Chapter 257: Chapter 257: Slay Them All

"Stop him! TakeEnrakyōdenfrom him!"

The head of theTsunayashirofamily shouted in terror. He never expectedTsunayashiro Tokinadato strike here of all places.

What he didn’t know was that thisTokinada, who had supposedly been acknowledged by the family’s ancestralZanpakutō, was in fact a fake.

The guards were already prepared and launched their attacks at once.

The two Shinigami standing beside the family head also released their spells simultaneously.

"Bakudō #61: Rikujōkōrō!"

"Hadō #63: Raikōhō!"

More than ten beams of Kidō — Bakudō and Hadō alike — shot toward the hall’s center where "Tsunayashiro Tokinada" stood.

But their target was nothing more than an illusion created byAizen Sōsuke.

To their eyes,TokinadaswungEnrakyōden, and roaring flames swallowed every Kidō spell in an instant.

Katori Nanatsukihad discussed this operation withAizen Sōsukebeforehand.

This time, there were too many people to hypnotize, so mimicking overly complex powers would have been risky.

Among Zanpakutō to imitate,Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni’s Ryūjin Jakkawas relatively simple.

They only needed to conjure illusions of fire — and as long as theTsunayashiromembers died by flame and blade wounds, no one would notice the difference.

While theTsunayashiroretainers attacked,Katori Nanatsukididn’t remain idle.

In the world only he andAizen Sōsukecould see, flames ignited acrossNanatsuki’sbody and blade.

The next instant, eight versions ofKatori Nanatsukiappeared among the guards.

Crimson Tide: Quadrant Shun Strike!

Eight blazing arcs slashed through the air. The guards erupted into fire as if drenched in accelerant, and within moments, they were reduced to cinders.

"Your strikes are precise and swift, sensei. They didn’t even have time to scream,"Aizen Sōsukepraised.

"Your ability is truly convenient. They had no idea what happened..."Nanatsukisighed softly.

Kyōka Suigetsu’shypnotic power was overwhelming.

Unless one’s spiritual pressure far exceededAizen’s, it was nearly impossible to detect the illusion.

Nanatsuki’sfigure vanished again.

The next instant, he appeared beside theTsunayashirohead.

Slash!

A searing blade flashed by. The family head clutched his throat, eyes wide in disbelief.

He felt his vision distort — the "Tsunayashiro Tokinada" before him twisted, its face warping and blurring.

He opened his mouth, trying to say something — but no sound came. His throat had already been burned through.

Flames spread rapidly from the wound, engulfing his body in a roaring inferno.

The two lieutenant-class Shinigami beside him hadn’t even realized that the guards and their lord had already been slain byKatori Nanatsuki.

Aizen Sōsukesynchronized the illusions to matchNanatsuki’sattacks and the deaths of each guard.

To the others, the events appeared a heartbeat later. Before they could react,Nanatsukihad already cut them down.

Even theTsunayashirohead was no exception.

Only at the moment of death did they sense something was wrong — butNanatsuki’sblade gave them no time to respond. Every one of them was cut down cleanly.

The two remaining lieutenant-class fighters and the rest of theTsunayashiroretainers soon followed, clutching their throats before collapsing.

BecauseTsunayashiro Tokinada, who was thought dead, had suddenly returned, this was a major event for the clan.

The conference hall was filled with the family’s main and branch members — and all of them had now been annihilated byNanatsukiandAizen Sōsuke.

"It’s done."

Nanatsukilooked up at the ceiling.Ōmaeda KishinosukeandObana Jirōwere still on the roof.

"Don’t worry, sensei. Their illusion is delayed — unless they come down to confirm it, they won’t notice anything."

Aizen Sōsukespoke with complete confidence in his ability.

"Then let’s proceed according to plan."

Nanatsukinodded and drew from his robes aSakkisebox containing aHell Pearl.

TheHell Pearlwas a condensed mass of infernal energy.

Nanatsukiintended to use it to create traces suggesting the presence ofHell Reishi.

When aHell PearltouchedReishi, it would transform it into particles laced with the aura of Hell —

erasing any lingering traces ofNanatsukiandAizen Sōsuke’sown Reishi in the process.

"So this is the ’Hell Pearl,’ sensei mentioned. Another piece of evidence pointing to ’Tsunayashiro Tokinada Returned from Hell,’ huh?"Aizen Sōsukesmiled.

TheTsunayashiroclan held enormous influence within the Soul Society, and their annihilation would cause ripples across the entire Seireitei.

TheKatori-ryu Dojoand theTsunayashirofamily had long been at odds.

If theTsunayashirosuddenly perished, suspicion would naturally fall uponKatori Nanatsuki.

That was whyNanatsukineeded a stronger scapegoat — one that would draw all attention toward Hell itself.

"Hell isn’t somewhere a Shinigami can casually enter. They can’t possibly investigate it,"Nanatsukichuckled.

"TheLord of Helland the long-deadTsunayashiro Tokinadamake for perfect scapegoats."

Once they finished with the conference hall, the two moved on — there was still work to do.

Meanwhile, up on the roof,Ōmaeda KishinosukeandObana Jirōwere still watchingAizen’sillusion.

In their eyes, theTsunayashiroretainers were still locked in fierce battle.

"They’re really fighting now! Should we still be here?"Obana Jirōwhispered.

With chaos raging below, he dared to whisper only faintly.

"The deaths of theTsunayashirohave nothing to do with us... ButTokinada’sappearance can’t be ignored. Let’s move farther away before we get caught in their fight," saidŌmaeda Kishinosuke.

He decided to report this incident later, but for now, avoiding the battlefield took priority.

Soon, they saw "Tsunayashiro Tokinada" raise his blazing sword.

In an instant, heShunpoedbefore the clan head and swung.

The head clutched his throat and fell, flames consuming his body in seconds.

"The clan head was killed by Tsunayashiro Tokinada!"

Obana Jirōgasped in shock.

"He’s gotten so much stronger... Could it be because of theLord of Hell? Or maybe it’sEnrakyōden’spower. They say that blade can copy the abilities of other Zanpakutō — andTokinadamust’ve replicated Captain-Commander Yamamoto’sRyūjin Jakka! Incredible!"

Ōmaeda KishinosukefoundTokinada’spower impressive, though not unbelievable — he’d heard of that Zanpakutō’s legendary heritage.

"The clan head’s dead... and we’re the first to know. By tomorrow, this will spread across the entire Soul Society!"

"Tokinadajust slaughtered everyone! Let’s go!"

With that,Ōmaeda KishinosukeandObana Jirōleft the roof of the conference hall.

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