Suddenly, Hyōrinmaru’s gaze, as if pulled by an invisible thread, shifted abruptly to not far away.
There, quietly lying on the frozen earth, was the Hyōrinmaru belonging to Sōjirō Kusaka, which had been verified by Yanagawa and discarded casually before.
He reached out his right hand, covered in icy dragon claws, and made a grasping motion in the void toward that sword.
Hum—!
That Zanpakutō seemed to receive an irresistible summons; the blade trembled violently, emitting a wailing hum, and then broke free from the frozen earth on its own, turning into a ghostly blue stream of light that flashed into Hyōrinmaru’s palm like lightning!
“What?!”
Isshin Shiba’s pupils constricted, alarm bells ringing in his heart.
He vaguely guessed something, a terrible thought emerging.
Hyōrinmaru held a Hyōrinmaru in each hand—the blade formed by his own true body, and the one belonging to Sōjirō Kusaka.
The next second, Sōjirō Kusaka’s Hyōrinmaru erupted with a blinding ghostly blue light!
Visible to the naked eye, a majestic ice-type Reiatsu, like a tangible cold current, surged madly from Sōjirō Kusaka’s sword.
Like a hundred rivers returning to the sea, it was greedily absorbed and devoured by Hyōrinmaru’s true body!
Sōjirō Kusaka’s sword lost its luster at a speed visible to the naked eye.
And having absorbed this source of power, Hyōrinmaru underwent an incredible change!
“Roar—!!!”
A deafening dragon roar echoed across the wasteland!
The Reiatsu erupting from Hyōrinmaru’s body seemed to have unlocked its final shackle, instantly surging!
Its intensity, its density, and the profundity and majesty of the ice rules contained within it were far greater than before!
The frozen earth beneath his feet cracked and sank layer by layer, forming a huge frozen crater.
The blizzard in the sky suddenly stopped—not because the power had weakened, but because all the cold air and ice and snow seemed to have surrendered to this newfound power.
It condensed and compressed, turning into an ice-blue Reiatsu halo surrounding his body.
The scar on his face seemed clearer and deeper, and in his violet eyes, the chaos lessened slightly, but the coldness and majesty grew stronger.
The single Hyōrinmaru in his hand became even more crystal clear, exuding eternal chill.
“This is…”
Isshin felt the terrifying Reiatsu rushing toward him, his expression changing drastically, his eyes filled with unbelievable shock.
“Retrieved the power?
Is this the original, true power of Hyōrinmaru?!”
The intensity and texture of this Reiatsu instantly reminded him of what he had felt from the Ryūjin Jakka of Captain-Commander Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto.
A terrifying power that seemed capable of burning the world to ashes, representing the pinnacle of fire-type abilities!
Although the attributes were diametrically opposed—one extreme heat, one extreme cold—the sense of oppression that could be called “the strongest” was so similar!
“The strongest ice-type Zanpakutō…
it lives up to its name!”
Isshin gritted his teeth, gripping Engetsu in his hand.
He could feel that the Hyōrinmaru of this moment was not on the same level as before!
If he could have maneuvered and even suppressed it with his own formidable strength just a moment ago, then now, facing this ice king that seemed to have returned to its “complete form”…
Alone, I’m afraid…
“Yanagawa!”
Isshin suddenly turned his head and shouted at Yanagawa, who was still standing at the edge of the battlefield.
“How much longer are you going to watch?!
It’s time to make a move!
If I keep fighting alone like this, I’m afraid I’ll really have to use Bankai!”
His tone was urgent, even with a hint of helplessness.
Bankai was his ultimate trump card, but as he said, it came at a great cost, and he was unwilling to use it easily unless absolutely necessary.
Moreover, facing Hyōrinmaru in this bizarre state with surging power, even if he used Bankai, the outcome was uncertain, and the cost would inevitably be heavy.
Yanagawa stepped forward, standing shoulder to shoulder with him, his pure white haori fluttering violently in the gale stirred up by Hyōrinmaru’s terrifying Reiatsu.
However, there was no heaviness or tension on his face; instead, a playful arc hooked at the corner of his mouth as he tilted his head to look at Isshin, who was waiting in formation beside him, and teased in a relaxed tone:
Captain Isshin, is that all you’ve got?
Didn’t you just say confidently that you were going to melt it?”
“…”
Isshin almost choked on his breath.
He turned his head sharply to glare at Yanagawa, his expression incredibly rich.
He took a deep breath and retorted:
“Yanagawa!
Stop with the sarcastic remarks!
Is the title of ‘strongest ice-type’ just for show?”
His tone was agitated, but the flames on Engetsu in his hand burned even more fiercely.
Hearing this, the smile on Yanagawa’s face faded slightly, but his eyes remained calm.
He said no more:
“Then, let’s go together, Captain Isshin.”
As the words fell, Yanagawa’s figure moved first!
But he didn’t charge directly at Hyōrinmaru.
Spiritual light swirled in his hand as he chanted concisely and efficiently:
“Bakudō #61: Rikujōkōrō!”
“Bakudō #62: Hyapporankan!”
“Bakudō #63: Sajō Sabaku!”
Swish!
Swish!
Swish!
Several Bakudō lights of different colors, with structures clearly different from standard Kidō, shot out from Yanagawa’s hand almost simultaneously.
The target was the complete-form Hyōrinmaru, who had just finished integrating his power and reached the peak of his momentum!
Hyapporankan turned into several light rods, sealing off Hyōrinmaru’s surroundings.
Rikujōkōrō was no longer a simple six-piece light, but split into dozens of thinner, more complex, Reishi-structured beams.
The massive snake-like chain formed by Sajō Sabaku, its surface covered with a strange pale golden Reishi coating, whistled toward Hyōrinmaru’s neck and waist!
All this happened in the blink of an eye!
Yanagawa’s Kidō casting speed, precision, and bold improvement and combined application made even Isshin’s pupils constrict, his heart filled with amazement:
“This kid’s understanding and control of Kidō have reached an unbelievable level!
These improvements are unheard of!”
Although the complete-form Hyōrinmaru’s power had surged, his movements seemed slightly sluggish due to just having absorbed the power.
Coupled with the tricky angles and special structures of Yanagawa’s Bakudō attacks, he was actually temporarily entangled by several Reishi chains and beams!
“Roar!”
Hyōrinmaru let out an angry growl.
He struggled violently, his arms covered in icy dragon claws pushing outward suddenly!
Crack!
Crack crack!
Those tough, specialized Bakudō chains and beams began to show cracks under the terrifying power of the complete-form Hyōrinmaru, and frost spread rapidly over them!
Clearly, these improved Bakudō alone could not trap him for long.
But Yanagawa’s goal was never imprisonment, but interference and creating opportunities!
“Now!
Captain Isshin!” Yanagawa shouted.
“Got it!”
Isshin had long been ready.
Engetsu dragged a long tail of flames, rushing directly at the opening Hyōrinmaru exposed while struggling!
“Getsuga Tenshō!”
Hyōrinmaru’s anger grew even more intense, the golden light on his forehead flickering.
Relying on this golden power, he actually forcibly broke through the restraints and blocked Isshin’s slash.
Then, he pressed his hands, covered in icy dragon claws, toward the ground and chanted in a low voice:
“Sennen Hyōrō!”
Rumble—!!!
With Hyōrinmaru as the center, the earth shook violently!
Countless giant ice pillars, over ten meters in diameter and a hundred meters high, broke through the frozen earth and shot into the sky!
These ice pillars were not chaotic; they formed a perfect, continuously contracting and squeezing spherical cage, completely enveloping Isshin along with the space in front of him!
The ice pillars exuded a coldness that froze eternity!
Once trapped inside, one would be instantly frozen forever, Reishi would stop flowing, and life would be completely extinguished!
“Oh no!”
Isshin’s expression changed drastically.
He could feel the absolute freezing power contained in that ice cage, far exceeding any previous attack!
The ice cage was contracting at an astonishing speed; it was too late for him to retreat!
At this critical moment!
Unknowingly, Yanagawa appeared not far behind Isshin’s side.
And the Zanpakutō he had been holding in his hand but had never truly used—Tenshin—was finally slowly raised and held horizontally in front of him.
His other hand gently stroked the simple silver-white blade.
“Vibrate—”
A strange fluctuation quietly spread from Tenshin in Yanagawa’s hand.
“—Tenshin.”
The moment the release command fell.
Tenshin’s silver-white blade suddenly erupted with powerful silver light!
The light was not blinding, but it gave people a sense of “trembling” that reached the depths of their souls.
Yanagawa’s hand holding the sword was as steady as a rock.
He just swung Tenshin, covered in silver light, seemingly casually toward the closing Sennen Hyōrō, slightly diagonally forward.
Snap.
At the same time as this soft sound, starting from the direction of Yanagawa’s swing, the space in front of him visibly twisted, folded, and then—
Cracked.
This space was forcibly “vibrated” by some invisible power, creating spiderweb-like, continuously spreading white cracks!
These cracks spread silently.
Wherever they passed, light twisted, sound was annihilated, and even the coldness of Hyōrinmaru that froze eternity seemed to be interfered with and repelled by this “rupture” itself!
The next second, these spatial cracks touched the Sennen Hyōrō.
Ssh—!!!
Those giant ice pillars, when they touched the white cracks, were like glass art pieces struck by an invisible giant hammer.
A full small half of the Sennen Hyōrō collapsed, shattered, and turned into crystalline ice powder filling the sky under Yanagawa’s seemingly understated swing!
Isshin took the opportunity to roll awkwardly.
After landing, he looked at the diffuse ice powder with lingering fear.
He suddenly turned his head to look at Yanagawa, who was still maintaining the swinging posture, the silver light on the blade slowly fading.
His mouth was wide enough to fit an egg, and his eyes were filled with unprecedented shock.
“The space was vibrated and cracked?”
He muttered to himself, almost unable to believe his eyes.
That was Hyōrinmaru’s Sennen Hyōrō!
It was shattered by Yanagawa with one slash?
Even the complete-form Hyōrinmaru in the distance, whose momentum had slowed slightly after releasing the Sennen Hyōrō, showed clear astonishment in his violet eyes for the first time.
The golden light on his forehead also showed a chaotic frequency.