Kanonji-dan and Inhuman Cruelty (Second 4,000-Character Update)

Kanonji-dan and Inhuman Cruelty (Second 4,000-Character Update)

"My head can be chopped off, and my blood can be spilled, but my hairstyle must never be messed up. You burned my hair, so today I'm turning every last one of you into a bald monk!!!"

Seeing Wu Biao charge at them with a roar, the 5th Division member who had just released a Kidō couldn't even spare a thought for his shock. He turned and tried to flee!

"Trying to run?!"

Brother Biao snarled. His face wasn't merely red with anger anymore... even his shiny bald head had taken on a reddish hue.

"Ah—oh—" Wu Biao struck a pose in midair like he was taking a dump, his face contorted as if he were constipated, while he let out a squeal like a slaughtered pig.

At the sight, even Hinamori Momo wanted to ask, Are you seriously trying to take a shit?

But what happened next made her expression turn grave. As Wu Biao stretched out his right hand, Reishi—present everywhere in the air—began gathering toward it.

In practically the blink of an eye, a perfectly round energy ball the size of a basketball had condensed in his palm. Just looking at it, she could feel the terrifying, volatile energy it contained.

Looking at the energy ball in his hand, Wu Biao's eyes filled with gratitude.

His constitution was extremely unusual. Not a trace of Reishi could enter his body. Even when Teacher Kanonji tried to channel Reishi into him, his body blocked it, and almost all of it dissipated before it could get inside.

He had what could be called a completely Reishi-resistant constitution. That was why the Kidō blast hadn't hurt him when it struck.

To put it simply, he had magic resistance. When a Kidō attack hit him, half its force was broken down by his body, and only the other half could hurt him.

And that resistance grew stronger as his body grew stronger.

Kanonji had been shocked by this, too. Without any spiritual power, it should have been absolutely impossible to see spirits, yet Wu Biao could do it—and see them with remarkable clarity!

It was easy to imagine how much effort Teacher Kanonji had put into teaching him this technique, given Wu Biao's constitution.

Whenever Wu Biao came out of the Ancient Forest to replenish his food, he would see how bedraggled Kanonji looked. At first, he hadn't understood and would often tease his teacher, asking how he'd managed to get himself into such a state.

Teacher Kanonji always smiled and said he'd just been exorcising spirits.

It wasn't until several days ago, when Wu Biao came out of the forest and happened to see the egg-sized Kanonji-dan in his teacher's hand explode out of control, that he realized the disheveled state wasn't because of exorcising spirits.

It was because Kanonji had been trying to improve the technique so Wu Biao's constitution would allow him to use it.

Kanonji was a man of real ability. Even someone as arrogant as Urahara Kisuke had once said of him, "This is a human with genuine talent!"

Of course, neither his spiritual vision nor the faint spiritual power inside Kanonji had caught Urahara's attention. The reason he'd called Kanonji a human with genuine talent was entirely because Kanonji had created the Kanonji-dan himself!

With nothing but spiritual power as thin as a strand of hair, Kanonji had developed a technique that could produce a miniature bomb's explosive force. That alone proved he was a genius—a human genius!

Even if this genius couldn't hold a candle to a Shinigami, and even the weakest Hollow could easily kill him, that didn't change the fact that he was a genius among humans!

Unlike Sado and Orihime, who had been attacked by Hollows and awakened abilities resembling Fullbring after being affected by the Hogyoku, they could no longer strictly be considered ordinary humans.

Kanonji was the only one who was completely human. Everything he had achieved came from his own efforts!

And no one understood humans better than other humans. So even if Urahara himself might not have managed it, Kanonji had!

Through days and nights of research, he had actually developed a Kanonji-dan that only Wu Biao could use.

It harnessed Wu Biao's powerful physique—or, more accurately, his brimming vitality—to forcibly draw in the Reishi in the air and then gather it together.

This could be called a Kanonji-dan developed specifically for Wu Biao.

Only Wu Biao could use it. Even its creator, Kanonji, had come up with the concept but couldn't put it into practice himself.

As for whether the concept would work...

Wu Biao's mind was racing, but in reality, only an instant had passed.

Still, the only way he could show his gratitude to his teacher was with this technique.

He had to—he had to let Teacher Kanonji see it!

See the radiance of the Kanonji-dan he had created!

He had to...

Make the name Kanonji famous throughout... the entire Soul Society.

This was the glory Teacher Kanonji deserved!

"Kanonji Style Secret Art—Kanonji-dan!"

Wu Biao announced the technique with a solemn, dignified expression. He'd practiced it countless times in secret, but this was the first time he'd used it against an enemy!

"Get out of the way! Don't try to block that!" Hinamori Momo cried out in alarm, her voice urgent.

Everything had seemed to take a long time, but from the moment Wu Biao formed the Kanonji-dan to now, barely an instant had passed. The Shinigami below had only managed a few steps.

But Hinamori Momo's warning came too late. The moment the volatile Kanonji-dan left Wu Biao's hand, it shot forward, turning into a blue meteor that plunged into the crowd.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Countless flashes of light burst across the cafeteria. The air at the point of impact exploded, and shock waves swept outward from the blast with a thunderous roar. The surging force blew the entire cafeteria roof to pieces, and bright moonlight spilled over the ruins.

A small mushroom cloud rose from the wreckage, filled with screams and cries of pain...

When the dust settled, nearly a hundred Shinigami who had crowded into the modest cafeteria lay sprawled on the floor. Only two people remained standing. One, naturally, was Wu Biao.

The other was Hinamori Momo, who had used Bakudo #39: Enkosen to block the blast!

As the shock wave dissipated, the cracked Enkosen collapsed. Hinamori Momo stood frozen, her eyes filled with horror and disbelief.

Impossible...

What was that volatile mass of Reishi?

It was volatile because it had been forcibly condensed, making it extremely difficult to control. But that same volatility meant it could unleash terrifying power the instant it exploded.

Even Kanonji himself probably couldn't have imagined... that this technique would be so powerful!

And Wu Biao hadn't even put all his strength into the attack. If he'd forced his vitality to gather the maximum amount of Reishi, the technique's power could have increased by at least another level!

But he hadn't done that. If he'd gone all out, the fallen Shinigami would have died, instead of merely suffering severe injuries and passing out as they had now.

Wu Biao didn't take advantage of Hinamori Momo's distraction to attack, either. Instead, he gazed at the cafeteria ruins around him, the corners of his mouth lifting with pride.

Teacher Kanonji, did you see that?

The Kanonji-dan—this is the power of the Kanonji-dan you taught me!

Beautiful, and powerful!

Then he moved...

Hinamori Momo tensed. Holding her Zanpakuto level with her chest, she began its release. "Bloom, Tobiume!" At her command, the blade flashed pink, and three prongs extended from its length.

Tobiume, a Kidō-type Zanpakuto!

It had a fire attribute. Its blade could launch fireballs, trigger massive fiery explosions and whirlwinds, and be used alongside fire-based Kidō to strengthen all such spells!

But as soon as she finished releasing it, Hinamori Momo froze.

"Damn you! You wrecked my hairstyle, so every last one of you is going bald!!!"

Wu Biao, who had looked so solemn and dignified moments ago, was now racing through the ruins with a twisted expression. His hands became blurs as he yanked every last hair from the heads of the unconscious 5th Division members!!!

Hinamori Momo stood frozen for nearly a minute. In that time, Brother Biao had already ripped out the hair of thirty of the members... leaving their scalps bloody and mangled. He tore the hair out in great handfuls, leaving their scalps badly damaged.

When she came to her senses, her expression changed at once. "Stop! You have to stop!!!"

"Get lost, you little brat. I'll deal with you in a minute!" Wu Biao glared at Hinamori Momo and snarled.

"..."

At his words, Hinamori Momo instinctively covered her hair. Seeing the bald heads among her squad members sent a chill through her, and her body trembled.

If she ended up bald...

Hinamori Momo imagined herself with a bald head, then hurriedly banished the image from her mind. If it came to that, she'd rather die in battle!

In the end, though, she gritted her teeth and charged forward. The Ryoka before her was brutalizing her squad members. As vice-captain, how could she stand by and do nothing?

"Ruler of the heavens, mask of flesh and blood, all creation, flutter of wings, you who bear the name of man, truth and temperance, stand upon the walls of innocent dreams with your claws alone—Hadō #33: Sōkatsui."

As she ran, Hinamori Momo recited the long incantation at incredible speed. Flames gathered at the tip of Tobiume.

"Hm?"

Wu Biao had just moved to rip the hair from another person's head when he stopped. Empowered by Tobiume, Sōkatsui had become strong enough to threaten even him, despite his incredible magic resistance. His face darkened.

With that in mind, Wu Biao changed course—but didn't retreat. Instead, he charged straight at Hinamori Momo!

"You're asking for it!"

Seeing him charge, Hinamori Momo's eyes lit up. If Wu Biao had tried to dodge, her Kidō might not have hit him. But the Ryoka before her had brazenly charged straight toward her.

A fierce glint flashed in her eyes as the Sōkatsui gathered at Tobiume's tip shot toward Wu Biao.

The Sōkatsui collided head-on with the oncoming Wu Biao.

Amid a thunderous crash, flames soared into the sky.

"Did it work?" Hinamori Momo murmured, staring at the flames.

Suddenly, her expression changed. A powerful sense of danger arose within her, and she felt a strong surge of Reishi within the flames.

"No!" With no time to think, Hinamori Momo abruptly halted her charge and tried to retreat. But the instant she moved back, a crazed laugh rang out from within the sea of fire!

"Too late!" As the voice rang out, Wu Biao's gleaming bald head emerged from the flames. He strode out at incredible speed and reached Hinamori Momo in an instant. Without the slightest hesitation, he raised his right hand and punched.

He had emerged completely unharmed because the moment the Kidō came at him, Wu Biao had formed a Kanonji-dan and slammed it into the oncoming Sōkatsui, scattering the spell.

For someone like Wu Biao, with such high resistance to spiritual power, the scattered Sōkatsui no longer had much destructive power!

At the critical moment, Hinamori Momo could only raise her Zanpakuto to meet Wu Biao's fist.

"Heh!" Seeing that, Wu Biao let out a laugh, pleased that his trick had worked.

His fist turned into a claw. He dodged the slash, then trapped Hinamori Momo's hand and the hilt of her Zanpakuto beneath his palm, yanking her toward him.

Oh no... could he be—

Feeling Wu Biao's move, Hinamori Momo's heart filled with unease. Her gaze fixed on his, brimming with humiliation and hatred, but...

Crack—

Two front teeth shot out along with a spray of blood. Hinamori Momo flew backward and slammed into the ruins. Trembling, she pointed at Wu Biao, her pretty face red with rage.

"You..."

Before she could finish, she passed out.

"Damn brat. I'll beat the hell out of you!"

Wu Biao struck Bruce Lee's signature pose, smugly rubbing his thumb along the tip of his nose.

Before Hinamori Momo's delicate body could even fall into his arms, the bastard had swung his free left hand...

That was right—he'd punched her. His fist, as big as a sandbag, had slammed straight into her beautiful face, knocking out two of her front teeth. And after doing something so utterly outrageous, Brother Biao was still acting so pleased with himself.

He had no idea how much scorn this would earn him. She might be a vice-captain, but she was still a woman. What kind of person would punch her straight in the face like that...

It was no wonder Hinamori Momo hated him so much. Between the agonizing pain and the fury, she passed out on the spot.

Wu Biao rubbed his chin, staring at the unconscious Hinamori Momo with a thoughtful expression.

"The only reason I lost my hair was that this brat ambushed me. Still, she's a woman. Ripping all her hair out would be going too far!"

Then...

Wu Biao picked up a Zanpakuto from the ground—it was impossible to tell whose—and walked over. He began his inhumane... head-shaving campaign!

Ten minutes later, the nearest 4th Division rescue team was the first to reach the 5th Division. But when they saw the whole area covered in bald heads... every one of them wore a strange expression.

Especially since among those bald heads was the 5th Division's vice-captain. Unlike the other members, whose scalps were bloody and mangled, Hinamori Momo's bald head was exceptionally shiny. The moonlight reflected off her fair scalp in dazzling glimmers...

As for the culprit behind it all, he had already disappeared without a trace.

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Please vote for the story!

I'd also like to recommend two books from the author group, although I haven't read either one.

[Master of Souls in One Piece]:

Bloodshed, conspiracies, and slaughter, mixed with an indescribable thing called dreams.

An ordinary transmigrator had, at this moment, set foot in the real One Piece World.

[Brainstorming in Naruto]

"Lu Yi, you've lost your integrity."

"Just leave it there. I'll pick it up after I finish this experiment!"

It was the same world, except now Lu Yi was there, a research enthusiast. Who knew what would change?!

(The End of This Chapter)