Chapter 199

"That suits me perfectly."

Haruto's Hakuda skills lack practical experience, but in terms of physical strength, few can compare to him.

"Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō!"

However, before engaging in close combat, Haruto doesn't hesitate to land a hit on his opponent first.

However...

Baishin actually charged straight at Lei Pao!

"Not Kidō defense?"

Let alone Soul Reaper, even Pure-Blood Quincy or Arrancar wouldn't be able to directly withstand the 88th Hadō here.

Haruto originally thought that the Baishin defended against the Kōten Taihō with a defensive Kidō similar to the Dankū... but now it seems that it actually absorbed the attack with its body!

"This Zanpakuto's defense is pretty insane."

But.

The stronger the opponent's physical abilities, the better his progress over this period will be tested.

Haruto, with a "whoosh," activated his Shunpo to the Shunpo, charging straight into the plum Baishin that had shattered the thunder cannon!

"Call out--"

"Clang!!"

The two iron heads collided violently.

The deafening roar echoed across almost half the city, even shattering nearby windows.

It's hard to imagine that this is the strength of the human body.

"It's really hard."

Although he had expected it, Haruto hadn't anticipated that Baishin's body would be this resilient.

He had already added the still-developing Hierro technique from Gillian to his fully activated Blut Vene.

Furthermore, relying on the formidable physical attributes honed through Bone Strike...

They only managed a draw against the other side!?

Baishin was equally surprised; he had originally intended to smash the head of this arrogant brat.

"Is your Zanpakuto also a self-enhancing type?"

"... I guess so."

The time spent arguing didn't affect the actions they were taking:

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

As their heads separated upon contact, their hands and feet collided with each other, creating a sound no louder than before.

But.

Although their physical abilities were comparable, Haruto lagged far behind Baishin in terms of experience, leaving him with no choice but to...

"Solar Flare!"

Haruto could only relieve the pressure by firing a Shōtenkyū Sphere at the Baishin.

Using other parts of the body, the initial movements alone would be easily detected... It must be said that the Soul King Hakusui is truly amazing:

Haruto can mobilize his Reiatsu and release it directly from his forehead at point-blank range.

"Buzz!"

No matter how strong the body, areas like the eyes and ears are still vulnerable, and can be struck without warning by the Shōtenkyū.

"Whoosh!"

As Haruto was thinking this, he suddenly felt a chill down his spine!

"!?"

"Bang!!"

The knee strike was blocked by a sudden Dankū.

"... This isn't just physical enhancement anymore, is it?"

At the critical moment, sensing the danger, Haruto immediately used his knee to create a mini version of the Dankū; it wasn't that he didn't want to release a larger version, but the Reiatsu vents in this area were only so big, and being able to use Dankū instead of Tōzanshō was already a result of his training.

"The Kidō?"

As for why Haruto said that...

The tip of that knee strike had extended into a sharp blade that was definitely not bone!

"And you're talking about me?"

Baishin grinned maliciously.

"Kid, you've managed to go back and forth with me this many times. Your body must have undergone quite a few modifications."

Not only that.

The Solar Flare, derived from the Shōtenkyū, was completely ineffective; it was enough to blind ordinary people.

The intense light was completely ignored by the opponent— Baishin's eyes were instantly tinged with a bright metallic luster the moment the attack arrived.

"Click!"

Even the dialogue is a trap:

Just after mocking Haruto, Baishin suddenly lowered her chin, and a thousand incredibly sharp needles shot out from her mouth!

"!!"

Liars will have to swallow a thousand needles.

Haruto never expected that a child's vow would be presented to him in this way.

"Raikōhō!"

There's simply not enough time to use the Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō.

If Haruto hadn't been able to spew something out of his mouth, this would have disfigured him.

If it were any other Soul Reaper, their heads would be riddled with holes.

"Call out!"

"Boom!!"

Clang.

Haruto brushed off the needle marks on his body.

The Raikōhō weakened the power of Baishin's "The Roar of Iron Dragon," but it still couldn't block all the attacks—after all, it was a case of fighting a war of wills with no intention. The fact that Baishin didn't release poison in its Iron Release technique was already the best news for Haruto.

"Not bad, kid."

The flying blades caused the two to distance themselves again.

Seeing that Haruto had only suffered minor injuries, Baishin actually showed a satisfied expression.

"Your head is incredibly strong."

"... the same to each other."

There's still a red mark on Haruto's forehead.

A body capable of withstanding high-level Hadō Seirin Tsunayashiro's, but considering the opponent's rich combat experience—

Even if we win this battle, the process will be incredibly arduous.

Baishin has not yet used Bankai.

"You're the Soul Reaper of the Thirteenth Division, aren't you?"

Baishin started reminiscing with Haruto.

"Although the place names have changed, this area has been under the jurisdiction of the Thirteenth Division for hundreds of years; I originally planned to save this move for Ukitake, but it seems I won't be able to wait for that sickly guy."

Baishin's thick, strong palm clenched shut forcefully.

"Clang!!"

The sound, like the clanging of a forge and the chisels of an iron furnace, echoed over the city.

"Swastika!"

"Baishin!"

But just as the Baishin was about to Bankai...

The figure that suddenly appeared beside him interrupted his Bankai technique.

"Now is not the time for you to let loose!"

"?"

An outfit I've never seen before.

That's a dark green Shihakushō with a hat and protective gear?

Not only that.

To say that Baishin is strong enough, possessing secret techniques that prevent Haruto from sensing her Reiatsu, is one thing, but this guy who just appeared...

His Instant Shunpo was clearly full of flaws, yet Haruto hadn't sensed anyone approaching before he appeared.

That's going a bit too far.

Haruto even suspected that he had practiced his Kakushitsuijaku in the wrong direction.

"Protective gear?"

Changing the color of the Shihakushō is one thing, but the key is the rather antique-style patterns on the Shihakushō pieces.

"That's definitely a spiritual artifact."

"But if this alone could conceal Reiatsu in front of Captain-level, then Kisuke Urahara wouldn't have needed to research the special cloak that Aizen ultimately obtained."

"It can't be..."

"Heavenly Bestowed Armaments?"

While Haruto was still verifying the identity of the visitor.

"Clang!"

The commotion coming from not far behind him immediately drew Haruto's attention.

"Gather!"

Water whips, out of sight, erupted from the river, their surging and chaotic sweeps cutting the riverbank into bottomless crisscrossing patterns.

"Sizzle!!"

"That was close! The guy Baishin is facing is really fierce."

"..."

It was another guy wearing the same color Shihakushō, and like before, he didn't leak any Reiatsu during his Shunpo.

Only.

His target was Agata, who was protected by the triple- Tōzanshō.

To differentiate this binding technique from Dankū, Haruto added a trigger warning function to Bakudō, allowing him to immediately sense changes in the person who comes into contact with it... This move was originally intended for Haruto, as Haruto worried that if his own Aizen were added, the Soul Society's Zanpakuto one tank wouldn't be able to withstand it.

I never expected it would come in handy now.

"Whoosh!"

It was still the Shunpo, which Haruto saw as full of flaws, and it was still a high-speed movement without any trace of Reiatsu.

The hostage situation has failed.