Bleach: The Fifth Division Captain

Chapter 66: Sāgara Ryū



The triumphant grin on Kiganjō's face didn't last long.

It didn't take him long to notice something strange.

The boy's reiatsu hadn't disappeared.

In fact, it was growing — expanding, swelling, spilling outward like a flood breaking through a dam.

What the hell is this…?

Kiganjō wasn't a strategist, nor was he a particularly sharp tactician, but even he could tell that something was off.

That kid… he's not dead.

This unexpected development threw him off, leaving him puzzled.

What did I just smash, if not his body?

He glanced down at his weapon, then back at the eerie scene around him.

The street, which had been perfectly visible moments ago, was now blanketed by a thick fog.

Mist rose and rolled like ocean waves, cutting off his view of everything beyond a few feet.

His brow furrowed in irritation as he instinctively raised his colossal hammer, Enma Ōtsuchi, and swung it left and right.

Each swing unleashed devastating shockwaves, tearing through the air and ground alike.

But strangely… no sound of impact returned to him.

Where there should have been walls and debris crumbling under the weight of his attacks, there was only silence.

That's impossible. My hammer should've shattered anything in its path.

Suddenly, a chilling thought crept into Kiganjō's mind.

Could the old man, Yamamoto, be intercepting my attacks without me knowing?

For the first time, Kiganjō's previously unshakeable confidence faltered.

He stood still, scanning the fog with wary eyes, realizing he could no longer see the street around him.

It's too quiet. Too damn quiet.

The fog thickened, swirling around him like an ocean current.

His instincts told him to move, to get a better look at his surroundings. But years of bloody street brawls had taught him one thing:

When you can't see your enemy, don't move blindly.

Figure out what's going on first.

Kiganjō took a steadying breath, his massive chest rising and falling like a bellows. His gaze drifted upward toward the moon, still visible through the thick fog.

At least he could tell he was still in Seireitei.

But when he looked down at his feet —

The corpse was gone.

No blood. No severed arm. No sign of Seiya's body.

Instead…

Water.

Thin rivulets of water, pooling around his boots.

Flowing, shifting, gathering.

Like the tide.

The realization sent a shiver down his spine.

Suddenly, his senses screamed in alarm. Danger. Incoming.

A surge of panic shot through his body.

What's coming at me? A sword? A spell?

Where is it coming from?!

Kiganjō braced himself, raising Enma Ōtsuchi in front of him like a shield.

A figure emerged from the mist.

Seiya.

"You!"

Kiganjō roared, his fury erupting like a volcano.

The boy hadn't died. He was still standing — still alive.

Without hesitation, Kiganjō swung his hammer with all his might.

"I'll crush you this time!"

The hammer swung down, cutting through the fog in a deadly arc.

But Seiya moved with precision, slipping out of the way like a ghost.

Kiganjō's attack hit nothing but air.

Then —

Splurt.

A sudden burst of blood splattered across Kiganjō's chest.

Pain followed, sharp and searing.

His eyes widened in shock as he looked down.

He… cut me?

"AAARGH!"

Kiganjō howled in pain, clutching his side where Seiya's blade had sliced deep.

He swung again, enraged, aiming to crush the boy's skull.

But Seiya's figure dissolved into mist, vanishing before the hammer could connect.

Boom!

The hammer slammed into the ground with an earth-shaking impact, creating a deep crater in the street.

The ground trembled. Debris flew into the air.

But the boy was gone.

Again.

Kiganjō's heart pounded in his chest, his breathing ragged.

What the hell is happening?! Where is that little bastard hiding?!

The pain in his side throbbed, blood dripping from the deep gash.

That kid shouldn't be able to hurt me like this.

Something's changed…

Kiganjō scanned the fog again.

It was everywhere. Thick, impenetrable, suffocating.

And the water at his feet was rising.

First to his ankles.

Now past his calves.

Creeping toward his knees.

The street was becoming an ocean.

Suddenly, Seiya's voice echoed from the mist.

"You're trapped, Kiganjō. There's no way out."

"Shut up! Show yourself!"

Three more figures emerged from the fog.

Three identical Seiyas, all charging at him with blades drawn.

"Die!"

Kiganjō swung wildly, desperate to hit something — anything.

But each time, the figures vanished into mist.

And each time, another wound appeared on his body.

Slash.

His shoulder.

Slash.

His arm.

Slash.

His leg.

Blood poured from the cuts, staining the rising water crimson.

"Come out and fight me!"

Kiganjō's roars echoed through the mist, but there was no response.

Only silence.

From a distance, Aizen and Tōsen watched the scene unfold.

The entire street was shrouded in fog, dense and unmoving.

"Aizen-sama… is this Seiya's true Shikai?"

Tōsen's voice trembled with uncertainty.

Aizen didn't respond immediately.

His eyes gleamed with fascination, studying the swirling mist.

After a long pause, he finally spoke.

"I'm not sure, Kaname."

"But it's magnificent, isn't it?"

Tōsen tilted his head in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

Aizen's smile widened.

"Think about it. Seiya's initial ability was to simulate countless outcomes, predicting his enemy's actions."

"Now, fully awakened…"

Aizen's eyes glinted behind his glasses.

"Perhaps his Shikai forces the enemy to experience that same endless loop of possibilities."

"A perfect trap."

Within the mist, Seiya stood silently, his eyes glowing faintly.

He observed Kiganjō thrashing about, futilely swinging his hammer.

The water was now up to Kiganjō's waist.

The fog closed in tighter, suffocating and endless.

Seiya's expression remained calm.

This was Sāgara Ryū.

A never-ending sea of simulations, forcing the opponent to drown in a torrent of future possibilities.

Kiganjō could struggle all he wanted.

But unless he found a way to break free, he would drown in this ocean.

Unless…

Suddenly, Seiya heard it.

A desperate, rage-filled shout.

"BANKAI!"

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