Chapter 172: Ichigo vs Ichimaru Gin, Bankai Kamishini no Yari
"Shoot to kill: Shinsō!"
As Ichimaru Gin finished his release command, the Zanpakuto in his hand extended instantly like a white whip-blade, galloping toward Kurosaki Ichigo's position.
In Kurosaki Ichigo's line of sight, the familiar white light reappeared just like the previous scene. A curved arc flashed past his hair in an instant across a distance of nearly 100 meters. The difference was that this time he finally saw it clearly.
Clang!!
Ichigo stood still, holding his blade with one hand, and deflected Ichimaru Gin's attack trajectory. When the blades collided, sparks were generated along with the clamor of metal collision.
"Your attack... I can already see it!"
After that, with a light wave of his arm, he directly bounced away Shinsō's extended blade.
Ichimaru Gin looked at Kurosaki Ichigo's firm and resolute eyes, feeling startled in his heart. He thought to himself, "What did this child experience during the time we came to Karakura Town?"
If Kurosaki Ichigo, who had just stepped into Hueco Mundo, was like a child who had grown into youth and gained the ability to wield weapons, then Ichigo's eyes now were full of vicissitudes yet extremely clear.
"I have to say... what exactly is in your heart?"
Suddenly, Kurosaki Ichigo said such a statement out of nowhere.
"Huh? What does that mean? Why do you have such doubts?"
Ichimaru Gin withdrew his blade and asked with a smile.
"To be honest, I don't understand your heart anymore. When I cross swords with an opponent, I can understand a little bit about their inner thoughts."
"Of course, this doesn't mean being able to read the opponent's heart. It also includes being able to feel what kind of resolve the opponent wields their sword with, whether they acknowledge themselves, whether they despise themselves, and so on."
"In battle, I usually give it my all, and I can only feel this sensation after the battle ends. The stronger the opponent, the stronger the heart that's conveyed."
After listening to what Kurosaki Ichigo said, Ichimaru Gin still smiled and said, "My, what you're saying is quite poetic."
"Stop playing dumb. When you were fighting with me, I couldn't feel your heart at all. You were clearly right before my eyes, but you weren't paying attention to me at all."
"Haha, so that's the case. I always thought you were an interesting kid, but now it seems... you're really a frightening guy."
"I understand now. No wonder Captain Aizen and Fiander-kun are so interested in you!"
"Stop talking!" Ichigo clenched Tensa Zangetsu and glared at Ichimaru Gin. "I don't want to hear that from a guy like you."
"Alright then, I'll change the subject..."
"Kurosaki Ichigo, do you know how far my Shinsō can extend?"
As he said that, the cynical look on Ichimaru Gin's face faded away, replaced by a calm expression.
"How would I know that kind of thing!"
It was clear that Kurosaki Ichigo seemed uninterested in responding to him, but Ichimaru Gin still said to himself, "It's equivalent to the length of a hundred blades, so I've been called 'Hundred Blades Style' since childhood."
"So... after understanding that, how long do you think my Bankai is?"
Kurosaki Ichigo said impatiently, "I didn't ask you, and I'm not here to participate in a quiz show."
"What's this, getting impatient? Do you think it's too boring?"
"There's no helping it. To make you understand, I'll tell you in actual length."
After that, Ichimaru Gin held the short blade in his hand vertically, the corner of his mouth rising slightly. "The answer is thirteen kilometers!"
After saying this, Ichimaru Gin saw Kurosaki Ichigo's face flicker with surprise, but he didn't react much. So he raised his blade and said, "Here I come. Next... I won't show any mercy!"
At this time, Ichimaru Gin bowed slightly. White Reiatsu overflowed from his body. He opened his eyes slightly and chanted, "Bankai: Kamishini no Yari!"
Clang! Clang! Clang!
In an instant, the entire sky filled with the sound of clashing blades, then dazzling white light covered the sky. Before Kurosaki Ichigo could react at all, dozens of buildings behind him were cut in two.
Immediately, with the shake of Ichimaru Gin's wrist, the blade glowing with white light drew a long arc toward Kurosaki Ichigo.
In his haste, Kurosaki Ichigo hurriedly raised Tensa Zangetsu to block the blow. But the powerful force from the blade made him step on the spirit particles in the atmosphere, taking more than a dozen steps backward before he could stop. Even so, Ichimaru Gin was quite surprised by Kurosaki Ichigo's response.
With such short reaction time, he blocked my attack, and... he hasn't even used Hollowfication yet.
At this moment, Kurosaki Ichigo's angry voice sounded. "Why are you surprised? Since it's Bankai, of course I'll use my Bankai to resist!"
"Also... this is an urban area where humans live. Do you know how many people would have died from your attack just now?"
"Getsuga Tenshō!"
Accompanied by Kurosaki Ichigo's roar, a black crescent slash fell straight toward Ichimaru Gin's position.
Boom!
With the sound of an explosion, Ichimaru Gin couldn't dodge in time and took the blow head-on, thick smoke billowing around him.
After a moment, Ichimaru Gin's voice came from the smoke. "My, you really are a frightening guy. You blocked my attack so easily. You really... have grown up!"
After listening to Ichimaru Gin's words, Kurosaki Ichigo remained expressionless. But considering this was the urban center of Karakura Town, where millions of humans lived, he still hesitated slightly before attacking.
"Don't worry, Kurosaki Ichigo!"
Suddenly Kurotsuchi Mayuri's familiar voice came. Ichigo looked back, only to see the other party had appeared behind him with Nemu.
"Captain Kurotsuchi, are you alright?"
Looking at the huge oval barrier in the Anti-Spirit Membrane, Kurosaki Ichigo asked in surprise.
Kurotsuchi Mayuri looked at Kurosaki Ichigo with an expression that said 'you're an idiot' and said, "What's with that look? Do you think I'd be caught by his Bankai so easily?"
"I left the area of the membrane long before Tōsen Kaname used Bankai."
"Then what about Byakuya and the others?" Ichigo asked worriedly. After all, their Reiatsu hadn't recovered, and their physical injuries hadn't healed.
"Fool, who do you think they are? They're the strongest captains of Gotei 13. Especially... Captain Unohana who just woke you from your coma. She is... very strong!"
Inside the Anti-Spirit Membrane, within the barrier created by Enma Kōrogi, with Bankai's unique ability, Tōsen Kaname's capabilities here had been greatly enhanced.
At this time, several vice-captains had already collapsed unconscious. Even Byakuya Kuchiki could barely protect himself by relying on the defensive circle created by Senbonzakura.
On the other side, Zaraki Kenpachi, although he'd recovered part of his Reiatsu under the unknown potion Nemu had given him, in every battle with Tōsen Kaname, the cold air in his body hadn't been completely expelled. This caused him at critical moments to be slow when swinging his blade.
Bang bang bang!
With several heavy punches in succession, Zaraki Kenpachi, who was fighting with intuition, was also overwhelmed. He could only shake his body to barely keep himself from falling.
At this time, Tōsen Kaname's ghostly figure appeared behind Zaraki Kenpachi again. He raised his Zanpakuto and said to himself, "This time, I'll avenge my previous defeat. So you can be buried here, sad beast."
Seeing that Tōsen Kaname was about to kill Zaraki Kenpachi, suddenly in the dark barrier of Enma Kōrogi, several threads of blood-red mist floated from not far away. The instant he sensed this mist, Tōsen Kaname's raised sword couldn't help but tremble slightly.
Because this mist was substantialized killing intent.
***
30+advance chapters at patreon.com/Eatinpieces