Chapter 173: Captain Unohana Strikes, The Defeated Tōsen Kaname
The moment Tōsen Kaname raised his hand to kill Zaraki Kenpachi, red mist floated over. At that instant, Tōsen Kaname's entire body was entangled with materialized killing intent. The fear that struck his very soul caused even his Hollowfied arm to briefly go numb.
In the dark barrier, all senses except touch were deprived. Just when Tōsen Kaname felt a sudden sense of crisis emerge in his heart, a sharp blade gleaming with cold light fell from behind him instantly.
Relying on his extraordinary sixth sense, Tōsen Kaname dodged sideways and blocked the blow. But the blade didn't stop attacking. The moment the slash failed, it struck upward again, stabbing directly toward Tōsen Kaname's head.
"Tch!"
Although his reaction was very fast, he still didn't escape, causing the mask on his face to be pierced and revealing half his face.
If Zaraki Kenpachi could battle Tōsen Kaname relying on beast-like intuition, then Unohana Retsu's sudden strike directly locked onto the enemy's vitality, relying on an extremely terrifying sense of killing intent to target her foe.
Having reached Unohana Retsu's level, currently in all of Soul Society, only the Captain-Commander of Gotei 13, Yamamoto Genryūsai, was thought capable of the same.
"Huff... huff..."
Jumping back several times in succession, Tōsen Kaname, who escaped from the center of the battlefield, half-knelt on the ground, breathing rapidly. He never expected there would be someone who could crack the Bankai he was so proud of.
If Tōsen Kaname could regain his vision at this moment, he would be shocked by the scene before him.
Because the woman beneath the shadowy curtain had disheveled hair, a hunched body, and eyes that lacked the emotion ordinary people possessed. That feeling was as terrifying as seeing a ghost.
"I see. So that's Unohana Retsu. Although she's the Captain of the 4th Division, mainly focused on healing and support, her real identity is one of Soul Society's most heinous criminals from a thousand years ago."
Tōsen Kaname stood up holding his sword again, extended his hand and gently stroked his face. Green spirit particles instantly poured into the incomplete part of the destroyed mask, repairing it once more.
(If there's a defect in the mask after Shinigami Hollowfication, Reiatsu becomes unstable and strength is reduced. However, the mask can be repaired by consuming spirit particles to absorb spirits from the air, but the duration of Hollowfication will be greatly shortened.)
Then, just when Tōsen Kaname stood up and wanted to make his move, Unohana Retsu's figure appeared beside him. An extremely powerful killing intent locked onto him again.
"What a joke! I can't see or hear anything—why can she find me!"
Having been defeated by the enemy over and over again, Tōsen Kaname felt increasingly unconfident. Because of this lack of confidence, he felt that Shinigami power alone wasn't enough. He needed stronger power, which was why he participated in the Hollowfication experiment and had Aizen inject a Hollow's soul into his own.
But this kind of power wasn't the right path after all. Relying solely on Hollowfication to increase strength was only temporary, and the degree of improvement was extremely limited. Not every Shinigami was named Kurosaki Ichigo.
Bang bang bang!!
Tōsen Kaname, who was just about to counterattack, was instantly caught by the blade and couldn't move. An extremely violent elbow strike followed by a side kick directly launched Tōsen Kaname flying tens of meters away.
Boom!
Tōsen Kaname, who took the heavy hit, couldn't resist at all. He couldn't even maintain his Bankai due to the pain throughout his body, causing the black oval barrier to dissipate after a moment.
After the barrier disappeared, the rest regained their five senses and saw the normal world again.
Byakuya Kuchiki, who emerged from his defensive circle, saw Rukia Kuchiki, Abarai Renji, Ishida Uryū, and Kotetsu Isane lying unconscious in pools of blood. A rare look of displeasure appeared on his pale face.
"Please don't be angry, Captain Kuchiki. Your body is no longer capable of maintaining your Zanpakuto's Shikai."
After finishing her work, Captain Unohana returned to her usual gentle and elegant appearance. She placed her hands together at her abdomen, and her Zanpakuto had been returned to its sheath—as if the person who had beaten up Tōsen Kaname had nothing to do with her.
"I apologize for the trouble, Captain Unohana!"
"Please look after Rukia and the others as well. During Tōsen's Bankai, they seem to have been seriously injured."
Withdrawing his Shikai—the Sakura flower petals in the sky transforming back into a blade and returning to its sheath—Byakuya Kuchiki descended from the air to the ground. Lacking Reiatsu, he already felt his limbs beginning to weaken.
"Tch, what a despicable guy!"
At this time, Zaraki Kenpachi also stood up. Keen on fighting and pursuing fairness, he hated this kind of indiscriminate method. If it were a normal contest, even Tōsen Kaname after Hollowfication wouldn't be less powerful than the top three Espada.
At this time, Kurotsuchi Mayuri and Nemu slowly descended from the sky. He showed a smug smile and said contemptuously, "Scum is scum. Even with a Hollow's power, it amounts to nothing more than this."
"Nemu, carry Renji and the others back to the treatment pods. Really, what a waste of my nutrient solution. They just came out and fell down again. I'll definitely apply for increased funding later."
"Yes, Master Kurotsuchi Mayuri!"
After Nemu bowed in acknowledgment, her figure flickered as she carried away all the wounded lying on the ground one by one.
This scene was naturally seen clearly by Kurosaki Ichigo and Ichimaru Gin in midair. After Hollowfication, Tōsen Kaname had been easily defeated by Unohana Retsu even though he'd used Bankai.
"Captain Unohana... is she really that strong?"
Kurosaki Ichigo looked at Unohana Retsu below with surprise on his face. In his impression, Unohana Retsu had always appeared like a gentle older sister figure. He rarely saw her make moves or fight in normal contact. The scene before him truly shattered Kurosaki Ichigo's worldview.
But soon, Kurosaki Ichigo returned his attention to Ichimaru Gin before him. "Your partner has already lost. Surrender, Ichimaru Gin!"
"Surrender? Unexpectedly, one day I'd be able to hear you say those words."
Ichimaru Gin smiled. He didn't care about Kurosaki Ichigo's suggestion at all. He opened his eyes slightly and said with a smile, "You don't think that all the time and energy Captain Aizen spent on Tōsen Kaname only resulted in a second-rate masked warrior, do you?"
"Whether it's Hirako Shinji or Urahara Kisuke, they all think that so-called Hollowfication means wearing a mask to enhance their Reiatsu and power."
"No, no, no! You're all wrong. Regarding this point, Fiander-kun once told Captain Aizen—Hollows are monsters. From the very beginning, the ultimate goal of this race is to devour the world!"
As Ichimaru Gin's voice fell, Tōsen Kaname, who was lying in the deep crater, suddenly raised the blade in his hand and whispered, "Suzumushi Hyakushiki: Higanbana!"
BOOM!!
In an instant, a large amount of black Reiatsu gathered from the area where Tōsen Kaname was located. Ten seconds later, a giant fly-shaped Menos Grande with two pairs of wings appeared in everyone's sight.
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