Chapter Twenty-Five: Standing Alone to Intercept

"You arrived much sooner than I expected, Soul Reaper."
Reis gazed down at Nagatsurou, who now stood alone before more than a thousand Hollows, his eyes glinting with a trace of mockery.
"Still, to think you emerged from Hueco Mundo itself—now that is interesting..."
Tap.
A thunderous crash echoed as Nagatsurou landed, lifting his gaze to the airborne Reis. Suddenly, a colossal pillar of lightning descended from the stormy clouds behind him. The great bolt then split into a dozen slender shafts, striking the earth and forming an even more imposing curtain of lightning at his back.
"Oh?"
Reis watched the lightning with keen interest, clearly sensing the immense spiritual pressure emanating from the thickest bolt.
"Do you imagine you can stand alone against our force of over eleven hundred Hollows? Your arrogance knows no bounds, Soul Reaper."
Raising his hand, Reis beckoned Nagatsurou with a crooked finger.
"Kill him."
A cacophony of roars erupted as over a dozen ordinary Hollows lunged at Nagatsurou, jaws agape in frenzy.
Crackle.
Nagatsurou extended a finger; familiar arcs of lightning danced playfully at his fingertip.
Thunder crashed as three lightning pillars merged, forming a single massive bolt that struck the charging Hollows, reducing them instantly to charred husks.
"You don’t think sending a few worthless minions is enough to match my Bankai, do you, Reis?"
Nagatsurou lifted his head, his voice cold as he looked up at Reis, who hovered above him.
"Heh, so you even know my name. Clearly, you’re no ordinary Soul Reaper. Very well, let’s enjoy ourselves a little before the Soul Society is annihilated."
Reis spread his claws, and several Adjuchas gathered before him, clearly preparing to personally dispose of the impudent Soul Reaper.
A sizzle filled the air as five Adjuchas simultaneously opened their jaws, each gathering a massive orb of energy.
"Cero!"
Nagatsurou’s eyes widened in surprise. He had no fear of facing five Adjuchas alone, but five Cerōs at once was more than he had anticipated.
A deafening blast ensued as five Cerōs struck the ground where Nagatsurou stood. The explosion was so fierce that the entire seventy-ninth district trembled. Even the curtain of lightning behind Nagatsurou dissipated, though the roiling clouds above remained unbroken.

A sharp crack resounded as a rift opened in the air behind Reis. In the next instant, Nagatsurou emerged from the black cavity, sword raised high, slashing down toward Reis’s head.
With barely a glance, Reis caught Nagatsurou’s wrist, then hurled him down at his feet before pressing a clawed hand to Nagatsurou’s abdomen.
He had expected to finish the white-haired Soul Reaper with a Cero at close range, but was caught off guard as he noticed the tip of Nagatsurou’s Western blade connected by a slender thread of lightning to the storm above.
A thunderclap followed—the lightning fell with such speed that even Reis, powerful as he was, could not evade it.
At that moment, Nagatsurou kicked Reis’s shoulder. Stung by pain, Reis’s grip loosened instinctively, and Nagatsurou took the chance to slip away. The lightning struck Reis, engulfing his form in a golden column.
"Lord Reis!"
At last, the five Adjuchas reacted, turning just in time to see Reis disappear within the lightning.
"You bastard... what did you do to Lord Reis?!"
One of the Adjuchas, hawk-like in form, spread its wings and prepared to charge at Nagatsurou, who had his back turned.
"Stop!!"
A furious shout rang from within the haze before Nagatsurou could turn to defend himself—it was Reis.
The hawk-shaped Adjuchas froze abruptly in midair, halting its attack.
"Did I give you permission to act, Prolid?"
As the smoke cleared, Reis tilted his head slightly, fixing the hawk-like Adjuchas with a cold stare. "Stand down."
"Lord Reis..."
Prolid started to protest, but when Reis’s icy gaze fell upon him, he thought better of it and withdrew in silence.
"Well done, Soul Reaper."
Reis turned to Nagatsurou, his body utterly unscathed; even the sudden assault from Nagatsurou’s Bankai had left him unharmed.
"Tell me your name."
"The right hand of the House of Slash, Nagatsurou Suzume."
"Nagatsurou Suzume, is it? I see..."
Reis stared at Nagatsurou, unblinking, as if there was something peculiar about him.
"You are only the second Soul Reaper whose name I will remember. Do you understand what you now face?"

"Eleven hundred Hollows."
Reis raised his hand; a sudden surge of dominance radiated from him, causing Nagatsurou to frown.
"And yet you dare face us alone?"
"What does the number of Hollows here have to do with my enmity toward you?"
Nagatsurou retorted, his pride boundless, as if these foes meant nothing to him.
"Heh... heh... hahaha!"
Reis suddenly burst into raucous laughter, stunning both the Hollows and Nagatsurou himself.
To laugh in the face of such arrogance—was this the wrath of a leader?
"How amusing, Nagatsurou Suzume. Excellent! Truly excellent!"
Reis pointed at Nagatsurou. "I admire your spirit, so I’ll grant you an opportunity."
"I’ll fight you one-on-one. If you win, I’ll withdraw the Hollow horde. If you lose, you know what awaits."
To lose would be death, of course.
Truthfully, Nagatsurou was reluctant to accept. The terms were far from fair—if he won, the enemy lost nothing; if he lost, it would cost him his life.
But he had no leverage for negotiation. He had no choice but to accept.
"You seem awfully confident in your victory, Reis."
"Naturally. I have never—" Reis extended his palm, where a golden orb of energy quickly formed, "—once intended to lose."
A golden Cero burst forth, swifter than any launched by the Adjuchas, shooting straight at Nagatsurou.
Yet the golden flash was met by an equally swift bolt of golden lightning, which intercepted Reis's attack before it could strike Nagatsurou.
"Impatient, aren’t you? Do you really think..."
Nagatsurou held his sword, the tip crackling even brighter than before. The curtain of lightning behind him loomed solemnly, imbuing him with the very presence of a thunder god—untouchable, inviolable.
"...your Cero can outpace my lightning?"