In Soul Society, All I Want Is to Coast into Retirement

Before Yamabuki Chidori could finish analyzing, the Blade Spirit appeared silently before him. With a sweet smile, she lifted his chin with one finger. "Surprised?"

Yamabuki Chidori drew his blade in an instant, but struck nothing!

That was neither Flash Step nor Hirenkyaku!

Sound Steps produced the sound of air bursting around them when activated!

It was impossible for it to be this silent!

After ruling out every impossibility, only one possibility remained!

"Space Ability?" Yamabuki Chidori asked.

The Blade Spirit did not answer at all. Instead, she laughed wildly and swung the Saber in her hand. This time, Yamabuki Chidori finally understood her method of attack.

Space Severance.

In an instant, it shattered the space before her!

Matter existed attached to space, like a painting drawn on paper. Even if Wolverine was painted on that paper, once a three-dimensional person lightly tore the paper apart, the Wolverine in the painting could never be restored.

Silver Radiant Angel's ability directly affected space rather than matter.

Once released, it was equivalent to obtaining a demonic blade with one hundred percent true damage!

"So I'm this badass?" Yamabuki Chidori was thrilled after figuring out his own ability. But then he gave it another thought. If his ability was this badass, could he beat the Blade Spirit?

Even if he was in Perfect Sanctification...

No, maybe it was worth trying!

"Holy Spirit Arrow!"

If close combat would not work, then he would fight at range.

As expected of the same person, even their combat thinking was identical. Against Silver Radiant Angel's one hundred percent true damage, rushing in for close combat was far too unwise. It was better to wear the enemy down from range!

Dozens of Spirit Bows appeared and fired at once!

This blade's damage was so high that it surely had no defensive means by comparison. As long as he kept wearing her down from afar, he still had a chance of winning! The advantage was his!

Yet the Blade Spirit merely flicked her blade lightly, and dozens of Holy Spirit Arrows vanished instantly without leaving the slightest trace!

How was he supposed to play this? How the hell was he supposed to play this?!

This game had a bug!

And the bug was in himself!

"Actually, getting this far means you've passed! But I'll let you see a slightly deeper level of power, too. So you'll have more motivation!" The Blade Spirit grinned at Yamabuki Chidori, her delicate lips moving softly. "Bankai!"

Holy shit!

I'm asking you loudly—can you please spare me?!

The most despairing thing in a game was when you were about to kill the boss, only for the boss to suddenly transform, revive at full health, and pin you to the ground for a brutal beating!

Even more despairing was when you clearly could not beat the boss to begin with, yet the boss still transformed and pinned you to the ground for an even crueler beating!

The next instant, Yamabuki Chidori discovered that the Blade Spirit was standing right in front of him, while her blade had already pierced through his chest! Damn it, he died again!

"Alright, I've had my fun! And I'm satisfied! Go out there and beat that skull-headed bastard to a pulp. If you lose... just wait and see how I deal with you!" the Blade Spirit said with a smile.

Baraggan, Your Head Fell Off

Baraggan gripped his massive axe and chopped down fiercely, madness and brutality gleaming in his eyes. He seemed to have already seen this tiny Soul Reaper being cleaved in two!

Just then, the little Soul Reaper, who seemed to have been frightened stupid, suddenly drew his sword and slashed upward.

"An ant trying to shake a tree! At this point, you still refuse to give up?" Baraggan sneered.

However, what happened next far exceeded his expectations. Somewhere in the vast void, something seemed to be severed, producing the sound of shattering glass!

Then Baraggan saw that the giant axe in his hand had actually been cut apart. Its wheel-sized blade was forcibly split in two.

It was not just the axe. His arm and one-third of his skull had been severed as well.

For a moment, Baraggan had not even noticed that he had been cut!

By the time he realized it, his arm and one-third of his skull had already fallen to the ground.

The shock was no small matter!

"Soul Reaper... what exactly did you do?" Baraggan roared. Though one-third of his head had been sliced off, as a Vasto Lorde, he possessed extremely strong regenerative abilities. As long as he did not suffer further attacks for a while, he could still recover completely!

Yamabuki Chidori slowly rose to his feet and lightly flicked the blade in his hand. The original Zanpakuto had transformed into a silver-white Saber that radiated a mysterious glow.

"Reverse, Silver Radiant Angel!"

At the instant his Zanpakuto was released, not only did its shape change, but his clothes changed as well. Since Shinigami Uniforms did not yet exist in this era, they all wore their own clothes, somewhat resembling the attire of ancient Japanese samurai.

But after releasing his Zanpakuto, Yamabuki Chidori's clothes became a pure white military uniform.

"Thank goodness it isn't women's clothing! If this were a little dress, I'd turn straight into a magical girl. How would I ever face the folks back home?" Yamabuki Chidori joked half-seriously.

However, he did not give up the opportunity before him. The Saber in his hand stabbed straight at Baraggan. Baraggan hurriedly used Sound Steps to evade, then roared at his subordinates, "Everyone, attack together! Tear this bastard to pieces for me!"

With their king giving the order, how could these ordinary Hollows dare disobey?

They immediately surged forward like a tide, blotting out the sky!

"Brother Yamabuki!!" Chōjirō Sasakibe was about to draw his sword and step forward to help when Hachisato grabbed him. "The two of us would only get in the way if we went up there. Just watch carefully from here!"

He had a very accurate understanding of his own abilities.

Even combined, the two of them might not be able to defeat a single Menos Grande!

Yamabuki Chidori gripped his blade with both hands and swung it horizontally!

In an instant, space within ten meters of him twisted, then the entire area of space vanished.

This was Silver Radiant Angel's second ability, the same ability the Blade Spirit had used earlier to resist the Spirit Arrows.

Space Erasure.

In an instant, the charging Hollows were erased together with the space they occupied. As for where they went, even Yamabuki Chidori did not know.

The Hollows standing at the edge had parts of their bodies neatly sliced away. They lay on the ground, wailing loudly!

In that instant, none of those Hollows who feared no death dared step forward another half-step!

"You useless trash! Charge!" Baraggan roared furiously.

"King of Hueco Mundo, next year today will be the anniversary of your death! Die!" Yamabuki Chidori used Flash Step to rush forward, and Silver Radiant Angel slashed down fiercely. "Space Severance!"

Baraggan raised his remaining hand in terror to shield his body. Yet after a moment, he realized that... nothing had happened?

"Oops! Sorry! I'm out of Reiatsu! I'm leaving first! Bye-bye!" Yamabuki Chidori turned and ran.

Silver Radiant Angel's power was indeed incomparably fierce, but its Reiatsu consumption was proportional to that power.

Yamabuki Chidori finally understood why the Blade Spirit had refused to tell him her true name before he possessed Captain-level Reiatsu. At this rate of consumption, Lieutenant-level Reiatsu might not even be enough to swing the blade once. The sword would suck him dry on the spot!

The Blade Spirit had deliberately concealed her name not to be difficult, but to protect him.

"I'm so touched! What are you two idiots standing there watching for? Run already!" Yamabuki Chidori waved at Chōjirō Sasakibe and Hachisato, who were watching from afar, telling them to follow him and flee quickly!

His Captain-level Reiatsu had been exhausted after merely two slashes. It seemed the Blade Spirit was reminding him at every moment that flashy tricks would not make him stronger. Raising his Reiatsu was the proper path.

"You have no Reiatsu left, and you think I'm afraid of you?" Baraggan's body regenerated at an astonishing speed. Then he swung his half-broken giant axe and charged forward again.

"I said I'm out of Reiatsu and you believed me? Do you even have a brain? You fell for it! Space Erasure!" Yamabuki Chidori suddenly turned and swung his blade, frightening Baraggan into repeatedly using Sound Steps, terrified that the other man would kill him with a single slash.

"Sorry! I really am out of Reiatsu. Sekienton!" Yamabuki Chidori released his divine technique again, and the battlefield was immediately filled with smoke, making it impossible to tell north from south, east from west.

Baraggan had not expected to be toyed with by this tiny Soul Reaper so many times in a single day. At last, he could no longer suppress his rage. "Everyone, chase him! Whoever kills that Soul Reaper will become my adjutant! Chase him!"

After the smoke dispersed, the Hollows scattered in every direction. Once no one was left, a hand extended from midair and gently pulled down an invisible curtain of light.

Bakudo No. 26, Light-Bending Light.

The same trick again! So fun!

"Brother Yamabuki, what's with those clothes? They're so cool! Why don't my clothes change when I release my Zanpakuto?" Chōjirō Sasakibe asked enviously.

"That's because your training isn't good enough! How much longer until Soul Society opens the gate?" Yamabuki Chidori asked.

"Fifty-five minutes."

"Then we'll hold out nearby for fifty-five minutes." Yamabuki Chidori began frantically absorbing the surrounding spirit particles to restore his Reiatsu. Originally, he had thought that after gaining the ability to absorb spirit particles, he could ignore consumption and become a mobile artillery turret.

But his Zanpakuto's release had thoroughly shattered that notion!

How could a mobile artillery turret possibly deal as much damage as a berserker? He had decided to change classes and become a berserker!

But now endurance had become a problem again. His Zanpakuto consumed far too much Reiatsu!

Two slashes and his mana bar was empty. Did this world not have mana buffs or something?

One had to know that Captain-level Reiatsu was already immensely powerful. After death, the soul would not even return to nature. Even relying on absorbing spirit particles, it would take at least twenty minutes to fully restore his Reiatsu! In actual combat, by then it would already be far too late!

How could he make up for his mana shortage?

Yamabuki Chidori fell into deep thought.

Baraggan Carried a Train Away Overnight!

Just as Yamabuki Chidori was considering how to solve his mana shortage, a furious roar rang out.

"I knew you hadn't gone far! Brat, give me your life!" Even though part of Baraggan's brain had been sliced away, he was still surprisingly clever. After noticing no one was around, he immediately guessed that Yamabuki Chidori might be hiding nearby and quickly returned with his men.

"Brother Yamabuki... can you keep fighting?" Chōjirō Sasakibe was on the verge of tears. This trip to Hueco Mundo had been far too exciting. Given the chance, he would rather die than come here again.

"I can fight, but..." Yamabuki Chidori recalled the Perfect Sanctification he had activated in his Inner World. The real world and the Inner World were not the same. No matter how recklessly he acted in his Inner World, he would not die. But the real world was different—one slight mistake could mean certain death.

Perfect Sanctification was the Quincy's ultimate form, though it had not originally been called that. At first, Ransōtengai had been used to forcibly stimulate a Quincy's latent potential, allowing their abilities to surge dramatically for a short time.

Even a rookie like Uryu Ishida could approach Captain-level strength after removing Ransōtengai.

But the price was becoming crippled afterward, never again able to use spiritual power.

Two hundred years later, Yhwach perfected this ability, turning it into the later Perfect Sanctification form. It could likewise greatly stimulate a Quincy's abilities. Though it placed some strain on the body, its side effects were virtually nonexistent compared to the earlier version.

But in this timeline, neither Ransōtengai nor true Perfect Sanctification had been developed yet. Yamabuki Chidori could only explore it bit by bit himself.

"I'm warning you, don't come any closer, or I'll get angry! And when I get angry, even I'm scared of myself!" Yamabuki Chidori shouted.

By now, Baraggan was consumed by rage. Why would he care what the other man said? He charged forward with his half-broken axe!

There was no choice!

He could only risk everything!

"Perfect Sanctification!"

Yamabuki Chidori's body began absorbing the surrounding spirit particles dozens, even hundreds of times faster, ultimately causing a qualitative change in his body. Two horrifying wounds split open across his back, and a pair of wings of light emerged from his back!

Compared to his Inner World, there was also a halo above his head, making him look very much like a legendary angel.

"Hurts, hurts, hurts! It fucking hurts! Why didn't it hurt this much in my Inner World?" Yamabuki Chidori directly activated his new form, leaving everyone on both sides utterly dumbfounded.

"Brother Yamabuki... is this also part of your Zanpakuto's ability?" Chōjirō Sasakibe asked in shock. No matter how one looked at this form, it was neither human nor Hollow, but an entirely new form of life.

Though Baraggan was furious, he was not brainless. Faced with the enemy's new form, of course he would not go himself. Instead, he sent his underlings forward to test the enemy's strength.

A group of Menos Grandes rushed over in a swarm!

Yamabuki Chidori felt incredibly strange, as if the entire world lay in his palm and his strength was boundless. With a light swing of his Zanpakuto, Space Erasure appeared, instantly annihilating every Menos Grande that had charged at him.

He discovered that after his Reiatsu increased, his Zanpakuto's attack power and range increased as well!

In other words, he still had plenty of room to grow!

Not bad, not bad!

Baraggan, the mood was perfect. If you didn't come up here and accept death, you would really be letting yourself down! Hm? Where was he?

Yamabuki Chidori discovered that Baraggan had already disappeared.

"A joke? Who would fight a monster like that? Run, run!" Baraggan used Sound Steps so hard that sparks practically flew, fleeing for his life.

Compared to the other Hollows, he valued his life greatly.