The Undying Gerard in the Unforgiven -Shinigami Chapter 72
A beam of light shot out from the tip of the sword and hurtled towards the ground.
Kenpachi Zaraki stood there dumbfounded, as if he were in a daze.
Tōshirō Hitsugaya was anxious but helpless. The beam of light was too fast; by the time he even had the urge to do something, it had already struck its target.
In an instant, the shockwave of the explosion hit his head, and the building vanished in the light like tofu dregs.
Gerard gazed at the light, his expression growing increasingly agitated. He proclaimed, "We possess the power of God; we are noble and righteous warriors of God. Even in death, we will fight for God and purge you, these blasphemous sinners!"
The simple words created a sonic boom, seemingly shaking even the sky.
Tōshirō Hitsugaya gritted his teeth. The enemy's strength was beyond his imagination. He glanced back at the ice crystals, which were almost all withered. Damn it, it had finally come to that.
"Aaaaaah!"
An even more ear-piercing sonic boom rang out, dispersing the thick dust from the explosion. The gust of wind forced Tōshirō Hitsugaya to take a few steps back to the side. What was happening?
"Is that Captain Zaraki??"
The man who appeared in Tōshirō Hitsugaya's line of sight resembled Kenpachi Zaraki, yet was somewhat different. His entire body had turned blood red, with two black lines running from his forehead to below his eyes.
Two sharp horns grew from the top of his head. His appearance was already fierce, but now it had become as terrifying as a demon.
"Trying to use that big sword to block? How pathetic! Just die already!"
Gerard made his judgment, almost teleporting forward, and swung the Sword of Hope down so hard that the air itself was not even noticed being split open.
With a Kenpachi Zaraki reacted several times faster than lightning, and without dodging, directly swung a blow at the Sword of Hope head-on.
Boom!
The deafening roar seemed to tear at one's eardrums. Tōshirō Hitsugaya gritted his teeth and stared wide-eyed at the scene before him.
Kenpachi Zaraki blocked Gerard's attack.
"Impossible!" Gerard was shocked. He had reached this point; there couldn't possibly be an enemy worthy of comparison.
Why was this guy able to block it?
Extremely evil!
That's truly wicked!
Gerard was filled with rage; he had to kill this demon for God's sake, and he tightened his grip with one hand.
The Sword of Hope cracked and reflected back to Kenpachi Zaraki, but it was blocked by his incredibly powerful Reiatsu, leaving only a shallow scratch on the surface.
He is now filled with powerful Reiatsu, both inside and out.
"Aaaaaah!" Kenpachi Zaraki roared, using his broken sword-like Bankai to sever the Sword of Hope, but the crimson slash he unleashed was blocked by his shield.
Gerard roared, "Fool, have you lost your mind? Break the Sword of Hope, and you'll fall into despair!"
Numerous wounds appeared on Kenpachi Zaraki's body, but he didn't care at all. With a leap, he rushed back to Gerard, raising his hand to cut off his head.
Tearing, elbow burst open, blood gushing out.
"Oh no, I released too much power, Ken-chan's body can't take it."
Yachiru Kusajishi was perched on his shoulder, exclaimed in surprise, her expression somewhat regretful, "I'm sorry, Ken-chan."
"Ha ha!"
Seeing this, Gerard slammed his shield down hard on Kenpachi Zaraki's body, slamming him to the ground with a loud bang that shook the nearby ruins.
"Only you have to kill him."
He showed no mercy; the sinner displayed terrifying vitality time and again, and he had to use all his strength to pulverize his body to ensure that nothing went wrong.
" Hyōrō Sen'nen!"
With a swing of his sword, Tōshirō Hitsugaya unleashed a sudden surge of icy energy that froze Gerard completely. The ice shattered instantly. "Ice of this level is utterly useless."
As he spoke, he broke free of the ice prison, his massive body reaching in front of Tōshirō Hitsugaya, grabbing the shield and slamming it down.
Tōshirō Hitsugaya hurriedly dodged, but the shockwave from the shield struck his body, making him float aimlessly like a leaf caught in the waves.
Senbonzakura quickly caught him and pulled him back.
Byakuya Kuchiki's expression remained indifferent, his hairstyle unaffected by the intense battle. He calmly stated, " Captain Hitsugaya, take Zaraki and retreat. Your Bankai is nearing its limit."
Tōshirō Hitsugaya, panting, glanced at Kenpachi Zaraki who had been dragged over, and said, " Captain Kuchiki, I never said that the withering of the ice flowers meant the Bankai was gone."
"In fact, the Daiguren Hyōrinmaru can only be truly completed when the ice flowers have all dissipated."
As the ice flowers faded, Tōshirō Hitsugaya transformed from a boy into a young man. His short, silver-white hair was combed up, and although his expression was not elaborate, he did not give off a cold feeling.
Hyōrinmaru is too powerful. The power of the strongest ice-type Zanpakuto is not something that can be easily controlled. Perhaps for this reason, once he uses the full power of his Bankai, he will age.
Jumping directly from adolescence to youth.
To be honest, he didn't like this look.
Gerard was puzzled and asked, "Who are you?"
" Tōshirō Hitsugaya."
He gave a single answer.
" Bankai? No, you've already Bankai, there shouldn't be any change."
Gerard struggled to come up with an answer, then concluded, "Forget it, none of that matters. Compared to that little brat from before, you're far more qualified to be my opponent now!"
He grabbed the shield with his right hand and hurled it directly at Tōshirō Hitsugaya.
Tōshirō Hitsugaya leaped forward, not to dodge, but to extend his hand forward. A chill instantly froze his shield, and he charged forward, stepping on the frozen barrier. "Is that all you ever do?" he slammed into the air.
"Very well, then let me crush you with a torrent of power!"
Enraged, Gerard assumed a gesture of Heilig Pfeil, intending to use that power to blast him to smithereens.
Tōshirō Hitsugaya pointed his Zanpakuto forward and said, "Your judgment is a bit late."
" The Shikai Hyōketsu."
Gerard's body was covered in a white frost, freezing even the Heilig Pfeil, remaining motionless.
This is Tōshirō Hitsugaya's most powerful move; within a four-step radius, everything—earth, fire, wind, and water—will be frozen without exception.
"It's over."
Tōshirō Hitsugaya wanted to shatter the ice with his sword.
A hiss, frost fell, and a hand gripped his before Tōshirō Hitsugaya could react. "What?"
"It will never freeze!"
Gerard shouted, "I am a warrior of God, and I should not be frozen by worldly elements!"
I'm going to crush you!
Just as he was about to exert force, his foot suddenly slipped, as if pulled by something, and he fell heavily to the ground. " Zaraki! You're not dead yet!"
Kenpachi Zaraki was panting, having already exited his Bankai state, but he was still able to fight.
The chill froze Gerard again, silencing him from saying anything more.
"Do you think you can get away unscathed by taking advantage of me in this state?" Tōshirō Hitsugaya said calmly.
"I told you, I am the Shinigami cannot be frozen!"
Gerard roared, breaking free from the icy grip once more, only to be met with blades swirling in the sky.
Byakuya Kuchiki had been searching for an opportunity to strike, finally made his move.