Bleach: From the moment I was invited by Squad Zero

The battlefield was located in a leveled forest clearing deep in the woods, surrounded by scorched earth and broken trees, clearly indicating that a fierce battle had taken place there.

In the arena, two figures faced off.

On one side is Shiba Kaien, the current head of the Shiba family and vice-captain of the 13th Division. He has a signature head of short black hair, a handsome face, but his eyes are burning with cold anger and a determination for revenge.

His shihaka uniform was slightly damaged, but he stood tall and held his zanpakuto tightly in his hand, the blade reflecting a chilling light.

His aura surged, carrying a texture that seemed to contain hidden waves.

On the other side is the Void Metastasia.

Its appearance is bizarre, with the main body being an irregularly twisted white bone mask. Beneath the mask are countless writhing tentacles that extend outwards and dance wildly in the air.

It exudes a greedy, malicious spiritual pressure, which contrasts sharply with Shiba Kaien's rage.

Several deep knife marks were already visible on its body, and several tentacles had been severed at the root, with foul-smelling slime flowing from the cuts, clearly indicating that it had suffered a loss in the previous exchange.

Rukia breathed a slight sigh of relief upon seeing Kaien and immediately wanted to rush forward to help.

However, the moment she took a step, Shiba Kaien's voice, carrying an undeniable, almost pleading tone, came clearly:

"Captain Ukitake! Rukia! Please wait!"

His gaze first swept over Ukitake Jushiro, filled with absolute trust and a hint of apology, before finally settling firmly on Ukitake:

"Captain, please allow me... to deal with him alone. This is a grudge between me and this Hollow that must be settled!"

A complex emotion flashed across Jushiro Ukitake's pale face—a mixture of worry, understanding, and deep helplessness.

He looked at his deputy captain, whom he regarded as a son and his most capable assistant, and saw the unwavering determination in his eyes. He remained silent for a moment, and finally, he simply nodded slowly.

"it is good."

A single word encapsulates the captain's respect for his subordinates' choices, and also contains unspoken trust and a heavy entrustment.

Rukia was about to say something, but was stopped by a look from Ukitake.

She could only bite her lip, clench her fists, and nervously watch the scene unfold.

Yanagawa remained where he was, his gaze calmly fixed on Shiba Kaien.

This young head of the Shiba family possesses pure and powerful spiritual pressure, and his fighting style is sharp yet disciplined. His performance in suppressing the Hollow was indeed remarkable, living up to his reputation as a genius.

Yanagawa also became somewhat interested in observing his upcoming battle.

With Ukitake's permission, Shiba Kaien had no more worries.

He let out a low growl and charged toward Metastacia with lightning speed!

The Zanpakuto in his hand transformed into streaks of light, each strike containing surging spiritual pressure and exquisite swordsmanship, forcing the Hollow to retreat repeatedly. Its tentacles danced wildly to block, but several were still severed, splattering foul-smelling liquid.

Shiba Kaien's offensive was like a raging torrent, relentless and completely overwhelming his opponent. His vengeful rage combined with his superb swordsmanship, showcasing astonishing combat power.

Finally, he seized a tiny opening in his opponent's defenses, and his left hand shot out like an iron clamp, grabbing the base of one of Metastacia's relatively thick main tentacles that was attacking him!

"Gotcha!" Shiba Kaien's eyes flashed with cold light as he raised his Zanpakuto high and shouted:

"Let the water and sky reverse their course—"

The Zanpakuto's release command is about to be uttered! A surge of spiritual pressure frantically gathers on the blade, causing it to ripple with azure blue light, and a terrifying power that seems capable of causing rivers to flow backward is brewing!

Ukitake and Rukia both showed a hint of anticipation in their eyes. As long as Tsubaki is released, Shiba Kaien's strength is enough to completely kill this Hollow!

However, at this very moment when the outcome was about to be decided—

"laugh……"

Metastasia, whose tentacles had been grabbed, had a "smile" twisted out on his distorted bone mask in a strangely human-like way.

At the same time, at the base of the tentacle that was tightly gripped by Shiba Kaien's left hand, countless tiny suckers carrying strange spiritual energy fluctuations suddenly opened and wriggled!

Shiba Kaien felt a strange numbness and emptiness in his left palm, and then, something surprising happened—

The Zanpakuto "Tsubaki," which was about to be unleashed in his right hand and was closely connected to his soul, suddenly... vanished into thin air!

It wasn't a break, nor was it a slip from my grasp; rather, it was as if it had never existed at all, completely severing all connection and connection with him!

"What?!" Shiba Kaien's pupils constricted, his mind going completely blank. His Zanpakuto... disappeared?! How could this be?!

It was this moment of distraction and shock that exposed his fatal flaw.

Metastacia's other long-awaited tentacle lashed out like a poisonous whip across his chest!

boom!

With a dull thud, Shiba Kaien was struck as if by a heavy blow. He was sent flying backward, crashing into a large tree before rolling to the ground and spitting out a mouthful of blood.

He struggled to get up, but felt his spiritual pressure become disordered, especially the backlash on the soul level caused by the forced severing of his connection with his Zanpakuto, which made him dizzy.

"Vice Captain Haiyan!" Rukia exclaimed, and was about to rush forward.

"Rukia, wait!"

Jushiro Ukitake reached out and stopped her.

The sickly captain was even paler now, but his eyes were unusually calm, even carrying a deep sorrow and understanding.

He looked at Shiba Kaien, who was struggling to his feet, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, his eyes filled with disbelief and anger. His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached Rukia and Yanagawa's ears:

"Taking action now could indeed save Haiyan, and even help him kill that Void. But... doing so would completely shatter his last shred of dignity as a man."

He paused, his gaze fixed on the stubborn figure in the center of the arena, and slowly said:

"There are two kinds of battles. One is the battle to protect life and safeguard what is important. The other... is the battle to defend dignity, uphold beliefs, and settle karmic debts."

Haiyan... he's doing the latter now. He's chosen to face it alone, not only for revenge, but also for his deceased wife. If we intervene now, it would be tantamount to denying the path he's chosen, denying the meaning of his fight.

Rukia was stunned, looking at Captain Ukitake's serious and compassionate expression, and then at Vice-Captain Kaien, who was isolated and helpless in the field, yet still stood tall.

His clenched fist trembled slightly, but eventually he slowly loosened it, though the worry and anxiety in his eyes did not diminish in the slightest.

Yanagawa listened quietly to Ukitake's words. Dignity? Faith? Settling the score? He understood Ukitake's meaning and respected Shiba Kaien's choice.

However, Yanagawa does not entirely agree with this concept that places "dignity" above "life" and "victory".

In his view, the ultimate goal of the battle is to achieve the objective, eliminate the enemy, and protect oneself and one's comrades.

In a life-or-death situation, means, processes, and even so-called "dignity" can temporarily take a back seat.

When people are dead and defeated, what use is so-called "dignity"?

It's nothing more than a small consolation for the living, or something for the enemy to laugh at.

At this moment, the situation on the field had reversed. Having lost his Zanpakuto, Shiba Kaien's strength was greatly diminished. He attempted to gather his Kido for a counterattack—"Hado #31, Red Fire Cannon!"

A crimson fireball roared out and struck Metastacia's waving tentacles, only causing it to pause slightly and become charred, without causing much damage. Instead, it provoked an even fiercer attack.

Yanagawa shook his head slightly. Shiba Kaien's level of Kido... was indeed as rumored, not outstanding, at least compared to his swordsmanship talent, the gap was obvious.

Moreover, relying too much on Zanpakuto means that once the Zanpakuto malfunctions, their combat power will plummet. This is a common problem and weakness of most Shinigami.

The ensuing battle turned into a one-sided chase and a desperate attempt to evade.

With his rich combat experience and agile movements, Shiba Kaien managed to barely keep up with Metastacia's storm of tentacle attacks, occasionally retaliating with hand-to-hand combat and low-level Kido.

However, the effect was minimal, new wounds kept appearing on his body, his aura quickly weakened, and his spiritual pressure was greatly depleted.

Finally, after barely dodging the strangulation of several tentacles, Shiba Kaien staggered, half-kneeling on the ground, panting heavily, sweat mixed with blood dripping down his face. He was nearing his limit.

"Hahaha... Had enough fun, Death?" Metastasia let out a piercing laugh, countless tentacles dancing excitedly around him.

"Since that's the case, then let you and your wife... suffer the same fate!"

Before the words were even finished, all of its tentacles, like countless venomous snakes ready to devour their prey, suddenly straightened, their tips gleaming with an eerie purplish-black light.

With a greedy spiritual pressure that intended to "possess" and "corrode" him, it shot out in an overwhelming barrage towards the exhausted Shiba Kaien!

This attack was clearly intended to completely devour and control Haiyan, just as he had done to his wife back then!

"Kaien!" Rukia screamed, and Jushiro Ukitake's expression changed drastically, instinctively reaching for his sword.

At that critical moment, when even Ukitake was almost about to abandon his "dignity theory" and take action—

"The Eighty-first of the Binding Paths: Severing Emptiness."