Just as the lethal toxins erupted, the shadow under Sora's feet swelled rapidly, enveloping him and Isshin Shiba.
The expanding shadow space instantly passed through the purple sphere, extending to the area outside it.
Sora picked up Isshin Shiba and calmly passed through the area covered by the purple sphere.
His shadow space could pass through any barrier.
Even Askin's Gift Ball Deluxe couldn't stop it!
After leaving the purple sphere, the original toxins were no longer the "lethal substance." Isshin Shiba recovered quickly.
"Whew— I thought I was going to die!"
"'The Deathdealing' ability is too much. If he had gone all out from the start, I couldn't have stalled him for long."
Isshin Shiba was shaken. He had just felt death up close.
"Go help Shunsui Kyōraku."
Sora observed the battlefield and decided to have Isshin help Shunsui.
Without the help of 'Hachikyōken', Shunsui couldn't beat 'The X-Axis' and was in a dangerous spot.
But even if Shunsui and Isshin teamed up, they probably couldn't beat 'The X-Axis'. Sora just wanted them to stall.
He planned to kill Schrift 'M', Gerard, first.
Gerard's 'Miracle' power made him stronger the more he was beaten.
If this dragged on, Gerard would become difficult to handle.
...
Gerard, The Miracle, had already grown several meters tall.
Lisa Yadōmaru jumped between the houses, struggling to dodge his stomping attacks.
"He's gotten bigger again... This is getting harder and harder!"
Lisa's face fell as she saw Gerard grow larger.
Even with the intel on Gerard from the Professor, he was hard to beat. Even just stalling him was exhausting.
Gerard's 'Miracle' ability could take negative events like injury, being trapped, or death, and reverse them into positive outcomes.
As long as Gerard couldn't beat his enemy, he would just keep getting stronger.
The speed of his growth depended on how bad the negative event was.
Luckily, Lisa Yadōmaru wasn't the only one stalling Gerard.
Squad 1 Lieutenant Chōjirō Sasakibe, Squad 2 Lieutenant Marechiyo Ōmaeda, and Squad 6 Lieutenant Ginjirō Shirogane were also here.
With Lisa, there were four Lieutenants holding back Gerard.
"Damn it!"
Marechiyo Ōmaeda dodged the giant sword swing, but he couldn't dodge the stomp.
"Hadō #88. Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō!"
Chōjirō Sasakibe had to attack to save Ōmaeda.
A giant beam of light shot from his palm, blasting Gerard's abdomen.
Boom—
Marechiyo Ōmaeda quickly used the chance to get away.
"The Miracle does not fall! I am the biggest, strongest, and fastest Quincy!"
When Gerard, The Miracle, stood up again, his body had swelled, reaching a height of over ten meters.
He was like a mountain, completely overwhelming.
"We can't drag this out! We have to think of something!"
Marechiyo Ōmaeda shouted.
Gerard (The Miracle) was getting stronger. It was already tough to handle his attacks.
"If 'The Miracle' gets any stronger, we'll start taking casualties. We have to find a way to expose his core!" Ginjirō Shirogane shouted.
Gerard (The Miracle) was not without a weak point.
His core was a Star Medallion inside his body. If that could be destroyed, 'The Miracle' would stop.
"The core thing is just the Professor's theory... But we have to try it now!"
Lisa Yadōmaru saw Gerard smash several buildings with one sword strike. She steeled herself to try and destroy his core.
"I'll create an opening!"
Marechiyo Ōmaeda jumped up.
Ōmaeda knew his power wasn't enough to blast Gerard's body open and expose the core. He could only make a chance for his teammates.
"Crush him, Goga!"
Ōmaeda swung his mace (Goga) and smashed it into Gerard's knee.
The Reishi explosion from 'Goga' at full power was as strong as his full-chant 'Raikōhō' Hadō.
BOOM—!
The explosion lit up Gerard's knee.
The fire faded. Marechiyo Ōmaeda stiffly raised his head.
"It's over!"
His full-power Reishi explosion hadn't made Gerard's body budge at all!
"You think that tiny light can shake me, the mightiest holy soldier?"
Gerard (The Miracle) swung his shield to swat Ōmaeda away.
"Bakudō #61. Rikujōkōrō!"
Lisa Yadōmaru came to the rescue.
Six beams of Reishi light struck Gerard's arm, but they shattered instantly.
The shield continued toward Ōmaeda.
Smack—
Marechiyo Ōmaeda was sent flying by the shield.
"Bakudō #37. Tsuriboshi!"
Ginjirō Shirogane used Kidō, creating a hammock of spiritual energy in the air to catch Ōmaeda.
"This is bad. Lieutenant Ōmaeda is knocked out!"
Ginjirō checked Ōmaeda's condition, and his heart sank.
Ōmaeda was knocked unconscious. They were down one fighter!
At the same time, while his teammates stalled Gerard, Chōjirō Sasakibe had quietly moved behind him.
The next moment, the sky suddenly filled with dark clouds.
Chōjirō Sasakibe raised his Zanpakutō, and golden lightning fell from the sky.
"Bankai. Kōkō Gonryō Rikyū."
Gerard (The Miracle) sensed the threat behind him, but he couldn't dodge in time.
The lightning from the sky gathered on his sword tip. Chōjirō Sasakibe thrust his sword at lightning speed.
Boom—
A large hole was blown through Gerard's body.
"Did it work?"
Lisa Yadōmaru and Ginjirō Shirogane watched Gerard closely, observing his reaction.
"Hahahaha— A holy soldier does not die!"
The hole in Gerard's abdomen healed instantly, and his body swelled up again.
"Damn, Lieutenant Sasakibe missed the core!"
Lisa's and Ginjirō's faces fell.
But they had no time to think. Gerard's sword had already caught up to Chōjirō Sasakibe.
Smash—
Smashed into the ground by the giant sword, Chōjirō Sasakibe's Spiritual Pressure weakened rapidly.
Lisa Yadōmaru threw her lightning-wreathed naginata, blasting it at Gerard.
Ginjirō Shirogane used the opening to grab Sasakibe and pull him back.
"Useless struggling!"
Gerard (The Miracle) swung his shield, swatting the lightning naginata away.
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