Training Bankai (3)

A massive explosion occurred. The entire space shook violently, the Runes on the walls flickered wildly, and even visible cracks appeared. Kisuke Urahara, standing outside, paled and immediately activated the backup protection system, barely managing to stabilize the space.

Just moments before the explosion, a figure flew out from the side of the dust cloud—it was Liu Ziyun. He used his Shunpo to dodge the center of the explosion at the last moment, but he was still affected by the aftershocks. He was covered in dust, his clothes were torn in many places, and he looked quite disheveled.

"Oh dear, oh dear..." Liu Ziyun wiped the dust off his face and said with a wry smile, "Life-Taker, I was on guard. You really don't hold back, do you?"

There was no response Life-Taker Tulu. They simply stood silently in mid-air, confronting Liu Ziyun. All three were breathing heavily, clearly indicating that the fierce battle had just taken a toll on their physical and Spiritual Power.

Then, almost simultaneously, the Reiatsu of the three of them began to rise again.

This ascent was more intense than any before. The immense Reiatsu permeated the space as if it were a tangible substance, even making the air viscous. The Runes on the walls flickered wildly, emitting mournful cries of unbearable strain. The entire space began to tremble violently, as if it might collapse at any moment.

"It's coming..." Kisuke Urahara muttered to himself outside, "The final blow..."

Inside the space, Liu Ziyun, Life-Taker, Tulu exchanged a glance, and then moved simultaneously.

They didn't use any techniques or fancy moves; they simply charged at each other with all their might, swinging their knives.

The three swords met in mid-air.

Time seemed to stand still at that moment.

Then...

"Boom--!"

An indescribable roar. An indescribable radiance. An indescribable burst of energy.

The entire space turned pure white at that moment. Everyone outside the observation window instinctively closed their eyes; even through the thick protective barrier, they could feel the terrifying energy fluctuations.

As the light gradually faded and the loud noise subsided, everyone opened their eyes again and looked into the space.

Dust filled the air, making it impossible to see anything clearly.

But all that could be heard was deathly silence.

"Is it over?" Shinji Hirako asked uncertainly.

Kisuke Urahara adjusted his hat brim, his expression unusually grave. "Ah... it should be over for now. That final burst of Reiatsu... it was truly terrifying. If we hadn't reinforced the defenses beforehand, the entire base might have been destroyed."

Everyone waited quietly. Time passed second by second, and the dust inside the space gradually settled.

Finally, when their vision cleared again, they saw what was inside.

Liu Ziyun lay sprawled on the ground, staring blankly upwards. His clothes were almost completely tattered, with only a few strips of cloth barely covering his body. His Zanpakuto lay quietly beside him, its blade reverting to its ordinary Tang Dao form, no longer glowing.

The two materialized sword spirits— Life-Taker and Tulu —had vanished without a trace.

Shinji Hirako and the others immediately entered the space and came to Liu Ziyun's side.

"How did it go?" Shinji Hirako crouched down and asked with concern, "Did you succeed?"

Liu Ziyun her head, looked at them, and gave a bitter smile, "No... sigh... to be honest, I regret it."

He struggled to sit up, stretching his aching body. "Before, the Life-Taker and Tulu gave me the opportunity to learn Bankai. They said back then that I could definitely learn it. But they also said that my Shikai was incomplete, and if I had tried to learn Bankai then, although I could have succeeded, I wouldn't have been able to reach its perfect state."

He sighed, "So I thought I'd focus on perfecting my Shikai. But... while my strength increased, so did theirs. And now I'm completely outmatched. If they hadn't held back, you wouldn't be talking to me right now, you'd be giving me emergency first aid."

These words stunned everyone.

Kisuke Urahara walked to his side, carefully sensing the lingering Reiatsu fluctuations on his body. His expression turned unusually serious. "Your Zanpakuto... is ridiculously strong. And your Reiatsu is a bit frightening too. If that last attack had been fully unleashed, even Captain-level Soul Reaper probably couldn't have withstood it."

Liu Ziyun smiled wryly, "Sigh... I haven't even mastered 'Complete Bankai' this time. This isn't even their strongest state. In their words, if I wanted to master Complete Bankai now, it would be suicide. Besides... their strength increases along with mine. There's no way around it; our souls are all one, so all our abilities and powers are the same."

He turned to look at Shinji Hirako, his tone suddenly becoming serious. "Hirako, you're all the same. You all think you're strong just because you've defeated the Hollows within you and your Zanpakuto. But Zanpakuto and Hollows within you are both part of your own soul. It's not as simple as just subduing them; you also need to open your heart to accept them and their power."

He paused, then continued, "That's why I've become so strong in your eyes. That's all."

These words, like the morning bell and evening drum, resonated deeply in everyone's heart.

The members of the Visored fell into deep thought. They suddenly realized that although they had been trying to master the power of Hollowfication over the years, deep down they had been resisting that power, treating it as an "outsider" or an "enemy," instead of truly accepting it and making it their own.

"Alright, that concludes this training session." Liu Ziyun struggled to his feet. "I need to rest for a bit. Manager Urahara, please reinforce the Barrier again. During the final attack, the Barrier couldn't withstand the strain. My Zanpakuto and I restrained our power at the last moment, otherwise, that attack would definitely have shattered the Barrier. I'll leave the rest to you."

Having said that, he turned and left the Cultivation Space without saying another word.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, he walked to a corner of the base, found a relatively clean spot, leaned against the wall, closed his eyes, and fell asleep almost instantly—clearly, the battle had exhausted his physical and mental strength.

Shinji Hirako and the others exchanged glances, and finally left the Cultivation Space in silence.

Behind them, in the space that had just experienced a horrific battle, the walls were covered in cracks, and the ground was riddled with craters and scorch marks, as if it had just been the site of an apocalyptic disaster.

But this is just the beginning.

Liu Ziyun's path to Bankai cultivation is far from over.

The members of the Visored also saw their future direction in this battle.

Becoming stronger is not simply about acquiring power.

Instead, it's about accepting yourself, accepting all of yourself.