Even though Kariya Jin's injuries had recovered under the dual restoration of Reishi and Hollowfication's regenerative power, a charred scar left by Engetsu was permanently etched onto his chest.
The several blood holes previously pierced by Shinsō were merely scabbed over, indicating that the healing abilities granted by Hollowfication and Reishi absorption couldn't fully exempt him from the damage inflicted by two Squad Captain-level individuals.
"Getsuga..."
Just as Shiba Isshin was about to press his advantage, Ichimaru Gin appeared in front of him, reaching out to grasp Engetsu's hilt.
"Shiba Captain, I'll be the one to kill this man!"
Shiba Isshin was momentarily stunned by the words, then immediately recalled Matsumoto Rangiku lying in the infirmary, and gave Ichimaru Gin a knowing look:
"How manly, Ichimaru Captain! Avenging the woman you love, that's so cool. I wish I had such an opportunity!"
Shiba Isshin decisively sheathed his sword, crossed his arms, and stood to the side, intending to watch the battle, playfully teasing Ichimaru Gin with a mischievous expression.
Ichimaru Gin glanced at Shiba Isshin, then revealed his signature foxy smile:
"Annoying. If it ever comes to your turn, you'll regret it!"
"How dare you two ignore me?"
Kariya Jin, witnessing Ichimaru Gin and Shiba Isshin not even teaming up against him, was already annoyed.
But they even ignored him, chatting right in front of him, instantly enraging him.
"Since that's the case, I'll defeat you one by one!"
"Barrier Seal, activate!"
As Kariya Jin roared, a surge of powerful spiritual pressure suddenly rose from where the Barrier Seal was located at the foot of the mountain, forming a perfectly spherical ball of Reishi that completely enveloped Kariya Jin and Ichimaru Gin.
The next moment, the Reishi ball formed by the Barrier Seal began to exhibit wind, fire, and lightning attributes, and was rapidly shrinking at a visible pace, strangling Ichimaru Gin within its confines.
"My Barrier Seal has the effect of isolating spiritual pressure. That Captain outside won't be able to break through for a while. Don't expect him to save you. Just quietly accept your death!"
Kariya Jin stared at Ichimaru Gin with a cold expression, intending to kill him here and now.
"Oh, I was still wondering how to do this discreetly, but I didn't expect you to actively create the conditions for me. Thank you!"
Ichimaru Gin carefully examined this spherical barrier named Barrier Seal. After confirming that it indeed had the effect of isolating spiritual pressure and that the outside world could not perceive anything within it, he no longer hesitated.
"Bankai—Shinsō!"
"Whoosh!"
Another white arc of light pierced through Kariya Jin's chest.
"It's useless. That move of yours can't kill me!"
Kariya Jin seemed to have grown accustomed to being stabbed by Ichimaru Gin's Shinsō, showing no concern at all about this strike.
"Is that so?"
However, Ichimaru Gin gave him a disdainful look, as if looking at a dead man.
"You..."
When Kariya Jin realized something was wrong, he looked down and suddenly discovered that a large hole had been dissolved in his chest, and both Reishi restoration and Hollowfication's regenerative power had mysteriously failed.
"What's going on!"
At this moment, Ichimaru Gin returned to his usual squint-eyed state, raising his Zanpakuto, which had become only dagger-length.
"My sword carries a potent poison that can dissolve all things. When I stabbed you just now, I left a part of the blade inside your body. Of course, to deal with your level of recovery, only a tiny, invisible, nano-sized speck is enough."
"Go to hell, carrying my apology to Rangiku!"
Ichimaru Gin took one last look at Kariya Jin, who was rapidly dissolving, then instantly released his Bankai, shooting Shinsō through the Barrier Seal, which was about to collapse due to the loss of its caster.
"Damn it!! Don't get cocky, Shinigami! As soon as I die, all the Barrier Seals in Soul Society will be detonated. With the current number of Barrier Seals, half of Soul Society will cease to exist!"
"Be destroyed, Soul Society!"
In his final moments before defeat, Kariya Jin was still cursing Soul Society. Unfortunately, things did not go as he wished; after he was completely dissolved by Shinsō's venom, the massive explosion of Soul Society he anticipated did not occur.
The reason was simple: all Barrier Seals had already been completely removed by the Shinigami. His fervent desire to destroy Soul Society was ultimately nothing more than a ridiculous dream.
Almost at the same time Kariya Jin was killed, Koga Go, who was inciting a mob of rioters in Rukongai, encountered a lost Zaraki Kenpachi in Rukongai's North District 80.
"Bang bang bang!"
Countless iron beads, carrying terrifying power, smashed towards Zaraki Kenpachi from all directions, but Zaraki Kenpachi neither dodged nor flinched, allowing these iron bead projectiles to strike his body.
Zaraki Kenpachi, however, grinned like a raging beast, charging violently towards the Iron Woman's main body, and unleashed a furious barrage of slashes upon her!
"Clang!"
"Clang!"
"Clang!"
"You think you can... No, this is impossible!"
The Iron Woman was initially very confident in the hardness of her body, but she quickly realized something was wrong.
At first, she could still withstand these slashes with her own hardness, but as Zaraki Kenpachi's slashing speed increased and his power grew, she horrifyingly discovered that her steel body was being cut into pieces like tofu by this madman.
Seeing his indestructible Iron Woman doll being cut into fragments by the eye-patched man in front of him, Koga Go's eyes widened in fury.
"Go!"
The Iron Woman doll, now reduced to parts, took one last look at Koga Go, using her remaining strength. She transformed her shattered remains into a gigantic black axe, for she knew her master's battle was not yet over.
Picking up the giant axe that the Iron Woman had transformed into upon her death, Koga Go, with a death wish, charged towards Zaraki Kenpachi.
"Come on, now this is interesting!"
Zaraki Kenpachi grinned, looking at Koga Go, who was holding the giant axe, and directly engaged him in battle.
"Pfft!"
With just one strike, Koga Go was slashed in the abdomen by Zaraki Kenpachi, but the next moment, the wound slowly healed amidst a surge of Reishi nourishment.
"I love things that are durable!"
Seeing this, Zaraki Kenpachi was not surprised but delighted, and his slashing speed surged once again. He raised his sword and cleaved horizontally, directly beheading Koga Go with a single strike.
In an instant, blood splattered, and the head flew high.
Zaraki Kenpachi waited for a long time before slowly uttering a sentence:
"What the heck, so if the neck is severed, it can't recover. I should have known not to cut the head!"
...
In front of the Twelfth Division barracks.
Sawatari, a Bount who always appeared as an old man, was engaged in battle with Mayuri Kurotsuchi, the Captain of the Twelfth Division.
"Whoosh!"
The giant whale doll, entirely composed of rock, treated Seireitei's ground and walls as the ocean, constantly swimming through them.
Taking advantage of Mayuri Kurotsuchi's momentary lapse in reaction, it suddenly burst out from underground and bit Mayuri Kurotsuchi, directly biting off half of his body.
However, with the injection of a flesh-replenishing agent, Mayuri Kurotsuchi instantly recovered, while the giant rock whale, which had eaten half of Mayuri Kurotsuchi's body, convulsed and burst out from the ground.
"Your flesh... is poisonous!"
Just as Sawatari was in mid-sentence, Mayuri Kurotsuchi had already quietly appeared behind him, and the Ashisogi Jizō pierced directly through his back and out his chest!
Ukishi, a Bount who manipulated card dolls to change terrain and set traps, encountered Komamura Sajin somewhere in Seireitei and was crushed into a bloody pulp by Tenken's overwhelming power.
Mashiba, a Bount with excellent physical combat skills using a parasitic doll, was killed instantly in close combat with Soi Fon when he was pierced by Suzumebachi's second-level killing blow!
By this point, all the Bounts who had invaded Soul Society were now dead.
And the more than a hundred Barrier Seals they had set up as bombs were jointly removed by the Shinigami Captains, with Aizen Sōsuke alone dispelling more than half of them!
Thus, the Bounts' revenge plan was completely shattered. Their desperate counterattack only caused a small ripple in Soul Society, like a stone skipping across a vast ocean, returning to calm moments later.
However, Kurosaki Hiro's plan was perfectly achieved; he had now successfully entered the Wandenreich!
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