For several days, there was no major movement.
The wind kept blowing, and the sun was still so hot, but Shiraishi felt like his bones were about to fall apart from boredom.
He lay down on a wooden deck chair with a sunshade umbrella spread out, and Koganehiko fanned him beside him.
A plate of peeled and diced chilled watermelon was laid out on the table for him to enjoy.
Despite his muscular and rugged appearance, Koganehiko is incredibly considerate and attentive to others, even surpassing Nemu Kurotsuchi in this regard.
Shiraishi initially resisted, but couldn't resist the other party's enthusiasm, who insisted that he had no way to repay the kindness except by doing these things.
This forced him to become a "useless person" who lay dormant.
Sighing to himself, he picked up a piece of watermelon with a toothpick and put it in his mouth.
" Ganju! Too slow. I've always told you to be careful when you throw a punch, not to blindly use all your strength. What if the enemy dodges it?"
Under the scorching sun Kūkaku Shiba taught Ganju Hakuda techniques. Instead of staying underground, he naturally wanted to use the intense heat to temper his willpower. "Swing seven-tenths of your punch, hold back three-tenths. Don't be so direct. You need to know how to be flexible and adaptable."
You must use all your strength at the most critical moment, when it's either life or death!
"I see!"
Ganju Shiba shouted back, his eyes fixed on Shiroganehiko in front of him. He got into a fighting stance, his gaze fixed on Ginhiko's right foot, and charged forward.
Shiroganehiko saw through his thoughts, raised his right foot and kicked out like a guillotine.
As if he had anticipated this, Ganju Shiba suddenly crouched down to dodge, then swept his leg across Shiroganehiko's left foot, laughing loudly, "Haha, you fell for my trap!"
Shiroganehiko wasn't angry; instead, he praised, " Ganju Jiu did a great job."
"You're still far from it." Kūkaku Shiba urged sternly, "Continue!"
" Kūkaku "
Shiraishi called out.
"What?" Kūkaku Shiba replied impatiently.
She's been very irritable lately.
Not only was Ganju's Hakuda progressing slowly, but Munemasa's delayed arrival was also a contributing factor.
She hated that feeling of knowing there was a knife hanging over her head but it just wouldn't fall.
"You can let Ganju and the others go back inside now."
Shiraishi said, swallowing the cool, sweet fruit. The gaze directed at him had vanished since earlier. Had the secret technique failed? Or had the Watchers been eliminated?
He felt the latter was more likely.
Seeing his solemn expression, Kūkaku Shiba felt relieved and instructed, " Koganehiko, Shiroganehiko, take Ganju back to his room."
"Big sister."
"Go back!" she shouted.
Kin and Gin led Ganju Shiba back into the house.
Kūkaku Shiba scanned the surroundings and asked, "Can you sense his Reiatsu?"
Shiraishi shook his head and said, "I only sensed the Shinigami's gaze disappear; I haven't detected any specific Reiatsu yet."
"Tsk." A hint of impatience flashed across Kūkaku Shiba's face. He strode to the parasol, picked up a watermelon, and popped it into his mouth. "Do you think he's afraid we won't come over?"
"His nickname is ' Mad King.' If he were afraid, he wouldn't have that title."
Shiraishi replied, stepping off the rattan chair and stretching his limbs, "You guys need to fatten up a bit lately."
Kūkaku Shiba rolled her eyes and said, "I think you're enjoying this kind of life."
The two chatted idly, passing the leisurely time before the battle. Neither of them were rookies fighting for the first time, so naturally they weren't on edge before the battle.
People who are used to fighting will try to relax and let their bodies perform to their full potential.
Before long, a dark shadow appeared faintly on the distant horizon.
Kūkaku Shiba licked his lips and said, "You'll cover for me."
"I think it would be better to go together," Shiraishi reminded him, noting that his one-on-one fights were limited to those against illusory opponents.
As for others, he only sought to end the battle as quickly as possible; the means and process were unimportant.
"Let me try it first."
Kūkaku Shiba doesn't like group fights; she prefers one-on-one combat. She used Shunpo to get from here to the front.
The shadowy figure quickly became clear.
There were more than a dozen people crawling on the ground.
There were men and women, all naked, their palms and knees bleeding from being rubbed raw, yet they still dared not stop.
Munemasa sat cross-legged on the "seat" formed by their backs, his messy dark green hair hanging down to his waist, his stubble-covered face, his eyes clear as mirrors, and his eyebrows shaped like blades, exuding a sharpness.
He was barefoot, without his Zanpakuto, and wore a moon-white kimono with several grotesque centipede-shaped scars visible through the open collar.
"Hmm, not bad, Shunpo." Munemasa took a bite of watermelon, casually tossing away the rind. The people beneath him stopped moving and lay prone on the ground. "Nice to meet you, little girl from the Shiba Clan. My name is Munemasa."
Kūkaku Shiba, his face ashen, said, "You really are the scumbag they say you are."
"Haha, you're wrong." Munemasa threw his head back and laughed, then stood up and stomped twice, causing both heads to explode under his feet. "I'm the scum of the earth."
Kūkaku Shiba's expression grew increasingly grim. Considering the others, he hesitated to make the first move and asked, "Did you kill the Shinigami was monitoring me?"
You don't need to thank me.
Munemasa chuckled and said, "If you really want to thank me, then take me to the Soul King Palace."
Kūkaku Shiba scoffed, "You think you can be a match for the Royal Guard Squad Zero?"
"What you're saying is strange. What's there to be afraid of about those guys who are useless without their Zanpakuto?"
Munemasa retorted, raising his hands as if to pull the sun down, and said, " Soul King, Royal Guard, I might not have been able to defeat you two thousand years ago, but it's different now."
Do you know what Muken is like?
The abrupt shift in the topic left Kūkaku Shiba speechless. He muttered to himself, " The Muken is so vast that it has no boundaries, and its interior is shrouded in darkness."
Even if you stare with your eyes wide open, you won't see a ray of light; even if you scream with all your might, you won't hear a sound. You're trapped in place, unaware of the passage of time, and you don't even know if you're alive.
At this point, Munemasa's expression revealed deep disgust. "I almost went crazy."
Kūkaku Shiba said, "You've been insane for a long time."
"No, I'm not crazy. It's just that my ideas differ from most people's, so those who hold the majority opinion treat me like a madman, ostracize me, and suppress me."
Munemasa said with a mocking expression, "They think that will make me submit? They are sorely mistaken."
Kūkaku Shiba pursed his lips and said, "So you want to kill the Soul King, destroy the Soul Society, and take revenge on those people?"
Munemasa spread his hands and said, "No, I simply cannot allow anyone in this world to live who is of a higher bloodline than mine."
"You're a madman."
Kūkaku Shiba agreed with Shiraishi's words; the nickname wasn't wrong, and that guy was truly a madman.
"Sigh." Munemasa sighed, "As expected, I can't get any understanding from you." "I'll just kill you then."
Kūkaku Shiba made the first move.