perfect deception.
More forces surged forward. A noble commander barked orders, summoning a containment seal reinforced with forbidden Kidō. Golden chains spiraled toward Akira.
[ZHUOYIN: Warning - Reishi Density Elevated. Suggest: Radiant Dissonance Release]
Akira raised both blades.
The sky cracked.
A twin wave of radiant destruction poured forth. Light seared the air like a solar flare, while shadow bent the world like a collapsing void. Chains disintegrated mid-flight. The sealing field shattered.
The attackers stumbled, blinded, confused.
And Akira stepped through them, blades carving lines of silence across the battlefield.
Aizen met him at the far edge.
"They're retreating," he said, voice low. "Or regrouping. Either way, we can't linger."
[SYSTEM UPDATE: Combat Trial Complete. Bankai Integration: 7% → 11%.]
[Warning: Multiple Reiryoku Signatures Approaching. Estimated Power Levels: Captain-Class.]
Akira exhaled, lowering his blades.
"Then let's vanish. Again."
In the wake of golden and black flame, the brothers disappeared.
The scorched hills of Rukongai bore witness to the first use of Zhuoyin no Kōmyō.
And far across Seireitei, the world had begun to shift.