This move of Hyorinmaru was not any special ability, but simply releasing her Reiatsu, which contained endless ice power.
Yet even so, it was not something Muramasa, Katen Kyokotsu, and the others could withstand.
If Unohana, Kyoraku, and Ukitake joined forces, they could barely contend with either Toshiro or Yamamoto.
But now, with their Zanpakuto, Katen Kyokotsu and the others joined forces, they couldn't even withstand one serious attack from Hyorinmaru!
However, upon careful consideration, this wasn't too exaggerated. In the anime's [Zanpakuto Rebellion Arc], Katen Kyokotsu was directly burned back into its original form by Ryujin Jakka's flames.
What Ryujin Jakka could easily accomplish was also not a difficult task for the current Hyorinmaru.
Of course, neither Katen Kyokotsu, Sogyo no Kotowari, nor Minazuki had used Bankai for various reasons.
Otherwise, whether it was Hyorinmaru or Ryujin Jakka, defeating them wouldn't have been easy.
"So, how should I deal with them?"
Looking at the frozen Muramasa, Katen Kyokotsu, and the others, Hyorinmaru frowned.
Although Muramasa and the others were frozen, Hyorinmaru hadn't killed them. They were just trapped in the ice, unable to move, not actually dead.
But Hyorinmaru hesitated about what to do with them.
If she killed Muramasa directly, the Zanpakuto Rebellion could basically be declared over.
After Muramasa's death, his brainwashing influence on the Zanpakuto would likely dissipate automatically. The Zanpakuto and Shinigami would reconcile, and the rebellion would naturally cease to exist.
Even if, by some chance, the brainwashing influence didn't dissipate after Muramasa's death and the Zanpakuto still harbored hostility towards Shinigami, it wouldn't be a difficult problem for them.
After all, without Muramasa's leadership, the Shinigami could advance steadily to find the Zanpakuto's hiding place and then defeat and reclaim the leaderless Zanpakuto one by one.
So, if Hyorinmaru killed Muramasa here, regardless of the outcome, everything would ultimately end. The Shinigami and Zanpakuto would no longer be enemies.
However, this was not what Hyorinmaru wanted! Although Hyorinmaru disdained Muramasa, for certain reasons, she also didn't want the Zanpakuto rebellion to end, at least not now.
'Should I just let them go so easily?'
Although, for her own purposes, Hyorinmaru didn't want the rebellion to end just yet, and therefore couldn't kill Muramasa and the others, she was also never one to easily let her opponents off.
"Hmm?"
Hyorinmaru seemed to sense something and suddenly turned to look into the distance.
Although she saw and perceived nothing, the feeling of being 'connected heart-to-heart' after decades of companionship told her: he was coming.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Afterimages flashed through the sky. Toshiro was going all out with his unique Shunkuho, speeding forward.
'No doubt about it, that's Hyorinmaru's Reiatsu!'
Toshiro's heart surged like waves.
Earlier, after chatting with Unohana Retsu, just as he was about to rest, he suddenly sensed Hyorinmaru's Reiatsu! Although the sensation was very faint at first, and one might not even notice it without careful attention, and even if noticed, it would be hard to conclusively determine it was Hyorinmaru's Reiatsu based on that vague feeling.
But for some reason, perhaps because Toshiro and Hyorinmaru were 'connected heart-to-heart', or perhaps due to some mysterious bond between Shinigami and Zanpakuto, Toshiro just inexplicably noticed it and inexplicably believed that was Hyorinmaru's Reiatsu!
Then, based solely on that vague feeling, Toshiro unhesitatingly rushed at full speed towards the direction from which the Reiatsu came.
As the distance grew closer, with the ongoing battle between Hyorinmaru and Muramasa and the others, coupled with Hyorinmaru's recent eruption, Toshiro was now 100% certain that was Hyorinmaru's Reiatsu!
"Hyorinmaru! You just wait! This time... this time, I will definitely not let you get away!!"
"No doubt about it, Toshiro is definitely coming!"
Hyorinmaru's expression was very subtle.
As the distance between them rapidly closed, although Toshiro's Reiatsu was still not within her perception range, the increasingly strong 'feeling' in her heart told her: Toshiro was coming!
'What to do? Should I leave?'
Hyorinmaru pondered.
For certain reasons, Hyorinmaru was unwilling to meet Toshiro. So, knowing he was coming, her instinct was to choose avoidance.
'No... it's too late to leave now.'
'My earlier battle with Muramasa and the others has already exposed my location. Toshiro should have locked onto my Reiatsu and whereabouts. Moreover, Toshiro is deliberately concealing his Reiatsu. Unless he gets within a certain range, I won't be able to detect him...'
'In short, the situation is bad. I'm afraid it's too late to leave now...'
'Damn it! I should have been more careful when fighting Muramasa and the others. I didn't expect the fluctuations in Reiatsu during the fight to expose my position.'
Although Reiatsu Fluctuations cannot be completely eliminated, if one deliberately restrains them, and the distance is slightly greater, they are very hard to detect.
So, if it weren't for the fact that during the fight with Muramasa and the others, the Reiatsu Fluctuations were too large to restrain, Toshiro would never have been able to find her.
'Forget it, since I can't leave, I won't. But as for Muramasa and the others, I'll let them go for now. Otherwise, when Toshiro arrives, he will definitely not spare them.'
Thinking this, Hyorinmaru acted. With a wave of her hand, the ice freezing Muramasa and the others instantly turned into crystalline powder, dissipating like snowflakes.
"You lot, get lost immediately! Next time you dare to provoke me, I will definitely not show any mercy again!"
Hyorinmaru warned icily.
"Cough, cough, cough..."
Muramasa coughed violently for a while, then looked at Hyorinmaru with a fearful expression: "Why... why did you let us go?"
"Hmph, because I don't want you to die just yet."
Hyorinmaru replied.
"Let's go!"
Muramasa glanced deeply at Hyorinmaru once more, then immediately led Katen Kyokotsu and the others away from there.
"Hmm? Sode no Shirayuki!"
Toshiro, speeding through the air, suddenly noticed Sode no Shirayuki standing on a treetop below.
And with Sode no Shirayuki as the dividing line, everything in front of her, like plants, trees, rocks, forests, was covered in glaciers, completely transformed into a world of ice.
'Sode no Shirayuki... and this scene... Hyorinmaru is definitely nearby!'
Thinking this, Toshiro did not stop. His figure flickered and instantly vanished.
"Hitsugaya-sama has come..."
Sode no Shirayuki watched the fleeting figure of Toshiro and murmured to herself.
Whoosh!
Toshiro's figure flickered and appeared on a stone pillar. He silently looked at Hyorinmaru, who stood on another pillar just a few steps away.
Hyorinmaru also silently looked at Toshiro. Neither spoke. A strange atmosphere filled the scene.