"Hmph... No matter how strong you are, you can't possibly keep me in this space!"
"Once I complete the fusion of the worlds, I will definitely tear you to pieces!"
Half of Ganryu's body had already stepped into the portal as he shot a venomous, sinister sneer at Asuka.
Facing Ganryu's escape, Asuka was in no rush to give chase.
He stopped in his tracks, looking at Ganryu's smug, clownish face, and let out a cold chuckle of his own.
"You really think you can just come and go as you please."
The moment that icy voice rang out, Ganryu felt the blood freeze in his veins.
Asuka gripped the hilt of Kakudatsu tightly with his right hand, his left hand brushing across its rapidly heating blade.
Black and gold demonic crests began to creep up his cheeks, and his deep black pupils started to glow, slowly shifting into a brilliant gold.
Rumble—!!!
A violent, terrifying Spiritual Pressure began to resonate unreservedly throughout this alternate dimension!
Ganryu couldn't help but wonder if today was just cursed, given how many things had repeatedly defied his understanding.
Amidst that suffocating storm of Spiritual Pressure, he looked back in horror.
Asuka's voice, like a judgment from the deepest depths of hell, reached the ears of everyone present with absolute clarity.
"Bankai, Gouka Kourou."
Crack—!!!
In that instant, the entire overlapping gray space of Sarayashiki City let out a mournful wail as it shattered inch by inch.
The sky, like shattered glass, was covered in a dense web of black cracks.
A heavy, suffocating Spiritual Pressure descended from the heavens, weighing down heavily on the hearts of every Ryudoji samurai.
Under the shocked gazes of the crowd, Asuka's god-like, demonic figure was revealed to everyone.
"Ban... Bankai?!"
Ganryu's mind went completely blank.
Those gold and red flames... that terrifying giant wolf phantom... that Zanpakuto burning with the hellish fires of karma...
There was no mistake, it was indeed a Bankai, but how was that possible!
'Under the suppression of the Valley of Screams' rules... not only can he use Shikai... he can even unleash a Bankai of this magnitude?! Could he be a newly appointed member of Squad Zero?!'
Even Yusuke Urameshi, standing in the back, was staring dumbfounded, practically drooling.
"....So cool."
Yusuke looked at Asuka's overwhelmingly badass, special-effects-loaded Asura form and the massive fire wolf behind him.
Then he looked down at his own dusty, hole-ridden, tacky green school uniform, and a strong wave of envy and jealousy welled up in his heart.
'Damn it! Botan! Why do you Soul Reapers get to change equipment and add special effects when you fight?! Every time I fight, all I get is some glowing and torn clothes!'
'This is way too unfair! I want a transformation like this too, you bastard Koenma!'
Yusuke roared frantically in his mind, jealousy eating him alive.
But Asuka's attention was entirely locked onto Ganryu Ryudoji, whose body was still halfway inside the portal.
"I have no control over, nor any interest in, your ancient, petty grievances with the Soul Society."
Asuka slowly raised the gold and red tachi in his hand. "But I will not allow you to take away that so-called Shinenju and attempt to affect the survival of this world with such a boring trick."
"There are people in this world who I want to live in peace. If you destroy it, that would be very troublesome for me."
"I must strike you down right here, along with your ridiculous ambitions."
"No! You can't do this! Stop him!"
Ganryu frantically channeled his power, trying to force his way through the portal.
At the same time, he ordered the dozens of Ryudoji samurai to block Asuka's path, even if they had to pile up their bodies to do it.
"Kill!!"
Despite the terror in their hearts, the dozens of samurai roared under their leader's command, brandishing their weapons as they charged at Asuka.
"A bunch of annoying trash."
Asuka's eyes turned cold, and the giant wolf behind him let out an earth-shattering roar.
He had no intention of using any complex techniques; he simply swung the massive flaming wolf claw on his left hand with immense force.
Boom—!!!
Five gold and red flaming claw marks, thousands of meters long, roared as they swept through the charging samurai formation with the terrifying power to incinerate all sins.
"Aaaargh!"
In the face of this condemning hellfire, the Ryudoji Clan's secret armor was as flimsy as paper.
Many couldn't dodge in time; the moment the hellfire grazed them, they were instantly reduced to ashes, throwing the entire samurai formation into chaos.
Willing to destroy the entire world for their own ambitions, the sins weighing on these men were far too heavy, completely unable to withstand even the slightest trial of the hellfire.
Meanwhile, under the cover of the flames, Asuka's figure had already crossed the distance of a hundred meters in an instant, appearing right in front of Ganryu.
"I said, you aren't leaving."
Asuka swung his blade, a gold and red gleam tearing through the sky.
Crack!!!
That portal, built from the spatial power of the Valley of Screams and upon which Ganryu had placed all his hopes.
In the face of Asuka's Bankai, it was as fragile as a phantom.
The blade's gleam flashed, and the portal was forcefully cleaved in half right down the middle. Then, amidst a violent spatial tremor, it exploded with a boom, turning into a sky full of spatial fragments!
"Gah—!"
Suffering the backlash of the portal's destruction, Ganryu coughed up a large mouthful of blood, tumbling down pathetically and crashing heavily onto the ground.
Senna, whom he had been holding hostage, rolled off to the side as well.
"No... my plan... my millennium of endurance..." Ganryu scrambled up from the ground, his hair disheveled, his eyes filled with unwillingness.
He whipped his head around, looking at Asuka, who was pressing closer step by step like a demon god. The fear in his heart finally transformed into the desperate madness of a cornered beast.
"Since you insist on forcing my hand! Then let's all die here together!!!"
Ganryu let out an inhuman roar and spread his arms wide. The armor on his chest instantly shattered, revealing a bizarre black vortex.
"Devour! Devour all the Blanks!!!"
As Ganryu frantically exerted his power, the gray mist above Sarayashiki City began to churn violently.
Hundreds, thousands, even tens of thousands of Blanks converged, as if drawn by some irresistible summons.
They formed a massive gray tornado, surging madly into the vortex on Ganryu's chest.
"Guwaaaargh—"
Under the infusion of this colossal energy, Ganryu's body began to undergo an extremely grotesque and terrifying mutation.
His muscles expanded wildly like a balloon being inflated, tearing through his clothes. His skin turned a sickly gray, its surface covered in disgusting tumors and agonized faces.
His arms became incredibly thick, and four gray tentacles made of Blanks sprouted from the sides of his shoulders.
In just a few breaths, Ganryu transformed from a human-looking Soul Reaper noble into a monster over a dozen meters tall, exuding a nauseating stench and chaotic demonic energy!
"Hahahaha! Do you feel it?! This is my power! This is the resentment of countless souls!"
The monstrous Ganryu let out a deafening, maniacal laugh, waving all eight of his limbs simultaneously, whipping up bursts of violent air currents.
"I'm going to smash you into a bloody pulp!!"