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"Do you want to die!?"
Before the young man, who called himself Shiba Kaien, could finish speaking, Ishikawa suddenly lifted his head, the killing intent in his eyes reaching its peak in an instant.
To be precise…
The monstrous killing intent that had surged in his heart the moment he saw the other party completely lost control at this moment, being fully unleashed.
A powerful, chilling aura swept outwards from Ishikawa, centered on him.
This chilling aura was unprecedentedly strong, subtly solidifying as it spread, and around Ishikawa, a region distinctly different from the Hueco Mundo space subtly formed.
The Spiritual Crests inscribed on the long cloth bag on his back flickered, and the Zanpakuto inside trembled madly; the sharp, chilling aura resonated with the region formed around Ishikawa, as if roaring, as if excited, and as if pleased by its master's liberation!
Within the region, Ishikawa's medium-length black hair flowed, and the killing intent revealed in his eyes caused infinite fear to surge simultaneously in the hearts of the three people present, even making them feel as if they were being pierced by a sharp blade.
After arriving in Hueco Mundo, Ishikawa had wondered what he would do if he encountered an Espada.
There was only one answer…
Hide!
Hide as far as possible.
Because of Kosuke, he had already had a conflict with that person, although from his reaction afterward, that conflict had not been taken to heart by him, nor was he interested in dealing with a small insect like himself.
Provoking the other party again and again might still not arouse his hostility, because he was not worthy!
But a small insect crawling around in front of him and even jumping onto his foot would inevitably make one feel annoyed.
And crushing an insect was never a difficult task; it was merely a question of whether one wanted to lift their foot.
It was precisely because of this that when Ishikawa saw the Fujiwara siblings interacting with this person who had the appearance of Shiba Kaien, he immediately concealed his aura, wanting to leave then and there.
However…
When he heard the other party claim to be Shiba Kaien, Ishikawa involuntarily stopped, and when the other party, with a sickening expression, spoke the names of Kukaku and Ganju, an uncontrollable surge of killing intent erupted in Ishikawa's heart.
At this moment, Ishikawa still maintained restraint, thinking that since he had accepted the commission, he had to bring the two back to Soul Society, so he stepped out.
Ishikawa…
Overestimated his ability to restrain himself, because the moment the other party, with a smile identical to Kukaku's, uttered the word "Shiba" in front of him, Ishikawa only felt a crisp snap in his mind, as if something had broken.
Crack~
The shackles of restraint instantly shattered.
What commission, what Fujiwara siblings, what Aizen… all were thrown to the back of Ishikawa's mind; all he could think of now were three words.
—Kill him!
His eyes were bloodshot, but his expression at this moment gradually became calm, even indifferent; if Ikkaku Madarame and the others were here, they would find that Ishikawa's state at this moment… was exactly the same as when he fought Zaraki Kenpachi.
Although his expression was incredibly calm and composed, everyone who saw him could clearly feel the madness emanating from the depths of his soul!
After coming to Soul Society, when Ishikawa fought, he often gave people the feeling of being mad, but that was merely the occasional release of embers, only manifesting on the surface, and he would ultimately maintain restraint.
Because these shackles called 'restraint' had become his instinct, which even Ishikawa himself could not control.
"What are you going to do!?"
The person calling himself Shiba Kaien instinctively retreated a few steps, but then seemed to feel that his behavior was somewhat shameful, and instead stepped forward a few steps, saying with a chilling gaze: "It seems you don't like the Shiba family very much, are you an enemy of our Shiba family?"
The inexplicable killing intent made him only think of this one possibility; otherwise, how could this person in front of him generate such terrifying killing intent the moment he saw him.
Ishikawa did not speak, but reached out and gripped the base of the long cloth bag on his back.
Tear
The inscription on the long cloth bag lit up, and the next second it transformed into countless fragments of cloth and dispersed. The chilling aura on the long blade completely merged into the region formed around Ishikawa, causing the region's scope to instantly expand, enveloping all three, including the Fujiwara siblings.
"Shut up~!"
Ishikawa whispered, as if muttering, but in the ears of the three, it was incredibly clear.
The faint glow representing the seal on the long blade in his hand flickered, giving the impression of someone bound constantly struggling to break free from their ropes.
Kukaku once said that she didn't like him.
Because he was gloomy, too indifferent to life, and liked to disguise himself as a 'goody-two-shoes'.
But…
All along, she had treated him like a difficult younger brother, protecting him both openly and secretly.
Teaching him Kido, guiding him in cultivation, helping him resist the pressure from Seireitei…
It could be said that without Kukaku, Ishikawa might have died somewhere in Rukongai a long time ago.
Kukaku was right; some things are hard to change, and it's normal for her not to like him, but some things can be changed.
He owed Kukaku far, far too much… so much that Ishikawa would even risk provoking someone he had always been afraid to provoke, all for the reputation of the Shiba family.
What the consequences would be, it no longer mattered to Ishikawa; only…
"You must die!!"
As these words were uttered, the region formed around Ishikawa seemed to gain consciousness, concentrating all killing intent simultaneously on Shiba Kaien… No, NO. 9 – Aaroniero alone!
As the words fell, Ishikawa gripped the long blade in his hand tightly and took a step forward.
Buzz
With one step, the air vibrated, and a terrifying Reiatsu erupted.
This directly caused the Fujiwara siblings, who were hiding behind Aaroniero, to collapse as if they had lost all their bones, their bodies instantly drenched in cold sweat.
—Monster!!
"Did you misunderstand something?"
Aaroniero felt Ishikawa's Reiatsu around him, tore off his disguise, and a sneer and killing intent appeared on his face: "You think you can kill me with such weak Reiatsu?"
Clang
Under the dazzling light, the Zanpakuto was drawn from its sheath at his waist.
Although he preferred to drag a person's spirit into the abyss of despair and then grant them release.
But since he had encountered an uncommunicative fellow, there was naturally no need to continue wasting words with him; he could simply cut him down.
Almost at the very moment Aaroniero drew his Zanpakuto, Ishikawa, holding his long blade, took a step.
As he took his first step, lightning roared around him, and he fiercely slashed forward with the long blade in his hand. With one slash, a sharp whistling sound echoed through the void, and a crescent-shaped slash of lightning and Reiatsu tore through space, heading directly towards Aaroniero.
Aaroniero saw this, his sneer unchanged, and he reversed his grip on his Zanpakuto.
"Suiten Kyokotsu: Nejibana!"
As his Reiatsu surged, ocean waves wrapped around the blade, transforming it into a trident entwined with spray. He thrust it forward fiercely, and immediately a blue light condensed on the trident, forming a towering ocean wave that surged and rolled towards the approaching lightning slash.
After completing all this, Aaroniero stood still, because in his opinion, with his Reiatsu strength, tearing apart that lightning slash with the ocean wave was incredibly easy, even somewhat overkill!
However…
The moment the ocean wave and the slash collided, a roar spread, and the ocean wave actually exploded fiercely. Although the impact did not affect Aaroniero, the Fujiwara siblings, who were kneeling behind him, were directly blown away like fallen leaves.
And at that instant, Ishikawa took his second step, changing the long blade in his hand from a swing to a thrust. His entire person seemed to have transcended space, appearing directly in front of Aaroniero.
This thrust was so fast that before Aaroniero's eyes could even fully register it, the sharp edge, a mix of Reiatsu and chilling aura, burst forth from the long blade, fiercely tearing the standing collar of his white robe.
How is that possible!?
Aaroniero's pupils suddenly constricted. The fact that the opponent's slash destroyed his ocean wave was already enough to shock him, and this sudden, seemingly teleporting thrust made a sense of mortal danger well up in his heart!
The opponent's Reiatsu was clearly not strong, but his lethality was unbelievably high.
The first step, the first slash, defeated his Zanpakuto's ability;
The second step, the second thrust, appeared directly in front of him;
Both the timing and the awareness made Aaroniero's scalp tingle, but he was, after all, one of the Espada; even the weakest Espada was still an Espada!
Although he was trembling with fear at this moment, he retreated sharply without hesitation, unleashing his full Reiatsu; at the same time, he rotated the trident in his hand around his wrist as if dancing, and ocean waves surged from it, forming multiple water shields made of spray in front of him.
Ten-plus layers of overlapping water shields blocked Ishikawa's thrust!
Bang
Water splashed, and Aaroniero only felt an incredibly heavy force transmitted from the water shield. Through the water, what met his eyes were a pair of crimson eyes and a chillingly calm face.
Something's not right—
Too much is not right. With his Reiatsu, how could he possess such strong lethality?
And what's with this inexplicable speed?
No!!
Aaroniero seemed to realize something and suddenly looked at the nearly ten-meter region around him that was distinctly different from Hueco Mundo.
From the moment Ishikawa took his first step until now, only a few breaths had passed. His offensive was so fast that Aaroniero had no time to think about anything else, and only now did he belatedly realize that the region around Ishikawa, filled with a chilling aura, was unusual; it wasn't simply an aura covering a nearly ten-meter radius.
He himself, being within this region, didn't feel any abnormality, but the second thrust from the young man in front of him could not have been achieved by mere speed alone!
That thrust, rather than being aimed at him, felt as if some force had pulled him, completely unprepared, in front of the blade.
Otherwise, if it were merely a thrust coming at him with pure speed, he wouldn't have had time to retreat and form water shields to defend himself.
This is a prototype.
A prototype of a domain!
Although he couldn't discern its specific abilities, the inexplicable sense of fear in his heart while within this region was definitely not an illusion.
Perhaps because it was still imperfect, once he realized this, the abnormality he had previously overlooked for some reason became incredibly clear, which brought a strange smile to Aaroniero's face.
Because…
It was too fragile!
From the moment of realization, it became illusory.
It could be shattered with a mere lift of a hand!
Thoughts raced through his mind, but in reality, it was only an instant. The ten-plus layers of water shields shattered into splashes under Ishikawa's thrust.
One layer, two layers, three layers…
In an instant, ten-plus layers of water shields shattered into splashes, and as water sprayed, Ishikawa took his third step!
The long blade, originally held with his right hand, was now held with both hands, and at this moment, the lightning and Reiatsu around him surged into the long blade.
A strike, like a rushing thunderbolt, was raised above his head.
Buzz~
The void distorted, and the prototype of the domain formed by the chilling aura around him seemed to solidify, being completely absorbed by the long blade.
The moment the surrounding space returned to its original state, the power of this strike also reached its peak!
This scene caused Aaroniero, who was originally preparing to forcibly break the domain around him, to sink in expression.
The moment he realized, did the opponent also realize that he had realized?
Otherwise, it wouldn't be possible to voluntarily disengage and instead concentrate power on one point, forcing a head-on confrontation with him.
"Don't be too arrogant!!"
As he thought of this, Aaroniero's face instantly became incredibly distorted, and with a roar, a Reiatsu far exceeding his previous one, and completely opposite to that of a Shinigami, erupted.
"Who do you think I am!?"
Not choosing to dodge, Aaroniero distorted 'Nejibana' in his hand, transforming it from a trident into an organ resembling a sea anemone's mouth, connected to his left hand.
"Devour him, Glotonería!"
Boom !
The atmosphere at this moment became incredibly heavy, and Aaroniero's upper body rose continuously with the surging Reiatsu.
Looking at him, although his upper body still had the appearance of Shiba Kaien, his lower body had become enormous and grotesque, taking the form of an octopus composed of numerous tentacles.
Ishikawa suddenly frowned, but the motion of the long blade in his hand remained unchanged; he merely took another step forward.
The fourth step since the start of the battle!
As he took a step, his Reiatsu surged violently.
70000… 80000… 90000…
0!
Reiatsu: Top Level (0 / 1000000)
Current Experience: 41080.
Not enough!
Even if he put all the remaining experience into Reiatsu, the increased lethality would be a drop in the bucket against the opponent's Reiatsu after his Release Form; it would be very difficult to kill him with this one strike.
What he needed now was lethality, stronger lethality!
[Hado No. 88: Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō] Low Level (125 / 1000)
Intermediate, Advanced!
10875 experience points were invested, directly raising this Kido to Advanced level.
Roar~
A dragon's roar erupted from Ishikawa's body.
Bang bang bang
A series of explosive sounds continuously rang out within his body, and fist-sized lumps bulged on his skin, bursting open the moment they appeared. However, what flowed out was not blood, but lightning that had already surged into his blood vessels.
There was no integration, no adaptation, because…
It couldn't be done.
The Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō, only at the initial Advanced level, simply couldn't integrate into Shunko like Raikōhō.
Therefore, what Ishikawa did was…
Using the Development Spiritual Mark around the Spirit Core as a wedge, he directly released this Hado within his body, creating an effect similar to Shunko!
The enhancement did not stop there, because although the power of this strike was already sufficient.
But, it couldn't be unleashed!
Or rather, his physical condition couldn't bear him unleashing this strike.
It wasn't until Ishikawa invested 20205 of the remaining 30205 experience points into his Physique.
Bang~
The fifth step was taken with this, and centered on where his foot landed, the ground in front of him collapsed with a roar. The white sand continuously sank downwards, but Ishikawa stepped on the empty space as if on solid ground, not moving a bit.
Ishikawa's stat allocation was completed within a few breaths.
And at the moment his allocation was completed, Aaroniero's Release Form also finished.
Almost simultaneously, both launched their final attack at each other.
"Be honored to witness my Release Form!"
Aaroniero's tentacles on his lower body danced, each displaying different abilities, all converging onto the trident that had reappeared in his hand, and he thrust it fiercely towards Ishikawa.
"To this day, my Glotonería has devoured nearly thirty thousand Hollows. The power of thirty thousand troops condensed into one point, how can you contend with me!"
Ishikawa lifted his head, and the blade raised above his head slashed down through the air.
"Thirty thousand ants, gathered together…"
Buzz~
At this moment, the world seemed to have been put on mute.
The next second, a towering black lightning slash enveloped the entire area.
The white sand of the earth was split in two, and the world in Aaroniero's eyes was completely swallowed by the lightning slash. He could only watch helplessly as the slash destroyed his trident and all the power condensed upon it, continuing its assault without pause towards himself.
"Still just ants!"
The indifferent voice in his ear was clearly audible, echoing in his mind.
Rumble
The silence ended, and the roar was deafening.
The white sand formed a sandstorm, spreading wildly in all directions.
Everything was so terrifying.
"Ahhhhhh ah ah "
A painful wail pierced the sky, causing Ishikawa, who heard the wail, to slowly raise his head, his gaze chillingly directed upwards.
There, at some unknown point, a figure had appeared.
Someone…
Had caused his slash to deviate, saving Aaroniero's life!
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