Lin Nan sighed inwardly. Kyoraku Shunsui was nothing like the future version of himself, whose flippant, laid-back exterior hid a deep and thoughtful nature. What could have happened to make him become the man he'd be someday?
Though questions filled his mind, the long chopsticks in his hand had already shot out, thrusting straight up at an angle. Their tips struck the pressure point at Kyoraku's right elbow.
At the same time, the top from before suddenly emerged from the shadow of the wall beside them and flew straight at Lin Nan's temple!
Lin Nan barely had time to think. Acting on instinct, he flicked out his left hand and neatly knocked the top out of the darkness with his chopsticks.
A thought flashed through his mind. The top's angle of attack had been almost perpendicular to the wall. There was no way it could have flown there directly.
Could it be Kyoraku Shunsui's Kageoni?
It was an ability that let him enter and hide in shadows. He could not only move between them but even launch attacks from within them. It was one of Kyoraku Shunsui's signature techniques.
But Kageoni was supposed to be an ability of his Zanpakuto. Could Shunsui already have a Zanpakuto?
Kyoraku felt a sharp numbness in his right arm, and the short whip in his hand nearly slipped free. Startled and confused, he landed and quickly backed away a few steps, rubbing his elbow as he asked, "Did you study Zanjutsu before you went to visit that old man? Which school did you learn?"
Lin Nan looked innocent and shook his head. "No, I haven't learned anything."
A hint of anger crossed Kyoraku's face. He raised his voice. "Impossible! Don't think you can fool me! You couldn't have pulled off that move just now unless you were familiar with weapons in both hands!"
"I'm telling the truth. I really haven't studied it. I made those moves without thinking. The moment just felt right. If I'm lying, may your whole family die."
"Are you saying you've never had anything to do with Zanjutsu?!"
Standing in place with a long chopstick in each hand, Lin Nan blinked in confusion. After a hesitant pause, he said, "If you mean having some experience, I've traded a few blows with Unohana Yachiru... Does that count?"
"W-what?" Kyoraku Shunsui's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. "You fought Captain Unohana and came back in one piece?!"
Lin Nan looked down at himself. "Not exactly. I got hurt and needed about three days to recover."
Kyoraku narrowed his eyes again. The guy in front of him clearly had no intention of telling the truth. How could anyone recover after just three days of rest from a wound inflicted by Unohana Kenpachi?
"Looks like you won't tell the truth unless I show you what I can really do. Prepare yourself for a genius's strength!" Kyoraku Shunsui tucked the short whip into his sash, cupped the top in both hands, and formed a triangle with his fingers.
Then he brought his hands together, blocking the moonlight from reaching the top.
"Hadō #11: Tsuzuri Raiden!"
The top glimmered with a faint blue light in his hands, then vanished in an instant.
He could already use Kido? Lin Nan tensed, instantly on his guard.
Kido was a type of magic-like technique in Bleach. It was divided into Hadō, geared toward offense; Bakudō, used for defense and restraint; and healing spells.
Ranging from low to high, Hadō and Bakudō were each assigned numbers from one to one hundred. By chanting an incantation, a practitioner could perform the complete chant and unleash the full Kido spell.
However, in battle, Soul Reapers who had enough spiritual pressure to wield a particular Kido would often abandon the chant to seize fleeting opportunities. By reciting only the spell's number and name, they could cast it quickly.
But in exchange for speed, an unchanted Kido had only one-third the power of the fully chanted version.
Lin Nan focused, keeping a wary eye on the shadows around him. If Kyoraku could already use Kageoni, then the top would surely attack from one of the shadows nearby!
In an instant, the sparking top suddenly appeared from the shadow beneath Lin Nan's feet, like a phantom! Crackling softly, it traced a bright arc through the air and shot straight toward the space between his brows!
Lin Nan's heart sank. He'd forgotten about his own shadow. Instinctively, he leaped high and backflipped, landing far behind himself and well beyond the top's likely range.
Just as his feet touched the ground, a relaxed smile suddenly appeared at the corner of Kyoraku Shunsui's mouth.
"Hadō #12: Fushibi."
Lin Nan's eyes widened, but it was already too late to react.
Flames surged skyward from the ground beneath his feet!
Licks of fire appeared beneath Lin Nan in an instant, coiling like a giant orange-red serpent ready to squeeze him to death. The blazing flames were about to swallow him whole.
"Damn it!" Lin Nan panicked and immediately leaped backward again as his feet touched down, trying to get away from the fiery serpent.
But as he moved, the bright orange-red flames changed shape with him. Two streams branched off from the fire, forming a dense network of flames like the limbs of a tree, and raced toward the spot where Lin Nan would land.
In a flash, a dense web of fire had been woven, waiting for Lin Nan to fall into its trap.
Midair, cold sweat appeared on Lin Nan's forehead for the first time. In another second, he was going to land right on top of the fiery net!
In his desperation, he couldn't think of any good way to break through.
The only thing I can do is smash the ground with brute force and use the impact to resist the flames... I can only hope the fire is attached to the ground.
With that hazy thought in mind, Lin Nan gathered all his strength and slammed his right fist into the ground!
Under the night sky, his right hand—and seemingly his whole body—was wrapped in a faint, indistinct blue glow.
Boom!
The tremendous force shattered the paving stones. At the same time, surging flames shot up from the ground and engulfed Lin Nan!
Fragments of stone flew in every direction. Amid drifting sparks and billowing smoke, a human-shaped fireball flickered in and out of sight.
Kyoraku Shunsui sneered. "That won't work. Fushibi isn't a Kido spell attached to the surface of an object. Destroying the ground won't help you. Just relax and turn into roast pork!"
But the next second, he saw a figure burst out of the smoke from another angle, charging straight at him!
"Wearing an extra layer of clothes comes in handy!"
Lin Nan burst through the smoke, his right foot flying toward Kyoraku's chest.
The moment the flames erupted, he had quickly torn off the outer robe he'd been wearing over his clothes, using it to hold back the flames for a moment. Before the robe could catch fire, he'd taken the opportunity to leap into a blind spot in the attack.
Kyoraku saw in the moonlight that Lin Nan had emerged completely unharmed, with only his face slightly blackened by smoke. He raised an eyebrow.
"Quick on your feet! Then here's another surprise for you!"
He beckoned with his left hand, and the metal top appeared in his palm. Then he rubbed it between both hands, sending it spinning toward Lin Nan's feet.
"Bushōgoma!"
At Kyoraku Shunsui's shout, a huge, visible whirlwind sprang up out of nowhere around the top, enclosing Lin Nan!
The fierce whirlwind not only restricted Lin Nan's movements but also stirred the flames around them. Driven by the wind, the fire surged higher, transforming into a blazing tornado more than twice a person's height!
Lin Nan's heart tightened. Kido is such a pain to deal with! This stuff is basically magic!
In desperation, he shouted, "Bakudō #81: Dankū!"
Kyoraku Shunsui's eyes widened in surprise. "You can use a level-eighty-one Kido?!"
Then a question crossed his mind.
Wait, isn't Dankū only supposed to block attacks from one direction? It won't help him here, will it?
Though he couldn't yet use Kido above level fifteen, Kyoraku had grown up surrounded by it, with a Soul Reaper for an older brother. He knew the names and effects of Kido inside out.
Seeing Lin Nan use Dankū while surrounded on all sides immediately made him feel that something was wrong.
Kyoraku was puzzled for a moment, but when he saw no sign of Kido in the flames, he immediately came to his senses. "Damn it! You tricked me!"
Before he could finish speaking, a figure wrapped in black smoke took advantage of his distraction, broke through the fiery tornado from the side, and flashed to his flank. "That's right. It's called a feint!"
A huge fist struck Kyoraku right in the face.
"Die!"
Before you continue