The moment he finished speaking, Fujimiya Makoto drew his Zanpakutō, assuming a middle stance as he calmly leveled his blade at the Adjuchas before him.
"Makoto, I—"
Shiba Yozuru called out hesitantly.
Fujimiya Makoto, back still turned, suddenly asked:
"Shiba."
"Do you know what's more important than a single life?"
Shiba Yozuru blinked. "...Two lives?"
"Responsibility!"
Fujimiya Makoto cut off the bad joke irritably.
This guy! Ruining the dramatic moment!
"So go," Fujimiya Makoto sighed. "Hurry."
Truthfully, he had no idea how long he could hold off a Vasto Lorde.
Finally, Shiba Yozuru stopped protesting.
After one last glance at Fujimiya Makoto's back—
He turned and ran.
The stone-skinned Adjuchas chuckled. "I wouldn't mind if you ran too, brat."
"As long as you don't disturb His Majesty, you can scurry wherever you like."
Fujimiya Makoto smirked.
"Really?"
"Then… could you lift your hands off the ground?"
The Adjuchas' grin vanished.
In the next instant, both vanished—
——
Nelliel watched from afar, her delicate face blank, devoid of human expression.
A newly evolved Vasto Lorde, still lacking a complete "personality."
She spoke softly:
"Bucci."
"Don't die."
With a roar, the massive Adjuchas—Bucci—slammed down from above.
"No—"
"PROBLEM!!!"
His colossal fists, each wider than a man was tall, hammered into the earth like falling meteors. The ground rippled like water, forming towering walls that sealed them inside an impromptu coliseum.
Fujimiya Makoto's eyes narrowed.
So this is the power of an Adjuchas who serves a Vasto Lorde.
But it's not enough!
He retreated from the shockwaves, then—
His eyes snapped open.
A burst of condensed Reiatsu propelled him forward like a black streak.
"First Form: Steel-Splitter."
His blade, honed to a razor's edge, glowed with compressed spiritual energy.
A single slash—
Bucci raised an arm to block.
Yet the blade sliced through effortlessly, severing the limb cleanly.
"What?!"
The massive arm toppled, stone fragments scattering.
The cut was mirror-smooth.
Nelliel's brow furrowed slightly.
Bucci barely had time to register the pain before Fujimiya Makoto's jade-like eyes gleamed—his blade already moving for the next strike.
"Damn brat!"
"You dare look down on me?!"
Bucci's remaining arm swung like a wrecking ball, kicking up a dust storm.
Fujimiya Makoto leaped back—
Only for a barrage of "Bala" to tear through the haze.
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!
The ground erupted in a semicircle of explosions, painting the earth black.
Bucci grinned.
He had fought agile foes before.
He knew this Shinigami wouldn't take the hits head-on.
And so—
"GOTCHA!"
The moment Fujimiya Makoto stepped into the trap, the ground beneath him detonated.
A delayed Cero.
Bucci's signature technique.
The blast engulfed everything, flames licking the sky.
"Too easy!"
"Too—"
SCHINK.
A blade sliced through his waist from behind.
Silent.
Precise.
Bucci's laughter died as his upper body toppled forward, severed cleanly.
Fujimiya Makoto flicked the blood from his blade.
"Strange."
"I already saw through your trap earlier."
"Did you really think I'd fall for it twice?"
Bucci could only gasp weakly, staring at the fading afterimage in the smoke.
"Bakudō 26: Kyokkō."
A simple light-bending trick.
Fujimiya Makoto stepped toward Bucci's head, raising his Zanpakutō—
CLANG.
A white lance blocked his strike effortlessly.
Fujimiya Makoto froze.
Cold sweat drenched his back.
He had been watching Nelliel the entire time.
Yet he hadn't sensed her move.
He looked up.
Nelliel gazed down at him, her delicate face expressionless—a stark contrast to the monstrous helmet atop her head.
"M-My lady…" Bucci rasped.
Nelliel's voice was calm.
"If I fight you instead… will you spare him?"
Fujimiya Makoto's lips twisted into a strained grin.
You think you can just decide that?
His Reiatsu erupted.
Fourth-level spiritual pressure—not quite captain-tier, but among the strongest in the Soul Society.
White shockwaves rippled outward as his blade, infused with concentrated will, pressed down against the lance.
"...What if I refuse?"
Nelliel's own teal Reiatsu flared, locking them in a stalemate.
The ground around them cleared from the sheer force.
Clouds scattered above.
Nelliel's reply was flat.
"Then I'll apologize."
CLANG—
With a casual flick, she sent Fujimiya Makoto flying.
He skidded back, catching himself on one hand, the twin "lucky charm" socks on his scabbard fluttering ridiculously.
Grinning like a madman, he roared:
"A proper apology means baring your entire chest! It's Shinigami etiquette 101!"
"Carve that into your bones and remember it!!"
He lunged, his blade a streak of light.
At the same time, a certain brat in his head cheered:
[HELL YEAH! FINALLY GETTING IT!]
[NO MORE HOLDING BACK! STUFF ME INTO THAT CENTAUR LADY'S WARM BOSOM!]
[I WANNA BUILD A THREE-ROOM APARTMENT IN THERE!]