The Battle of Bamboo Creek Plain (V)

The battlefield at Withered Bamboo Hamlet.

Cilian's voice reached the ears of every member of the Onmitsukidō clearly through Tenteikūra.

"Hammerfall Tactics—execute!"

The Onmitsukidō members on the battlefield changed formation in an instant. Those who had been locked in combat with the Completed Forms began deliberately falling back, drawing the enemies away from Tessai.

Tessai sat cross-legged.

He pressed his palms together and closed his eyes. The surging Reiatsu around him began to draw inward. It was no longer a violent force pouring outward, but a heavy pressure gathering within.

Twelve prayer beads floated around him, slowly rotating. Their golden light and the light of the Kidō within them were gradually going out, changing into colorless but intensely oppressive currents of air.

He was preparing.

Preparing the technique he had once developed with Soi Fon, a technique that remained unnamed to this day:

It had been during the days after Yoruichi fled Soul Society, when Soi Fon hid alone in the training grounds, throwing punches day after day. She wanted power, the power to catch up to that person, the power to surpass that person.

Tessai remembered that day.

Soi Fon had stood in the middle of the training grounds, covered in wounds, but with eyes brighter than ever, and said to Shaqiluo, Tessai, and Cilian:

"I'm going to develop a technique," she said. "A technique that combines Kidō and Hakuda."

Kidō and Hakuda—one required incantations, the other the body; one required stillness, the other movement. How could the two be combined? It was undoubtedly a very difficult undertaking.

But they had done it.

Cilian had provided the theoretical framework—he had seen too many strange and unusual fighting styles during his years in the Correction Corps.

Sakiro and Tessai, meanwhile, had helped Soi Fon through trial after trial.

They had failed countless times. Reiatsu had spiraled out of control, Kidō had exploded...

Then one day, Soi Fon had finally completed the preliminary experiments for the technique. Of those who knew and used the technique, which took the form of a sustained state, only Tessai and Soi Fon could maintain it for long periods, even now. It also required a certain amount of preparation. But the boost it provided was unparalleled.

The Onmitsukidō had trained in tactics to match it, and Hammerfall Tactics was one of them.

He took a deep breath, and his Reiatsu began to flow in a different way.

The enormous Completed Form roared.

He saw Tessai sitting on the ground, while the surrounding Onmitsukidō members began to close in, constantly harassing him with attacks that felt feeble to him.

It infuriated him.

"You looking down on me that much?!" the Completed Form roared. "You dare sit and meditate here?! I'll tear you apart!"

He charged straight at Tessai.

The Onmitsukidō members met him head-on.

Swords struck his armor, sending sparks flying. Kidō slammed into him, explosions erupting one after another. But the Completed Form was too powerful. Every swipe of his claws sent two or three Onmitsukidō members flying.

"Aah!"

An Onmitsukidō member was knocked away, his chest caved in. He crashed to the ground and spat out a mouthful of blood. Another was struck down.

The Completed Form rampaged through the crowd like a maddened beast. The Onmitsukidō members fought with everything they had, but the gap in strength was too great.

The Completed Form's claws came down again.

Bang!

A purple figure slammed into the Completed Form, knocking him off course by sheer force.

Sakiro stood in front of the Onmitsukidō member, gasping for breath. She was wounded, and the clothing over her left shoulder had been torn open, exposing blood seeping from her skin.

"Lady Sakiro!" the Onmitsukidō member cried.

Sakiro said:

"Hold on a little longer. It'll be ready soon."

Her expression was grave as she counted down the time Tessai needed to prepare. The incredibly fast Completed Form was watching her like a hawk from a short distance away.

Sakiro let out a trembling breath and vanished into the shadows again.

When Sakiro emerged from the shadows, she was already behind the high-speed Completed Form.

Both blades slashed down—

Clang!

The Completed Form reacted with astonishing speed, spinning around and blocking the strike with his arm guard. He really was fast—fast enough to react the instant Sakiro launched her sneak attack.

"You can't take me down quickly," he said with a vicious grin. "Woman, that guy's a battle maniac. If no one holds him back, your subordinates will just get crushed to death. And if you go hold him back, your subordinates will become my prey."

Sakiro didn't answer.

She melted into the shadows again.

The next second, she thrust out from the shadows on his left. Her sword slashed horizontally, but the Completed Form sidestepped it and drove a backhanded punch at her face.

Sakiro retreated with Shunpo. The wind from his fist grazed her cheek, lifting a strand of hair.

"I told you, you can't take me down quickly."

Sakiro looked at him, the corners of her mouth rising slightly.

"Then let's try."

She vanished again.

This time, she did not emerge from the shadows. Purple light flashed from every direction at once—Shadow Blades, blades formed from shadows, shot toward the Completed Form from every angle.

The Completed Form sneered and darted through the gaps between the Shadow Blades. Not a single one struck him.

"That's all?"

Sakiro rushed out of the shadows, having switched weapons to a spear. It was an extremely fast frontal charge. The Completed Form raised his hand to defend himself, but Sakiro sank into the shadow beneath her feet as though stepping into a bog, leaving only the spear flying forward.

After knocking the spear away, the Completed Form immediately looked around, wary of a sneak attack from Sakiro. Unbeknownst to him, when the spear was knocked into the air, the blade of an enormous scythe appeared in the long, narrow shadow it cast on the ground, like the suddenly opened jaws of a beast.

The Completed Form tried to flee, only to find that something seemed to be holding him back, making it extremely difficult to move.

Under my feet!

He looked down and saw that a short blade formed from shadows had pinned his own shadow to the ground at some point.

"Shadow Bind."

The Completed Form saw Sakiro's eyes staring at him from within the spear's narrow shadow.

The Completed Form struggled with all his might to move, but the short blade pinning his shadow kept him from moving at full speed.

The scythe bit down like the upper jaw of a giant beast, slashing across his waist and cutting him clean in half! Armor shattered, and blood sprayed.

"Aah!"

He screamed as half his body flew into the air. A red light appeared at the severed end, but Sakiro gave him no chance to recover.

She leaped out of the shadow the Completed Form cast as he flew through the air, both blades in hand, and followed with Shunpo. A flash of light appeared as she somersaulted through the air. Her blades crossed and slashed down.

The Completed Form's head fell, and the armor covering it receded, revealing the terrified face beneath.

Sakiro landed on one knee, gasping for breath.

But she had no time to rest.

In the distance, the enormous Completed Form was wreaking havoc, and Onmitsukidō members were falling one after another.

She stood, staggered, then gritted her teeth and charged over.

By the time Sakiro arrived, several Onmitsukidō members were already lying on the ground, their lives uncertain.

The enormous Completed Form was raising his claws at the last Onmitsukidō member standing in front of Tessai.

"Stop!"

Sakiro rushed forward with Shunpo, slashing her scythe at the back of the Completed Form's neck.

The Completed Form turned and struck with his claws. Scythe and claws collided, sending sparks flying. Sakiro was driven back three steps, the web of her hand numb.

She melted into the shadows again and rushed out from the side, both blades slashing at his ribs.

The Completed Form neither dodged nor evaded, letting both blades strike his armor as he drove a fist at her chest.

Bang!

Sakiro was sent flying. She crashed to the ground and spat out a mouthful of blood.

She struggled to her feet and looked up at the Completed Form.

Two new slash marks marred his armor, but that was all.

"Is that all you've got?" the Completed Form sneered. "I haven't had my fill of fun yet! Get back up and keep entertaining me!"

He strode toward Sakiro.

Sakiro used her blade to push herself up and gathered her Reiatsu—but when her shadow weapon formed again, it was much slower than before. She had already used up too much Reiatsu.

The Completed Form threw a punch at her.

She twisted aside, but the wind from his fist still grazed her shoulder.

She slashed back at his arm, and her blade caught in his armor. The Completed Form roared and swung his arm, flinging her away.

Sakiro crashed into a pile of rubble, pain racking her body.

She saw the Completed Form raise his claws toward Tessai.

Just a little longer. I can't let him disturb Tessai.

Sakiro gritted her teeth and used the last of her strength to shoot three Shadow Blades from the shadows, pinning all of them into the Completed Form's back.

The Completed Form roared, turned around, and strode toward her.

Sakiro braced herself against the ground and tried to stand, but failed.

She was too tired.

The claws rose high.

Boom!!!

A violent burst of Reiatsu exploded from behind her.

The claws stopped an inch above her head.

A powerful hand had seized the Completed Form's wrist in an iron grip.

A hand wrapped in powerful currents of air.

Tessai stood behind her, the twelve prayer beads around him radiating blinding light. Every bead emitted the same high-pressure current of air.

This was the prototype of Shunkō, which Soi Fon had developed independently.

But at this moment, it was the falling hammer.

Tessai held the Completed Form's wrist in one hand and slowly rose to his feet. His eyes were resolute and powerful, and the aura around him made the air itself warp.

"You like fighting that much?"

His voice was deep, rich, and powerful.

The Completed Form's pupils contracted. He tried to pull his hand back, but the hand holding him was like an iron clamp and did not budge.

Tessai glanced down at Sakiro, who had collapsed on the ground.

"Thanks for your hard work."

The corners of Sakiro's mouth rose slightly.

"You... finally ready..."

Tessai clenched his other fist, and the twelve prayer beads spun at incredible speed around its wrist. The Completed Form sensed death emanating from them and tried to dodge, but Tessai held him fast, leaving him unable to move.

As Tessai threw his punch, the prayer beads shot along its path. Like a blast from an air cannon, they pierced straight through the Completed Form's chest and cleared an area nearly a hundred meters across behind him. The immensely strong Completed Form fell, a hole much larger than a Hollow Hole in his chest. Had his body not been so enormous, he would most likely not even have left an intact corpse.

As the attack landed, Tessai shouted across the battlefield, "The hammer is ready! Hammerfall Tactics, phase two!"

The strictly disciplined Onmitsukidō members, in a rare display, let out waves of battle cries...

Meanwhile, at the Fon Clan's main gate.

Shimizu was driven back again.

He knelt on one knee, gasping for breath. His clothes had been burned full of holes by the lava. Burns covered his skin, stinging fiercely.

Tosaya stood a short distance away, the lava armor covering him hotter than before. He looked at Shimizu, appreciation and helplessness in his eyes.

"That's enough, isn't it, Shimizu?" he said. "You've done very well. If you give up now, there's still time."

Shimizu raised his head and looked at him.

Give up?

He thought of Keiko.

He thought of Hu.

He thought of the Fon Clan.

He tightened his grip on Daku and slowly stood.

"No."

Tosaya sighed.

"Then don't blame me."

He charged.

This time, he was astonishingly fast. Lava fists rained down, and Shimizu could barely fend them off. Every block sent numbness through the web of his hand. Every time Tosaya came close, the heat scorched his skin.

Bang!

A fist struck him in the abdomen, sending him flying backward. He hit the ground hard.

Daku slipped from his hand and stuck into the ground several meters away.

Shimizu lay on the ground, his vision blurred.

Tosaya walked up to him and looked down at him.

"It's over. Go to sleep here. By the time you wake up, everything will be over."

Shimizu closed his eyes.

"Are you really going to give up like this?"

"Daku..."

"What is water?" Daku's voice rang out in his mind. "Water flows, it embraces, and it endures. It isn't the strongest, but it never stops."

Shimizu's consciousness was drawn into a strange space—an endless expanse of water, its surface shimmering in the moonlight.

On the water stood a living body of water as tall as a person, with a blue core near its top. Daku's voice came from within it.

"Shimizu, you're different from other people," Daku said. "You weren't born strong, but you don't give up. You aren't fast enough either, but you don't stop. You're just like water, flowing little by little, without end. One day, you'll reach the place you want to go."

"But I..."

"But what?" Daku interrupted him. "The power of water isn't in how strong it is, but in the fact that it never stops. Believe in your heart. That is your power."

Shimizu remained silent for a long time.

Then he looked up, his eyes shining.

"What should I do?"

Daku's core trembled slightly. Though he had no face, Shimizu could sense his joy.

"Feel the flow of the water. Feel my presence. I'm not just your weapon; I'm an extension of you. When you move, I move. When you stop, I stop too. We are—as one."

Shimizu opened his eyes.

He reached out, and water gushed from Daku's blade, sending it bouncing off the ground and back into his hand.

Tosaya's pupils contracted sharply, and he was deeply surprised. He had clearly used his full strength; Shimizu should not have been able to stand up again.

Shimizu rose to his feet, his gaze calm.

"Sorry, Big Brother Tosaya, but it's not bedtime for me yet. Keep me company a little longer, just like you used to."

Tosaya chuckled when he heard that. It seemed he was completely tangled up with this old friend of his. He also gave up on going to support the other Completed Forms.

"All right, then. I'll keep you company one last time."

Meanwhile, inside the Fon Residence,

Hu was breathing somewhat heavily.

He knelt on one knee, Jiku'a planted in the ground to support him. The Completed Forms around him were still eyeing him hungrily, closing in step by step.

He glanced around.

Fallen Completed Forms already littered the ground, but those still alive were working together more and more smoothly. They were also getting harder and harder to kill.

Hu got to his feet, constructed another Phantom Blade, and tightened his grip on Jiku'a.

His stamina had dropped considerably. The continuous fighting, repeatedly constructing Phantom Blade, and Jiku'a's Judgment Cut—it had taken more out of him than he had imagined. His state of concentration had also been broken at some point without his knowing.

If he kept fighting like this, even if he killed all these guys, he would hardly have the strength left to support Fon Shaoling.

I need to find a chance to finish all these guys off at once, Hu thought. Explosions from Kidō were still sounding over in the courtyard. Shaoling was still fighting. He couldn't afford to take too long.

Hu was about to charge in again—

A sound cut through the air from the side.

He instinctively turned sideways, but it was already too late. The Completed Form beside him had seized the opening while he was thinking and was aiming straight for his internal organs.

Then—

Squelch.

An extremely long blade tip stabbed past his side, piercing both hands of the Completed Form lunging at him.

Hu froze.

The Completed Form was carried away by the ever-extending blade, which then retracted.

Hu turned, following the retracting blade.

A figure in a Soul Reaper uniform stood a short distance away, holding a sword that was drawing back into his hand. Those narrowed eyes looked especially familiar.

"Letting your mind wander in a fight could cost you your life, you know."

"Persimmon... Bro?"

Gin Ichimaru stood there, wearing the same smiling expression as always.

"Little brother, you ran way too fast. I nearly ran myself to death trying to catch up with you."

"Persimmon Bro, how did you..."

Gin walked over to him and clicked his tongue twice.

"I'm the stationed Soul Reaper, you know. This settlement falls under my jurisdiction. Since the Fon Clan is in this settlement, it's within my area of responsibility. Normally, nobles enjoy autonomy, but..." He looked around at the Completed Forms. "This doesn't look like a normal situation, does it?"

He patted Hu on the shoulder.

"No matter how young you are, you still have to consider the strain on your body. In a drawn-out fight like this, you're still a little too green, little brother. You've wasted too much Reiatsu. Take a short rest."

Hu gritted his teeth.

"I can't stop yet... Shaoling is still..."

Something flickered in Gin's eyes.

"Shaoling? Oh, you mean the Fon Clan's princess?" The figure of that Second Division Captain appeared in his mind, and his expression turned a little curious. "She should basically be fine, but—"

He turned to face the Completed Forms, resting a hand on his sword hilt.

"If you want to go, go check on her."

Gin looked back at him, his smile as inscrutable as ever.

"Leave this to me. Go on."

Hu looked at him in silence for two seconds, then a doubtful expression appeared on his face. He had seen this "Persimmon Bro" fighting the Parasitic Hollows earlier, stabbing back and forth with his Zanpakuto without killing many of them. Would he really be all right?

Seeing the look in Hu's eyes, Gin had a vein bulge on his forehead. "Were you just thinking something rude? My eyes may be small, but I can still see clearly."

Hu looked away slightly.

"No..."

"Go on without worrying. My hundred-odd years as a Soul Reaper weren't for nothing."

Gin waved a hand.

"Go on."

Hu turned and headed deeper into the Fon Residence without looking back. "Thanks, Persimmon Bro! I'll take you out to eat when this is over!"

Behind him, Gin sounded quite nonchalant. "It's not like I'm doing this for a meal..."

Seeing that he was unguarded, a Completed Form tried to ambush and kill Gin. Without even turning his head, Gin swung his sword behind him. The blade extended instantly, piercing the Completed Form's skull. Then it retracted, as though he had casually swatted a mosquito.

Gin was still looking in the direction Hu had disappeared.

"I thought he'd just taken a fancy to one of the Fon Clan's maids. I didn't expect it to be that crazy girl. He really has a difficult road ahead..."