Chapter 199: In the Beginning
Zanka no Tachi.
Just breathing out those few brief syllables, all the light in the entire world seemed to be forcibly drawn inward at that moment.
Sky, earth, water. The environment Matsushita Yusuke had constructed through reishi now looked like a canvas that had been violently overwritten, every surface painted over in pale white without any resistance whatsoever.
The Sky and earth changed color.
Right now, that was not a figure of speech. It was a statement of fact on a different level entirely.
At the same moment, Matsushita Yusuke's heart lurched hard.
Here it is.
Only by actually witnessing this legendary-tier weapon step into the world did Matsushita Yusuke truly understand why two consecutive endgame bosses had made a point of doing something about the old man first.
The first thing was its presence.
A physical threat that hit you in the body.
Like needles driven in, more like a blade suspended at his throat. In the single instant of seeing it, every bit of flesh across Matsushita Yusuke's body tightened, and the hair across his arms stood up and wouldn't stop.
Without any exaggeration, Matsushita Yusuke felt like he was standing in front of a nuclear reactor core.
That description alone might not convey the full weight of it.
But what if that reactor could go critical at any moment?
The second thing was the heat itself. The kind that put something cold in you just to sense it.
From a pure physical standpoint, Matsushita Yusuke could feel the surrounding air tightening, and with it the reiatsu throughout the entire domain beginning to distort.
Damn it. The old man hadn't even made a move yet.
Just standing there was already having a literal physical effect on the domain after Bankai. So when he actually swings at us, is there going to be anything left of me and the alt?
Honestly.
Matsushita Yusuke was feeling a small degree of regret.
He absently licked his lips, and only then realized how extremely parched his skin had become. All the moisture in his body was being drawn out and evaporated.
This was not a Zanpakuto. This was the three worlds' one and only certified sauna.
Bringing everyone the dry-heat experience, completely free of charge.
The tremor in his chest was genuinely affecting his judgment slightly right now.
But he corrected his mindset quickly. This outing wasn't about winning. At most it was about gathering intelligence.
From a results standpoint, getting to see Yamamoto's Bankai was already more than enough.
It would definitely prove useful next time.
'Time to go...'
Matsushita Yusuke sent specific information through a reiatsu-pulse outward, to targets on both sides of the domain boundary.
Aizen Sosuke received the signal and naturally responded. With Kyoka Suigetsu's properties at his disposal, getting out wouldn't be difficult.
The problem was.
'Bro, how are you getting out of there?'
The Hollow alt was by definition the focus of Yamamoto's complete attention right now, being the opposing party in this standoff.
Even with both sides simply standing in place, no specific exchange or contact between them, the mutual lock on each other's intent was, in the most literal sense, a hair-trigger. Even the smallest shift or withdrawal would almost certainly give the opponent an opening to come down like lightning with something decisive.
'Don't worry about me.'
The Hollow alt's response was brief and firm.
'I'll go all out. If you get the chance afterward, revive me. That's all.'
This was, in the most literal sense, a battle-maniac of the first order.
Facing the living fossil of Soul Society right now, the three worlds' personal sauna, it showed not a trace of backing down.
Breath in. Half-crouch.
BANG!!!
A visible wave of red reiatsu erupted outward from the Hollow alt's entire body.
In that single exposed eye, there was no fear whatsoever. Only anticipation for what was about to happen.
Matsushita Yusuke fell silent for a moment.
You were born into the wrong existence. You're the real Kenpachi.
As for holding anything back, this was his closest companion either way. He had no reason to hesitate.
Go on then. Go fight.
And he wouldn't send him in empty-handed.
Through the panel-sharing ability, he transferred the best of what he had available to his partner.
[Skill: Soul of the Blade]
[You bear the name of Kenpachi. With it, you have inherited this power...]
In theory this was a skill only Matsushita Yusuke could hold. But five years had been enough for him to work out a way to share at least a portion of it.
Converting Soul of the Blade's bonus into the Hollow's panel stats for a direct boost.
Each major category received an uneven increase of between five and ten points.
It caused the red reiatsu erupting from the Hollow alt to take on the quality of a sudden geyser, pouring upward and outward without restraint.
The world that Yamamoto had already completely painted over with his presence now had, in this moment, a single corner that was entirely different. Blindingly so.
"Not bad..."
Yamamoto's eyes narrowed slightly. In this moment he was not at all stingy with his approval.
In his own way, he practiced what he preached. For someone who didn't hide, who was willing to give everything they had, the old man had no objection to offering the respect that deserved.
"You are at least a great deal better than those who can't afford to lose."
So then.
Yamamoto turned to the side and settled into a stance of readiness.
"Here I come."
By conventional logic, announcing your attack like this was something you only expected from the most theatrical sort. But Yamamoto doing it right now was itself a statement of the respect he held.
Perhaps this was simply what recognition between battle-maniacs looked like.
"Come!"
A shout like an explosion.
Both sides pushed off the ground at almost the same instant and charged.
The Hollow alt's silhouette traced a crimson streak through the air, both hands raised overhead, a bright sphere of light building between its palms.
A charging process just like a Cero.
But the result was not a blast fired toward any particular target.
Instead it drew inward, manifesting a dark-red compressed sphere in the palms.
The alt gripped it in its hands. The moment it drew close to Yamamoto's face, it drove the sphere through him completely with reiatsu.
A blood mist erupted like an abyss had split open, scattering in every direction with piercing force.
Blood Burst.
This was the Hollow alt's method of converting its ability, pouring out all its reiatsu in a form considerably more efficient than a standard Cero. Compared to a regular Cero, both destructive power and effective range were amplified to an extreme degree. The blood mist was laced with corrosive Hollow reiatsu, and on contact and adhesion it produced secondary damage not unlike a burn wound. Matsushita Yusuke had seen this move put to use in Hueco Mundo.
His partner had been tearing through everything in sight with this, one-on-one and in a crowd alike.
So what was the result?
Matsushita Yusuke narrowed his eyes and looked toward it.
And then.
He seemed to see it. A brightness like the moment when the sky and earth were first divided, flooding outward...