Now's Our Chance to Take You Out!

The most terrifying thing is that at this moment, she is actually feeling an unparalleled... pleasure!

"It brings back so many memories~"

His lips curled up uncontrollably, revealing a sinister smile.

As her vision gradually turned blood-red, the memories of killings that had been suppressed for thousands of years surged back like a tide. She understood that the so-called "healing" was nothing more than bandaging a festering wound and forgetting that she was already a rotten person riddled with holes and broken beyond repair!

Finally, I don't have to pretend anymore!

She heard herself let out a hoarse, low laugh, the voice sounding eerily unfamiliar.

Shihōin Yoruichi's pupils suddenly contracted.

"Unohana... Captain?"

She had never seen anything like it before.

The once elegant and composed Fourth Division Captain now had half his body covered in hideous bone armor, and a scarlet eye was visible through his disheveled black hair. He looked more like Menos Grande than a Shinigami.

Even more terrifying was the spiritual pressure, so violent that it caused the surrounding rain to freeze in the air and the air to become extremely heavy. It was unclear whether it was simply mental pressure or something else.

"Back off! Everyone back off!"

Yoruichi shouted sharply, and at the same time, golden Lightning Bolt exploded around her. Shunkō in her fully activated state, she still felt difficulty breathing.

This hadn't even begun, and she hadn't lost in terms of spiritual pressure, but rather in the instinctive trembling she felt when the predator pressed Jin.

"Kurotsuchi Mayuri! Retreat with the wounded!"

There was no response. Yoruichi caught a glimpse of the mad scientist standing there, his golden eyes gleaming with a morbid excitement.

He's insane! He's definitely unreliable!

She cursed inwardly, but had no time to pay attention.

The Unohana —no, it should be called "Yachiru" now—is slowly approaching.

The long sword scraped against the ground with a teeth-grinding sound. With each step, the killing intent intensified. When they reached a distance close enough to engage in combat, even breathing became difficult. Yoruichi felt as if he were immersed in a pool of blood, each rise and fall of his chest inhaling that ominous liquid.

"Am I going to die...? This isn't what I imagined."

Yoruichi twitched the corner of her mouth and assumed Hakuda fighting stance. The Lightning Bolt that flashed across her fist seemed so powerless.

"This is... a terrible feeling..."

She is not a weak person; in fact, she is quite strong—both in body and mind.

But she knew her own limitations and how important Unohana Retsu was. As the heir to Great Noble, she was also one of the few people who knew about his past.

The First Kenpachi only to Captain-General Yamamoto in strength among the Thirteenth Division, and might even be superior in terms of swordsmanship alone... With her immature "Shunkō", the probability of defeating her would be negligible.

Speaking of which, I really have to thank Iori. That man innovated and developed the next stage of Flash Step Roar, and he generously shared his knowledge with her, teaching her the "Second Stage." This gave her the confidence to World War I a veteran captain like Unohana, instead of being one-sidedly crushed.

"Senior, do you still remember your name?"

"Unohana Yachiru ... You can use my original name, or you can call me 'Retsu' as well."

"Given Captain Hikifune Kirio's current condition, I honestly think the chances are slim, but I'll still ask you one question—are you willing to fight me?"

"... That's a strange thing to say, it's like I'm treating you as an opponent."

The long sword sliced through the wind, emitting a low, chanting sound.

"Aren't all these bodies here?"

"Ha!"

Yoruichi's pupils shrank sharply. "It's truly an honor to spar with you, senior!"

She took a deep breath and channeled all her spiritual pressure into her limbs. If she was going to die in battle, she should at least tear off the other's mask.

No, in the end she's just a crazy woman, and it's still too early to tell who will win!

The rain intensified.

Meanwhile, on another battlefield not too far away, Kyōraku Shunsui clutched his right arm, blood seeping from between his fingers, but he felt no pain at all, simply looking calmly at his opponent.

Rain streamed down his straw hat, narrowing his vision, but he made no attempt to remove it.

At least... I don't want to see that face.

—If someone were to die here today.

In the rain, two figures passed each other, the light of their blades slicing through the rain, and the splashing water instantly vaporized under the spiritual pressure.

Kyōraku Shunsui's twin swords "Katen Kyōkotsu" and Fujitora Shijuro's "Sōgyo no Kotowari" clashed in the rain, sparks flying everywhere!

The two Shunpo almost in sync, each dodge and pursuit mirroring the other, as if they were practicing in front of a mirror.

"Clang--!"

It was another evenly matched strike. Shunsui used the momentum to leap back, his eyes serious beneath his straw hat. Jushiro's breathing was as steady as ever, his pale face showing no sign of fatigue, a stark contrast to the sickly, beloved friend he remembered.

Only at this moment can one realize that the two are actually quite similar in swordsmanship and Taijutsu, with Jushiro even having a greater advantage in talent, while Shunsui is more experienced and skilled.

If it comes down to the end, Shunsui will undoubtedly be the victor.

"It really brings back memories..."

Shunsui shook his numb wrist and said with a wry smile, "The last time we clashed swords like this was two hundred years ago, wasn't it?"

"That was a good day. Not only was the weather nice, but I also had a rare burst of energy... Of course, it can't compare to now."

Jushiro slightly turned his body, and the blade of the Pisces sword gleamed with a faint blue light.

Shunsui's pupils contracted—

"The waves become my shield, the thunder my blade."

"[The wind stirs the flowers, the flower goddess weeps—] "

The two men shouted their liberation slogans simultaneously!

The next Flash Step, the azure whirlwind was released, absorbed and returned by the Sōgyo no Kotowari, and then intercepted by the Shunsui's follow-up attack. The two collided violently, and the light and flame of the Kido exploded, evaporating the rain curtain within a radius of a hundred meters!

Jushiro's offensive was not disrupted by the Shikai; on the contrary, it became even more fierce.

Shunsui narrowed his eyes and suddenly lowered his body. "Bujin Kōraku!"

A high-speed spinning slash aimed at Jushiro's lower body, but was easily dodged by his nimble footwork. Jushiro even followed up with a counter-attack of "Sōkatsui," forcing Shunsui to defend with "Splitting Void."

"I wasn't fooled after all!"

Cold sweat beaded on Shunsui's forehead. "Wasn't his intelligence affected either?"

His move just now actually contained a hidden trick. If you had used Sōgyo no Kotowari's ability to counter it, he would have found a small opening. However, Jushiro's actions were unusually cautious, as if he already knew.

"This is truly unusual. It's one thing for others, but you actually..."

Shunsui's voice was low and somber. In the past, even in the most tense situations, he would always make jokes to ease the atmosphere, but now he couldn't laugh at all.

"Jushiro, are you alright now?"

"Hmm... it feels pretty good..."

With a full head of white hair, an exposed upper body, and a bulge of flesh on his chest connected to writhing blood vessels extending throughout his body, the once handsome but sickly man looked like a grotesque and repulsive demon.

Jushiro is not simply a Grim Reaper; the power of a "god" resides within him. Few people know this secret, but Shunsui is one of them.

So when Jushiro went missing, although he was worried, he didn't think that the power of the Hollow could erode Jushiro... but the truth was unexpected.

The source of the erosion... could it have already interfered with the "realm of the gods"?!

"Don't move, Jushiro."

Shunsui calmly said, "Don't do anything now. Think more about the things you like... if you still remember."

Don't let bad things control you... Leave the rest to me, I'll definitely resolve it perfectly.

If I can't do it, Iori will definitely find a way. We mustn't give up!

"I know... I will try my best, but... you probably need to worry about more than just me."

"What—uh!"

Bone growths shaped like withered tree branches grew wildly from the wound on her right arm. Shunsui felt a sharp pain attack her brain, and in shock, she felt weak all over and involuntarily knelt on the ground.

"Impossible... when... this!"

"Just like us."

Jushiro seemed to still maintain a certain level of rationality, and shook his head when he saw Shunsui's expression.

"Without any warning, without even encountering the enemy, suddenly someone in the team started to become Hollowfication, and then it spread like a contagious disease..."

"... This is a huge problem."

Shunsui pursed her lips, feeling Reishi intense conflict within her body. For a moment, even her movements became stiff, let alone continuing the fight.

"What a sorry sight, my two senior brothers!"

A clear, cold voice pierced the rain, Iori Aizen's figure appeared in the center of the battlefield, his Zanpakuto "Mirror Water" gleaming with a cold, silvery light in the rain.

He raised his hand and waved it, the blade flashing like a crescent moon—

"Whoosh!"

Shunsui's right arm bone snapped instantly; though only one cut was made, it cleared away all the dense and tangled branches.

Before Shunsui could even cry out in pain, Iori swiftly Hand Seals with his left hand: "Kidō #99— "

Pure white bandages instantly wrapped around Shunsui's right arm, and in that instant he felt that he could no longer feel his right hand at all, which showed the strength of the seal.

"Iori ..."

Shunsui, panting heavily, looked both surprised and delighted. "I knew you wouldn't listen obediently; you would definitely catch up!"

But then he saw that the other party had already turned around to face Jushiro.

"Captain Ukitake."

Iori lightly touched the ground with the tip of her blade, and the raindrops shattered into pearls on the edge. "I don't want to see you like this either... but I have something very important to figure out, and I won't show any mercy even to you."

"Ah, I know... I'm sorry, I couldn't protect her."

Jushiro's pupils contracted slightly, the fleshy tentacles on his chest twitched uneasily, and a sorrowful and self-reproachful expression appeared on his face.

Iori smiled, her sorrow shining through her eyes. "It's alright, I'll bear her last wish."

Chapter 581 I'll kill you now!

Raindrops shattered into silver flakes on the blade, and in the hazy light and shadow, the Zanpakuto gradually lost its shape, making it impossible for others to catch its form.

Call out!

Iori's figure vanished suddenly, and the next second she appeared to the left of Jushiro.

There was no burst of spiritual pressure, no flash of Kido light, just the most basic Shunpo —yet it was so fast that even the rain couldn't fall in time.

With Mirror Water horizontal slash, the Jushiro was separated the Unassailable an inch. Ukitake hastily raised his sword to block, but Iori flipped his wrist, and the blade slid past the Sōgyo no Kotowari's defense like a swimming fish, drawing a line of blood under Jushiro's ribs.

Laugh!

Show no mercy!

"Cough!"

Jushiro staggered backward, the tentacles on his chest wriggling wildly, almost instantly repairing the damage to his body.

But at that moment, Iori had already circled behind him and kicked him hard in the back of the knee.

Click!

The sound of bones cracking was clearly audible.

The instant Jushiro knelt, Iori's sword hilt struck him precisely on the back of the neck. The force of the blow was perfectly controlled—enough to shake his mind, but not enough to kill him.

Bang!

As Jushiro collapsed to the ground, Iori's Zanpakuto was already hanging down.

Three moves, all basic Taijutsu, without even using advanced skills like Shunkō, and he easily subdued the Hollowfication Fujitora Shijuro.