Deep underground, Azashiro Sōya and Kōe cast Hadō #96・Ittō Kasō one after the other.
This highly unique Hadō, which required a charred body as a catalyst to be cast, was impossible to unleash out of thin air—even for someone as highly skilled in Kidō as Kōe.
Right now, there was only one sacrifice available. Therefore, Kōe's actual objective was to snatch that sacrifice. At such close range, an Ittō Kasō would be completely unavoidable, and its power far exceeded the level of Reiatsu his Sen'ichaku could immunize against. He absolutely could not allow Azashiro Sōya to successfully release Ittō Kasō from this distance!
In the struggle between Kōe and Azashiro Sōya, the burning, charred corpse was blown to pieces by their clashing Reiryoku. Neither of them managed to successfully release Ittō Kasō, resulting in a draw.
Scattered sparks briefly illuminated the gloomy subterranean depths. Azashiro Sōya's pale face flashed in the firelight, and vanishing right along with it was the Zanpakutō in his right hand, which had been slashing straight toward Kōe.
By the time it thrust right in front of Kōe, Azashiro Sōya's Zanpakutō, Urozakuro, had become completely translucent, as if forged from the purest crystal.
In Kōe's vision, however, the Zanpakutō appeared different. It looked like obsidian gleaming with an eerie light, and the orderly black-and-white ink-wash world seemed to have its soul siphoned away by it, turning a dull, ashen gray.
Black represented Reiryoku; the darker the color, the greater the density of the opponent's Reiryoku, and the higher their Reiatsu. And this almost tangible Reiatsu was even more absurd than the previous Ittō Kasō. Perhaps only a Hadō numbered in the high nineties could reach such a level.
This far exceeded the level of Reiatsu recorded by his Sen'ichaku. Kōe twisted his body sideways, barely dodging the thrust aimed at his heart. At the same time, his left sleeve tightened, transforming into a short blade that slashed toward Azashiro Sōya's neck.
Azashiro Sōya did not back down. The moment Kōe dodged, he halted his sword's momentum, turned his Zanpakutō horizontally, and angled the hilt upward to smash into Kōe's elbow. Parrying the arm, he smoothly followed through with an upward slash.
Kōe's reaction was not slow either. Pushing off with his feet, he didn't completely evade the slash—Azashiro Sōya carved a deep, bone-deep wound into his left shoulder—but he at least managed to avoid losing his arm entirely.
"[Bakudō #61・Rikujōkōrō]!"
"[Bakudō #26・Kyokkō]!"
"[Bakudō #31・Scattered Shadows] [Original Kidō]!"
Six beams of light appeared out of thin air, trapping Azashiro Sōya within them. Simultaneously, Kōe's figure suddenly vanished from the cave, followed by hundreds of silhouettes flashing away in different directions.
Azashiro Sōya looked at the fresh blood on his blade and smiled. It seemed the little guy finally knew fear and was trying to figure out a way to escape.
First, using Rikujōkōrō to temporarily stall him, then Kyokkō to obscure his vision, and finally Scattered Shadows to create fleeting illusions and confuse his senses. His logic for escaping was very clear.
Temporarily dispersing his Reiryoku to unlock the Rikujōkōrō from the outside, Azashiro Sōya began to sense the Reiryoku he had left inside Kōe's body. It was a remnant from when he had just slashed him. He had no intention of letting Kōe off the hook so easily.
In reality, Kōe was still standing in his original spot; he hadn't moved an inch. He had cast those three Bakudō specifically to make Azashiro Sōya mistakenly believe he was fleeing, intending to launch a sneak attack when his guard was down.
On the surface, the plan went smoothly. Kōe watched Azashiro Sōya walk away from him, secretly rejoicing in his heart, only to see the man swing his blade directly at Kōe's right wrist without even turning his head.
The ambusher had become the ambushed. It wasn't until he watched his own right hand detach from his body that he finally realized what had happened.
The gushing blood brought a fleeting sense of warmth, accompanied by an agonizing surge of pain. The physical instincts he had honed in the Plains of Slaughter completely failed him in this moment. Even though the thought of running screamed in Kōe's mind, his legs felt as if they had been petrified, refusing to move a single inch.
"Didn't I tell you? You have absolutely no chance of winning against me," Azashiro Sōya said, slowly walking up to Kōe.
Kōe wanted to fight back, but found that he couldn't even move his arms anymore. Azashiro Sōya looked at his astonished expression and said with a smile, "Your Bankai completely materializes highly concentrated Reiatsu outside your body, achieving a seamless blend of offense and defense, doesn't it? It's a pity you're too young. If your Reiatsu were just a bit higher, it would be the ultimate counter to Urozakuro. But as it stands now, you are completely countered by me at every turn."
After speaking, Azashiro Sōya used the Zanpakutō in his hand to slowly slice open the robes across Kōe's chest, starting from his neck, revealing his sturdy upper body beneath.
At the same time, a figure gradually rose from behind him. It was Azashiro Kōzō, staring at Kōe with a sinister grin.
"I still have things to discuss with him. Make sure to control your emotions, Kōzō," Azashiro Sōya said, stepping aside.
"I understand, Brother."
Azashiro Kōzō nodded at Azashiro Sōya. He drew the Zanpakutō hanging at his waist, pressed it against Kōe's heart, and then tilted the hilt slightly. Looking at Kōe, he slowly asked, "Back then, it was at this exact angle, wasn't it?"
Kōe watched as the opponent's Zanpakutō sank into his chest inch by inch. With every breath, the agony intensified. Azashiro Kōzō's voice echoed in his ears, "Quite tough, aren't you? Let's see how long you can endure!"
Kōe did not disappoint him. Even as the blade pierced completely through his chest, he didn't let out a single cry. However, Azashiro Kōzō had more than just this one trick. Under Kōe's gaze, the Zanpakutō was slowly drawn back out of his chest, inch by agonizing inch.
It was unknown how long this torment lasted. Perhaps it wasn't a long time, but to Kōe, it felt far more agonizing and endless than the hundred-plus years he had spent in the Plains of Slaughter.
Finally, the Zanpakutō was completely extracted by Azashiro Kōzō. Sweat and fresh blood mixed together, dyeing the ground beneath Kōe's feet a deep crimson.
Yet, a smile plastered Kōe's face, as if he had just accomplished some monumental achievement. To Azashiro Kōzō, however, that smile was incredibly mocking—even more detestable than the one Kōe had worn when he had stabbed him back then!
"Keep smiling! I'll make sure you never smile again!" Azashiro Kōzō raged. He raised his Zanpakutō and thrust it toward Kōe's face, but a pale, clean hand stopped him.
"I told you, I still have things to discuss with him!" Azashiro Sōya reprimanded, furrowing his brows.
"I apologize, Brother," Azashiro Kōzō said, bowing to Azashiro Sōya. He shot Kōe a vicious glare before retreating behind his older brother.
"What you did to Kōzō ends here. I can pretend it never happened," Azashiro Sōya said. With a light tap of his finger, he controlled his Reiryoku to stop Kōe's bleeding. "And now, I would like to invite you to participate in an operation without reward."
"A counterattack on the Seireitei?" Kōe sneered. "The one you want to invite isn't me, but Head Captain Yamamoto standing behind me, right?"
Azashiro Sōya wagged his finger, his tone full of amusement. "I have never considered the Seireitei my target, nor have I ever viewed Shinigami as my enemies."
"On the contrary, our enemies are actually the same. So, why don't you be patient and listen?"
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