Isshin Shiba POV.

Dodging a wild right swing from my opponent, I distanced myself. Throughout the battle, I had been launching probing attacks to figure out this Adjuchas's speciality. Typically, Hollows of this stature have reasonable intelligence, so without some kind of trump card, they should know better than to attack the Shinigami unprovoked.

Turns out the Hollow is likely an imbecile. Its unique power was some kind of enhanced acid. Recalling the Fourth Seat's state, the acid likely assists with digestion and might provide bonuses that I don't know of. But this isn't enough.

Before I could start using Kido, I felt an Adjuchas reiatsu flaring up near Rangiku and Riku. 'That's definitely above their pay grade.' Ignoring my opponent's arrogant monologue, I decided to wrap this up. "Burn, Engetsu." I also bit into my thumb, allowing my blood to drip onto the blade. Engetsu, as expected, responded by significantly increasing the intensity of his flame.

Seeing the Hollow distracted by Engetsu, I quickly activated my Shunpo and appeared behind the creature. Allowing a quick build-up of reiatsu on Engetsu, I aimed to strike the Hollow down. The Hollow tried to escape once it realised where I was, but again, the Hollow just wasn't enough. "Getsuga Tenshō!"

Releasing a sign, I ignore the smouldering remains and clunkily retract my slashing poise. Using Engetsu has always been a hassle. Although his reiatsu demands are normal, the toll using his power takes on my body always leaves me stiff. Sensing Riku's reiatsu spike to absurd levels, I'm reminded of the dire situation my subordinates find themselves in. Idlely noting to question Riku after all this is over, I rush towards them.

Just as I reached the battlefield, I was passed by a panicking Riku rocketing away while carrying Rangiku. 'What the f-' Seeing a ball of highly condensed reiatsu about to collide head-on with a trapped Adjuchas, I started to understand Riku's panic. Rushing to put myself between the Hollow and the rest of my subordinates, I damn near ripped off a chunk of my hand. The resulting fountain of blood empowered Engetsu to massive proportions. Enough that by placing Engetsu in front of me, I could create a powerful flame shield encompassing us.

And just in time, too, since the strange Cero thing made contact. The Hollow had no time to scream before it was incinerated by a cataclysmic explosion. I had no time to pay attention to the Hollow's fate, however, as my reiatsu reserves were dropping fast to keep the shield up.

"God damn it, Riku!"

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Gritting my teeth, I pushed Engetsu to his limits. I keep trying to feed him my blood, just so that his flame doesn't get snuffed out. Just as the blood loss was getting to me, I felt the blast finally pass. Glancing at the terrified but grateful Shinigami behind me, I reaffirmed my idea to talk to Riku. Whatever the ball of reiatsu was, he was extremely negligent in releasing it with his allies so close by.

"What a mess..."

Riku's POV.

Opening my eyes and seeing the familiar set-up of the Fourth division, I let out a heavy sigh. It was over. Judging by the number of living squad members, it means we won. Ignoring the pounding headache, I sat up to get a better look at my body. 'Nothing's missing, good.' The weakness in my body is probably not from the explosion.

The Letzt Stil of the Quincy is a last-stand type of ability which explains its great power. However, I couldn't accept the side effects of the original technique. Losing my powers for a temporary power-up is a foolish trade, so I had to figure out a way around it. Instead of permanently losing my powers, my incomplete Letzt Stil heavily burdens the body. Before strengthening my body, I could only last a second in that form before passing out. Now... Clenching my fist, 'Now, I'll only need a day to recover.'

My train of thought is interrupted by the door of the ward being slid open. Stepping through the door frame, I was surprised to see not only the Captain but also the Captain-Commander, followed by his Vice-Captain. Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto was an incredibly intimidating man. Especially for someone as sensitive to reiatsu as I am, it's like being in the presence of a raging inferno.

The reishi in his immediate surroundings seemed to combust into tiny flames when it came into contact with his haori. Of course, this was happening on pretty much a microscopic scale, but it doesn't take away from the fact that the man's sheer presence was destructive to the world.

Having expected this confrontation to some extent, I mentally prepared myself for the coming storm of bullshit. "Third Seat Riku." The Captain-Commander started in a voice dripping with seniority, "Do you know why I am here?" Seeing this interrogation for what it is, I try and keep my tone as respectful as I can. "Yes, sir. I have an idea."

Keeping my head slightly low, I can feel the Commander's stare weighing heavily on me. The Commander breaks the tense silence by continuing, "The battle report paints a picture of a reckless man wielding traitorous abilities. You were warned about utilizing your zanpakutō on a large scale...." Painfully feeling Sōten ni zase's absence, I couldn't help but tense up. "However, all evidence of alleged usage of Quincy techniques has been erased by the blast. Furthermore, Vice-Captain Rangiku Matsumoto has pleaded for leniency in your case, arguing that you wouldn't have been able to save her life without taking the actions that you did."

"Vice-Captain Rangiku Matsumoto's words aside, your final attack put the lives of numerous Shinigami at risk. That is undeniable. The only reason you have not been placed before the Central 46 is that your attack had no casualties but the sole Adjuchas you were battling."

Letting the room lapse again into a tense silence, the Captain-Commander slowly made his way to the exit. "The duty of Shinigami is to safeguard the Seireitei and its people. You will do well to remember that, young Riku..."