Nnoitra stared fixedly at Ichigo Kurosaki before he died.
"What is this...?"
Nnoitra murmured again, as though asking himself, yet also questioning the world. He was unable to understand why the Spiritual Pressure into which he had poured all his strength and will was so utterly powerless before Ichigo Kurosaki.
It was a sense of defeat that went beyond a mere disparity in strength, a complete overturning of his understanding of himself.
"You look confused?"
Ichigo Kurosaki said.
A faint yet remarkably steady Spiritual Pressure surrounded him. It was a restrained, profound power, completely different from Nnoitra's violently unleashed Spiritual Pressure that seemed ready to tear apart space itself.
"It's actually nothing. I'm no longer restraining my Spiritual Pressure, so you can't hurt me in the slightest."
Ichigo Kurosaki slowly turned around, his gaze swept across the people around him who stood frozen in shock, and continued explaining.
"When Spiritual Pressures clash, the side with the weaker Aura will naturally be injured. That is the basic rule of battle. Arrancar, although your Spiritual Pressure was pushed to its limit for slaughter, it still appears pale and powerless before me. My Spiritual Pressure has long surpassed your imagination."
Ichigo Kurosaki was a good kid. He would let his enemies die understanding why.
Nnoitra's eyes widened, Ichigo Kurosaki's resolute face reflected in his pupils. It was a calmness and resolve that transcended the boundary between life and death.
The corners of his mouth twitched slightly, as though he still wanted to say something, but in the end, it could only become a low sigh that dissolved into the gradually quieting air around them.
At that moment, time seemed to freeze. Everyone present felt a shock from the depths of their souls—not only because of Nnoitra's fall, but also because of Ichigo Kurosaki's