Lin Nan and Senjumaru's success greatly encouraged the Soul Reaper soldiers and the Stealth Force present.
Lin Nan's Kido, in particular, was so powerful and effective that it was the best morale booster on the battlefield.
Cheers erupted from behind the battle line formed by the 2nd Division and the Stealth Force.
However, Lin Nan knew that although his fighting style seemed intimidating, it was actually very risky. Fundamentally, the enemies present were still at the same level as him, with little difference in skill, and there were many of them. Under these circumstances, any mistake could bring him bloodshed.
While the tactics we just used were effective, they were only good for killing the enemy. Now we need to use a fully incanted Kido. In the ever-changing battlefield, such opportunities don't come every time.
If your spellcasting is interrupted, it will be a lesson learned the hard way.
Furthermore, given the rule in Soul Society that "whoever explains their abilities first falls first," if this move is seen by later enemies, its effectiveness will be greatly reduced the next time it's used. It might even lead to falling into a trap set by the enemy.
Even with Ukitake behind him, he could use his Shikai to launch a surprise attack on the enemy, but the number of enemies was too large, and after using it once, the enemy would inevitably be on guard.
No matter how sophisticated the tactics, they cannot bridge the gap in overall combat strength.
"It seems I'll have to rely on basic attacks to solve this." Lin Nan thought to himself, swinging his Zanpakuto and charging into the enemy ranks. He used Shadow Step Stealth stealthily maneuver among the enemies, waiting for an opportunity to deliver a fatal blow.
While the individual combat capabilities of the rebels were all at the Seated Officer, each person had different strengths and training focuses. In other words, each had their own weaknesses.
Especially for the rebels who do not have Zanpakuto as their standard weapon, their weapon training is far less formal and effective than that of the Soul Reaper.
Moreover, when facing enemies of roughly the same level, the Asauchi, enhanced by compressed spiritual pressure, can increase its attack power by at least three times, and can penetrate their Soul Art defenses without any doubt, causing effective damage.
To the Soul Reaper Gods behind him, Lin Nan, trapped in the enemy ranks, was like a sword saint, effortlessly cutting through enemy lines. His Asauchi with a faint light as it moved swiftly in all directions. Within three to five moves, the rebel soldiers surrounding him would inevitably be wounded or even killed.
Some team members were already whispering among themselves, "This guy is the Captain-Commander's top disciple? He's got some skills!"
"Yes! Look at his fighting spirit, he really has the demeanor of the Captain-Commander!"
"What's wrong with his knife? Why is it emitting light even though its appearance hasn't changed?"
"... I don't know. Maybe it's his Shikai? I have to say, he's quite beautiful."
The Soul Reaper's emotions soared, and their cheers and shouts even surpassed the sounds of the battle and the brief explosions of the Kido.
While fighting the rebels, Lin Nan was secretly apprehensive. Although he had optimized the "Spiritual Pressure Blade" technique using the Kido method, this method still had a significant cost.
After all, each swing of the sword is equivalent to activating a Kido.
Lin Nan, who is proficient in three different styles of Zanjutsu, is far faster and more powerful than an ordinary Soul Reaper. However, he now realizes that his attack speed is habitually too fast, so fast that his spiritual pressure replenishment cannot keep up with the rate of consumption.
Speed, indeed, is every man's greatest enemy.
Fortunately, most of his enemies couldn't last ten rounds before being killed by his single strike. Although enemy attacks occasionally landed on him, the defense of his spiritual pressure blade and the protection of his Rei-Pressure Shell meant he was largely unharmed.
Moreover, looking at Senjumaru's side, the speed at which she killed enemies was not much slower than theirs. In fact, because Senjumaru attacked first, there were even more corpses at her feet than on their side.
Seeing the occasional smug look that Senjumaru cast his way, Lin Nan narrowed his eyes in anger. "Trying to show off your superiority to me again, huh?"
He swung his sword, felling the nearest enemy, and shouted, " Ukitake! Prepare!"
To the astonishment of those present, he vanished from his spot once more, only to reappear above a small group of enemies.
With his left hand in a palm shape, he aimed at the enemy below. " Hadō #63: Raikōhō..."
Upon hearing Lin Nan's voice, the enemies below simultaneously chanted and released Bakudō to defend against Lin Nan's surprise attack.
Instantly, various defensive Bakudō —tortoise shell shaped, round, square, and other different Kido —opened up above the rebels' heads.
"You who reign supreme! Mask of flesh and blood, all things, soaring high, crowned with the name of man! The wall of azure fire is inscribed with twin lotuses, the distant heavens await the abyss of great fire— Hadō #73: Twin Strike, Sōren Sōkatsui!"
Lin Nan didn't hesitate at all, and fired two Kido attacks directly at the Ukitake behind him.
The Soul Reaper present, including Yota, were all taken aback.
Why is Lin Nan putting Kido into his team?! Is he crazy?
As Lin Nan's figure floated in the air, Ukitake took a step forward, arriving in front of all the team members, drawing his sword and pointing it at him. "All the flowing waves are my shield; all the lightning is my blade— Sōgyo no Kotowari!"
The twin Sōren Sōkatsui, a total of four beams of azure light, shot straight towards the Ukitake.
The Soul Reaper Slayer beside him couldn't help but close his eyes.
However, after a silent flash, a beam of light, even thicker than before, shot straight towards the enemy in a horizontal direction.
The rebel elites, having no time to raise a second layer of defensive Bakudō, could only watch helplessly as the azure-blue light of destruction hurtled towards them.
A flash of bright light and an explosion followed, and Lin Nan's kill count surpassed Senjumaru's once again. This made Senjumaru very resentful.
As expected, another cheer erupted from the Soul Reaper's ranks.
This teamwork, this awareness... what does it mean to be a genius disciple of the Gen Style? This is it!
Encouraged by Lin Nan, the Soul Reaper soldiers present were once again invigorated. More and more Kido soldiers appeared in mid-air, attempting to engage in close combat.
Suddenly, the battle, which had previously shown signs of weakness, began to show signs of taking the initiative to defend itself.
Even Ukitake wielded dual swords and joined the melee combat.
" Ukitake! Why are you out here too? Your health..." Lin Nan hurriedly called out Ukitake's name, afraid that he would be put in a passive position.
"It's alright, my health has recently recovered well, and my physical strength is fine!" Ukitake replied with a relaxed expression as he joined other soldiers in attacking a rebel.
With Sōgyo no Kotowari like Zanpakuto, Ukitake really doesn't need to worry too much—who wouldn't love a sword that can absorb any form of attack and reflect it back?
As the defending forces began to rebuild, they managed to surround the rebel militia with a casualty ratio of 2:1 or even higher.
Half an hour passed in the blink of an eye, and the rebels had lost at least two-thirds of their fighting strength.
Suddenly, all the surviving elite rebel warriors present shuddered, immediately stopped in their tracks, and turned to run wildly towards the outside of the square.
The Soul Reaper and the Stealth Force members present were stunned for a moment, then erupted in loud cheers.
Despite heavy casualties, they ultimately held this place.
Looking at the cheering Soul Reaper Squad members around him, Lin Nan felt a strong wave of dizziness wash over him. He swayed slightly and quickly found a flat spot to sit down.
Ukitake quickly stepped forward to help him up. " Lin Nan, are you alright?"
Lin Nan closed his eyes and shook his head slightly, saying, "It's nothing. I just haven't slept for a day and a night, and with all the fighting, my spiritual pressure is severely depleted."
After directly experiencing the spiritual pressure of Captain-level being in Rukongai, he fully understood what the absolute pressure brought by a difference in strength meant.
It was an oppressive feeling that made it hard to breathe. So much so that he once doubted whether Unohana had gone easy on him when he survived their sword fight.
When will I be able to possess such immense spiritual pressure?
"You should rest for a while. The enemy has retreated, and we can take a short break." Seeing that Lin Nan's eyes were closed, Ukitake quickly and earnestly called his name.
"Forget it, we can't rest. We should press our advantage." Lin Nan shook his head, slightly out of breath. "They're not a rabble; someone's directing them from behind."
"But your current condition..." Ukitake was only halfway through his sentence when Yota and Senjumaru appeared behind Lin Nan at the same time. The two immediately expressed their concern for Lin Nan.
"It's nothing. I can still fight." Lin Nan supported himself as he stood up, took a deep breath, and said.
"Why must we pursue them now?" Yota said from behind Lin Nan. "Our goal is to protect Seireitei, not just kill the enemy!"
"I can't explain it either. Their sudden retreat must mean they have something to do," Lin Nan murmured, staggering a step and using the scabbard for support.
"Besides, the 1st Division is probably under a lot of pressure too. Why don't we go and support them first?"