The Golden Thunder Dragon's fierce charge suddenly stalled.
The blade segments floating in the air became individual nodes. Renji Abarai poured all his Reiatsu into them, and the Reiatsu surging between the segments wove together like ropes, crisscrossing into a Reiatsu cage that pinned down Gantenbainne's movements.
Seriously... how did Byakuya Kuchiki control that many katana blades?
Renji Abarai's Hihiō Zabimaru was astonishingly long, but the number of its blade segments did not even compare to the number of katana blades in Byakuya Kuchiki's Shikai.
Only after he truly began learning to control the blade segments did Renji Abarai realize how difficult it was.
Controlling one blade segment on its own was manageable, but once quantity turned into a qualitative change, even the tiniest mistake could drastically affect the attack's results.
Back at the Shin'ō Academy, Renji Abarai had never been especially good at Kidō. His only real strength had been Zanjutsu.
Trying to master the technique of manipulating blade segments with Reiatsu in such a short time was nothing but a fantasy.
But he had his own way.
If he could not use Reiatsu to control the blade segments, then he would use the blade segments to control Reiatsu.
If Reiatsu could connect the blade segments, then the blade segments could link the Reiatsu together.
So Renji Abarai let Gantenbainne smash Hihiō Zabimaru apart. Or rather, he deliberately allowed the blade segments to scatter irregularly around him.
Then he channeled Reiatsu into the staff and reconnected the blade segments.
As Reiatsu surged between them, the blade segments would link together again.
Without outside interference, the segments would fit back into place and reform into the shape of the Skeleton Serpent.
It was like one of those snake-tail toys. Pull the string running through the joints, and the entire tail snaps taut in an instant.
But Gantenbainne had charged right in.
At first, when he sensed the Reiatsu blocking him, Gantenbainne paid it no mind.
A mere strand or two of Reiatsu could not possibly stop his attack.
But the closer he got to Renji Abarai, the more obstructing Reiatsu there was.
The Reiatsu between the blade segments was dragged along by Gantenbainne and tangled together, forming a dense Reiatsu web that slowed him more and more.
Gantenbainne lashed his long tail, but he could no longer advance an inch.
"If you'd stayed still, you might have been able to get out," Renji Abarai said, swinging his staff. "But you don't have that chance anymore."
The skull-snake head descended from above, opened its jaws, and bit down on Gantenbainne, who was wrapped inside the Reiatsu net.
Then it closed its jaws.
...
"Sounds like things are getting lively over there." Cirucci swung her arm, controlling the golden disc as it ground away the approaching Reishi Getsuga. "So how many times are you going to repeat this boring attack... huh?"
By the time the last sound left her mouth, the golden disc had completely shattered the Getsuga and smashed toward Ichigo Kurosaki.
Reishi flickered beneath Ichigo Kurosaki's feet, and he shifted to another position at incredible speed.
He had already figured out Cirucci's attack pattern. Although the rope supplied the golden disc with continued momentum, it also marked out the direction of its path.
Once he got used to it, dodging was simple.
He could even use the opening to close the distan. Bang!
The golden disc's trajectory suddenly changed, striking the unprepared Ichigo Kurosaki and sending him flying hard.
"Looks like you were trying to read my attack path, hmm?" Cirucci drew out her voice. "Tell me, did you really not notice that I hadn't moved before? You really didn't notice? You're even slower than I thought, you orange-haired idiot!"
The golden disc's path really was easy to judge, but if Cirucci, who held the katana hilt, changed her position, the disc's trajectory would change as the rope pulled it along.
"No movement already? Seriously, I haven't even put any strength into it, and you're done?" Cirucci controlled the golden disc and sent it crashing toward Ichigo Kurosaki. "Then I'll finish you off!"
"Getsuga... Jūjishō!" Ichigo Kurosaki swung out a Getsuga, while another Getsuga formed in front of him. The two overlapping into a cross-shaped Getsuga that knocked the golden disc away.
"What?"
"I was planning to save up a little more..." Ichigo Kurosaki raised his hand. "Looks like I have to use it now."
His terrifying Reishi Gathering ability erupted completely. The Reishi drawn in around him surged like a storm, and the Reishi Getsuga he had released earlier reappeared before Ichigo Kurosaki. As he swung his katana, they burst toward Cirucci.
"Getsuga Ranbu!"
The exploding Getsuga rained down, completely engulfing Cirucci.
The spinning sound of the golden disc became sharper than ever, and several Getsuga were knocked away.
The ring in Ichigo Kurosaki's palm gave off a faint glow. With a twist of his wrist, the deflected Getsuga turned in midair and converged wildly around Cirucci.
Boom!
The Reishi storm exploded, and Cirucci's furious voice rang out from within the dust and smoke.
"I was going to take my time and play since I finally ran into an enemy, but you actually cut my hair... Rip Off!" Reiatsu blasted the dust away, revealing a strange figure. "Golondrina!"
Cirucci's arms had become astonishingly long and slender, with insect-like joints. Moth-like wings had appeared behind her, white and downy on the lower side, while the upper side was a deep black. A closer look revealed that they were actually formed from enormous semicircular katana blades.
"Die!"
Cirucci beat her wings and closed in. Her body twisted as the katana blades making up her wings split apart and slashed toward Ichigo Kurosaki.
Ichigo Kurosaki raised his katana to block. The first blade struck Zangetsu. The instant its force weakened slightly, the second blade stacked on top of the first and released another terrifying burst of power.
Ichigo Kurosaki could not withstand it and was forced back a step.
Then came the third blade, the fourth, the fifth... Their power built layer upon layer, crashing down on Zangetsu like waves.
Only an instant passed between Ichigo Kurosaki raising Zangetsu to block and being blown away by the terrifying force.
Before he even landed, Ichigo Kurosaki twisted in midair and hurled Zangetsu at Cirucci with all his strength.
"You actually threw your weapon..." Cirucci swung her wing and knocked Zangetsu aside. "Looks like you're so desperate you've lost your mind!"
"I actually learned this move when I had lost my mind." The white bandage that had been wrapped around Ichigo Kurosaki's left arm had already come loose and was now tied to Zangetsu's katana hilt.
Ichigo Kurosaki gripped the silver ring, swung his arm, pulled the bandage taut, and dragged Zangetsu into a sweeping slash.
Earlier, Cirucci had suppressed Ichigo Kurosaki with long-range attacks. Now it was Ichigo Kurosaki's turn to use one.
"Are you... trying to entertain me?" Cirucci swung her iron wing and blocked Zangetsu's attack with ease. Then her other iron wing swept out, and the semicircular black katana blade embedded in it detached and flew toward Ichigo Kurosaki. "This half-baked long-range attack is even worse than the one from before!"
"That's why I didn't use it just now." The blocked Zangetsu spun through the air and stabbed into the ground. The white bandage tightened, pulling Ichigo Kurosaki along.
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