Silver Rend

Yoruichi wielded Mongoose and Kisuke Urahara wielded Benihime as the two charged back and forth. Yoruichi was extraordinarily fast, striking and withdrawing in an instant. Together with Kisuke Urahara's Kidō support and Benihime's attacks, they left the Gillians unable to fight back. Still, these were Menos Grande, and though they lacked intelligence, they were full of vitality. The fight would probably take a while.

Ye Yang locked onto the Adjuchas with his Spiritual Pressure. It was a leopard-shaped Adjuchas with a Hollow Hole in its chest. Its sky-blue eyes betrayed a ** for battle, and the sharp claws on its four limbs seemed ready to tear everything apart.

The Adjuchas ignored Yoruichi and Kisuke Urahara, fixing his gaze on the man before him instead. Although he felt that the man was weaker than him, his beastlike instincts told him that the man was extremely dangerous. Ye Yang asked, "Are you sure you should be here? Your subordinates don't seem able to hold off my partners."

The leopard-shaped Adjuchas merely glanced over and said indifferently, "Hmph, they're just a bunch of trash. Even if the three of you came at me together, you'd be no match for me."

"Then let's find out!" As soon as Ye Yang finished speaking, he drew his Zanpakuto and charged. The leopard-shaped Adjuchas didn't even try to dodge, taking the blow head-on. The blade struck his body and threw off a few sparks, but didn't even break his skin. The Adjuchas struck with a claw, aiming straight for Ye Yang's chest. Ye Yang hurriedly brought his Asauchi back to defend. Clang! After the piercing collision, Ye Yang was knocked back several dozen zhang. The Adjuchas laughed wildly. "Hahahaha! Soul Reaper, if that's all you've got, you'll die here today!" With that, he charged forward again and clashed with Ye Yang.

Ye Yang was completely on the defensive. This Adjuchas was not only strong but incredibly fast. Fortunately, his fighting style was crude; he suppressed Ye Yang through sheer strength and speed, but was clearly lacking in technique. At critical moments, the little tricks Ye Yang used always saved his life. But technique couldn't make up for the gap in strength. The web between his thumb and forefinger was growing numb, and the blood and qi surging in his chest were all too real. Ye Yang reckoned he couldn't hold out much longer.

The leopard-shaped Adjuchas was even more frustrated. He was stronger and faster than this Soul Reaper, yet every time he had a chance to deal a serious blow, the man evaded it with some strange method.

About five minutes into the fight, the numbness in the web of Ye Yang's hand caused him to make a mistake, and the Adjuchas caught him squarely on the left shoulder. Blood streamed from the wound. Seeing that he had finally clawed the hateful Soul Reaper, the Adjuchas couldn't help laughing. "Haha! Soul Reaper, you're dead!"

Ye Yang smiled bitterly. "Is that so? Looks like I have to change tactics."

"Oh? You've got stronger moves? That's right, you haven't released your Zanpakuto yet, have you? Hurry up and release it so we can have a proper fight!" he said wildly.

Ye Yang shook his head. "No, I still can't release my Zanpakuto. Come on, I won't disappoint you." Ye Yang shifted his Zanpakuto into a ready stance.

The Adjuchas charged straight at him, but as soon as they resumed fighting, he felt himself restrained by a strange force. He felt as though he had strength he couldn't bring to bear, while his opponent's attacks grew stronger with each strike. He actually felt like he couldn't hold out.

This time, Ye Yang was using the Tai Chi Sword. Its principles were the same as those of Tai Chi Chuan: using slowness to counter speed, softness to overcome hardness, weakness to defeat strength, and striking later to gain the upper hand. Given the difference in their strength, this sword technique couldn't have been more suitable.

The leopard-shaped Adjuchas thrust out a foreclaw, and Ye Yang parried it with his Zanpakuto. Using the Tai Chi Sword technique, he guided the force through an arc in the air, then used the borrowed strength to strike back. Repeating this again and again, he actually managed to suppress the Adjuchas for a time.

They fought like this for a while longer, though this time it was Ye Yang who had the upper hand. But it didn't last. The Adjuchas fired a Cero, forcing Ye Yang to dodge.

Suddenly, the Adjuchas spoke. "Soul Reaper, you're strong. What's your name?"

Ye Yang immediately replied, "When you ask someone's name, shouldn't you give your own first?"

The Adjuchas grinned. "Soul Reaper, you're interesting. Remember this: my name is Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez."

Ye Yang smiled in turn. "My name isn't Soul Reaper. It's Ye Yang Shihoin, the man who's about to defeat you."

"Hahahaha! I'd like to see how you plan to defeat me. Next, I'll use my ultimate move to beat you. Take this—Claw of Pantera!"

The sharp claws on Grimmjow's two forepaws began to lengthen, eventually becoming ten sky-blue blades. His Spiritual Pressure grew even more violent. Ye Yang felt that the next attack would surely be earth-shattering, and he actually felt unable to withstand it.

The ten blades of the Claw of Pantera appeared above Ye Yang's head. With no other choice, he raised his Zanpakuto over his head to block. The moment the claws met his blade, he clearly felt that he couldn't hold them back. Ye Yang cried out in his heart, Is this the end? No! I can't accept this... I need power...

"Do you want to live?" a voice suddenly asked.

"Who are you?"

"Do you want the power to survive?" the voice asked again.

"I do!" Ye Yang cried out in his heart.

"Then call my name... My name is..."

"What is it?"

"You know it. Call my name..."

"Then break free from your bonds—Silver Rend!" Ye Yang shouted.

A great deal happened in that instant. First, after Ye Yang spoke the Shikai release command, his previously ordinary Zanpakuto changed. With a flash of silver light, it became a Chinese-style double-edged sword. Its blade was silver throughout, with an Eastern dragon engraved on it so vividly it seemed alive. The guard was rectangular, with two points on either side extending toward the blade and the hilt. The hilt was silver as well, and a miniature Tai Chi diagram adorned the pommel.

Then Silver Rend clashed with the Claw of Pantera. Though it looked slender, Silver Rend sliced through the claws as easily as cutting tofu. Ye Yang swung Silver Rend and charged at Grimmjow, flicking the sword tip upward to open a huge wound in his shoulder. Blood spurted out as Grimmjow flew backward, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Ye Yang didn't pursue him. He simply watched as the injured Grimmjow, covered in blood, crawled to his feet. Grimmjow said, "How is that possible? Didn't you say you couldn't use Shikai? Even if you did release it, there's no way you could cut through the Claw of Pantera so easily."

Ye Yang smiled. "Nothing is impossible. You're right, I couldn't use Shikai before, but I learned how just now. As for cutting your Claw of Pantera to pieces, my Zanpakuto, Silver Rend, has the ability to cut space. If it can even cut space, what chance does your Claw of Pantera have?"

"H-how is that possible?" Grimmjow stared in disbelief. In truth, Ye Yang was surprised too. His Zanpakuto was actually a space-type, and a direct-attack space-type at that. In other words, he could imbue the sword tip with its ability, giving it the power to cut space. If it could cut even space, what could possibly withstand it?

By then, Yoruichi and Kisuke Urahara had finished off the Gillians and come to support Ye Yang. Yoruichi noticed that his Zanpakuto had changed and said, "Hey, little brother! You finally found your Zanpakuto. What's its name?"

Kisuke Urahara chimed in, "Congratulations! Wow, what a cool Zanpakuto. It's a double-edged sword—a very rare style."

Ye Yang replied, "Its name is Silver Rend. It's a space-type Zanpakuto."

Kisuke Urahara said in surprise, "A space-type? Not only is its style rare, but its type is rare too."

Yoruichi said, "Little brother, not only are you **, but your sword is ** too..."

Instead of answering Kisuke Urahara and Yoruichi, Ye Yang pointed Silver Rend at the gravely wounded Grimmjow. "You don't have a chance anymore. You couldn't even hold me off alone, let alone the three of us. Today is the day you die!"

Grimmjow showed no sign of despair. Instead, he burst out laughing. "Hahahaha... Ye Yang Shihoin, if you'd pressed your advantage just now, you really could have killed me. But now it's too late. This battle is over." As soon as he finished speaking, a beam of yellow light suddenly appeared from the sky and enveloped him. Beside Ye Yang, Yoruichi cursed, "Damn it! It's Negación!"

The Negación carried Grimmjow slowly upward. His voice rang out: "Ye Yang Shihoin, I'll come looking for you to fight again. Don't go getting killed by someone else."

Ye Yang was just about to give chase when a round of applause interrupted him. A familiar voice came from behind him. "Very impressive, Ye Yang. A direct-attack space-type Zanpakuto—even I'm jealous. As for that Adjuchas, let him go. There's nothing we can do about Negación." By the time the speaker finished, Grimmjow had vanished and returned to Hueco Mundo.

Ye Yang turned to see Shinji Hirako, the Fifth Division Captain responsible for support, and Retsu Unohana, the Fourth Division Captain responsible for medical care. Ye Yang smiled bitterly. "Come on. You two got here a long time ago, didn't you?"

Retsu Unohana smiled like a saintly mother. "Yes, Little Ye Yang. We originally intended to help you, but we saw that you were evenly matched with the Adjuchas. I thought that taking an opponent away from someone in the middle of a fight would be disrespectful, so I stopped Captain Hirako."

Ye Yang said, "Is that so? Thank you, Captain Unohana," but inwardly he grumbled, You scheming old fox... Although Ye Yang was usually quite scheming himself, next to Captain Unohana he was a mere novice.

Shinji Hirako added, "Yes, yes. I thought it was surprising enough that you could hold your own against an Adjuchas, but you're someone who repeatedly overturns people's understanding. How frightening."

Yoruichi cut in. "Captains, shouldn't we take the wounded back to Soul Society?"

Shinji Hirako abruptly remembered the matter at hand and said awkwardly, "Right. Let's go, Captain Unohana."

"Mm."

And so, the group began the task of taking the entire class's wounded back to Soul Society...