A huge ellipsoidal pitch-black barrier covered the ruins, with silver-white patterns and characters appearing on its surface.
Inside the barrier, all things lost their original color, and the ruins turned a dull grey. Makiya maintained his posture of holding his sword and stood motionless, his body also losing its color.
Kaname Tosen recalled the words Lord Aizen had spoken. He held his Zanpakuto, Suzumushi, and remained cautiously alert. Only when the barrier of Enma Korogi completely enveloped Makiya and brought the enemy under total control did his racing heart finally settle down.
"Heh, Lord Aizen really overestimated you, Makiya..."
Kaname Tosen walked towards Makiya with Suzumushi in hand, his steps steady and slow, as if he were taking a post-meal stroll. He was confident that no one could break his Bankai. The moment Enma Korogi completed its enclosure, Makiya had already lost the ability to resist.
Kaname Tosen's expression became leisurely. He paced back and forth around Makiya, gesturing with Suzumushi as if contemplating where it would be most appropriate to start.
"I suppose I should cut off your hand first." The pain of the severed arm felt like it was only yesterday. Kaname Tosen clearly remembered that pain and frustration. Under the cover of Lord Aizen's Kyoka Suigetsu, he had actually been disarmed by a mere Sixth Seat. It was a complete disgrace.
After losing his arm, he had been anxious for a time, fearing he would lose his value and be abandoned by Lord Aizen, thus losing the possibility of seeking revenge against the Tsunayashiro family and the corrupt nobles of the Soul Society.
Fortunately, Lord Aizen was broad-minded. Not only did he heal his injuries, but he also specifically created an opportunity, entrusting the mission of intercepting and killing Makiya to him, allowing him to wash away his previous shame.
"Compared to Gin Ichimaru, I am Lord Aizen's most trusted subordinate!" Kaname Tosen brandished Suzumushi, the blade piercing towards Makiya's shoulder at an angle identical to his own severed arm wound.
A blood debt must be repaid with blood!
Squelch!
Blood splattered. As expected, Makiya was completely unable to perceive the attack. Kaname Tosen, who had lost his sight, had exceptionally sensitive senses. The smell of blood entered his nostrils, giving him a sense of pleasure from his revenge.
"Hearing, vision, smell, and spiritual pressure perception have all disappeared. Even your spiritual pressure is suppressed by me. Makiya, how will you resist!" Kaname Tosen continuously brandished Suzumushi, landing solid blow after blow on Makiya's body, causing flesh to tear and blood to flow.
Even though he knew Makiya could neither hear nor see, Kaname Tosen continued to chatter incessantly, as if venting some inexplicable emotion.
Clang!
Suddenly, a massive force was transmitted from his palm. Kaname Tosen instinctively jerked his arm, but found it wouldn't budge.
"So, this is what it looks like inside the barrier. It's really ugly."
The mocking voice reached his ears, and in an instant, Kaname Tosen's hair stood on end, his body tensing up.
At some point, Makiya had regained his color. He held the hilt of Suzumushi with one hand, and no matter how hard Kaname Tosen struggled, it was in vain.
With all his senses restored, Makiya looked around curiously. The pitch-black sky was embedded with strange patterns, and the ruins were a dull grey, like a black-and-white film without color.
The effect of Enma Korogi was indeed heaven-defying; it could be called invincible when there wasn't a significant difference in spiritual pressure.
But Makiya was no longer what he used to be. Kaname Tosen's attacks seemed fierce, but in reality, they lost their power after cutting through the skin. The blade penetrated at most two centimeters before being blocked by dense muscle.
Enma Korogi does not block the sense of touch. Its method of breaking is very simple: as long as one holds the hilt of Suzumushi, one can return to normal. Makiya had other goals, so he wasted a little time.
"Kaname Tosen." Makiya looked directly at the blind man in front of him and chuckled, "Long time no see."
"How is this possible?!" Kaname Tosen's heart was shaken. He erupted his spiritual pressure in an attempt to shake Makiya off and break free from the restraint on his hand. Unfortunately, Makiya's expression remained unchanged, standing as firm as a mountain under the spiritual pressure impact, as if it were just a breeze on his face.
"My Bankai... was broken just like that?" With one hand captured, Kaname Tosen swung his fists to perform Hakuda. Unfortunately, Makiya's Hakuda was practiced with Yoruichi. In close combat, he completely overwhelmed Kaname Tosen. The clumsy fists were weak and powerless, and after a few moves, Makiya twisted his joints.
Makiya grinned, his fists cracking. After a few more moves, the blind man was beaten into a pulp.
"Look at yourself, all flustered, like a stray dog." The flames of Chisato quietly spread from under his feet, climbing up the inner walls of the pitch-black barrier. Before the process was complete, Makiya didn't mind chatting with Kaname Tosen for a bit.
However, Kaname Tosen had no interest in talking. He forced himself to calm down. Seeing that Makiya had stopped attacking, he forced spiritual pressure into his arm to reconnect the joints, extending his palm to quickly gather a Kido.
"Way of Destruction No. 31: Shakkaho."
A red radiance gathered in his palm. Dense Kido power ignited a crimson flame, and a terrifying surge of energy brewed, ready to explode at any moment.
'Excellent, to think I could release it so quickly. No one can dodge at this distance. Makiya, you are too arrogant.' Kaname Tosen was excited. The crisis seemed to have stimulated his potential; this Shakkaho was stronger than any he had released before.
A slender hand reached into the red light, similarly releasing a large amount of Kido power. The two Kido forces collided and consumed each other, the crimson flame fluctuating violently, threatening to explode at any moment.
Hanki!
Using Kido of the same nature and quantity to destroy and then eliminate the opponent's Kido was one of the advanced skills Makiya had learned from Yoruichi.
Under Kaname Tosen's horrified 'gaze', the Shakkaho slowly dissipated and vanished, gradually crumbling into basic reishi. Flecks of azure spiritual light scattered and disappeared.
"To think it was done so easily..." Kaname Tosen panted heavily, his heart filled with both relief and terror. Using Shakkaho at such a close distance, he had been prepared to be caught in the blast and severely injured, but Makiya's strength completely exceeded his expectations.
'Lord Aizen was right. He really is strong. I... was wrong!' Kaname Tosen realized too late. Ever since his arm was cut off by Makiya, his mindset had gone wrong. Before seeking revenge against the nobles, he wanted to take revenge on Makiya first. Now that the dream was shattered, everything was too late.
His Bankai was instantly broken, his Hakuda was completely crushed, and now he couldn't even compete in Kido. Kaname Tosen suddenly realized that he was likely going to die.
The flames of Chisato had completely covered the inner walls of the barrier. Makiya flipped his hand and snapped Kaname Tosen's arm once more. A bright red blade pierced straight through from behind, emerging from his chest.
"Agh..." Kaname Tosen collapsed to his knees, coughing up blood.
Makiya was bathed in the flames of Chisato. His numerous blade wounds recovered rapidly. Kaname Tosen's spiritual pressure continuously flowed into his body through Chisato, where it was wrapped and suppressed by Makiya's red spiritual pressure, concentrating into a green spiritual pressure orb.
"This is... my spiritual pressure. You are absorbing my spiritual pressure?! I see, your Shikai ability is..."
Kaname Tosen still tried to struggle, but Makiya decisively pinned him down with a foot. As spiritual pressure drained out of his body, Kaname Tosen felt cold all over, and his consciousness began to blur.
Suzumushi seemed to sense that its master was in danger; the blade vibrated incessantly. The black barrier tried to contract inward to expel Makiya, but the flames of Chisato adhered to the inner walls, firmly propping it open.
Bright red flames drifted onto Suzumushi's polished blade. Without Kaname Tosen's spiritual pressure being injected, Suzumushi was completely powerless to resist, being melted and swallowed bit by bit.
In the perception of Chisato, the essence of this sword was completely different from Kaname Tosen's, as if it belonged to another person.
"I... I can't die yet... Kakyo..."
Sensing that Suzumushi was about to be destroyed, Kaname Tosen had a final burst of energy. He reached out his hand in a futile wave as blood spread beneath him like a blooming flower.
"No one is immortal." Makiya stepped on Kaname Tosen's hand, his tone indifferent. "You wanted to kill me, and you acted on it. I wanted to kill you, and I acted on it. You lacked the strength and were defeated. That's all there is to it."
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