Whisper, Muramasa  

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Clang Clang Clang…

The sounds of swords clashing continued endlessly at the gate of the Kuchiki family residence as two figures flickered about.

With this first move, Kōga didn't hold back at all. He was determined to kill Ailin right here. Facing Kōga's attacks, Ailin also focused his mind completely to deal with them. The battle at the gate of the Kuchiki family residence soon attracted many people's attention.

Especially members of the 6th, 7th and 10th Divisions, who rushed over at lightning speed.

The family head of the Kuchiki family was the captain of the 6th Division. Adding to that, the 6th Division barracks weren't far from the Kuchiki residence either. Upon sensing the spiritual pressure from the battle here, the Shinigami of the 6th Division swiftly gathered.

The 7th Division was the Inner Court Guard, mainly responsible for maintaining law and order in noble residences. A battle breaking out at the Kuchiki residence was something they had to step in to resolve.

The 10th Division was the Patrol Corps. Any unlawful or irregular happenings in all of Soul Society were handled by the 10th Division making arrests.

The battle between Ailin and Kōga could already be considered the strongest clash below captain-class since the assassination attempt on Captain-Commander Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto five years ago. It was also the most severe incident in Soul Society since then!

"Captain Kuchiki!"

"Captain Kuchiki!"

The fastest to arrive were members of the 6th Division, the closest to the Kuchiki residence. They swiftly gathered around Ginrei Kuchiki, drawing their Zanpakutō to protect him in their center.

With their strength, they could barely make out the figures of Ailin and Kōga. If they were to face either one, they might be killed in an instant. Yet despite so, not one of them retreated or tried to place their own captain at the forefront...

"Alright, all of you stand behind me. Such a battle isn't something you can participate in."

Fortunately, Ginrei Kuchiki wasn't a malicious captain. Knowing these squad members wouldn't accomplish anything and only serve to deplete the enemy's strength, he had them stand behind him.

By the time the members of the 6th Division had all stood behind Ginrei Kuchiki, the 7th Division and 10th Division members had arrived too.

"Captain Kuchiki, may I ask who these two are?"

The captain of the 7th Division was a middle-aged male with hair resembling a yellow sea star. His entire being appeared rather stern.

Love Aikawa!

Upon rushing to the Kuchiki residence, Love Aikawa first inquired Ginrei Kuchiki about the current situation.

"The two currently battling are 1st Division 3rd Seat Kōga and 2nd Division Vice Captain Ailin." Ginrei Kuchiki nodded at Love Aikawa, explaining to him what he saw. "Today, I had invited 3rd Seat Kōga to my residence as a guest. By coincidence, we encountered this 2nd Division Vice Captain tailing my daughter. 3rd Seat Kōga then made a move to capture him on my behalf."

After listening, Love Aikawa stroked his bearded chin. "I see, then we only need to wait for the battle to end."

Generally, there was a huge disparity between a 3rd Seat and Vice Captain. After all, the Vice Captain could be said to be the number two figure in a division, the strongest aside from the captain.

But if this 3rd Seat came from the 1st Division, then that would carry far more weight compared to other divisions.

Among the 13 Divisions, only captains had the qualifications to wear a white captain's haori. Other Shinigami could only wear the black Shihakushō.

But in the 1st Division, Chōjirō Sasakibe, the Vice Captain, was the only one who wore a white Shihakushō altered from a captain's haori.

Although Chōjirō Sasakibe kept a very low profile, his strength actually surpassed most captains.

The 1st Division's 3rd Seat was basically on the same level as Vice Captains of other divisions. However, what Love Aikawa didn't notice was that Ginrei Kuchiki clearly fell silent after he spoke those words.

With their level of strength, naturally they could easily make out the battle situation between Ailin and Kōga.

From the current scenario, Kōga was evenly matched with Ailin. No, it should be said, as the battle progressed, Kōga was instead being suppressed by Ailin!

Because the battlefield was at the gate of the Kuchiki residence, neither Ailin nor Kōga had used Kidō, only engaging in a contest of swordsmanship and Shunpo.

In terms of spiritual pressure alone, Kōga was above Ailin. But in a battle between Shinigami, when the disparity in spiritual pressure hadn't reached a qualitative change, a Shinigami's Zanjutsu, Hohō and Kidō could provide great enhancements to their overall strength.

Compared to ordinary people, Kōga's Zanjutsu and Shunpo were pretty good. But, Ailin possessed the experiences of four captain-class powerhouses, Shin'etsu Kisaragi, Yoruichi Shihōin, Kisuke Urahara and Suzumebachi from two hundred years later.

Shin'etsu Kisaragi's swordsmanship, Yoruichi Shihōin's Shunpo, Kisuke Urahara's Kidō and Suzumebachi's Hakuda...

If not for Kōga's greater spiritual pressure providing superior overall enhancements, he would have been defeated by Ailin long ago.

Love Aikawa assumed the one gaining the upper hand, Ailin, was the 1st Division's 3rd Seat, which was why he said they only needed to wait for the battle's end. But Ginrei Kuchiki knew that the one at a disadvantage was actually the true 1st Division 3rd Seat.

At this time though, he couldn't say anything more. If he denied it verbally, it would mean implying Kōga was inferior to Ailin. How could Kōga accept that?

At this moment, Ginrei Kuchiki's evaluation of Kōga lowered by quite a bit without him realizing it. 

Indeed, judging purely by Zanpakutō abilities, Kōga's could be said to be "the strongest". He was absolutely the "nemesis" of most Shinigami. But a Shinigami's strength wasn't comprised solely of Zanpakutō abilities!

Kōga very clearly relied too much on his Zanpakutō's capabilities, neglecting cultivation in other areas. If his opponent was a Shinigami, Kōga would have a huge advantage. But beyond Soul Society, a Shinigami's enemies also included Hollows from Hueco Mundo as well as Quincy remnants from the Wandenreich a thousand years ago.

When facing powerful entities among Hollows and Quincies, Kōga's Zanpakutō abilities would be useless. Just look at now. Although Ginrei Kuchiki didn't have a good impression towards Ailin, that didn't prevent his insight.

Other than slightly weaker spiritual pressure, this 2nd Division Vice Captain's Zanjutsu and Shunpo weren't inferior even among captains.

"Damn it!"

Although battling Ailin intensely, Ginrei Kuchiki and Love Aikawa's conversation entered both Ailin and Kōga's ears. 

Being looked down upon by others, how could someone as prideful as Kōga endure it? Following his clash with Ailin where he was sent flying back by a sword strike, Kōga directly released his Zanpakutō.

"Whisper, Muramasa!"

Boom!

Tremendous spiritual pressure erupted from Kōga's body. At the same time, a wave of purple spiritual pressure spread from Kōga's sword towards Ailin.

"What is this?"

When this wave of purple spiritual pressure spread to Ailin's body, he suddenly felt that he had lost control of his Zanpakuto, Tessaiga, in his hand.

No, not only had he lost control, but this Tessaiga was actually controlling Ailin's right hand holding the sword, slashing towards Ailin's own neck...