Tap, tap, tap, tap…
The heavy sounds of the recent battle, combined with the bright lightning flashes caused by Raikohou, had naturally drawn the attention of numerous Adventurers and members of Evilus.
When both sides finally arrived at the scene, what they witnessed was an intense one-on-one battle.
Crack!
With his exaggerated physical abilities, Vito merely shifted his center of gravity downward and launched himself forward, completely shattering the stone ground beneath his feet.
A large section of the earth, nearly two meters high, was violently torn up and flipped over.
Whoosh!
He shot toward Rayleigh like a fired cannonball.
He raised one leg, grabbed the air with both hands for balance, and his taut thigh snapped out, delivering an incredibly powerful kick.
"Bakudō Eight: Seki."
Rayleigh quickly crossed his arms and deployed the small Kidō barrier for physical defense, forcefully enduring the heavy blow.
Crash!
The loose bricks on the ground were sent flying in all directions.
Rayleigh's body maintained its rigid defensive posture. His feet dug deeply into the dirt as he was forcefully pushed back several meters.
He leaned back slightly, expertly dispersing the raw force of the blow.
As expected of a Level 4.
If he didn't used Kidō for defense, his arms would have been completely numb from the sheer power of that attack by now.
But it wasn't over yet.
Rayleigh locked onto Vito's Reiatsu, precisely tracking his hidden position.
In the blink of an eye, Vito charged forward again.
Rayleigh concentrated his Reiatsu into his fist and threw a heavy punch, aiming squarely for the man's head.
Vito tilted his head just enough to dodge, leaving a shallow gash on his cheek.
He then threw a fast punch directly at Rayleigh's abdomen.
Rayleigh saw through the move.
He swiftly raised his right leg and used a sharp kick to deflect the incoming fist and arm.
Failing to land a solid hit, Vito showed no frustration and immediately changed tactics.
He spin around with a wide sweeping leg, forcing Rayleigh to jump into the air, and then quickly grabbed Rayleigh's arm.
Seeing Vito's twisting posture, Rayleigh understood exactly what move he intended to use next.
'A shoulder throw, huh. In that case.'
Rayleigh's free hand, with his fingers pressed together like a venomous snake's tongue, stabbed fiercely toward Vito's eyes.
Left with no other choice, Vito could only release his tight grip, flinging Rayleigh higher into the air.
Mid-air, Rayleigh smoothly adjusted his stance and brought his hands together.
When he separated them again, three blue grates constructed entirely from spiritual energy had already appeared.
Aiming directly at Vito below, he hurled the blue grates downward!
"Bakudō Sixty-Two: Hyappō Rankan!"
The blue grates were thrown at supersonic speed.
They split into two, then four… falling like a deadly rain of light spears pouring down from the sky.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
For raindrops, they certainly seemed a bit too large.
Looking up at the blue grates falling rapidly from above, Vito had a strong intuition that he couldn't afford to be hit by even a single one.
He immediately began evading across the ground.
Though it was merely a Bakudō, though it was just an object made of condensed spirit particles, at supersonic speed, its raw power could easily rival that of a heavy sniper rifle.
One after another, the blue grates fell, heavily embedding themselves deep into the stone ground.
Vito watched Rayleigh slowly descending from the air, his brow furrowing in irritation.
"Are you looking down on me?!"
In response to his angry question, Rayleigh countered, "Why would you say that?"
"Tch."
Suppressing his anger, Vito pointed directly to the sword resting at Rayleigh's waist.
"You haven't even used that special sword of yours. Are you actually planning to defeat me with bare hands?"
Ripples. "Heh, Of course not. I won't just use my bare hands."
Rayleigh still made absolutely no move to draw his sword.
He simply took a single step forward.
In the very next instant, only a faint trail of white spiritual energy remained where he had just been standing as Rayleigh's figure vanished entirely.
He abruptly appeared right in front of Vito!
'What?!' Vito's pupils contracted in pure shock.
'Impossible! This speed was way too fast for a Level 3, Even if his Agility stat is S-rank, it shouldn't make me completely lose track of him.'
It was a speed physically impossible to follow with the naked eye.
He had seen this specific movement technique before, but back then, he was only a Level 2.
Though it was incredibly fast even then.
But now....
Rayleigh continuously used Shunpo, his speed so incredibly high that multiple afterimages appeared across the street.
This made it completely impossible for Vito's frantic gaze to keep up. It looked exactly as if five or six different Rayleighs had completely surrounded him!
'Tch!' Vito stomped heavily on the ground, shattering it to pieces.
He hurled the flying bricks one by one at Rayleigh's shifting afterimages.
Slap!
Rayleigh's figure smoothly appeared right behind Vito, one hand pressing firmly down on his shoulder.
Startled, Vito tried his best to break free. But Rayleigh was much faster.
"Bakudō Sixty-Three: Sajō Sabaku."
Thick, golden spiritual chains wrapped tightly around Vito several times.
Vito struggled fiercely against the bonds, but he found the golden chains to be incredibly sturdy.
They possessed a heavy suppressing effect that completely hindered his strength.
Taking full advantage of Vito's restraint, Rayleigh extended his open palm, pressing his fingers lightly against Vito's chest.
Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Hohō, and Kidō.
A truly powerful Shinigami is never one-dimensional!
Due to the unique existence of the Zanpakuto, a Shinigami's strength naturally tends to lean heavily toward swordsmanship.
Take Abarai Renji, for example.
His Kidō test scores were abysmally low, but because he possessed a high natural talent for swordsmanship, he still became an outstanding student in the elite academy class.
For a Shinigami, being regarded solely as a pure swordsman could be seen as high praise, but it could also easily be seen as contempt.
Hakuda, Hohō, and Kidō—these three are vital techniques that perfectly complement one another.
At Level 3, Rayleigh could finally unlock it, the skill that make Yoruichi fans have a mass orgasm!
"The name of this technique is Shunkō."
Boom!
A terrifying wave of Reiatsu erupted outward.
A dreadful, heavy pressure emanated from Rayleigh, deeply stunning everyone present on the battlefield.
Those lacking sufficient physical strength or mental willpower felt exactly as if they had fallen into an icy abyss.
Their bodies stiffened completely, their eyes forced wide open, and cold sweat uncontrollably broke out across their skin.
Bright white energy bloomed beautifully around Rayleigh's body.
Materialized Reiatsu directly transformed into two massive white serpents. The energy violently shredded Rayleigh's upper clothes as the serpents coiled and writhed, poised to strike directly at Vitte.
Using his flat palm as a deadly weapon, Rayleigh launched a strike that was so fast to the naked eyes.
Bang!
Vito only saw a blinding flash of white light before completely losing consciousness.
And then—a terrifying shockwave erupted!
BOOM!
In the wide eyes of the onlookers, white energy burst from Rayleigh's body, followed quickly by three devastating punches that unleashed a terrifying shockwave across the street.
After brutally piercing through three solid buildings, Vito's limp body slammed heavily into the ground, forming a deep crater in the brickwork.
"Cough!" Vito spat out a thick mouthful of blood, mixed with small fragments of his internal organs.
At this moment, Rayleigh stood completely enveloped in dense Reiatsu.
His body seemingly covered in a bright layer of Reiatsu armor that crackled wildly like leaping arcs of lightning.
This powerful technique greatly enhanced Rayleigh's attack power, speed, and defense.
This was Shunkō.
An advanced technique of Shunpo invented by the "Goddess of Flash," Yoruichi Shihōin.
Seeing that Vito had completely lost the ability to move, Rayleigh safely deactivated his Shunkō and slowly adjusted his breathing.
After successfully reaching Level 3, he could now utilize his Reiatsu much more flexibly.
If he truly wished, he could even actively employ the Quincy's Blut Vene and Blut Arterie while staying in his Shunkō state.
"The enemy has been defeated…"
"That faceless man was as strong as a monster. Who would have thought a young man like Rayleigh could easily take him down?"
"Unbelievable!"
'Vito… lost to him?'
Erebus looked down at his fallen Familia member, revealing a genuine expression of shock for the very first time.
In his careful predictions, Orario should not have had enough combat power available to properly deal with Vito.
Yet, Vito now lay completely defeated in front of him.
Had his perfect predictions been completely wrong? No. Probably not.
Then, the core issue must indeed lie with the strange individual in question—Rayleigh himself.