“Captain Isshin, this is your moment to shine—go on,” Yanagawa said lightly, even sounding faintly encouraging.
Isshin nearly stumbled when he heard that.
He shot a glare over his shoulder at Yanagawa, who stood at the edge of the battlefield with arms crossed, calmly watching.
His voice, carried by the howling wind, was full of irritation:
“What?!
Me?!
Then what about you, Yanagawa?!
Don’t just stand there and watch!
This was your idea!”
Faced with Isshin’s protest, Yanagawa remained completely unfazed.
In an obvious like tone tinged with mild dismissal, he replied:
“Don’t worry.
I’ll assist you as needed.”
“Assist?” Isshin barked back.
“Fuck how?
By cheering me on with your eyes?!”
“Tactical observation is also a form of assistance.”
Yanagawa’s gaze remained fixed on the battlefield.
“I’m analyzing that golden energy.
You just focus on attacking—apply pressure and force it to reveal more.”
Isshin: “…”
Now he understood.
Yanagawa had neatly pushed him, the ready-made Captain-class combatant, onto the front line under the guise of “analysis.” With Isshin holding the line, Yanagawa could safely stay back, gather data, and study their opponent.
“You bastard… fine, you win this one!” Isshin gritted his teeth, slicing apart another incoming ice spike while mentally cursing Yanagawa a hundred times over.
Still, complaints aside, he knew Yanagawa wasn’t wrong.
In its current berserk state, Hyōrinmaru was attacking blindly.
Close combat was extremely dangerous.
Someone had to engage it head-on and create openings for observation.
“Fine!
I’ll play the muscle this time!” Isshin steeled himself and stopped expecting immediate help.
…
Hyōrinmaru, enraged by its failed attack, or perhaps forcing out even more power—lowered its stance slightly.
The surrounding blizzard intensified instantly, and countless sharp icicles condensed in the air.
“Tch… guess there’s no avoiding this,” Isshin spat, his usual easygoing grin fading.
In its place rose blazing battle intent.
He stepped forward, right hand firmly gripping the hilt of his Zanpakutō.
At the exact moment the next wave of icicles was about to rain down—
“Burn—!”
BOOM!
A scorching spiritual pressure erupted from Isshin like a long-dormant volcano.
It was fierce and searing, instantly driving back the cold around him.
Even the frozen ground beneath his feet melted into a ring of charred earth.
It clashed violently with Hyōrinmaru’s freezing aura—fire and ice colliding in open opposition.
The air crackled with the violent friction of spiritual particles.
“—Engetsu!”
With the release command completed, Isshin’s Zanpakutō transformed instantly.
The blade was enveloped in a highly condensed, liquid-like crimson flame.
It didn’t burn chaotically—it coiled and compressed with precision, forming a longer, more intense blade of fire.
Where the blade passed, the air warped with heat, creating a surreal contrast against the frozen wasteland.
A fire-type Zanpakutō, Engetsu.
Naturally opposed to ice.
A perfect counter to Hyōrinmaru.
“Haah!”
Facing the swarm of incoming icicles, Isshin advanced instead of retreating.
He swung Engetsu in a blazing arc.
“Flame Slash!”
A crescent of concentrated fire roared forward—not scattered flames, but a tightly compressed cutting wave carrying destructive heat.
It collided head-on with the storm of ice.
Sssss—!
No explosion, only the piercing hiss of ice vaporizing instantly.
The icicles, capable of piercing steel, melted like snow under the sun, turning into clouds of scalding steam that blanketed half the battlefield.
But the flame slash didn’t stop—it surged straight toward Hyōrinmaru.
Hyōrinmaru reacted immediately.
It let out a low growl, clearly repulsed by the heat.
Crack—crack—!
From its position, the ground, the air, even the drifting steam—froze instantly into massive, ornate ice petals.
These weren’t decorative.
Each petal carried terrifying cold and razor sharpness.
Layer upon layer, they formed a towering crystalline wall.
BOOM!!!
The fiery slash struck the ice wall.
Fire and ice, two opposing extremes—collided violently, annihilating each other in a chaotic surge.
The wall trembled.
Ice shattered and vaporized—but new layers formed instantly to replace it.
The flame’s brilliance dimmed rapidly.
In the end, after cutting halfway through the barrier, the attack dissipated into scattered embers.
Perhaps even a slight edge for Isshin, given elemental advantage, but Hyōrinmaru’s defense held.
“Now that’s more like it!” Isshin laughed fearlessly.
His battle spirit only burned fiercer.
With a flash of movement, he charged forward, Engetsu trailing blazing flames.
“Flame Fang, Pierce!”
Launching into the air, Isshin gripped his blade with both hands.
His body and sword became one—a crimson meteor streaking toward the partially shattered ice wall.
A pure, focused breakthrough.
“Thousand Ice Pillars!”
The remaining ice wall exploded outward, transforming into countless agile, needle-like ice lances that swarmed toward Isshin like a storm of blades.
Each tip shimmered with freezing power capable of immobilizing spiritual particles.
Attack against attack.
“Bring it on!” Isshin roared.
His speed didn’t falter.
The flames of Engetsu compressed inward, shifting from red to near-white-blue—burning even hotter.
He spun the blade into a radiant wheel of white fire.
The blazing disc clashed against the torrent of ice.
Sssshhh—!
Icicles vaporized continuously, but there were too many.
The fire wheel began to slow.
Its brilliance dimmed.
Finally, after destroying most of the attack, it dissipated.
Isshin emerged from the steam, slightly disheveled.
He slid back several steps before stabilizing himself, frost clinging to his body—but his eyes remained sharp as ever.
The ice attack was spent as well.
First clash, neither side gained the upper hand.
…
“Whew… even without its senses, this thing’s a pain,” Isshin muttered, shaking his numb arm.
Engetsu’s flames steadied back to crimson.
He could feel it clearly—
Hyōrinmaru’s power was on another level.
Its mastery over ice was absolute.
If not for his own strength, he would’ve taken serious damage just now.
And yet…
It wasn’t even fighting intelligently.
No strategy and restraint whatsoever.
Just raw, instinctive destruction.