Chapter 118: The Second Fight Between Fiander And Byakuya Kuchiki
Looking at Inoue, whose skin and clothes were already covered with a thin layer of frost, Byakuya Kuchiki felt an urgent need to cast Kido to create a safer zone for the vulnerable human. The spiritual pressure emanating from Fiander's released Zanpakuto was affecting everyone in the vicinity, but Inoue's mortal body was particularly susceptible to the supernatural cold.
His front foot had just taken a step toward Inoue's trembling form when Fiander materialized behind him with frightening speed, his hand grasping Byakuya's shoulder with deceptive casualness.
"Captain Kuchiki, where are you going?" Fiander's voice carried a mocking tone that made the temperature seem to drop even further.
"You bastard!"
Byakuya Kuchiki threw a sharp backhand punch without hesitation, but only heard a crisp "snap" as Fiander firmly caught his attacking arm. The grip was surprisingly strong, like being caught in a steel vice. With deliberate slowness, Fiander raised a single finger and placed it precisely on the back of Byakuya's hand.
An extremely cold breath instantly spread from Byakuya Kuchiki's wrist, creeping up his entire arm like ice water flowing through his veins. Within moments, he realized with growing panic that he had completely lost all feeling in his right arm. The numbness was absolute and terrifying.
Instinctively wanting to retreat, Byakuya tried to pull away with force. The moment he exerted pressure, his entire arm shattered along the joints like brittle glass, the frozen limb falling to the ground in pieces of ice and crystallized flesh.
"Brother!"
"Captain!"
Rukia's and Renji's voices rang out in desperate unison, their horror evident in every syllable.
At that moment, there was a sudden "puchi" sound of barely contained laughter.
Fiander covered his mouth with his free hand, his eyes gleaming with cruel amusement. "Why are you in such a hurry, Captain Kuchiki? I wasn't going to do anything serious to you!"
"Also, you all witness this - I didn't even try hard. He broke it himself by accident. It has absolutely nothing to do with me!" Fiander's voice carried that same sinister sweetness, like poisoned honey.
The mocking tone made Byakuya Kuchiki grit his teeth, his usually composed features twisting with pain and rage. "You... bastard!"
Clutching at his severed shoulder, Byakuya felt a moment of disorientation wash over him. He had lost complete control of his arm so quickly that even at the moment of severance, he hadn't felt any pain or sensation whatsoever. It was as if the limb had been completely dead from the instant Fiander had touched it.
"Hey, hey, why are you all looking at me like that? I really didn't do anything wrong here," Fiander said with exaggerated innocence, spreading his hands in a gesture of mock helplessness.
"After all, it seems like you were the one who reached out to attack me first, weren't you?"
"How can you possibly blame me for defending myself? You all saw it, right?"
Just as Fiander finished his taunting words, a massive surge of red spiritual pressure exploded through the area. Renji's voice suddenly roared with desperate fury, "Bankai!"
"Hihio Zabimaru!"
In less than two seconds, a colossal skeletal snake wreathed in spiritual energy launched itself at Fiander with crushing force. Taking advantage of this distraction, Rukia immediately used Shunpo to reach both Inoue Orihime and her injured brother, gathering them quickly and moving to what appeared to be a safer position. Without hesitation, she formed hand seals and began chanting.
"Bakudo Number Seventy-Three: Tozansho!"
The purpose of her quick thinking was clear - she needed to save Inoue immediately. For every second that passed, Inoue's ordinary human body grew weaker against the supernatural cold. Another minute of exposure might freeze her to death entirely.
"Tsk tsk, little Rukia is quite fast when she needs to be!"
Seeing Rukia's afterimage pass by as she rescued the two endangered fighters, Fiander commented with casual appreciation. "Actually, I have to admit, you and that hothead Renji make a pretty decent team when you work together!"
As he spoke with apparent leisure, Fiander slowly raised his hand and then gently lowered it with deliberate theatrical flair. Countless frozen petals that had been suspended motionlessly in the air suddenly began falling directly toward Renji and the massive bone serpent summoned by his Bankai.
"But tell me, have you ever heard a particular song lyric before?"
"Actually, you probably haven't, because I composed it myself. It's called 'The Beauty of the Sunset on Remnant Ice'!"
As Fiander's voice fell to a whisper, countless petals that had been crystallized by his supernatural cold suddenly descended like a deadly blizzard directly onto Renji's position.
BOOM!
The impact area looked as though hundreds of high-caliber weapons were concentrating their fire on Renji's location. The assault continued relentlessly for what felt like an eternity - nearly two full minutes of devastating bombardment before finally stopping.
As countless fragments of ice scattered and sprayed outward, Renji's entire position became obscured by thick streams of ice and snow, making it impossible to see what condition he was in or whether he had survived the onslaught.
"Renji..."
Her childhood friend had been caught in that devastating attack. Seeing the aftermath of destruction, Rukia felt her heart clench with fear, but facing such a natural disaster-level assault, she could only watch helplessly, completely powerless to intervene.
"Brother..."
Rukia turned her head to look desperately at Byakuya Kuchiki, hoping that her captain might have some strategy or plan. But at this moment, Byakuya appeared extremely calm and analytical. He had been observing Fiander's every movement with calculating eyes, as if the person being attacked wasn't his own lieutenant but a complete stranger whose fate didn't concern him.
At that moment, a golden light barrier suddenly appeared around Byakuya Kuchiki's severed arm. Inoue Orihime had recovered enough to act, casting her Soten Kishun technique to begin restoring Byakuya's lost limb.
Perhaps due to the intensity of recent battles and constant use, Inoue's abilities had grown significantly stronger. It took only a few seconds to completely restore Byakuya Kuchiki's arm - more than double the speed she had demonstrated when treating Grimmjow previously.
"Thank you."
Byakuya Kuchiki, who was never comfortable with expressing gratitude, gave Inoue a brief nod of acknowledgment before leaping out from the protection of the Tozansho barrier and ascending into the air with a powerful Shunpo.
The moment the ice fog began to dissipate, Renji's battered form slowly became visible through the clearing mist. His Bankai had been completely shattered by Fiander's devastating attack. Every joint and connection point was frozen solid against the ice-covered ground, making movement impossible. Unlike his previous battle with Zommari, where he could still access his Shikai abilities, this time even basic movement seemed beyond his capabilities.
Renji was kneeling on the frozen ground, his hair disheveled and matted with ice crystals, gripping the frozen handle of his broken Zanpakuto. Blood covered his entire body, but every drop that flowed from his wounds solidified the moment it made contact with the outside air, creating a grotesque pattern of red ice across his skin.
At this critical moment, Byakuya Kuchiki began forming complex hand seals in the air above, his voice rising in the lengthy incantation of a high-level Kido spell.
"The crest of Senju, hands of the venerable one who cannot be touched, the archer of the sky who cannot be reflected, the path of brilliant light that spreads across the heavens."
"Fan the flames of revolt, when gathered do not be confused, simply follow my guidance."
"Light bullets, eight bodies, nine conditions, book of heaven, disease treasure, great wheel."
"The grey turret draws its bow toward the far horizon and disappears in brilliant radiance!"
"Hado Number Ninety-One: Senju Koten Taiho!"
At that moment, countless spears of condensed light energy materialized in the sky above, all aimed directly at Fiander. Simultaneously, an ocean of cherry blossom petals emerged from behind Byakuya Kuchiki, their pink forms gleaming with spiritual power.
"A ninety-level Hado technique? Impressive. But tell me, why don't you dare use your Bankai?"
"Are you afraid I'll freeze your precious Senbonzakura again like before?"
Fiander spoke lightly in the face of the incoming assault, as if such a high-level attack was barely worth his attention.
"You want to freeze Senbonzakura again? You're welcome to try!"
At that crucial moment, the light spears released by the Senju Koten Taiho didn't strike Fiander directly. Instead, they detonated in the air just in front of him, creating a calculated pattern of explosions.
With a thunderous "BOOM!", countless waves of superheated air were generated around Fiander's position due to the multiple detonations. The extreme heat came into violent contact with the supernatural cold emanating from his spiritual pressure, and the dramatic temperature differential caused the air in that confined space to expand and contract explosively.
In an instant, massive amounts of steam filled the area, obscuring vision and creating a temporary screen.
Seeing this tactical development, Fiander appeared slightly surprised for the first time, though his expression quickly returned to its usual composed arrogance.
"Interesting approach, Byakuya Kuchiki. So you can use that brain of yours for more than just noble etiquette!"
"Unfortunately for you, your clever strategy won't be enough!"
"Such arrogance, Fiander Moros!"
"Senkei Senbonzakura Kageyoshi!"
As Byakuya Kuchiki's commanding voice echoed through the battlefield, the pink petals floating behind him instantly became wreathed in brilliant white light. A pair of luminous white wings with radiant halos appeared on Byakuya's back, resembling the wings of an avenging angel prepared for divine judgment.
"This is your final warning!"
"My pride as a member of one of the four great noble houses is not something you can trample upon with impunity!"
"This ends now, Fiander Moros!"
"Hakuteiken!"
As a magnificent white holy sword materialized in Byakuya Kuchiki's hands, the transformed petals behind him expanded like an ocean of pure light, filling the entire ice barrier that contained their battle. Fiander was instantly engulfed by this sea of radiant energy, the brilliant illumination making it impossible to see what was happening within the technique's devastating embrace.
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