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Careless!
Ishikawa looked at the Central 46 getting closer and couldn't help but regret his idea of clashing head-on with Komamura Sajin's Tenken Myo'o just now.
To be honest…
He had somewhat underestimated Komamura Sajin.
Because, from the perspective of Reiatsu intensity, Komamura Sajin's Reiatsu was actually not much different from his own, both around 500,000 proficiency.
And with the same level of Reiatsu intensity, Ishikawa was confident he could suppress everyone, which was also the basis for his daring to confront Komamura Sajin head-on.
However, after his Bankai, the destructive power unleashed by Tenken Myo'o far exceeded Ishikawa's expectations.
His memory of Komamura Sajin's low win rate made Ishikawa somewhat dismissive of him.
But if he thought about it carefully…
Although he hadn't won many times, the destructive power displayed by Tenken Myo'o was absolutely not weak. If Ishikawa remembered correctly, even a Hollowfied Tosen was cut in half by a single strike from his Tenken Myo'o.
After taking a direct hit, Tosen healed himself with ultra-fast regeneration and then never engaged him head-on again, instead resorting to a kiting strategy to entangle him.
Because while his Bankai's destructive power was formidable, its weaknesses were equally obvious.
Although Tenken Myo'o was massive, its defense was not strong, making it an easy target; if it were just that, it would be fine, but the most fatal aspect was… due to the extremely close connection with his Zanpakuto, when the Myo'o suffered an attack, Komamura Sajin also bore the damage the Myo'o received.
Coupled with his severe lack of mobility.
As long as one dodged the first strike, whether attacking Tenken Myo'o or targeting Komamura Sajin himself, defeating him was not difficult.
A typical high-attack, low-defense, low-mobility type!
These weaknesses could not be changed, unless…
Komamura Sajin sacrificed his own life, disregarding defense and evasion, only pursuing attack.
From the beginning, he shouldn't have chosen to clash head-on for a moment's thrill and enjoyment, but rather to dodge and attack or bind his main body to end the battle immediately.
That way, he wouldn't have wasted so much time.
Ishikawa lowered his head and looked at his right hand; the injury had basically healed under the top-tier physique's self-healing ability, which was slightly inferior to ultra-fast regeneration. But that momentary head-on clash had caused his right hand to temporarily lose sensation, only fully recovering just now!
The lightning around him was stimulated to its maximum by Ishikawa at this instant, and the combination of Shunko and top-tier Shunpo caused his entire speed to surge again.
As his speed surged, Ishikawa also pushed his detection circuits to the limit. Three extremely massive Reiatsu fluctuations were rapidly approaching from the north, south, and east, respectively. All three of these auras were, without exception, far stronger than Komamura Sajin's.
Especially one of them…
His Reiatsu intensity even caused Ishikawa's detection nerves, mimicked by Hollow Mark, to tremble as if they were being scorched.
As he approached, the air gradually warmed.
That was the Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13…
—Captain-Commander Yamamoto!
A large part of the reason Ishikawa was able to quickly snap out of his excited state and not instinctively continue clashing head-on with Komamura Sajin was being startled by this rapidly approaching aura…
Crackling—
Amidst a harsh thunder, Ishikawa finally arrived in front of the Central 46.
Flying over the suspended corridor, what came into view was an incredibly massive double-leafed gate. This gate was tightly shut, and the central part where the two leaves met had a circular mechanism similar to a lock.
Thirteenfold Barrier!
As long as he broke through this final Thirteenfold Barrier, Ishikawa would reach the underground council hall of the Central 46.
So far, it could be said that everything was still within Ishikawa's plan, except for taking more time than expected with Komamura Sajin.
Including…
The figure standing before the Thirteenfold Barrier.
"Meaningless battle, stop here."
Accompanied by a cold voice, a figure slowly walked out of the shadows, looking up at Ishikawa, who was approaching from a distance: "This is not where you should be!"
This was a man with brown skin, long black-purple hair, and eyes covered by opaque goggles. It was the Squad 9 Captain, Tosen.
Ishikawa was not surprised by his appearance; instead, he subtly breathed a sigh of relief.
Because, in his memory, Aizen had personally said that after the massacre of the Central 46, one of their three Captain-level figures would always remain within the Central 46.
Before commencing his operation, Ishikawa had anticipated who he might encounter here.
Among them…
The person most likely to appear here was, without a doubt, Tosen.
From the outcome, he had gambled correctly!
If the person he encountered was Aizen, Ishikawa would have no choice but to abandon the idea of breaking into the Central 46 and instead focus on survival.
But if it was Tosen…
Ishikawa did not stop his steps; instead, with a single stride, he charged directly at Tosen with his sword.
"Chirp, Suzumushi."
Tosen's expression was calm. He raised the blade in his hand, pointing it directly at the attacking Ishikawa.
A sudden alarm arose in Ishikawa's heart, and an intense sense of danger instantly enveloped his entire body. Suspended in mid-air, he had no time to hesitate, reaching out and pointing at the void in front of him.
"Bakudo #39: Enkosen."
Almost as soon as Ishikawa's incantation sounded, a soft shout simultaneously came out.
"Suzumushi Two: Benihikou."
Boom!
Countless inch-long sharp blades, like a torrential downpour, attacked Ishikawa in mid-air.
Bang bang bang bang bang—
For a time, the sounds of impact were incessant.
The Enkosen blocking Ishikawa's front gradually developed cracks on its surface under the continuous assault, as if it could burst apart at any moment.
Snap—
Finally, with a crisp sound, it completely collapsed.
However…
Ishikawa, who was originally behind the Enkosen, had disappeared at some unknown point.
This scene caused a hint of surprise to flash across Tosen's face, but in the next second, he rotated his Zanpakuto in his hand, holding it horizontally at his side.
Two swords clashed.
Clang—
A crisp impact sound followed, as Ishikawa appeared beside Tosen without any warning.
His strike was fast and fierce, directly forcing Tosen's body to bend. Even though his feet were firmly embedded in the ground, he continued to slide backward, leaving two nearly ten-meter-long furrows on the white stone ground before stabilizing himself.
Such strong power!
A strange look flashed across Tosen's face. Not only Reiatsu, but this strike also gave him an incredibly pure sense of power, completely unlike the power a Shinigami could unleash.
Although surprised in his heart, his hand movements were not slow in the slightest. The moment he realized he couldn't resist the power, his free left hand pressed against the back of his Zanpakuto's blade.
"Suzumushi One…"
Accompanied by a soft shout, a strange buzzing sound appeared out of nowhere.
The clear and melodious hum of the sword was like the chirping of insects in spring and summer, very pleasant to hear. But within the melodious insect chirping, killing intent was hidden.
Ishikawa found that the flow of Reiatsu within his body had experienced a momentary delay.
And it was in this instant…
Tosen pulled back, and as he swung his Zanpakuto, the blade disappeared again, transforming into countless sharp blades with pointed ends, once again overwhelmingly assaulting Ishikawa.
Seeing this, Ishikawa's expression remained unchanged. He did not use Kido to defend again, but instead unfastened the strap on his back and used Reiatsu to wrap Nayura, sending her away.
Immediately after…
He did not retreat but advanced, directly meeting the endless blades.
While charging, Ishikawa took a slight breath, then exhaled lightly.
In the blink of an eye, he had already met the sky full of blades.
Countless blades blotted out the sky, like dark clouds pressing down.
And Ishikawa, facing the blades, appeared incredibly small under the sky full of blades, creating an extremely strong visual contrast at this moment.
Immediately after…
Buzz—
When the torrent of blades fiercely collided with Ishikawa, time seemed to freeze at this moment.
Without any thought, the long sword in his right hand made the most direct reaction. The lightning formed by Shunko surged out from within the long sword, instantly engulfing the long sword in dazzling lightning. Dense golden lightning completely submerged the blade.
His five fingers tightened on the hilt, and then, the long sword in Ishikawa's hand disappeared.
An incomparably dazzling and brilliant sword light then bloomed, like the silent explosion of the sun, and the instantly ignited blazing lightning illuminated the entire area.
The hundreds of blades closest to Ishikawa collapsed almost simultaneously.
Crack crack crack crack crack crack—
Crisp sounds connected into a continuous stream, as sword light mixed with lightning danced wildly among the countless blades.
The advantage of a nearly 1.6-meter long sword was brought into full play at this instant, forming a huge no-damage zone around Ishikawa. Any blade that entered the zone collapsed in an instant.
He swung his sword extremely fast, even too fast for the naked eye to capture. The long sword in his hand transformed into a sky full of afterimages, disintegrating all incoming blades one by one!
White fragments of blades poured out to both sides at an astonishing speed.
And from beginning to end…
Ishikawa's charging speed didn't decrease in the slightest, as if the countless blades didn't exist.
Tosen's face showed a hint of solemnity.
Kido, Shunpo, Zanjutsu…
From the start of the battle until now, in less than half a minute, Ishikawa had successively displayed astonishing mastery in Shunpo, Kido, and Zanjutsu before him. His mastery of Zankensoki was completely beyond what someone who had only been in Soul Society for sixteen years could possess!
No wonder Komamura Sajin was defeated by him.
Thoughts flashed through Tosen's mind, and for the first time, a look of apprehension appeared on his face. As Ishikawa was about to reach him, he hooked the circular end of his Zanpakuto with his index finger.
Buzz—
Terrifying Reiatsu surged into the sky.
"Bankai~"
Darkness spread instantly, distorting all light, and a black, black hole-like sphere emerged from the blade.
But before the sphere could fully expand, Ishikawa's hand, gripping his Zanpakuto, suddenly loosened, letting the Zanpakuto fall to the ground, and he let out a soft cry.
"Kokumei."
The world fell silent at this moment, as if the entire world had been muted.
Two streams of darkness, centered on Ishikawa and Tosen respectively, spread towards each other and stalemated.
However, this stalemate only lasted for an instant. The eerie black light released from Ishikawa's Zanpakuto was enveloped and covered by the black sphere formed by Tosen's Bankai!
A gigantic oval barrier enveloped the entire area.
The shackles formed by the Kan were like fixed ropes, distributed around the barrier.
Within it, Ishikawa's hearing, sight, smell, and perception of Reiatsu all completely vanished in that instant.
However…
"Hehehe—"
For some reason, a giggling sound entered Ishikawa's ears, despite his loss of hearing.
"How is that possible!"
This laughter was also caught by Tosen, causing his expression to change. He suddenly looked up towards the sky.
He saw that the space, which should have been completely black, actually had a basketball-sized gap made of white spots, and behind the gap was a hand-drawn sky.
The area beneath his feet, originally paved with white stones, had inexplicably turned into a circular arena.
And Ishikawa…
From beginning to end, he stood outside the arena.
The area covered by the white spots was not where he was, but above Tosen's head, like a candle flame in the darkness, forming a beam of light that enveloped Tosen.
Although Ishikawa was still in a state of lost hearing, sight, and smell, he vaguely perceived Tosen's location at this moment. However, he did not go forward to attack. Instead, while gripping his Zanpakuto, he rushed rapidly in the opposite direction.
The restraint formed by Kokumei could at most only hold Tosen for half a minute. After half a minute, it would be completely isolated. He had to use this time to leave and find a way to enter Central 46.
Actually, regarding the current situation, Ishikawa couldn't be sure if the outcome would be as he imagined before his Shikai, but now it seemed his prediction was correct!
And the reason he dealt with Tosen in this way was entirely thanks to Szayelaporro.
He once told Ishikawa that the space formed by his Kokumei was almost identical to Aizen's 'Negative Mask' used to imprison Arrancar, both in terms of dimensional isolation and restraint!
So after that, Ishikawa had been researching ways to exploit its 'restraint' characteristic. This method of forming a 'Negative Mask'-like beam of light with 'white spots', similar to how Menos Grande rescue their kin, was one of the uses Ishikawa researched.
After restraining Tosen and determining his location, it was not difficult to leave the range of Tosen's Bankai!
Because, as far as Ishikawa knew, Tenken Myo'o's barrier did not have strong defensive power.
And indeed, he encountered almost no obstacles when breaking through this space.
Sight, hearing, smell…
All senses returned in an instant, as if the entire world had become incredibly noisy.
Ishikawa glanced at Nayura, who was still within the barrier in the distance, but did not go to carry her again. Instead, his figure flashed, appearing before a huge gate inscribed with various Spiritual Crests. Reiatsu surged in his hands, pouring into the giant gate at that instant.
Thump thump thump thump—
Faintly, the sound of gears turning could be heard, and the Spiritual Crests on the gate lit up at this moment.
Ishikawa observed all the inscriptions, committing everything to memory.
Outside his Reiatsu, the Reiatsu Imprint suddenly glowed brightly, pouring two distinct types of Reiatsu from Ishikawa's left and right hands into the massive gate.
It was almost impossible to destroy the Thirteenfold Barrier or decipher its inscriptions in a short period.
What Ishikawa intended to do was not destruction or deciphering, but rather…
To change its nature!
Using the unique properties of the Reiatsu Imprint, he forcibly rewrote the spiritual energy nature of the original Spiritual Crests!
The thumping sound of gears turning intensified, and then, with a 'click', the first gate before Ishikawa gradually opened.
This first gate was like a catalyst, and then successive 'click-clack-click-clack' sounds followed.
The massive gates opened one by one, revealing a path wide enough for one person.
The second, the third… the tenth…
Faster!!
A little faster, Ishikawa gritted his teeth, his Reiatsu around him like boiling water, frantically pouring into the gates.
Since he arrived here, about a minute and a half had passed, and within that minute and a half…
Those three presences had already reached the 7th District.
They could appear here at any moment!!
The eleventh…
The air gradually grew hot, and a flash of fire streaked across the sky in the distance.
The twelfth…
Ishikawa's eyes lit up as he looked at the very last giant gate in the long corridor, and he immediately let out a sigh of relief.
As long as he pushed open this last gate, Central 46 would appear before him.
At that time, with Tosen restrained and no one guarding, even if no flaw was exposed, it would still cause the approaching trio to feel a slight sense of incongruity.
And this slight suspicion could lead to huge changes.
Splat—
Blood spurted from Ishikawa's chest, a pristine white blade tip piercing through his collarbone.
Ishikawa's pupils constricted, and he stiffly turned his head to look.
"Do you want to go in that badly?"
He saw Tosen appear behind him at some point, his expression no longer the emotionless one from before, but carrying a faint smile.
That smile…
Made Ishikawa feel incredibly familiar.
In the distance, the huge black oval still existed, gradually fading like a mirage as Ishikawa looked at it.
At this moment, Ishikawa finally realized…
Where the intense sense of danger that had surged in his heart earlier had truly come from.
Clang—
As the blade was pulled out, Ishikawa's Reiatsu in both hands instantly dissipated into Reishi. The injury of having his Soul Binding pierced caused his entire body to go limp.
If he didn't treat it immediately, he would quickly lose all his Reiatsu.
Without hesitation, Ishikawa directly applied the experience points Nayura had provided him to his physique.
"Eh?"
A slightly bewildered 'eh' sound came out. 'Tosen', standing behind Ishikawa, seemed to have noticed something, and raised his Zanpakuto again.
"Stop!!"
Just then, Nayura's voice came through.
And as the voice rang out, a burst of fire roared, landing outside the Central 46. Amidst the scattered sparks, an aged figure appeared before them.
It was…
Commander Yamamoto!
'Tosen' frowned, then reverted to his original expressionless state, and his Zanpakuto was also sheathed at that moment.
Nayura unfastened her harness and stood up, saying, "The responsibility for this incident lies with me. Everything was done under my instructions to Ishikawa."
Commander Yamamoto did not reply. Instead, he glanced at Ishikawa on the ground, then at 'Tosen' beside him, frowning slightly, and then said:
"Publicly trespassing into the 7th District, attacking a Captain, and attempting to assault the Central 46, regardless of who is responsible, he cannot escape involvement; I regret that I cannot heed your opinion. How to deal with him is the authority of us, the Gotei 13."
"No…"
Amakado Nayura slowly pulled out a document from her embrace: "Ishikawa is no longer under the jurisdiction of your Gotei 13. He now…"
"Can only be judged by the Golden Seal Noble Council!"
join p atreon.com/KeyofStars and become a Sequence 9: Reader for advance chapters | Every 100 powerstones = 1 extra chapter | Report issues @discord.com/GVBdncd9Wr