The Ultimate Showdown: Sen no Sen / Girl, Have You Ever Heard of the Art of Swordsmanship?

Yet the next second, an utterly terrifying sense of danger flooded his mind!

The enemy's sword had not vanished—it had launched a surprise attack from an angle he could not see!

When masters clashed, the slightest error led to a thousand miles of difference.

From the moment Yamabuki Chidori froze in a daze, the outcome had already been decided.

"Splat!"

Unohana's Zanpakuto pierced straight through Yamabuki Chidori's body.

"You are indeed formidable, but if you want to defeat me, you are still far from enough!" Unohana turned and pulled out her blade. Blood sprayed out like a fountain. It was over. She was ready to look for a new opponent.

Just as Unohana was about to turn and leave, she saw Yamabuki Chidori shakily rise to his feet, using his sword as a crutch. "What do you mean, it's over? I haven't even started yet. That was just foreplay! Come again!"

The look in Unohana's eyes as she watched Yamabuki Chidori became utterly chilling. Even if an ordinary person with a piercing wound like that were rushed to a hospital immediately, they might not survive. Yet this boy stood there talking to her as though nothing had happened. Was this really a human body? How could a person possibly achieve this? Unohana's eyes lit up, like a cat that had found an unbreakable little mouse. She changed her mind. She wanted to cut this boy open and see just what he was made of!

Yamabuki Chidori noticed something extremely strange. He had not used Kido to heal his wound just now, yet the cells and tissues of his body had regenerated at an incredible speed.

"Did getting injured too many times... trigger Super Regeneration?" Yamabuki Chidori was not entirely sure. Wanting to run an experiment, he said to Unohana, "Cut me a couple more times. Let me see what it feels like!"

"Hmm????" Unohana looked at Yamabuki Chidori with utter horror. Was this the legendary kind of pervert? I actually ran into a pervert today!

Since you made such a perverted request, I can only fulfill it.

Unohana Flash Stepped forward and stabbed through Yamabuki Chidori's body again. Not only that, she twisted the blade, directly shredding his intestines.

Such pain was beyond what an ordinary person could endure, yet as Yamabuki Chidori hurt, he discovered that it felt amazing!

Even if his internal organs were damaged, as long as he had enough Reiatsu, the cells inside his body would grow at an incredible rate!

Had he gone too far with all that self-torture before?

Maybe even his own body could no longer stand watching and wanted to give him a hand!

"You're not human!" Unohana said in horror.

"Hey, don't insult people! How am I not human? I didn't do anything to you! I'm the dignified Chief Strategist of the Gotei 13. If people heard that, how could I ever face anyone again?" Yamabuki Chidori shouted.

No matter what, this scene was simply too horrifying. When Unohana pulled out her sword, she could clearly see the other side's internal organs writhing, followed by the wound healing at an unimaginable speed. In just ten seconds, Yamabuki Chidori stood before her laughing and joking as though he had never been injured at all.

"So... I have to kill you in one strike to defeat you!" Unohana gripped her sword with both hands, her face full of excitement.

Extreme Duel, Sen no Sen

Only now had the two of them truly begun to cut loose.

Their fighting styles had also changed completely. At first, they had both attacked and defended, but once Yamabuki Chidori became familiar with the structure of his own body, he stopped defending against anything except attacks aimed at his head and heart. If you can, stab me to death!

Their style gradually shifted from countering each move to a berserker brawl, the two of them clutching their swords and hacking at each other for their lives!

The aftershocks of their Reiatsu soon completely destroyed the remaining half of Central 46, and even the surrounding buildings were affected. Everyone watching from afar was horrified by the battle.

Gen'en Kinra leaned against a large tree to rest, a bitter smile on his face. That brat Yamabuki had actually reached this level already!

He had secretly worked hard and grown stronger behind everyone's backs!

What a rat race!

His Mind's Eye was truly rotten to the core!

Little did he know that even after awakening a bug-like ability such as Super-Speed Regeneration, Yamabuki Chidori was still several levels below Unohana in swordsmanship.

After a round of probing attacks, Unohana discovered that aside from his head and heart, he did not care about defending anywhere else. So she simply gave up attacking other areas and targeted every strike at his head and heart.

Moreover, both of them could see the flaws in the other's swordsmanship, and both knew the flaws in their own. Under these circumstances, what they were competing in was Reiatsu and experience—and Yamabuki Chidori was far inferior to Unohana in both.

As the two fought with growing intensity, the scales of victory gradually tipped toward Unohana.

Yamabuki Chidori's wounds grew more and more numerous. In the end, he realized that the speed of his Super-Speed Regeneration could no longer keep up with the speed at which he was being injured. The tie binding Unohana's braid was cut apart. Her hair spilled loose, and she laughed wildly, like an Asura descending into the world!

"I think I understand the level your swordsmanship has reached. Let's end this boring warm-up!" Unohana's voice brimmed with excitement. It had been a very long time since she had fought so satisfyingly.

But this was as far as it went!

The next second, Unohana's sword broke through all defenses and pierced Yamabuki Chidori's shoulder. Then she leaped upward viciously, splitting his entire shoulder blade open. Yamabuki Chidori swung his sword backhandedly, the edge grazing Unohana's cheek and leaving a two-inch-long cut across her delicate face. At the same time, he found the flaw in Unohana's current stance.

The instant Yamabuki Chidori thrust his sword forward, a sinister smile appeared on Unohana's face.

Not good!

Yamabuki Chidori hurriedly withdrew his sword, but it was already too late. His wrist was severed in one slash, blood gushing out like a spring!

"How? That was clearly the flaw in her swordsmanship. Logically, she shouldn't have..." Yamabuki Chidori stared in shock.

Unohana seemed to see through Yamabuki Chidori's confusion and explained calmly, "A swordsmanship master can see the flaws in an enemy's swordsmanship at a glance and attack them. This is called Go no Sen, also known as Go no Sen."

"And I can predict your movements before you even draw your sword. This is called Sen no Sen," Unohana said flatly.

In other words, I predicted your prediction.

"Holy shit! Did you awaken Observation Haki? That's way too ridiculous! How is that even possible? Wait, if she can do it... there's no reason I can't?" Yamabuki Chidori waved his remaining hand. Fine threads formed from Reishi wrapped around the severed hand on the ground and yanked it back. He pressed the cut-off hand against the wound, and flesh and blood instantly entwined. Within only a few breaths, it had completely recovered.

It seemed he had learned a lot from this battle!

Sen no Sen, right?

Searching for the enemy's flaws while predicting the enemy's trajectory sounded troublesome, but in actual combat, it was merely an instant of feeling. Perhaps before your brain even registered what had happened, your sword had already slashed out according to that feeling!

Yamabuki Chidori discovered that his swordsmanship was improving at an incredible rate.

"Don't stop! Keep going!"

Unohana rushed forward. The sword in her hand turned into a cloud of mist, erupting with terrifying Reiatsu. The two became berserkers and clashed madly!

The collision of their Reiatsu leveled everything within several kilometers!

Their battle gradually entered a new rhythm. Both could predict the other's actions in advance, and in a short time, both reached the realm of "Sen no Sen."

The more Unohana fought, the more alarmed she became. Whether it was Reiatsu or swordsmanship, the boy before her was improving at a frightening pace.

They had fought for less than ten minutes in total, yet Yamabuki Chidori's swordsmanship had risen from a first-rate level to the master level of "Sen no Sen." Even Unohana had needed a long time to reach that level!

Not only that, the boy's Reiatsu and swordsmanship were still improving. His swordsmanship alone had already risen to roughly her own level.

At that instant, the blade in Yamabuki Chidori's hand vanished as if by magic.

Unohana froze, then immediately reacted. His blade was attacking from her blind spot.

How was that possible? This was clearly her swordsmanship! And she had only used it once in front of this boy. Why could he perfectly replicate it?

The thought flashed through her mind. It was already too late to evade. The next second, blood sprayed out. Unohana rapidly retreated, clutching her neck tightly with her free left hand. Blood seeped continuously through her fingers, and her eyes were filled with terror and confusion.

Just who was this boy?

Was that his ability to learn?

How could that be possible?

How could such terrifying learning ability exist in this world?

That was not replication.

It was a deeper kind of learning, completely integrating it into his own swordsmanship.

Unohana's body trembled slightly. She was not afraid—she was incomparably excited.

If she carefully trained this boy, one day his strength would surpass her own.

At that thought, Unohana was overjoyed.

She slowly raised her sword. The shape of her Zanpakuto changed, turning into a giant one-eyed monster fish.

"Descend! Minazuki!" Unohana released her Zanpakuto.

Looking at the one-eyed monster fish before him, Yamabuki Chidori suddenly remembered the nightmare he had had long ago. In that dream, he had been swallowed whole by a strange fish. Could this have been a prophetic dream?

Minazuki flew into the air and suddenly opened its enormous mouth, spitting out a mouthful of slime. Unohana reached out to catch it and smeared it over her wound. The injuries on her body began to heal slowly. Though it could not compare to Kido or Super Regeneration, its healing speed was still astonishing!

Yamabuki Chidori had forgotten that Minazuki could heal injuries. But it could do far more than just heal!

The one-eyed monster fish howled as it rammed toward Yamabuki Chidori, like a mountain of flesh.

Yamabuki Chidori used Flash Step repeatedly to evade.

However, after Minazuki circled through the air, it transformed back into a sword and returned to Unohana's hand.

"My injuries have mostly healed too. Let's continue!" Unohana said excitedly.

Girl, Have You Heard of the Sword Control Technique?

Just as Unohana was about to charge forward, Yamabuki Chidori abruptly raised a hand in a stopping gesture. "Wait a second, I have something to say!"

Unohana tilted her head slightly. At a time like this, what else did he have to say? Shouldn't he rush over and unleash a barrage of attacks on her? Was he even a man?

Yamabuki Chidori gave a light cough and said, "If we keep fighting like this, we won't be able to determine a winner even by nightfall. And your swordsmanship has pretty much reached its limit too, right? Want to see something new? It'll definitely be more interesting than the two of us hacking at each other with swords."

Unohana said nothing, staring at the boy before her. At this point, did he still have some trump card he had not revealed?

Yamabuki Chidori paced around Unohana, then stretched out his left hand. A great amount of Reishi gathered in his palm, eventually forming a long sword made of Reishi.

Yamabuki Chidori gently tossed the Reishi sword into the sky, and it actually floated in midair.

"Back where I came from, there has always been a legend. In some distant places, sword immortals who could kill from a thousand miles away were hidden away. They could fly on swords and do anything." Yamabuki Chidori created another Reishi sword and lightly tossed it into the air.

Unohana did not understand what he meant, but she remained cautiously on guard. This boy was stronger than she had imagined.

And he had continuously improved during their battle. After fighting for only several dozen minutes, his swordsmanship had already reached a level equal to hers.

Yamabuki Chidori created Reishi swords one after another, making five in total.

"When I was little, I wanted to be a sword immortal too, able to fly on a sword and take an enemy's head from a thousand miles away. I never expected that this wish would come true after my death." Yamabuki Chidori raised his Zanpakuto and swung it fiercely. The five Reishi swords in the sky shot out instantly. The Zanpakuto in Yamabuki Chidori's hand was like a conductor's baton, directing the five Reishi swords to attack from five different directions.

Unohana's pupils contracted instantly. Her Zanpakuto became like a wall, guarding every vital point on her body.

"Clang!!!"

One Reishi sword collided with Unohana's Zanpakuto. To her surprise, this seemingly threatening Reishi sword was so brittle that she cut it in half with a single strike. Yet the next second, the shattered Reishi sword regathered as though a broken mirror had been restored, launching a fierce attack.

Unohana failed to evade in time, and a wound was cut across her shoulder. At the same time, the other four Reishi swords stabbed toward her vital points. Their speed and power were no weaker than Yamabuki Chidori's full-force attacks. And after Unohana's "training," Yamabuki Chidori could clearly observe every flaw on her body. These Flying Swords shamelessly attacked her flaws with everything they had.

Though Unohana's swordsmanship was exceptional, she was now effectively dueling five Yamabuki Chidoris at once. And her opponents completely ignored damage, focusing only on her weaknesses.

After a rain of swords, Unohana was covered in blood, with more than a dozen wounds all over her body.

"Sure enough, the Sword Control Technique is a dimensionality-reduction strike against ordinary swordsmanship. Hey, little girl, stop struggling and surrender already!" Yamabuki Chidori looked at Unohana, who was still struggling bitterly.

"You think that will defeat me?" Unohana wiped the blood from her face. "Ultimately, these Flying Swords are merely controlled by your Reiatsu, aren't they? As long as I defeat you, they'll stop?"

Unohana tapped the ground with her toes and Flash Stepped rapidly, arriving before Yamabuki Chidori. But the five Flying Swords moved just as swiftly, instantly blocking her path.

Unohana struck with both hands, shattering all five Flying Swords with one slash. Yet she then saw Yamabuki Chidori smiling at her.

The scattered Reishi instantly condensed into a ball of light the size of a fingernail. A terrifying aura of danger surged forth. Yamabuki Chidori had already used Teleportation to flee, while it was too late for Unohana to dodge!

"Boom!!!!"

The sphere of light exploded instantly, throwing up a shockwave dozens of meters high!

"Hope that didn't kill her!" Yamabuki Chidori watched from high above. This was a Reishi Bomb he had created using his ability to control Reishi. Even a Captain-level figure would be seriously wounded if they took this attack without preparation.

As the smoke and dust dispersed, Unohana still stood in place, covered in blood. Yet the woman was still smiling, a smile that made one's hair stand on end.

"Surrender obediently now, and I'll come heal you. Otherwise, with how much blood you're losing, you'll bleed to death before long, won't you?" Yamabuki Chidori said calmly.

Unohana coughed lightly, looked at the sword in her hand, and smiled happily. "You know, at first I was afraid you were too weak and I would kill you in an instant. Now I don't need to worry anymore. I can finally completely release the Reiatsu I've been suppressing."

Yamabuki Chidori's expression slowly grew grave. They had fought to this extent, and she had not even used her full strength?

Unohana gently closed her eyes, then suddenly opened them. A blade-sharp Reiatsu shot into the sky, and a suffocating pressure rushed toward him.

A Shinigami's battle was a battle of Reiatsu. The side with stronger Reiatsu held every advantage. That was absolute.

At last, Unohana stopped suppressing her Reiatsu. Blood-red Reiatsu surged into the sky, chilling everyone to the bone. Yamabuki Chidori's expression became extremely ugly.

Though Unohana's Reiatsu was not inferior to the Captain Commander's, it was at least on the same level. In any case, it was far stronger than a rookie like him who had only just entered the Captain-level.

"Let's continue our slaughter from before!" Unohana's body moved slightly, and she appeared behind Yamabuki Chidori like a ghost. Yamabuki Chidori immediately used Teleportation, but the moment he landed, he discovered Unohana already standing before him. Her blade swept sideways. Yamabuki Chidori moved his left hand, and the five Flying Swords condensed again. But to his surprise, Unohana, with her strength completely unleashed, was actually faster than the Flying Swords. Besides, these were not the legendary Flying Swords of myth—they were only swords Yamabuki Chidori had condensed from Reishi.

Unohana suddenly retreated, raised her Zanpakuto, and swung it through the air. Sharp Sword Pressure instantly severed the five Flying Swords and plunged into the earth. The ground was sliced apart cleanly, like a huge cake.

"What the hell? That was Sword Pressure?"

Every Shinigami possessed Sword Pressure. Its power differed depending on one's strength. The weaker kind could not even kill an ant, while the powerful kind could destroy heaven and earth with Sword Pressure alone.