We're Both Captains, So Our Strength Should Be About the Same, Right? / The Secret to Getting Stronger: Start by Going Bald

Kuchiki Ginrei thought to herself.

From childhood, he was most confident in his martial arts skills, and his family had been cultivating his abilities.

"An hour! That's plenty of time for me to find a safe place to hide." Kuchiki Ginrei's eyes gleamed with confidence; the advantage in this training was mine.

The body of the Kuchiki Ginrei darted swiftly through the deep mountains and forests.

This time, Yamabuki Chidori didn't resort to any underhanded tricks; she simply sat on the ground, quietly counting the time.

Soon, an hour had passed.

It's time for this young man to be taught a lesson by society once again.

Yamabuki Chidori didn't even draw her sword. Instead, she randomly picked up a thick wooden stick, swung it around in her hand a couple of times, and found it quite comfortable to hold.

The next second, Yamabuki Chidori suddenly disappeared from the spot, without concealing her Reiatsu at all.

But Kuchiki Ginrei was completely unaware of the approaching danger.

The difference in Reiatsu between the two sides was so great that it was impossible to perceive it at all.

Just like when Isshin Kurosaki faced Aizen, he couldn't sense the Reiatsu from the other side at all.

Kuchiki Ginrei felt a little relieved; it seemed she only needed to hide in the forest for twenty-seven days.

This forest is very large; there's more than enough room for one person to hide.

The most important thing now is what I should eat for the next twenty-odd days.

Just thinking about the yakitori she made made made Kuchiki Ginrei's facial muscles twitch; that bird was just too awful.

Just as Kuchiki Ginrei was pondering what to have for lunch, a voice rang out. "Isn't it a bit too early to be so leisurely?"

When Kuchiki Ginrei looked up, she saw Yamabuki Chidori appear in a tree not far away, holding a wooden stick and looking at her with a grin.

"How could that be? Have you been following me all this time?"

"Why would I be in the mood for such petty tricks? I already said that if I catch you, I'll give you a good beating! Struggle all you want, the more you struggle, the happier I am. Besides, in this deep mountain forest, even if you scream your lungs out, no one will come to save you!" Yamabuki Chidori laughed.

Kuchiki Ginrei bravely drew her Zanpakuto: "The outcome is still uncertain, let's fight!"

Chapter 76: We're both Captain, our strength should be about the same, right?

Yamabuki Chidori never expected the other party to be so brave.

I'm growing to like this young man more and more.

In truth, Kuchiki Ginrei's thoughts were simple: you're the Captain Captain, and so am I; our strength shouldn't be too different.

Even if you are stronger than me, you can't possibly crush me.

"Step into the journey home, Oblivion River!" Kuchiki Ginrei immediately activated her Shikai, and white Higanbana grew from the ground, turning a ten-kilometer radius into a sea of white flowers.

"Although it's not the first time I've seen you, your Shikai is still very beautiful! Do all the people in your family have a thing for flowers?" Yamabuki Chidori strode forward with a wooden stick slung over her shoulder, completely unsuspecting.

Kuchiki Ginrei gripped her Zanpakuto with both hands, feeling both excited and nervous.

I never imagined that one day I would be able to have a fair duel with the Chief Strategist. Let me see just how strong you, the so-called legend, really are.

"Flash Step!" Kuchiki Ginrei's body lunged forward at incredible speed, arriving behind Yamabuki Chidori in an instant.

"Chief Strategist, it's over. As long as you're even slightly wounded by my blade, the battle is over!" Kuchiki Ginrei swung her blade backhand and stabbed Yamabuki Chidori in the shoulder.

Yamabuki Chidori seemed completely stunned, standing there blankly as the other's sword pierced her shoulder.

Kuchiki Ginrei's heart pounded wildly. He hadn't expected victory to come so easily. His right hand gripped the hilt of the sword, his left hand braced against the end of the hilt, and he thrust the blade straight forward!

The knife tip pierced Yamabuki Chidori's shoulder hard.

However, the expected feel did not materialize.

The blade didn't feel like it was piercing flesh at all; it felt more like it was piercing a steel plate.

"Hmm? So you're here?" Yamabuki Chidori slowly turned around and said in a flat, monotone voice.

Kuchiki Ginrei couldn't comprehend the situation before her; cold sweat instantly soaked her forehead and back.

How could that be? Was he wearing armor?

That's certainly a possibility. After all, as the Chief Strategist, you probably have many enemies. Wearing armor at all times is to avoid suicide. You must be exhausted!

But at least I really won't lose!

Since that's the case, then we can only...

Kuchiki Ginrei aimed at Yamabuki Chidori's neck, confident in his control of his strength; he believed that a mere puncture would decide the outcome.

Kuchiki Ginrei's sword flashed like a silver streak, instantly striking Yamabuki Chidori's neck.

However, the sensation was exactly the same as being stabbed in the shoulder; it felt as if his sword was piercing a thick steel plate, not at all like stabbing a person.

"How... how is this possible?" Kuchiki Ginrei was completely dumbfounded.

Yamabuki Chidori tapped her neck with a wooden stick. "You should know that Hollows have an ability called Hard Skin. The higher the Reiatsu, the harder the Hard Skin becomes. Right now, the Hard Skin on my body is so hard that even Captain-level powerhouse couldn't cut through it. Do you want to try some other methods?"

Kuchiki Ginrei stumbled back two steps. For her Shikai to work, she needed to be able to wound the enemy. Now, her attacks couldn't even break through their defenses. Were you kidding me?

"Wait, none of that matters. Why would the Chief Strategist possess the ability of Hard Skin? Isn't that Hollow Power?" Kuchiki Ginrei asked.

Yamabuki Chidori had already found an excuse for this problem.

"I was blessed by the Soul King in my early years, and I can control all the power in this world, but it's just Hollow Power. There's no need to make such a fuss," Yamabuki Chidori with a calm expression.

Kuchiki Ginrei couldn't believe that human skin was harder than a knife. Just as she was about to strike, Yamabuki Chidori suddenly raised her hand and said, "Wait a minute, let me take off my clothes first..."

His Hard Skin could protect his body, but it couldn't protect his clothes!

Ignoring the Kuchiki Ginrei, he gripped his knife with both hands and slashed down fiercely.

"This young man is really hot-tempered!" Yamabuki Chidori swung her wooden stick sharply, striking Kuchiki Ginrei's Zanpakuto. Kuchiki Ginrei felt an overwhelming force coming from the Zanpakuto, and her hands could no longer hold it. The blade flew out of her Zanpakuto and pierced through a large tree in the distance!

Kuchiki Ginrei stood frozen in place, her hands trembling uncontrollably, still in the sword-wielding pose; her entire brain had fried!

What exactly happened just now?

The Chief Strategist seemed to have only waved his wooden stick, so why did my sword fly out with it?

At this moment, Yamabuki Chidori had already taken off her outer coat.

"I'm ready, let's continue fighting!" Yamabuki Chidori said with a smile.

Kuchiki Ginrei arrived beside the large tree and discovered that her Zanpakuto had completely pierced through the tree, up to the hilt.

What a terrifying power this is!

Without a word, Kuchiki Ginrei silently drew her sword.

Impossible! The gap between us couldn't possibly be that big!

Kuchiki Ginrei kept trying to hypnotize herself.

Death has its limits.

In fact, once a Shinigami's strength reaches the Captain-level, further improvement becomes extremely slow.

Just like it would take Tōshirō Hitsugaya at least a hundred years to reach the level of Shunsui Kyōraku.

However, judging from their initial performances, it's unclear how significant the difference in their abilities truly is.

One fought the First Espada, and the other fought the Third Espada. Both suffered minor losses in the early stages. However, in the later stages, Shunsui Kyōraku defeated Coyote Starrk alone, while Toshiro, even with the help of the Visored Army, was unable to defeat Tier Harribel.

In the end, they were all killed instantly by Aizen's sword.

Shunsui Kyōraku is basically the pinnacle of "ordinary" Shinigami (death gods).

Therefore, Kuchiki Ginrei always believed that Yamabuki Chidori was indeed stronger than him, but not to the point of overwhelming him. However, he now realized that he was wrong!

The two sides are simply not on the same level.

"Six-Foot Light Prison!" Kuchiki Ginrei suddenly released his Kidō to bind Yamabuki Chidori, and thrust the knife in his hand fiercely toward Yamabuki Chidori's throat.

"No matter how strong he is, it will take him an instant to break free from the Bakudo, and that brief moment is enough to determine the outcome!" Kuchiki Ginrei thought to herself.

But in the next instant, a dark shadow struck Kuchiki Ginrei Kuchiki Ginrei's sword, sending it spinning wildly like a top before crashing into a tree.

Yamabuki Chidori calmly put her stick away, seemingly unaware of the vast difference in strength between herself and the boy.

"Cough cough cough!" Kuchiki Ginrei staggered to her feet, leaning on her sword. When she opened her mouth, she spat out several teeth, including one of her front teeth that had been knocked out!

"They're both Captain! How could the difference in strength be this great? Bankai, Blood Luo Nie Jing."

The white Higanbana that covered the ground turned into pure red flowers.

He's probably getting desperate!

Chapter 77: The Secret to Becoming Stronger Starts with Becoming Bald

Bankai, Blood Luo Nie Jing.

Once released, this sea of blood-red flowers will frantically devour the Reishi within the enemy's body until the enemy completely disappears from this world.

"I will use the Blood Luo Nie Jing, how will you deal with it!" After releasing his Bankai, Kuchiki Ginrei will merge into the sea of flowers, making it difficult for him to be harmed by either normal attacks or Kidō.

The Yamabuki Chidori was amazed by the spectacular beauty of the sea of flowers before her.

Even if he stood here without moving, it would take at least a hundred or two hundred years to break him down, because there were simply too many Reishi in his body.

"Ginrei, now I'll teach you a lesson." Yamabuki Chidori pointed her right finger to the sky. "The battle of Shinigami is a battle of Reiatsu. Without strong Reiatsu, even the most powerful Zanpakuto cannot unleash its full potential. Watch closely, Hadō #99, Goryū Tenmetsu."

The earth shattered instantly, and five giant silver dragons soared into the sky, blotting out the sun and occupying the entire space.

The ground tremors were as if a magnitude 10 earthquake had struck, and even the distant Seireitei felt the tremors.

The next second, five giant silver dragons shot straight to the ground, and the flower fields within a radius of dozens of miles were instantly and completely destroyed by their overwhelming power.

The entire mountain range's topography has also undergone irreversible changes.

This was even with Yamabuki Chidori trying her best to hold back, afraid of accidentally killing the young man, which would be terrible!

The Kuchiki Clan Kuchiki Clan will surely blame me then, and I will have no choice but to let them be wiped out with tears in my eyes.

Catching an ant without killing it requires very precise control of force.

The tremor of Reiatsu dissipated, and the original mountain range had now turned into a valley. The upper half of the entire mountain had been blasted into powder by the Goryū Tenmetsu, resembling a giant bowl.

Kuchiki Ginrei was lying unconscious in the ruins.

"Sigh!" Yamabuki Chidori carried the Kuchiki Ginrei and left the original place, arriving at the big mountain next door.

Mountain: Hey, don't you dare come any closer!

After an unknown amount of time, Kuchiki Ginrei suddenly regained consciousness and sat up from the ground.

He looked at his hands and realized he was still alive.

Now, the scene that comes to mind when he closes his eyes is that devastating moment: five silver dragons roam freely between heaven and earth, ultimately destroying everything in sight.

Is this really the power that Death can possess?

"Awake? Is anything bothering you? Tell me right now!" Yamabuki Chidori was tending to the fire beside her, on which a pot of meat broth was simmering.

After checking herself to make sure no parts were missing, Kuchiki Ginrei asked with lingering fear, "How many hours did I sleep?"

"A few hours? You've been unconscious for seven days!" Yamabuki Chidori said, "I thought you were going to die here. I have to say, you're too weak to handle anything. I just casually used a Kidō and you couldn't even withstand it? I don't even dare to play for real with you anymore!"

"You casually released a Hadō #99?" Kuchiki Ginrei swallowed hard. "You're not a Shinigami at all, are you? Admit it! A Shinigami couldn't possibly have such terrifying power."

"Don't blame others for your lack of experience," Yamabuki Chidori said calmly. "The Captain Commander's Bankai even more outrageous than mine. If he's not careful, wiping out one or two countries would be commonplace! Come and have something to eat; our training isn't over yet!"

Kuchiki Ginrei suddenly remembered that she seemed to have suffered a serious injury. She hurriedly reached out to touch it and found that her injuries had all healed, and even her knocked-out teeth had grown back.

He finally breathed a sigh of relief. He was getting married in a month, and if his front tooth was knocked out before the wedding, he would truly become the laughingstock of the Kuchiki Clan.

Moreover, he had been unconscious for seven days and was indeed starving, drinking large gulps of meat broth.

"How did you become so strong? Is there any secret?" Kuchiki Ginrei asked.

"Do 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats every day, plus a 10-kilometer run, and keep doing it until you lose all your hair. You might become stronger than me," Yamabuki Chidori said earnestly.

Kuchiki Ginrei wasn't stupid; she could only roll her eyes. This level of muscle training wasn't even high-intensity; it was only low-to-medium intensity. How could it possibly train someone into a strong person?

Seeing that Kuchiki Ginrei didn't believe it, Yamabuki Chidori couldn't do anything either. "I've already told you how to become stronger, but you still don't believe it, so you can't blame me."

Kuchiki Ginrei scooped up some meat from the soup with a spoon. "This soup is quite delicious. What kind of meat did you use to make it?"