Natsuro gripped his sword hilt tightly and suddenly stepped forward.
At the same time, Meikyō Shisui, already shining so brightly it hurt to look at, slashed toward Zaraki Kenpachi.
In the next instant, a beam of light wrapped in endless lightning roared toward Zaraki Kenpachi.
Its trajectory was clearly still several inches above the ground, yet the moment it moved forward, the ground beneath it was gouged open, leaving behind a deep trench that stretched toward Zaraki's position.
But even faced with such a devastating lightning cannon, Zaraki Kenpachi had no intention of dodging. His eyes burned with a feverish light, and his entire body trembled with excitement.
As the lightning cannon approached, Zaraki laughed wildly and roared:
"Tear it apart, Nozarashi!"
Then, gripping his blade with both hands, he brought it down in a perfect tachi-style overhead slash.
In an instant, the lightning cannon swallowed Zaraki's figure whole, bursting into dazzling radiance that illuminated the entire dim void as if turning night into day.
Had Zaraki Kenpachi's attempt failed once again?
No, when the blinding light finally cleared, Zaraki's figure still stood there, unyielding.
At the moment the lightning cannon clashed with Zaraki's sword, it split open down the middle, carving a channel through the beam. The reason his body had seemed engulfed was simply because the scattered lightning had flared outward around him.
However, Zaraki had not completely succeeded either, his blade still couldn't cut all the way through.
At this point, his skin had turned an even deeper shade of red and the madness and battle lust in his eyes had only intensified.
"AAAAAA!!"
Zaraki bellowed like a beast, then suddenly drew back his Zanpakutō.
The next moment, the unending lightning beam struck him head-on. Zaraki took it full-force, his own body as his shield.
Yet even Zaraki's monstrous physique couldn't withstand such power. The instant the lightning cannon touched him, his flesh split open, torn and scorched.
The blood that should have spilled from his wounds evaporated instantly in the storm of lightning.
Now, Zaraki was truly on the brink of death, it seemed he might perish at any second.
Natsuro had never imagined Zaraki would choose to face the attack this way, but once unleashed, even he couldn't recall the lightning cannon.
Still, if Zaraki really were to die under that strike he would feel only regret, never guilt.
That's the nature of battle; no one knows what might happen next.
On the side, Unohana's eyes widened. Through the blinding light of the lightning beam, she could just barely make out Zaraki's body being consumed by it.
She gripped her sword tightly, and in that instant, her spiritual pressure erupted.
Even knowing that Zaraki's injuries had already far exceeded what her healing could mend, even her bankai might not be enough, Unohana still refused to give up.
Because, what if it worked?
"Bankai: Minazuki!"
Unohana swiftly cut her own palm. Endless blood began to pour along her blade, and from the surrounding space as well, flowing together into a sea of blood that surged across the void, horrifying to behold.
Just as the blood sea was about to engulf both Natsuro and Zaraki, the latter suddenly moved.
Even with death closing in, a wild grin remained on Zaraki's face.
Did Zaraki not realize that by sheathing his sword, he had left himself completely open to the lightning cannon?
Of course he knew. But, Zaraki wanted to cut through it.
The first time, he had been crushed completely beneath that colossal flaming sword.
The second time, just now, facing that same flaming sword again, he had another chance to meet it head-on. Yet even then, he failed to seize victory; if he hadn't completed his shikai at the last moment, he would have lost once more.
And now though the attack was not a flaming sword, how was it any different?
In power, in pressure, it was just as terrifying!
So this time, he would cut through it. He must cut through it!
But Zaraki knew, his previous strike wasn't enough.
So if that blow couldn't do it, then he would simply withdraw his sword, and unleash another, stronger one!
That was Zaraki's resolve, and that was exactly what he did.
With a thunderous shout, Zaraki raised his massive blade high above his head, gathering every last ounce of his strength—then brought it down in a single, all-consuming strike.
At that moment, Zaraki had cast his life aside. Even if this swing cost him his existence... As long as he could shatter the lightning cannon, he would die satisfied!
In the next instant, Zaraki's death-defying full-force slash struck the lightning cannon.
The world fell silent.
Then, before Natsuro's astonished eyes, cracks began to spread across the lightning beam, like fractures in glass.
And finally, the beam shattered into countless sparks of lightning, scattering through the endless void.
Zaraki still stood there, unmoving.
A gaping hole had been blasted through his chest, his flesh torn open so deeply that one could see inside… yet his spine, unbelievably, had not been destroyed.
What kind of monstrous body was this?
Zaraki showed not the slightest sorrow or fear for his grievous wound. Instead, he laughed madl, and charged toward Natsuro.
Because defense alone could never win a battle.
If he wanted victory, he had to attack!
As for the pain tearing through his chest?
Zaraki had long since cast it aside!
He could discard his very life for battle, what was pain in comparison?
With a manic grin, Zaraki gripped his massive sword in one hand and sprinted straight toward Natsuro.
"Truly… incredible," Natsuro murmured, gazing at Zaraki with genuine admiration. He could feel the man's will.
He had long known Zaraki was someone willing to give everything for the sake of battle. But knowing it was one thing, witnessing it with his own eyes was something else entirely.
However…
Zaraki must not die here.
Natsuro had not come to kill him this time.
If Zaraki had perished in the lightning cannon earlier, it would simply have meant he wasn't strong enough, and he wouldn't have cared. But now…
Since there was still a chance, he wouldn't let Zaraki die.
He could already see the spreading sea of blood surging toward them, so knew that Unohana had activated her bankai.
So long as he could restrain Zaraki and push him into the blood's domain, his injuries would likely be completely healed.
And how to restrain Zaraki?
That was simple enough...
For over the years, Natsuro's swordsmanship had not remained idle.
Now, although he had spent most of his time merely refining and patching up his existing sword forms, that didn't mean he had stopped creating new ones altogether.
This particular form was, in essence, a sword technique that gathered the power of all Bakudō into a single strike.
The Fourth and Fifth Forms were based on Hadō (Destruction Spells).
The Sixth Form, however, was Bakudō!
At that moment, Natsuro lightly flicked the blade of Meikyō Shisui with his finger. In that instant, countless strands of light shot forth, transforming into luminous ropes that rushed toward Zaraki Kenpachi.
Zaraki, faced with those glowing cords, didn't bother to evade. Laughing wildly, he swung his Zanpakutō to try and cut them all down.
Unfortunately, those ropes were unbelievably resilient, so flexible they were nearly unbreakable.
Even Zaraki's mighty slashes couldn't sever them completely. Instead, his Zanpakutō became entangled within them.
As his blade was bound, more ropes surged forward, wrapping tightly around Zaraki's body, layer after layer.
No matter how fiercely he struggled, he could not break free.
Even at full strength Zaraki might not have been able to escape, let alone now, in his heavily wounded state.
Soon, the countless bands of light completely bound Zaraki. Finally, the strands converged together... And as they did, a full moon appeared within the void.
Only, this moon lay upon the ground, and at its center was a struggling human silhouette.
That "moon" was the crystallization of all the Bakudō Natsuro had fused together.
"Sixth Form: Eigetsu (Reflected Moon)."
Natsuro softly spoke the name of his sword form.
It incorporated every binding art he knew, capable of sealing all of an opponent's movements, both physical and spiritual.
It was one of his finest achievements over the past few years, and the final evolution of his sword art thus far.
Unless he discovered a completely new breakthrough, there was likely no further progress to be made in this fusion of swordsmanship and demon arts.
Still, he already had a vague idea for the next form, though he had yet to fully grasp it.
"That should be the end of it," he exhaled, looking at the motionless 'moon' that now imprisoned Zaraki Kenpachi, while the sea of blood rose around them, threatening to swallow him whole.
But then... The sea of blood stopped.
Natsuro froze. His gaze locked onto the "moon."
Cracks began to spread across its glowing surface.
Impossible!
Even Natsuro couldn't believe it.
Though it was the first time he had used the Sixth Form, he was certain of its resilience, its binding strength should have far surpassed that of the Fourth and Fifth Forms.
And yet, the truth was plain before his eyes...
The moon was fracturing, filling with countless cracks in mere moments. Even the blood sea was repelled, unable to approach Zaraki any further.
"This is…?"
Natsuro frowned, feeling the wild, explosive surge of spiritual pressure radiating from within.His expression grew more and more shocked.
Then, the Sixth Form shattered completely.
From the broken moon burst forth a figure like a demon.
The being's entire body was blood-red. Two black markings ran from its forehead down beneath its eyes, and a pair of devilish horns jutted from its brow.
In its hand, the massive Zanpakutō had transformed once more, its blade split open along the center like a gaping maw.
Zaraki Kenpachi was crouched low, his posture feral, no longer a man, but a beast consumed by pure instinct.
If before Zaraki had only resembled a demon... Now, he was one.
Moreover, the gaping hole that had pierced through his chest was gone!
He had healed completely, without Unohana's power.
"Bankai…?"
Natsuro murmured the only possibility that came to mind, staring at the monstrous figure before him.
At that instant, Zaraki's gaze snapped toward him. A gleam of awareness flashed in his eyes, then his figure vanished.
Natsuro's pupils constricted. That speed...?!
An instant later, Zaraki appeared right in front of him, swinging his Zanpakutō down in a vicious arc.
Anyone else would have been cleaved apart instantly by such a sudden strike, but Natsuro was different.
He was the fastest there was.
Even Yoruichi only surpassed him in agility, not in raw speed.
So, he managed to evade the blow, his figure flickering out of sight and reappearing at a distance.
But when he looked down, he saw a fresh cut on his arm, his eyes widened slightly.
Zaraki's blade hadn't even touched him. The mere pressure from the swing had sliced his flesh open.
Feeling the sting from the wound, Natsuro's lips curved upward in a grin.
For the first time in this unrestrained battle... he had been injured, however slightly, it was still an injury.
And the fact that Zaraki Kenpachi had done this, thrilled him.
Natsuro's mouth stretched into a fierce, excited smile, his eyes shining as spiritual pressure erupted violently from his body once more.
"Bankai..."
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Currently on Chapter 513 - When the Strongest Kneels