BLEACH: SURVIVAL SYSTEM

Dark clouds loomed ominously over the Seireitei, casting an oppressive shadow over the battlefield. The atmosphere was tense, thick with hostility.

In this charged moment, they encountered Akira. Hitsugaya Tōshirō's eyes burned with fury the instant he saw him.

"You're the one bringing bad luck, you bastard!" he snapped.

Soi Fon, too, was taken aback. "You… you didn't escape?"

"Why should I?" Akira replied coolly. "I was framed by Aizen Sōsuke. I am innocent."

"Ridiculous!" Hitsugaya countered, his grip tightening on Hyōrinmaru. "Captain Aizen's body was discovered! There's no faking that!"

"Captain Unohana examined the corpse herself. No matter how much you try to twist the truth, it's pointless!"

Akira exhaled a weary sigh. "So, you refuse to believe me no matter what I say, huh?"

Soi Fon's gaze was as sharp as a blade. "If you have any explanation, you can present it before Central 46 during your trial."

Akira shook his head. "What a shame. If I'm not mistaken, Central 46 is already dead—eliminated by Aizen long ago."

"Enough nonsense!" Soi Fon snapped, her brows knitting together. "The order to apprehend you came directly from Central 46!"

"Stop wasting time with his lies!" Hitsugaya barked. "You'll be imprisoned first—we can deal with the rest later!"

Akira's expression remained eerily calm. "I'll ask one last time. Are you certain you won't reconsider? I strongly advise you to think this through."

Both Hitsugaya and Soi Fon found his words absurd. He was the one cornered, and yet, he spoke as if they were the ones making a grave mistake.

"Enough talk! Seize him!" Soi Fon ordered.

Instantly, hundreds of Shinigami encircled Akira, forming a near-impenetrable perimeter. Layers upon layers of troops ensured there was no escape—not even for a fly.

"So, this is your final answer…" Akira muttered, raising a hand skyward. His eyes darkened. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

"Ten Thousand Thunderbolts!"

"What?!"

A chill ran down both Hitsugaya and Soi Fon's spines. Their battle-honed instincts screamed of imminent danger.

Then—

CRACK!

A barrage of lightning erupted from the heavens, striking the battlefield with merciless force.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The air exploded with deafening thunderclaps, drowning out the anguished cries of Shinigami caught in the storm. The attack had been prepared in advance—there was no warning, no chance to react.

"Damn it! Why does he have an ability like this?!"

Hitsugaya and Soi Fon watched in horror as their forces collapsed. Hundreds of Shinigami were instantly incapacitated. Most lay unconscious, while the few still awake twitched on the ground, unable to move.

"An entire unit… taken out in a single strike?!"

Soi Fon's eyes widened in disbelief. These were trained operatives from the Gotei 13, not some weak recruits. And yet, under Akira's command, the storm had rendered them powerless.

"Tch… he's stronger than we thought," Hitsugaya muttered, gripping his sword. His breath came slow and measured—he was already preparing for the worst.

Soi Fon was no exception—both she and Hitsugaya set aside their previous certainty as a surge of spiritual pressure filled the battlefield.

"Sit upon the frosted heavens, Hyōrinmaru!"

"Sting all enemies to death, Suzumebachi!"

Both of them released their Shikai simultaneously, raising their fighting spirit to the maximum.

"Let's get this over with quickly."

Akira curled his fingers in a taunting gesture, and the Shunpo master, Soi Fon, was the first to move.

In an instant, she vanished with Shunpo, reappearing directly behind Akira, her index finger aimed at his back.

"Nigeki Kessatsu!"

Soi Fon's deadly ability—if the same spot was struck twice, the enemy would be instantly killed.

However, her strike met only empty air. Her eyes widened—her speed, which she had always prided herself on, was meaningless in front of Akira.

"Impossible...!"

Before she could react, Akira had already moved. His presence flickered behind her like a phantom.

A devastating force slammed into her, launching her through the air for kilometers.

"Fūjin no Ōtsuchi!" (Wind King's Hammer!)

Soi Fon crashed through multiple walls, feeling the impact threaten to shatter her ribs.

"How is he this fast!?" she muttered in disbelief, struggling to her feet.

Meanwhile, Hitsugaya's ice dragon surged toward Akira, its massive tail coiling in pursuit.

"If I remember correctly," Akira mused, dodging effortlessly with Shunpo, "pure ice is an insulator. I wonder if it can block my elemental body like rubber?"

With that thought, he raised his hand toward the oncoming dragon.

"60 Million Volts: Thunder Dragon!"

Electricity roared forth, clashing with the ice dragon. In an instant, the Ice Dragon was completely devoured by the surging thunder.

"What!?" Hitsugaya's eyes widened as the lightning illuminated his shocked face. "That powerful lightning attack again...!"

A deafening explosion followed, engulfing Hitsugaya in a blinding storm of electricity.

However, at that exact moment, Soi Fon saw an opportunity.

"There's an opening!"

She pushed her battered body to the limit, closing the distance at top speed and thrusting her Suzumebachi into Akira's torso.

"It's over—!"

But then… nothing. No blood. No bee-sting pattern marking a confirmed hit.

"What...!? I know I hit him!"

Akira smirked.

"I knew you'd take that chance… That's why I left that opening just for you!"

Half of his body had been left in an intangible, elementalized state. With his remaining solid form, he grabbed Soi Fon's wrist in a crushing grip.

Sea of Thunder!

Lightning exploded outward, engulfing everything in a storm of raw electricity.

"AAAAAHHHHH!"

Soi Fon let out a pained scream as the energy tore through her body.

Just as Akira moved in to finish her off, his Observation Haki flared—something was coming. Instantly, he released Soi Fon and flickered away.

A fraction of a second later, dozens of ice pillars rained down on his previous location.

Hitsugaya, panting heavily, landed next to the injured Soi Fon.

"Damn it… he even dodged that!?" Hitsugaya gritted his teeth.

Akira glanced at the ice shards littering the ground and smirked.

"I see. You used the non-conductive ice wall to block my Thunder Dragon..."

Then, his smirk widened.

"But tell me, Captains—don't you both look pretty beaten up? And we've only been fighting for a few seconds."

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