Chapter 63
Compared to the forest they now inhabit.
"Despair."
The two people, who were moving at full speed, suddenly stopped in their hurry—this wasn't the film set next door, and they weren't jumping and hopping on tree branches when they moved.
"The one after that."
Haruto, cloaked, was the first to turn to the side.
"You've been following us for so long, aren't you going to show your face?"
That's right.
While they were still at the auction, Haruto warned Byakuya in advance that they might encounter murderers and robbers.
Although Byakuya was not afraid at all, but rather very excited, Haruto was not so arrogant as to underestimate his opponent and make a mistake over a small matter.
"..."
Unfortunately, Haruto's question went unanswered.
"I feel like I hid it pretty well?"
This time, Haruto didn't ask Byakuya's opinion. Instead, he pulled his arm out from under his cloak and pointed his slender index finger at the tree shadows that blocked the night sky above.
"Byakurai"
"Sizzle!"
The clear chanting overlapped with the violent thunder.
As several streaks of white-blue lightning ripped through the night sky, in less than two seconds, five corpses fell to the ground with a series of thuds and bloody thuds.
Among them—
"Clang!!"
A distinct clang of metal clashing against metal rang out.
"Oh?"
Haruto uttered a slight doubt, but her index and middle fingers pressed together without hesitation.
"It can block Byakurai..."
"Why don't you try this one?"
"Sizzle!!"
――――
Volume 1: Chapter 41, Black Eats Black
Thump.
The man who blocked the Byakurai bolt fell down in the same manner as his companions.
The difference is that he has several broken Zanpakuto in his hands.
That's it?
Byakuya followed Haruto toward the corpse.
What else do you want?
Haruto rummaged around on the ground for a while, then easily pulled out a few small gold coins without showing any disgust.
"To be able to react in time and catch my Byakurai with his Zanpakuto, this guy is quite skilled even among lower- Seated Officer."
Haruto is getting stronger every moment.
Back then, taking down Onizuka, the eighth seat of the 11th Division, was just a matter of a single Byakurai; now it will only be simpler.
"Certainly..."
"His inability to withstand the enhanced Byakurai means his skill level is only up to the 10th Seat."
The strength of Zanpakuto is closely related to that of a Shinigami (Soul Reaper).
If the Reiatsu were any stronger, the Byakurai wouldn't be able to break through the opponent's Zanpakuto... At that point, Haruto would probably have no choice but to shatter it with the Raikōhō.
"... Tsk."
When Byakuya first met him, although Haruto had a strong Reiatsu, his combat power was only around the level of the eighth or ninth seat due to his physical condition and lack of secret techniques.
Now.
To take down Soul Reaper of the 10th Seat level with just a flick of his finger... Every step his friend takes forward is built on shattering other people's worldviews.
What were the findings?
Byakuya stopped watching Haruto's actions; it was simply unbearable for someone with such a fastidious nature.
"It's someone in the room."
Which one?
"The guy in room number ten, he must have been after the secret of Raimeisan... My offer just barely hit his bottom line."
Haruto handed Byakuya his ashes-covered haul, only to have the latter shove it away in obvious disgust: five gold coins—that was all the wealth this unknown noble family possessed...and then there were the items he'd failed to attract at the auction:
A metal-wheeled lighter that most likely originated from the World of the Living.
"Or?"
"Aren't you disgusting? Take it away right now!"
"Cut."
Although Haruto didn't recognize the brand of the lighter, he could tell from the craftsmanship that it was a luxury item; otherwise, it wouldn't have been auctioned off by the nobility.
Pity.
The items up for auction today are all too important; nobody cares about these little things... and the starting bid for two gold coins isn't cheap either.
Haruto put the lighter and the gold coins into his pocket.
"It doesn't matter if you're poor, it doesn't matter if you're incompetent, but it's terrible if you can't even recognize a person's character..."
His gaze swept over the six lifeless corpses on the ground.
That's suicide.
As their gazes shifted upwards, the arm hidden beneath the cloak lashed out with the force of a slash!
The chanting, clear and crisp, resounded through the forest.
"Bakudō #61!"
"Bakudō #63!"
Haruto and Byakuya simultaneously aimed at the gap between the bushes and the giant tree!
"Rikujōkōrō!"
"Sajō Sabaku!"
――――
Haruto spreads her five fingers.
A slender yet strong golden chain shot out from the air, locking onto the enemy in the darkness.
Haruto had blocked all four directions—front, back, left, and right—so even an opponent stronger than Haruto would not be able to remain indifferent to the suppression of the Sajō Sabaku.
"Whoosh!"
The sound of Shunpo being activated was clearly caught by his ears.
The opponent is a powerful individual capable of using Shunpo, and it would be very difficult to trap them with Bakudō in a head-on confrontation.
But!
This is not a one-on-one arena.
"Byakuya!"
"They're here!"
"Call out--"
The moment the shadowy figure used Shunpo to escape, six golden, blade-shaped light cones simultaneously surrounded it from all directions.
"Snap!!"
The Rikujōkōrō struck its target.
"It's your turn!"
This was a trap meticulously set by the two:
The only way out left by the Sajō Sabaku was within the sealed area of Rikujōkōrō.
If the opponent doesn't know Shunpo, then he can't dodge the Sajō Sabaku; but if he Shunpo, the Rikujōkōrō is their backup plan.
Not only that.
"The Thunderous Chariot"
Byakuya's chanting began to echo through the forest.
"The gap in the spinning wheel"
He then reinforced the Shibari power of the Rikujōkōrō by Kōjutsu Eishō: whether it was Sajō Sabaku at the last moment or the Shunpo he just used, it was enough to prove that his opponent was Vice-Captain-level fighter.
Against such an opponent, Rikujōkōrō of the same level, Eishōhaki, cannot last long.
Therefore, Byakuya must immediately reinforce the Bakudō.
"This object emits light, and it divides into six!"
The time that Rikujōkōrō had gained was naturally used to pave the way for Haruto's move.
"Scattered Beast Bones"
Haruto stomped his feet into the ground, one in front of the other, and his hands, which were originally upright and flat, gripped the lightning in his palms like beast claws.
"The wheels of the spire's red crystal steel"
Haruto is still far from being Vice-Captain-level; to approach him rashly would be a reckless and foolish act.
"Movement is the wind, stillness is emptiness."
Therefore, even though the Zanka no Tachi possessed greater destructive power, Haruto still chose to use the Raikōhō.
The sound of spears clashing filled the empty city!
Moreover, it's not the Raikōhō used for regular practice; it's an enhanced version of the Raikōhō, modeled after Byakurai, but with enhanced Reiatsu!
"Snap."
His left palm, surging with Reiatsu, forcefully pressed against the back of his right hand.
"Hadō #63: Raikōhō: Raikōhō!"
"Bang!!"
A powerful clap of thunder streaked across the night sky—
"Boom!!"
The shock wave spread out in a ring shape.
The surrounding dust and grass clippings were completely swept away.
A cloud of Raika and fire slowly rose, its overwhelming Reiatsu and thick smoke obscuring everything at the point of explosion.
"Right?"
Byakuya, still in his sword-drawing stance, quickly moved closer.
"That's right."
The Kakushitsuijaku's senses never stopped.
As they were leaving the auction, Haruto told Byakuya who their next enemy was—no matter how you looked at it, Soul Reaper of the Vice-Captain-level couldn't possibly appear so frequently... especially when the Hueco Mundo Expeditionary Force had just set off and the Soul Society was still relatively peaceful.