Rangiku Matsumoto snapped her head up, her pupils shrinking instantly.
At some point, a mutated Hollow—far more massive than the previous ones and resembling a giant ape—had climbed to the towering peak of the bridge.
It was covered in heavy bone armor. Viscous, corrosive dark-green venom oozed from the gaps in its carapace. Its giant, crimson eyes were already locked dead onto Shinobu Kocho in the battle formation below.
It opened its fang-filled maw. Deep within its throat, a dark-green light frantically condensed and compressed, emitting a terrifying, destructive fluctuation.
It was a highly concentrated Cero!
"Damn it!" Without a second thought, Rangiku commanded Haineko to instantly transform into a cloud of ash. It surged into the sky like a reverse waterfall, attempting to intercept the attack.
But the distance was too great, and the giant ape Hollow had clearly been charging this for a while. The Cero was condensing faster than she could have imagined!
Just as that devastating pillar of dark-green light was about to erupt—
"[Bakudo #81・Danku]!"
A calm male voice, tinged with a hint of cynicism, suddenly echoed above the battlefield.
*Hum!*
A hexagonal wall of light, shining with the pure brilliance of Reishi, instantly materialized between the giant ape Hollow and the battlefield below!
*Boom—!!*
A deafening explosion shook the entire bridge!
The Cero, powerful enough to corrode steel and melt spiritual bodies, slammed viciously into the dazzling wall of light.
The malicious green energy stream exploded into the sky like a torrential downpour, yet it was completely blocked by the seemingly thin barrier.
The energy stream splattered along the curvature of the light wall, violently corroding the surrounding bridge structure with a sizzling sound and sending up billowing plumes of thick smoke.
But behind the wall of light, everyone—including Asuka and Shinobu Kocho—remained completely unharmed!
The strength, timing, and precision of this sudden, powerful Kido defense were nothing short of astonishing!
Moreover, he seemed to have cast a high-level Kido without an incantation!
Everyone looked up in shock.
On the suspension cables at the side of the bridge, a figure had appeared out of nowhere.
He wore a simple light-green haori and a fox mask with a pointed nose that covered most of his face, revealing only a stubble-covered chin.
A terrifying Spiritual Power, as vast as the deep ocean, radiated outward without reservation, instantly suppressing all the chaotic Spiritual Pressure fluctuations on the battlefield.
Whether it was the frenzied Hollows or the fiercely fighting Soul Reapers, their movements stagnated for a split second.
The air seemed to freeze, leaving only the majestic, soul-crushing pressure emanating from the masked man.
'Captain-class! First-class Spiritual Power!' Rangiku exclaimed inwardly, her heart pounding. 'Who is this now?'
The fox-masked man, whose palms still glowed with the residual Reishi from the powerful Bakudo he had just cast, leaped down nonchalantly and landed lightly among the crowd.
"Oh my, it certainly is lively here."
Kisuke Urahara's voice filtered through the mask, carrying his usual flippant tone.
Shinobu Kocho instinctively looked at Asuka. She saw Asuka staring at the masked Urahara with a bizarre twitch of his brow, though he said nothing.
"Vice Captain Matsumoto, and everyone from the Tenth Division, thank you for your hard work. But right now..." He tilted his head slightly, pointing the sharp nose of his fox mask toward the chaotic battlefield. "How about you follow my lead? It will be a bit more efficient."
"Who are you calling a follower, you arrogant lunatic!"
"Who are you?! Why can you use high-level Kido? And why are you hiding your face?!"
Two hotheaded squad members shouted their questions, only to immediately receive two large lumps on their heads courtesy of Rangiku's seasoned fists.
'These two idiots! If he really had malicious intentions, would we even have a chance to fight back against First-class Spiritual Power?'
If the man before them truly harbored ill will, their Tenth Division combat squad, along with that mysterious man and the Fourth Division's Sixth Seat Kocho, probably wouldn't even have the chance to struggle.
'A conspiracy? In the face of such an absolute gap in strength, playing tricks would be entirely unnecessary.'
She took a deep breath, suppressing her churning doubts and wariness of the unknown.
As the highest-ranking Vice Captain on the scene, it was her duty to assess the current situation and make the decision that would best benefit the battlefield and keep everyone alive.
"You are absolutely right, sir," Rangiku Matsumoto said, her nerves taut. "Tenth Division, Rangiku Matsumoto, acting commander. Please give us your orders!"
She raised a hand to stop the two squad members behind her who instinctively wanted to protest, using her gaze to convey an order of absolute obedience.
Kisuke Urahara nodded in satisfaction. He turned his fox mask toward Asuka and Shinobu Kocho. "Hey there, young man. Have you locked onto the location of that sky array you mentioned earlier?"
Everyone turned their eyes to Asuka.
Asuka didn't feel pressured by their stares in the slightest. With a casual swing of his blade, he unleashed a gale that completely pulverized the giant ape Hollow that had just tried to ambush Shinobu Kocho.
He pointed the tip of his sword diagonally upward. "Right above us over there! If you sense it carefully, it feels like a massive vortex!"
"Understood!" Urahara snapped his fingers, acting as if he were confirming a simple delivery address.
His gaze then shifted to Rangiku Matsumoto, his tone instantly filling with the commanding authority of a superior. "Vice Captain Matsumoto, change of tactics! Execute the following orders immediately!"
"First: All combat squad members! Your objective is to carve out an absolute safe zone for the Kido squad! Clear out all Hollows approaching our formation, especially those with ranged attacks and regenerative properties!"
"Push the frontline outward in a defensive formation and draw the main threats away from the center! You don't need to secure kills; focus on isolating and driving them back!"
"Your mission is to ensure that the area behind me remains completely undisturbed!"
Rangiku Matsumoto immediately looked at her two veteran squad members, directing them to carry out the orders.
"Second: All Kido squad members!" Urahara pointed at the Tenth Division's Kido experts. "Assemble behind me immediately! Form a 'triangular pyramid' resonance formation!"
"Channel all the Reiryoku you can muster and transfer it to me without reservation! Note that I said 'transfer,' not 'release'! Maintaining a stable and continuous flow of Spiritual Pressure is the most important thing! I need a massive and controllable energy source!"
The orders were clear and urgent; every squad member understood his instructions perfectly.
The well-trained elite nature of the Tenth Division was on full display.
The combat squad members roared as they released their Zanpakuto. Forming a mobile wall of steel with Rangiku at the center, they forcefully knocked back several mutated Hollows that tried to pounce on them. They divided and drove away the rest of the horde, clearing a relatively safe zone about ten meters in diameter for the rear.
The Kido squad members quickly grouped up in threes, taking their positions to form a stable triangular pyramid formation with Kisuke Urahara at the apex.
They formed hand seals, and various colors of Spiritual Pressure lit up around them, like stars igniting on the bridge.
Holding nothing back, they channeled their refined Reiryoku through specific Kido circuits, directing it precisely and steadily toward Kisuke Urahara at the center of the formation!
*Hum!*
A colossal Spiritual Pressure instantly materialized behind Urahara, elevating his aura to an even higher level.
The air hummed with a low vibration, and space itself warped slightly.
"Oh my, that's quite a hefty amount." Kisuke Urahara's body seemed to become a conduit connecting heaven and earth, with a majestic torrent of Reishi swirling and surging around him.
He slowly raised his right hand, spreading his five fingers and aiming at the firmament.
"Limit of the thousands hands, respectful hands, unable to touch the darkness. Shooting star unseen by heaven!"
"The road that bathes in light, the wind that ignites the embers, time that gathers when all is without, there is no need to hesitate, obey my orders!"
The massive torrent of Reishi swirling around him seemed to find its ultimate outlet, frantically converging toward his raised arm.
The density and intensity of that Spiritual Pressure made the Kido squad members standing right behind him feel as if they were suffocating!
"Light bullets, eight bodies, nine items, book of heaven, diseased treasure, great wheel, grey fortress tower!"
"Aim far away, scatter brightly and cleanly when fired!"
"[Hado #91]!" Kisuke Urahara's voice exploded like thunder, drowning out all the noise on the battlefield.
"[Senju Koten Taiho]—!!"
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