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Boom—!
Blinding lightning exploded around Ishikawa, and he abruptly vanished from his original spot.
Ginjo Kugo's expression changed, and he flashed to block in front of Tsukishima.
Almost the instant he arrived in front of Tsukishima, Ishikawa's figure appeared before the two of them.
Clang~!
The clang of metal followed.
Ginjo Kugo only felt an indescribable immense force transmit from the greatsword in his hand, spreading along the blade to his entire body. His hands gripping the hilt were shaken, causing the tiger's mouth to split open, blood flowing freely, and the two-handed sword in his hands nearly slipped.
So heavy…
The power and Reiatsu!
Both were completely different from before!
This black-haired youth, who looked like a Lunatic, was as if he had suddenly become a different person.
What on earth happened to him?
Ishikawa's Reiatsu surged to its limit, his body distorted, and he gripped the long blade with both hands, pressing down again, actually forcing Ginjo Kugo's body from the knees down to sink into the soil.
At the same time.
Using the long blade as a pivot, Ishikawa's body soared into the air. Almost as soon as he left his original spot, a thin blade slashed across his waist where he had just been. The person holding the thin blade was none other than Tsukishima.
After an empty swing, Tsukishima instinctively moved to pursue.
However…
Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh!
Six sounds of air being torn apart rang out, and six light fragments arrived in an instant, directly pinning him in place.
"Bakudo No. 61: Rikujokoro."
The six light fragments, like iron clamps, held Tsukishima firmly in place; no matter how he struggled, the light fragments remained motionless.
"Hado No.…"
"Ahhhhhh—"
Just as Ishikawa was preparing to press his advantage, Ginjo Kugo, who was pinned beneath him, suddenly let out a roar. At the blade of the two-handed sword, which was clashing with Ishikawa's long blade, a crimson, highly concentrated Reiatsu rapidly condensed.
It wasn't a Shinigami's Reiatsu, nor was it the light of Fullbring, it was… the aura of a Hollow!
—Cero!!
Ishikawa gave up pursuing Tsukishima, and as he raised his right hand, the lightning around his body converged towards his right hand.
Shunko: Lightning Strike!
The Kido within his body condensed into a single point and was unleashed.
Lightning and red light collided.
At this moment, the world seemed to have been muted, like the calm before a storm.
Boom!
Fierce winds raged, deafening roars echoed through the sky, and an impact like a tsunami exploded, sending endless soil soaring into the air.
The six light fragments around Tsukishima instantly shattered under this impact, but Tsukishima's face showed no joy; instead, it was filled with terror.
Although he wasn't at the center of the impact, the moment the impact arrived, Tsukishima still felt as if his body was being torn apart, instantly turning into a bloody mess, severely wounded.
Just as he thought he was about to die, Ginjo Kugo's tall figure suddenly blocked in front of him, his Reiatsu exploding with a roar, forming a protective shield that blocked all the remaining impact.
When everything returned to calm.
The lush green forest was completely gone, replaced by a giant crater with a radius of several tens of meters.
And on either side of the deep pit, Ishikawa and Ginjo Kugo faced each other across the distance.
At this moment, both of them appeared extremely disheveled, but unlike Ginjo Kugo, who only suffered some superficial wounds, the cut on Ishikawa's back, which had been urgently treated with 'Reiatsu Sutures,' tore open again during the recent confrontation, and blood gushed out like a fountain.
The loss of blood made Ishikawa's face incredibly pale, and he immediately exited the 'Shunko' state.
Using Shunko while severely wounded placed an enormous burden on his body.
Is this the limit?
Ishikawa's expression was somewhat grim; the Limited Release came too late.
If he hadn't been limited at the beginning of the battle, he wouldn't have been in such a sorry state. As long as he dealt with Tsukishima first, even if he couldn't kill Ginjo Kugo, he would have been confident in severely wounding him, instead of ending up in this situation!
On the other side, Ginjo Kugo's expression was also grim, but within that grimness was a deep apprehension.
Very strong!
Under that inexplicable lightning, although the opponent's Reiatsu was not as strong as his own, his destructive power was extremely terrifying.
If the opponent hadn't already been severely wounded earlier, the direction of this battle might have completely changed!
"Limited Release, huh?"
Ginjo Kugo's face showed a hint of mockery, having already understood why Ishikawa had suddenly become so much stronger: "How pitiful, if your Reiatsu hadn't been limited, perhaps you wouldn't have died…" As he spoke, his entire body vanished from his original spot.
When he reappeared, he was already above Ishikawa's head.
"…If you want to blame someone, blame Seireitei!"
Reiatsu condensed on the two-handed sword. Ginjo Kugo looked at Ishikawa, who remained motionless, and slashed down fiercely, a dark green slash tearing through the air.
But just as the slash was about to hit Ishikawa, it suddenly stopped in mid-air, as if blocked by an invisible barrier.
This is…
"Bakudo #81: Danku?"
A strange light flashed in Ginjo Kugo's eyes. He hadn't expected this youth to be able to cast Bakudo #81 without chanting.
Although surprised, Ginjo Kugo didn't believe that a Danku cast without chanting could block his slash.
And indeed, it was so.
Crack, crack, crack…
The moment the dark green slash collided with the transparent wall, cracks appeared on the transparent wall.
At the same time, Ginjo Kugo stepped on the void, attacking Ishikawa from the side, not giving him a chance to use this time to dodge.
Seeing this, Ishikawa's Reiatsu surged. He gave up treating the sword wound on his back and raised his hand, pointing at Ginjo, who was rushing towards him.
"Hado #90: Black Coffin!"
Buzz~
A pitch-black wall blocked Ginjo Kugo's path, stopping him in mid-air, a look of shock in his eyes.
Casting Hado #90 without chanting!?
Who exactly is this youth? Why did he have no knowledge of such a person existing in the Gotei 13?
But Ishikawa didn't give him time to think. One side, two sides… four sides. The initially appearing walls continuously extended outwards from their interfaces, forming a cube that obstructed Ginjo Kugo's front, left, right, and top. Only the black wall at the back remained in a state of condensation, not yet fully sealed.
With Ginjo's speed, he could completely escape Black Coffin through the rear opening before the Kido was completed.
A hint of hesitation flashed in Ginjo Kugo's eyes. If he retreated now, he would lose the best opportunity to kill his opponent; but if he didn't retreat, it meant he would have to endure this Black Coffin head-on!
The slow formation speed indicated that the Black Coffin, cast without chanting, was only barely released.
Its power must not be strong!
It might even collapse at a touch under his attack.
But…
What if this was a deliberate illusion created by the other party?
Even though he knew this possibility was minuscule, Ginjo Kugo's eyes still showed struggle.
And just then, a soft chant came from behind the black iron wall in front of him.
"The crest of turbidity, the arrogant, rampant talent…"
Post-chanting!?
This chanting sound was like the final straw that broke the camel's back. Ginjo Kugo's Fullbring light erupted under his feet, and he rapidly retreated before the black iron wall behind him had fully condensed!
Almost at the same moment he escaped from Black Coffin, the chanting stopped abruptly.
Bang~
The condensing Black Coffin collapsed like building blocks.
This scene instantly made Ginjo Kugo's face darken. He stopped his fleeing steps, turned his head to look, and only saw Ishikawa's back quickly receding.
He fell for it…
Ginjo Kugo immediately realized that the Black Coffin was just a model with an imposing presence, but in reality, it would crumble at a touch.
If he hadn't stopped just now and had continued forward, he wouldn't even have needed to attack; he could have simply passed through it.
Boom—
A huge explosion followed, and the transparent barrier formed by Danku collapsed. Without Danku's obstruction, the dark green slash directly struck the spot where Ishikawa had previously stood.
"Bastard—!!"
The rising impact made Ginjo Kugo's medium-length hair wildly dance, his expression contorted.
Just one more step, if he had just taken one more step.
That brat would have either died by his two-handed sword or by his slash!
Humiliation—an unprecedented sense of humiliation made Ginjo Kugo's face flush red, his expression almost insane, and the killing intent in his eyes almost materialized.
"Don't chase him!"
But just as he was about to pursue, Tsukishima's voice came from behind him: "Feel carefully."
Ginjo Kugo heard this, instinctively released his perception, and then suddenly looked up into the void.
He could faintly feel…
Several extremely strong Reiatsu were emanating from the Dangai, rapidly approaching the Human World.
Soul Society's reinforcements had arrived!
Ginjo Kugo looked in the direction Ishikawa had left, gritted his teeth fiercely, turned back to Tsukishima, embraced him around the waist, and swiftly sped towards Naruki City, vanishing into the horizon in the blink of an eye.
…
Feeling the Reiatsu behind him disappear, Ishikawa paused.
As soon as he stopped, his body swayed, and he finally sat down on the ground.
"Cough cough cough—"
Along with violent coughing, viscous liquid mixed with blood and organ fragments spewed from his mouth.
After catching his breath slightly, he looked up at the void, feeling the familiar Reiatsu rapidly approaching the Human World, and couldn't help but roll his eyes.
"How come the Onmitsukidō are always one step behind, just like detectives in those TV shows?!"
As he spoke, Ishikawa felt a constant wave of dizziness. He quickly bit his tongue hard.
He couldn't pass out.
His injuries were too severe, not much lighter than his last fight with Zaraki Kenpachi. If he didn't do something about them, he was very likely to die in the Dangai.
As for the Onmitsukidō who were about to arrive...
Instead of relying on them to treat him, Ishikawa might as well dig a hole and bury himself while he still had the strength, lest he become a collector's item for some mad scientist after death.
Activating his Spirit Purification Barrier, Ishikawa began to perform emergency treatment on himself.
The only thing that made him grateful was...
Although the injuries were severe, the Reiatsu in his body was still abundant enough to allow him to treat himself properly, unlike his fight with Kenpachi, where he collapsed immediately after the battle, his survival entirely dependent on luck.
Crack—
Directly above Ishikawa's head, the void opened up like a door, pulling apart to both sides.
Soi Fon led the charge, but did not stop. The moment she appeared, she chased in the direction Ginjo and the other person had left.
Immediately after, through the doorway, figures in black cloaks and masks rushed out, landing around Ishikawa.
Ōmaeda appeared outside the Spirit Purification Barrier. He first carefully observed Ishikawa, who was treating himself inside, and then grinned, "Tsk, have you been possessed by a god of misfortune or something? How do you always run into dangerous people?"
Ishikawa ignored him...
If this bastard had been faster, he wouldn't have ended up in his current predicament.
Ōmaeda smiled at the sight, then turned to the south and said to the Onmitsukido behind him, "You go bring those noble members back. Once we return, everyone except those with severe injuries will be detained in the Onmitsukidō for questioning."
"Yes, sir!"
Several Onmitsukido members vanished from their original positions.
Just then, the Spirit Purification Barrier around Ishikawa suddenly disintegrated into Reiatsu.
Ōmaeda rushed over upon seeing this, and found that Ishikawa, who had just been treating himself, had already fainted.
After a moment of contemplation, Ōmaeda said, "Notify the Thirteenth Division to open a Senkaimon, and at the same time, contact the Fourth Division and tell them to prepare to receive a patient. Oh, and don't forget to tell them the patient is Ishikawa."
"But..."
"I'll handle Captain Soi Fon."
Ōmaeda shook his head, "You all take those young noble masters and Ishikawa back to the Soul Society first, to prevent the attackers from returning."
"Yes, sir."
...
Ishikawa slowly opened his eyes, and the familiar white ceiling came into view.
Drip, drip, drip—
Tubes were inserted into his body, connected to various medical instruments around him. He could clearly feel those medical instruments converting Reiatsu into nutrients beneficial for his injuries, which were then delivered into his body along the tubes...
The familiar feeling, familiar room, and familiar smell made the corner of Ishikawa's mouth twitch slightly beneath his mask.
Intensive Care Unit.
Only a little over four months had passed since his fight with Kenpachi, and he was actually sent in again.
He lost money—
This business deal was a huge loss. Although it would allow him to establish cooperation with the Golden Seal Association, the Everything Store, which had just opened, seemed to be closing down again.
Ishikawa wanted to sigh, but he couldn't even sigh under his mask.
He checked his physical condition. As he expected, he had received proper treatment. Judging from the residual Reiatsu at the surgical sites, the person who treated him this time was still Captain Unohana.
Her treatment methods were as superb as ever. Although he still couldn't move, Ishikawa felt that, like last time, he would regain his mobility in about five or six days, but complete recovery would require at least half a month of recuperation.
However, as long as he regained his mobility, it wouldn't delay the Everything Store's business!
Ishikawa tried to sit up, but when he moved, he realized...
He was actually tied to the hospital bed with restraints, which made Ishikawa's expression a bit strange.
...What kind of game is this??
Does Captain Unohana have such interests?
No, that's not right.
Unless there was an accident, this should have been tied by Isane.
After his last fight with Kenpachi, he had secretly snuck out of the intensive care unit and hidden back in the Maggot's Nest. Afterwards, he was severely reprimanded by Isane, and she had said at the time that if there was a next time, she would definitely tie him to the hospital bed.
Ishikawa thought it was a joke, but he didn't expect...
She actually did it.
Giving up on getting up, Ishikawa wanted to continue sleeping, but couldn't. He could only lie there like a vegetable, staring at the ceiling.
Finally, he simply shifted his attention to the system interface in his mind.
This battle had once again depleted the more than 30,000 experience points he had painstakingly accumulated.
Fortunately, unlike last time, this time all of it was added to Reiatsu.
Hm?
Ishikawa's eyes suddenly widened.
Current Experience: 35960.
Looking at the number after "Current Experience," even though he wasn't looking with his eyes, Ishikawa couldn't help but wonder if he was seeing things.
How could so much experience suddenly appear?
Ishikawa opened the Favorability interface and found many names he had never seen before at the end of the long list of names.
[Nagano Kasyuu, Current Favorability: 60]
[Nagano Ran, Current Favorability: 44]
[Ukitake Kiyoshi, Current Favorability: 54]
[Hachi Hane, Current Favorability: 29]
[Nagano Ayaka, Current Favorability: 2]
[Nagano...]
These names were surprisingly consistent: Nagano, Hachi, Ukitake... These names he had never heard of were basically members of these three families.
Among them, Nagano Kasyuu, who had full friendship with Ishikawa, provided 13,220 experience points, equivalent to a Gotei 13 Squad Member level, judging from the experience points provided.
And Nagano Ran, if there were no accidents, should be Nagano Kasyuu's mother. Although her favorability was not as high as her daughter's, her strength was much stronger than her daughter's. She provided experience points equivalent to a Low Level Seated Officer, giving Ishikawa 9,160 experience points.
The remaining scattered experience points should be from Nagano Kasyuu's elders and sisters, etc. Some had over 10 points of favorability for Ishikawa, others as low as 2 points. Although the experience points provided by a single person were not much, they accumulated to 2,420 experience points.
The Nagano family alone provided Ishikawa with a high of 24,800 experience points.
Ukitake Kiyoshi, if there were no accidents, should be Ukitake Hiro's mother. Unfortunately, her strength was not very good, and the experience points she provided were even less than Nagano Kasyuu's, basically equivalent to a Central Spiritual Arts Academy student. 54 points of favorability only provided Ishikawa with 4,690 experience points.
Counting other Ukitake family members, a total of 5,320 experience points.
Compared to the above two families, the Hachi Family was much colder.
Ishikawa looked around and found only one person named 'Hachi Hane', probably Hachiun Hane's mother.
However, this was understandable, from the perspective of other Hachi Family members.
Family members like Hachiun Hane, who evaded joining the Onmitsukido, were supposed to be exiled by rule, and no one cared whether he lived or died except Hachiun Hane's mother.
Fortunately, this 'Hachi Hane' was much stronger than the other two mothers, equivalent to a High-Level Seated Officer. 29 points of favorability provided Ishikawa with 5,520 experience points.
Crushing the entire Ukitake family.
Ishikawa's mouth twitched slightly. How dilapidated was the Ukitake family?
As for the last 320 experience points, Ishikawa carefully reviewed them and found that they were actually provided by Soi Fon.
[Soi Fon Favorability +1, gained 320 experience points, current Favorability: 8]
He profited—
He sprang up from his deathbed!
If he hadn't been tied to the bed, Ishikawa would probably have jumped up by now.
Although he almost died in the Human World this time, the gains were extremely significant, so much so that Ishikawa could ignore the pain in his body.
Not only did he achieve cooperation with the Golden Seal Association, but he also gained a massive amount of experience points.
Most importantly...
As long as Ishikawa added all the experience points to his Reiatsu, he could truly step into the Captain-level threshold, reaching the same realm as Ginjo.
Although he could only be considered a Captain-level gatekeeper, and with his Zanpakuto unable to be released, he might not even be comparable to Ikkaku.
Of course, that's if Ikkaku's Bankai was fully activated.
Before that, defeating him wouldn't be difficult!
However, Ishikawa did not use these experience points.
Anyway, as long as he didn't encounter a Captain-level enemy like this time, with his current Reiatsu strength of over 70,000, he was already sufficient to handle most battles.
It's better to save the experience points just in case.
Moreover, with the Development Spiritual Mark, even if he didn't spend experience points, he could completely break through to Captain-level on his own within six or seven years.
join p atreon.com/KeyofStars and become a Sequence 9: Reader for advance chapters | Every 100 powerstones = 1 extra chapter | Report issues @discord.com/GVBdncd9Wr