A Fight to the Death, Never Retreating (Two Chapters Combined into One 4,000-Character Update)-Please Vote for Me

A Fight to the Death, Never Retreating (Two Chapters Combined into One 4,000-Character Update)—Please Vote for Me.

Clang—

Sparks blossomed beneath the night sky as two figures clashed again and again, then sprang apart.

Ichigo dug his heel into the ground and stared intently at the already-released Zabimaru in Renji's hand.

Renji's face was grave. At the start of their fight, the boy before him had been no match for him. But just as Renji had been about to kill him, the boy's body had erupted with terrifying spiritual pressure.

That level of spiritual pressure was at least close to that of a Third or Fourth Seat. As a lieutenant or captain, Renji had four-fifths of his spiritual pressure sealed when entering the Human World, to avoid causing too much disturbance.

In other words, with only one-fifth of his spiritual pressure, he still couldn't beat this Shinigami who'd come from nowhere.

"Why'd you run all the way over there?" Ichigo wore a mocking grin, and the spiritual pressure around him surged once more. Beneath its terrifying weight, Renji felt as if he were trapped in a swamp.

How was this possible?

Wasn't his spiritual pressure inherited from Rukia? It was far too powerful to be Rukia's alone!

"This ends now!"

Before the words had even fully left his mouth, Ichigo leaped into the air, raised his Zanpakuto over his head, and brought it down on Renji.

Renji was startled and instinctively tried to dodge, but under the pressure of Ichigo's spiritual power, he felt as if he were carrying a mountain on his back. He couldn't move at all. All he could do was watch as Ichigo's Zanpakuto drew closer and closer!

He wouldn't make it!

Ichigo landed right in front of Renji and swung straight down...

But the blood he'd expected to see never came. The Zanpakuto in his hand felt strange, and when he looked down, his pupils shrank. His great blade had become nothing more than a hilt.

The blade had... vanished the instant it came down.

"What?"

His Zanpakuto... had been broken?

Ichigo couldn't believe what he was seeing. He instinctively looked at Renji, only to find the same stunned expression on his face.

Clearly, the person before him hadn't done it.

Then...

Ichigo turned toward Byakuya Kuchiki, who stood more than twenty meters away. When he saw the half-blade in Byakuya's hand, his mind went blank for an instant.

That was impossible!!!

Byakuya saw Ichigo looking at him and casually tossed away the blade. Then he slowly took hold of the Zanpakuto at his waist. Before Ichigo could even ready himself, Byakuya had vanished from sight.

When Byakuya appeared again, he was behind Ichigo.

Blood burst from Ichigo's body. A sharp pain washed over him, followed by a strange weakness. It felt as though the blow had torn apart the channels through which his spiritual power flowed. He could no longer draw out his spiritual pressure.

In an instant, blood stained the ground red. Ichigo struggled to lift his head and look at the man with the terrifying speed.

"Ichigo!!!"

Rukia screamed from afar and ran toward Ichigo, but Renji got to his feet and pinned her against a nearby sign.

Renji no longer had the luxury of pretending to be cold and indifferent. His voice held nothing but... desperation. "Don't you understand? Your power was forcibly taken away. If you go over there and touch him now, your crime will only become more serious!"

"Red-haired bastard, get your hands off me!"

Before Rukia could answer, a deafening roar filled with savage fury rang out from afar, making everyone present freeze for a moment. In that instant, Renji's chest was struck with a loud boom, and the next moment he shot away like a cannonball.

He flew a hundred meters before smashing through a wall and finally coming to a stop. Blood spilled from his mouth. He clutched his chest and couldn't get back up for a long while. The single blow had left him gravely injured. In shock, he looked toward the attacker.

A stranger now stood where he had been moments before, in front of Rukia. It was Wu Biao.

Wu Biao's veins bulged across his body, and a crimson light shone in his eyes. Though he stood in front of Rukia,

his blood-red gaze was fixed on Kurosaki Ichigo, who lay in a pool of blood behind Byakuya.

"Was it you?" Wu Biao looked up at Byakuya, his expression wild and ferocious.

Byakuya frowned slightly. Wu Biao's speed had clearly surprised him. "Who are you?"

"I said..."

Wu Biao lifted his right foot and stepped forward. The ground cracked with a thunderous boom, and he shot through the blast to appear right in front of Byakuya. His eyes were filled with murderous intent and madness.

"Was it you?"

As he spoke, Wu Biao's fist slammed toward Byakuya with terrifying force. The air whined as his fist cut through it. The blow was clearly frighteningly powerful.

A flicker of surprise crossed Byakuya's eyes. Without any obvious movement, he stepped back. Silver light flashed in the night, and the blade at his waist was suddenly drawn.

Clang—

Fist met blade with a metallic ring. Invisible ripples spread from the point where they clashed, while terrifying spiritual pressure and fearsome physical strength battered against each other.

Boom—

Another explosive crash rang out. The blade and fist separated, and the two figures were both sent flying more than ten meters backward.

The two people still standing in the scene were stunned.

A draw?

Renji had just staggered to his feet in the distance. His eyes were full of shock and disbelief. Who was this man? He'd actually forced Captain Kuchiki back!

Even with only a fifth of his strength, a captain still possessed spiritual pressure at least equal to a lieutenant's, along with terrifying combat skills. And yet he'd fought this man to a standstill?

Didn't that mean Renji might not even be a match for him at full strength?

"He's gotten even stronger!" Rukia murmured in disbelief. Wu Biao's strength hadn't been anywhere near this terrifying when he fought that Gillian yesterday. What had this monster gone through in just one day and night?

He'd even managed to fight one of the Thirteenth Division's captains to a standstill. How... was that possible?!

"Your name?" Byakuya asked again, though this time his question was very different from before.

Who are you? Before, it had been a casual question. Whether Wu Biao answered or not, Byakuya wouldn't have cared.

But when someone as proud as Byakuya Kuchiki asked for a person's name, it meant that person had earned his respect. If one had to put it into words: he didn't cut down nameless opponents!

Wu Biao didn't answer. Instead, he flashed over to Ichigo's side.

"Bro...ther Biao..." Ichigo was still conscious. Looking at Wu Biao crouched beside him, he managed the faintest smile. "Take... Rukia and run..."

Hearing Ichigo speak, Wu Biao felt a wave of relief. But seeing Ichigo's wretched state, he felt boundless anger rise in his chest... He didn't care whether Rukia lived or died.

The only people Wu Biao cared about were the Kurosaki family. When he'd first arrived in this unfamiliar world, they had taken him in. In his heart, they were all his family.

Ichigo called him Brother Biao every day. To Wu Biao, he was a younger brother. But now his little brother was lying in a pool of blood, begging him to take someone else and run.

How could Wu Biao not be furious? How could he not... go mad?

His anger and madness needed an outlet, and there was no doubt about who would bear the brunt of it: Byakuya Kuchiki!

A faint sound rang out. There was no explosion or shockwave. Wu Biao simply vanished without a trace, as if he'd used Shrinking Ground to Inches and crossed both space and time.

Byakuya's expression tightened. He raised his Zanpakuto upright before his chest and spoke in a cool, quiet voice. "Scatter, Senbonzakura!" As soon as the words left his mouth, the blade broke apart into countless tiny blades, too small for the naked eye to make out. In the reflected light, they looked like petals of cherry blossoms.

It all seemed to take a long time, but in truth, it happened in an instant. The blades, transformed into petals, appeared above Byakuya's head.

Thud—

A muffled crash followed. Wu Biao appeared above the sea of petals, but the punch he'd thrown was stopped cold by the seemingly delicate blossoms, which looked as if a gust of wind could scatter them. Even Wu Biao's pupils shrank at the sight.

"The captain (big brother) actually released his Zanpakuto?"

The situation had changed in the blink of an eye. Rukia and Renji, watching from afar, only now reacted. Both of them felt as if they were in a dream.

They knew Byakuya well. He was a decisive man. If it had been another captain, they might not have released their Zanpakuto against a mere human.

But Byakuya was different. He hated wasting time on meaningless things. There was only one reason he would release his Zanpakuto: he knew that without doing so, he could hold Wu Biao off, but he couldn't defeat him.

Rather than fight Wu Biao for a while and release it afterward, he'd rather avoid wasting time and release it at once to end the fight quickly!

Byakuya slowly looked up at Wu Biao. He didn't seem to move, yet the petals surged upward as if alive, sweeping toward Wu Biao to wrap him in the sea of blossoms.

Wu Biao's face darkened. The tearing sensation against his fist had already shown him how dangerous these petals were. If they enveloped him, he would be in serious trouble. Without the slightest hesitation, he drove his right fist down and used the force to launch himself away.

But after he sprang clear, the petals pursued him relentlessly, following close behind at incredible speed.

The sea of petals whirled closer and closer. They formed a spoon-like shape, ready to enclose Wu Biao completely the moment they touched him, slicing every inch of his skin to pieces.

Wu Biao's eyes flashed. As he charged forward, he planted his right foot and spun, sending his whole body rotating.

The sea of petals arrived just then. As Wu Biao spun, countless fists appeared, striking every petal that covered him.

Thud, thud, thud, thud...

The pounding continued without pause. The petals sliced bloody cuts into both of Wu Biao's fists.

The bloodshed grew even worse!

But Wu Biao's punches only got faster. Every blow sent blood spraying into the night sky.

"Get away, get away, get away! Disperse!" Wu Biao's eyes glowed red as his roar grew louder and his speed continued to increase.

His fists blazed through the air, sweeping across the battlefield!

The petals that had been attacking without pause were knocked aside. They only stayed scattered for an instant before gathering together again.

But that instant was enough. Wu Biao used it to break free of the petals and charge straight at Byakuya.

A cold glint flashed in Byakuya's eyes. He raised a hand and swept it through the air toward Wu Biao.

Behind Wu Biao, the petals surged forward at a tremendous speed. Before he could react, they engulfed him. The sound of slicing and the smell of blood rose from within the sea of petals.

Muffled groans of pain came from inside as well.

"Let's go."

Byakuya slowly lowered his gaze and spoke in a cool voice.

Renji and Rukia behind him froze, then realized he was speaking to them.

"Ah, right!"

Renji came to his senses and staggered, but he endured the pain and drew a line through the air with his Zanpakuto. A Senkaimon appeared.

Seeing this, Byakuya prepared to withdraw the petals. In his view, under such a dense barrage of slashes, the human was as good as dead.

"Hmm?"

But the next moment, he let out a surprised sound.

Boom—

A thunderous crash erupted, and the sea of petals scattered. A figure drenched in blood charged straight at Byakuya, carrying the stench of blood with him. His face was pale as paper, but his expression was ferocious and savage.

"This never ends!" Seeing Wu Biao's battered body, Byakuya first showed a flicker of surprise, then a trace of coldness. Spiritual pressure gathered around him.

"Bakudō #61: Rikujokoro!"

Six bands of bright yellow light instantly bound Wu Biao in place. He didn't resist at all.

"This is..."

Only then did Renji and Rukia realize that Wu Biao was clearly in a strange state. Even after Rikujokoro bound him, he didn't dodge or fight back. His fierce eyes were still full of murderous intent,

but they also held a hint of emptiness and... deathly stillness!

"Has he already passed out?"

Renji could hardly believe it as he stated Wu Biao's condition. By the time Wu Biao had broken out of the sea of petals, he'd already lost consciousness, yet his body had continued charging at Byakuya!

What terrifying willpower.

Byakuya had realized as much, which was why he hadn't tried to control the petals. Instead, he had simply ended his Shikai.

Crack...

With a crisp sound, Rikujokoro turned back into Reishi and vanished.

But Wu Biao remained standing upright, without so much as a sway. His vacant eyes continued to stare fiercely at Byakuya, his indomitable spirit on full display!

"Let's go!"

Byakuya gave Wu Biao one last long look, committing the human's face to memory, then turned and walked toward the Senkaimon.

Renji was still reeling from the shock. Only when Byakuya reminded him did he come to his senses and follow behind him.

Rukia gave a worried glance at Wu Biao, Ichigo, and Uryu before stepping through the Senkaimon.

As the Senkaimon disappeared, the area fell silent once more.

Only two boys remained lying in pools of blood... and Wu Biao, covered in blood but still standing upright!!!

The new novel had reached fifth place on the new-book ranking! Please vote for me and help Xiao Jiao climb a few more places.

This chapter came a bit late. I kept writing and deleting, then writing again, and before I knew it, it was already this late. I'd originally planned to upload a 2,000-character chapter before midnight.

But I feel like stopping in the middle of a chapter is awful. Better to put two chapters together and give everyone a satisfying read.

Please vote for me! Sob. I can't get a trial recommendation, so I have to rely on book lists and the new-book rankings to get more exposure. Anyway, thank you all.

It seems the new-book ranking period is coming to an end on the 19th. Just three days left—help Xiao Jiao make one last push! Even if I can't reach first place, I want to break into the top three before I'm off the list!!!