Limiter Release

Night fell over Karakura Town, and battles erupted in every corner of the city. The Arrancar's attacks were like precise scalpels, cutting into the weak points of the Soul Reaper's defenses. But Liu Hao's warning allowed the Soul Society's support teams to prepare in advance—they knew that the key to this battle lay in seizing the right moment.

In front of Urahara Shop, the standoff between Renji Abarai and Yylfordt Granz entered a new phase. After Resurrección, Yylfordt Granz was like a maddened beast, the light on his horns flashing a dangerous red in the night. He stared at Renji Abarai, his eyes burning with anger and murderous intent.

Renji Abarai, after enduring the pain of the Baboon King Zabimaru, slowly straightened up. He did not immediately retaliate, but instead reached out and pulled open the front of his shirt.

A delicate camellia mark was clearly visible in the center of his chest. The mark was not a tattoo, but a brand of some kind of spiritual art, emitting a faint fluctuation of Reiryoku.

"When the Captains and Vice-Captains of Soul Society come to the World of the Living, in order not to disrupt the balance of souls World of the Living," Renji Abarai Limiter Seal calmly, as if stating a simple fact. "This will suppress our strength to one-fifth of its original value."

Yylfordt Granz's pupils contracted slightly. He could sense the suppressed aura emanating from Renji Abarai, but he hadn't expected the suppression to be so intense. If one-fifth of his strength was enough to fight him to this extent, what would happen if he were to unleash his full power...?

Renji Abarai continued, his finger lightly pressing against the camellia mark. "In order to deal with your attacks, we were granted permission after arriving in the World of the Living —to lift the restrictions when necessary."

The moment the words left her lips, the camellia mark began to glow. It wasn't a blinding light, but a gentle, dawn-like glow. In the light, the mark's outline began to blur, fade, and eventually disappear completely.

As the mark disappeared, Renji Abarai's Reiatsu began to rise sharply.

That wasn't a simple enhancement, but a qualitative leap. Reiatsu surged from his body like a volcanic eruption, and the surrounding air groaned under its Reiatsu force. The ground began to crack, and rubble floated upwards, as if weightless. The night wind was whipped up by the Reiatsu, forming a visible vortex.

Five times -- five times the original strength.

This number may not sound exaggerated, but the increase in Reiatsu is not linear. Every time it doubles, the gap in strength widens exponentially. Five times the Reiatsu means that Renji Abarai has jumped from the level of Vice-Captain to the level of a top-tier Captain.

Yylfordt Granz finally felt fear. He wanted to back away, to escape, but his body was locked in place by that terrifying Reiatsu, making him almost unable to move.

Renji Abarai raised his hand and gripped the hilt of the Baboon King Zabimaru again. This time, the Reiatsu flowing through the blade was completely different—no longer the barely maintained state of before, but a abundant, violent, and destructive power.

"Then," Renji Abarai said softly, "Second Round, let's begin."

He swung the hilt of his sword, the movement seemingly casual, but the snake head of the Baboon King Zabimaru shot out at several times the speed of before. Yylfordt Granz instinctively raised his arm to block, but this time, he could not completely block it.

The snake's head slammed into his arm, the immense impact sending him sliding backward, his feet carving two deep furrows in the ground. He gritted his teeth, trying his best to regain his footing, but the power of the Baboon King Zabimaru surged relentlessly, pushing him backward.

Then, the snake's head suddenly closed.

Click--

A teeth-grinding cracking sound rang out. Yylfordt Granz's arm was completely shattered by the snake's bite, fragments of bone mixed with flesh and blood flying everywhere. The excruciating pain caused him to let out a piercing scream, but the scream was quickly drowned out by the terrifying sound of the snake's head continuing to bite.

He looked down and saw that his chest was pierced by snake fangs, and blood gushed out like a fountain. His life force was rapidly draining away, and his consciousness began to blur.

Escape.

This was the only thought in Yylfordt Granz's mind.

With his last ounce of strength, he leaped backward. His movements were clumsy and completely devoid of his previous elegance, but he had indeed escaped the snake's bite. He turned, ignoring the wound on his chest, wanting only to flee this opponent who had suddenly become like a demon.

Renji Abarai watched Yylfordt Granz flee without a trace of pity in his eyes. He swung his sword hilt again, and the snake head of the Baboon King Zabimaru turned around, aiming at the fleeing figure.

The Reiatsu traveled forward along the blade, and each section of the blade began to glow. It wasn't the faint spiritual light from before, but a dazzling, sun-like radiance.

"Hikotsu Taihō."

Renji Abarai whispered the name of the move.

The snake opened its head, and a beam of Reiatsu, so solid it was almost tangible, shot out from its mouth. The beam ripped through the night sky, illuminating the entire street, ionizing the air in its path and emitting a piercing hiss.

Yylfordt Granz sensed a deadly threat behind him. He tried to dodge, to defend himself, but it was too late.

The beam of light struck his back.

There was no explosion, no fire, only a pure shockwave of Reiatsu. Yylfordt Granz's body instantly disintegrated within the beam of light, utterly pulverized at the molecular level. No remains were left, no traces were left, only faint Reishi dust particles drifting in the air, proving that he had once existed.

The beam of light dissipated, and the night sky returned to darkness.

Renji Abarai stood there, panting heavily. The power gained from releasing the restriction was immense, but the burden on his body was equally enormous. He could feel the intense depletion of his Reiryoku, the soreness in his muscles, and the mental exhaustion.

The fragments of the Baboon King's Zabimaru began to fall from the sky, clattering and scattering on the ground. Renji Abarai no longer had the strength to maintain his Bankai and could only let his Zanpakuto revert to its normal form.

He knelt on one knee, supporting his body with his Zanpakuto, his forehead covered in sweat.

Just then, footsteps came from afar.

Rukia Kuchiki rushed over and saw Renji Abarai kneeling on the ground. Looking at the traces of the battle around them, a hint of worry flashed in her eyes, but mostly relief. "Renji, you won!"

Renji Abarai looked up, forcing a smile, "Luckily, I listened to Liu Hao and didn't remove the restriction right away. Otherwise, we would have really been in a tough fight."

He paused, then added, "The time limit for removing the restriction is limited. If you use it at the beginning, you might not be able to defeat your opponent before the effect ends. In that case..."

He didn't finish speaking, but Rukia understood what he meant. If the effect of removing the restriction ended and their opponent was still alive, then what awaited them was a one-sided massacre.

Rukia helps Renji Abarai: "What about the others..."

"They're probably fighting too," Renji Abarai straightened up, exhausted but with a determined look in his eyes. "Let's go provide support."

Meanwhile, on the other side of the city.

Tōshirō Hitsugaya and Rangiku Matsumoto faced off against two Arrancar — Shawlong Kufang and Nakeem. The battle was deadlocked from the very beginning.

Shawlong Kufang, Arrancar number eleven, always wore a calm smile, as if everything was under control. He appeared behind Tōshirō Hitsugaya using Sonído, and the moment his Zanpakuto down, Tōshirō Hitsugaya had already turned around to block.

Blades clashed, Reiatsu clashed.

"Arrancar Number 11, my name is Shawlong Cufang." Shawlong introduced himself elegantly, as if he were not fighting a life-or-death battle, but engaging in a duel between gentlemen.

"Captain the Tenth Division, Tōshirō Hitsugaya." Tōshirō Hitsugaya's voice was icy, and the chill of Hyōrinmaru condensed on the blade.

"The Captain the Tenth Division?" Shawlong's smile deepened. "Then I'm incredibly lucky!"

"No," Tōshirō Hitsugaya corrected, "I think you should be the most unfortunate one."

Before the words were even finished, the two exerted their strength simultaneously. The blades separated, then collided at an even faster speed. Tōshirō Hitsugaya's swordsmanship was exquisite and deadly, each strike carrying a chilling aura; Shawlong's swordsmanship, on the other hand, was unpredictable and ever-changing, always launching attacks from unexpected angles.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Rangiku Matsumoto was facing off against Nakeem. Nakeem was tall and incredibly strong, and every attack he made was accompanied by the force of thunder. After several head-on clashes, Rangiku Matsumoto chose to dodge, but Nakeem was equally fast. After several pursuits, he finally seized an opportunity and sent Rangiku Matsumoto flying with a single punch.

Rangiku Matsumoto fell heavily to the ground, coughing up blood. She struggled to get up, but Nakeem charged at her again.

Seeing this, Tōshirō Hitsugaya panicked. He leaped backward to create distance between himself and Shawlong, while simultaneously gripping Hyōrinmaru tightly with both hands.

"Bankai-- "

A burst of Reiatsu erupted, illuminating the night sky with an icy blue light.

"Daiguren Hyōrinmaru!"

With ice wings unfurling behind him and an ice dragon tail swaying behind him, Tōshirō Hitsugaya was fully in battle mode. He charged towards Shawlong, several times faster than before, and his attacks were even more ferocious.

But Shawlong remained calm. He didn't even unleash his Zanpakuto, simply using ordinary swordsmanship to fight Tōshirō Hitsugaya. After several exchanges, Tōshirō Hitsugaya was surprised to find that he couldn't gain the upper hand— Shawlong's swordsmanship was far more exquisite than he had imagined, and what was even more terrifying was that his opponent seemed to always be able to predict his movements before the attack came.

Just then, Shawlong and Nakeem stopped what they were doing. They both turned to look in the same direction, their expressions changing slightly.

"Is Dee Roy dead?" Shawlong asked softly, his tone devoid of emotion.

Nakeem spat, "This piece of trash, even after gaining power from Lord Aizen, is still so weak and easily killed."

Tōshirō Hitsugaya remained vigilant, staring at Shawlong: "What, are you surprised that your companion failed?"

"No, not at all," Shawlong shook his head, turning his attention back to Tōshirō Hitsugaya. "Di Roy was actually quite weak; he begged us to bring him here. We just didn't expect him to die so early."

He paused, his tone becoming serious. "But we need to speed things up. After all, the one taking over from Die Roy is Grimmjow, who was bestowed the title of Number Six by Lord Aizen. If he thinks we're too useless, then we have no reason to exist."

Tōshirō Hitsugaya frowned slightly. He could sense the apprehension in Shawlong's words—apprehension towards "Grimmjow." This meant that the Arrancar who was about to arrive was even more dangerous than the two before him.

"Are you so confident that you can quickly defeat me?" Tōshirō Hitsugaya asked.

"You'll know once you try," Shawlong replied.

He charged again, this time faster and stronger. Tōshirō Hitsugaya spread his Ice Wings to try and block him, but Shawlong's blade easily sliced through the Ice Wings, as smoothly as a hot knife through butter.

Tōshirō Hitsugaya was startled, but his fighting instincts kicked in, and he launched a counterattack. His Ice Tail lashed out from behind him, attacking Shawlong from behind.

But Shawlong didn't even turn around; he simply swung his sword backhand and precisely shattered the Ice Tail.

"Is this all the Captain's Bankai can do?" Shawlong commented, a hint of disappointment in his voice. "That attack just now was practically a suicide attack, but it seems to have been ineffective."

He raised his hand, looked at the remaining ice shards, and with a slight flick of his wrist, all the ice shards fell off.

"To show my respect for you," Shawlong said, finally becoming serious, "I will unleash my Zanpakuto."

He raised his Zanpakuto, his other hand resting on the hilt, his voice low and dangerous. "Sever it, Tijereta."

Reiatsu erupted. Shawlong's body began to change—not a huge change in size, but a more fundamental and dangerous transformation. His arms split and extended, transforming into five sharp bone blades, each gleaming with a cold light. After completing his Resurrección, Shawlong was no longer human, but a dangerous humanoid mantis.

Tōshirō Hitsugaya's expression was solemn. He could sense the change in Shawlong's Reiatsu —it wasn't a quantitative increase, but a qualitative change. The current Shawlong was completely different.

The battle has resumed.

This time, however, Tōshirō Hitsugaya could barely keep up with Shawlong's movements. Five bone blades attacked from all angles, each strike precise and deadly. Tōshirō Hitsugaya could only barely defend himself, but even so, new wounds kept appearing on his body, and most of his Ice Wings were shattered.

Just then, a powerful Reiatsu emanated from afar.

Renji Abarai offer.

Shawlong paused for a moment. He turned his head to look in the direction from which the Reiatsu was coming, a hint of shock flashing in his eyes.

At the same time, Rangiku Matsumoto, who was lying on the ground, seized the opportunity. She suddenly stood up and shouted at Tōshirō Hitsugaya, "Captain, we can't hold back anymore!"

Seeing this, Nakeem immediately raised his foot to stomp on Rangiku Matsumoto. But this time, Rangiku Matsumoto simply raised her hand and easily blocked his attack.

Nakeem was stunned. He could sense that Rangiku Matsumoto's power was completely different from before.

Tōshirō Hitsugaya and Rangiku Matsumoto exchanged a glance and made a decision simultaneously. They pulled open their shirts, revealing the marks on their chests—not camellias, but daffodils.

Tōshirō Hitsugaya's daffodils were ice-blue, Rangiku Matsumoto's were golden. The two flowers glowed faintly in the night, then began to fade and disappear.

As the mark disappeared, their Reiatsu surged simultaneously.

A fivefold increase.

Sensing danger, Nakeem immediately swung his sword at Rangiku Matsumoto. But Rangiku Matsumoto simply sidestepped the attack and, with a swift backhand strike, left a deep wound on Nakeem.

"This pace isn't good enough," Rangiku Matsumoto commented, her tone as casual as if she were taking a stroll. "Use the kind of pace you used when you came here before—I just don't know what it's called."

Nakeem gritted his teeth, and a Sonído appeared behind Rangiku Matsumoto: "It's called Sonído!"

He swung his sword down, but Rangiku Matsumoto easily dodged again, and at the same time, his Zanpakuto sliced through, leaving a second wound on Nakeem's body.

"We call it Shunpo here," Rangiku Matsumoto said, a hint of mockery in her voice.

The repeated injuries enraged Nakeem. He opened his mouth, preparing to unleash his Zanpakuto. But Rangiku Matsumoto didn't give him the chance.

"Whisper softly, Haineko."

The moment the words of liberation were uttered, Rangiku Matsumoto's Zanpakuto transformed into a cloud of gray dust. As if it possessed a life of its own, the dust rapidly spread and entangled, completely enveloping Nakeem.

Nakeem tried to struggle, to resist, but the dust was everywhere. It seeped into his mouth and nose, into his wounds, into every inch of his skin. A few seconds later, the dust dissipated.

Nakeem stood there, his mask completely shattered, revealing a terrified expression beneath. His body was covered in fine wounds, from which blood seeped. He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but ultimately collapsed helplessly, never to rise again.

Shawlong witnessed all of this. He wanted to rush to the rescue, but Tōshirō Hitsugaya had already blocked his way.

What shocked Shawlong even more was that he discovered one of his arms was completely frozen—not from the outside, but from the inside, as if ice was growing out of his veins.

"What is this?!" Shawlong asked in surprise, his voice revealing genuine fear for the first time.

Tōshirō Hitsugaya looked at him calmly. "Limiter Release. When Soul Reaper comes to the World of the Living, four-fifths of their power is sealed. After the limit is lifted, they can regain their full strength."

This explanation sank Shawlong's heart to the bottom. He finally understood why the battle had suddenly reversed—it wasn't that the opponent had become stronger, but that the opponent had finally unleashed their true strength.

He made a decision immediately.

"Nakeem, retreat for now!" Shawlong shouted.

But he received no response. He turned his head and saw only Nakeem lying on the ground, lifeless.

Without any hesitation, Shawlong turned and fled. The Sonído out, and his figure instantly appeared a hundred meters away.

But Tōshirō Hitsugaya is faster.

After the restriction was lifted, Tōshirō Hitsugaya's Shunpo had reached a whole new level. He only took one step forward and caught up with Shawlong. Hyōrinmaru thrust out, the blade piercing through Shawlong's back and emerging from his chest.

Shawlong looked down at the blade in his chest, his eyes filled with disbelief. He wanted to speak, but ice had already begun to spread from the wound, quickly covering his entire body.

A few seconds later, he turned into a perfect ice sculpture.

Tōshirō Hitsugaya drew Hyōrinmaru, and the ice sculpture shattered, turning into countless ice crystals that dissipated in the night wind.

The battle is over.

Tōshirō Hitsugaya and Rangiku Matsumoto stood there, panting, feeling the exhaustion brought on by the removal of their restrictions. But they knew this was just the beginning.