Chapter 78

"Zanka no Tachi"

Since he was going to operate under a concealed identity, Haruto naturally wouldn't openly announce the names of his techniques, especially since it was the Kidō he was skilled in.

That move just now.

It was created by Haruto using his physical abilities, which far surpassed his previous ones, combined with Zanjutsu and the Seventy-Eighth Hadō.

In order to awaken his Zanpakuto, Haruto had made countless trips to Nanao's house over the past six months; before he had exhausted all of Ise's knowledge, Zanka no Tachi:

Even without carrying a weapon, one can still unleash the Zanka no Tachi through their arm.

If one wields Zanpakuto, one can instantly unleash up to seven Kidō blades—it is said that Ise's peak was five swords and thirteen blades. Haruto doesn't know if it's true or not, but he believes that he shouldn't be long before he reaches that level.

Furthermore, because the Reiatsu was completely contained within the Zanpakuto, the golden color that Zanka no Tachi originally displayed became invisible and undetectable.

This makes attacks even more difficult to predict.

"..."

"Zanjutsu!?"

In the blink of an eye, his subordinates were killed by the enemy with a single strike, and even with Heizō's mental fortitude, his mind almost stopped working.

"No, the power of Zanpakuto..."

Testing is not suicide.

Although these subordinates do not live long, their physical abilities far surpass those of other Soul Reapers of the same rank, and their spirits are even more fearless.

In coordinated operations, even the actual vice-captain can hold them off for a long time, and if they encounter someone who doesn't know their strengths and weaknesses, they might even be able to seize the opportunity to deal a heavy blow.

Now... in the blink of an eye, it's all gone.

This is completely different from Heizō's idea!

Good news:

The opponent had items to conceal their aura, but they couldn't continue to hide themselves when they attacked... their exposed Reiatsu was not as strong as mine.

Bad news:

This opponent's Zanpakuto excessively powerful. If the two were on the same level, Heizō would never have engaged in a head-on confrontation.

"Your Mightiness."

Under normal circumstances, Heizō would never act rashly.

I admit you're very strong.

But he had just been questioned by his master earlier, and if he couldn't complete the current mission successfully, his fate would be no better than that of his predecessor Hanzō.

"Zheng."

Heizō drew his Zanpakuto.

"I have never seen such swordsmanship in my entire life."

The fact that the clandestine forces are directly attacking him indicates that he is prepared to fight to the death.

"But if you are not given the opportunity to draw your sword, how will you respond?"

The moment Heizō his sword, the two were already locked in a standoff.

"Maniwa Shiki, Shichika Hachiretsu!"

At the same time as the liberation speech was uttered—

"Whoosh!"

"Clang!!"

The flames, which even rain could not extinguish, scattered and flew everywhere.

The sharpness of the Zanpakuto was forcibly suppressed by the three-pronged iron hairpin shaped like the "Jute" before it even left its sheath.

"Sizzle."

If Haruto's Shunpo was slightly faster than the man in black from before, then Heizō's speed was even better than Haruto's!

"He's quite strong."

The iron hairpin and the Zanpakuto trembled incessantly as the two struggled for control of their weapons.

"But with that alone, you can forget about drawing your Zanpakuto."

"Bang!"

Haruto's elbow strike was blocked by Heizō.

Both men were holding knives with one hand, so their free arms were naturally not idle.

"Snap."

Three slender, sharp kunai emerged from between Heizō's fingers.

"My Zanpakuto that it can shatter into Shichika Hachiretsu and reseal Zanpakuto it touches back to its original state."

"Even a powerhouse of the same level can seal it for a few minutes... You can forget about using your sword again for at least half an hour."

Heizō forcefully twisted his downward-pressing arm, exposing Haruto's frontal opening—in terms of Hakuda skills, Haruto was definitely no match for Heizō.

"Puff!!"

The poisoned kunai pierced Haruto's heart.

――――

Volume 1: Chapter 50, One Strike Kills All

"Sizzle!"

Haruto's body exploded.

The water mist, imbued with lightning, instantly enveloped Heizō's body.

"What--"

The intense numbness rendered him unable to move.

Heizō's Zanpakuto, Shichika Hachiretsu, only takes effect when a person Zanpakuto.

In other words...

The Zanpakuto he just caught was definitely the real thing.

But...

Clang.

With the sound of swords clashing together, Heizō quickly realized what had happened.

"A Soul Reaper actually discards his Zanpakuto during battle!?"

This decisiveness has reached an abnormal level.

"I'm sorry."

The sighing sound pierced through the rain and reached Heizō's ears with perfect clarity.

"Hadō #67 - Raimeisan"

Even the higher-ranking Zanka no Tachi was used by Haruto in various ways, so there's no reason why Raimeisan should be a simple escape-type illusion:

By combining Tsuzuri Raiden and Shōtenkyū in the Raimeisan, one can simultaneously control the opponent through both touch and sight as the illusion dissipates.

The battle took place at night.

The Shōtenkyū's flash effect was too strong.

Haruto was worried about attracting unnecessary trouble, so he only combined the paralyzing Tsuzuri Raiden with the Raimeisan.

Being hit head-on by the 67th Hadō without any preparation would paralyze even an opponent with Reiatsu for several seconds.

During this period of time

"I'd like to fight using my Zanpakuto."

Haruto used Shunpo to reach the rooftop.

With his right arm outstretched forward and his left palm resting on his shoulder, the overflowing Reiatsu even dispelled the rain.

If Kidō Haruto, number 70, can unleash it with just one hand, then it seems unnecessary to elaborate on the destructive power of Kidō that requires the use of both arms to form a stance, like a beginner Kidō.

"Pity..."

"That's all the Kidō I know."

The opponent possessed the raw strength of Fifth-Class Reii, and his Shunpo technique was even superior to his own.

If it weren't for the fact that the Shikai ability of his Zanpakuto was practically useless to him, this battle would have only become more agonizing.

The outcome is still uncertain, let alone killing the opponent... Of course, Haruto is quite confident about retreating.

So.

Haruto must take advantage of the lack of information and use his strongest moves to quickly defeat his opponent.

Neither the Raikōhō nor the Zanka no Tachi can achieve this—severely injuring the opponent only gives you an advantage, but the opponent can still escape. Moreover, this is a noble district, and even a slight mishap could drag you into it.

"Snap!"

In summary.

After six months of arduous practice, Kidō, making it the best choice for Haruto.

The drizzle turned into scattered ice crystals.

The sudden chill made Heizō, who was already unable to move, tense up.

"Hyōga Seiran!"

Rain.

It naturally goes better with ice and snow themes.

The chilling, silvery-blue icefall, like a sweeping tsunami, surged out from Haruto's palm!

"――"

"Boom!!"

――――

The Mikazuki Clan has been transformed into an ice and snow castle.

The barrier that Heizō had prepared to prevent Munemori from escaping actually helped Haruto a lot; otherwise, with such a big commotion as Hyōga Seiran, it would have attracted the attention of the Sixth, Seventh, or Tenth Divisions long ago.

"Despair."

With a light jump, Haruto landed gracefully on the snow-covered ground.

Not far ahead of him was Heizō, whose body was sealed by layers of ice. This commander of the secret force had not been frozen to death by Hyōga Seiran. Judging from the charred and rolled flesh on his face, he must have used fire-type Kidō to neutralize some of the destructive power of the ice waterfall at the last moment before Hyōga Seiran attacked.

No matter what, this person's Reiatsu is ultimately a level above Haruto's, so it's not the Miracle that he was able to do this.

Certainly.

Heizō only had time to protect his head.

The Soul Reaper) must release the Kidō) through the Reiatsu outlet in the hand, but the body is completely out of control when it is paralyzed.

Heizō's fire-based Kidō is more like a "Fire Release" activated by a prop: not the kind of lighter biting that Asuma does in the other movie, but the technique that Isshin Kurosaki used when fighting White in the World of the Living.

"Smack!"

Haruto stomped his foot, and the Zanpakuto he had used as bait returned to his hand.

"Ice..."

"Hyōga Seiran."

Heizō's body was frozen to death; only his head, covered with a thin layer of frost, retained the last vestiges of his ability to think and speak.

"You... you are..."

I watched the figure, its face hidden by a straw hat, steadily approaching.