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Interesting~!
Aizen's eyes flashed with a peculiar glint as he watched Ishikawa's pores continuously ooze blood.
Originally, he thought that Ishikawa had already brought him enough surprises, but as the battle continued, Ishikawa displayed abilities that repeatedly made his eyes light up.
A powerful physique different from a Shinigami's, super-fast regeneration like a Hollow's, eyes that could see through his Kyōka Suigetsu…
Even setting aside his Shinigami abilities, Ishikawa still possessed many strange aspects.
It's just a pity…
Aizen withdrew his gaze, glancing towards the Central 46.
The time he could remain here was running out.
Whoosh—
Ishikawa let out a soft breath, and the blood continuously seeping from his pores gradually stopped flowing with this exhalation.
123 points!
As long as he invested 123 experience points into his physique every second, it would be enough to offset the burden that the two different types of Shunko placed on his body!
After the previous exchange, he had invested 80,000 experience points into his physique.
The remaining experience points were…
124,747!
A large portion of these experience points would be used to recover from injuries.
He wouldn't be able to last long!
Thinking of this, Ishikawa stomped his single foot on the ground, and his entire body rushed directly towards Aizen.
The light of fire and thunder suddenly flared, illuminating the entire sunken area!
Clang—!
The crisp sound of blades colliding rang out, and before it could cease, it was covered by a series of continuous clangs.
Crimson and golden lights furiously flashed, but no matter how sharp the thunder or how rampant the fire…
The azure Reiatsu at the center remained motionless, like a reef beneath the waves!
The gap!!
Ishikawa had experienced many battles, and while there were stronger enemies among them, never before had he encountered a situation like this, where even using all his might, he couldn't break through the opponent's defense.
Simply standing there, simply with one Zanpakuto, he blocked all of his attacks.
Clang, clang, clang…
The sound of blades colliding continued to Kan out, and Ishikawa could clearly feel his Zanpakuto in his hand letting out a painful groan, not due to a disparity in the blade's quality, but a disparity in Reiatsu!
Setting aside his physique, purely in terms of Reiatsu intensity, his Reiatsu was already far superior to Soi Fon's without Bankai.
Yet, such intense Reiatsu combined with his physique, supplemented by Shunko combining Kido and Hakuda, still placed him at an absolute disadvantage against Aizen.
If calculated by system values, how strong was his Reiatsu intensity?
That being said, Ishikawa did not stop attacking; instead, he pushed his Shunpo to the extreme, continuously launching assaults from various directions towards Aizen in the center.
Almost every time he attacked, Ishikawa would suffer heavy injuries.
Even though he wasn't using Kyōka Suigetsu's ability, Aizen's Kyōka Suigetsu in his hand seemed to be everywhere; after each block of Ishikawa's attack, it would instantly strike Ishikawa's body!
Pfft, pfft, pfft—
The sound of blades cutting through flesh continuously rang out.
But before blood could even flow, Ishikawa's injuries would heal.
Add points! Add points! Add points!
Ishikawa roared frantically in his mind, and experience points rapidly depleted under his furious assault.
The long blade in his hand, under Ishikawa's frantic infusion of Reiatsu, lightning, and fire, developed spiderweb-like cracks on its surface, as if it could shatter at any moment!
Attack! Attack! Attack!
Accelerate! Accelerate! Accelerate!
The speed at which the long blade in his hand swung became faster and faster, and his Shunpo became even more frantic.
Initially, Ishikawa's plan was merely to stall Aizen, but after repeatedly being thwarted, he now had only one thought in his mind.
That was…
To use his blade to kill him!!
The Kyōka Suigetsu in Aizen's hand glowed with a faint light, and powerful Reiatsu continuously poured into it.
Less than a minute had passed since Ishikawa charged forward.
But in this short minute, he had shifted from a research mindset to taking it seriously, and the Reiatsu around him was continuously strengthening.
He's getting stronger?
Aizen was somewhat uncertain, but Ishikawa's blade was indeed heavier with each strike; even if the interval between two strikes was less than a second, when a new strike arrived, the power it carried would be slightly stronger than before.
And the degree of strengthening…
Is it directly proportional to the degree of injury?
He didn't know if it was an illusion, but he always felt that the more severely Ishikawa was injured, the more the power on the long blade would increase after he recovered!
Even though his Reiatsu intensity remained unchanged, the increase in power on the long blade was definitely not his imagination.
Aizen raised his right hand holding the blade high, blocking a strike from above that felt like Mount Tai pressing down, then looked up at Ishikawa.
Too late…
If he had discovered Ishikawa's uniqueness earlier, he would have had a lot of time to observe him.
But now…
It's too late!
He couldn't remember the last time he had such an intense desire for exploration.
Too early—!
Ishikawa gazed at Aizen, unable to help but sigh in his heart.
Ever since entering the Seireitei, he had always regarded Aizen as his imaginary enemy and object of exploration. Before the battle began, Ishikawa thought that even if he wasn't Aizen's match, he should at least be able to cause him some trouble.
But now it seemed that fighting Aizen at his current stage was still too early.
Ishikawa 'looked' at the system interface in his mind.
Current Experience: 31,000.
Over 200,000 experience points were almost exhausted, and the result was merely a few wrinkles and dust on Aizen's clothes.
This outcome filled Ishikawa with a sense of unwillingness, but also helplessness.
That being said, Ishikawa's eyes remained incredibly calm, unaffected by the emotions in his heart.
Aizen was different from any enemy he had ever encountered; fighting him was not enjoyment, but survival.
A slight misstep could lead to eternal damnation.
Even…
He might not even have the chance to add points to his physique.
So Ishikawa would not let any factor influence him, not even so-called instinct.
Give up?
Never even considered it.
Ishikawa pressed his blade downwards, and the long blade immediately dropped a few inches, but…
These few inches were not because Aizen couldn't bear his strength, but because Kyōka Suigetsu's blade had sunk into the long blade's body.
At this moment, the long blade in Ishikawa's hand was already covered in cracks, and as it pressed down, fragments continuously slipped off from the fractured parts.
If it weren't completely enveloped by Ishikawa's Reiatsu, maintaining its form, it might have already shattered into pieces from such high-intensity collisions.
With a slight frown, Ishikawa shook the Reiatsu on the long blade in his hand and retreated.
However…
Just then, Aizen, who had remained motionless, suddenly moved.
His entire being abruptly vanished from his original spot.
Ishikawa's pupils constricted, his nerves taut to the extreme in that instant, and the Reiatsu around him poured out like a burst dam.
He's here!
"It seems Gin's judgment is indeed better than mine."
A soft laugh came from Ishikawa's side.
Almost the moment he heard the first word, Ishikawa swung the long blade in his hand horizontally towards the source of the sound.
"To liken you to dust was my arrogance. You truly emit a candlelight sufficient to draw my attention, though incredibly faint, it is already conspicuous enough in the dull and lightless Soul Society!" As these calm and emotionless words came from Aizen's mouth, his right index finger touched the blade Ishikawa had swung horizontally.
The moment his finger touched the blade, Ishikawa vaguely seemed to hear a sharp shriek emanating from within the long blade, and the Reiatsu on the long blade instantly dimmed.
Snap~
With a crisp sound, the nearly 1.6-meter long blade shattered into countless fragments.
And the finger, after shattering the blade, went straight for Ishikawa!
Danger~
His body was frantically sending signals to his brain.
But Ishikawa ignored them all; he seemed not to have seen Aizen's finger, his gaze fixed on the Zanpakuto in his hand, of which only the hilt remained.
He wasn't heartbroken by the Zanpakuto's damage, because…
Its destruction was precisely what Ishikawa had always hoped for!
"Suck—"
Ishikawa opened his mouth and took a deep breath.
The surrounding Reiatsu rapidly condensed under his breath, forming visible air currents that surged madly into his body.
In that instant, Ishikawa moved!
The Zanpakuto, without a blade, only a hilt, was slowly raised.
Crack, crack, crack—
As it was raised, spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the surface of the black hilt.
Buzz—
The white spots increased from few to many, radiating dazzling white light from the cracks.
At this critical moment, at the instant the blade was destroyed!
The white spots, which had always been suppressed by the Zanpakuto, gained the upper hand for the first time.
All of this seemed to take a long time, but in reality, it was completed in the blink of an eye.
The moment the white spots bloomed, the countless blade fragments that burst apart seemed to be attracted, all rushing towards Aizen, and collided with his approaching finger.
The two collided, immediately stirring up a violent impact.
Amidst the booming roar, Ishikawa spat out blood, and his body shot backward.
Aizen's expression was slightly surprised.
Before he could even stabilize himself, Ishikawa released the hilt in his hand.
"Dōi…"
Although the hilt was released, it did not fall to the ground; instead, it floated in mid-air, and with Ishikawa's soft shout, its own white light shone brightly!
—Kokumei!
The fragments that had shattered with Aizen's finger formed a circle, surrounding Aizen.
A pitch-black space was instantly created.
The sunken arena in front of the Repentance Palace was replaced by a barren land.
The sky above was replaced by a hand-drawn sky.
Azure!
Unlike the original dark night sky, the hand-drawn sky at this moment was so bright and beautiful.
The originally comical hand-drawn painting seemed to come alive at this moment.
The sun and moon emitted dazzling white light, and all the stars transformed from white spots on the azure sky interwove with the sun and moon, illuminating the entire domain together.
"Oh?"
Aizen observed this space with interest.
He was not unfamiliar with Ishikawa's Shikai, because whether it was the cognitive synchronization after Aaroniero's death, or Nnoitra, who had once suffered a loss at Ishikawa's hands, all allowed him to easily grasp information about Ishikawa's Zanpakuto abilities.
However, the space before him now deviated slightly from the information he had obtained.
Had he not fully mastered his Shikai during his battle with Nnoitra?
Although a Zanpakuto only had Shikai and Bankai stages, these two stages were not incapable of more detailed subdivisions.
Many people's initial mastery of Shikai and Bankai were not the true forms their Zanpakuto should have, and as they were gradually perfected, the power they could unleash would be further enhanced!
Ishikawa's Shikai should be the same.
What next?
Aizen was not in a hurry to destroy this space; he wanted to see what other surprises Ishikawa could bring him.
However…
What happened next was beyond Aizen's expectations.
Boom—
This newly formed domain, in this instant, actually collapsed with a roar, and the next second, Ishikawa and Aizen, who were standing on opposite sides of the arena, reappeared in the sunken area in front of the Repentance Palace.
At the same time, inside Deep Prison No. 4 of the Repentance Palace.
Yoruichi, Soi Fon, and the others were all intently watching the area in front of the Repentance Palace.
They naturally couldn't miss Ishikawa and Aizen's disappearance; judging by what happened before they vanished, that should be the ability of Ishikawa's Zanpakuto after its release.
"Is it an ability similar to Tosen Kaname's Suzumushi?" Soi Fon frowned, asking subconsciously.
Although she didn't know Ishikawa's Zanpakuto ability, she was not surprised that Ishikawa's 'sealed' Zanpakuto could be released.
When Ishikawa returned to Soul Society from Hueco Mundo, although he deceived the Central 46, Soi Fon knew very well that Ishikawa had indeed been to Hueco Mundo, and the images received by the Central 46 were also real.
Yoruichi shook her head, looking seriously at the spot where the two had disappeared.
Originally, Soi Fon wanted to go forward and support Ishikawa, but she was stopped by Yoruichi.
She did this not to stand by, but because their rash intervention might instead implicate Ishikawa.
Among the three of them, Ishikawa was the only one who could see through Kyōka Suigetsu. If she and Soi Fon joined the battlefield, their target might very well not be Aizen, but Ishikawa.
She herself had previously mistaken Soi Fon for Aizen and had never doubted it from beginning to end; even before Ishikawa grabbed her wrist, she had not noticed Ishikawa's arrival at all.
Therefore…
It wasn't that they didn't want to help, but that they couldn't.
"Hmm?"
Yoruichi and Soi Fon's expressions changed.
Vaguely, it seemed as if something shattered.
Ishikawa and Aizen simultaneously appeared at their respective vanishing points. Seeing this, Yoruichi and the others immediately looked at Ishikawa.
He didn't seem injured.
The two had only been gone for a few seconds. Had Ishikawa's Shikai ability been broken so quickly?
…
"What, is that it?"
Aizen frowned, looking at Ishikawa in the distance, and noticed that the last hilt in Ishikawa's hand had vanished at some point.
Had the Zanpakuto itself reached its limit?
Or was it…
"Should I thank you?"
Ishikawa's words interrupted Aizen's thoughts.
As soon as the words fell, Ishikawa vanished from his spot.
When he reappeared, he was already in front of Aizen, his right hand forming an empty grip, as if holding a blade, and he slashed downwards.
Zing—
The sound of a blade whistling rang out, and a dazzling flash of light arrived in an instant.
In Ishikawa's originally empty palm, a long blade suddenly appeared. Its style was identical to the original, except for the hilt part which had turned white, and the blade itself still appeared pitch black.
Aizen's eyes flashed with a hint of disappointment at the sight. With Reiatsu surging on his Kyōka Suigetsu, he raised his blade to meet the attack.
For this slash, Aizen did not hold back any longer.
Snap~
Almost at the instant the blades collided, the long blade in Ishikawa's hand shattered once again.
But Aizen's strike did not stop.
Pffft—!
A massive wound appeared from Ishikawa's left shoulder to his lower abdomen, almost cutting him in half.
"Imprison! Imprison! Imprison!"
In that instant, Ishikawa chanted rapidly.
Hmm?
Aizen's expression suddenly changed. The space around Kyōka Suigetsu seemed to be frozen, and even the Reiatsu carried by the blade solidified in that instant!
However, this imprisonment lasted for only an instant, and then the confinement around Kyōka Suigetsu suddenly vanished.
But for Ishikawa, that instant was already enough.
Whoosh—
A muffled whistling sound suddenly rang out, and in Aizen's vision, a fist rapidly expanded.
And behind the fist were Ishikawa's almost frantic eyes.
The second shattering of the Zanpakuto was already within Ishikawa's expectations; he had never intended to use the newly formed Zanpakuto to resist Aizen.
From the very beginning, his plan was to sacrifice the Zanpakuto's shattering to condense the imprisonment ability into a single point and elevate it to its extreme!
Thereby…
To buy himself this single instant!
Bang~
Amidst a violent explosion, the light of fire and lightning scattered, and Aizen was sent flying backward.
Vaguely, it seemed as if the sound of glass shattering could be heard!
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