Chapter 71
No longer adversaries, but fighting side by side.
And then there was that initial, clean and decisive leaping slash.
Now, relying on his Shunpo, he wielded his body, transformed into a human weapon, launching a decapitation strike at the enemy's head.
"To think of old memories at a time like this... It seems I truly am getting old."
"However, it's not yet time for me to be defeated by a youngster!"
Yamamoto Genryūsai's eyes widened in fury. As his head dodged the kick, his charred blade slashed diagonally forward along the leg, aiming to slice off the dark silver armor on Shimiya Takeru's chest, and then follow up with a decisive punch to his defenseless chest.
He had already planned how to defeat this brat in front of him.
However, when the blade touched the armor, it was repelled.
The blade, which should have erased everything, hit a wall.
"What?"
Yamamoto Genryūsai's expression subtly changed.
Something was definitely wrong.
This absolutely couldn't be explained by spiritual pressure hardness!
It was more like a resistance specifically targeting the act of "attack."
Treating attacks as something bad and isolating them.
What exactly was this battle suit, this layer of armor?
To test further, Yamamoto Genryūsai unleashed "Zanka no Tachi, South: Kaka Jūman Okushi Daisōjin."
Clad in fifteen million degrees of searing flames, he was truly the embodiment of the sun.
Even the giant spiritual arrows Ichigo shot from a distance melted before they could get close.
This was normal.
But there was also something abnormal.
That was Shimiya Takeru.
He completely ignored this incredible heat, pouring every ounce of his focus into his fists and feet, unleashing a relentless barrage of attacks.
His fists touched the flames without issue, his feet touched the flames without issue.
Instead, he made that layer of fiery cloak vibrate intensely, with flames splashing and melting everything around them.
The ground beneath their feet continuously sank.
A magma-like basin was about to form.
"Don't get too carried away, brat!"
Yamamoto Genryūsai grabbed Shimiya Takeru's fist, pulled him closer, and struck his head with the hilt of his Zanpakuto.
Boom!
The powerful blow embedded Shimiya Takeru into the ground, yet he remained unharmed; not a single mark could be seen on his heavily impacted head.
But through this strike, Yamamoto Genryūsai seemed to realize something. He quickly created distance, dodging the spiritual energy blasts from multiple Iai punches.
"Even though he can ignore damage, and even pure Reishi attacks, he can't ignore the physical limitations on his own actions, can he?"
"Why pull back? Your Bankai, which obliterates everything, can't cut anything from this far. And didn't you say you wanted us to know what kind of power we're being defeated by? I don't feel like I'm losing at all right now."
Shimiya Takeru's voice rang out.
It sounded like the battle suit itself was speaking.
It had a strange metallic quality.
"I know you're very confused, Captain Commander. Since you told us your abilities, I'll tell you mine as well... Because in my opinion, this way, rather than hiding it... it increases our chances of winning, and it can bring fear to... the opponent, causing them to make countless mistakes."
"By the way, I have no fear."
"This is also... why I cannot be harmed."
At these words, even Ichigo looked on with a gaze reserved for monsters.
Yamamoto Genryūsai's brows furrowed deeply.
"...No fear, meaning as long as one doesn't feel fear towards the enemy, doesn't harbor fear towards anything... in this state, one can ignore all damage from attacks?"
"Precisely, this is the ability of 'Endonemī.'"
Shimiya Takeru slowly walked forward, his cape swaying behind him like a corner of the night.
"By unifying the Zanpakuto and the Shinigami's uniform, these two external manifestations of Shinigami power, the result is this current form."
"High spiritual pressure hardness is a given, because the Zanpakuto itself is very tough, and the Shinigami's uniform also has the ability to inject spiritual pressure to enhance its defense."
"But these are all secondary."
"It's not like a Zanpakuto, making every punch and kick extremely lethal, nor is it like a Shinigami's uniform, providing defense just by wearing it."
"The true power lies here."
Shimiya Takeru pointed to the azure light on his chest.
"As long as there is not a single trace of fear in my heart... the armor cannot be broken, let alone my main body be harmed."
"Of course, ignoring damage is not without cost; it will incur 'wear and tear.' Stronger attacks lead to higher wear... But at the same time, it can also absorb Reishi like a living being."
Hearing this, Yamamoto Genryūsai's expression darkened.
"It seems the Captain Commander has already discovered it... That's right, even as we speak, the 'wear and tear' consumed by your attacks has already been repaired."
Shimiya Takeru stomped his foot, instantly bursting forward.
Yamamoto Genryūsai, however, released "Zanka no Tachi, South: Kaka Jūman Okushi Daisōjin," vanished from his spot, and coincidentally dodged a black, cone-shaped arrow.
That was Ichigo's doing.
Aside from being effective at both long and short ranges, the spiritual bow's attacks could also vary infinitely.
Imbuing them with different mechanisms.
It wasn't any special ability.
It was merely differences in "speed," "form," and "power."
This cone-shaped black arrow was a move Ichigo believed could pierce through the high temperatures of "Zanka no Tachi, South: Kaka Jūman Okushi Daisōjin's" outer perimeter, mimicking Shimiya Takeru's previous fighting style, providing long-range cover to create opportunities for his comrade.
But now there was an additional necessary reason.
That was to buy time for Shimiya Takeru's Bankai to repair its "wear and tear."
It was clear.
The true purpose of revealing the information, besides secretly repairing 'wear and tear' and striking at the opponent's mentality, was also to make him realize this, and thus understand how to cooperate next.
But Yamamoto Genryūsai's actions shattered Ichigo's tactical plan.
"Zanka no Tachi, South: Kaka Jūman Okushi Daisōjin!"
Yamamoto Genryūsai plunged his blade into the ground, awakening the ashes of the deceased who had fallen by his blade in days past, transforming them into a charred skeleton army to surround Shimiya Takeru.
Tightly binding him.
The army of the dead was endless.
Shimiya Takeru couldn't break through for a while.
And that was precisely the effect Yamamoto Genryūsai wanted.
"His target is me...!?"
Seeing the old man ignore Shimiya Takeru and charge straight at him, Ichigo instantly understood his intention.
Indeed, if he dealt with him first, no matter how outrageous Shimiya Takeru's "defense" was, he would still lose once the "wear and tear" reached its limit.
"How could I let you succeed!"
Facing an unprecedented crisis, Ichigo's focus was sharper than ever.
He raised his hand towards the rapidly approaching figure and unleashed three giant blue-white arrows, followed by various forms of arrows in a machine-gun-like barrage. For a moment, the ground trembled within a radius of several kilometers from the artillery bombardment.
But such an attack was merely a single slash for Yamamoto Genryūsai in his Bankai state.
"Zanka no Tachi, East: Kyokujitsujin!"
If he couldn't cut through Shimiya Takeru's armor, could he not cut through a mere rain of arrows?
Rather, if he couldn't even handle this type of attack, he wouldn't have survived until now.
"Though you resemble him greatly, even that man fell by this old man's hand. How could you be an exception?"
Yamamoto Genryūsai's spiritual pressure erupted throughout his body.
He even intercepted the hidden arrows Ichigo tried to use to break through "Zanka no Tachi, South: Kaka Jūman Okushi Daisōjin's" spirits and help Shimiya Takeru.
This was unrelated to the power of Bankai; it was purely achieved through impeccable Zanjutsu and Shunpo.
Only at this moment did Ichigo realize how incredibly strong Shimiya Takeru's willpower was.
The prerequisite for ignoring damage was a heart devoid of fear.
Even so, looking at the opponent's figure, cloaked in the great sun, wielding his blade... how could one not feel fear?!
It was like being in a zoo, behind glass.
Knowing nothing bad could happen.
But seeing a fierce tiger pounce head-on, a normal person would instinctively feel afraid.
This was an unavoidable instinct.
Yet Shimiya Takeru managed to suppress this instinctive reaction.
Given this, Ichigo had even less desire to lose.
"Getsuga Tensho...!"
He swung his spiritual bow, unleashing a blue-black crescent-shaped slash.
Yamamoto Genryūsai didn't even need to swing his sword; he simply parried it with his bare hand.
Ichigo didn't flee.
Instead, relying on his super high-speed combat ability, he went all out, trading blows with his opponent.
Yamamoto Genryūsai intentionally held back, never letting his blade touch Ichigo's body, instead focusing on dismantling his will to resist.
He found an opportunity and delivered a powerful punch to Ichigo's abdomen.
"Uwah!"
This punch was too heavy.
It felt even worse than being cut by a sword.
Even a sword cut wouldn't leave him in a paralyzed state as if electrocuted, with the impact piercing through his entire body, and his brain's ability to think stopping for a moment.
This was undoubtedly an opening.
But Hollow White didn't let the opponent seize this opening, seamlessly transitioning and immediately taking over Ichigo's consciousness to continue fighting Yamamoto Genryūsai.
In terms of grasping combat opportunities and applying techniques, Hollow White was stronger than Ichigo.
And there was one crucial point.
That was Hollow White always harbored killing intent, always striving for victory.
"Kaido, is it...?"
Even if his mental state switched, the body's injuries were real and couldn't be without effect.
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