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"Aren't we here to help?"
Two figures, one tall and one short, stood outside Shika Mountain. The shorter figure said, "Even without a Zanpakuto, it's basically impossible for those brats to defeat him in his Hollowfied state."
"It's not entirely impossible, you know."
Urahara Kisuke shook his head, "While their research into Hollowfication has progressed significantly compared to when Mr. Isshin was attacked, his current Hollowfication isn't complete… More precisely, it's still missing the final perfecting step. This incomplete Hollowfication doesn't enhance him particularly much."
"Besides…"
Urahara Kisuke glanced at the young woman beside him and chuckled, "Yoruichi, have you forgotten that we are currently wanted by Soul Society? If it's not absolutely necessary, it's best if we don't interfere."
"Tsk— those old fogies."
…
Bang—!
The black-cloaked figure retreated again. Just as he stopped, a roar came from his flank.
"Ahhhhhh—"
Renji's Zabimaru extended section by section, whipping around like the teeth of a chainsaw. Its timing was so clever that the black-cloaked figure couldn't help but glance at this red-haired youth, whom he had not paid attention to since the battle began.
Has he gotten used to the rhythm of battle?
This red-haired youth, who was a burden not long ago, had learned how to cooperate with the other two, and his timing for attacks was getting better and better.
Should he say that he was indeed a talent favored by that person?
Thoughts raced through the black-cloaked figure's mind. He used his right forearm to guard the side of his head, and a crisp clang rang out.
So hard~!
Abarai Renji's pupils constricted.
The blade struck the arm, sending out a shower of sparks, as if he had hit not flesh, but steel.
However, he didn't lose heart.
He shifted his feet slightly, distorted his upper body, and swung Zabimaru, its saw-like blade tearing at the forearm that had blocked the blow.
Sizzle sizzle—
A grating metallic friction sound continuously emanated.
At the same time, Ayasegawa Yumichika appeared on the other side, his Fuji Kujaku slicing through the void, its Reiatsu rampant, striking directly at the black-cloaked figure's neck.
Unlike his response to Renji's attack, the black-cloaked figure did not choose to rely on his Hierro to withstand Ayasegawa Yumichika's assault, but instinctively tried to dodge.
But…
"Bakudo #9: Geki."
From the periphery of the battlefield, a soft incantation came, and a rope condensed from spiritual power materialized out of thin air, directly binding the black-cloaked figure, who had been about to dodge, in place.
This level of restraint was not strong; it could only bind the black-cloaked figure for an instant.
But in such a rapidly changing battlefield, that single instant was enough to be fatal.
Pfft—
Blood splattered, and three figures scattered to either side.
The black-cloaked figure's neck was distorted to one side, with bloody marks on his neck and arm. Although not deep, the combined efforts of Renji and Kiyone were already enough to cause him some trouble.
Moreover…
The black-cloaked figure's mask, which had no pupils, turned towards the periphery of the battlefield. Although the young man named Ishikawa Katori did not enter the center of the battlefield, he was present everywhere on the battlefield.
His grasp of the battle situation was extremely sharp.
Each time he acted, he did not aim for lethal damage or restraint, but rather to create a momentary opening for him.
He himself possessed terrifying Kaido mastery. Since the start of the battle, the injuries he had inflicted on Ikkaku Madarame and the other two, when combined, would have been fatal; yet, when one person was injured, the other two would immediately launch a frenzied assault, giving him no chance to pursue.
And the injured person would be treated by Ishikawa Katori and return to the battlefield in a short time!
"Hey~"
Whoosh—
A heavy whooshing sound came, and Ikkaku Madarame, with a ferocious grin on his face, brought his large broadsword down like a giant axe.
Blood splattered, and the black-cloaked figure's body was sent flying backward by the strike.
"Hmm?"
A flicker of surprise crossed Ikkaku Madarame's eyes. Why didn't he dodge?
Although his strike was extremely fast, given the speed the black-cloaked figure had displayed earlier, it wasn't entirely impossible for him to dodge, which gave Ikkaku Madarame a sense of disharmony.
When he saw the direction the black-cloaked figure was sent flying, his pupils suddenly constricted, and he urgently cried out, "Ishikawa Katori!!"
Almost at the instant his voice rang out, the black-cloaked figure, who seemed to have been knocked flying, stomped his foot in the air, activated Byakuya Kuchiki's flash steps, and changed from passive to active, charging directly towards Ishikawa Katori on the periphery of the battlefield.
Among the four present, the person who posed the greatest threat to him was undoubtedly Ikkaku with his Bankai activated.
The other two had only ever served as a diversion, helping the extremely cumbersome Ikkaku in his Bankai state compensate for his lack of mobility. And aside from Ikkaku… among the remaining three, the one who caused him the most trouble was the black-haired youth who had been staying on the outskirts of the battlefield.
Hado, Bakudo, Kaido… he was proficient in all of them, not only being well-rounded but also highly skilled in each technique!
Many Kido, even when abandoning the incantation, could still unleash their full power. This alone already surpassed most Vice-Captains, and even Captains, in the Gotei 13.
To end the battle quickly, he had to deal with this black-haired youth first.
Under Byakuya Kuchiki's flash steps, the black-cloaked figure appeared above Ishikawa Katori's head in an instant, and a leg carrying a fierce gust of wind swung down towards Ishikawa Katori's head.
Ishikawa Katori's expression darkened. At this moment, he couldn't care about the burden on his body. The fabric on the shoulders and back of his black work suit was instantly torn, and dazzling lightning burst forth from his body.
"—Shunko!"
Boom!!
Thunder rumbled.
The sudden burst of lightning surprised the black-cloaked figure.
The lightning, soaring into the sky, collided with the black-cloaked figure's kick. Ishikawa Katori felt an incredibly heavy force transmit through his entire body, and he was uncontrollably sent flying backward.
Even with his feet firmly dug into the soil, he was still forced back dozens of meters by this blow. As soon as he stopped, his face instantly flushed red, then turned pale, and a streak of blood flowed from the corner of his mouth.
Was it still too much?
Ishikawa Katori gritted his teeth and directly added the remaining 5172 experience points to his Physique.
Physique: Advanced (5172 / 100000)
The enhancement of his Physique, although unable to completely heal his Spirit Core, could temporarily adjust the disorder of his Spirit Body and reduce the burden of forcibly releasing Shunko.
Even if the help wasn't significant, it was better than investing in other areas that offered no help to his current condition!
Almost the instant he finished all this, Ishikawa Katori felt his vision go black. The black-cloaked figure reappeared, his originally pitch-black iron mask completely shattered, exposing the pure white bone mask beneath it fully to Ishikawa Katori's eyes.
That mask was extremely bizarre; there was only a single vertical line on the entire mask, without even pupils, making it chilling to behold.
An astonishing oppressive force assaulted him, making Ishikawa Katori's nerves tense, but his body reacted quickly. Almost simultaneously with the black-cloaked figure's appearance in front of him, lightning roared around him, and he swung a kick directly at the black-cloaked figure in front of him.
Seeing this, the black-cloaked figure did not hesitate and likewise kicked out.
Bang!
Amidst the muffled collision, an invisible impact spread from where their legs met, kicking up the surrounding soil.
But this stalemate lasted only an instant. Even in his Shunko state, Ishikawa Katori's kick was instantly deflected, and his body uncontrollably spun in the opposite direction.
The black-cloaked figure let out a sneer. He had originally thought Ishikawa Katori's kick would have more power, but he hadn't expected it to be so easily defeated.
As he sneered, he formed his hand into a blade and slashed directly at Ishikawa Katori's neck, who was spinning like a top under the impact.
However…
Clang!!
The sound of a blade being drawn rang out. A crescent moon shape was cut through the air by the long blade. Driven by Ishikawa Katori's twisting body, it struck the black-cloaked figure's face like a flash of lightning.
This is…
If the mask had eyes, a look of surprise would surely have appeared in the black-cloaked figure's eyes.
Because this strike came too cleverly. Almost at the same time his legs collided and bounced back, he used the force of his own kick to rotate, combining his own body and power, and struck directly at him.
Can't take it head-on!
A thought flashed through his mind, and the black-cloaked figure immediately abandoned the pursuit and retreated backward.
Whoosh~
Even though this strike missed, the fierce and sharp force still left a shallow mark on the bone armor on his chest, which made the black-cloaked figure's unease grow stronger.
If he had chosen to take it head-on just now, even with Hierro as defense, this strike would still have caused him some damage.
They had been paying attention to the young man in front of them for a long time.
But neither he nor that person had ever truly paid him any mind.
However, the strength and combat talent the young man was now displaying greatly exceeded the black-cloaked figure's expectations, and this was even in a heavily injured state. If he were in perfect condition… his threat to him would be no less than Ikkaku in his Bankai state!
Thinking of this, the black-cloaked figure put aside his initial disdain and began to take the young man in front of him seriously.
To his surprise…
After one strike, Ishikawa Katori did not pursue but instead revealed a smile.
"You don't seem to understand Ikkaku's Bankai, do you?"
Ikkaku's Bankai?
The black-cloaked figure was stunned. Before he could understand the meaning of Ishikawa Katori's words, he felt an incredibly powerful Reiatsu suddenly surge from behind him, its intensity reaching a level that even he dared not underestimate!
Boom—
The black-cloaked figure turned sharply and looked behind him, only to see Ikkaku Madarame charging towards him.
At this moment, his Reiatsu was immeasurably stronger than before. Each giant blade was filled with dense Reiatsu, especially the axe blade he carried on his back, where materialized, terrifying Reiatsu surged. And the dragon pattern in the center of that axe blade, which was originally dim…
Had also turned crimson!!
If Ikkaku Madarame in his Bankai state before could only be considered top-tier among Vice-Captains, relying entirely on the sharpness of his Bankai to hold his own against him, then the current Ikkaku Madarame's Reiatsu had completely reached Captain-level.
How could he suddenly become so much stronger?
A heavy feeling rose in the black-cloaked figure's heart. He no longer bothered to attack Ishikawa Katori; the current Ikkaku Madarame had already forced him to respond with full concentration.
Ishikawa Katori looked at Ikkaku Madarame, whose Reiatsu was soaring, and felt a bit speechless. Ikkaku in his Bankai state was undoubtedly Captain-level.
But his Captain-level…
Was too slow to warm up. If it weren't for Kiyone and Renji distracting the opponent, he might have lost his combat ability before unleashing the full power of his Bankai.
However, the real battle began at this moment.
Bang!
The two figures collided, and terrifying force surged out, causing Renji and Kiyone, who had intended to join in and help Ikkaku, to retreat backward.
Because the power and speed of these two people colliding were too overbearing, rashly getting involved might disrupt Ikkaku's battle rhythm.
...
At the same time, on the outskirts of Shika Mountain.
"He just said Shunko, right?" Urahara Kisuke looked strangely at the dark-skinned girl beside him and asked, "Isn't that a technique you created, Yoruichi?"
The girl called Yoruichi did not speak, but looked at the young man in the distance, whose body was flashing with lightning.
After a long while, she said with a strange tone, "In your opinion, is that Shunko?"
"It's not?"
"It is, but not entirely..."
When Yoruichi said this, her eyes were full of strangeness: "This kid is simply a Lunatic."
"Shunko is indeed a technique that integrates highly compressed Kido into the body, but..." Yoruichi paused and continued, "Integrating Kido into the body is only the foundation of mastering Shunko. To truly master Shunko, one needs to constantly change the nature of their Spirit Core during the execution process, thereby reducing the burden of highly concentrated Kido on the body."
"Even in the most basic situation, it requires the Spirit Core within the body to change several times within a minute, and at its extreme, it even requires the Spirit Core to change dozens of times within 1 second, and only release the maximum output of highly concentrated Kido at the moment of attack."
"This requires long-term continuous attempts to master the changes involved."
Yoruichi's mouth twitched slightly: "However, this kid's Shunko skipped this step. Not to mention the Spirit Core changes, he didn't even gather the highly concentrated Kido on his shoulders and back, and then only infused it into his hands during an attack; instead, he directly went straight to the point, integrating the highly concentrated Kido into his body, completely bearing the burden of the highly concentrated Kido with his physical body."
"This also allows him not to have to fight purely with bare hands."
"But rather than calling it 'Shunko,' it would be better to call it 'Shunbao,' instant self-detonation..."
"He doesn't look like he's going to self-detonate," Urahara Kisuke said with a smile.
"Generally speaking, it should explode..."
Yoruichi's eyes sparkled with curiosity: "Now I'm just like you, curious about the structure of his body."
She wasn't surprised by the two words 'Shunko' spoken by Ishikawa Katori, because when she saw him last time in the Human World, Yoruichi already knew that this black-haired young man might have some connection with the Shiba.
And she had roughly explained the concept of Shunko to Kukaku...
But what the hell is this suicidal Shunko?
After decades of not seeing each other, has Shiba Kūkaku gone insane to this extent?
She didn't know that when Shiba Kūkaku was teaching Ishikawa Katori Kido, she did indeed specifically train Ishikawa Katori in the direction of 'Shunko,' but only along the general concept left by Yoruichi.
As for Ishikawa Katori...
When he first comprehended Shunko, it was during a life-and-death struggle, and he simply didn't have time to think about whether his comprehension was correct or not; although he felt that his Shunko put a bit of a heavy burden on his body after the battle, he never thought that his Shunko was wrong, only that Yoruichi's physical strength was extremely high.
Because even the system recognized it, Ishikawa Katori never studied how to change the nature of the Spirit Core to reduce the burden of Shunko on the body.
Finally, supported by his advanced physique, he forcibly transformed the 'active skill' released at the moment of attack into a 'passive skill' that continuously existed after releasing Shunko.
...
Outside the battlefield.
Ishikawa Katori had already put away his Shunko and sat on the ground, pale-faced, while in front of him, Renji and Kiyone stood there, guarding Ishikawa Katori while watching the changes in the center of the battlefield.
Although the black-robed man was strong, dealing with a fully Bankai-ed Ikkaku Madarame without a Zanpakuto was not so easy.
Moreover, unlike Ishikawa Katori, he was accustomed to using a Zanpakuto, so his Hakuda abilities were not strong; this was not evident when his Spirit Core strength had an absolute advantage, but when this advantage, though still present, was no longer absolute, this became his shortcoming.
For a time, he was unable to do anything to Ikkaku, instead presenting a stalemate!
The worst part wasn't even this.
He could clearly feel an incredibly powerful aura rushing towards them at an extremely fast speed.
But under Ikkaku's entanglement, he couldn't leave even if he wanted to.
Ikkaku also noticed this, causing his offensive to pause.
"Hold him!"
Seeing this, Ishikawa Katori, who was on the outskirts of the battlefield, instantly realized Ikkaku's intention and hurriedly shouted, "I promise you, Captain Soi Fon will definitely keep your secret."
Ikkaku gritted his teeth upon hearing this, releasing his full Spirit Core and launching a furious assault on the black-cloaked man again.
Buzz~
Finally, a black shadow appeared at the end of the mountain range, and in an instant, it was already approaching the battlefield.
Within that black shadow was an incredibly petite figure, but her whole body exuded an incredibly powerful Spirit Core, which was precisely Soi Fon, who had rushed here after receiving the news.
Seeing this, the black-cloaked man suddenly felt a surge of regret.
If he had brought his Zanpakuto from the beginning, he wouldn't be in such a passive situation now.
This operation was full of unexpected events.
First, the time to separate the Soul King fragments exceeded expectations, then Ishikawa Katori noticed too early, and the strength of the four people... especially Ikkaku's Bankai, far exceeded his initial judgment.
"You, come back."
Just then, a gentle voice entered the black-cloaked man's ear, causing his body to tremble.
Pfft—!
Without warning, Ikkaku Madarame, who was originally rushing towards the black-cloaked man, suddenly seemed to be cut in the back, blood splattered, and he uncontrollably fell to the ground, his Spirit Core rapidly dissipating, and he was cut out of his Bankai state with a single blow.
This is!?
Such a bizarre scene caused everyone present, including Ishikawa Katori and the others, as well as Soi Fon, who had already arrived at the outskirts of the battlefield, to shrink their pupils.
But before they could understand what had happened, the void suddenly distorted, opening like a huge mouth, directly swallowing the black-cloaked man.
Buzz—
A afterimage flashed, and Soi Fon appeared with a gloomy face where the black-cloaked man had disappeared, her metal-knuckled finger thorns pointing into the empty space.
Ishikawa Katori took a deep look at the place where the black-cloaked man disappeared, a sense of dread appearing in his eyes. Although he had long known that the opponent's strength was extremely terrifying, just a single slash from an unknown distance, severely wounding Ikkaku after his Bankai, still made Ishikawa Katori feel a deep dread and...
Fear he had only ever felt in front of Unohana Retsu!
"Bring Ikkaku over!"
Ishikawa Katori withdrew his gaze and looked at the two people in front of him: "That slash injured Ikkaku's Soul Sleep, he must be treated as soon as possible."
In fact, when Ishikawa Katori spoke, Kiyone had already disappeared from his original position. When Ishikawa Katori's words fell, he had already brought the unconscious Ikkaku in front of Ishikawa Katori.
Ishikawa Katori immediately began to treat him.
Soi Fon appeared beside the group, looked at Ikkaku on the ground, and a strange look flashed across her face.
Before she arrived at the scene, she had always thought that the Captain-level Spirit Core on the battlefield was the Spirit Core of the enemy Ishikawa Katori and the others had encountered, but after arriving, she found that the person releasing the Spirit Core was actually the Third Seat of the Eleventh Division.
Although she didn't see the entire battle, the strength displayed by Ikkaku and the black-cloaked man in their fight after her arrival was already completely sufficient to qualify as a Captain of the Gotei 13!
Soi Fon withdrew her gaze and turned to Kiyone and Renji, saying, "Tell me the whole story from beginning to end."
"Yes."
Upon hearing this, the two immediately recounted the entire incident from beginning to end.
After listening, Soi Fon's face showed a thoughtful expression, and then she asked, "Unable to determine the identity of the other party?"
"Hmm."
Ayasegawa Yumichika said, "His black cloak should be some kind of spiritual tool that conceals his Spirit Core, and his face and exposed skin are completely covered by a bone-like layer."
"From his physique alone, it's impossible to determine his identity."
"But his Zanjutsu and Kido are both extremely powerful, giving the feeling that he is a Shinigami."
Soi Fon frowned upon hearing this. It was impossible to determine the opponent's identity from these points, nor could it be confirmed that the opponent was definitely a Shinigami, after all...
Soi Fon glanced at Ishikawa Katori.
There was already someone here who wasn't a Shinigami but was extremely proficient in Zankensoki. If Ishikawa Katori hadn't been the one attacked, she might have even thought the black-cloaked man was Ishikawa Katori.
Because this guy was also extremely skilled at concealing his Spirit Core. Soi Fon had always been very wary of this aspect of Ishikawa Katori, fearing that he might conceal his Spirit Core and go to places he shouldn't.
Fortunately, Ishikawa Katori also understood this point. After entering the Seireitei, he never concealed his Spirit Core, allowing the Supervisory Team to always ascertain his location, although...
Those Squad Members of the Supervisory Team had become increasingly lax in their surveillance of Ishikawa Katori.
"Hoo—"
Ishikawa Katori exhaled lightly and stopped treating Ikkaku.
"How is Ikkaku?"
Seeing this, Kiyone and Renji both gathered around.
Ishikawa Katori looked at their nervous expressions and suddenly thought of saying, 'I've done my best,' but considering his own physical condition... he still honestly said:
"The treatment was very timely, there's nothing serious, just send him to the Comprehensive Relief Station for a few days of recuperation and he'll be fine."
Upon hearing this, both Kiyone and Renji breathed a sigh of relief.
Ishikawa Katori then looked at Soi Fon and said, "Captain Soi Fon, regarding Ikkaku's Bankai..."
"I'm not interested."
Soi Fon directly interrupted Ishikawa Katori and instead said, "Where is the kidnapped child?"
"He should be hidden nearby."
Soi Fon nodded upon hearing this, then looked up and said, "Go find him and bring him back to the Onmitsukidō to see what's special about him."
"Yes."
Voices came from all directions, and black-clad, masked Onmitsukido members spread out from this location, searching in all directions.
Finally, with the search of many Onmitsukido members, it only took ten minutes to find the unconscious Kosuke in a cave and bring him before everyone.
"How is he?"
Soi Fon ordered someone to place Kosuke in front of Ishikawa Katori, signaling Ishikawa Katori to check his condition.
Ishikawa Katori roughly checked him and said, "He's fine, just a bit weak."
He wasn't lying; Kosuke's Spirit Body was indeed just a bit weak.
But...
That inexplicable strange feeling had disappeared, so it was likely that while they were fighting, someone else had achieved the black-cloaked man's goal of kidnapping Kosuke.
join p atreon.com/KeyofStars and become a Sequence 9: Reader for dozens of advance chapters for over a dozen fics | Every 100 powerstones = 1 extra chapter