"Captain-sama, aren't you going to do something about this?" Nagato Yū asked Yusuke, who was sitting next to her. Because Nagato Yū had spen
"Captain-sama, aren't you going to do something about this?" Nagato Yū asked Yusuke, who was sitting next to her.
Because Nagato Yū had spent most of her time in the Seireitei, she was used to calling Yusuke "Captain." Even after returning to Las Noches, she hadn't broken the habit.
For Nagato Yū, she had no intention of changing this habit, as it was a way to remember her years living in the Seireitei.
Hearing Nagato Yū's words, Yusuke smiled and shook his head. "Let's watch for now. I'll step in when the time is right."
Because they were in the banquet hall, both Kuchiki Byakuya and Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez consciously controlled their spiritual pressure, keeping it contained within their bodies.
While this prevented them from exerting "pressure" on their opponent, it wouldn't affect their individual strength.
Seeing Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez arrogantly put his hands in his pockets, a cold glint flashed in Kuchiki Byakuya's eyes. He activated his signature high-speed Shunpo and quickly drew his Zanpakutō.
The speed and power displayed by Kuchiki Byakuya surprised the Espada watching the fight. They could tell that Kuchiki Byakuya was indeed a skilled fighter.
However, for the Espada who had merged with the Hōgyoku, such speed and spiritual pressure were nothing to fear.
Especially for Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, whose strength was above average among the Espada, it posed no threat at all.
A sound like clashing metal echoed through the air as Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez blocked Kuchiki Byakuya's Zanpakutō with his chest.
The sharp blade tore through Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez's clothes, but didn't even scratch his skin.
Although his expression remained unchanged, Kuchiki Byakuya's pupils contracted in surprise, betraying his inner turmoil.
He hadn't expected that his full-force attack wouldn't even break the opponent's skin!
Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez laughed loudly. "Is this the swordsmanship that Shinigami in Soul Society use? It's certainly terrifyingly powerful!"
Seeing Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez shamelessly humiliate their clan head, the members of the Kuchiki clan seated at the table all glared angrily at Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez.
Knowing that his opponent's spiritual pressure far surpassed his own, Kuchiki Byakuya didn't give up. Instead, he quickly retreated, creating distance between himself and Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez.
He held his Zanpakutō vertically in front of his chest, channeling his spiritual pressure into the blade.
"Scatter, Senbonzakura."
As Kuchiki Byakuya spoke, the slender blade of his Zanpakutō shattered, transforming into countless petal-like blades that surged towards Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez.
"Is this even considered fighting? Let me, Grimmjow-sama, show you what real combat is!"
Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez grinned cruelly, pulling his right hand from his pocket and swinging it forward. The force of his spiritual pressure scattered Kuchiki Byakuya's Senbonzakura blades.
Then, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez slammed his foot into the ground, using Sonído to propel himself forward, maximizing his speed.
He appeared before Kuchiki Byakuya in an instant, raising his fist to strike his chest.
He had reached his maximum speed before Resurrección, and with his overwhelming spiritual pressure, Kuchiki Byakuya couldn't react in time.
Just as the spiritual pressure from Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez's fist touched his chest, Kuchiki Byakuya realized his opponent's attack was upon him.
At that moment, a hand suddenly reached out from the side, firmly grasping Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez's wrist.
This seemingly simple grip brought Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez's incredibly powerful and fast fist to a standstill, as if it had been frozen in time.
The momentum of any moving object generates inertia, let alone Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez's full-force punch.
To stop Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez's punch, the person's spiritual pressure had to be at least three times greater!
The one who had stopped Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez was naturally Yusuke. He only wanted to make Kuchiki Byakuya aware of his shortcomings, to keep him from being complacent with the power of a Gotei 13 captain, rather than use Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez to humiliate him.
"Grimmjow, that's enough. Your opponent is still recovering from serious injuries sustained on the battlefield not long ago. I'm sure you're not the kind of person who takes advantage of the weak, are you?" Yusuke said with a smile.
Although the battle at Sōkyoku Hill had only ended recently, Kuchiki Byakuya had received personal treatment from Retsu Unohana and had used her potent healing agent, Kaidō, and had recovered about 80% of his strength.
In a full-force battle, that 20% could have a significant impact.
But for a spar at the Shikai level, it was enough for Kuchiki Byakuya to display his abilities.
Yusuke said this to give Kuchiki Byakuya a way out, so that it wouldn't seem like he had been utterly defeated by Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez.
As expected, after Yusuke mentioned Kuchiki Byakuya's injuries, the audience assumed that Kuchiki Byakuya couldn't display his full power due to his injuries, and even Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez looked disappointed.
"What a drag. You should have said so earlier. You're wasting my time," Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez said with a disgruntled expression.
Then, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez looked respectfully at Yusuke, smiling sheepishly. "Yusuke-sama, I was just welcoming our new friend, nothing more. You said at the Las Noches Sword Art Discussions that we should have a spirit of martial arts, so friendly sparring is normal."
Yusuke didn't intend to punish Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, gently releasing his grip on his wrist.
Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez bowed respectfully to Yusuke and then returned to his seat.
Over the years, Yusuke had used the Hōgyoku to help the Espada complete their Arrancar transformations and then used the Kaidō to greatly enhance their power, earning their complete loyalty.
After all, ingratitude was rare. Most people knew how to be grateful.
Of course, what allowed Yusuke to maintain absolute authority over them wasn't gratitude, but his absolute strength.
Under Yusuke's carrot-and-stick management approach, even the rebellious Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez and Nnoitra Gilga were obedient.
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