chapter 306
Chapter 306:
– Layla –
“BANKAI: ZANKA NO TACHI!”
The Head Captain unleashed his full power, and I wasn’t all that surprised he was going all out from the start.
I am freaking HER after all.
[How modest of you… but also true.]
I ignored the system’s usual snark and focused on Yamamoto. The air on the mountain suddenly felt different—dry, lifeless. I realized it wasn’t just the mountain. The entire Soul Society had been stripped of moisture in an instant, leaving an oppressive dryness that felt unnatural.
I let out a small whistle when I saw his blade. It looked like he was wielding an actual sun. The heat radiating from it was so intense that the ground around him was beginning to crack and smolder.
“Bankai: Zanka no Tachi. The full power of all my flames condensed into this blade,” the Head Captain said. “Can you handle it, Ryoka…?”
I couldn’t help but grin. That power was incredible. Someday, I’d have my own Bankai, and it would be just as epic. Maybe even better. For now, though, I knew my asauchi wouldn’t survive even one clash against that weapon. It was already weak, and fighting with it would destroy what was left of the blade.
Instead, I raised my right hand and conjured a Lightspear. The weapon crackled with energy, radiating raw power. My Light Energy, cosmic energy, divine energy, and the three Infinity Stones I held had all merged into something new. Whatever this new power was, I could tell it wasn’t complete. Not yet. I’d need all the stones for that.
The Head Captain’s eyes narrowed as he studied the spear. “That’s not your ultimate weapon, is it? You just created that with less than a single percent of your power.”
“You want the truth?” I asked, smirking.
“I don’t know what you are, Ryoka, but as the Head Captain of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, I won’t go down without a fight.”
“Good,” I said. “I’d be disappointed if you did.”
The ground beneath him cracked and melted as he moved, faster than I expected for someone who looked that old. His glowing red blade came crashing down on me with both hands, and I raised my Light Spear to intercept.
The clash of our weapons sent a shockwave through the area. The impact was powerful—more than I’d anticipated—but it still wasn’t enough to make me flinch. The ground beneath us didn’t fare as well. The entire area for at least 100 meters was obliterated, leaving nothing but a smoldering crater.
Yamamoto stepped back, his eyes narrowing further as he evaluated me. “Your strength is undeniable. You are the most powerful enemy I've ever faced.”
I casually tapped my Lightspear with my other hand. “I wouldn't necessarily call us enemies. This is just a casual sparring match.”
That comment made him crack a small grin. “I can’t remember the last time I had an honest spar with someone,” he said.
“Zanka no Tachi: West!” he declared, and his entire body and sword suddenly erupted into flames.
The heat around us intensified immediately. I’d never stood on a star before, but now I could guess what it might feel like. My HP fluctuated wildly. Every second, it dropped by a few hundred points, only to shoot back up thanks to my natural regeneration. To him, though, it probably looked like I was completely unaffected.
“Here I go!” he shouted, launching himself at me again.
– Unohana Retsu –
Unohana Retsu, Captain of Squad Four, stood silently with the other captains on top of the tallest tower in the Seireitei. They all watched the intense battle unfolding at Sokyoku Hill. The power on display was unlike anything she had seen in centuries.
It had been so long since the Head Captain used his Bankai. She had almost forgotten what it looked like. Unohana couldn’t imagine anyone left in the world who could push him to this level. She felt a twinge of jealousy—not because she doubted his abilities, but because he was experiencing such a magnificent fight. A fight he was shockingly losing.
From their vantage point, it was difficult to see the exact movements of the combatants, but the clash of their spiritual pressures was impossible to ignore. The Head Captain’s tremendous energy collided violently with the strange power of the ryoka. Unohana didn’t know much about this newcomer, only that they had shattered the near-indestructible barriers around the Seireitei with ease before landing near the Head Captain’s personal barracks. He had confronted them directly without hesitation.
The Head Captain had been on edge for the past few days, she realized. Was this why? Or was there something else he hadn’t shared?
“Such power,” Captain Hitsugaya said, his voice tight with frustration. “How am I still this far behind?”
“Don’t be so down, Shiro-kun,” Shunsui said, tipping his hat slightly. “The world’s a big place.”
Unohana noted the tension in Shunsui’s stance. He was trying to sound calm, but even he was uneasy. All of them wanted to run to the Head Captain’s aid, but the sheer heat radiating from the battle made it impossible. The flames were so intense that even getting close could be fatal. Unohana doubted her own Bankai would allow her to last long in those conditions before the heat dried every drop of blood in her body.
The hill was barely visible through the waves of heat, but they could still sense the chaotic flow of spiritual pressure clashing again and again. Each collision shook the entire Soul Society. Glass windows across the Seireitei had shattered long ago, and many of the buildings looked ready to collapse.
“This is madness,” Soi Fon muttered, gripping the railing tightly. “If the Head Captain is struggling, how can we hope to deal with this?”
Unohana didn’t answer. She was focused entirely on the fight, her mind racing through possibilities. Who was this ryoka? What kind of power could overwhelm the Head Captain in such a direct confrontation? None of it made sense. Another shockwave rocked the Seireitei, forcing some of the captains to steady themselves. Unohana remained still, her eyes never leaving the hill.
– Layla –
Who would have thought the leader of the Japanese death gods in this Universe was a necromancer? I certainly didn’t expect it. Yet, there I was, surrounded by flaming skeletons. Each one radiated the same intense heat as his sword had when he activated his Bankai. The Head Captain was full of surprises.
The skeletons were faster than they looked. Each of them used flash step, zipping around the battlefield and trying to dogpile me from all sides. It was annoying, but nothing I couldn’t handle. My sixteen wings spread out as I moved swiftly through the chaos, dodging their attacks and taking them down with my Lightspear. Thankfully, the ones I killed stayed dead, which seemed to surprise the Head Captain. I caught the way his eyes lingered on my wings.
“In all my years as a Shinigami, I’ve never seen an actual Angel,” he said. Sweat dripped from his brow, only to evaporate immediately in the intense heat coming from the skeletons. It seemed even the Head Captain wasn’t completely immune to the heat. Or maybe he had a limit to how much he could take before it started affecting him too.
I swung my spear again, still hovering a few meters off the ground. Another dozen skeletons crumbled, their fiery forms extinguished. I could sense tiny remnants of actual souls inside each one. Most of them felt foul, like they belonged in Hell. At least he hadn’t used innocent people for this ability.
Meh, he’d been around for over a thousand years. He’d probably run into plenty of criminals he personally executed with that sword. That’s probably how his Bankai worked.
One of the skeletons lunged at me, and I jabbed my spear through its ribcage, shattering it into ash. “Urahara Kisuke and his sexy cat friend said the same thing I did,” I called out to the Head Captain. “Maybe you all just weren’t looking hard enough for my kind?”
“Of course, it was Kisuke who sent you to us and caused this mess,” the Head Captain said. His voice was calm, but I could see the tension in his posture as the skeletons regrouped, surrounding me again. A few of them even started climbing on top of each other in a ridiculous attempt to reach me in the air.
Flying was so overpowered.
Shinigami couldn’t fly in the Soul Society, only in the World of the Living where they could stand on air itself. Here, there technically wasn’t any air, just an endless spiritual energy, or reishi.
The skeletons surrounding me started to shift, their empty sockets glowing even brighter as they all opened their mouths to release torrents of fire. I was in the middle of their formation, with seemingly no way out. “This is one of my ultimate techniques,” he said. “I’ve never had to use it before… not even on that man.”
“Lucky me…” I chuckled.
The flames converged, but I wasn’t about to let them toast me. I raised my free hand, focusing my power to keep my next ability contained to only the mountain. I unleashed an Almighty Push. The force was incredible, a wave of raw power that blew away every skeleton in an instant. Even the Head Captain couldn’t stand against it—he was sent flying nearly a kilometer, barely managing to avoid being thrown off the mountain entirely.
I lowered my hand, the energy dissipating around me, and flew over to where he struggled to get back to his feet. His sword was still in hand, but the fight was gone from his posture. I landed softly in front of him and placed my Lightspear at his throat.
“Looks like this is my win,” I said, grinning.
“So it is,” the old man grumbled. He released his Bankai, and I felt the oppressive heat vanish instantly as the temperature dropped back to normal.
I reached out my hand to help him up, expecting him to refuse. To my surprise, he accepted, gripping my hand tightly as I pulled him to his feet.
He looked at me with a mixture of respect and curiosity. “What is your name?” he asked.
“Layla of the Fallen,” I said, giving him a small bow.
I then checked over my outfit to make sure none of my clothes were torched after all that. I was just wearing a simple t-shirt and jeans that I’d created with the power of Creation of All Things. Most of my clothes were made that way now. Regular fabric couldn’t handle my powers anymore. I wasn’t shameless enough to fight naked like most of the other DxD girls.
The Head Captain studied me for a moment before nodding. “Follow me,” he said, flash stepping away toward his barracks.
I took off after him, flying through the air. As I passed over the Seireitei, I cringed. The damage from the fight was worse than I’d thought. Entire districts were in ruins, with shattered buildings and dried-up ponds everywhere. The plants were withered and lifeless, and the devastation spread farther than I expected.
I paused mid-air, looking over the destruction.
“What are you doing?” Yamamoto asked, stopping to look back at me.
I focused on my red pair of Angelic wings, feeling the familiar hum of their power. Reality itself bent to my will when I used them. It was an incredible concept, one that scared me if I ever thought about abusing it. But using it to fix a city I’d wrecked? That was something I had no problem with.
I closed my eyes and let the power flow. A wave of red energy erupted from my body, spreading across the Soul Society in all directions. My MP drained rapidly—over a million points in an instant—but I didn’t care. The energy spread over the entire city, repairing every building it touched. Crumbled walls reformed, shattered glass pieced itself back together, and dried-up ponds refilled with crystal-clear water. Even the plants sprang back to life, vibrant and green once more.
When it was over, I lowered my arms and looked around at the restored city.
Yamamoto stared at me, his eyes wide. “Are you truly an Angel… or are you some kind of Goddess?”
I giggled, letting my wings fold behind me. “Who says I can’t be both?”
…
The lieutenant of Squad One placed two cups of tea in front of me and the Head Captain. We were sitting on our knees on the top floor of his building, overlooking the entire Soul Society. The view was incredible, but I was more interested in the tea. I picked up my cup and took a sip.
“This is good,” I said, genuinely impressed with the flavor and aroma. It’d been a while since I’d had tea so good.
The Head Captain nodded. “My lieutenant has been mastering his tea-making technique for over five hundred years.”
I let out a low whistle. “That’s almost twice as old as I am.”
Both men blanched at that. The Head Captain looked a little dejected as he stared at his tea. “I can’t believe someone so young has surpassed me so thoroughly. Even my Bankai couldn’t leave a scratch on you.”
The lieutenant’s eyes widened at the confession.
I shook my head and put my cup down. “That’s not true,” I said. To prove it, I conjured a small knife made of chakra metal and dragged it across my palm, letting it cut deep. Blood welled up for a moment before the wound sealed itself completely, leaving no trace it had ever been there. “You did manage to hurt me. I just have an insane healing factor. Your Bankai actually did damage me. I just healed through it.”
The Head Captain chuckled, shaking his head. “At least that’s something.”
A knock came at the nearby door before it slid open. A stunning woman stepped inside, and I couldn’t help but appreciate her figure. She was gorgeous, with curves that were impossible to ignore even under those thick robes. Her chest was massive, and her whole presence screamed confidence. This was definitely an A-grade MILF.
She glanced at me, and her eyes widened in shock. “Hello, Head Captain… I take it this is the ryoka you were fighting?”
“Indeed,” the Head Captain said. “This is Layla of the Fallen. She soundly defeated me. Since the full might of the Soul Society wouldn’t be able to stop her from doing whatever she wants, she is now considered a guest here.”
Unohana blanched. “Is that how it works? She is a ryoka, after all. The Central 46 won’t be happy about any of this.”
I giggled, swirling the tea in my cup. “Laws are only for the strong to enforce. Likewise, the strong can ignore those same laws.”
[That’s how the omniverse works…]
Unohana took a deep breath, her eyes narrowing slightly, but then she walked over and sat down next to me. Her gaze flicked to my wings, which were still out, and I caught the fascination in her expression.
“Want to touch them?” I asked. “I know you’re a doctor. You’re probably curious about how they work.”
“I didn’t want to be rude,” she said, but her hand was already reaching out. Her fingers brushed against the edge of one wing, then slid across the feathers. Her touch was careful, like she was trying to memorize the texture.
I held back a shiver and kept my expression neutral. Angel wings were weird. They could be tougher than steel, but depending on the situation, they were just as sensitive as an erogenous zone. I wasn’t about to make this awkward by moaning, though.
Unohana studied my wings with the same focus I’d expect from a scientist. “They’re incredible,” she said. “They’re not just spiritual constructs, are they? These are physical and feel alive.”
“They’re sort of both,” I said. “They can shift between states when I need them to.”
Unohana’s hand lingered for a moment longer before she pulled it back. “Fascinating. I’ve never seen anything like them.”
I leaned back slightly and grinned at Unohana. “You’re free to study them more if you want. Maybe even in private…”
Her eyes widened, and a small blush crept onto her cheeks. “Ara, it’s been a while since I’ve met someone so direct.”
[Oy! What happened to not flirting with other women while you were here?]
The system scolded me again…
I pouted internally. ‘That comment came out automatically! I can’t help what I am!’
The Head Captain coughed, drawing both of our attention back to him. “Unohana, why are you here?” he asked.
“I was chosen as the representative of the other captains to see what was going on,” she said. Her gaze flicked back to me for a moment before continuing. “That fight was incredibly intense. Then an unstoppable red wave swept through the entire city, and suddenly everything was restored. Even Sokyoku Hill was completely repaired after half of it had been leveled. That was… truly amazing,” she said, looking at me.
I felt my cheeks heat up at her compliment and scratched the back of my head awkwardly. “Thanks.”
The Head Captain cleared his throat again. “I’ll send a report to all the captains later. For now, everything is fine.” He turned to me. “As for you, I will keep my word. I’ll send a message to Ōetsu Nimaiya.” I raised an eyebrow at the unfamiliar name, but he continued before I could ask. “He is the creator of all zanpakutō. However, he resides in a place unreachable by all Shinigami.”
He didn’t elaborate further, and I just shrugged. That was fine. Progress was progress.
He nodded. “Since the two of you seem to get along so well,” he said, glancing between me and Unohana, “you shall stay in Squad Four’s barracks while we wait for a response.”
I turned to Unohana with a smile. She hesitated for a moment before giving me a small, nervous smile in return…
– Carl –
“Ugh… my stomach…” Carl muttered as he shuffled back to his post in front of a bunch of screens. They were connected to dozens of secret cameras hidden all over their enemy’s territory. “No more burritos for the next few weeks…”
Carl was a nobody. Just a regular soldier in the Wandenreich army. As a Quincy, his abilities weren’t anything special, which was probably why he never moved up the ranks. The only thing he was particularly good at was staying awake for long periods and focusing on tasks that bored everyone else. That made him the perfect candidate to stare at screens all day and spy on the Soul Society, a job he’d been doing for the past 100 years.
Occasionally, there’d be something interesting, like when that Ichigo kid and his human friends stormed the place. But most days were just him watching Shinigami going about their lives, training, working, and talking to each other.
Today wasn’t any different—except for the fact that Carl had food poisoning. He kept having to leave his post to deal with his stomach issues…
His last trip to the bathroom had taken him about 30 minutes. By the time he finally returned, everything in the Seireitei looked exactly the same as before he left. “Nothing new to report,” he muttered while rubbing his stomach…
XXX
I was gonna write the Quincy reactions to the Head Captain getting beaten, but then I was like… it would be funnier if they didn’t know because the battle ended so fast and Layla fixed everything. Also, when I googled random German names for this throwaway character, Carl is literally the first result which made me laugh.