'Has he permanently maintained his Shikai like me? If we both have permanent Shikai, is his Reiatsu higher than mine?'
Zero lay prostrate on the ground, still puzzled. Only a few seconds later, his Reiatsu stopped the bleeding.
The moment Zero was attacked, he sensed that Azashiro's Reiatsu had increased instantly, surpassing his own by a small margin; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to break through Zero's defenses so easily.
If Zero's current Reiatsu is 3.2, then Azashiro's Reiatsu can definitely reach 4, after all, he is in Bankai state.
Furthermore, Azashiro did not use the same technique he used to kill Kuruyashiki to deal with Zero, namely the Bankai skill 'Reishi Condensation', which allows him to merge some of his own Reishi into the opponent's body, thus controlling certain parts of the opponent to lower or raise their Reiatsu.
If this move is used, Zero will probably have no defense left and will be stabbed to death... Azashiro might suffer a backlash and be seriously injured, but Zero might pay with his life.
'Wow, that's impressive! You withstood over thirty attacks from swords Reishi Condensation, and the bleeding stopped so quickly. Keep attacking! Hehehehe, you're going to lose!'
Shut up!
The Urozakuro chattered incessantly whenever they had a spare moment. Azashiro frowned and roared at the air, causing Ling, who had slightly raised her head, to frown as well: 'He seems to be talking to someone else, is it his knife?'
"Nangong Ling, may I ask you a few questions?"
A detached voice, devoid of any emotion, came from Azashiro. Before Zero could refuse or agree, he continued, "You came to kill me, is it to seize Kenpachi's title or to avenge Kuruyashiki?"
Azashiro disliked idle chatter, but he wanted a like-minded subordinate by his side, so he was willing to waste a little breath. After all, Nangong Ling wasn't some incompetent fool; he had defeated the Captain before.
"Phew, both."
Zero slowly stood up. His injuries looked severe, but his internal organs were perfectly fine; the Reiatsu had prioritized protecting them.
"My second question is, you lived in Hueco Mundo for over a decade, so you must have some hatred towards the Hollows, right? Would you like to join me in working to completely eradicate them?"
As Azashiro spoke, he frowned slightly upon seeing that Ling was able to get up so quickly; the high-concentration Reishi sword strike unleashed by Urozakuro had failed to incapacitate him.
"First, I don't dislike Hollows. Second, I don't want to know what you're up to, because it's unnecessary. Captain Azashiro, it seems you'll have to stop here... Bankai!!"
From the moment Zero spoke, a powerful Reiatsu emanated from him, and it continued to rise, affecting the sky and causing clouds to block out the sunlight.
"Red rain clouds? Look, look! It's not dusk, how can there be red clouds? Hahaha, ahahaha, so beautiful!"
"I'm not blind... Bankai?"
Following the sound of Urozakuro, Azashiro looked up and saw Hongyun in the sky. Nangong Ling, he saw visible red Reiryoku threads dancing around him.
Was this due to the overflowing Reiryoku released after Bankai, which the body couldn't handle? Just as doubt flashed through Azashiro's mind, the red Reishi raining down from the sky made him widen his eyes.
The materialized Reishi rain felt cool on his face, but when Azashiro reached out to touch it, he didn't feel any dampness.
The Reiatsu Gale that had obscured the view from the ground dissipated, revealing that the red demon wings had been unfurled, and the blood-dripping Greatsword seemed to foreshadow the impending tragedy.
A surge of Reiatsu filled the air, making Azashiro's heart pound with unease. Even the usually talkative Urozakuro fell silent. Azashiro began to focus all his energy on increasing his Reiatsu...
"This Reiatsu... is it Vice-Captain Nangong Ling's?"
Ukitake stopped in shock. The ability to transmit Reiatsu several districts away was a world of difference from before.
"He's completely different from before, perhaps... he's used Bankai!"
Kyōraku showed little surprise, as if it were all expected; in his judgment, the only things that could maintain their permanent Shikai were the unique characteristics of the Zanpakuto and the excessive Reiryoku.
Zero, on the other hand, clearly had an excessively large amount of Reiryoku surged, resulting in insufficient self-control and thus an inability to return his Zanpakuto to its normal state.
Therefore, Kyōraku had anticipated that his Bankai would improve so much.
"The Reiatsu in the Azashiro has increased too, let's go!"
"Hmm, maybe we'll catch a good show!"
The two resumed their maximum speed, occasionally adding a super long-distance Instant Shunpo. Shunpo consumes a lot of energy, and in order to preserve some combat power before arriving at their destination, they dared not use it for travel indefinitely.
Do you think Bankai will work?
Azashiro's Reiatsu rose to 4.5, which was his current limit. However, when he tried to use 'Reishi Condensation' to merge into Zero's body, he failed.
"I had a strange feeling just now, what was it? Was that the technique used to kill Kuruyashiki? You tried to ambush me with that invisible knife, but you failed, didn't you?"
Even before Hollowfication, Zero's voice already had a hint of electronic music, which was quite eerie. After a few questions, Azashiro's facial expressions fluctuated even more.
His body felt as if it had been touched by something, and coupled with the change in the expressionless face of Azashiro, Zero guessed that Azashiro's sneak attack on him with his Zanpakuto had failed.
"Let me teach you something..."
Zero suddenly disappeared from Azashiro's sight. When the sound came, he was already to the upper left of Azashiro, swinging his Greatsword down.
"A battle between Soul Reapers..."
The Urozakuro, drove the Reishi that transformed into the Soul Society's land, causing two rock pillars to grow and cross in front of the Azashiro to block the attack. However, they were pulverized in a single blow.
The Bakudo #81: Dankū!
Click, click!
Azashiro instantly unleashed eighty Kidō to block Zero's path, but they were shattered. Urozakuro tried to block again invisibly, but Zero cleaved them away.
Zero didn't even know what he had knocked away. With nothing left to resist, he slashed his sword at the spot where Azashiro had just stood, creating a large crater from the immense Reiatsu.
"... It's a battle of Reiatsu!"
Only then did Zero finish speaking. In the brief exchange of a single sentence, blood dripped continuously from Azashiro's shoulder. Zero hadn't actually struck him; rather, his Sword Aura had slashed across Mole City's shoulder.
'I sensed the presence of that Zanpakuto. It seemed to be in human form. You just struck it, and used my power to plunder a large amount of Reishi.'
'No wonder the wound healed so quickly, now I understand.'
Zero didn't know what he had just slashed away, but Yanis sensed it. Their conversation took place only in the realm of consciousness and was completed in an instant.
The wounds Zero sustained before his Bankai were originally just for stopping the bleeding, but now they are healing. The little blood Azashiro shed was not enough to support the extensive healing of the wounds; the credit still goes to Yanis's 'Power of Plunder'.
The Urozakuro, which belongs to the Bankai, was actually injured when it was struck by Blood Drink. This was all thanks to the power of Power of Plunder. The Urozakuro belongs to the Reiryoku of the Azashiro, and any Reiryoku can be plundered and absorbed.
Unless her solidification is as strong as a sword, when she collides with Blood Drink, she will still have the Reiryoku belonging to Azashiro absorbed.
The absorbed Reiryoku can either alter the structure of his own Reiryoku, which has been purified and reduced to zero, or it can be transformed into nutrients to heal his wounds.
Hadō #90, Black Coffin!
Urozakuro approached again, like an unseen hand in Azashiro, secretly releasing the Kidō Attack Zero, even completing the incantation in a voice inaudible to others.
When the Black Coffin's attack had subsided, Zero appeared as if nothing had happened, without a wound, not even a single hair had been cut off...
Initially slightly delighted, Azashiro was now filled with dread: 'No Reishi attacks are effective? Not even the Kidō? His true Reiatsu is too high to merge with, and he can even absorb the Reiryoku of objects I merge with... Are you kidding me?'
Gazing at the red demon ahead, Azashiro felt a chill for the first time. It was as if the demon had returned from Hell specifically to punish him, perfectly controlling him in every way.
"The battle between Soul Reaper... is it just a battle of Reiatsu...? I understand now."
Azashiro's tone revealed helplessness; perhaps he really was going to die here today.
The Reiatsu began to condense, Urozakuro collected all the Reiatsu imprints of the Azashiro outside, including those that had been integrated into the Seireitei, ultimately condensing into a sword.
The Zanpakuto, glowing like Reishi, resembled Asauchi and was equivalent to Azashiro's Shikai, except that he didn't know its name or its Shikai phrase.
To prevent his attacks from being absorbed and to still manage to injure Nangong Ling, Azashiro could only think of this one method: to Reishi Condensation he had previously incorporated into his Zanpakuto with a Reiatsu density even higher than Sōkyoku's.
'Haha, you know you're going to die, so you want me to do everything I can to help you? Do you finally understand? No, no, no, you still don't understand; you're afraid to face your own heart.'
"Stop being so long-winded, it's coming!"
This time, Azashiro didn't argue with Urozakuro. After analyzing Zero's Bankai, he abandoned all thoughts unrelated to the battle and focused entirely on fighting.
The arrogant Azashiro initially thought that Zero was just a Vice-Captain whose primary duty as Soul Reaper was to eliminate Hollows. He valued Zero's strength and the same sense of responsibility that he shared, and wanted to recruit Zero into his ranks.
Unexpectedly, in just a few minutes, the situation took a dramatic turn, with Zero seizing the initiative and the battle becoming a contest for the title of 'Kenpachi'.
"Heh, are you prepared for death? Come on, I'll try to minimize your suffering."
Zero gripped his Greatsword and charged toward Azashiro once more, his cold smile revealing absolutely no mercy.
To become the next Kenpachi, one must kill the previous Kenpachi in front of two hundred Squad Members, and there cannot be two Kenpachi holders in any era; this is the 11th Division's ancestral rule...
As the Blood Drink Greatsword was swung, a surge of immense energy erupted, sending Azashiro flying hundreds of meters away by the shockwave.
Urozakuro, wielding a knife, slashed at Zero's wing from behind, but only left a small scratch. Zero simply swung his sword backward to force her back, then continued charging towards Azashiro.
Just as Zero said, with the absolute suppression of Reiatsu, coupled with Azashiro's neglected physical training, he was no match for Zero in close combat.
If he were placed in the Muken for two hundred years in the original timeline, his strength would definitely have reached a new level.
As for the current Azashiro, it lacks the ability to create Reigai and its Reiatsu is not as high as in later generations, so its defeat is only natural...
Kyōraku and Ukitake quickly caught up, they had tried their best to hurry, but it was too late.
Only the largest of the two immense Reiatsu remained, and even that last Reiatsu was gradually decreasing, making the outcome clear.
When the two arrived at the scene, they saw Azashiro lying face up with a Greatsword stuck in his chest. Zero was sitting to the side, seemingly deep in thought, and only turned his head slowly when they arrived.
"Are we too late? What a pity! We couldn't witness this change of dynasty."
Kyōraku remained his dissolute playboy self, showing no grief whatsoever for Azashiro's death.
Indeed, even if Kyōraku were to be magnanimous and try to suppress his emotions after killing his friend Kuruyashiki on the spot, he would still feel unhappy inside!
"Vice-Captain Nangong Ling, it's wonderful that you were able to keep Captain Azashiro's body. However, it's still necessary to send it to the Fourth Division for further verification to confirm whether it's truly his."
Ukitake was already serious. After recounting the events at Azashiro, he continued to Zero, "Also, regarding your unauthorized attack, you may need to cooperate with the investigation. Your Zanpakuto will be temporarily confiscated. Any objections?"
Zero glanced at the two gay men standing together and casually said, "How could I not have any objections? But the way you two look suggests I should reserve my opinion..."
He launched his attack as soon as he received news that Azashiro had been labeled a sinner. Hell Butterfly had given further orders to summon the 11th Division, but at that time he didn't have time to check the news at all.
Shortly after, Soul Reaper Squad Member came to collect Azashiro's body. Zero, along with Kyōraku and Ukitake, returned to Seireitei. Azashiro's dying words were still echoing in his mind...
"Our duty Soul Reaper is to eliminate Hollows. Even if it disrupts the balance, there are ways to find a solution... But under the current system, there's simply no way to do it. Putting aside my feelings for Kuruyashiki, do you also think I'm wrong?"
'You're not wrong!'
'Is this just a perfunctory response? Fine... Next generation Kenpachi, may I ask you a favor? If you have the chance in the future, please help me fulfill my wish to exterminate Hollows...'
'Extermination is impossible; it would disrupt the balance of souls. Control and restraint might be possible. We could purge the disobedient ones, then prevent Hollows from Hueco Mundo from entering Soul Society and the World of the Living again. As for Hollows awakening in the World of the Living, that should be dealt with by the Soul Reaper.'
'Great idea, how come I didn't think of that...'
Faced with a dying man, Zero could only comfort him by saying that he was right, but the stubborn Azashiro saw through Zero's well-intentioned lie at a glance; after hearing Zero's thoughts, Azashiro died under the Blood Drink Sword, his Reiryoku completely drained.
Even in death, he believed that Zero was using his Reiryoku to heal his injuries, unaware that Zero was using it to enhance her own power...
Seven days after the Azashiro incident, in the Central 46, Zero stood under a pile of wooden plaques, which at first glance looked like the ancestral shrine he had visited in his previous life.
"Nangong Ling, what are your Shikai and Bankai abilities?"
"Was it really you who killed Azashiro Sōya?"
"What is your purpose in seeking to seize the title of Kenpachi?"
This is Zero's first time visiting the Central 46, the highest authority in Soul Society, and he is immediately faced with a series of questions upon entering.