"Esdeath."
Though he saw the fanatical fighting spirit in Esdeath's eyes, Ailin ultimately shook his head.
"Esdeath, your mission is to protect Haruko."
"Lord Ailin, before I came here, I had already entrusted Madam's safety to Alice."
Although Ailin had refused her, Esdeath did not give up.
"Please rest assured, Lord Ailin. During my battle with Captain-Commander Yamamoto, I will not allow the aftermath of our fight to reach Madam."
Ailin lowered his head. At this moment, his residence was already shrouded in countless osmanthus flowers glowing with golden light.
Clearly, Esdeath had not lied.
Before coming up here, she had spoken with Alice. That was why Alice had now released her Bankai, using her golden osmanthus to protect the residence.
"Esdeath!"
Ailin frowned slightly. "Do you know that the strength Captain-Commander Yamamoto is displaying now may not even be one-tenth of his true power?"
"In your current state, challenging Captain-Commander Yamamoto is nothing more than striking a stone with an egg!"
There was no denying that among the Zanpakuto Ailin had created, Esdeath ranked among the very best.
But in the world of Soul Reapers, no matter how powerful a Zanpakuto's abilities were, it was still only a "weapon."
Without powerful spiritual pressure to support it, even the strongest ability was merely a castle in the air.
Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto was powerful not because he possessed Flowing Blade-like Fire, the strongest fire-type Zanpakuto, but because his immense spiritual pressure had elevated Flowing Blade-like Fire's might to unprecedented heights.
In Zanpakuto Anecdotes, the barrier Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto had set up to protect his heart was broken by Ichigo Kurosaki. Flowing Blade-like Fire was affected by Muramasa's power and turned against Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto.
Then, relying on nothing but his fists, Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto forcibly beat Flowing Blade-like Fire back into