Chapter 365: Whispers of the Invisible Empire
In the end, Zaraki Kenpachi didn’t try using Nozarashi to break the seal on Ashido.
Frankly, he was worried he wouldn’t be able to hold back and might accidentally cut Ashido in half.
With a resigned grunt, Zaraki sealed Nozarashi again. There was little point in brandishing it anymore—he couldn’t undo the Kidō binding anyway. So he simply sat down, watching Ashido in silence, his spiritual pressure smoldering in the air like lingering smoke.
Fortunately, it wasn’t long before Kyouraku Shunsui arrived on the scene.
Unlike Zaraki, Shunsui was well-versed in Kidō spells. With practiced ease and calm authority, he examined the seal constraining Ashido and broke it with a few swift, precise incantations.
*Shatter!*
Ashido gasped as the bindings dissolved. Regaining his footing, he immediately turned toward Shunsui, face grim.
Without delay, like finally uncorking a bottle of frustration, Ashido recounted everything—how Zaraki Kenpachi had defeated Azashiro, how Mazuru had appeared and taken both Roka and Azashiro with him.
Shunsui listened intently, his eyes hidden behind his signature straw hat, expression unreadable.
"That’s amazing, Captain Zaraki." Shunsui finally said with a faint smile. "Though I’ve always known you were more than just brute force."
While others might have been shocked by Zaraki’s victory over Azashiro, Shunsui was not. He had known for years that Zaraki’s raw potential had only been hindered by his own self-imposed limits. Now that he had released those chains—now that Nozarashi had awakened—his power had reached frightening new heights.
Ashido, however, wasn’t done.