As Ailin chanted, a thread of lightning sprang from the tip of his left finger. Before Byakuya's horrified eyes, it pierced straight through Kuchiki Byakuya's right arm.
"Ah..."
Kuchiki Byakuya let out a scream. With his right arm injured, the force behind his sword was suppressed by Ailin instead.
Clang!
Ailin exerted force with his right hand and sent Kuchiki Byakuya flying with a single slash.
Bang!
Kuchiki Byakuya rolled several times across the ground before immediately scrambling back up. Before he could regain his balance, Ailin's next attack was already upon him.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang, clang!
Sparks flew everywhere. Under Ailin's relentless storm of attacks, Kuchiki Byakuya was slashed about and sent rolling in every direction like a football.
"Weak, weak, weak..."
"You're far too weak, Byakuya!"
Kuchiki Byakuya's sword blocked Ailin's blade. With his right hand wounded, he could only grip his sword with his left, greatly reducing his strength. Ailin knocked his sword aside and then kicked him away.
"Where's your Hakuda? Your Shunpo? Your Kidō?"
"A Soul Reaper's battle isn't merely a battle of Zanjutsu."
"Now that your arm is injured and your Zanjutsu is inferior to mine, what you need to do is use every ounce of your strength to fight me, rather than relying on that pathetic Zanjutsu to take a beating!"
Though he had been getting beaten the entire time, Byakuya had clearly taken Ailin's words to heart.
Thus, after being sent flying by Ailin once again, Kuchiki Byakuya faced Ailin's attack without raising his sword to block for the first time. Instead, he used a defensive Kidō.
"Kidō #8—Restrain!"
Clang!
Bang!
Under Ginrei Kuchiki's guidance, Byakuya had always focused primarily on Zanjutsu, only dabbling slightly in Kidō.
In his haste, the No. 8 Binding Path he cast with Kishōtenketsu could not block