Battle Against Kenpachi
The blade had already struck, but there was no blood splattering. It turned out that Hōzukimaru hadn't struck Ye Yang, but only the coat Ye Yang had left behind. The other end of Hōzukimaru was still locked with Ye Yang's Zanpakuto. Ikkaku thought to himself, "Did he abandon his sword and run away?"
Suddenly, Ikkaku felt a weight on his shoulder and heard Ye Yang's voice in his ear. "Stealth Steps the Four Maple Trees, Part Three - Utsusemi!" Ye Yang squatted on Ikkaku's shoulder, his right hand gripping the hilt of his Zanpakuto in his palm. Ikkaku was completely stunned at this moment. Before he could react, Ye Yang had already drawn his Zanpakuto and then jumped down.
Yi Jiao was somewhat surprised Ikkaku the attack failed. In his mind, even if he couldn't seriously injure the opponent without knowing the details, he could at least cause some trouble for the enemy. He didn't expect that Ye Yang would dodge this sure-fire attack so easily.
However, Ye Yang's words put him at ease. The so-called Stealth Steps were several special Shunpo created by the Shihoin Clan. These steps were all extremely exquisite, and the Utsusemi was a step known for its escape. It could be seen that Ye Yang had already used a portion of his strength. However, Ye Yang did not choose to attack at this moment, but instead created distance and stood on the opposite side in Ikkaku.
Ikkaku undiminished fighting spirit, Yijiao said, "Well Utsusemi, Ye Yang Shihoin, you should be done warming up by now. If you keep going like this, I won't stand for it!"
He held the two halves of the Hōzukimaru in both hands, resting the middle piece against his back in an extremely strange pose. "This Hōzukimaru has two forms: one is a spear, and the other is a three-section staff. Here we go!"
Ikkaku lunged forward again, this time with even greater ferocity. The three-section Ikkaku, due to its unique characteristics, added a layer of unpredictability, sometimes hooking at unexpected angles, forcing Ye Yang to pay extra attention. Unconsciously, he began to increase the force of his blows.
"Hahaha... That's more like it! This is what a real battle between men should be like! Come on, Ye Yang Shihoin. Let me see just how strong you really are!" Ikkaku said, laughing.
While Ikkaku's attacks are commendable, Ye Yang's swordsmanship is even more refined. Previously, Ye Yang possessed exquisite swordsmanship but was unable to unleash its full potential. Over the decades in Hueco Mundo, through continuous battles, Ye Yang accumulated combat experience, and his techniques gradually became integrated and mastered in combat.
With each move, not only were Ikkaku's attacks neutralized, but he could also launch occasional counterattacks. As this continued, wounds began to appear on Ikkaku's body before long. Although they did not affect Ikkaku's fighting ability, if the fight went on for too long, he might become weak due to excessive blood loss, at which point he would be completely defeated.
Ikkaku forcefully deflected Ye Yang's attack, then jumped back to create distance. Ye Yang was taken aback; the self-proclaimed battle Ikkaku Madarame was actually retreating voluntarily? "I'll see what you're up to," he thought. So Ye Yang didn't pursue but stood still, waiting for Ikkaku's attack.
After stopping, he grabbed Ikkaku back of the Hōzukimaru Spear and used it to open a hidden compartment. Ye Yang was startled, wondering if there were any hidden weapons there.
He rubbed his Ikkaku across the tip, as if he had gotten something on his finger, and then began to apply it to the wounds. Soon the wounds stopped bleeding.
"What is that?" Ye Yang asked.
"Huh? Isn't it obvious? It's a hemostatic drug. If there's too much bleeding, we won't be able to fight properly, right?" Ikkaku said matter-of-factly, completely ignoring Ye Yang's disdainful look.
With the bleeding stopped, he glanced at the Ikkaku with satisfaction. Then, gun in hand, he charged forward again, shouting as he fought, "Ye Yang Shihoin, unleash your Zanpakuto! Let me see your current strength!"
Ye Yang shook his head. "You know, my Zanpakuto is very effective against direct-attack Zanpakuto."
"Tch!" Ikkaku said this, but he was also helpless. He knew Ye Yang's Zanpakuto's abilities. Spatial abilities were a perfect counter to direct-attack Zanpakuto. If Ye Yang were to unleash his Zanpakuto, the outcome of the battle would be a foregone conclusion.
Even so, Ikkaku was still at a disadvantage, a result that far exceeded the expectations of the onlookers. Although they knew Ye Yang's strength was definitely not weak, they did not expect him to be this powerful. He had Zanpakuto Shikai this Ikkaku without even releasing his Zanpakuto, and according to Ye Yang's words, if Ye Yang released his Zanpakuto would basically completely defeat Ikkaku.
They all knew Ikkaku's strength very well. To be able to push Ikkaku to this point, this level of strength must be close to the Captain-level. No wonder the captain often mentions him; how could the captain have his eye on someone without Captain-level strength?
Gradually, Ikkaku's movements became slower and slower. Finally, Ye Yang managed to block his defense, leaving his chest wide open. Ye Yang, without hesitation, thrust his knife forward.
"Third Seat Madarame!" The onlookers tensed up immediately. Wasn't this supposed to be a friendly spar?
Ye Yang simply smiled slightly, because he had already sensed a Spiritual Pressure. Sure enough, Ye Yang's Zanpakuto did not land on Ikkaku's chest, but was blocked by a Zanpakuto on it.
"Hey! Kenpachi, long time no see! And Little Yachiru too, I brought you your konpeito~" Ye Yang said upon seeing the two familiar figures.
Upon hearing the name Yachiru, Yachiru almost shed tears, and flew directly from Kenpachi's shoulder to Ye Yang's back, still saying, "Where? Where?"
Ye Yang took out three boxes of konpeito and handed them to her. Yachiru got down satisfied, immediately unpacked them and started eating, saying as she ate, "Little Ye-Yе is such a good person! Mmm... delicious..."
Ignoring Yachiru who was eating, Ye Yang turned to Kenpachi. From his eyes, Ye Yang saw a surge of fighting spirit. Kenpachi laughed arrogantly, "Ye Yang Shihoin! Your battle with Ikkaku was quite exciting. I remember you owe me a fight! How about we start now!" Kenpachi pointed his Zanpakuto at Ye Yang.
Ye Yang's desire to fight had been aroused by Ikkaku. He hadn't had such an exhilarating battle since returning to Soul Society. However, Ikkaku's strength was indeed insufficient for Ye Yang to unleash his full power. Immediately, a fierce fighting spirit rose in his eyes, and his Zanpakuto emitted a clang, as if he couldn't resist the urge to fight any longer.
A violent golden Spiritual Pressure erupted from Kenpachi, and the team members present were immediately overwhelmed. Even Ikkaku and Yumichika were finding it difficult to adapt. Yumichika shouted, "All team members, get away from here immediately! Otherwise, you won't be able to withstand the powerful Spiritual Pressure when the captain fights!"
The 11th Division members then began to disperse. Although they wanted to watch the battle, they were simply not strong enough and only ended up injured. In the end, only Ikkaku and Yumichika remained. Through the battle just now, Ikkaku realized that there was still a considerable gap between himself and Ye Yang, but he wanted to know just how big that gap was.
Ye Yang remained standing there, his expression unchanged. After all the team members had left, Ye Yang Zanpakuto and chanted, "Break free from your restraints— Silver Rend!"
Ye Yang unleashed his Zanpakuto without hesitation. Kenpachi was no ordinary opponent and could not be underestimated. However, Ye Yang did not intend to activate the Silver Rend spatial ability, as that would be pointless.
After his Shikai, a silver pillar of Spiritual Pressure rose from Ye Yang's body, its intensity no less than Kenpachi's, and perhaps even greater! Kenpachi was clearly taken aback, then laughed and said, "As expected of Ye Yang Shihoin! Now that you've Shikai, there's no point in me holding back." He then directly tore off the eyepatch from his left eye.
Kenpachi's Spiritual Pressure immediately became even stronger than before. This violent Spiritual Pressure began to clash with Ye Yang's Spiritual Pressure, forming two Spiritual Pressure vortexes above the two of them, and the pressure in the air suddenly increased even more.
At this moment, Ikkaku and Yumichika were not as relaxed as before. They looked at each other and saw the shock in each other's eyes. Kenpachi was already one of the top captains in terms of Spiritual Pressure, but Ye Yang was not inferior!
But this shows that Ye Yang hadn't used his full strength at all, not even half of it. Ikkaku could only smile wryly. What kind of monster was this...?
In an instant, both of them moved! "Clang!" The sound of weapons clashing rang out, and the two were already locked in battle. Two powerful Spiritual Pressures stirred up storms, forcing Ikkaku and Yumichika to keep their distance and watch from afar.
"Ye Yang Shihoin! That's it! Come and fight! Hahaha..." Kenpachi said while his hands were not idle. Kenpachi's slashing power was very great, and each strike contained Kenpachi's powerful Spiritual Pressure.
Ye Yang was no less skilled than him. Although his strength was not as great as Kenpachi's, his technique was superior. Ye Yang effortlessly neutralized Kenpachi's powerful slashes time and time again.
Like Ye Yang, Kenpachi also wields his sword with one hand, as this allows for faster strikes. As a result, Kenpachi's slashes are both powerful and fast, almost a perfect combination of speed and power.
"Clang!" The two Zanpakuto clashed again, but this time Ye Yang did not choose to retreat from Kenpachi's power. Instead, he turned his sword and slashed from the back of the blade to Kenpachi's hand holding the sword.
"Hmph!" Kenpachi snorted coldly, raised his right hand and forcefully swung it, trying to shake Ye Yang away. But how could Ye Yang do as he wished? He gripped the Silver Rend in reverse, and the blade of the sword immediately sparked with the Heat as it rubbed against the blade. Ye Yang and Kenpachi passed each other by.
The only difference was that Kenpachi's shoulder was stained with blood, while Ye Yang's sword was dripping with blood. Ye Yang's sword was indeed blocked by Kenpachi, but Silver Rend was a double-edged sword, which directly cut a wound on Kenpachi's shoulder.
Kenpachi, instead of frowning, laughed and said, "I almost forgot, a double-edged sword? Hahaha... As expected of Ye Yang Shihoin. But since it's a battle, it's no fun without bloodshed. Let's go again!"