Bankai, Golden Rainbow / Bankai, Immovable Fortress ...

"What a sharp sword! But it won't be that easy for you to defeat me!" Hyakki-ji looked down at his stomach, where his once indestructible iron scales had been cut open, and blood was gushing out.

"... Has a winner been decided?!" the team members exclaimed in surprise. An ordinary person would have lost the ability to fight after suffering such severe injuries, but this man could not be judged by common sense.

Then, the muscles on Hyakki-ji's stomach began to writhe, forcefully squeezing the wound to stop it from bleeding further.

"I admit your sword is fast and sharp, but my fists must be feeling the pain too," Hyakki-ji said with a smile as he turned his head.

Kamishirokawa's face was ashen as he looked down at his left ribs where he had been punched. The fist was like a hammer; without a doubt, several ribs were broken. He wondered if any of the broken bones had pierced his internal organs.

Although the opponent looked terrible, all the injuries were superficial and did not prevent them from continuing the fight.

"You are indeed very powerful, the strongest I have ever seen. However, your sword has a fatal flaw: after every full-force attack, it leaves a very brief opening. I can see that you have received guidance from a master and have tried your best to make up for your weakness. But after a full-force attack, there will be a gap for recoil; this is the law of nature, and I can make up for it through training. If this is all the strength you have, then I will accept the title of the Strongest Shinigami!"

Chapter 170: Bankai, Golden Rainbow

Kamishirokawa was well aware of his weaknesses. From the very first day he began practicing swordsmanship, he had clearly recognized his shortcomings. But as Hyakki-ji said, after a full-force attack, there will inevitably be a period of recovery time. This is a natural law that is difficult to change through training.

Just like a boxer must retract their arm before throwing a powerful punch to leave enough space for the next heavy blow.

Even the One-Inch Punch in China martial arts cannot achieve true zero-distance power generation.

In Tongli, after a moment of exertion, there will inevitably be a gap.

Almost all experts can see this flaw.

The Third Kenpachi, Maru, also saw this flaw back then.

However, his strength was no match for Kamishirokawa, and he was easily killed in the end.

The Hyakki-ji is different from the Maru.

The Maru was big and burly, fighting entirely on his body's instincts. He had never received professional training, was arrogant, and thought himself the best in the world. In the end, he became someone else's stepping stone.

Hyakki-ji appears to be fighting based on his physical abilities, but he is actually proficient in various powerful fist techniques. Although he keeps taunting others to cut him down, he immediately releases his Zanpakuto once he realizes he is at a disadvantage, and he quickly sees through his opponent's weaknesses.

Compared to the former, the latter is more than ten times more difficult to deal with.

"What I need to do now is not defense, but offense! If you dare to cut me with your sword, I'll punch you back! Trade injury for injury! I believe I'll be the one standing in the end!" Hyakki-ji laughed.

In Kamishirokawa's eyes, this was simply a rogue's fighting style.

But he had to admit that if he continued playing like this, he would inevitably be the one to lose in the end.

Because he doesn't have the same abnormal physical strength as his opponent, he would bleed if he got injured, and he had several broken ribs. Dragging it out would be extremely disadvantageous for him.

"Faced with such a desperate situation, how will you deal with it?" Hyakki-ji covered his head with both hands, peeking at Kamishirokawa through a sliver of light between his arms.

Yamabuki Chidori watched this scene with a mixture of amusement and exasperation.

This reminded him of a Shield Heroine in an isekai game who maxed out her defense because she was afraid of getting hurt, and ended up turning herself into a final boss?

This battle was extremely unfavorable for Kamishirokawa.

Even if the opponent were a regular warrior, they should have fallen after taking so many sword wounds, but the opponent was a tank who specialized in stacking armor, making them both tanky and high-damage.

Think about the despair assassins feel when facing a fully equipped tank in a game. They unleash a full combo and barely scratch the enemy, while the tank counters with a single combo that can smash the assassin's head off.

Kamishirokawa is now in this predicament, and if he doesn't have a better solution, this battle is probably about to end.

Kamishirokawa clutched his stomach, took two deep breaths, and confirmed that there was nothing wrong; it seemed the broken bone hadn't pierced his internal organs.

From this perspective, there doesn't seem to be any major problem, and continuing the fight should be fine.

Seeing that Hyakki-ji Kamishirokawa showed no sign of surrendering, Hyakkiji lowered his body slightly, like a wild beast preparing to pounce, and charged forward like a cannonball.

Previously, everyone thought he was slow because the person being compared to Hyakki-ji was Kamishirokawa, Kamishirokawa speed was unpredictable and elusive, leading the Shinigami to naturally assume he was faster.

However, Hyakki-ji's speed is definitely not slow; it's just that there are patterns to follow, which creates the illusion that "this big guy is slow."

The enormous fist came crashing down like a mountain. Kamishirokawa quickly ducked, the fist grazing his scalp. Kamishirokawa bent slightly, drawing himself into a bow, his Zanpakuto becoming an arrow, and thrusting it towards Hyakki-ji's chest.

Although Hyakki-ji's defenses are strong, its steel scales are not enough to completely block Severing Rainbow.

Just when Kamishirokawa thought he had succeeded with his sword, he never expected that Hyakki-ji's fist, which had just been thrown out, would retract. Kamishirokawa never imagined that such a fierce punch from the next life was actually a feint.

Hyakki-ji slightly turned his body to avoid the sword strike, and at the same time exerted all his strength, ramming his shoulder into Kamishirokawa with a very standard Iron Mountain Lean.

In a desperate situation, Kamishirokawa had no choice but to use his sword as a shield.

With a muffled thud, Kamishirokawa was sent flying dozens of meters as if hit by a train, but managed to land gracefully on his feet at the last moment.

The Shinigami of the 11th Division were all speechless. They never expected that their Captain would be suppressed to such an extent by a big, dumb guy.

If this continues, the situation will become very bad.

"Wait, doesn't the Captain know how to use Bankai? Why aren't you using Bankai at this crucial moment?" a Shinigami asked.

After overhearing the Shinigami's conversation, Yamabuki Chidori sighed softly. Bankai is not so easy to control. Kamishirokawa learned Bankai a long time ago, but he still can't control Bankai power properly.

Hyakki-ji asked curiously, "A Shinigami's Zanpakuto has two forms, Shikai and Bankai. Just like your teammate said, you've been forced into this situation by me, why didn't you use Bankai? If it were some special ability, you might be able to turn the tide! Since you've told me about your abilities, I'll tell you about mine too. As you can see, my Zanpakuto has no function other than increasing defense, and it's completely ineffective against certain rule-based abilities."

Seeing the straightforward Hyakki-ji, Kamishirokawa couldn't help but laugh, but the laughter aggravated the wound in his abdomen, causing him to frown again.

"You're really straightforward! You told me your weaknesses so easily. I like you a lot. Maybe we could become good friends off the stage," Kamishirokawa said gently.

"I think so too," Hyakki-ji laughed.

The two people, recognizing each other's talent, unexpectedly developed feelings for one another at the same time.

"Don't think I'll go easy on you just because you say that. That would be the greatest insult to the title ' Kenpachi.'" Kamishirokawa gently stroked the sword in his hand, and finally said, "Since you want to see my Bankai, then I'll show you. But let's be clear, I won't show you any mercy. If you die by my hand, don't blame me."

"That's great! I won't hold back either," Hyakki-ji said. He wanted to defeat the current "Kenpachi; that was the only way he would feel a sense of accomplishment.

Kamishirokawa Kenpachi softly called out the true name of the Zanpakuto in his hand.

"Wake up, Golden Rainbow!"

After its Bankai, the Zanpakuto had an unremarkable name, but its blade emitted a golden light that quickly enveloped Kamishirokawa's entire body.

"Actually, Golden Rainbow's ability is quite simple; it just increases my speed. Be careful!" Kamishirokawa said.

Hyakki-ji tensed up as he watched as Kamishirokawa slowly raised his sword, and then...

The sword pierced through his body.

Chapter 171: Bankai, Immovable Fortress

What happened? Hyakki-ji couldn't understand. Kamishirokawa said his ability was simple, just increasing his speed. Up to that point, he could understand it, but why could the opponent's sword pierce through his body without him noticing at all? He hadn't even felt any pain yet.

"As I said, my sword doesn't have any special abilities; it simply enhances my speed," Kamishirokawa Kenpachi said calmly.

The sound came from behind him, meaning that Kamishirokawa had circled around behind him and launched the attack? That's too far-fetched!

For the first time in his life, Hyakki-ji was terrified and broke out in a cold sweat. Indeed, the attack power of "Golden Rainbow" was not significantly improved compared to "Severing Rainbow," and it could barely break through his steel scales. But what was going on with this speed?!

Hyakki-ji threw a punch behind him, but Kamishirokawa had already appeared in front of him, as if he knew in advance that Hyakkiji was going to punch him, and then quietly came in front of him and glared at him.

Pain!

By the time Hyakki-ji reacted, Kamishirokawa's sword had already pierced the steel scales on his neck, the blade embedded in his flesh. Hyakki-ji could only muster all his strength to throw punches, barely managing to force the enemy back.

Kamishirokawa, bathed in golden light, stood at a distance, quietly watching him. With a gentle flick of his sword, blood droplets flew to the ground. Hyakki-ji clutched the wound on his stomach. Even though he could control his muscles to slow the bleeding, this kind of penetrating wound was too difficult to treat.

If this continues, it won't be long before he bleeds to death.

"You're really cunning. You're pretending to be in a lower position when you're still holding such great power. There are always people stronger than you, and there's always something beyond your understanding. My dad wasn't lying to me after all," Hyakki-ji said, his forehead covered in cold sweat.

He finally realized that he was not alone at all; there were more than a dozen other powerful Grim Reapers above him.

However, Hyakki-ji felt that Kamishirokawa's situation was a bit strange. If he had launched a continuous attack, he would already be beheaded. Why wasn't Kamishirogawa attacking continuously?

Actually, it wasn't that Kamishirokawa showed mercy to Hyakki-ji out of mutual respect; it was because he genuinely couldn't launch continuous attacks. "Golden Rainbow" could boost the user's speed to its limit, and Yamabuki Chidori was terrified by its speed when she first saw Golden Rainbow.

However, such immense power naturally comes at a price. In order to adapt to the speed of the Golden Rainbow, Kamishirokawa's heart rate will increase significantly, and each use of the Godspeed will put a tremendous strain on his heart.

Therefore, Golden Rainbow's essence is still that of an "assassin," aiming to resolve battles as quickly as possible. If it cannot defeat the enemy, Golden Rainbow is very likely to eliminate its own master beforehand.

After unleashing "Godspeed" twice, Kamishirokawa felt his heart was about to explode, but Hyakki-ji's abdomen had been pierced and he was seriously injured. It seemed that he still had a chance of winning.

He fought so hard not for the position of Captain of the 11th Division, nor for the name "Kenpachi," but to select someone stronger than himself who was more suitable for the name "Kenpachi."

With that thought in mind, Kamishirokawa raised his sword for the third time, launching another attack, hoping it might be enough to defeat Hyakki-ji.

"Bankai!!!"

Without a word, Hyakki-ji activated his Bankai, causing the entire earth to tremble and unleashing a terrifying and heavy Reiatsu from Hyakki-ji body.

If he continues to hide, he might really be killed. The enemy is just too powerful. He promised that brat that he would become the strongest Grim Reaper!

"Immovable Fortress! Steel Mode"

The entire earth began to distort, and the stones on the ground were lifted up by Reiatsu and became part of Hyakki-ji's body. With Hyakki-ji at the core, the surrounding stones and soil actually turned into a stone giant with a height of more than ten meters, and Hyakki-ji was at the very center of the stone giant. Moreover, the stone giant was covered with a layer of heavy iron armor that was ten centimeters thick.

Yamabuki Chidori was both amused and exasperated; how did they even manage to pilot a Gundam?

The one with the worst expression was Kamishirokawa. He really wanted to curse. How many beatings did you suffer in your past life? You've taken the art of layering armor to the extreme in this life.

The stone giant's body is enormous, making movement inconvenient; at least it can't reach Kamishirokawa. So how can we win? Yamabuki Chidori thought.

The next second, the stone giant curled up, covering its head with its hands.

Since I can't hit you, then I'll let you hit me to your heart's content! If you're so capable, then kill me; if not, we'll just wear each other down.

That's downright indecent.

Yamabuki Chidori couldn't stand it anymore and covered her face. This ability was simply the perfect counter to Kamishirokawa.

Sending an assassin to dismantle a tank by hand is already going too far. Have you ever seen an assassin capable of dismantling a fortress? It's covered by another layer of iron armor! Right now, it's questionable whether Kamishirokawa can even break through the defenses.

Even if Kamishirokawa could break through the fortress's defenses, could his body withstand it?

Without hesitation, Kamishirokawa knew that to defeat his opponent, he had to forge ahead.

"Flash of God!" Kamishirokawa, his body bathed in golden light, charged toward the Immovable Fortress at a speed imperceptible to everyone. The golden sword light shot straight into the sky, and the giant stone golem's arm was cleanly severed.

But at that moment, the giant stone golem retaliated, stomping its foot hard on the ground, causing the earth to crack and countless stones to fly towards the Kamishirokawa like cannonballs.

But all of this seemed like a slow-motion scene to Kamishirokawa, and it couldn't hurt him in the slightest.

"Godspeed. Hexagram Sword Array!"

When there are multiple enemies, the Hexagram Sword Array can attack different enemies separately.

However, when there is only one enemy, the six sword lights of the Hexagram Sword Array will only attack one person.

With excruciating heart pain, Kamishirokawa was on the verge of losing consciousness.

But it still unleashed its strongest attack.

The golden sword light sliced the stone man in half at the waist, but the Hyakki-ji was nowhere to be seen.

The second sword strike severed the giant stone golem's head.

The third strike severed the stone golem's right arm.

The fourth... the fourth sword strike, severing the stone golem's shoulder!

Kamishirokawa's mouth and nose were covered in blood, and the intense beating of his heart was about to give way.

The fifth sword strike, to the chest!

At this point, only a small piece of the stone man remained.

The sixth sword!

The last stone was severed, but the matter was far from over, because the stones that Kamishirokawa had cut together actually coalesced into a giant fist behind him.

After losing the protection of the stone golem, Hyakki-ji's body was exposed to the Kamishirokawa.

Kamishirokawa's eyes were already blurred, and he could not see anything. He could only rely on his instincts to swing the final sword.

The six swords combined into one, the seventh sword.

At the same time, the giant Iron Fist smashed down on the Kamishirokawa.

Their lives hung in the balance.

Chapter 172: Does it hurt?

Thousands of people watched this scene unfold. Would it be Kamishirokawa's sword that pierced Hyakki-ji's chest first, or would the Immovable Fortress controlled by Hyakki-ji smash Kamishirokawa into a bloody pulp?

Life and death were decided in that instant. However, an unexpected change occurred. Kamishirokawa ultimately could not withstand the backlash from the power of his Zanpakuto. He spat out a mouthful of blood and completely lost consciousness.