A Fierce Clash!

A Fierce Clash!

"So it's you—the scent of one of my kind!"

As those words rang out, smoke and dust billowed skyward from the ruins. A terrifying pressure, much like spiritual pressure yet somehow unlike it, crashed over the entire area.

The invisible pressure seemed almost tangible. It swept away the smoke and dust as rubble and broken stone flew to either side. Wu Biao stepped through the path that opened between the ruins.

His outfit was ludicrous, but nobody could laugh. Just looking at him felt like having a beast roar in your ear. A ferocious aura surged from Wu Biao's not particularly large frame.

This was fighting spirit!

Fighting spirit like never before!

A tangible fighting spirit radiated from both his mind and body!

Tap!

A light sound rang out as Kenpachi slowly landed on the ground. He fixed his gaze on Wu Biao, and a sinister grin gradually spread across his fierce face until it was covered in a savage smile.

"Yachiru, get out of here!"

Yachiru nodded her little pink head. Without a word, she slipped off Kenpachi's back and headed for a distant tower.

"Let's have a happy little slaughter!"

Only after Yachiru had left did Kenpachi snarl those seven words. Yet the words were swallowed up by his surging spiritual pressure, echoing endlessly through the area. As the echoes spread and crashed into one another, the whole place seemed to roar like thunder.

The voice was feverishly excited. It brimmed with murderous intent, and beneath it lurked a madness that seemed ready to tear everything apart.

This fighting spirit thrilled Wu Biao.

This spiritual pressure made him burn with excitement.

This murderous intent... filled him with panic.

Because he had never killed anyone.

So he couldn't withstand it!

But that didn't matter. He cast everything aside and let his mind hold on to one word...

Fight!

Fight, fight!

Fight, fight, fight!

That single word boomed through his mind like a dry thunderclap, echoing again and again until...

"Fight!!!"

There were no pointless words and no introductions. There was only a fight.

The two of them needed no words. The moment they met, the feeling between them had already said everything.

They were kindred spirits! All they wanted was to fight!

They were kindred spirits! All they wanted was to slaughter!

There was no need for any more talk!

The moment that word fell, both men vanished from where they stood.

Boom—

Their figures had yet to appear, but the crash had already sounded. When a fist and a blade appeared with their owners, terrifying shock waves burst outward. Everything around them shattered, cracks spreading from the spot where the two men stood.

Even the air around the point where fist and blade clashed seemed to warp, while successive sonic booms rang out.

"Interesting. Are you that human?"

"Heh heh. Are you the so-called captain?"

Both wore savage, feverish grins. Both roared their questions. Neither expected... an answer!

The instant they spoke, they were already moving.

Their bodies surged with power, and spiritual pressure churned around them.

Clang, clang, clang...

Bang, bang, bang...

Their frenzied attacks surpassed the limits of the eye. Both fought like madmen, grinning with bloodlust as they attacked each other wildly!

No defense, only offense.

Every time a blade came down, a fist rose to meet it.

In some ways, the two of them really were alike. They were both crazed for battle, and even their fighting styles were remarkably similar.

Their techniques seemed chaotic, yet each strike landed at exactly the right moment. Their instincts were almost bestial; they didn't need to think about their moves. They acted on impulse and fought however they pleased!

Like two wild beasts!

The sound of fist and blade colliding was like metal striking metal. A hint of surprise appeared in Kenpachi's eyes.

His physical durability was already terrifying, and so was his strength. Without spiritual pressure enveloping his body, those punches would have injured him. Even so, every ordinary punch still hurt!

That only made Kenpachi more excited. He had been right about his instincts. This man... was strong!

Wu Biao felt the same. His face remained wild, but his eyes were filled with an unprecedented calm, making a stark contrast with his expression.

His face burned with excitement, but his eyes were cold as ice.

It was hard to imagine such opposite extremes in one person. Even harder to imagine was that this person was... Wu Biao!

Pfft—

Thud—

With a dull impact, the two figures flew backward. After retreating more than ten meters, they each planted one foot on the ground and stopped.

Drip!

Blood fell. Wu Biao glanced down at the savage wound slashing diagonally from his left shoulder. His face showed no pain at all, only excitement!

Across from him, a trickle of blood ran from Kenpachi's mouth. A deep fist-shaped depression marked his chest. The force behind that terrifying punch had shocked him, but it had thrilled him even more.

Murderous intent glinted in Kenpachi's golden eyes, stained by spiritual pressure. He took a large step forward, then lunged at Wu Biao.

Wu Biao's vision blurred. A dark figure rushed toward him.

The stench of blood filled his nostrils.

Wu Biao sneered and threw a punch.

Bang!

A ripping pain shot through Wu Biao's fist. Blood sprayed between them, and Wu Biao flew backward.

He flipped once in midair and landed steadily on the ground.

As soon as he landed, a flicker of surprise crossed Wu Biao's eyes.

His spiritual pressure had grown even stronger!

It was as though it would never end. The man before him wielded an increasingly sharp blade!

That one slash had almost wiped out his body's resistance to spiritual energy. His opponent's spiritual pressure was simply too powerful.

Wu Biao looked at his bloodied fist, his eyes filled with a seriousness he had never felt before.

So this was what a Captain-level fighter was like?

A flicker of surprise crossed Kenpachi's eyes as well. He hadn't expected his strike to leave Wu Biao without any substantial injury.

"Interesting! This is so damn interesting!!!"

He let out a long howl and stomped one foot against the ground. The earth beneath him exploded!

Wu Biao roared. A faint black gleam appeared over his right arm. As he threw his punch, the black light gathered together, vaguely forming the shape of a pitch-black skeleton behind him.

Bang!

The blade and fist collided, and energy burst in every direction. Wu Biao flew like a ball struck by a club, crashing into a building. Kenpachi fared little better, tracing a high arc through the air.

On the other side, just as Wu Biao was about to slam headfirst into a wall, a fierce glint flashed in his eyes. His bones twisted with a series of cracking sounds, and he wrenched his body around in midair in defiance of all reason.

His legs slammed into the building's outer wall. The wall exploded, sending stone and dust flying. Wu Biao's body, however, was like a spring compressed to its limit. He vanished in an instant.

When he reappeared, he was beside Kenpachi, who was still soaring high into the air.

Though Kenpachi was in midair with nowhere to push off from, he wasn't afraid in the slightest. He swung his Zanpakuto straight at Wu Biao's head.

Wu Biao gave a cold laugh. The bones he had forcibly shifted snapped back into place. Using the force of their return, he slid sideways in a bizarre motion, dodging the slash aimed at his head. But he couldn't avoid it completely. The blade cut deep into his shoulder, spraying blood into the air.

The intense spiritual pressure tore at his flesh.

But it didn't make Wu Biao afraid. Instead, it filled him with an indescribable excitement.

The pain was like some kind of stimulant, bringing his mind to a state of clarity he had never experienced before.

Ignoring the agony in his shoulder, Wu Biao shot out a hand and grabbed Kenpachi around the waist. His fingers were like iron hooks, digging deep into Kenpachi's flesh. Kenpachi's spiritual pressure had strengthened his body's defenses, but Wu Biao's full-strength grip still broke through them!

Kenpachi's brow lifted slightly from the pain, but he didn't let out so much as a cry. He turned the Zanpakuto in his hand and thrust it toward Wu Biao at his waist.

But once Wu Biao got hold of someone, it was always bad news. His body was as supple as a noodle. Using the force from his hand, he swung his body around and suddenly appeared behind Kenpachi.

Now!

A cold glint flashed through Wu Biao's eyes. He wrapped his arms around Kenpachi's shoulders, curled into a ball, and planted both feet against Kenpachi's back.

Joint Lock Combat Technique!

The two of them fell toward the ground like stones.

Even Kenpachi was stunned for an instant by this incomparably bizarre fighting technique.

His arms were restrained. Under the terrifying strain, his shoulder bones creaked as if they were about to give way. The pain between his joints made even Kenpachi, who treated pain as nothing, frown.

Thud!

The two of them slammed into the dirt. The powerful impact sent them tumbling apart in opposite directions.

Yet each turned in midair and landed as if nothing had happened.

Bare-chested, Wu Biao planted his feet on the ground and wore a mocking smile.

Battles were rarely decided by strength alone.

Technique was a major factor, too. Wu Biao's strength was simply so superhuman that he could often overwhelm any skill with brute force. He hardly ever needed to use technique, but that didn't mean his fighting skills were weak.

On the contrary, his fighting skills were excellent.

Joint locks, palm strikes, punches, even finger techniques—Wu Biao had mastered them all. In a way, he was a hand-to-hand combat expert!

He yearned for the thrill of fists landing against flesh, which made him all the more devoted to learning every kind of fighting technique.

In other words, Wu Biao was at his strongest in close combat.

With his terrifying strength and a dazzling array of fighting techniques, Wu Biao was... a close-combat expert!

Joint locks were arguably the fighting technique he had mastered best!

Because he didn't kill people!

The fastest way to make an opponent lose the ability to fight was, without a doubt, to kill them. But there was another fighting technique that could achieve the same thing: joint locks!

Joint locks were a distinct form of close-range combat developed to target the body's joints. Joints were relatively fragile parts of the body and easy to damage.

Once an opponent was caught in a joint lock, they could lose the ability to fight in the blink of an eye!

Fighters skilled in joint locks were truly fearsome. Once a master of the technique got close, the nightmare began!

Any part of your body could become their target. These fighters knew all about the small joints protected by muscles, and they were skilled at damaging them.

Crack, crack, crack—

Kenpachi moved his backward-bent shoulder. With a series of crisp cracks, he used his spiritual pressure to forcibly reset the dislocated joint, all while keeping his expression blank.

He seemed not to feel any pain at all. Wu Biao was stunned by the sight.

"What kind of technique is that?" Kenpachi asked.

Wu Biao looked at Kenpachi strangely. He suddenly realized that things might be different in this world. Maybe joint locks weren't as effective as he had expected. He had forgotten that spiritual pressure existed here!

But so what!

The corner of Wu Biao's mouth lifted into a grin as savage as Kenpachi's.

"It's called a joint lock. Want to learn? I can teach you!"

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