join p atreon.com/KeyofStars for advance chapters | Every 100 powerstones = 1 extra chapter | Report issues @discord.com/GVBdncd9Wr
I hope that bastard doesn't mess up again!
Ishikawa's nerves instantly tensed to their limit, and information about the four Espada before him flooded his mind.
Of the four present, Ruby could basically be ignored.
Ishikawa had already conducted some analysis of his Reishi composition, attack habits, and instinctive reactions before attacking, through his previous covert observations.
Even if he couldn't use Reiatsu now, the threat he posed to Ishikawa wasn't too great.
But the remaining three…
None of them could be underestimated!
Although Szayelaporro was much weaker than the other two, like Urahara Kisuke and Kurotsuchi Mayuri, his true power lay not in his strength, but in his intellect.
Ishikawa wasn't sure what else he might pull out besides this barrier.
Although Ishikawa really wanted to stall for as much time as possible, Harribel didn't give him any more time to think, as waves surged from her shark-gill patterned greatsword.
Her previous defeat meant Harribel no longer held any contempt for Ishikawa.
Even though Ishikawa's Reiatsu was completely suppressed at this moment, Harribel couldn't be sure if he had any other tricks up his sleeve.
As the shark-gill patterned greatsword glowed with a brilliant blue light, Harribel vanished in an instant.
A look of solemnity flashed in Ishikawa's eyes; with his Reiatsu completely suppressed, his investigative senses were now unusable, and he could only rely on his eyes to pinpoint Harribel's location.
Tense, tense, and even more tense!
Nerves tense, body tense…
The powerful five senses brought by his formidable physique were pushed to their extreme by Ishikawa in that instant.
Twisting his waist and turning, the muscles on Ishikawa's right arm rippled, and his right fist, like a venomous snake striking, exploded out towards the empty space on his left!
Bang—
Fist met the blade of the shark-gill patterned greatsword, and a fierce explosion erupted from the point of impact.
Almost instantly upon impact, Ishikawa felt an inexplicable sense of heaviness in his fist, and terrifying Reiatsu spread from his fist all the way up his arm.
A spray of blood burst forth as Ishikawa's fist, which had struck the broad blade, exploded open, revealing the broken, stark white bones within.
Whoosh~
A heavy whistling sound grazed past Ishikawa's ear, as the greatsword, originally aimed at Ishikawa, sliced past the side of his face.
And in that instant, Ishikawa advanced instead of retreating, ignoring the pain in his right hand, and stomped his right foot forward, closing the distance to Harribel.
The next moment…
Twist, punch!
His left fist, which Ishikawa had kept at his waist, shot out like a cannonball at that moment, aiming straight for Harribel's abdomen.
A flicker of surprise crossed Harribel's eyes. She had witnessed Ishikawa's self-healing ability, which was comparable to ultra-fast regeneration. So, although this strike wasn't at full power, she didn't hold back excessively like Ruby. Even an ordinary Shinigami captain would find it difficult to directly withstand her strike!
Yet, such a strike was parried by the opponent with a single punch.
Moreover, after parrying her strike, he didn't dodge, but immediately launched a counterattack.
The opponent's fighting habits and techniques were completely unlike a Shinigami who primarily used a Zanpakuto; instead, it gave her the impression that he was more accustomed to fighting bare-handed.
Thoughts whirled in her mind as Reiatsu surged in Harribel's free left hand, which she swung out fiercely.
But her punch wasn't aimed at intercepting Ishikawa's attack; instead, it slammed directly towards Ishikawa's face.
Boom—
Amidst the explosive sound, a visible shockwave erupted between the two.
Time seemed to stand still for a moment, and then, both of them simultaneously shot backward like deflated balls.
Blood burst from Ishikawa's face, but almost instantly, it healed.
It wasn't an experience point allocation, but pure healing power!
As expected, very strong!
As Ishikawa retreated, his left hand pressed directly against the barrier on the ground, but even so, he still couldn't stop his backward momentum.
On the other side, Harribel slammed her greatsword into the ground, and as she retreated, she soared into the air, then, with a step in mid-air, she pursued Ishikawa.
The hollow part of her shark-gill patterned greatsword glowed with a brilliant blue light, and as Harribel swung it.
Three brilliant blue Reishi bullets shot directly towards Ishikawa.
Seeing this, Ishikawa gritted his teeth, abandoning his attempt to absorb the impact. Instead, he took a deep breath, and his chest swelled in that instant, even tearing his clothes.
Bang, bang, bang—
After three consecutive dull thuds, the Reishi bullets, upon hitting Ishikawa's chest, were actually shattered and dispersed into Reishi!
Pfft—!
But Ishikawa, who had taken three Reishi bullets head-on, couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of fresh blood. He slammed heavily against the barrier at the end of the boundary, and the feedback impact made his throat sweet, with blood seeping from the corners of his mouth and nostrils.
And just as Ishikawa stood firm, his vision darkened, and Harribel's cold face came into view, her greatsword cleaving directly towards Ishikawa's chest.
Dodge…
No time!
A thought flashed through his mind, and Ishikawa gritted his teeth slightly, a ruthless look in his eyes.
Then, he actually gave up struggling to dodge, or trying to minimize the damaged area. Instead…
He bent forward!
He actually offered his neck to the greatsword.
Clang—!
This scene caused Harribel's greatsword to suddenly halt in mid-air, and she instinctively retracted her Reiatsu.
Lord Aizen's mission is to bring Ishikawa back to Hueco Mundo alive, not to kill him.
It was this momentary hesitation that allowed Ishikawa, who had bent down, to press his hands on the ground, rotating his body and clamping his legs directly around Harribel's neck.
The sudden change caught Harribel off guard.
Her subconscious retraction of Reiatsu also left her completely unprepared for Ishikawa's attack.
Moreover…
Ishikawa's series of movements was simply too swift, almost completed in the blink of an eye during her hesitation, as if he had anticipated her reaction.
And that was indeed the case!
Ishikawa was gambling that she wouldn't kill him. If it were anyone else, Ishikawa naturally wouldn't dare to make such a gamble, after all, no matter how strong his self-healing ability was, he couldn't grow a new head if his body was severed.
But Harribel was different. Grateful to Aizen, she would resolutely carry out Aizen's commands.
So she would definitely avoid killing him!
Furthermore, she herself wasn't bloodthirsty; she even held the belief of 'not wanting to become stronger by killing others,' a thought that was extremely rare among Hollows.
Although using an enemy's character flaw might be somewhat despicable, in a life-and-death struggle, there is no such word as 'despicable'!
The moment he straddled Harribel's shoulders, Ishikawa clapped his hands together, slamming them down on both sides of Harribel's head; his legs, like pythons, wrapped around Harribel's arms, his thighs tightly constricting her neck!
He didn't expect to defeat Harribel this way. Ishikawa's initial plan wasn't to defeat the few of them, but to stall for as much time as possible.
Being ridden on the shoulders, even the usually aloof Harribel had her cold expression replaced by anger in that instant!
Boom—!
Terrifying Reiatsu, like a floodgate opening, burst forth.
Ishikawa felt his entire body tremble in that instant, and faintly, his usually formidable physique emitted a groaning sound, as if it could no longer bear the strain.
Crack, crack, crack—
Crisp sounds continuously emanated from Ishikawa's body, and his sleeves and trouser legs instantly turned to ash.
Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle…
Under Harribel's struggle, the skin on Ishikawa's arms and legs tightened, and cracks appeared on them, with trickles of crimson blood constantly seeping from the fissures.
But even so, Ishikawa still tightly clamped Harribel's neck and arms, without the slightest slack!
"Waterfall!"
And just then, Harribel, who was clamped by Ishikawa, suddenly roared.
Splash, splash, splash—
A waterfall-like sound suddenly erupted from the greatsword in her hand!
Ishikawa's expression changed. Even though the attack hadn't arrived yet, Ishikawa could feel the terrifying power within this move.
Can't take it head-on!
The moment he reached this judgment, Ishikawa immediately loosened his grip on Harribel's arms and legs.
But…
Can't pull away!
Ishikawa's expression changed, because the arms that had been struggling to free themselves from his calves suddenly tightened, clamping his calves tightly in her armpits, making it impossible for Ishikawa to escape.
The next second, a massive water pillar shot out from the shark-gill patterned greatsword, soaring into the sky like a waterfall descending from above, engulfing both Harribel and Ishikawa on her shoulder.
Rumbling sounds—
Amidst the roar of the waves, a terrifying impact erupted within the barrier, and the rampant seawater filled the entire barrier, even causing this special space to tremble in that instant.
Fortunately, not long after, the formed waves dissipated into Reishi.
When everything returned to calm, Harribel stood in place, water drops dripping from her golden hair, while Ishikawa, who had been riding on her, was nowhere to be seen.
This scene made Ruby, who had been severely injured by Ishikawa, swallow hard.
Because it was just too intense!
In just one minute, the intensity of their clash completely exceeded his expectations.
And Harribel's ruthlessness, attacking even herself along with him, made him feel the terror of this woman for the first time!
Where is that monster named Ishikawa?
Was he pulverized?
Ruby subconsciously searched around, and just then, a voice suddenly came:
"If I hadn't dodged, what were you planning to do?"
Ruby looked in the direction of the voice, and the sight that met his eyes made him slightly stunned.
Ishikawa was standing dozens of meters away from Harribel, and at this moment, he was a whole section shorter.
Because…
Below his knees, there was nothing!
A pool of blood gathered on the golden barrier, and Ishikawa stood there on his broken knees, as if he felt no pain at all.
"Those who pursue sacrifice will pay the price of sacrifice!"
Harribel's expression returned to its original indifference, but a strange look appeared in her eyes as she looked at Ishikawa: "You know that very well, don't you?"
Troublesome—
Ishikawa's eyelid twitched slightly; women who talk about sacrifice at the drop of a hat are truly troublesome to the extreme.
He had thought of the ways Harribel might break free, such as wearing him down, or crashing him into the barrier, or waiting for comrades' help… but he had never imagined that she would choose such a mutually destructive method.
Although she immediately cut off the Reishi supply to 'Break Blast' after he broke free, Ishikawa had a feeling…
If he hadn't broken his legs to survive, she would have continued that move, even if it meant she herself would be severely injured!
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, Ishikawa was slightly startled.
[Harribel's Favorability +1, gained 800 experience points, current Favorability: 1]
"???"
Looking at the system prompt in his mind, even in this critical moment, Ishikawa couldn't help but be momentarily stunned.
Because he simply couldn't understand how his despicable actions just now had gained Harribel's favorability.
However, now was not the time for deep thought.
Ishikawa glanced at his gradually recovering legs and unhesitatingly added twenty thousand experience points to his physique.
Although at this recovery speed, they would be fully regrown in less than ten seconds.
But…
In this level of battle, those ten seconds would be enough for Ishikawa to die countless times!
Almost the instant the points were allocated, Ishikawa's figure immediately shot up, and his calves grew out in the blink of an eye.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh —
Just then, a sound of air being torn came from behind Ishikawa.
Ishikawa's eyes showed no surprise; he simply activated his senses to the extreme, not even turning to look at the attack coming from behind him.
Because in front of him, Harribel was already attacking him again.
"Die!!"
Ruby's sinister laugh came, and eight tentacles simultaneously struck towards Ishikawa, the sharp points at the end of each tentacle suddenly extending.
But…
When he saw Ishikawa's legs instantly heal, his sinister laugh abruptly stopped.
Super-fast regeneration!?
Before he could figure out why Ishikawa's legs had suddenly regrown, he saw Ishikawa's body in the distance suddenly twist at a strange angle, his arms spread wide.
He had, without even looking back, made the eight tentacles pass through the gaps of his distorted body, as if tracing his outline.
Seeing this, Ruby's face was as ugly as could be.
It was bad enough that his sneak attack missed, but the opponent's way of dealing with it was as if he didn't even put him in his eyes.
But he also had to admit that this Shinigami in front of him was indeed a monster!
Monster-like strength, monster-like defense, monster-like self-healing ability…
Plus monster-like keen five senses and reaction ability.
Ruby couldn't imagine how strong this monster in front of him could become if he recovered his Reishi!
However…
He was destined not to leave here.
A ruthless look flashed in Ruby's eyes, and the eight tentacles that had passed through various parts of Ishikawa's distorted body simultaneously tightened, trapping Ishikawa like a fishing net.
But just then, Ishikawa's spread arms also closed, and only then did Ruby realize that those seemingly casually spread arms had actually encompassed all eight tentacles within their bend. However, by the time he realized this, it was too late to react!
Bang!
With his arms closed, Ishikawa held the eight thick tentacles tightly and suddenly took a step forward.
"Get up!!"
Amidst a furious roar, Ishikawa, using the force of that step, held the tentacles with his arms and swung them towards the approaching Harribel.
Clang clang clang…
The eight tentacles instantly tensed, and Ruby felt an indescribable immense force coming from the tentacles, pulling his body directly towards Harribel.
Harribel frowned as she looked at Ruby, who was coming at her like a cannonball.
The blade that was originally slashing at Ishikawa was instantly retracted, and she shifted slightly to the side, letting Ruby brush past her.
Pfft—
Just then, the sound of blood splashing came from where Ishikawa was.
Looking over, one could see endless blood spurting from Ishikawa's arms to his shoulders, and then his arms detached from his shoulders.
And behind him, a sword-wielding figure had appeared at some point, none other than Ulquiorra, who had not participated until now!
The intense pain made Ishikawa's face turn pale.
But he couldn't bother with the pain in his shoulders, because a sharp sensation was heading towards his legs.
Stamping his foot on the ground, Ishikawa rapidly retreated backward.
But even though he reacted immediately, his recently recovered right calf separated from his right leg in that instant.
Ishikawa's remaining left foot's toes dug into the ground, and before he could stabilize himself, he added thirty thousand of his remaining experience points to his physique!
But as he was allocating points, Harribel had already appeared behind him, her greatsword raised above her head.
Amidst a dull shriek, it slammed down directly towards Ishikawa.
It really still isn't enough?
Ishikawa sighed slightly in his heart; he could no longer dodge this blow.
It could be said that he would inevitably be severely injured next.
The only thing he could do now was…
Ensure that he wouldn't lose consciousness from this blow, otherwise he might not even be able to allocate points.
And just at this critical moment, a sudden change occurred!
Crack—
The sound of glass shattering rang out, causing Szayelaporro, who had not participated and was watching Ishikawa struggle with a mischievous smile, to suddenly change his expression.
"Who!?"
With a crisp snap, the golden barrier shattered like a mirror.
Almost the instant the barrier broke, Ishikawa's eyes lit up, and a thunderous roar instantly erupted within his body, endless lightning illuminating the night sky!
Rumble—!
The violent explosion stirred up endless impact, and the fierce collision even caused smoke to rise in the void at this moment, enveloping the entire area.
"Ara ara, I shouldn't be too late this time, right?"
A figure appeared outside the smoke, fanning a folding fan in his hand to disperse the drifting smoke; it was Urahara Kisuke.
"You're late, you idiot!!"
Ishikawa's voice came from within the smoke: "Didn't I tell you to break it immediately?"
"Ishikawa-san, aren't you underestimating others' achievements a bit too much?"
Urahara Kisuke chuckled:
"A minute and a half to study the barrier's properties, half a minute to break it; that already cost me countless brain cells."
join p atreon.com/KeyofStars for advance chapters | Every 100 powerstones = 1 extra chapter | Report issues @discord.com/GVBdncd9Wr