Boom!
Amidst a loud bang, three figures simultaneously shot backward.
Ishikawa slightly turned in mid-air, neutralizing the impact of his retreat, and with a raise of his hands, he sliced through the void.
Azure flames materialized out of thin air, leaving two blue lines in the void, and a sky-blue flame, like a celestial curtain, streaked across the night sky, heading straight for the two retreating figures!
"Hado #73: Sōren Sōkatsui."
The overwhelming azure flames almost completely enveloped the area where Harribel and the other person were.
After doing all this, Ishikawa did not pursue them; instead, he dispersed the Reishi steps beneath his feet and descended directly towards the ground.
As he descended, he glanced at the battlefields in the other directions.
Urahara Kisuke was currently fighting Szayelaporro.
On the other side, Tier Harribel was also fighting Hitsugaya Tōshirō and others, which was at Ishikawa's instruction.
It was extremely necessary for Tier Harribel to remain in Hueco Mundo for Ishikawa; for instance, this time, if he hadn't received the message in advance and had Urahara Kisuke prepare secretly, he might not have been able to provide support in time.
So, to prevent her exposure, Ishikawa told her not to hold back at all when fighting Hitsugaya and the others; as long as she didn't instantly kill them, he could always save them.
However, Tier Harribel's performance truly surprised Ishikawa.
Because his spiritual nucleus reconstruction for Tier Harribel only allowed her to undergo the transformation into her second Cero, it did not provide any magnification for her ordinary first Cero.
Yet, the current Tier Harribel, in her first Cero, was simultaneously facing several opponents and still held the upper hand.
However, after careful thought, Ishikawa vaguely understood why this was the case.
Although the reconstruction of the spiritual nucleus could not magnify the first Cero, the ability of the second Cero was, in essence, an extension of Tier Harribel's first Cero.
Perfectly mastering the abilities of the second Cero would undoubtedly give Tier Harribel a more detailed understanding and mastery of her first Cero.
She could even use the abilities of the second Cero as a basis to modify her first Cero techniques, allowing her to exhibit certain characteristics of her second Cero while in her first Cero!
It could be said that Tier Harribel's first Cero, if unleashed without restraint, might not be inferior to Grimmjow, one of the current Espada.
After all…
From a certain perspective, vibration is also an extremely terrifying ability.
Moreover, although it wasn't obvious normally, Tier Harribel was completely a 'Madman' type during combat, with a dedication to victory that was extreme even among Arrancar.
However, ever since she voluntarily abandoned her Espada rank, she had become more introverted and her temper had improved significantly.
In fact…
She usually behaved somewhat like a couch potato with no ambitions.
Tap—
With a light touch of his toes, he landed on the ground, and Ishikawa looked up at the sky.
In the night sky, the azure flames that had enveloped the entire area had all extinguished, and Harribel and Ulquiorra stood dispersed, both looking down at Ishikawa on the ground.
Harribel looked at Ishikawa on the ground, her brows tightly furrowed.
Previously in the barrier, Ishikawa's body's defense, while strong, was only comparable to an Espada's Hierro.
But with the added defense of his Reiatsu, his physical defense far surpassed that of an Espada, making Harribel feel more and more like she was fighting an Espada.
Given the current situation, the possibility of capturing him and bringing him back to Hueco Mundo was almost zero.
Forget about capturing him alive; even defeating him, she and Ulquiorra might not be able to do it.
As for calling for reinforcements…
From Ruby's side, although she could still faintly sense some Reiatsu, that wisp of Reiatsu was constantly weakening and could disappear at any moment.
It was basically equivalent to death.
And Tier Harribel was currently engaged in a battle with that white-haired captain and others, so she obviously couldn't come to support them.
As for Szayelaporro, his engagement…
No, it was less of an engagement and more like he was being unilaterally toyed with by the opponent; relying on him to fight Ishikawa was clearly unlikely.
Finally, Grimmjow, Harribel tried to search for him and found that he was also in combat, but the Reiatsu of the person fighting him was somewhat strange.
Espada?
Although Ishikawa used many Hollow abilities, Harribel never sensed a Hollow's Reiatsu on him from beginning to end, but the person fighting Grimmjow exuded a Reiatsu identical to that of an Espada.
That is, a Reiatsu that simultaneously possessed both Shinigami and Hollow characteristics!
Shaking her head, Harribel did not delve deeper into this point, as the current battle was the key.
That being said, neither Harribel nor Ulquiorra chose to attack.
Ishikawa suddenly shifted the combat area from the void to the ground, he must have some technique that could only be used on the ground; attacking rashly might lead them into his trap.
"If you're not coming…"
Ishikawa looked at the two of them, immediately guessing their thoughts, and shook his head: "Then I'll come up to you!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Ishikawa slammed his hands down onto the ground. During these days of training, although he had thought of many combat methods tailored to the characteristics of the Espada, his main training direction was against Baraggan!
The lesson Baraggan taught him last time was simply too profound.
And Ishikawa has always been very good at learning from his mistakes.
"Earth Tumult."
Rumble—
A roaring sound reverberated throughout the entire area, as the ground, with Ishikawa's single slam, vibrated madly, rolling back in layers, undulating like an ocean.
Then…
"Roar—"
The ground instantly developed countless cracks, and endless soil, rising into the sky, lifted Ishikawa from the ground, as if the entire earth had come alive with his single slam.
After the soil ascended, it quickly condensed, violently churning, and in a blink of an eye, formed a giant dragon made entirely of soil, with Ishikawa standing majestically on its head.
Although it differed by only one character from Hado #57: Daichi Ten'yō, the earth dragon beneath Ishikawa's feet had absolutely no connection to Daichi Ten'yō.
This was a Kido completely created by Ishikawa himself…
…a prototype, which the system then extrapolated and perfected.
As soon as the earth dragon formed, its speed surged, and with a roar, it charged straight into the sky.
This scene was extremely shocking; the colossal earth dragon coiled in the night sky, appearing and disappearing, exuding a captivating sense of the earth's profound weight.
Seeing this, Harribel's eyes flashed with a hint of seriousness.
"Battle Droplet!"
At the tip of her shark-gill patterned greatsword, water streams materialized out of thin air, like cannonballs, dense like raindrops, attacking the massive earth dragon.
Ishikawa did not dodge the incoming water bullets, but instead swung his single hand horizontally.
With this swing, the earth dragon's claws beneath his feet instantly changed, transforming in a blink of an eye into a human-shaped hand, moving horizontally to meet the sky full of water spheres.
At the same time!
Boom—
The earth dragon beneath Ishikawa's feet exploded with a roar, and in an instant, it formed a patch of ground beneath him, making it seem as if the sky and earth had inverted.
Boom, boom, boom—
One deep green lightning spear after another landed on the ground beneath Ishikawa's feet, causing the soil on the ground to fly and creating huge craters.
But the tens of thousands of tons of soil that had shot up into the sky, as if possessing a will of their own, filled themselves back in.
This scene made Ulquiorra frown.
"It's useless."
Ishikawa stood on the floating island-like earth, looking at the two of them: "The soil beneath my feet, no matter how small it becomes, as long as the soil itself still exists, it will completely restore itself."
The soil beneath his feet was not simply controlled by Reiatsu, but rather…
—Absolute Subordination!
This Kido technique seemed simple, but to create it, Ishikawa had to consult all the inherited core techniques of the Shiba family.
Furthermore, he had also sought guidance from Ishida Soken regarding the Quincy's 'Reishi Subordination' cultivation methods. Ishida Soken, like Sister Kukaku, held nothing back and taught Ishikawa all relevant knowledge.
The fusion of two completely different traditions, combined with Ishikawa's own vast knowledge of Kido, allowed him to create the prototype of this Kido technique!
The stronger Ishikawa's Reiatsu, the wider the range Earth Tumult could affect, and all the soil within the affected range of Earth Tumult would become subordinate to Ishikawa, becoming an embodiment of a rule.
In short…
It could be called Earth Subordination!
The only drawback of this technique was its enormous spiritual power consumption. Subordinating such a vast area of soil, even with Ishikawa's current spiritual power, could only be sustained for less than half a minute; to extend the duration, he would have to reduce the scope of the controlled soil.
However, the existence of the Reiatsu Crest…
Could completely balance the consumption and replenishment of spiritual power.
As long as there was Reishi in the surrounding area, the soil beneath Ishikawa's feet would not escape his control!
However, achieving a balance of expenditure and income in the Human World was almost impossible.
It wasn't because of the Reiatsu Crest, but because the Reishi concentration in the Human World was too weak; even if the Reiatsu Crest replenished quickly, if there was no Reishi in the surrounding area, it couldn't be replenished.
But using this technique in the Human World also had an advantage, which was that soil composed entirely of protons…
It flows, it gets corrupted, it can be blown by the wind, washed away by water, or even manually transported… but it won't disappear!
For soil composed purely of protons, this is merely a fundamental, indestructible motion.
No matter how Baraggan's aging decays, the soil will still be soil, at most becoming more fertile with the passage of time…
As long as the soil does not disappear or get transferred, it will remain under Ishikawa's control.
This is an effect that the soil of Hueco Mundo and Soul Society can absolutely not possess!
Boom—
Soil surged up, forming a tall earth wall beside Ishikawa, blocking all the incoming water streams.
No matter how powerful the water streams were, with the vast amount of soil replenishing it, the earth wall remained as majestic and unmoving as a towering mountain!
And as the earth wall rose, Ishikawa clenched his single hand into a fist and punched through the air towards Harribel's location.
A dull whistling sound immediately emanated as, almost simultaneously with Ishikawa's punch, a fist made of soil slammed directly towards Harribel in mid-air.
At the same time, Ishikawa, multitasking, scattered the sky full of dust into countless particles, sending them towards Ulquiorra on the other side.
For a moment, the entire sky of the area was filled with soil.
Rumbling sounds continuously emanated, as the soil condensed into various forms of attacks, constantly striking at the two individuals.
Suppression!
"Hmm?"
Ishikawa, who was manipulating the soil to attack the two, suddenly had an earth wall rise behind him.
Pfft—
The sound of a blade sinking into soil was heard.
"Should I say long time no see?"
Ishikawa chuckled lightly, and the earth wall behind him slowly dissipated, revealing the figure behind the soil.
"Captain Tosen… no, it should be the traitor Kaname Tōsen!"
The figure who suddenly appeared behind Ishikawa and attacked him was none other than Kaname Tōsen, who had defected to Hueco Mundo with Aizen.
Kaname Tōsen did not reply, and with a Shūnpo, he instantly retreated outside the range of the soil.
His appearance caused everyone present to involuntarily disengage from their opponents and look at him.
"Tosen…"
Hitsugaya frowned, instinctively searching the surroundings to confirm that Aizen and Ichimaru Gin had not arrived, before his brow relaxed.
"Captain Tosen!!"
Hisagi Shuuhei called out with a complex expression, but his cry did not attract Kaname Tōsen's attention.
Kaname Tōsen 'gazed' at Ishikawa for a long moment, then spoke: "Indeed, when I first fought you, I should have killed you regardless of the cost."
"First time?"
Ishikawa pondered for a moment, then chuckled: "Are you talking about the time you kidnapped people? If you hadn't mentioned it, I would have forgotten about that battle with the black-cloaked figure."
He wasn't deliberately mocking Kaname Tōsen; it was just that Ishikawa genuinely didn't remember that battle clearly.
Because at that time, he was severely injured and didn't contribute much; it was entirely Ikkaku Madarame, Ayasegawa Yumichika, and Abarai Renji who fought him. Ishikawa merely played the role of healer and support, so naturally, there wasn't much worth recalling.
Hearing Ishikawa mention the kidnapping and the black-cloaked figure, Abarai Renji also recalled the situation at the time, saying with some disbelief: "Was that person who abducted children with spiritual power you?"
Kaname Tōsen did not answer Abarai Renji's question, but instead said to himself: "Lord Aizen has commanded that since the plan has failed, there is no need to continue."
Upon hearing this, Ishikawa subconsciously looked up at the sky.
As soon as there was any sign of a crack in the sky, he would immediately seal it off, not giving those Menos Grande a chance to form a Negación.
But the crack Ishikawa had anticipated did not appear; instead, he was met with a pitch-black expanse.
"Bankai: Suzumushi Hyakushiki: Grillar Grillo!"
Amidst a low chant, endless black mist instantly spread out, enveloping the entire area.
Ishikawa frowned, and the soil beneath his feet immediately burst open, roaring as it transformed into countless particles of dust, forming Kan that spread outwards.
Finally, it formed a pair of large hands, reaching out into the darkness towards a certain spot!
Bang~
But at this moment, a powerful impact struck, and the large hands formed by the soil collapsed. Before they could reform, the surrounding darkness gradually receded.
And in the void…
The Arrancar were gone.
"Tsk tsk, what a troublesome ability."
Urahara Kisuke's voice came, and as soon as he finished speaking, he went straight to a certain spot on the ground.
That was precisely the direction Ruby had fallen earlier.
However, upon arriving at that area, Urahara Kisuke frowned, then chuckled: "It seems someone got there first."
Hearing this, Hitsugaya and the others looked at Urahara Kisuke with some confusion.
Ishikawa, however, pouted. Although he hadn't paid attention, he could still sense Ruby's sudden disappearance after death!
If nothing unexpected…
Ruby's corpse was probably already stored in the Shinigami Research and Development Institute.
That scoundrel Kurotsuchi Mayuri, sneaking into the Human World, had absolutely no intention of supporting Ishikawa and the others; he just grabbed Ruby's corpse and ran.
"Ishikawa."
Hitsugaya and the others appeared beside Ishikawa: "Thank you for your help this time."
"You're welcome, it's my duty."
"To celebrate, let's go for a drink before heading back to Soul Society." Matsumoto Rangiku's eyes lit up.
"…" Ishikawa.
Drink again…
After the last time, I still don't know what happened that night.
He chuckled awkwardly, just about to refuse, when he looked up into the distance and said, "Hisagi and I haven't accepted the limiter, so we can't stay in the Human World for long, and… I just feel like staying longer would cause trouble, so let's drink next time." With that, Ishikawa looked at Hisagi Shuuhei beside him.
Seeing this, Hisagi Shuuhei took out his Denreishinki and issued a command.
Before long, a doorway opened beside Ishikawa and the other person.
…
About half a minute after Ishikawa left, two figures broke through the air and arrived.
Hitsugaya and the others looked up, only to see veins popping on Ikkaku Madarame's bald head. As soon as he stopped, his eyes were bloodshot as he frantically searched around.
"Where's that bastard Ishikawa?!"
Ikkaku Madarame roared as he searched, "I'm going to kill him, I'm absolutely going to kill him!!"
"Huh?"
Abarai Renji was slightly stunned, then looked at Ayasegawa Yumichika, who had a strange smile on his face, beside Ikkaku.
"While he was intensely fighting the Arrancar, Ishikawa suddenly appeared behind that Arrancar, then killed him and disappeared."
"…" Abarai Renji.
I see~
No wonder Ishikawa was in such a hurry to leave.