Chapter Sixteen: Outburst

“You want me to die carrying this power with me?” It was as if Ichino Tadashun had uttered something utterly absurd, for Nagatsuro couldn’t help but grin. Yet the smile that spread across his face was as cold as ice.

“I think it would suit you better to carry your arrogance straight to hell, Ichino Tadashun.”

“Heh heh… heh heh heh… hahahahaha!” Throwing his head back in mad laughter, Tadashun radiated a wild, unrestrained energy.

“Interesting, interesting, you—”
“You’re truly fascinating!”
“You’re the first who’s ever dared tell me to go to hell. If you can say it, you’d better be able to follow through.”
“Don’t disappoint me, Captain Nagatsuro!”
“As it happens, I have no intention of holding back either.”

It wasn’t that he deliberately hid his strength; it was simply that one must always proceed with caution in life. This was Nagatsuro’s principle. Not that he distrusted others, but to reveal one’s full strength was to invite unnecessary trouble. Exaggerated though it might sound, Nagatsuro had always lived by this rule—habitually concealing a portion of his power, only to unleash it when absolutely necessary.

This wasn’t quite one of those “absolutely necessary” moments. Yet deep inside, a voice screamed relentlessly—

You cannot lose. Absolutely cannot lose!
Even if it means wagering every ounce of your strength.

A crackling sound echoed, as if the thunderous blade Yan Lingmaru responded to Nagatsuro’s inner resolve, its lightning flaring even more fiercely.

“Thunder Flash.”

Sensing danger, Tadashun instinctively stepped back—just in time to avoid having Nagatsuro carve a wound across his abdomen.

‘His speed has increased—’
With a deft twist, Nagatsuro altered his grip, and as Tadashun faltered, he thrust toward his opponent’s face.

“Ugh!” Tadashun hurriedly raised his own sword to block Yan Lingmaru, but the black flames once again began to creep along the blade.

“Yan Ling—Thunder Burst!”

At point-blank range, the explosion was deafening.

Nagatsuro could even smell the blood seeping from the wounds torn open by the blast.

It wasn’t that Nagatsuro’s power had suddenly surged; survival was his foremost concern in a world teeming with formidable foes. Thus, Shunpo and evasive Kidō became his go-to techniques. Tadashun’s underestimation of him had allowed Nagatsuro’s chain of attacks to succeed so brilliantly.

“I see—this power shouldn’t be underestimated…” Tadashun emerged from the smoke, blood streaming down his face, his smile twisted and fierce, his steps unwavering.

“But that attack won’t succeed a second time.”

Nagatsuro raised an eyebrow at Tadashun’s words, dismissing them with a sneer. They were no different from the arrogant boasts made by a certain Sōsuke Aizen when fighting Ichigo.

So, Nagatsuro decided to give Tadashun a taste of Ichigo’s own retort.

“Is that so? Then tell me—”
Nagatsuro appeared behind Tadashun, and with all his might swung Yan Lingmaru at his neck.

“What would you call it if this so-called ‘second time’ were to succeed?”

The clash of steel rang out.

“What—”
Nagatsuro’s expression darkened—the blow had been blocked.

“I said, it won’t work a second time.”

The difference in their strength was overwhelming. Tadashun seized Nagatsuro and flung him aside with ease.

“Tch… what brute strength…”

Nagatsuro righted himself in midair, landing safely, jaw clenched in frustration.

All he had to rely on were Shunpo and Thunder Burst, but the disparity between their power was simply too vast. Shunpo could not bridge that gap, and he’d already used Thunder Burst once; even Tadashun wouldn’t be foolish enough to risk a close-range confrontation again.

Or so Nagatsuro thought—but he had clearly overestimated Tadashun’s intelligence.

“Raaagh!”
Without hesitation for the threat of another Thunder Burst, Tadashun swung his Blazing Chaos blade directly at Yan Lingmaru.

‘He’s not even aiming for me, but for my sword…’

Nagatsuro couldn’t fathom Tadashun’s strategy, but there was no time to think. The man’s monstrous strength pinned Yan Lingmaru to the ground, nearly toppling Nagatsuro along with it.

With a stomp, Tadashun pinned the supple blade, then raised his own sword and brought it crashing down toward Nagatsuro’s shoulder.

“Gh!” With a desperate upward wrench, Nagatsuro managed to yank his sword free, barely deflecting the blow.

It was thanks to Yan Lingmaru’s flexible, Western-style blade that he could pull it from the yielding earth; had it been a rigid katana, that strike would have ended the battle then and there.

Yet he couldn’t fully block the attack, and once again, Nagatsuro was forced to unleash Thunder Burst, even at the cost of suffering some injury himself.

‘Better that than being cleaved in two by this beast…’

The shockwave from the explosion hurled him beyond Tadashun’s reach, and Nagatsuro consoled himself inwardly.

“Haah…”
“!”

A deep, satisfied exhale—like the groan of weary muscles after a soothing massage—Tadashun’s voice grated on Nagatsuro’s nerves.

“It’s been ages since I’ve been wounded like this…”

He wiped the blood from his face and flung it to the ground, leaving a vivid crimson mark on the soft earth.

“You truly are a rare opponent.”

“Hey, you maniac, aren’t you Third Seat of the First Division? Don’t you have plenty of duties to attend to?”

Nagatsuro was loath to prolong a pointless and perilous fight, so he tried to force Tadashun away with reminders of his responsibilities.

“Ah? Third Seat? That’s nothing to worry about.”

Tadashun flung his sword aside with bravado and once more assumed an eager stance, his grin wolfish.

“Someone like you wouldn’t be bound by such trivialities either, would you?”

Captain Yasuda! Hurry up and come drag this lunatic back! Doesn’t anyone care that their division’s Third Seat has vanished? Isn’t that worth looking into???

Nagatsuro was on the verge of tears.

“Enough dawdling—this kind of heated battle…”
With a sudden burst, Tadashun shot toward Nagatsuro like a bullet.

“Shouldn’t be kept waiting!!”

“Damn you…” Nagatsuro stretched out his hand, pointing at Tadashun. “Binding Spell Number Four—Restrain!”

A rope of spiritual energy shot forth. Tadashun deftly dodged the main attack, but the cord managed to ensnare his sword.

“Think Kidō will help you?”

Blazing Chaos’s black flames began to creep along the rope, devouring its energy and converting it into Tadashun’s own spiritual pressure.

“Chariot of thunder, gap of the spinning wheel—split this light into six!”

Ignoring Tadashun’s taunt, Nagatsuro pressed his fingers together and began a chant.

“Th-this is…”

Having served in the Thirteen Court Guard Squads for years, Ichino Tadashun recognized the incantation instantly. What shocked him was finding himself at a disadvantage in battle, hampered by Kidō he’d always scorned.

“Binding Spell Number Sixty-One—Six-Rod Light Prison.”

Six thin, luminous rods snapped into place, binding Tadashun tightly and sealing his movements completely.

“The first time using it, I can’t control the effect well…”

Nagatsuro changed his hand’s configuration, red light gathering at his fingertips.

“If I end up hurting you badly, consider it an accident.”