This Thing Has Light! Split into Six!

The muddy ground that had not seen daylight for a long time was scorched by flames from underground, as though the sins Soul Society had accumulated over a thousand years had been laid bare beneath the sun.

Looking at the enormous hole that had appeared, Yingkou Hui knew he had lost the initiative. In an open area, if he could not close the distance with Asano Kiyoshi, then a close-combat Zanpakuto like his would be little more than a living target against a Kido Department Zanpakuto.

Damn close-combat types, coming to our Kido Department's turf to beg for scraps?!

Watch closely. Your grandpa here is the genuine Kido Department type!

Having instantly devised his plan for the battle ahead, Yingkou Hui clenched his teeth slightly. Then his body sank, his waist bending into a strange arc, and his figure vanished from where he stood!

As Asano Kiyoshi watched Yingkou Hui charge at him at high speed, he showed no great alarm. He merely extended an arm. As Reishi surged, his cool voice rang out:

"Bakudo #21—Sekienton!"

A vast amount of red smoke billowed forth as his words ended. Its coverage was immense, at least a third larger than an ordinary Sekienton.

This was due to the overlapping effects of Asano Kiyoshi's Zanpakuto Shikai and the Gate of the Underworld. The Gate of the Underworld increased Bakudo strength by 20%, while Shikai doubled that ability's effect. In other words, whenever Asano Kiyoshi used any Bakudo, it could achieve 140% of another person's effect at standard spiritual pressure!

The red fog was like the maw of a gigantic monster, swallowing this already dim space whole.

Yingkou Hui was engulfed by the fog. Everywhere he looked was a vast expanse of crimson. Closing his eyes to sense spiritual pressure was equally useless—the red mist was filled with Asano Kiyoshi's spiritual pressure, making it impossible to determine his exact location.

Yet faced with such a scene, Yingkou Hui did not panic in the slightest. Standing amid the red fog, he took a deep breath, raised his long blade over his head, and slashed down at the mist!

"Bite him! Severing Demon!"

As the release command fell, Yingkou Hui viciously slashed at the red fog!

This slash was extraordinarily strange! Normally, even if the red mist were cut apart by a blade, it would slowly mend itself soon afterward. But this slash was different. Not only did the cut show no sign of closing, it instead continued to spread and widen!

In just a few seconds, that mass of red fog was completely torn apart, turning into Reishi mist and dissipating into the air.

Still, even a few seconds were enough!

Asano Kiyoshi stood in the open space, watching Sekienton suddenly disperse. A hint of surprise appeared on his face, though he was not overly shocked. If Yingkou Hui had been helpless against Kido of this level, then his position as a Seat Officer in the Eleventh Division must have been bought!

But judging from how quickly the red mist had dispersed, if Asano Kiyoshi's Sekienton had only been at an ordinary person's level, Yingkou Hui would have caught him before he even left the underground passage.

But this was reality, not a game. There was no reloading and trying again.

One wrong move, and the whole game was lost!

Asano Kiyoshi stood on the ground, looking down at Yingkou Hui, who was still in the underground passage. A faint smile appeared on his face.

Seeing that smile, seeing Asano Kiyoshi looking down on him, Yingkou Hui's expression twisted. The veins at his temples bulged like dark green-black pythons tangled together!

"What are you laughing at?! Don't get cocky, brat!"

As Yingkou Hui's words fell, a wave of spiritual pressure far stronger than before shot into the sky!

Then Yingkou Hui thrust his Zanpakuto directly into his own abdomen. With a savage grin at the corner of his lips, he shouted:

"Bleed—Severing Demon!"

At the sight of Yingkou Hui's actions, Asano Kiyoshi's heart immediately jolted. He had only smiled unconsciously because he had gained the upper hand in battle! He had not expected to step on that guy's sore spot!

But seeing Yingkou Hui's movements, Asano Kiyoshi was naturally no fool. He was not about to stand there stupidly and wait for his opponent to transform and unleash his ultimate move!

So Asano Kiyoshi let out a deep breath. Then, behind him, a strange road paved with a sea of blood-colored flowers emerged!

"Bakudo #61—Rikujōkōrō!"

As his words fell, six sheets of light suddenly appeared across Yingkou Hui's body, forcibly halting the process of releasing his Zanpakuto!

Looking at the light sheets that had suddenly appeared on his body, shock appeared on Yingkou Hui's face. The difficulty of casting Rikujōkōrō was practically on an entirely different level from the Bakudo Asano Kiyoshi had used before!

The principle behind Rikujōkōrō was actually similar to Shitotsu Sansen, but its difficulty was several times greater. The six sheets of light placed extremely high demands on the caster. Any error in the Reishi used for even one of them would cause the entire Kido spell to collapse! For such an advanced Bakudo, almost no one below the Fifth Seat had ever been seen using it! Thus, Yingkou Hui had simply assumed Asano Kiyoshi could not use it.

Damn it! I let my assumptions get the better of me! I actually thought that brat couldn't use Rikujōkōrō!

However, even bound by Rikujōkōrō, Yingkou Hui still did not give up. He twisted the only part of himself that could still move—his head—bit through his tongue, and spat a huge mouthful of blood onto his Zanpakuto!

The blood that sprayed across the Zanpakuto quickly vanished. Yingkou Hui's body began to redden, the skin across him cracking inch by inch. At the same time, the six sheets of light on his body began to slowly fracture, continuously emitting sharp cracking sounds like shattering glass.

Seeing this, Asano Kiyoshi did not panic. He knew Yingkou Hui was very strong right now, but he knew even more clearly that Yingkou Hui was desperate!

"Thunder Carriage Spinning! Gap of the Carriage! This thing has light! Split into six!"

With Post-Chanting used once again, along with the 40% amplification from Shikai and the Gate of the Underworld, Rikujōkōrō was reinforced and hardened once more. No matter how much blood Yingkou Hui had, he would not be able to break free anytime soon!

At that moment, Asano Kiyoshi raised his palm and softly chanted in Yingkou Hui's direction:

"Lord, mask of blood and flesh, all creation, fluttering wings, you who bear the name of man, truth and temperance, upon the wall of dreams that knows no sin, stand with your claws bared!"

"Hado #33—Sōkatsui!"

As the chant ended, a mass of spiritual pressure tinged with inky black burst from Asano Kiyoshi's hand. Carrying a terrifying heat, it surged directly toward Yingkou Hui!

As he watched the blazing torrent rush toward him, Yingkou Hui felt as though a black sun were burning its way toward him!

"Move! Move already! Move, damn it! Move! I don't want to die here!"

Watching the black sun about to crash into him, Yingkou Hui nearly went mad as he tore at the light sheets on his body. Yet even when he ripped away his own flesh, the light sheets did not disappear. Instead, they were adorned with streaks of vivid crimson blood!