Bleach: The Strongest Shinigami-Chapter 297 ⥤ Immortal and Indestructible?

Akira: "?"

When he heard the other person's Bankai phrase, he tilted his head in confusion.

Wasn't it said that no two Zanpakutō in the world could be the same? Yet here was his opponent, unleashing such power right before him.

As the sound rang out, the black flames sprang to life, climbing up the man's arm and spreading throughout his body until they completely enveloped him.

The opponent burst forth from the extreme heat, appearing directly in front of Akira. The burning blade slashed downward, black flames swirling around it with distorted lines, emanating pressure like a falling mountain.

With the blade mere inches from his face and scorching heat waves washing over him, Akira drew a deep breath of the hot air. A familiar sinister smile crept across his lips.

He dismissed any thoughts about his opponent's background or why they possessed the same Bankai as Kūkan Mukai.

Such mentally taxing questions were Aizen's domain. Right now, he wanted nothing more than to lose himself in battle.

His fighting spirit swelled and surged, becoming almost tangible as it burned like fierce flames around his body, warping the surrounding space.

Clang!

Metal clashed against metal, the sound echoing through Hell as the great battle erupted. Several terrifying Reiatsu energies soared skyward, throwing the bottomless layer of Hell into chaos.

Aizen sidestepped the incoming power wave, his expression calm and composed, without the slightest change.

He even had the leisure to observe Akira's battle from afar. As expected, Shiba was no different from other Togabito — when killed, they would revive in Hell's deepest part.

Unsurprisingly, the person who had just used Kūkan Mukai's Bankai was the Tsunayashiro ancestor.

The Tsunayashiro family possessed an inherited Zanpakutō called Enrakyōten, which could copy any Zanpakutō's Shikai at the cost of their own soul. As the ancestor, Tsunayashiro had clearly taken this ability a step further.

{T/N: Just like Getsuga Tenshō and all its variations, including Mugetsu, can be traced back to a common ancestor, Tsunayashiro is the common ancestor from whom the Enrakyōten copies its power. Similar to how Getsuga is an ability of both Ichigo and Isshin's Zanpakutō lineage (Moon-Getsu) trough the Shiba Clan.}

Everyone present had reached the level of Transcendent, their mere Reiatsu powerful enough to push the Togabito at Hell's bottom layer to the brink of collapse. Even the battle's aftershocks would instantly reduce them to dust, returning them to Hell's earth. They would be reborn from the ashes again and again, trapped in this endless cycle.

Akira and Tsunayashiro clashed with devastating intensity, heedless of collateral damage. Black flames engulfed the ashen ground as their blades met in dozens of lightning-fast exchanges.

Akira quickly realized that though Tsunayashiro had copied his Bankai, the two powers were fundamentally different. While his Muga Kyōkai channeled all mighty powers into himself, Tsunayashiro's copy merely boosted Reiatsu and physical strength.

The black flames Tsunayashiro conjured were but a poor imitation. Akira's flames had nothing to do with Kūkan Mukai — they were manifestations of inscribed Kidō patterns, multiple Hadō combined into a lethal technique.

Tsunayashiro had clearly noticed this weakness. For reasons unknown, his copied Bankai was disappointingly weak — even inferior to a certain former 9th Division Captain's Bankai.

His eyes flashed with rage as he gripped his sword with both hands, concentrating all the black flames onto the blade before slashing forward.

Boom!!

The devastating explosion consumed everything within hundreds of kilometers, hurling ashen debris skyward. Massive canyons split the million-year-old ground, like abysses staring up at the dim sky.

After this attack, Tsunayashiro abandoned his copied Bankai and erupted with crimson flames instead.

The sky instantly turned blood-red. Heavy fire clouds reached toward the heavens as terrifying heat spread throughout Hell's lowest layer.

Akira frowned slightly at the oppressive heat, his gaze fixed ahead.

Tsunayashiro gripped his blade tightly, pressing his left hand against it:

⤫ Bankai: Zanka no Tachi ⥤ Final Release: Longsword of the Remnant Flame! ⤬

The raging flames vanished, flowing into the blade until its silver surface turned charred black. Lava-like cracks spread across it, containing world-destroying temperatures within.

Recognizing the familiar blade, Akira's eyes narrowed with disgust.

"Really... Who gave you the delusion that copying the old man's Bankai could defeat mine? And that appearance of yours is truly disgusting!"

As he spoke, Akira removed his Captain-Commander's haori and stripped off the upper half of his Shihakushō.

⤫ Shunkō: Hakaishin Senkei ⥤ Flash War Cry: God of Destruction Battle Form! ⤬

Boom—

Scorching black flames erupted from behind his shoulder blades, forming wings that spread wide, his cold gaze fixed ahead, like a demon god descending.

Feeling the oppressive pressure hitting him, Tsunayashiro's breath caught.

Something seemed off. His performance was far more brutal now than when he had fought Shiba — on an entirely different level.

⤫ Zanka no Tachi, Nishi: Zanjitsu Gokui ⥤ Longsword of the Remnant Flame, West: Remnant Sun Prison Garb! ⤬

Crimson Reiatsu flooded over Tsunayashiro's body, instantly raising his external temperature to levels that could annihilate all normal matter.

He had become the sun itself!

"Fools! What are you waiting for?" He barked at the others.

Only Shihōin and Kuchiki answered his call, their heavy Reiatsu making Hell's space groan under the strain as black cracks spread across the battlefield.

Shiba and Shijun remained trapped by Aizen, unable to assist. The other battlefield, while not as intense as Tsunayashiro's side, couldn't be abandoned either.

Looking at the eternally composed Aizen, Shijun wanted to curse the Soul King.

Transcendents hadn't appeared for a million years, yet now two had emerged in the same era, each more terrifying than the last. Though the one before him lacked particularly powerful killing techniques, his suffocating Reiatsu more than made up for it.

'Damn, am I really going to die here?' The thought crept into Shijun's mind as his pupils betrayed a hint of fear.

⤫ Hadō #99: Goryūtenmetsu ⥤ Five Swirling Dragons of Destruction! ⤬

At Aizen's command, a deep purple dragon unleashed an earth-shattering roar and charged forward.

Shijun gritted his teeth, channeling Hell's phosphorescent energy into Shiba with a wave of his hand. Shiba's eyes turned pure white as he gripped his sword with both hands and unleashed his technique.

⤫ Getsuga Tenshō ⥤ Moon Fang Heaven-Piercer! ⤬

⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬

Akira spread his arms with a grin as he faced the fully powered Tsunayashiro. Blut pattern marks wrapped around his arms as he threw a direct punch—

⤫ Blutstil: Himmelshaku Hakai ⥤ Blood Style: Heaven's Empty Destruction! ⤬

Having released his limiters, he too reached full power. His Reiatsu soared to unreachable heights, and his body could even withstand Zanjitsu Gokui's burning.

Scorching winds whipped up countless ashes. For an instant, the world seemed frozen in time.

Tsunayashiro's pupils contracted to pinpoints, filled with unmistakable terror.

Damn it — Zanjitsu Gokui couldn't possibly block this attack. Was there an even stronger defensive Zanpakutō?

He frantically tried to recall a suitable Zanpakutō, but it was already too late...

⤫ Zanka no Tachi, Kita: Tenchi Kaijin ⥤ Longsword of the Remnant Flame, North: Heaven and Earth End in Ashes! ⤬

Tsunayashiro channeled his very essence into one final, devastating strike, meant to reduce everything before him to nothingness.

Then, to his horror, the Zanka no Tachi — supposedly wielding the strongest attack power — shattered. Its flames extinguished instantly, leaving nothing but a vast void in the heavens above, as if carved out by an invisible hand.

Tsunayashiro's face twisted in anguish as he let out a desperate roar: "I am immortal! A million years of planning, how could it possibly—"

His words died unfinished as his body crumbled into dust, scattering into the depths of Hell.

Witnessing his destruction, Shihōin and Kuchiki could only stare in disbelief. This was far from what they had expected.

The truth dawned on them — he had been holding back significantly in his battle with Shiba. Now, the mighty Tsunayashiro's dreams of immortality had been crushed by a single punch.

As they stood frozen in terror, Akira's lips curved into a smile, his demonic voice resonating through Hell's vast expanse, chilling them to their cores:

"You're next!"

⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬

After dispatching Shihōin and Kuchiki, Akira rushed to assist Aizen.

Upon reaching the other battlefield, he found Shiba — eyes blazing white — unleashing a Getsuga Tenshō at Shijun.

Aizen stood calmly aside, observing the scene with complete detachment.

The combatants clashed with spectacular force, fighting like mortal enemies bent on mutual destruction.

"Kyōka Suigetsu?" Akira inquired.

Aizen nodded, "Their method of controlling Shiba had a flaw, which I merely noticed."

Understanding flickered across Akira's face.

Though his step-son hadn't inherited his overwhelming power, he had certainly inherited his extraordinary wisdom. Finding flaws in enemy techniques came naturally to him.

Even as they fought to the death, neither Shiba nor Shijun could escape Aizen's Kyōka Suigetsu. His power was truly formidable.

"Good, now it's time to deal with Hell's problem." Seeing that the five noble clan founders were dead, Akira began cracking his knuckles eagerly, his fighting spirit erupting like a volcano once more.

Aizen frowned, "You've thought of a solution?"

"Mm-hmm!"

"?"

Under Aizen's curious gaze, Akira explained his battle observations.

"The Togabitos' immortality is based on Hell's foundation. When they die and revive, they draw upon Hell's own Reishi. With each revival, Hell's Reishi decreases slightly. Hell devours the Reishi of the Sangai simply because the gap between the two worlds is too great. Hmm, what's that academic term..." Akira furrowed his brow, searching for the right words.

After a moment, his eyes lit up as he raised his index finger.

"Ah, got it — osmotic pressure!"

{T/N: Osmotic pressure is a colligative property that corresponds to the pressure that must be exerted on a system to prevent osmosis from occurring spontaneously.

Osmosis is the passage of liquid, Reishi in this case, from a less concentrated medium (hypotonic) to a more concentrated one (hypertonic), through a semipermeable membrane, until equilibrium is reached.

More explanation in the end of the Chapter to those who don't get it.}

In his view, the Sangai counted as one world, and Hell as another. Due to this difference, Reishi would flow from the weaker side to the stronger.

Starting with Rank 3 Reishi that couldn't be broken down, once Hell grew strong enough, this threshold would lower. Then Rank 4, Rank 5, even Rank 20 Reishi would be devoured by Hell. At that point, the circulation of Reishi would cease, and the world would become nothing but Hell.

Hearing this explanation, Aizen was surprised.

He hadn't expected Akira, known for his brute force approach, to be so observant — noticing subtle changes in the air's Reishi and connecting them to the relationship between Hell and the Sangai.

Though it seemed speculative, experience and intuition told him this was very close to the truth.

"So what we need to do next is continuously kill and revive the Togabito." Aizen concluded, "Reduce Hell's power, thereby eliminating future threats, and even possibly..."

Akira grinned, finishing the sentence, "Make Hell merge with the Sangai!"

As his words fell, heavy Reiatsu descended upon Hell, and a familiar figure emerged from the accumulated ashes.

Tsunayashiro had revived again.

"I am immortal and invincible!" He roared at the sky, "Akira Kisaragi, you cannot kill me!"

"Blacken..."

⤫ Shikai: Ichimonji ⥤ Initial Release: Straight Line! ⤬

Ink splashed forth as the brush transformed into a blade, striking directly at Akira in an attempt to cut away half his power.

But before his arm could fall, a fist the size of a sandbag smashed into his face.

⤫ Genshiki-ryū: Mugen Kūhaku Hakai ⥤ Origin Style: Infinite Void Annihilation! ⤬

BOOM!!

The explosive sound echoed through Hell, shockwaves rippling outward as hurricanes howled.

Less than three seconds after revival, Tsunayashiro fell again, dissolving into countless ashes that merged back into Hell.

Then came Kuchiki, Shihōin, and Shijun. Akira dispatched them one by one like whack-a-mole, clean and efficient.

When it came to Shiba's turn, he seemed to have anticipated this. Looking at the two with resignation, he sighed:

"If this can stop their ambitions, perhaps it's not so bad."

Before Akira could act, he slit his own throat, extinguishing his life force.

"I will not fail!" Tsunayashiro revived once more with great fanfare, this time wielding Kuroyashiki's Gagaku Kairō.

But before he could even call out his Bankai, Akira's punch had already blown his head off.

"Even the Spirit King died by my hands, you mere Shinigami..."

BOOM!

Fifth time, sixth time, seventh time...

Tsunayashiro's madness gradually subsided, replaced by deep fear of Akira. He had thought this state was some secret technique that couldn't be maintained for long.

But after being blown apart time and time again, he realized this was the monster's natural state. The gap in their power levels was beyond measurement — they weren't even in the same league.

By the end, Tsunayashiro had become numb, completely giving up resistance.

This surrender seemed to trigger Hell's rebellion, as countless Togabito charged toward the two, the ashes trembling in response.

Casually destroying tens of thousands of Togabito with a single punch, Akira turned to Aizen and said:

"Sōsuke, I have a plan..."

⤫⤬⤫

T/N: Here's a simple example to understand this process.

Let's first understand osmosis in practice: Imagine two buckets of water connected by a tube at the bottom. When one bucket has more water than the other, osmosis occurs—water naturally flows from the fuller bucket to the emptier one until both levels are equal.

Now for osmotic pressure: Say you want to prevent this natural leveling, but can't remove the connecting tube. Instead, you take a perfectly fitted lid and press down on one bucket's water. This pressure forces water into the other bucket, counteracting the natural osmosis process (where liquids would normally equalize without external pressure).

Keep in mind this is a simplified explanation. In reality, the process involves additional variables, like Reishi Rankings and other factors, even causing this process to be reversed, as in the current case where Hell is pulling the "water" from Sangai.

Now, substitute water with Reishi, and the buckets with Hell and Sangai.

Akira's plan is to apply pressure on Hell, forcing its Reishi back into Sangai until Hell is empty. This weakened state makes it possible to sever their connection. Once disconnected, the two realms can merge—similar to combining two buckets into a larger one.

This is the clearest way to explain it. If you're having trouble understanding, you might need to study more. Learn from our MC's wisdom.

If a husky can grasp it, you can too.

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