Chapter 290
"What's the meaning?"
It means --
Haruto's index finger caught the hilt of the sword, tracing an elegant arc in mid-air before landing steadily back in Haruto hand.
"Whoosh!"
Shunpo, Sonído, Hirenkyaku.
Haruto, powered by his triple acceleration ability, charged directly at Kōga with his sword in hand.
"!!"
Faced with Haruto, who was almost just a blur on his retina, Kōga somewhat fortunate that the ability he had taken was Seisen; although the Bankai by Muramasa's Zanpakuto were not without powerful and strange rule-based abilities, those swords were also extremely difficult to master.
The effects of Seisen...
The perfect battlefield for us!
"Whoosh!"
Kōga crashed straight into Haruto, who was charging towards him.
--With the speed of the Flow Seisen, Kōga's pace was no slower than Haruto's!
However!
"Clang!!"
Amidst the clanging of metal, a sound so powerful it seemed to shatter even the space around them.
"Snap."
"!?"
Kōga Kuchiki could hardly believe his eyes.
As the familiar silver blade flew diagonally into the sky, Muramasa—
It's broken??
"Swish-clang."
Two figures passed each other.
The greatest threat to Seireitei, Kōga Kuchiki's Zanpakuto Muramasa, was broken into two irreparable pieces; the "corpse" of the blade's tip lay quietly on the cold calyx.
Muramasa?
That somber, cold white figure will never appear beside Kōga Kuchiki again.
"My Far Shore is quite interested in Muramasa."
Muramasa.
The derivative ability after Bankai is to plunder the abilities of any of the Zanpakuto he has materialized; as long as Bankai continues, the plundered ability can be changed at any time, and the duration is almost perpetual.
Its weakness is that once its Bankai is deactivated, its abilities are returned, and within the same Bankai, the stolen abilities cannot be stolen a second time.
--If this can be called a weakness.
"Strong" is not even enough to describe Muramasa; his Bankai is practically a bug-level existence.
This is where Kōga Kuchiki is hiding...
What makes Muramasa terrifying.
So...
How did Haruto know all this so clearly?
"Laugh."
On the Far Shore, the blade, slightly heavier than the one by the Seisen, was gradually losing its crimson hue near the tip—
It happens to be one of the nine paintings.
This is the ability of Haruto's second Zanpakuto, "Far Shore": to seal the souls it slays, along with their abilities, within them.
Zanpakuto are extensions of Soul Reaper's soul.
Muramasa, who was struck by the Far Shore, was sealed within the Far Shore along with his Bankai at the moment the blades collided.
Without the support of Bankai, Muramasa was naturally unable to maintain Seisen's abilities; the Flow power returning to Seisen's sword was naturally amplified by Haruto and placed on Far Shore, instantly slicing Muramasa's sword in two.
Certainly.
Although the Far Shore possesses the sealing strength of a rule-based system, its abilities still have an upper limit: all nine Purgatory Diagrams dimmed, meaning that after capturing the power of nine souls, it could no longer perform its sealing function.
And.
Whether or not the other party's soul will be sealed is not up to Haruto, but depends on whether the Far Shore (Purgatory) is interested in it; this is why Haruto did not use the Far Shore at the beginning of the battle.
"It's over."
Haruto turned around and looked at Kōga Kuchiki.
Driven to distraction?
No, that's not enough to describe the man before me.
He lost his lover, his worldview was shattered, and even his only remaining Zanpakuto broke in battle: the defeat came too quickly, and he still doesn't understand what just happened.
No one knows what remains of Kōga Kuchiki's world... Perhaps it is the ultimate release of all this?
Pitiful, regrettable, tragic.
But!
Haruto had to do it.
Whether we let Kōga Kuchiki escape or let him return to the Kuchiki Clan, the order of Soul Society will collapse from this point on.
This was indeed something that was bound to happen sooner or later, but now...
It's not the right time yet.
"Zheng."
Blood ripples, sheath the knife.
"Bakudō #99"
The finishing touches.
The Kuchiki Clan couldn't do it, and other nobles dared not do it.
As for the Gotei 13... putting aside whether or not to reveal their abilities, the main thing is not to worry Captain-Commander Yamamoto.
"Shiryū"
Black strips of cloth wrapped around Kōga, who had lost all will to resist.
"Hyakurensan"
The bright silver iron sheet further sealed off all the gaps.
"The Bankin Taihō!"
At last--
A cube adorned with golden swastikas completely enclosed the Kōga Kuchiki.
"The wicked."
Chanting, forming hand seals.
"Hadō #99"
The magnificent ice flowers, attracted by the radiance of the Sklaverei, gradually transformed into four majestic ice dragons.
Towards the coffin made of Bankin Taihō --
"I'll do it."
"The Shiryū Tenmetsu!"
"Boom!!"
"Miss Nia?"
In the center of the chaotic, broken walls and ruins.
"Whoosh."
"Thanks a lot."
Haruto handed the unconscious Byakuya to Naa Ichihara.
Fainting isn't a big deal, but his current state is clearly a sign that his energy and physical strength have been completely overexerted: his first Bankai battle was against such a high-intensity enemy, which obviously exceeded Byakuya's limits.
"... What are you looking at?"
Haruto saw a different kind of look in the eyes of Naa Ichihara, who had met Byakuya.
"That last strike was really cool."
Naa Ichihara smiled enigmatically.
Before the fight even started, Haruto had already instructed Naa Ichihara to lead the Stealth Force to seal off the surrounding area. Others might not be able to see through her, but her abilities... were proficient in every aspect except fighting.
Are you mocking me?
"You noticed that?"
"..."
Haruto's Far Shore the other side looks very dashing.
In reality, he had no idea what to do during the fight: if Far Shore didn't develop an interest in Muramasa, he would have to use High-Speed Regeneration and Hibiki's Full Sonído to run away towards the "lighthouse" of the First Division without looking back.
Asking the Captain-Commander to take action would inevitably leave room for criticism (mainly damaging his prestige), but when it really came down to that, Haruto had no other choice.
From this perspective...
Haruto touched the pure white cord wrapped around the hilt of the Seisen sword.
It's a bit of a shame she didn't use her Bankai, but Kiyomizu is still the Seisen reliable fighter... even though her ability almost chopped off her own head.
Haruto is still quite a distance from completely mastering the Far Shore.
"Let's go check on the Kuchiki Clan. Yoruichi should be there right now."
Aren't you coming along?
The Muramasa was broken.
After his Bankai failed, all his materialized Zanpakuto returned to their original state, Kuchiki Clan must have realized this as well; as his "benefactor," Haruto should be visiting the Kuchiki Clan at this time to maximize his benefits.
This applies to both him personally and the Shihoin Clan.
But...
Haruto didn't want to do that.
"Oh?"
Seeing that Haruto didn't respond, Naa Ichihara said with some surprise:
"To everyone in Seireitei, you are a man who has killed countless people."
Who would have thought...?
"Turns out he's just a greenhorn."
Although her words were sharp, Naa Ichihara spoke with a gentle tone.
Is that considered a compliment?
"It's a rare opportunity, so let's say it is."
Naa Ichihara responded to Haruto's teasing with a smile.