“Ahhhh!
You despicable, vulgar, shameless perverted Master!
Prepare for divine punishment!” In the next instant, accompanied by a sharp, embarrassed shriek echoing across the grassland, a series of endless explosions erupted.
*Boom!
Boom!
Boom!* At this moment, countless blades of grass transformed into towering trees that shot up into the sky, madly sweeping down to crush the tiny Makoto.
In this spiritual realm, all Makoto could control was that small patch of saplings and the single towering tree planted on the grass.
But even though he could freely manipulate and extend them by infusing his spiritual pressure, the sheer scale of the two sides…
was not even in the same league!
In almost a split second, the saplings Makoto instinctively mobilized to resist were torn to shreds, leaving only the single towering tree to barely offer him any shelter.
*Gulp.* Although Makoto had experienced this scene hundreds of times over the past year, he still couldn’t help but feel awed every time he witnessed the sea of trees blot out the sky, descending upon him like a host of giant dragons.
Against such overwhelming power, Hakuda, Zanjutsu, and even the Kido taught at the Shin’o Spiritual Arts Academy were completely useless.
There was only Shunpo…
only flight!
In this situation, only Shunpo was of any use, allowing Makoto to struggle for survival a little longer under this absurd blanket attack.
*Thud!
Thud!
Thud!* Giant trees slammed into the ground right beside Makoto like biting dragons.
The resulting spray of dirt flew in all directions like bullets, leaving several scratches on his handsome face.
Yet Makoto did not have the slightest chance to catch his breath!
Shinra Bansho’s rage had erupted suddenly, and she was genuinely pulling no punches.
Trees over ten meters in diameter rained down with absolutely no gap between them.
Makoto’s pupils dilated.
He manipulated his sole remaining towering tree to smash open a gap, allowing him to escape.
He yelled at the top of his lungs, “Hey, hey, hey!
Shinra Bansho, stop for a second, let me explain…” “Hehehe, there’s nothing left to hear…” But the voice that responded sounded almost unhinged.
“A despicable, vulgar, shameless perverted Master like you should just be destroyed!” As Shinra Bansho’s voice fell, countless massive trees caved in on Makoto, leaving him with absolutely no room to escape.
*Crack…* First, his sole supporting ancient tree splintered into pieces.
Then, unable to dodge, Makoto was directly crushed into…
a paste.
In the next instant, the paste that was Makoto vanished as if absorbed, only for a completely intact Makoto to slowly condense out of the trunk of the shattered towering tree.
“Mushy Master, I barely even used any strength this time and you already broke.
You didn’t even last five seconds…” Hearing Shinra Bansho’s innocent yet mocking tone, Makoto’s face turned green.
His lips twitched as he growled, “Shinra Bansho, it seems if I don’t teach you a lesson today, you’ll really think I’m just a pushover!” With those words, a dark green Reiatsu erupted from Makoto’s body.
The surrounding saplings shot up and wrapped themselves around his sole towering tree.
Under the support of the many saplings, the towering tree seemed to swell several times over, soaring upward as if to pierce the heavens.
“Ohoho!
Despicable, vulgar, shameless perverted Master, now that actually looks like a decent struggle!
Come on, let me see if Master’s skills can make me submit…” In response, the endless sea of dragon-like trees morphed into a massive hand that blotted out the sky, squeezing down hard on his towering tree!
The contrast in size was like a giant hand crushing a toothpick…
…
The next day.
As the morning sun slowly rose, a ray of sunlight fell on Makoto’s eyelids.
His long eyelashes fluttered open, revealing eyes filled with uncontrollable exhaustion.
Much like the post-nut clarity of a man after the act, Makoto—having been brutally slaughtered more than a dozen times by Shinra Bansho in his spiritual realm last night—keenly felt the beauty of life and a profound aversion to fighting.
On the bright side, Makoto felt that his Shunpo seemed to have improved yet again…
For a Shinigami, achieving Shikai only required hearing the voice of the Zanpakuto spirit and learning its name.
As for Bankai, the stage beyond Shikai, it required subjugating the Zanpakuto spirit to fully comprehend and control its true power.
It was just that…
the power Shinra Bansho displayed on the combat side seemed a bit too terrifying!
To date, Makoto had fought Shinra Bansho thousands of times.
Leave alone seeing any hope of victory, how many seconds he could last usually depended on her mood.
Although Makoto understood that this was also a way for a Shinigami to familiarize themselves with their Zanpakuto’s power, feeling the warm sunlight on his body, he couldn’t help but let out a long sigh.
With a glimmer in his eyes, he thought, *’It’s so good…
to be alive!’* Returning to reality after repeatedly hovering between life and death in his mind, Makoto wholeheartedly savored the quiet peace of the moment, losing himself in thought.
“Didn’t sleep last night?
Were you training?” After an unknown amount of time, a gentle voice suddenly spoke behind him, snapping Makoto out of his daze.
Makoto quickly turned around to find Retsu Unohana standing behind him, a gentle smile gracing her face.
“Teacher…” Makoto quickly stood up, speaking with the bashful shyness of an innocent youth.
“I was too excited to sleep last night, so I thought I’d work hard on my training.
I couldn’t bear to let down your expectations, Teacher.” “You really are diligent, Makoto,” Unohana said, nodding with apparent satisfaction.
“I had no choice.
I know my talent is lacking, so I can only develop Shinra Bansho’s abilities to better understand the preciousness of life and strengthen my healing powers.” By the end of his sentence, even with Makoto’s steady temperament, he couldn’t help but grit his teeth slightly.
That detestable Shinra Bansho sweet-talked him with “Master” this and “Master” that, yet never failed to beat him into a mushy pulp every single time.
“Don’t underestimate yourself, Makoto.
Healing abilities are incredibly precious,” Unohana encouraged him gently.