Nianzol glanced down at the blade that had swept past him.
Then he raised a finger and lightly tapped his neck.
"That was close."
"But no matter how fast your blade is, it means nothing if it can't touch me."
Yoriichi did not respond.
He drew his sword back and turned sideways, the dark gray blade tracing an arc through the air.
"Sunrise, Hekyō."
Boom!
Blazing Sun Reiatsu erupted from the blade.
The dark gray blade instantly turned crimson, golden-orange flames flowing along its edge.
The surrounding temperature soared.
The ground beneath his feet rapidly dried and cracked, and even the air warped in the heat.
Nianzol narrowed his eyes.
"So this is your Shikai?"
"It certainly looks dangerous."
"Unfortunately, my ability isn't defense."
"No matter how high the temperature or how powerful the Reiatsu, it's all useless as long as it can't reach me."
Yoriichi took a step forward.
His crimson blade swept across.
"First Form, Dance: Sunline Split."
A slender, concentrated crimson slash shot through the street in an instant.
The ground along its path split open, the cut surfaces glowing crimson under the scorching Sun Reiatsu.
But when the slash reached Nianzol, its trajectory curved again.
The blade light that had been traveling straight ahead swerved around Nianzol and flew into the sky behind him.
Boom!
A distant rock face split in two.
Nianzol stood where he was, his wide sleeves not even stirring.
"See?"
"I wasn't lying."
"Every attack I notice will veer away from me on its own."
"Why haven't you used your Bankai yet?"
Nianzol licked his lips, the mockery in his eyes growing more pronounced.
"Let me see just how powerful the Bankai that defeated Aizen really is."
Yoriichi swung his sword again.
Crimson blade light swept out along the ground.
The space