Getsuga Tensho was the signature move of Ichigo Kurosaki, the protagonist of the Bleach world.
But Isshin Shiba—Ichigo Kurosaki's future father—used a different kind of Getsuga Tensho.
Isshin's Getsuga Tensho was a close-range slash that combined spiritual pressure with flames.
During the Battle of Karakura Town, Isshin even wounded Aizen, who had fused with the Hogyoku, using his Getsuga Tensho.
That showed just how powerful the move was.
But the opponent Isshin faced now wielded Age of Gods Magecraft from the Type-Moon World.
Any Age of Gods Magecraft spell, used in the modern era of the Type-Moon World, rivaled True Magic in power, because it contained magical energy called True Ether.
In the Type-Moon World, True Ether was also known as the Fifth True Element. It was the power that nurtured planets and the substance that made up celestial bodies.
So even though Isshin's Getsuga Tensho was powerful, it still couldn't cancel out every magical beam in a single strike.
Boom!
Flames and smoke billowed up from the explosion, blocking Isshin's vision, but they couldn't mask his sense of danger.
Not daring to hesitate, Isshin hurriedly used Flash Step to leave his position.
At the very moment Isshin used Flash Step to get away, golden magical beams pierced through the barrier of flames and smoke and continued to pursue him.
Isshin had no idea what the magical beams were. He couldn't sense any spiritual pressure from them, yet they were terrifyingly powerful.
Most importantly, why were these magical beams tracking him?
Could they sense his spiritual pressure and follow it, like Binding Kido #58, Kakushitsuijaku?
The beams gave Isshin no time to think. They were already bearing down on him.
Isshin didn't dare let his guard down. He used Getsuga Tensho again.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
As one booming explosion after another rang out, barriers of flame and smoke rose throughout the underground base.
"Getsuga... Tensho!"
With a shout, Isshin brought his Zanpakuto down once more, striking the last magical beam.
Even Isshin was panting now.
His repeated use of Flash Step and the constant release of Getsuga Tensho were steadily draining his stamina.
Only then could Isshin finally turn his gaze toward Gilgamesh.
The moment he did, the veins in Isshin's forehead began to throb.
In Isshin's eyes, Gilgamesh still sat on the Golden Throne, radiating kingly authority as he brooded over something. He hadn't paid any attention to Isshin at all.
So Isshin's battle just now hadn't even caught Gilgamesh's notice.
To Gilgamesh, it might not have even counted as a fight.
Isshin took a deep breath and forced down his urge to use Bankai, struggling to calm his anger.
Isshin's Bankai placed an enormous burden on his body and could only be used when his spiritual pressure was stable.
Stable spiritual pressure meant that if Isshin had just fought a major battle, he wouldn't be able to use Bankai.
So if Isshin wanted to use Bankai, he had to do it before the battle began or while the fight was still relatively calm.
And after activating Bankai, its heavy toll on his body meant Isshin had to win quickly.
If he couldn't, defeat was inevitable.
Because the conditions for using Bankai were so restrictive, Isshin rarely used it.
But if he couldn't use Bankai, how could he defeat Gilgamesh?
Isshin was confident he could break through the magical barrier around the Golden Throne. He just wasn't sure whether more magical beams would come after it fell.
Or whether Gilgamesh had even stronger attacks.
Isshin exhaled heavily.
He knew he had no choice.
Instead of approaching Gilgamesh, Isshin raised his right hand and aimed his palm at him, chanting loudly.
"O Ruler!"
"Flesh-and-blood mask, all creation, beating wings, bearing the name of Man!"
"Engrave Twin Lotuses upon the wall of blue flame, and await the great blaze in the distant heavens!"
Terrifying spiritual power gathered in Isshin's right palm, turning into roiling, violent blue flames.
"Hado #73: Twin Lotus Sokatsui!"
At Isshin's shout, the roiling blue flames split apart, surging toward Gilgamesh from every direction. Their paths resembled twin blue lotuses in bloom.
Boom!
A violent explosion sent up a barrier of blue flames and smoke.
Isshin's expression turned grave. He gripped his Zanpakuto tightly, watching for any magical beams that might appear.
After waiting a moment without seeing any beams, Isshin finally let out a slight sigh of relief.
The barrier of blue flames and smoke gradually faded, and Isshin immediately saw the cracks in the magical barrier.
He also saw the Golden Throne, entirely unscathed behind the barrier, and Gilgamesh seated upon it.
Gilgamesh was no longer brooding.
Isshin assumed his attack had worked and caught Gilgamesh's attention.
His spirits lifted, and he decided to press on and break through the magical barrier in one go.
Without hesitation, Isshin began chanting Twin Lotus Sokatsui again, keeping his raised palm aimed at Gilgamesh.
Isshin didn't notice that all the Noble Phantasms Gilgamesh had sent flying like arrows had vanished. They had returned to the Gate of Babylon and were once again emerging from the golden ripples.
Listening to Isshin chant and watching the blue flames gather in his palm once more, Gilgamesh casually waved a hand.
All the Noble Phantasms emerging from the golden ripples returned to the Gate of Babylon.
But the Golden Ripples didn't disappear, meaning Gilgamesh hadn't closed the Gate of the Gods.
Only then did Isshin notice what had happened. His heart shuddered; yet another thing had happened that he couldn't understand.
Isshin couldn't figure out why Gilgamesh had recalled all his Noble Phantasms. Had he given up, or did he have another way to attack?
Isshin's chant didn't stop as he pondered.
"Hado #73: Twin Lotus Sokatsui!"
With Isshin's shout, another torrent of blue flames surged violently toward Gilgamesh.
But this time, before the flames could reach him, they were scattered by a mass of chains.
In Isshin's eyes, golden chains with spearpoint-like tips emerged from hundreds, even thousands, of golden ripples.
Then Gilgamesh's voice rang in his ears—youthful, domineering, dignified, and full of interest.
"Shinigami, since you call yourselves gods, let me see whether these Chains of Heaven, which can even bind the gods, can bind you!"
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