Chapter 176
"Splash!"
Fragments of the collapsing Reishi flew everywhere.
Even the Dankū that has broken through the incantation should not be so easily breached in three stages:
The power of Seirin Tsunayashiro's slash just now was probably close to that of the 95th level of Hadō.
"..."
"Bankai?"
Haruto stared intently at the Seirin Tsunayashiro's hand, a Zanpakuto that remained unchanged except for its color.
"Bankai is far more than that."
Seirin Tsunayashiro smiled and twirled her sword.
"That was just the second face of the Tsukiyami— "
Fair fingers traced the side of the blade; the bright metallic color was almost too dazzling.
"Asahi"
"In stark contrast to Tsukiyami, she is sharpest in the darkest of places."
Seirin Tsunayashiro stood facing Haruto again, sword in hand.
"Your Kurohitsugi is quite impressive."
"..."
They fell for the trap.
Whether it was explaining the Zanpakuto's abilities first, or pretending to fight him head-on with the Kurohitsugi, Seirin Tsunayashiro's goal was to unleash that slash just now.
If Haruto hadn't reacted quickly enough, he probably would have already fallen into their trap.
Haruto had absolutely no desire to know what would happen if Kidō attack, which even the Dankū couldn't stop, struck him.
"Your external slash just now wasn't a power of your Zanpakuto itself, was it?"
How to increase the sharpness of the blade?
This explanation sounded all too familiar to Haruto, so Haruto that he couldn't help but wonder how much of it was true and how much was false.
He explained the power of the Seisen in the same way.
"Peace of mind."
Seirin Tsunayashiro was taken aback for a moment, then revealed a very happy expression.
"You guessed absolutely right."
"Our swords have very good compatibility... or should I say very bad?"
Seirin Tsunayashiro tilted her head and said with an expression that was both cute and terrifying.
"Otherwise, it wouldn't necessarily be necessary to kill you."
Tsunayashiro glanced at Haruto's Zanpakuto, Haruto was always hanging at his waist.
"After all, Asahi is only at the Shikai. No matter how much it is strengthened, its power will not be great enough to break through the defenses stacked by the triple Dankū Severing."
"That slash just now..."
"It's Getsuga Tenshō!"
Getsuga Tenshō?
This is a technique that the Tsunayashiro Clan could never learn.
Learning the secret techniques through inheritance only scratches the surface. To truly master Getsuga Tenshō, one must have strong enough Shiba Clan bloodline support to unleash Reiatsu strike that perfectly aligns with one's own instincts (soul).
This is the true form of Getsuga Tenshō.
Kisuke Urahara, by helping Isshin Shiba, deciphered some of the secrets of Getsuga Tenshō and used a special training method to help Ichigo skip the secret teachings and directly master Getsuga Tenshō.
But...
I already said that man's name is Kisuke Urahara.
It's all show and no substance.
The Tsunayashiro Clan's status and long-cultivated arrogance meant that even if they possessed such abilities, they would disdain using the Shiba Clan's capabilities.
"... Have you ever seen a real Getsuga Tenshō?"
Haruto's words piqued Seirin Tsunayashiro's curiosity even more.
"Have you forgotten that I am the Seated Officer of the Thirteenth Division?"
Haruto definitely can't tell the truth.
"... That's true."
Seirin Tsunayashiro shook his head to himself.
"It seems I can't kill you with my mediocre skills."
Half-baked?
That's true.
In addition to his own Zanpakuto abilities, Seirin Tsunayashiro demonstrated Stealth Steps, Kurohitsugi Secret Technique, and Getsuga Tenshō in previous battles.
They came from the Shihoin, Kuchiki, and Shiba Clan, respectively.
That's right.
While a normal Shunpo might be fast, it could never achieve the silent assassination effect of a previous sneak attack; the Kurohitsugi ninety wasn't a secret to the great nobles, but the identical lethality and Reiatsu activation process undoubtedly indicated that both originated from the same source; plus the Shiba Clan's true bloodline secret technique.
No wonder she holds such a high position in the Tsunayashiro Clan.
This young Captain-level, who is not even two hundred years old, has probably already killed off members of the other major noble families.
As for the rumors that she discarded the Enrakyōten...
Seirin Tsunayashiro once used this Zanpakuto, which requires the soul to be "copied".
If she's about to unleash her true power...
"Swastika!"
The moment those two words rang out from Seirin Tsunayashiro's mouth!
"Bakudō #91: Shisō Kekkai!"
Volume 1: 107, facing the Bankai
Even nonsense has its value.
Having talked with Haruto and Seirin Tsunayashiro for so long, Haruto would naturally be prepared for the opponent's next move.
Since we already knew this person was Captain-level, we couldn't let them use their Bankai so easily; even with Reiatsu of the same level, Haruto was already at a disadvantage, and after Bankai, he would be even less of a match.
So.
Haruto immediately pulled out the tactic he used when he first practiced with Byakuya:
I'll cut off your freedom!
"Bakudō #91: Shisō Kekkai!"
Blood mixed with Reiatsu.
The cross-shaped spear, its surface adorned with spiral patterns, was aimed precisely at the Seirin Tsunayashiro from eight directions.
Shisō Kekkai, Twofold Incantation.
"When?"
Faced with the high-level Bakudō that had been released at some unknown time, Seirin Tsunayashiro's face became even more solemn: even without a spear-type spiritual tool as a vessel for release, the blood spear, whose Reiatsu concentration was condensed to the point of being almost a solid entity, would definitely not be weaker than using an ordinary spiritual tool as a substitute.
"At the very beginning."
"The moment I slit your throat?"
"That's right."
The Shisō Kekkai is Bakudō that requires blood as a medium to be released. In this battle, Haruto was only stained with blood for the very first moment.
"Can Kyokkō really conceal such a high-level Bakudō?"
The Kurohitsugi is a trap set by Seirin Tsunayashiro, and also a trap set by Haruto.
The original purpose of releasing the Kurohitsugi was to conceal the Reiatsu during the incantation of the Shisō Kekkai.
That's right.
When Haruto confronted Seirin Tsunayashiro, he did not use Twofold Incantation, but an unprecedented high-level Kidō Fourfold Incantation!
Simultaneously drawing upon such a massive amount of Reiatsu from within is simply beyond the capacity of Soul Reaper's body to withstand: the Reiatsu output is limited, and the Twofold Incantation of number ninety is the limit of Third-Class Reii; any more, and the body will explode and die before the incantation is finished.
Fourfold Incantation.
This is the blessing of the power of the Soul King Hakusui.
One is definitely not enough.
To maintain the Shisō Kekkai without being detected by the opponent, the power of Kyokkō must be used—don't underestimate Kyokkō just because it's only a low-level Bakudō of number twenty-six; once the number increases to a certain extent, it will also undergo a qualitative change.
"But what if a hundred are stacked together?"
"A hundred paths!?"
Haruto's explanation completely overturned Seirin Tsunayashiro's understanding of Kidō.
While chanting four high-level Kidō, he still had the energy to construct hundreds of low-level Bakudō... How leaky must his body be to have so many outlets for Reiatsu?
No one answered her question.
The only reason Haruto would still waste words with him was because the new Kidō was not yet complete—his hands clasped together in the shape of a pistol, and eighteen jet-black fire bullets were slowly rotating around his outstretched arms, pointing towards Seirin Tsunayashiro.
You need to know.
Six of them constitute a complete set of the Senju Kōten Taihō.
And when this number tripled—
"Puff!"
Eight blood spears pierced through, completely penetrating the vital organs of Seirin Tsunayashiro's body.
The cross-shaped gun handles interlocked to form a crimson, multifaceted cage that completely sealed off the target's senses.
Following closely behind.
"Hadō #91: Senju Kōten Taihō!"
"Call out!!"
The jet-black fireballs converged and hurtled towards them.
"Boom!!"
On another part of the battlefield.
"Pooh!"
Hiyori clutched her shoulder, which was riddled with holes from being punched.
"Isn't your weapon that military dagger?"
Sweat was pouring down Hiyori's forehead.
"What kind of skill is it to use a machine gun?"
The Quincy fought her initially used a short and dangerous military dagger, but when Hiyori deliberately distanced herself, she suddenly pulled out a Browning M2 Heavy Machine Gun from under her cloak!
Hiyori's wound was caused by the bullets from the Reishi bullets. If it weren't for her quick Shunpo, she would probably have been cut in two by now.