At this moment.
The Hundred-Eyed Demon was stunned, all its eyes showing undisguised bewilderment:
"????"
At first.
The Hundred-Eyed Demon thought a chuunibyou man had arrived, dressed in a Shinigami captain's shihakusho, but soon, it realized the approaching 'Kuchiki Byakuya' looked too much like Kuchiki Byakuya to be a mere resemblance; it was an exact match.
Recalling the Kumamon incident earlier, which wasn't a person in a suit but the genuine article, an unbelievable thought surfaced in its mind.
[Ding! Hundred-Eyed Demon swallows... Could that really be Kuchiki Byakuya?]
[Host gains System Points +100]
Thinking this.
The Hundred-Eyed Demon subconsciously looked around, more precisely, at the cherry blossom petals drifting around Kuchiki Byakuya.
It was summer, long past the season for cherry blossoms, and there were no cherry trees in sight. No one was scattering petals from the buildings, nor were there any snow machines. Yet, as Kuchiki Byakuya walked, cherry blossoms automatically fell from the sky, his classic entrance 'swagger effect' in full display.
Most importantly.
As the Hundred-Eyed Demon, which had grown a hundred eyes and ascended to the rank of a demon king, it felt a trace of palpitation from Kuchiki Byakuya. The aura he exuded made it feel suffocated, an aura unlike that of ghost exorcists or monsters, something entirely unique.
[Ding! Hundred-Eyed Demon... Could this aura be Reiryoku?]
[Host gains System Points +110]
On the other side.
The residents were also filled with doubt:
"We don't seem to have cherry blossoms here."
"Where did these cherry blossoms come from, falling from nowhere? Am I hallucinating? I saw those cherry blossoms just appear from the air, damn! Could that really be... Kuchiki Byakuya?"
"Hey, maybe Kumamon couldn't win and called out Kuchiki Byakuya? Is this some kind of crossover support from the anime world?"
However.
Before the Hundred-Eyed Demon and the crowd could ponder their suspicions.
As the approaching Kuchiki Byakuya, amidst the falling cherry blossoms, moved his hand to the samurai sword at his waist, or rather, his Zanpakuto, he slowly drew it.
Immediately after.
A voice familiar to the Hundred-Eyed Demon and the others echoed from Kuchiki Byakuya's mouth:
"Bankai, Scatter, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi."
With those few words spoken.
He pointed the blade downward, released his grip on the Zanpakuto, and the sword plunged straight down. The concrete ground became incredibly strange, as if the Zanpakuto had fallen into water, creating ripples.
The next second.
Giant swords, one after another, rose from Kuchiki Byakuya's sides, forming a path of thousands of colossal blades. Then, like fireworks, these blades, from tip to hilt, spread out and transformed into a sky full of dancing cherry blossoms in an instant.
The sheer number was overwhelming.
The area was instantly enveloped in an ocean of cherry blossoms, with hundreds of millions of petals surrounding the Hundred-Eyed Demon.
[Ding! Hundred-Eyed Demon is terrified... That's Kuchiki Byakuya's Bankai!! Damn! Is that really Kuchiki Byakuya?!]
[Host gains System Points +120]
At the same time.
The residents were also awestruck:
"It's here, Kuchiki Byakuya's Bankai, this isn't cosplay, is it?!"
"My god, am I still asleep or what? I saw Kumamon, and now I'm seeing Kuchiki Byakuya?"
"This scene looks a bit familiar. Could Kuchiki Byakuya be mistaken by the Hundred-Eyed Demon for... Espada No. 7 Zommari Rureaux."
As everyone murmured.
The Hundred-Eyed Demon had no time to consider these things. Upon seeing Kuchiki Byakuya's Bankai, it was certain: that was indeed Kuchiki Byakuya. The thought sent a shiver down its spine, and without a second thought, it turned and fled.
[Ding! Hundred-Eyed Demon wants to curse... Why did it have to be a Shinigami captain who counters me so perfectly, Kuchiki Byakuya?]
[Host gains System Points +130]
The Hundred-Eyed Demon knew well that its eyes could observe the situation from every angle, preventing close combat. However, this characteristic was useless against Kuchiki Byakuya, who also possessed 360-degree vision and an all-encompassing Bankai.
Kuchiki Byakuya's Bankai could control hundreds of millions of cherry blossom petals, each as sharp as a blade. Most importantly, Kuchiki Byakuya had experience fighting monsters with numerous eyes; he had previously battled Espada No. 7 Zommari, a 'monster' with many eyes.
In fact.
It wasn't just the Hundred-Eyed Demon who thought of this; the residents did too.
At this moment.
Kuchiki Byakuya noticed the Hundred-Eyed Demon's intention to escape. He showed no panic and calmly uttered a sentence:
"You cannot escape."
As the words left his lips.
Unbeknownst to anyone, cherry blossoms formed a Zanpakuto in Kuchiki Byakuya's hand. He swung it towards the Hundred-Eyed Demon:
"Gokei, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi."
The sound echoed.
The scene the Hundred-Eyed Demon feared most appeared.
Innumerable cherry blossoms swirled, enveloping it and forming a massive sphere that occupied more than half the street.
[Ding! Hundred-Eyed Demon... Damn you, you're really using the same move 'Gokei, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi' that killed Zommari, the number 7 Espada!]
[Host gains System Points +120]
Unfortunately.
The Hundred-Eyed Demon had no time to curse. Countless cherry blossoms had already enveloped it, blocking all its escape routes. It roared, unleashing all its eyes, attempting to restrain the incoming blossoms. Anything its eyes could perceive was immobilized.
However...
There were simply too many. Hundreds of millions of cherry blossoms, the colossal sphere creating a hurricane of petals, its eyes could not track them.
Although the Hundred-Eyed Demon's abilities were terrifying, if its eyes couldn't perceive them, it couldn't utilize them. Kuchiki Byakuya's abilities were a perfect counter to eye-based monsters like it.
In an instant.
Accompanied by a piercing scream.
"Ah!!!"
The Hundred-Eyed Demon was struck by Gokei, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi, unable to resist at all, submerged in a sea of cherry blossoms.
When the cherry blossoms dispersed...
All the residents looked. The Hundred-Eyed Demon's body was gone from the spot, utterly annihilated. Only a massive crater remained, just as it had been when Kuchiki Byakuya killed Zommari, even destroying a large part of Hueco Mundo.
[Ding! Hundred-Eyed Demon... Kuchiki Byakuya, what kind of grudge do you have against monsters with many eyes, or... are you mistaking me for Espada No. 7 Zommari?]
[Host gains System Points +150]
Everything happened too fast.
From Kuchiki Byakuya's appearance to his killing of the Hundred-Eyed Demon, it took less than a few seconds. The residents stared in stunned silence, their minds filled with nothing but shock and a single thought... Is this how Shinigami captains fight? The swagger is so high, the visuals so dazzling. It's true, among the three major shonen manga, the characters from 'Bleach' have the highest combat swagger. The captains' battles are full of power, so cool.
...