"Huh?"
Ichinisan Ichi-moku's words almost made Akagi Chizuru lose her composure.
What did he mean, "it's time"?
Did he think combat was a turn-based game, where you could just stop fighting whenever you wanted?
The atmosphere had been built up to this point by their words.
Wouldn't a sudden retreat be a bit of a letdown?
"Wait!"
Just then, she suddenly noticed a crucial detail.
Never mind the time for now.
Was Kiganjo weak? No, he wasn't. He had defeated the Seventh Seat of the Third Division. Although she didn't know how he was defeated, he was still a Shinigami capable of Shikai.
He had been beaten to that extent.
Would she fare any better?
Her heart tightened, and Akagi Chizuru quickly adjusted her mindset.
She was a Shinigami, not a hero. There was no need to talk about martial ethics with a bandit.
Not ganging up on him was already showing him enough respect.
Thus, without hesitation, amidst the rapidly expanding and contracting spiritual pressure, Akagi Chizuru Shunpoed away.
Kiganjo's face darkened.
He had already drawn his Zanpakuto.
And this is what he got?
"Brat!"
His gaze was fierce, like a man-eating beast staring at Ichinisan Ichi-moku by the doorframe, his anger surging uncontrollably:
"Who gave you the guts to stop my fight when I was just getting warmed up?!"
"Do you have a death wish?"
The atmospheric pressure was as low as a quagmire, making Ichimoku unable to move.
He dared not meet Kiganjo's eyes, his legs trembling like a sieve.
Under the pressure of Kiganjo's nearly third-grade spiritual power, Ichimoku was already exerting all his strength just to maintain his balance.
At this moment…
"Why get angry?"
"Kiganjo."
Yoriichi gently pressed Ichimoku's trembling shoulder.
That steady, reassuring tone slowly calmed Ichimoku's extreme fear, gradually stopping the trembling in his legs.
Yoriichi unhurriedly walked past Ichimoku, stopping to gaze:
"We don't have time to waste with you here."
"If you want to fight… You can come with me to the Seireitei. There are plenty of prisoners there for you to fight to your heart's content."
"As for now…"
"Surrender."
"I don't want to kill you, because judging you is the Seireitei's business."
Shinigami are only responsible for capture.
They only kill those who stubbornly resist, depending on the situation, because every soul with Shinigami potential is very important.
Precisely.
Kiganjo was one of them.
"Judge me?"
Kiganjo scoffed, laughing coldly. He slowly raised his head, his eyes filled with deep contempt for the Shinigami.
"On what grounds?"
"I haven't massacred any souls; I've only stolen some food to fill my stomach."
"As for those Shinigami, I didn't provoke them. They came rushing over to let me cut them down."
"I can't just stand there, can I?"
"Why does the way each of you speaks annoy me so much? Are Shinigami so great?"
"Can Shinigami stand high and mighty and deprive others of their freedom?"
"Pfft!"
He turned his head, spitting out a mouthful of saliva as if disgusted, his tone full of disdain.
"If you want me to surrender, then defeat me first!"
"Don't say anything else!"
"I'm not one of those softies who get weak in the knees just hearing the word 'Shinigami'. We all have spiritual pressure, so who's afraid of whom?!"
He was quite arrogant.
Yoriichi slightly raised an eyebrow at him, his eyes filled with surprise.
He hadn't noticed at first that this seemingly bandit-like fellow possessed such a strong desire to win.
If he had been born in the Sengoku period.
He would have been a powerful warlord.
However…
Here, in the Soul Society.
No matter how much he said, it was just a sophistry for his misdeeds.
If he hadn't bullied others and hadn't disrupted the normal order of the surrounding several districts, which Shinigami would have cut him down?
There is a cause for every effect.
"Hmm…"
Yoriichi nodded slightly, making his final decision.
"Very good," he said softly, his eyes firm.
"In that case."
He paused, his tone conveying an undeniable resolve:
"I will follow your suggestion and take you back to the Seireitei after defeating you."
Before his words faded, his figure had already vanished like a ghost, leaving only a faint afterimage.
Amidst his astonishment, Kiganjo felt a chill rise from his spine.
In an instant, Tsugikuni Yoriichi had appeared behind him, striking down with a palm that carried the force of wind and thunder!
"!"
A strong sense of unease engulfed him like a tide.
—No time for Shikai!
He gripped his long sword tightly with both hands, instinctively swinging it wildly backwards, attempting to block the sudden attack.
However, his full-strength strike was like a clay ox entering the sea, utterly useless.
The cold blade was gently held by a slender finger, unmoving.
"How is that possible?!"
Kiganjo was utterly horrified. He knew that this strike had enough power to cleave mountains and break stones, yet now it couldn't even affect the opponent's single finger.
Was the gap between them really that vast?
Third Seat Tsugikuni…
Which division's Third Seat was this strong?
His pupils suddenly constricted, and he clenched his jaw with all his might. Large, ferocious blue veins climbed along his neck onto his exposed forehead, as striking as tattoos!
The sound of tearing muscles came from his arm, and his bones creaked, yet…
Everything was futile.
Crack!
The sound of the blade breaking was audible in the silent environment.
Kiganjo's expression changed. He desperately tried to retract his sword, attempting to change his attack method.
However, there is always a delay between thought and action.
The thought had just surfaced.
The next second.
Whoosh!
A cold blade, carrying boundless penetrating power, flashed into his vision, plunging directly below Kiganjo's chest!
The Saketsu was hit.
Pain flooded his brain like a tide.
Thud!
He lost all strength like a kite with a broken string, instantly falling to his knees.
—As one of the sources of a Shinigami's power, the Saketsu is like the Hakusui.
Once these two points are hit, a Shinigami will die within half an hour, and even if they don't die, they will lose all their power.
However.
Hitting one point is different.
He wouldn't die, but he would be weak for several days, which was enough to quiet down a bandit leader.
Thump!
As fragments of the blade pierced his body and deeply embedded into the wall behind him, Kiganjo lowered his gaze and slowly collapsed.
Like a collapsing giant tower, making the ground tremble.
The Zanpakuto in his hand lost its master's power and fell weakly.
In a flash, with just one move, everything was over.
Clang! Clang!
To the side.
His subordinates all had their mouths agape, unsure how to react to what they had just witnessed.
Speechless? No, it was more confusion and bewilderment.
Why did the boss fall?
When did he fall?
How did they not see it?!
Wait!
The boss is gone!
Only then did they realise the horror of the situation. Some of them decisively got up and fled like sardines.
However, they were all kicked back by Ichimoku, who was guarding the door.
He wasn't great against Shinigami, but against ordinary souls...
If he didn't kick the crap out of these bandits, it meant they had clean bowels.
Phew!
Watching them fly back like broken rags, some of them howling in pain, Ichimoku let out a long breath, feeling more relaxed than ever before.
Let your boss threaten me...
They deserved it!