Showdown (Continued)

"Clang!"

In the instant the four swords clashed, Xuanxin had somehow moved the short sword to his right hand.

Xuanxin chanted incantations, and a bright yellow light instantly enveloped the blade of his Zanpakuto.

"Bakudō #61: The Six-Staff Light Prison!"

Without the usual hand gestures or incantations, Xuanxin directly imbued his Zanpakuto with a high-level Bakudō Spell!

With each clash of weapons, not only was there a piercing metallic scraping sound, but also beams of bright yellow light, almost tangible, crashed down from the point of impact, precisely targeting Musashi's limbs and torso!

One cut, two cuts, three cuts!

In just a few breaths, dozens of beams of light intertwined in the center of the arena, forming an impenetrable cage of light that severely restricted Musashi's ghostly movements.

However, it's clear that these beams of light can only temporarily slow down Musashi's offensive pace.

"An interesting little trick!" Musashi raised an eyebrow and swung his short sword, shattering the pillars of light on the field one by one.

But Xuanxin's offensive was far from over.

After gaining half a second of space using the light prison, Xuanxin shoved his Zanpakuto forward with a vengeance, causing the Reishi in the training ground to frantically converge on the sword.

"Hadō #73: Sōren Sōkatsui!"

Rumble--!

The blue flames filled the sky, transforming into raging fire lotuses that, like a meteor shower, bombarded the area where Musashi was located!

The temperature in the entire underground training ground suddenly rose, and the blinding blue light illuminated the surrounding walls.

However.

Faced with the dense rain of fire that could Menos Grande incinerate a Hollow, Musashi showed no sign of panic; instead, a cunning smile curled at the corners of his mouth.

Musashi calmly raised the short sword in his left hand and casually swung it in the air in front of him.

"Buzz--"

A massive, transparent Reishi barrier instantly formed in front of Musashi, blocking all the blue fire lotuses that filled the sky.

The raging flames exploded into azure flowers on the barrier, but they could not budge the barrier in the slightest.

Retsu Unohana, standing at the edge of the arena watching the battle, looked at the transparent barrier, her deep eyes flickered slightly, and she spoke softly:

This is the Bakudo #81 Dankū.

However, as soon as he finished speaking, the Fourth Division Captain frowned slightly.

"No! Ordinary Dankū surfaces have some Reishi patterns to enhance their defense against the refraction of Hadō. But this barrier is completely transparent, it's more like... another unknown variant."

Even amidst the deafening explosion, Musashi's keen hearing still caught Retsu Unohana's whisper.

She turned her head sharply, and through the transparent barrier, shouted proudly at Retsu Unohana:

"Haha! You're right! This is a new version that I modified myself based on your Kidō! What do you think?"

Musashi tapped the smooth, mirror-like screen with the back of his sword, boasting shamelessly:

"I specifically removed all those fancy patterns! They were too distracting and blocked others from seeing me in battle!"

"And this fully transparent version not only perfectly showcases my heroic figure, but I've also conveniently enhanced its basic defense! How about it! Want to learn it?"

Upon hearing this statement...

Yoruichi Shihōin, who had been standing to the side, shocked to see Musashi able to improve Bakudō of level 80 and above, was instantly petrified.

"Removing the Dankū pattern... just to look cool in battle and not cover his face?!"

Yoruichi's lips twitched violently, and an indescribable expression of speechlessness appeared on her face.

Zanpakuto is the deepest reflection of a Shinigami's soul.

The personality of a sword spirit often reflects the true nature hidden deep within its master's heart.

Yoruichi shifted her gaze from the smug- Musashi, then turned to look at Shihoin Genshin, whose expression was cold and stern in the blue firelight.

Her gaze swept back and forth between the two men a few times, and her expression became increasingly strange.

"So... beneath Xuanxin's calm and reliable icy exterior lies a flamboyant and attention-seeking personality?"

Yoruichi clicked her tongue inwardly, shook her head, but a meaningful smile curved her lips:

"Appearances can be deceiving. Looks like I can put in a bit more effort tonight and interrogate this guy more thoroughly."

In the center of the training field.

Xuanxin, who was frantically unleashing the Sōren Sōkatsui, would definitely vomit blood on the spot if he knew that his fiancée had set a "tragic tone" for his evening because of a single sentence from the sword spirit.

However, at this moment, Xuanxin's entire mind was focused on the battle.

Seeing the transparent and sturdy improved version of the Dankū, Xuanxin did not feel annoyed.

He ceased unleashing his firepower, clasped his hands together abruptly, and an immense Reiatsu radiated outwards as if it were tangible, while a deep and chilling chant echoed throughout the training ground:

[A murky, indistinct emblem hints at an untamed and arrogant talent;]

[The surge, the denial, the paralysis, the fleeting moment—all hinder eternal sleep.]

[The crawling Iron Princess, the clay doll that constantly mutilates itself;]

[Combine, rebound, extend to the ground—realize your own powerlessness!]

[Hadō #90: Kurohitsugi!]

Boom! As the last two words fell, the Reishi in the entire underground space seemed to go out of control in an instant!

Countless pitch-black Reishi barriers rose from the ground, like a giant black coffin, pressing Musashi and her modified version of the Dankū firmly into them!

Because Musashi's improved version of the Dankū Defense was indeed ridiculously powerful, the piercing process inside the Kurohitsugi was not as smooth as Xuanxin had expected, so much so that sounds similar to breaking glass could be heard from Kurohitsugi from time to time.

However, the power of the 90th Hadō was not to be underestimated. After a brief stalemate, the black spear pierced through the barrier, completely enveloping Musashi.

"Click..."

However, before Xuanxin could even breathe a sigh of relief, a sickening cracking sound suddenly came from the surface of the huge black coffin.

Immediately afterwards!

"Boom--!"

The entire Kurohitsugi was shattered from the inside by a violent force! Countless fragments of black Reishi scattered like butterflies!

Musashi's figure reappeared on the battlefield.

However, she was no longer alone. After her feet touched the ground, a majestic phantom image of a Mingwang slowly appeared.

"Warm-up's over, kid." Musashi crossed his twin swords in front of his chest, and the oppressive aura emanating from the phantom of the Myō-ō behind him caused the surrounding high-level barrier to tremble violently.

Seeing this, Xuanxin's expression became unusually serious. He knew that ordinary probing was now meaningless.

"Bankai - Six Paths and Five Wheels, Kurikara."

Xuanxin let out a low roar and suddenly exerted force with both hands gripping the hilt of the sword!

Boom! A Reiatsu that shot straight into the sky suddenly erupted in the underground training ground!

As the light faded, a Myō-ō (myō-ō) with six arms, several times larger than the phantom behind Musashi, appeared behind Xuanxin!

Two statues of the Vidyaraja (wisdom kings) stand facing each other in this enclosed underground space!

"Bring it on!"

Without any unnecessary words, the two of them suddenly attacked!

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Two enormous statues of the Vidyaraja followed their master's movements, engaging in the most primal and awe-inspiring hand-to-hand combat and slashing duel in the center of the arena!

Every clash of weapons unleashed a terrifying sonic boom powerful enough to rip eardrums!

Initially, Xuanxin held an absolute advantage in strength and attack range thanks to the enormous six-armed Myōō form he had achieved after Bankai. The massive weapons rained down like a storm, forcing Musashi to retreat repeatedly.

"Excellent! Excellent! This is the power!"

While parrying, Musashi laughed and praised Xuanxin's efforts.

After another fierce exchange of blows, the two used the recoil to create distance between them.

Musashi wiped the sweat from his brow, a profound look flashing in his eyes as he gazed at the enormous six-armed Myō-ō behind Xuanxin.

"Xuanxin, your progress lately has truly amazed me. However, you seem to have fallen into a common problem among newcomers."

Musashi slowly straightened up, his voice echoing clearly in the empty training ground:

"Immense Reiatsu and size can indeed bring extreme destructive power. However, you must understand one thing: sometimes size is not the embodiment of absolute power!"

The words had barely left her lips when Musashi gripped her Zanpakuto with both hands, and the enormous phantom of the Myōō behind her began to shrink rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye!

From a height of over ten meters, it rapidly compressed to seven or eight meters, then to three or four meters... Finally, the illusory image of the Bright King was completely compressed into a layer of Reishi particles, tightly adhering to Musashi's body!

The moment the phantom image was completely compressed!

The Reiatsu fluctuations Musashi seemed to vanish into thin air, but in their place came an absolutely restrained sharpness that made one's soul tremble!

"Whoosh!"

Musashi vanished in an instant!

When she reappeared, she had already broken through Xuanxin's massive six-armed Mingwang's defensive network and directly approached Xuanxin!

"So fast!"

Xuanxin was greatly alarmed and quickly manipulated the Dharma Image of the Bright King to defend himself.

However, with his body size compressed to the extreme, Musashi's agility has reached an unbelievable level.

She was like a bolt of lightning, unbound by any rules, moving with ease between the massive arms of the King of Light.

"Jingle bells!"

The dense slashes rained down on Xuanxin's blade. Because Musashi had compressed her power, each of her strikes now contained several times more power than the enormous phantom of the Myō-ō from before!

Gradually, Xuanxin began to find himself on the defensive.

His enormous image of a Myō-ō (myō-ō) appeared incredibly clumsy in comparison to Musashi's.

The intense depletion of Reiatsu caused Xuanxin's breathing to become heavy, his forehead to be covered in fine beads of sweat, and his movements to gradually reveal signs of fatigue.

Although Musashi was getting happier as the fight went on, she could also tell that Xuanxin was nearing his limit.

"Phew... that's about it."

After the exchange, Musashi used the momentum to leap backward several meters and landed steadily on the ground.

Looking at the panting Xuanxin, the fanaticism on her face gradually subsided, replaced by a solemnity and reverence befitting a master.

"Now that you've reached the edge of your bottleneck, let's give you one last push and let you see what's what!"

Musashi took a deep breath.

The next second, to Yoruichi and Retsu Unohana's astonished gazes...

Musashi actually managed to slowly merge his two Zanpakuto, one long and one short, into one in a way that defied the laws of physics!