Satisfied with Kyoraku’s reaction, Tokinada continued to tell the truth with a rapturous look on his face. “To be honest, though, I was confident you had it. But compared to the Tsunayashiro, you are practically a peasant, even as a higher-ranked noble. I thought that you would get ideas in your head if I were to implicate you…don’t you think the plot in which I wait to tell you until the girl is persecuted because you hid the sword and it’s too late to take anything back would be so much more fun?”
“…”
“Ha ha ha ha ha ha! Don’t make that face at me, Kyoraku! Don’t worry! Ginrei Kuchiki squashed that proposal. That incorrigible old geezer—he acts hard, but really he’s soft!”
“I see… So that’s how it was. I need to express my gratitude to Ginrei… Take that!”
Hiding fierce vehemence behind his relief, Kyoraku continued to swing his sword. Tokinada received his successive attacks and, as though to further rile Kyoraku, asked, “What’s wrong? What’s with your measly fighting? Putting aside the Pinky Promise, you’re not using Iro Oni, Takaoni, and Kage Okuri. Are you that frightened of my zanpaku-to’s abilities?”
“Yes, I am frightened. It is quite terrifying.”
“Hm?”
Kyoraku smiled boldly, and Tokinada was slightly dubious. Then Kyoraku backed off for a moment and asked something strange. “What was the name of your zanpaku-to again?”
“Do you really need me to tell you? You’ve already looked into it and figured it out, haven’t you?”
“Yes, now I’m certain based on your reaction…” A cynical smile came over Kyoraku’s face. He looked up at Tokinada from under his hat with a glare. “…that it’s not true that the name of your zanpaku-to is Kuten Kyokoku…Isn’t that right?”
“…”
Now Tokinada’s expression went blank.
“I’ll take your silence as affirmation—since we both cannot tell a lie.”
Kyoraku quietly steadied his breath and went on. “I was skeptical. That your Kuten Kyokoku can send your opponent’s zanpaku-to’s abilities flying is certainly frightening. But, of course, that power seemed slightly underwhelming for the zanpaku-to that the Tsunayashiro family has protected all this time.”
“…”
“And as for the name Kuten Kyokoku…it has a similar ring to my own Katen Kyokotsu, doesn’t it? So I thought you might have blocked its power with a fake name, partly just to spite me.”
There were several examples of zanpaku-to being called fake names in order to limit their abilities. Whether or not Kyoraku knew it, Yumichika Ayasegawa’s zanpaku-to, Fuji Kujaku, had a fake name to hide the true ability of Ruriiro Kujaku.
“It’s in your nature. Once we came up with a method to defeat that sword and began to implement that, you planned on calling it by its real name to release its true abilities, didn’t you? And there was only one reason you wanted to do that—you just want to see our faces in despair. Am I wrong?”
Tokinada sighed at Kyoraku’s questioning and then pinned a cold stare on Kyoraku as he said, “You really just cannot read the room, Kyoraku. If you figured out that much, why didn’t you at least consider continuing with the ruse for my sake? The term wet blanket was made for you.”
“You gave me too many hints. Perhaps you were hoping to pour salt in the wound, taunting me by saying, ‘The name Kuten Kyokoku happens to sound awfully similar to your own sword’s name, don’t you think?’ after your game was up. Was that it?”
“You’re half right. The other half was a reminder to myself not to forget my suspicion and hatred of you.”
Tokinada grinned, raising the corner of his mouth and once again letting out an obnoxious laugh.
“Sip the world and wear the horizon—”
“Huh!”
Realizing that was part of Tokinada’s release incantation, Kyoraku used shunpo to close the distance between them and swiped at Tokinada.
He could not allow the man to release his zanpaku-to. Having decided that, Kyoraku had been looking for a chance all along to slay Tokinada when his guard was down. Kyoraku didn’t have the time to go through the process of Iro Oni or Takaoni. He simply thrusted, leaving everything up to speed. If the man tried to retreat, Kyoraku was confident he could pursue him and slay him.
However, at that moment something unexpected happened.
Tokinada, who had intentionally stepped forward, seemed to allow himself to be stabbed by Kyoraku’s blade, and Kyoraku barely missed the man’s vitals. Even Kyoraku hadn’t been able to predict that move. He hadn’t thought that Tokinada was prepared to let himself be wounded in order to block Kyoraku. That could only mean one thing: instead of interrupting his release incantation, there was enough value in invoking the zanpaku-to’s abilities for Tokinada to put his life on the line.
“Duplicate and curtail…all of creation equally, Enra Kyoten!”
Tokinada smiled as he said the name, blood running from his mouth. Then, in front of Kyoraku’s cautious eyes, the zanpaku-to blade transformed. The silver blade, stretching from a geometrical hilt of squares and cross-shaped wedges, was bright like a mirror. In the next moment, the sword body began to radiate, and a light brighter than the sun blinded Kyoraku’s single eye.
“Huh?!”
A zanpaku-to that controls light?
The extravagant, blinding light momentarily robbed everyone of their judgment. However, naturally it was exactly as the Captain General of the Thirteen Court Guard Companies had predicted. Kyoraku recovered his senses far faster than any normal person and twisted his sword as it stabbed Tokinada. However, one moment prior, Tokinada had moved to kick Kyoraku and pull himself away.
“Guh!”
Kyoraku was sent flying, but someone stopped him.
“Are you all right, Captain General?!”
“Thank you, Nanao. That was somewhat clumsy of me, wasn’t it?”
Smiling cynically as he stood up, he looked toward Tokinada as his eye began to regain sight. Tokinada stood there, unharmed.
“Huh?”
There was evidence of Tokinada’s kimono having been cut. However, though there were traces of blood on the skin revealed by the slashed kimono, Kyoraku did not see the wound itself.
“What’s wrong, Kyoraku?”
Tokinada, who had a serious wound until only a moment ago, was delighted. “You wanted to see it, didn’t you? This is my…no, it is the Tsunayashiro’s zanpaku-to that has been passed along from generation to generation, the oldest one…it is the one and only Enra Kyoten.”
It was not just Tokinada’s wound that was missing.
The hilt that Tokinada gripped…and the blade that had been there just moments ago…was gone.
≡