Chapter Fifty-Five: Long Time No See

“Taha… Taha…”
Mohamed lounged carelessly on a stone, lazily flicking his wrist and making strange noises with his mouth.
“You really are stubborn, aren’t you?”
Glancing at Nagatsurou, who was struggling to rise from the ground not far away, Mohamed felt a twinge of frustration.
Even though he was only in his initial released state, Mohamed had already lost count of how many times he’d sent this white-haired youth flying. Yet each time, the young man would stand up again, only to be knocked down once more.
Such tenacity is really giving me a headache…
Mohamed curled his lip.
“I haven’t lost yet…”
Nagatsurou forced a smile and stood once more.
The pain and injuries on his body were far from minor—if he was knocked down again, he might not even be able to hold his sword.
Even so, he knew that in this Seireitei, only he could stand in this man’s way, however briefly…
It was just a matter of holding him off.
Given his own strength, even with his Bankai, he would probably only last a few more minutes against Mohamed, this Quincy.
There was still a large gap between him and those at this level.
If he couldn’t wield his Bankai with even greater skill…
“Well, I suppose it’s nearly time for the curtain to fall. It’s been a short performance, but…”
Mohamed stood up from the stone and approached Nagatsurou, raising his hand and pointing it at Nagatsurou’s chest.
“A rather entertaining farce, all the same.”
A sharp beep resounded as spirit particles gathered in Mohamed’s hand. This time, with nothing to hold him back, Mohamed was certain of his victory, so he didn’t care if he revealed his bow and arrows before Nagatsurou. That’s what he thought, but—
A sudden tingling numbness shot through his arm, and the spirit arrow, which had already taken form, instantly dissipated.
The distance between Mohamed and Nagatsurou was close.
So even a moment’s distraction was fatal.
In that instant, Nagatsurou seized the opportunity and swung his sword violently.
Mohamed’s years of battle experience and superior reflexes made him instinctively step back, avoiding a fatal blow. But even so, the Western blade sliced open his chest.
“So you were up to tricks…”
Mohamed’s eyes, hidden behind his sunglasses, gave nothing away, but his mouth curled into an unusually wide grin.
“Not at all. This was just a move I used earlier.”

Nagatsurou wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and smiled. “That thunder arrow from before—you didn’t really think nothing happened, did you?”
“I see…”
Mohamed’s thick lips twitched as he instantly understood Nagatsurou’s meaning.
“Earlier, you used the contact between the lightning and my body to subtly stimulate my nerves, and the effect is a delayed paralysis.”
“Really, I shouldn’t underestimate a Soul Reaper…”
Mohamed laughed.
“But you don’t think this alone will turn the tables, do you?”
“I admit your persistence, but this is what a gap in strength means, isn’t it? Open your eyes and see clearly…”
Mohamed raised his other hand.
“Your powerlessness.”
Four thunderous explosions sounded in succession!
Behind Nagatsurou, four different spots erupted almost simultaneously with deafening blasts—so fast and powerful that Nagatsurou couldn’t even see the attacks.
“Even with you here, I could easily tear this place apart. Want me to give you a demonstration? As a little sideshow.”
For the first time, Mohamed’s eyes flashed from behind his oversized sunglasses.
They were cold, devoid of emotion, containing nothing but the instinct to kill.
“I know very well the gap between us…”
Nagatsurou suddenly smiled faintly.
“I won’t say things like ‘I will protect the Seireitei’ or ‘you’ll have to step over my dead body first.’ As you said, the difference in strength can’t be bridged, so…”
Nagatsurou slowly raised his Western sword, pointing it skyward.
“I’ll just give it my all and see what happens.”
A crackle of lightning shot toward the heavens.
“Bankai—”
A deep rumble of thunder rolled from above, followed by dark clouds rapidly swirling across the sky, lightning flickering within their depths.
A massive pillar of lightning crashed down, forming a curtain of thunder behind Nagatsurou once more.
“Huanghuang Yanling Imperial Palace.”
Because he wore sunglasses, Mohamed didn’t have to shield his eyes from the lightning’s glare; he stared directly at Nagatsurou’s Bankai.
The spiritual pressure was violent, overwhelming—like the wrath of a thunder god.
“Heh heh, heh heh… Hahahaha!”

Mohamed suddenly threw back his head and laughed aloud.
“Giving it your all, are you? You hid this pretty well, you bastard.”
“Fine then. I’ll make an exception and shatter your Bankai completely before I move on.”
For the first time, he felt such excitement.
In his initial release, Nagatsurou had seemed so unremarkable, hardly worth mentioning.
But once the trump card was revealed—it was impressive.
You’re finally worth killing, you bastard.
“I said I’d give it my all, so…”
Nagatsurou clenched his fist. Burns began to appear all over his body.
“I won’t hold back.”
A sudden whoosh—
From Nagatsurou’s burns, flames burst forth, instantly engulfing his body in a sphere of fire.
“What… is that…”
This time, Mohamed’s surprise was genuine.
He’d never known this man possessed the power of fire…
But this time, Mohamed was mistaken.
No matter how much a lightning Zanpakuto was tempered, it could never gain the power of fire. In other words, this was not Nagatsurou’s own strength.
Then whose was this power of fire…?
The flames gradually died down, revealing Nagatsurou after his baptism by fire.
A peal of thunder rolled suddenly across the dark sky, without any warning.
Nagatsurou let out a long, raspy breath, then pressed his hand to his neck, twisting it until it cracked loudly. At some point, the burns on his body had vanished without a trace.
“‘Give it your all and see what happens’? You’ve got some nerve, bastard…”
Nagatsurou’s mouth twisted into a fierce, uncharacteristic grin.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve felt the air of the Soul Society.”