"Whoosh-"
Komamura's movement seemed like a simple downward slash, but when the several dozen meter long giant Zanpakuto in the sky synchronized with his action and slashed down, the mere wind it generated was no different from a level 7 gale.
"Haah!"
Facing this terrifying attack, Ichigo gripped his Zanpakuto's hilt with both hands and swung it upward fiercely-
Boom!
Amidst the violent roar, the ground was directly slashed into a several dozen meter long deep trench by Komamura's strike.
As for Ichigo-
Well, no matter what, Ichigo's own Reiatsu had reached 3rd-class Reiryoku, and he had received basic guidance from Miyako and advanced instruction from Kisuke, plus the combat instincts from the Hollow-White...
Even though Ichigo's Reiatsu was currently suppressed by the Quincy Zangetsu, he shouldn't be defeated by Komamura's Shikai.
Clatter-
Within the dust, Ichigo slid across the ground, leaving two deep marks.
But without a doubt, Ichigo had blocked Komamura's attack.
'Although the power is great, but-'
'I can win!'
Having blocked Komamura's attack, Ichigo no longer had many thoughts about that several dozen meter long giant blade.
It just looked scary.
Actually-
Well, it was still scary!
But it hadn't reached an unwinnable level yet.
And for Ichigo, as long as he could fight, that meant he could win!
So, Ichigo looked at Komamura, regained his breath, and teased, "Hey, big guy, although that looks terrifying, it doesn't seem all that impressive actually."
"Is that so?"
Komamura also sensed that Ichigo was no ordinary opponent, since his single strike failed to knock Ichigo down or even injure him.
Earlier, when Ichigo defeated the 7th Division's Lieutenant, Iba Tetsuzaemon, Komamura knew Ichigo wasn't an ordinary Ryoka.
Moreover, judging from the multiple Captain-level Reiatsu conflicts, Ichigo probably wasn't weak either.
Hence, Komamura didn't hold back when he attacked.
However, Ichigo's strength was clearly greater than Komamura had anticipated.
Being able to block his Tenken's attack meant Ichigo indeed possessed strength to fight a Captain.
"Haah-"
Ichigo released Reiatsu under his feet and charged at Komamura.
Compared to that several dozen meter long giant blade, the three-meter-tall Komamura was easier to deal with.
"Hmph!"
Naturally, Komamura wasn't unaware of Ichigo's intention.
Rather, everyone who had seen his Zanpakuto release considered him the breakthrough point.
But unfortunately, Komamura would make these people realize how naive their thoughts were.
After a cold snort, Komamura clenched his left fist and slammed it down fiercely towards the ground beneath him.
Accordingly, a giant iron fist clad in black armor appeared in the sky above Ichigo, synchronizing with Komamura's movement, and smashed down towards Ichigo.
The release of Komamura's Zanpakuto Tenken, its Bankai summons the complete [Kokujo Tengen Myo'o], whereas its Shikai summons parts of Kokujo Tengen Myo'o's body.
The arm holding the several dozen meter long blade is one part, and similarly, the left arm clenching a fist is another!
Although Kokujo Tengen Myo'o's movements seemed relatively slow, that was merely a visual difference due to its enormous size.
Actually, Kokujo Tengen Myo'o's speed was consistent with Komamura's.
When Komamura completed clenching his left fist and striking down, the giant left fist appearing in the sky had already descended from several dozen meters high towards Ichigo.
The ground was directly punched into a large crater by Komamura's strike.
Ichigo rolled disheveledly on the ground a few times, looking shocked at where he had been standing.
He never expected that the Captain before him not only had dozens of times larger Zanpakuto but also dozens of times larger iron fist!
If he hadn't dodged quickly earlier, he probably would have been severely injured by that punch.
'Indeed, Yoruichi-san was right… none of the Gotei 13 Captains were simple!'
'With the slightest carelessness, I could be defeated and killed at any time.'
Whether he died or not, Ichigo didn't have much tangible feeling about it.
But he didn't want to see the deaths of the friends who came to the Seireitei with him, or Miyako, whom he wanted to save.
Especially if they were injured or killed because of him!
Yet, this time coming to the Soul Society to save Miyako, Ichigo considered himself the strongest among the group.
If he were to die in battle, the others' fates were imaginable.
Previously, Ichigo hadn't been mentally prepared for such a situation.
But nearly being severely injured by Komamura's attack earlier made Ichigo realize this.
Instantly, Ichigo's fighting will underwent a fundamental change.
If the previous Ichigo needed to defeat the enemies before him to save Miyako, then the current Ichigo had to survive to prevent anything from happening to the friends who trusted him.
'Uryu, Chad, Inoue… those three… How were they now?'
They came to save Miyako, but if saving Miyako caused his friends to fall in the Seireitei, that was also unacceptable to Ichigo.
Boom…
After gaining this realization, Ichigo's expression turned cold and stern. Powerful Reiatsu erupted from his body, covering him, and he charged towards Komamura again.
"Boom"
"Boom!"
In the following time, Ichigo clashed head-on with Komamura but didn't retreat an inch.
Moreover, while blocking Komamura's attacks, Ichigo continued to advance towards him.
This situation made Komamura's expression grave.
He realized that if this continued, he would inevitably be defeated by this youth.
Although he had taken him seriously, it seemed he had still underestimated his opponent.
As the Captain of the 7th Division of the Gotei 13, Komamura naturally wouldn't allow himself to fall here.
'In that case-'
"Bankai-"
"Kokujo Tengen Myo'o!"
Blue-white Reiatsu erupted from Komamura's body. A hundred-meter-tall giant, entirely covered in black armor, appeared behind Komamura.
This was Komamura's Bankai!
Compared to the Shikai state where only parts of the body could be manifested, the fully manifested Tenken after Bankai received a huge boost in both presence and attack power.
As Komamura raised his right hand, Tenken also raised the Zanpakuto in its hand, mirroring Komamura.
Boom-
Just the act of swinging the blade created an air explosion sound. Before even attacking Ichigo, the powerful wind pressure almost distorted Ichigo's face into a comical expression.
Facing this terrifying attack, Ichigo couldn't help but feel fear.
This wasn't just the visual intimidation and psychological pressure from 'megalophobia', but also the impact of Kokujo Tengen Myo'o's own powerful attack force.
Immediately, Ichigo gripped his Zanpakuto's hilt with both hands and channeled his Reiatsu into the Zanpakuto to the maximum extent.
Although Ichigo had only held a sword for a few days and hadn't reached the Great Swordsman-level as defined by Kyoya, the Quincy Zangetsu had manifested the Quincy's [Heilig Pfeil] ability onto Ichigo's Zanpakuto.
That meant the Zanpakuto in Ichigo's hand was called a Zanpakuto, but its essence was actually a Quincy's bow!
As long as Ichigo channeled his Reiatsu into the Zanpakuto, Zangetsu could condense this Reiatsu into [Heilig Pfeil] and launch it for ranged attacks.
And this was the only technique the Quincy Zangetsu taught Ichigo, which he named…
"Getsuga… Tensho!"
Thick white Reiatsu transformed into a giant crescent slash that shot skyward, colliding with the giant blade slashing down from Komamura.
Drip, drip...
Drop by drop, blood dripped onto the ground. Ichigo gasped for breath heavily. The blood streaming from his body and forehead stained half of Ichigo's face and his Shihakusho red.
"Sorry, everyone…"
Looking up at the giant figure ahead, even Ichigo couldn't help but feel somewhat discouraged.
His earlier slash, after blocking Kokujo Tengen Myo'o's attack, had also struck Kokujo Tengen Myo'o's body.
But unfortunately, Ichigo's slash only pushed Kokujo Tengen Myo'o back a few steps… it failed to break Kokujo Tengen Myo'o's defense and injure Komamura.
It can't be helped. No one actually thought that just because Aizen could easily injure Kokujo Tengen Myo'o meant Kokujo Tengen Myo'o had low defense, right?
After all, Kokujo Tengen Myo'o was Komamura's Bankai. Even Captains of the same level would find it difficult to break Kokujo Tengen Myo'o's defense.
Because, as a summon-type Zanpakuto, the connection between Komamura and Kokujo Tengen Myo'o was very tight.
Any damage Kokujo Tengen Myo'o suffered would appear on Komamura's body.
If Kokujo Tengen Myo'o's own defense wasn't strong, how could Komamura have gained Yamamoto's regard?
The wolfman clan, because their ancestor betrayed humanity, was cursed, and later generations couldn't appear in human form.
People in the Seireitei also viewed the wolfman clan as 'sinner bloodline'.
Komamura was an anomaly among the wolfman clan. Although descended from sinners, he himself possessed a 'just' heart.
After gaining Yamamoto's recognition, Komamura also raised his Reiryoku to 3rd-class within a mere hundred years, completed his Zanpakuto's Bankai training, and after the Hollowfication incident a hundred years ago, was given the position of Captain of the 7th Division by Yamamoto.
In contrast, Ichigo himself was severely injured by Komamura's attack.
At this moment, even standing felt laborious to him… the world in front of him seemed to sway, as if he would collapse at any second.
Thud-
Well, no need for the next second, as Ichigo had already fallen face down on the ground.
"Ichigo..."
"Ichigo..."
Just after Ichigo lost consciousness, familiar voices echoed in his ears.
'This voice... is that Zangetsu old man?'
As his consciousness cleared, Ichigo suddenly discovered that he was currently in a blue space.
And he himself was falling at high speed.
This space seemed like a mirror world… many tall buildings were upside down, with no up or down.
Without a doubt, this was Ichigo's inner world.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh-
After Ichigo realized where he was, with a thought, his descent immediately stopped. After flipping his body over, a horizontally placed building appeared under Ichigo's feet, becoming the ground for Ichigo and the Quincy Zangetsu to stand on.
"Zangetsu old man..."
"This guy..."
Looking at Ichigo lying on the ground, Komamura felt slightly relieved.
He never expected that under his attack, Ichigo still had such counterattacking power.
Because of his deep connection with Kokujo Tengen Myo'o, Komamura could also feel that if not for blocking his slash, the final slash Ichigo unleashed indeed had the power to threaten him.
"Such a pity…"
Komamura shook his head and sighed.
To be honest, he was also very interested in the swordsmanship of the former 11th Division's Captain, Kyoya, which could unleash powerful slashes through sword skills.
Many Shinigami of the Gotei 13, because they practiced that swordsmanship, had greatly improved their strength.
Especially those Shinigami who reached the Great Swordsman level… each was considered a top-notch expert among seated officers.
However, due to his identity issues, Komamura didn't even dare reveal his true face and chose to cover his appearance.
Under such circumstances, how could Komamura possibly ask Kyoya for guidance on swordsmanship?
After Kyoya left the Seireitei, Komamura had also regretted not seeking advice from him.
Precisely because of this, Komamura himself knew that among the thirteen Captains of the Gotei 13, his own strength probably wasn't very high-ranked.
However, he finally hadn't failed Yamamoto's expectations and managed to defeat this Ryoka youth who invaded the Seireitei.
Dispelling his Zanpakuto's Bankai, Komamura stepped forward, intending to capture Ichigo.
But just as Komamura took a few steps forward, he suddenly discovered that the youth he had defeated and lying on the ground earlier suddenly erupted with even more powerful Reiatsu.
'How is this possible?'
Komamura was shocked. He immediately drew the Zanpakuto at his waist and released Bankai again-
"Bankai, Kokujo Tengen Myo'o!"
"Don't be afraid, don't fear, Ichigo!"
Ichigo, who had stood up again, could now feel that Zangetsu was behind him, standing with him.
At this moment, he felt unprecedentedly powerful!