The rods of light pinned Kojiro's body tight, as if trying to embed his flesh deeply within them.
His half-white hair fluttered gently in the wind. Combined with the beautiful, pure light of the Bakudo, he looked like a fallen deity banished to the mortal world.
Kojiro merely gave his blade a light swing — the blade passed right through the rods of light as if slicing through water, offering no resistance at all.
As the blade cut across, the rods shattered like glass, falling to the ground and scattering into points of spiritual light.
Seeing this, a flicker of astonishment flashed in Asano Kiyoshi's eyes. What's going on?!
His fully incanted Rikujokoro — even against someone like Amakuchi Akira in a completely hollowfied state — would still take time to break out of. How could Kojiro simply slash through it so easily?!
He wasn't the only one puzzled; everyone watching was just as confused. For a moment, no one could understand what had happened.
Nanao adjusted her glasses, her eyes behind the lenses filled with a hint of doubt:
"That's not right. Just now, the Bakudo — in terms of strength, precision, and spiritual pressure input — was flawless. How could it be broken by such an ordinary slash?!"
Hearing her, Kyoraku was about to explain, but before he could, another gentle voice chimed in:
"It's probably because of Tsunayashiro Kojiro's Shikai ability. If you look carefully, when he struck, his Reishi was actually in a dispersed state. And it's those scattered particles that broke through the Bakudo's Reishi sequence — by creating localized Reishi bursts, they shattered Asano Kiyoshi's Bakudo."
Hearing this explanation, Nanao quickly bowed her head:
"I see! Thank you, Captain Unohana."
Unohana gave her a warm smile, then nodded a greeting to Kyoraku before turning her gentle gaze to the platform where Asano Kiyoshi stood. In her eyes, the young man's figure was reflected, as if saying:
So… now, how will you respond to him? Will you still rely on that troublesome Kido?
Meanwhile, Tsunayashiro Sosuke looked at the scene below and said quietly to Tsunayashiro Yuta at his side:
"As expected — this child truly has potential. To master such a troublesome ability… it seems his mother's teachings were very effective."
But even as he spoke, the smile on his chubby face was cold and cruel.
Facing the shattered Bakudo, Asano Kiyoshi still hadn't fully grasped how Kojiro had broken it. Kojiro clearly had no intention of explaining either. He lowered his body slightly, his sword arm flicking out as his blade scraped across the ground — and then, in the blink of an eye, he was right in front of Asano Kiyoshi!
The short blade, no longer than a dagger, lashed out like a venomous snake, stabbing in from a blind spot in Kiyoshi's field of vision!
So fast!
That single thought flashed through Kiyoshi's mind as he jerked his long blade up just in time to barely block Kojiro's strike.
But the sheer force traveling through the blade made half of his body go numb. Staring at his slightly trembling arm, Kiyoshi thought:
So heavy!
Kojiro's strike, though precise, left him momentarily frozen in midair due to the massive impact force. Seizing the chance, Kiyoshi threw his ink-black blade at Kojiro. As Kojiro sliced it aside, Kiyoshi created a Reishi foothold in midair, twisting his body to deliver a sideways kick straight at Kojiro's abdomen.
But at that very moment, a stone wall suddenly erupted from the ground beneath Kojiro, lifting him up and causing Kiyoshi's kick to hit empty air.
Even so, Kiyoshi's kick struck the stone wall with such force that it punched a deep crater into it.
But then — a chill ran from his toes to his scalp. Kiyoshi tried to retreat, but it was too late!
From the shattered stone wall, several sharp earthen spikes suddenly sprouted!
The spikes struck with blinding speed. Even though Kiyoshi immediately cast Hadō #1 — Sho! and managed to shatter several spikes, a few still pierced him!
Calf. Abdomen. Shoulder.
Three wounds, run clean through!
Blood slowly dripped down, staining the white underlayer of his robes. The sharp scent of blood seeped into his mind, sending a thrill down his spine.
Captain Unohana's body shivered at the sight on the platform, her face tinged with a strange blush — this was real combat!
She bit her crimson lip, her eyes growing dark and intense.
Behind her, Isane instinctively hugged her arms around herself. Watching her captain's eager expression, she shivered in fear.
The Tsunayashiro clan wore masks of feigned concern as they saw the fresh holes in Kiyoshi's body. They glanced toward the head captain's seat, eyes filled with delight.
Old Man Yamamoto's ancient face remained unreadable. His position demanded he appear impartial, steady, and unfeeling. Such was his role. Such was his duty.
But the hand pressed against his wooden cane seemed to tighten slightly…
Byakuya's face remained calm. He looked at the bleeding Kiyoshi and said nothing.
From behind the stone wall, Kojiro stepped forward, face showing a hint of fatigue. He looked at Kiyoshi and said:
"Arm, leg, and abdomen — three wounds. You've lost the ability to wield your sword, to use Shunpo, or to engage in a drawn-out fight. You no longer have the power to face me. Give up — I don't want to kill you."
Hearing this, Kiyoshi just smiled faintly. Then, with his still-intact left hand, he drew another ink-black blade from the scroll at his side. He replied, slow but resolute:
"Thank you. But I'm sorry — I can't afford to fall here."
Kojiro simply nodded, tensed his stance, and once again charged at Kiyoshi, murmuring softly:
"Then… let's continue!"
Facing Kojiro's charge, Kiyoshi took a deep breath — and then, his Zanpakutō fully released!
His Zanpakutō was a domain-type, but opening a domain devoured spiritual pressure at an immense rate. With his current spiritual power, he couldn't maintain it for long. Activating it so early was far from ideal!
But against Kojiro — who seemed like he was cheating — Kiyoshi had no other option.
At the moment his spiritual power was unleashed, the inky spiritual pressure soared skyward, forming a mass of black storm clouds overhead.
Black clouds pressing down — the heavens felt ready to collapse!
Seeing the terrifying swirl of Reishi clouds above, everyone's hearts were seized by a sense of awe.
T/N: For up to 20 chapters ahead on all my translations, become a p@tron at [email protected]/LordHipposApostle
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