Azashiro Sōya's strike wasn't meant to take Kōe's life, but rather to avenge the sword wound his younger brother, Kōzō, had suffered years ago.
But that was no reason for Kōe to foolishly take the hit. Or rather, there was never any reason to let an enemy stab you for free, unless it was truly unavoidable.
Kōe leaned back to dodge the non-lethal thrust. As he backflipped, he kicked the tip of his foot toward Azashiro Sōya's wrist. The Hannya relief on his shoe opened its mouth, looking as though it wanted to bite clean through the slender arm before it.
However, Azashiro Sōya hadn't defeated Kuruyashiki Kenpachi relying solely on the abilities of his Zanpakutō, Urozakuro. In terms of Zanjutsu alone, he was more than worthy of the title of Kenpachi! He raised the Zanpakutō in his right hand and viciously smashed the hilt downward.
*Bang!* The immense force on his foot pulled at Kōe's body, flipping him right back over and sending his chest crashing straight toward Azashiro Sōya's raised blade.
In the nick of time, Kōe shifted his fist into a palm. His black gauntlet slapped against the flat of Azashiro Sōya's Zanpakutō. Using the momentum, he spun to the right in midair, successfully avoiding the danger of being skewered on the blade.
But Azashiro Sōya clearly had no intention of letting him off easily. A stone blade thrust up from the ground, aiming straight for Kōe's chest. It seemed that until he returned a stab to Kōe, Azashiro Sōya would absolutely not let the matter rest.
Kōe shattered the stone blade with a palm strike, but movement immediately flared up behind him—it was an air blade created by Azashiro Sōya. Left with no other choice, Kōe hastily parried the attack and used Shunpo to temporarily retreat.
Along the way, Azashiro Sōya consistently predicted Kōe's landing spots, releasing stone swords and air blades at the perfect moments. Forced to deal with these attacks while simultaneously splitting his focus to monitor Azashiro Sōya's true body, Kōe found himself in a rather wretched state.
*'I can't keep this up,'* Kōe realized. If he only focused on fleeing, the initiative would remain firmly in Azashiro Sōya's hands. Furthermore, considering this entire mountain was undoubtedly saturated with his opponent's Reiryoku, dragging the fight out would put him at an absolute disadvantage.
"[Bakudō #21・Sekienton!]"
A black bubble materialized in Kōe's right hand. With a forceful blow, the bubble instantly transformed into a thick, black smokescreen that enveloped Kōe and rapidly swept toward Azashiro Sōya in the distance.
Azashiro Sōya smiled and shook his head. Kōe was trying to obscure his vision, but was it of any use? At this moment, every corner of the cavern had been infused with his Reiryoku through Urozakuro's ability. It was no exaggeration to say that every inch of this place was his eyes, his limbs, and his blade!
Therefore, he could clearly sense that Kōe had deactivated his Shikai and was currently suppressing his Reiatsu. Using the smoke as cover, Kōe was stealthily creeping toward him without making a single sound.
If Azashiro Sōya didn't possess Urozakuro, he really might have fallen for Kōe's trick. But then again, if he didn't have Urozakuro, he wouldn't have allowed the smokescreen to envelop him in the first place. Making good use of Kidō was a fine thing, but one had to consider the level of the Kidō and who it was being used against!
Azashiro Sōya suddenly turned to his left. The Zanpakutō in his hand flared with brilliant light as a violent gale abruptly erupted around him, instantly tearing the surrounding black smoke to shreds.
Kōe's masked figure was thus exposed, a cold blade resting just above his outstretched right hand. With his refined control over Reiryoku, Kōe understood that even if he immediately switched to his gauntlet form, the sheer Reiatsu currently coating Azashiro Sōya's Zanpakutō would cleave right through it!
But wasn't this exactly what he wanted?
"Bankai! Kōkiraku Sen'ichaku!"
Azashiro Sōya wondered if his eyes were playing tricks on him. Emanating from Kōe, a sudden, gentle breeze seemed to stir, lifting a layer of thin black fabric. It wasn't the loose-fitting Shihakushō, but an even larger garment.
The long sleeves completely enveloped Kōe's entire arm with room to spare. Azashiro Sōya's sword strike, condensed with ample Reiryoku, slashed against the thin sleeve, yet it produced the sharp clang of clashing iron. It posed absolutely no threat to Kōe's arm beneath the fabric.
At this moment, Kōe was draped in a voluminous black robe, fastened at the chest by a dark red cord. The long hem split at the knees, and the sleeves draped naturally past his hands, making him look like a comical child who had secretly put on an adult's clothes.
However, paired with the eerie, smiling Hannya mask currently on his face, the originally comical robe gave off an entirely different aura. It was as if Kōe had truly transformed into a Hannya, and the body beneath the robes didn't exist at all.
Kōe maintained his outstretched right hand. Without any wind, the cuff of his sleeve suddenly wove together on its own, transforming into a spiraling short sword less than a foot long, which thrust viciously toward Azashiro Sōya's chest.
The bizarre transformation of Kōe's body didn't cause Azashiro Sōya to lose his composure. He turned sideways to dodge the thrust, simultaneously twisting his wrist. He swept his blade horizontally along Kōe's right arm, slashing toward his opponent's neck—the only part of Kōe's entire body not covered by the black robes.
To be able to pinpoint an enemy's potential weakness in a split second—Azashiro Sōya's judgment was something that even Kōe, his opponent in battle, couldn't help but genuinely praise.
But praise did not equate to offering up his neck for slaughter. Kōki's Bankai, Kōkiraku Sen'ichaku, inherently resolved the flaw of his Shikai, which was the inability to balance offense and defense due to form switching. At this moment, every part of Kōe's body was a sturdy shield, as well as a lethal weapon capable of taking a life!
Striking upward with his elbow, Kōe deflected the blade sweeping toward his neck. At the same time, he loosened his cuff, unfurling the entire sleeve and instantly transforming his right hand into a broad-bladed greatsword. He intended to sever Azashiro Sōya's right hand completely!
Even though Azashiro Sōya was known as the Kamaitachi, using Shunpo to retreat unscathed at this exact moment was an impossibility. Of course, there was still a choice to be made—the difference between losing his forearm or just his hand.
However, Kōe had perhaps forgotten that sometimes, dodging didn't necessarily require moving oneself. As long as the enemy couldn't land the hit, the attack was successfully evaded.
The ground beneath his feet suddenly tilted. Although Kōe, wearing the Kōki mask, could constantly monitor the surrounding fluctuations in Reiryoku, Azashiro Sōya hadn't condensed or dispersed the Reiryoku in the ground at all. He had simply used it to alter the terrain's shape, temporarily lifting Kōe upward.
Even though Kōe's reaction was incredibly fast—exerting force through his feet the instant his body tilted to regain his balance—his subsequent swing was compromised. He no longer expected to sever Azashiro Sōya's forearm or hand; he only hoped to take a few of his opponent's fingers.
But Azashiro wasn't just foolishly controlling the ground. He swiftly brought his deflected Zanpakutō back to guard his front. Unleashing a Reiryoku slash, he tapped his toes against the ground and opened up the distance between himself and the charging Kōe.
Azashiro Sōya hadn't spaced out; rather, it was Kōe who seemed dazed. Even with the tilted ground, Kōe could clearly see Azashiro Sōya's Reiryoku slash, yet he stubbornly crashed headfirst right into it.
The blazing white light slammed directly into Kōe's mask. The Hannya maintained its eerie smile, as if completely oblivious to the sheer danger that awaited him.
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