BLEACH: SURVIVAL SYSTEM

After a brief moment of surprise, the captains quickly took their stances, preparing for battle.

Komamura Sajin, in particular, was immediately enraged by Akira's words.

"Haaaaa!"

Komamura roared in fury and lunged forward with all his might.

"Clang!"

Akira calmly drew his Zanpakutō, effortlessly parrying Komamura's attack. His expression remained composed, as if completely unfazed.

"I will kill you!" Komamura bellowed.

Akira sneered. "A mere loser dares to bark at me?"

A powerful surge of Reiatsu erupted from him, colliding with Komamura's blade. The sheer force sent shockwaves through the battlefield.

Komamura felt an overwhelming pressure crushing down on him—his blade, his body, his very spirit weighed down by Akira's immense spiritual power. In the next instant, he was sent hurtling backward, crashing into a wall nearly 100 meters away.

"Everyone, stay calm!" Kyoraku Shunsui called out. "We cannot take him on alone!"

There was a reason why Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto had insisted that at least four captain-class Shinigami be present when facing Akira. The old man knew that, in a one-on-one battle, no one but himself could stand against him.

Komamura groaned as he stood amidst the rubble, his expression dark. "I lost my temper… I apologize. No matter how angry I get, I can't afford to be reckless."

The brief exchange had been a humiliation. For a warrior whose strength lay in his brute force, to be overpowered in sheer strength—it was an unbearable disgrace.

Akira looked down on them, his tone dripping with condescension. "For once, I agree with you, Kyoraku Shunsui."

He smirked. "I suggest you go all out. Otherwise, it would be too pathetic if you died too quickly."

He raised a finger mockingly. "And remember—attack together. That way, I won't have to waste time hunting you down one by one."

"Don't be so arrogant!"

Kyoraku's expression darkened as he drew his Zanpakutō, his spiritual power surging.

"The winds whisper, the flowers lament, the heavens tremble, the demons sneer—Katen Kyōkotsu!"

Beside him, Jūshirō Ukitake immediately followed suit, releasing his own Zanpakutō.

"All waves, become my shield. All lightning, become my blade—Sōgyo no Kotowari!"

Meanwhile, Komamura and Ichimaru Gin took a step further, their spiritual pressure reaching its peak.

"Bankai—Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō!"

Behind Komamura, a massive black-armored warrior materialized. Its face was partially obscured by a red cloth, its towering form clad in heavy armor, with a thick black rope tied to its back.

"Bankai—Kamishini no Yari!"

Ichimaru Gin's presence became even more menacing as his blade extended in an instant, slicing through the air with enough force to rip apart the floors and nearby buildings. The battlefield around him turned into chaos.

Akira raised an eyebrow, watching the scene unfold. "Oh? Straight to Bankai right away…"

His gaze shifted between Kyoraku and Ukitake, quickly assessing the situation.

Kyoraku isn't holding back his Bankai because he underestimates me—it's because of Katen Kyōkotsu's nature.

His Shikai's games require a proper setup. If he jumps to Bankai too soon, he won't be able to maximize its effect.

But then Akira frowned slightly, his eyes narrowing as they landed on Ukitake.

"Compared to Kyoraku, why hasn't Jūshirō Ukitake activated his Bankai yet? That… concerns me."

Akira thought silently, "Could it be that his Bankai ability has the same prerequisites as Kyoraku Shunsui's?"

For Akira, the greatest threat among the four present was undoubtedly Jūshirō Ukitake. Unlike the others, whose abilities he had some understanding of, Ukitake's Bankai remained an enigma to him. This uncertainty made Ukitake the most dangerous opponent on the battlefield.

Still, Akira quickly formulated a strategy for the upcoming battle.

"Speaking of which, you haven't seen my Shikai, have you?" he said casually.

Hearing this, everyone except Ichimaru Gin was visibly taken aback.

"What? Isn't his Shikai Thunderbolt or the Sword of Light…?"

Jūshirō Ukitake frowned, his mind racing with questions. Despite his deep knowledge of Soul Society's strongest fighters, he couldn't grasp the true extent of Akira's abilities.

Akira wasn't just strong—his true terror lay in the fact that no one knew why he was so powerful. His strengths were an unfathomable mystery.

"Be careful," Kyoraku Shunsui warned, his voice grim. "He might just be bluffing."

"Bluffing?" Akira chuckled. "You'll just have to experience it for yourself."

With a slight smile, he turned his Zanpakutō, revealing a polished mirror-like blade.

"Upside down—Light Looks in the Mirror!"

The moment he uttered the Zanpakutō's true name, the atmosphere became charged with tension. Everyone instinctively raised their guard to the highest level.

But then—nothing happened.

A brief silence followed, as the onlookers hesitated in confusion.

Only Jūshirō Ukitake noticed something unusual. He caught a fleeting glance from Akira—and in that moment, he saw them.

A pair of crimson-red pupils.

"His eye color changed?" Jūshirō thought in shock. "Is this the ability of his Zanpakutō? Did anyone else notice…?"

Just as the thought crossed his mind, a deep, chilling sensation surged through his entire being, gripping his soul with an inexplicable terror.

"What… what's going on!?"

The enemy was still in front of him—he hadn't moved. So why did it feel like… death was right behind him?

Instinctively, he turned to assess his surroundings—only to see Kyoraku Shunsui and Komamura Sajin's eyes widen in horror. Their hands shot forward, reaching out to him—

"Pfft!"

A Zanpakutō plunged through Jūshirō Ukitake's chest.

"Cough… cough!"

Jūshirō froze in place, his breath hitching as blood spilled from his mouth. In disbelief, he turned his head—

Akira stood behind him, blade still buried deep in his back. A flawless, instantaneous strike.

"I'm sorry," Akira murmured, his voice cold. "But you must be the first to die."

"Ukitake!!"

Kyoraku Shunsui roared in fury as he and Komamura Sajin slashed their swords in unison—but the moment their blades should have struck Akira, he had already vanished.

"Not again!" Kyoraku gritted his teeth. "That damn speed—we can't even see him move!"

As Ukitake lay motionless in a growing pool of blood, Kyoraku and Komamura trembled with rage.

They hadn't expected it.

The battle had barely begun—

And Akira had already taken his first kill.

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