But who can predict the future?

"Fists meeting flesh is the true romance of a man."

Under the night sky of the Seireitei, a strange howl shattered the silence, followed immediately by screams of agony.

"Where are Rukia and that sissy?"

Another strange howl, another round of screams...

If Ichigo and the others were here, they probably would have covered their faces and run away already. They knew it—they just knew Brother Biao would shout something like that.

Wu Biao was excited.

Extremely excited!

Coming to this place called the Seireitei was absolutely the best decision he had ever made in his life. Here, there were countless powerhouses, mysterious Kidō, and the high-speed movement of Shunpo.

And then there were those ever-changing Zanpakuto.

The intense sense of danger, the countless times he had broken through encirclements to counterattack, the relentless tide of enemies rushing toward him—all of this...

It made Wu Biao more excited the more he fought. When had he ever fought others so heartily and freely?

When had he ever fought without casting aside all worldly constraints like he was doing now?

But now, seeing the Shinigami he had knocked down wave after wave still fearlessly coming to surround him, Wu Biao felt the blood in his entire body boiling.

Punch after punch was thrown; at this moment, Wu Biao felt as if he had been injected with adrenaline.

There was a time when he had to be timid even when fighting, never daring to use his full strength.

There was a time when his opponents were nothing more than small-time thugs who only knew how to bully the honest.

When had he ever experienced this kind of battle, where either the opponent fell or he died?

His fists moved without any pattern, raining down continuously like a downpour.

Jidanbo Ikkanzaka, the 4th Seat of the 7th Division leading the patrol, was going crazy!

It made no sense... it made no sense... it still made no sense!

Although he had tried his best to overestimate the combat power of the Ryoka, the moment he and his squad made contact with this one, he realized... he had still vastly underestimated the Ryoka before him.

The fighting style was clearly chaotic and lacked any flair, yet when used by this man, its power was terrifyingly immense.

Furthermore, this hand-to-hand combat style, combined with the Ryoka's heaven-defying reflexes, was countless times more terrifying than the Hakuda they had been trained in.

It made them feel awkward and miserable, yet they had no idea how to defend against it! They had experienced many battles, large and small, both at the Shino Academy and after becoming Shinigami.

But never had they experienced a battle so humiliating, so awkward, and so miserable.

"Everyone, attack! He's only one person! Even if we can't defeat him, we must exhaust his stamina!"

Jidanbo Ikkanzaka's roar echoed across the battlefield. The Shinigami present all wore fierce expressions as they swarmed forward.

Wu Biao had gone completely mad by now.

After fighting through the middle of the night, his clothes were reduced to mere strips of rags, and one pant leg was gone. His exposed skin was covered in various wounds; some had already scabbed over, while others were still bleeding.

A pungent smell of blood permeated the air around Wu Biao, yet his expression held nothing but battle intent—and more battle intent. After continuous fighting, his spirit had climbed to its peak.

His nerves were taut, his terrifying reflexes and primal instincts pushed to their absolute limit. Even if several Zanpakuto were swung at him from behind simultaneously, he could react in the very first instant!

"Gentlemen! I love war!!!"

Wu Biao let out a sudden, long howl. His body crouched slightly before he leaped into the air like a giant bird, plunging into the tide of Shinigami rushing toward him.

Is... is this guy crazy?

Jidanbo Ikkanzaka stared at Wu Biao, dumbfounded, but the scene that followed made his expression change drastically.

Wu Biao was like a tiger entering a flock of sheep; no one could stop him. He howled repeatedly, and wherever he passed, people were sent flying. Even though his body was exhausted and his mind was growing groggy from the non-stop fighting.

But his pupils, his face—all were consumed by a fanatical battle intent.

This was Wu Biao, a man who valued fighting more than his own life, a born madman!

He would go even if there were a thousand men... or rather, a madman who would even beat himself up if he got too carried away!

Fists for punching, thrusting, scooping, and whipping!

Legs for stomping, whipping, kicking, sweeping, swinging, and hooking!

Wu Biao utilized Sanda techniques to their fullest, performing miracles; wherever he went, the screaming never ceased!

With waist and body in perfect harmony, every strike was a critical hit. Combining power and speed, no one could withstand a single blow from his combos!

Mixed in were those strange, varied moves he couldn't even name himself—Judo, boxing, Jiu-Jitsu, Taekwondo... a vast array, emerging one after another, all integrated into his Sanda. His attacks were bizarre and unpredictable, lacking any pattern yet following a fixed trajectory. No one could withstand his edge.

Despite the large number of enemies, Wu Biao's momentum did not falter in the slightest; instead, it climbed even higher.

To think a human could be this fierce...

This was the shared thought of all the Shinigami who stood against Wu Biao. Even though they were on opposite sides, they couldn't help but feel a sense of respect for this Ryoka who had never once dodged and had charged straight ahead with such ferocity.

This was especially true for the 11th Division, known for their fierce reputation. This was the kind of man they wanted to become; this was the goal they pursued.

But very few people could be as pure as Wu Biao. In the entire 11th Division, there was only one.

That is Kenpachi, the strongest Kenpachi—Zaraki!

Many members of the 11th Division even began to look forward to the scene of this Ryoka clashing with Captain Zaraki.

But admiration aside, the battle had to continue, and blocking the intrusion of the Ryoka was their duty. If anything, this Wu Biao had unknowingly inspired them, making this group of Shinigami become even more frenzied!

Fierce as tigers, the Shinigami lunged forward without fear of death, only to be knocked unconscious by Wu Biao, who was already excited to the point of madness. Before anyone realized it, a pile of Shinigami lay on the ground behind Wu Biao.

No matter how many there were, it had to end eventually. When Wu Biao arrived before Jidanbo Ikkanzaka, the 4th Seat of the 7th Division, a sea of fallen Shinigami already lay behind him. Although Wu Biao's body appeared weak and he stumbled with every step, Jidanbo Ikkanzaka could not move his feet to meet the attack. It was as if those tiger-like eyes, filled with battle intent, possessed some unknown seal that firmly rooted his feet to the spot!

Until the man before him grabbed his face with a massive hand and slammed him directly into the ground, Jidanbo Ikkanzaka had not made a single effective counterattack, for the defeat was already sealed!

"Huff, huff, huff—"

His chest heaved continuously, and heavy breaths followed one after another. Wu Biao recovered on the spot for nearly a minute before he began to walk back to where he had started. There, he had his backpack—a backpack that was already more than half empty.

Wu Biao was hungry, very hungry, and also sleepy, and even more exhausted!

But now was not the time to rest.

He must, he absolutely must... clear away the obstacles for Ichigo and the others, and ensure their rescue mission went more smoothly!

"I can still... my stamina is enough to take down another group. I'll rest after I take down this next batch!"

The straps of his backpack had long since snapped during the fighting, so Wu Biao didn't carry it, instead staggering off into the distance. In that direction, there was a patrol squad of thirty people!

Walking straight ahead like this, it took less than ten minutes for Wu Biao to encounter the group of Shinigami who were rushing toward the site of his previous battle.

No one understood... why this man, who was covered in wounds and had been fighting continuously for nearly ten hours, would still drag his exhausted body to fight them.

Why... was he still so powerful!

Even when all thirty of them lay on the ground, they still couldn't figure it out.

Under the moonlight, Wu Biao's staggering silhouette gradually faded into the darkness.

He was going to rest.

It was not out of fear of death, but to prepare for the even more arduous battles to come.

In an empty barracks, Wu Biao stuffed the last of his food into his stomach and fell backward; his snoring began before he even hit the floor.

In the silent night, in the deserted barracks, the blood-soaked madman drifted into sleep...

I do not know how much time had passed when footsteps sounded outside the barracks. A man with silver hair and a fox-like face walked into the room. When he saw the sleeping madman, a flash of surprise appeared in the thin slits of his eyes.

Clearly, he had never expected to run into this man in the empty barracks of the 3rd Division!

However, he turned and walked out of the abandoned barracks building, waving his hand to erase the bloodstains he had followed to get there.

Why?

Perhaps it was just for a faint, ethereal hope, a seed that could resist in the future, even though this seed was currently no match for that man at all.

But who could say for sure what the future would hold?

--

The new book ranking is over... I'm asking for recommendation votes; I want to try to sprint for the weekly recommendation list, I ask for everyone's support.

(End of chapter)