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Chapter 68: Bankai and Bankai
The fractured Kido threads instantly expanded into seven thick, solid golden chains, binding Yamamoto Genryūsai so tightly from head to toe that he was completely obscured.
The battlefield fell silent for a moment.
But it only lasted for less than two seconds.
With a 'boom,' a magnificent sensation comparable to a volcanic eruption occurred.
Yamamoto Genryūsai forcibly shattered the restraints. The first person he looked at was not Shimiya Takeru, but rather he looked up at Ichigo, who had appeared above him, laughing madly.
"Getsuga... Tensho!"
The body possessed by Hollow White had rushed over while Yamamoto was restrained, launching a fierce attack the moment he broke free.
The great sword in his hand was enveloped by an endless amount of spiritual pressure due to the excessive accumulation, making it appear to have lengthened and expanded dozens of times.
From a distance, it looked like he was holding a giant pillar of light, but it was incredibly soft, like a long whip, being swung into a crescent shape and then lashing out violently.
It cut through the hot wind and sliced through the waves of fire.
It pointed directly at Yamamoto Genryūsai, intending to smash him down.
An unusual reaction, an anomalous spiritual pressure.
It made the old man quite intrigued.
But now was not the time to dwell on such things.
He countered with a single strike, u nleashing an even larger-scale, boundless sea of fire that directly engulfed both the pillar of light and Hollow White.
Suddenly, an unusual chill permeated the air.
Shimiya Takeru, using "Translucent Dragon Scales," stealthily appeared in front of Yamamoto Genryūsai.
His spiritual pressure was refined to the point where even a fraction of it could pulverize steel. The "Yuisen" executed under these conditions was truly a divine blade without a shadow.
It was as if the slash occurred in another world, severing past opponents, with the wound appearing in the future, while in the present... nothing seemed to have happened.
It was that fast!
Yet, Yamamoto Genryūsai reacted, tilting his head back by a hair's breadth to barely dodge, only a few strands of his beard being cut off.
"You brat!"
The old man was angry.
He executed a beautiful spinning motion, using the power of his waist to vigorously swing his blazing blade, delivering a fierce strike.
Boom!
He was sent flying like a baseball, transforming into a fireball that crashed into the ground, causing a strong tremor and kicking up hundreds of meters of dust.
"Shigong!?"
Ichigo, who had landed on the ground, steaming, had rejoined the fray at some point and was startled by this scene.
"I'm fine!"
Suddenly, Shimiya Takeru appeared beside him.
"You, you... How did you dodge that?"
"The Shihōin Clan family's secret stepping technique, 'Utsusemi,' a trick similar to a substitution jutsu. I got it from Yoruichi yesterday, though she probably didn't expect me to grasp it instantly."
During yesterday's 'hot spring diplomacy,' Yoruichi seemed to have gathered a lot of intelligence, but that was information Shimiya Takeru intentionally revealed. Sometimes, the more one knows, the more one overthinks, and the more confused one becomes, ultimately being forced to take things one step at a time based on the current situation. This greatly reduced her threat.
Besides that, they also exchanged some insights on Shunpo.
It was rare to meet someone who could keep up with his thoughts, so Yoruichi accidentally spoke a bit more than usual. Just that little bit was enough for Shimiya Takeru to understand the principle behind this technique.
Once he understood the principle, the so-called "secret stepping technique" was nothing special to him.
However, even with such an escape technique, he was inevitably left disheveled during the process of breaking through Bakudo, his hair singed and curled, and his respiratory tract burning from inhaling overly hot air.
"Are you discussing whether to surrender?"
Yamamoto Genryūsai descended from the sky.
His burning long sword made people's hearts pound.
The squeaking sound of his straw sandals on the ground also sent chills down people's spines.
"It's a bit too early to surrender, isn't it?"
Shimiya Takeru stood with his hand on his sword, his sharp edge fully revealed.
"Indeed."
The old man stood still and said calmly,
"Shunpo, Hakuda, Kido, Zanjutsu... and well-coordinated tactical cooperation, a very distinct combat style. Your performance is worthy of this old man's attention, but with just these... with just a state where you haven't even used Shikai, or even Bankai, you are like fleeting clouds before this old man, a single strike can turn you to ashes."
"To play against this old man with such basic techniques, you are a thousand years too early."
"Hurry up and bring it out."
"Bring out the Bankai you have learned—before you are severely wounded by this old man's Ryujin Jakka, unable to move, unable to hold your swords."
"This is your only chance to win."
"Although it's only one in ten thousand, this old man knows that if this tiny chance of victory is not crushed, you will not be content."
This calm declaration held no irony, yet it sounded more hurtful than sarcasm.
Though hurtful, it was the truth.
The disparity was clear at a glance.
Even the transcendent spiritual pressure that allowed them to look down on their peers and stand alongside the Gotei 13's strongest captains was not enough in front of Yamamoto Genryūsai.
Thinking this, besides Bankai... there was indeed nothing else they could do.
"Then let's use it."
Shimiya Takeru and Ichigo exchanged glances, then without hesitation, they moved apart, forming a pincer formation.
Using Bankai was not a terrifying thing; what was terrifying was that the opponent would surely become even more formidable after they used Bankai.
However, they had already braced themselves for this.
"Hoah...!"
Ichigo gripped his sword hilt with both hands and thrust forward.
He put all his effort into raising his spiritual pressure to its highest point.
His eyes had turned blue, and his clothes flapped as if they were about to burst.
A powerful vortex of spirit particles surged around him, clearly indicating an incredible transformation was about to occur.
Shimiya Takeru's demeanor was calmer; he simply drew his sword, sheath and all, from his waist, stood sideways, and held his left arm out horizontally, as if he were about to hand the sword to someone.
Perhaps, he was handing it to his future self, who was about to undergo a metamorphosis.
It also looked as if by grasping the sword, he had grasped the world itself.
He exuded an extraordinary aura.
A glow emanated from his body, coating him in a magnificent deep blue, surrounded by countless light particles of the same color.
It was very sudden, yet also quite logical.
"Bankai!"
"Bankai!"
—The power-filled incantations resonated simultaneously.
Two massive blue-black pillars of spirit particles surged from the ground, becoming bridges connecting heaven and earth, like two towering Babel-like structures of a new world.
They formed a vortex in the sky, altering the weather itself.
At this moment, everyone in the Seireitei paused.
Their attention was involuntarily drawn, and they looked in that direction.
As if offering a silent tribute to the two individuals who were about to enter the annals of Soul Society history.
Even among the Four Great Noble Clans, who possessed transcendent spiritual power from birth, a Bankai user was born only every few generations.
Coupled with the fact that it was one of the basic requirements for a Captain's position.
This added to its legendary mystique.
In the eyes of the world, it gradually evolved into a symbol of glory and a great achievement.
Being recorded in history naturally became the result.
Now, two names were added to the shining roster at once.
One could only say...
Yamamoto Genryūsai witnessed history once again.
He stared intently ahead, as if unwilling to miss a single moment.
The towering pillars of light vanished, and the atmosphere rushed back in.
A torrent of spiritual power, mixed with dust waves and gales, swept across the land.
Then, accompanied by the roar of spiritual pressure, it shattered everything obstructing the view.
At this moment, two divine figures were revealed without reservation.
Ichigo appeared thinner.
But that was an illusion.
A white high-collared inner shirt paired with a Shinigami uniform resembling a trench coat.
The Shinigami uniform was predominantly black with blue and white trim, even wrapping around his right arm and shoulder, forming elegant patterns.
The hem split into tails that flowed like ribbons.
It possessed a classical beauty reminiscent of European court attire.
Standing there, his slender figure was particularly eye-catching.
In his right hand, he held what could be described less as a bow and more as a black-blue flash of light shaped like a bow.
On the other side, Shimiya Takeru broke even more from conventional impressions.
He was clad in black, enveloped in dark silver armor, even his head.
On his chest was a brilliant blue light source, similar to the Mushroom Woman's, like a gem or a crystal.
Behind him, a pitch-black cape swayed like solidified shadow.
His hands were empty, but the relatively form-fitting armor had the texture of steel and the sharp, edgy design of blades.
His head, obscured by silver and black, showed no discernible face, but two narrow blue lights shone brightly, unlike the eyes a living being would possess, and no human emotions could be felt.
This fully armored, cold demeanor, even without carrying a weapon, did not make one feel that something was missing... because he himself was a weapon.
It was a true embodiment of the philosophy of conflict, carried to its extreme.
"—Tensa Zangetsu."
"—Vidyaraja Endonemī."
Following the release commands, their true names were revealed to the public.
At this point, both entered the Bankai state, a realm most Shinigami could only dream of.
Their combat power approached the absolute peak.
Even those most familiar with them would find them unrecognizable in this state.
Simply because the oppressive feeling brought by the Bankai state was too intense.
They were simply... inhuman monsters!
Anomalies among anomalies.
Even setting aside these points, just from the commonality of Bankai, their appearances seemed particularly unique.
In Yamamoto Genryūsai's memory, no similar Bankai had ever appeared.