Chapter 288
"Five Dragon Destruction?"
The icy fog dissipated.
Despite the considerable distance between them, their conversation remained unimpeded: Kōga's question contained both surprise and delight.
He was very fond of the Kidō he had created.
However, there's no reason why Kōga, as an orbital genius, wouldn't be interested in those super-orders ranked above number ninety-five.
"Yes."
Haruto nodded in affirmation of Kōga's question.
Who taught you?
"The Great Kidō Master taught it on behalf of Captain-Commander Yamamoto... You also had a chance."
The Kōga is very strong.
Although his performance in the Hueco Mundo Expeditionary Force wasn't particularly impressive, the Gotei 13 still had to show their appreciation for Soul Reaper had been promoted to Second-Class Spiritual Pressure: with no other positions available for promotion, Kidō No. 99 was a very good reward.
That's how Haruto got it.
--Although he relied on his record rather than his ability.
"..."
The Kōga Kuchiki for a moment.
"It works well."
"No, it's still not quite there."
Haruto shook his head.
He had technically mastered the Kuryūtenmetsu Technique, but his Reiatsu was insufficient—that's right, Haruto's recently advanced Second-Class Spiritual Pressure was not enough to support him in using the complete Kuryūtenmetsu —leaving him still a bit short of unleashing its full potential.
It will probably take another fifty or sixty years of accumulation to reach the peak of the Second-Class Spiritual Pressure.
"How many can I summon now?"
"A maximum of four, but breaking the chant is difficult."
"I see..."
Changes in attributes will only result in different effects.
The destructive power of the Sangō Tenmetsu is basically the power of the 97th Hadō... although Haruto has never even come into contact with this number of Kidō.
"Your Kidō."
Separated by the Kuchiki, he looked at Haruto with a complicated expression.
"They're already on par with me."
"... You flatter me."
In the clash of Kidō just now.
Kōga Kuchiki didn't use a single Kidō; he relied entirely on his self-created Hyōga Seiran and its variations.
On the true nature of Kidō talent...
Haruto admitted that he was inferior to him.
"The next one."
"Call out!"
A streak of white and purple light flew from afar and landed in Kōga's hand.
That's Muramasa...
Muramasa in his Zanpakuto form.
"Then it's no longer a test."
"!?"
Kōga retrieved the Muramasa.
In its Bankai form Muramasa possesses the ability to act independently. However, in return, Kōga not only cannot enjoy the increased Reiatsu brought by Bankai, but also has to share some of his Reiatsu with Muramasa.
If the knife were to return to Kōga's hands at this moment—
"Buzz!!"
The unparalleled Reiatsu seemed to cause the entire world to distort and tremble.
The mere leakage of aura caused the already broken ice flower to shatter into another quarter of its volume.
"Byakuya!"
I'm fine!
Byakuya Shunpo to appear beside Haruto.
His condition was acceptable: he didn't use any special abilities and was fighting without his master. Muramasa's strength was only at the average level of Captain-level. It's normal for Byakuya to achieve this result under his Bankai.
After all...
Muramasa was never Zanpakuto that excelled in direct combat.
"Haruto."
The Kōga Kuchiki, and the Muramasa is raised high.
Complete Bankai, tenfold increase.
The power of the Kidō released by Xi in this state is completely incomparable to what it was before.
Please treat it like an exam...
"Buzz."
Muramasa slashed down in the air.
"A test of life and death."
An endless chill seemed to freeze everything in Seireitei.
"Hyōga Seiran - Six Garments, Four Knots, Double Sealed Cup"
"Snap!!"
A second ice flower bloomed in the Seireitei.
The roots are connected to the flower stamens, presenting an eerie and bewitching beauty.
The attack that Kōga Kuchiki just delivered was the very force that destroyed the entire Golden Seal Noble Assembly.
"..."
"Muramasa."
The Zanpakuto transformed back into human form.
"Lord Kōga."
Muramasa's attitude remained as humble as ever.
"Let's go to the Kuchiki Clan."
"... yes."
He still did not refuse Kōga's request.
Kōga Kuchiki had been waiting on this ice flower for a long time. Now that the Kuchiki Clan's persuaders had failed, even Ginrei Kuchiki no longer had the right to stop him from seeing his wife.
No.
It should be said that...
After his "nephew" and "disciple" were frozen forever in blooming ice flowers, no one in Soul Society was qualified to stop him anymore.
However.
Just as Kōga Kuchiki was about to step away...
"Click."
"!?"
A crack so fine it was almost imperceptible appeared at the intersection of the two ice flowers.
"Smack!!"
The flying ice crystals resembled arrows.
Kōga didn't even try to dodge, letting them scratch his cheeks... until they knocked away the stylistically highlighted Kenseikan was holding.
Clang.
"..."
From that not-so-wide gap.
What kind of appearance is this?
Visored, horns, skeleton.
The creature that appeared before Kōga Kuchiki looked more like a Hollow than Soul Reaper.
"..."
"Shunkō."
A somewhat dull electronic sound began to play.
It's obvious.
Even with the Ultimate Hollow God Form activated, blocking that attack still consumed a massive amount of Reiatsu. It's only because Haruto is currently at the Second-Class Spiritual Pressure that the hundredfold consumption of the Ultimate Hollow God Form has been reduced to a fraction.
Ten times the size of the same image, otherwise Haruto would probably have collapsed to the ground by now.
"Yoruichi's technique?"
The sound of the Kōga was also somewhat low and somber.
Such an exaggerated, ultimate-level technique, used twice in half a day, left Kōga with less than 30% of his Reiatsu.
"Does it still possess the power of... Heavenly Bedding Pill?"
Having led the Expeditionary Force in battle in Hueco Mundo for so long, Kōga is extremely sensitive to the presence of Hollows, and it's no secret that Haruto has taken Heavenly Bedding Pill.
It's not difficult to guess this.
"I almost forgot..."
The sound of the Kōga was complex and poignant.
"Your surname Shihoin, not Kuchiki."
"..."
Silence echoed between the two.
"Haruto Shihoin."
"We've come this far, are you still going to stop me?"
Haruto blocked most of the power of Hyōga Seiran, which is why Byakuya was only knocked unconscious by the impact instead of being frozen to death. That's right, Byakuya had completely lost the ability to resist at this moment: he had just been promoted to Captain-level, and it was quite remarkable that he was not torn apart by the battle wave of two Second-Class Spiritual Pressure.
"... You cannot go see Hine."
Haruto still used the same wording as before.
Although Shunkō provided a tenfold increase in Reiatsu, Haruto did not use Hadō of the same scale to counter it in order to protect Byakuya. Kōga Kuchiki's secret Kidō was only slightly weaker than the fully-formed Five Dragon Destruction, and Haruto was also unable to use "Four Flame Dragons" to counter it in his haste.
So...
He used the Heat Haze Edict.
That's right.