Chapter 66
"... good."
Although Tsunayashiro Mamoru felt that he was the one in charge, he basically gave orders to Fudo Uji for everything except fighting.
However, he had no complaints.
Because of the powerful Zanpakuto Kaleidoscope, Uji focused all his energy on its cultivation and training. Despite possessing immense strength, he was completely ignorant of most Kidō.
When it comes to looting corpses, only he can do it.
"Hadō #5--"
Tsunayashiro Mamoru Zanpakuto, sheath and all, from his waist, preparing to unleash his Kidō using the Zanpakuto as a medium.
"The Daichi Ten'yō!"
"?"
A muffled chanting sound came from underground.
As the sand and gravel in the deep pit spun and churned rapidly, the door-like "walls" were quickly pushed out from one side of the pit.
At the same time.
"... The tiger roars, the wolf flees."
"Sever the heavens and earth before they collapse."
The chanting, which was completely different from the Daichi Ten'yō, gradually became clearer and clearer as it entered the ears of Tsunayashiro Mamoru and Uji.
"!?"
The two exchanged a quick glance, and almost simultaneously gripped their Zanpakuto tightly again.
"That thing just now..."
"The Dankū, Kōjutsu Eishō."
Uji frowned, confirming Tsunayashiro Mamoru's guess.
"So small?"
The wall pushed from one side of the pit was at most two meters high, and its width was barely enough for two people to stand side by side.
"The only thing capable of blocking the Kōten Taihō is the Dankū."
Uji knew very well what kind of abilities would counter his Zanpakuto. Even though he had never used it, he was quite familiar with Dankū.
"But..."
Dankū can block Kidō attacks with Reiatsu of 90 or lower, but Senju Kōten Taihō is not among them; to withstand an attack without taking damage, the user of Dankū must have Reiatsu exceeding that of the former.
Reiatsu exceeding that of Uji?
That must be a Captain-level powerhouse.
"Bang!"
The compressed soil was dumped into the pit.
"Your inspiration for the Rikujōkōrō came at just the right time."
Right under the noses of Tsunayashiro Mamoru and Uji, the male Soul Reaper, whose black robes were already tattered, was completely unsuspecting, crouching with his back to them... and digging his arms deep into the ground as if he were digging potatoes.
Neither of them made a move. The sudden Dankū had greatly shocked them, and neither of them dared to be sure whether it was a trap to lure them into attacking.
"Otherwise, using the Tōzanshō to block this attack would be rather unwise."
"Crack."
The same small, slightly youthful figure, with his upper body wrapped in tattered rags, was pulled from the ground by the male Soul Reaper.
"Pooh!"
It was impossible to tell if it was sarcasm or simply a way of spitting out the dirt in my mouth.
"The degraded version of the Senju Kōten Taihō is at best at the level of an eighty-something -Hadō. It was blocked by the overlapping of two Mountain -Tōzanshō."
"Does it have to be some kind of 'Dankū'..."
"Otherwise, we wouldn't have been buried here!"
The two figures that emerged from the ground were naturally Haruto and Byakuya.
Before the fireball formed by the Kōten Taihō could fall, Haruto immediately opened the Dankū to defend himself—he was still far from being Eishōhaki, but by Kōjutsu Eishō, he was able to barely maintain it by adding Reiatsu before the Kidō Wall formed by the Dankū dissipated.
Certainly.
Compared to the complete version of the Dankū, the coverage area of his Kidō Wall is pitifully small, and its defensive strength is far less powerful than the original.
But...
When used against the same degraded version of the Senju Kōten Taihō, it was a fairly even match.
"Kuchiki... Byakuya."
While Haruto and Byakuya were still bickering, Uji, who was holding Kaleidoscope, had already turned very ugly.
The moment Byakuya was recognized, things began to take an unpredictable turn.
"Oh?"
Byakuya brushed the dust off his clothes and, imitating Haruto, tore off the tattered strips of his shirt.
"..."
Byakuya's gaze swept over the two, especially over Tsunayashiro Mamoru's distinctive haori and the ornaments tied around his waist.
"Your knot..."
Byakuya recognized who owned it.
"An unfamiliar face."
"The heir of the Tsunayashiro family, right? He hasn't been in Seireitei long... It seems he's from a lower-ranking family, otherwise he wouldn't have a Vice-Captain-level bodyguard."
Byakuya clearly knew a great deal about the internal rules of the Tsunayashiro Clan, which was also one of the Four Great Noble Clans.
"..."
After these words were spoken, both sides fell silent.
There are many things that don't need to be discussed openly— the Tsunayashiro Clan and the Kuchiki Clan have always been the top two families, maintaining a facade of harmony within the Seireitei, but outside of this area, the competition behind the scenes is incredibly fierce.
This is Rukongai).
The guards of the Tsunayashiro Clan, under the direction of the Tsunayashiro family members, launched an attack on Ginrei Kuchiki's grandson; regardless of whether the plot is exposed or not—even if the Tsunayashiro Clan applauds it—the two of them will inevitably become victims of the family's exchange of interests.
Unless this event never existed at all.
Uji and Byakuya understood this perfectly, while Haruto and Tsunayashiro Mamoru, who were a little slower to react, were not fools either, and quickly realized from the strange atmosphere what was going to happen next.
So...
"Raikōhō!"
It's always best to strike first!
Volume 1: Chapter 43, Is Money Just an External Thing?
Haruto starts with Raikōhō.
The golden lightning bolt aimed directly at Tsunayashiro Mamoru —the guard was clearly stronger and had already unleashed his Zanpakuto, making him much more difficult to kill.
Pick the softest persimmons.
The safest strategy is to take down Tsunayashiro Mamoru first, then join Byakuya in attacking his guards.
"Boom!"
Thick smoke billowed up with the explosion.
The Eishōhaki is divided into three stages:
The most basic step is to abandon the chanting lyrics, then to abandon even the numbered chanting names, and finally to chant the Kidō in complete silence without any sound.
Haruto's Raikōhō is progressing rapidly and has already reached the second stage.
But anyway.
Even when facing opponents of similar strength, the power of the more than sixty types of Kidō, which are free from incantations, is still somewhat lacking.
"Soar, Ryūjaku!"
Accompanied by the sound of the Zanpakuto.
"Call!"
The strong wind blew away the thick smoke that had burst open.
The Zanpakuto in Tsunayashiro Mamoru's hand transformed into a curved blade resembling bird wings—not only was the Raikōhō deflected by the draw slash, but even the smoke obscuring his vision was instantly cleared away by the Zanpakuto's power.
The gale originated from the "flying" type Zanpakuto itself, not from the power of Kidō.
Is that all you've got?
"Tsunayashiro Mamoru deflected the Raikōhō with a single blow, shouted loudly."
Danku had been genuinely shocked by Dankū the Kōten Taihō earlier, and he was even more terrified when he saw the opponent attack him directly with the Raikōhō, Eishōhaki. Tsunayashiro Mamoru was so frightened that he immediately released his Zanpakuto.
However...
This Grim Soul Reaper, capable of using the Dankū, was not as powerful as he had imagined. (Thunderous Roar)
The Reiatsu contained within the cannon was not much greater than his own.
Although Tsunayashiro Mamoru is not good at sensory perception, judging the strength of his opponent in a direct confrontation is not difficult for him:
Sixth-Class Spiritual Pressure.
"Really?"
Haruto asked with a smile.
The Raikōhō was never intended to subdue the enemy.
Although he had only recently learned Raimeisan, combining similar-attribute Hadō was not difficult for him— Haruto referenced Byakuya's experience of creating thick smoke with the Shakkahō and combined Raimeisan with Raikōhō...
This move is designed to wait for the opponent to hit you!
"Ugh."
With a barely perceptible rustle of wind, Byakuya, sword in hand, appeared behind Tsunayashiro Mamoru.
"!?"
Tsunayashiro Mamoru a sudden chill run through his entire body.
Although his Shunpo was more skilled than Haruto's, he was completely unprepared when faced with the Senka due to a lack of information; he didn't even have time to turn around before Byakuya, who was stepping on the Senka, had already sent his Zanpakuto toward his back.
Just then...
"Front!"
Uji's voice suddenly rang out.
He did catch a glimpse of Byakuya's Senka movement, but Uji, who was positioned slightly in front of Tsunayashiro Mamoru, couldn't possibly launch an attack on Byakuya through the latter.
So--
Raise the gun and fire.
"Boom!!"
A fierce ball of fire shot into the air.
The Senju Kōten Taihō has run out of ammunition. The Kidō Bullet that was just fired was a copy of the Seventy-First Hadō:
"Ginfu Shakkahō"
This is the top-of-the-line Shakkahō, a secret technique passed down through the Tsunayashiro Clan and not recorded in any textbooks.