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Strong winds carried white sand, scattering it in all directions.
On the ground, a massive trench, about ten meters wide, was gradually being filled by the flowing white sand, as if the world was repairing itself.
Drip ~ Drip...
As the power generated by the 'Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō' was completely unleashed in the previous attack, Ishikawa's body, which had been unable to withstand the force, burst open with wounds, spewing blood and turning him into a bloodied mess in the blink of an eye, with hardly any intact part on his body.
Was it still too late?
Ishikawa looked up at the sky, only to see a man, dressed in pure white clothing similar to Aaroniero's but with a disk-shaped collar, appear above him at some unknown point.
The man was tall, wore a single eye patch, had long black hair, and held a double crescent-bladed scythe in his hand.
No. 8 - Nnoitra Gilga!
Almost the moment he saw him, Ishikawa's mind flashed with the man's name and his strength.
Actually, during his battle with Aaroniero, he had already sensed his approach. Otherwise, after his Reiatsu increased to Captain-level, Ishikawa wouldn't have needed to forcefully integrate the Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō into his Shunko, because killing him with Captain-level Reiatsu wouldn't be difficult.
It would just take some time, but time was precisely what he lacked at that moment.
Even though he had used all his strength, he was still a step too late.
Just as Ishikawa had said earlier...
Thirty thousand ants, even if combined, were still just ants. From beginning to end, Ishikawa never considered the possibility of losing to someone like Aaroniero.
Aaroniero's 'Infinite Evolution' ability was indeed very strong; he even used it to devour thirty thousand Hollows with various abilities, forcefully raising his own Reiatsu to Captain-level. Perhaps to others, this was already astonishing, but his actual combat ability might not even be as good as Ginjō Kūgo's.
Whether it was combat technique, combat awareness, or even combat instinct, it was all terribly messy.
He claimed to simultaneously use the abilities of thirty thousand Hollows, but in reality, he merely condensed the abilities of thirty thousand Hollows into a single point and released them based on Shiba Kaien's 'Nejibana'.
In Ishikawa's opinion, apart from his Reiatsu becoming stronger and more chaotic, his combat ability in his Release Form was even weaker than when he fought in Shiba Kaien's appearance.
However, this was understandable.
Among the thirty thousand Hollows he devoured, the Hollow that merged with Shiba Kaien could be said to be the strongest among them, and the one that brought him the most help.
But this also limited his upper limit, because in his consciousness, Shiba Kaien's Imitation was his strongest ability, even affecting his own evolution. Even in his Release Form, he hadn't escaped the influence brought by Shiba Kaien… Otherwise, his Release Form itself wouldn't be based on Shiba Kaien's Imitation.
However, even with all of Shiba Kaien's abilities and memories, he still couldn't inherit Shiba Kaien's 'heart', or rather, his behavioral patterns; the strength he displayed, apart from his Reiatsu, was all things Shiba Kaien once possessed, with no progress whatsoever.
To put it simply...
Captain-level Reiatsu, Vice-Captain-level combat technique, combat awareness, and combat instinct.
If he had simply changed his fighting style, using his Captain-level Reiatsu as a base and simultaneously releasing the abilities of thirty thousand 'Hollows', Ishikawa would have experienced what it felt like to face thirty thousand Hollows at once.
But in the end, he was limited by the strongest ability in his consciousness, choosing to condense all thirty thousand Hollows' abilities into one point and release them through 'Shiba Kaien'.
Killing such a person was not difficult.
Provided no one interfered!
The swirling white sand gradually receded, revealing Aaroniero, who was buried beneath it. At this moment, half of his body, along with his lower body in his Release Form, had been severed by Ishikawa's single strike, completely staining the white sand beneath him red.
Shiba Kaien's appearance had vanished at some point, replaced by a glass cylinder containing an unknown red liquid, and floating within the liquid were two small Arrancar heads.
At this moment, the two small Arrancar heads wailed in unison: "Ahhhhhh— Help… save us, it hurts so much, it's so uncomfortable, save me… Ai…"
Bang—!
With a muffled thud, Aaroniero shot out like a cannonball. Before he could even land, a male Arrancar caught him and quickly headed towards Las Noches.
In his place stood Nnoitra's tall figure.
"Useless!"
Without even glancing at the departing Aaroniero, Nnoitra tilted his head and looked at Ishikawa, licking his chin with his pointed tongue: "Don't misunderstand, I'm only here to kill. I don't care about that guy's life or death; someone just asked me to save him."
Ishikawa didn't look at Nnoitra, but instead gazed grimly in the direction Aaroniero had gone.
But…
He was helpless.
Eliminating Aaroniero, who was favored by Aizen, in Hueco Mundo was already an extremely difficult goal; so Ishikawa's initial plan was to exploit the opponent's underestimation and end the battle instantly, killing this guy who wore the proud appearance of Kukaku's older brother.
However, the reinforcements arrived faster than Ishikawa had imagined. Even though he had gone insane, sparing no expense, he was still a step too late!
With Nnoitra here, he couldn't possibly pursue Aaroniero. In fact, even getting out alive would be incredibly difficult.
Thinking of this, Ishikawa retracted his gaze and looked at Nnoitra, who was not far away.
Although his expression showed no great change, a hint of solemnity flashed in his eyes. Unlike Aaroniero, a survivor of the original Espada, the Nnoitra before him, though only one rank higher than Aaroniero in sequence, was far superior to Aaroniero in terms of both Reiatsu and ability.
"Although I don't mind if you continue healing."
Nnoitra swung the strange crescent-shaped blade in his hand, stepped towards Ishikawa, and said in an indifferent tone: "But a battle that ends in an instant is truly uninteresting." As he spoke, his foot stomped on the ground, and he suddenly vanished from his original spot.
Buzz~
The next second, the crescent-shaped blade appeared out of thin air above Ishikawa's head, striking straight down.
And Ishikawa, who was still in his original spot, seemed to be unaware of the attack, and was directly split in two.
"Heh heh~"
Nnoitra let out a sneer, turning his downward slash into a swing, and the crescent blade, before even falling, swung out horizontally in a strange arc.
Clang—!
A clang of metal echoed, and Ishikawa's body shot out like a kicked football.
And in his original spot, the Ishikawa that had been split in two gradually disappeared, replaced by a black work coat severed into two pieces.
Even with his feet firmly gripping the ground, Ishikawa was instantly forced back dozens of meters. The immense force transmitted from the long blade caused Ishikawa, whose body was already injured, to spit out fresh blood.
But he had no time to wipe it away; almost the moment he stopped.
Ishikawa invested all of his remaining '10,000' experience points into his physique.
Physique: Advanced (35377 / 100000)
In his previous battle with the black-cloaked figure, Ishikawa had discovered something: a significant increase in physique could not only regulate chaotic Reiatsu but also allow for rapid self-healing of the body in an instant.
The investment of ten thousand experience points caused the burst wounds on Ishikawa's body to stop bleeding and scab over at a visible rate.
"Oh?"
A rather surprised exclamation came from above Ishikawa's head. Along with the voice, the strangely shaped scythe also arrived.
Seeing this, lightning surged around Ishikawa. Entering Shunko state, he turned into a flash of lightning and retreated rapidly, then extended his hand and pointed at Nnoitra from a distance.
"Bakudo No. 61: Rikujokoro."
With a soft chant, six light fragments shot out through the air.
Nnoitra, seeing this, released the hilt of his scythe and instead grabbed the chain below the hilt, directly swinging the double crescent scythe.
Clang clang clang clang…
With a series of crisp sounds, the six light fragments were almost simultaneously cut into pieces, dispersing into Reiatsu.
"Don't pull out such petty tricks."
However…
Before he could continue his pursuit, the six pieces of light, which had been cut into fragments, suddenly stopped dissipating.
Hmm?
A strange glint flashed in Nnoitra's eyes, and he suddenly looked up at Ishikawa's icy face, hearing a rapid whisper in his ears.
"Thunder carriage, spinning wheel's gap, this light, one into six!"
Post-chanting?
The six light pieces condensed in a blink of an eye and appeared directly around Nnoitra, binding him in mid-air.
And in this instant, Ishikawa advanced instead of retreating, his toe touching the ground, and he appeared directly in front of Nnoitra, his palm pressed against his chest.
"Hadō No. 63: Raikōhō!"
Buzz—
Thunder tore through the void; the air itself groaned under the strain of this attack, and a massive pillar of lightning instantly destroyed the six light pieces, pushing Nnoitra rapidly backward.
But…
"I'm already tired of this."
Nnoitra's voice emerged from the thunder, and the scene that followed made Ishikawa's pupils slightly constrict.
Nnoitra's chest swelled, and with a bang, he directly shattered the Raikōhō with his chest.
Hierro!
Ishikawa then remembered that, in his memory, the opponent had claimed to possess the 'hardest' Hierro among the Espada.
No recourse—!
Even if his own Reiatsu reached Captain-level, it was still a world apart compared to Nnoitra. Even if he hadn't added to his physique before and had put all forty thousand-plus experience points into Reiatsu, there was still a gap of tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands, in proficiency.
Nnoitra didn't need any of his usual despicable methods to kill him; as he said, this would be a battle that would end in an instant.
This kind of gap could not be bridged by any technique.
Whether Ishikawa used Kido or his blade, he couldn't inflict the slightest damage on him.
Even turning to flee would only hasten his death.
Even his experience points had been completely depleted.
Despair~!
True despair; here, no one would come to rescue him.
"Hoo—"
Thinking of this, Ishikawa lightly exhaled, and the Reiatsu around him gradually receded back into his body.
"What's wrong?"
Nnoitra stuck out his tongue, licking his chin with its sharp tip, and sneered, "Have you finally given up struggling?"
Taking a step, as if deliberately trying to instill fear in Ishikawa, he didn't immediately rush forward. Instead, he held his scythe and walked slowly towards Ishikawa, saying as he walked, "Oh, I forgot to ask earlier, what's your name, Shinigami?"
"Never mind. For someone of your caliber, I'm not interested in remembering it, not even in the moment before your death."
"I'm so weak, I'm truly sorry."
Ishikawa spoke for the first time since the battle began, causing Nnoitra to let out a strange laugh: "Are you ready to leave your last words?"
"Unlike you, I don't like to say a lot of nonsense in battle."
Ishikawa slowly lowered his head, looking at the long blade in his hand: "And I haven't prepared to give up struggling."
"Hmm?"
Nnoitra raised an eyebrow, his gaze fixed on Ishikawa's blood-stained, handsome face, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.
Indeed!
Even after realizing the gap between them, this Shinigami still hadn't shown the slightest despair, maintaining a calm expression from beginning to end.
That expression annoyed him to no end.
Because…
This expression was exactly the same as when that woman was challenged by him!
As if he hadn't taken him seriously from the start.
"Boring."
Nnoitra reined in the strange smile on his face, replacing it with an icy killing intent, and infused the Reiatsu around him into the scythe in his hand.
He didn't believe that in the face of death, the opponent could continue to maintain this demeanor.
However, to his disappointment…
Even though he would soon be cut down by him, the Shinigami continued to gaze at the Zanpakuto in his hand, which was constantly flickering with an inexplicable faint light.
Ishikawa stared at the Zanpakuto in his hand.
Earlier, during his fight with Aaroniero, Ishikawa had noticed that his Zanpakuto had been constantly trying to break through the seal on the blade, even showing a little of its ability through the cracks in the seal.
And that ability was the second strike aimed at Aaroniero. Ishikawa himself didn't understand the principle, but at that moment, he inexplicably felt that a strike he made while standing still could reach Aaroniero.
Zanpakuto: Intermediate (5400/10000)
Current Experience: 0…—0.56!
Zanpakuto: Intermediate (5400.56/10000)
The value, which had remained unchanged since he obtained the Zanpakuto, received a slight increase at this moment.
Although the increase was incredibly small, the faint light on the Zanpakuto, representing the seal, suddenly brightened at this moment, and then…
Clack—
A faint, indistinct cracking sound emerged, like an egg breaking.
The next second…
Buzz!
A chilling aura erupted, even solidifying, causing an extremely ominous dark glow to appear around the blade, and the blade of the long sword turned from its original white to black.
And the proficiency behind the Zanpakuto surged violently the moment the seal shattered.
5400.056… 5700… 7000… 9000…
Until…
Zanpakuto: Advanced (34860/100000)
All these changes concluded in just a breath. The Reiatsu that Ishikawa had previously reined back into his body erupted once more at this instant, pouring into the blade, causing the ghostly glow around the blade to bloom like a blossoming flower.
Buzz~
And at this very moment, Nnoitra's scythe slashed down from above.
Almost the moment he noticed the change in the Zanpakuto in Ishikawa's hand, he had already appeared in front of Ishikawa.
Although he didn't know what was happening to the Shinigami in front of him, he vaguely sensed that something was amiss, so he didn't continue to apply pressure, but instead launched an attack.
Facing the incoming Zanpakuto, Ishikawa gritted his teeth slightly, not stopping his action of infusing Reiatsu into the blade.
As if it had been thirsty for a long time, the long blade greedily devoured Ishikawa's own Reiatsu, and even with his Captain-level Reiatsu, more than half was consumed in an instant.
When the twin crescent-bladed scythe slashed down, Ishikawa only took one step back, avoiding his head.
Splurt—
Blood bloomed like a flower on Ishikawa's chest, a huge gash extending from his shoulder to his waist.
A strange look flashed in Nnoitra's eyes. According to his estimation, even if this strike avoided vital points, without Reiatsu defense, it would have been more than enough to tear Ishikawa in half.
But what he hadn't expected was…
The moment this strike landed, he actually felt a sensation on his scythe similar to cutting into Hierro.
However, he didn't pay it any mind; it was just a matter of another strike anyway.
He distorted the long handle of the scythe in his hand, swinging the twin crescent blades horizontally at waist height. No matter how strong this Shinigami's defense was, he was certain to die!
Just at this critical moment, Ishikawa's preparation was finally complete. Before the blade that was coming to cut him at the waist arrived, he let out a chant.
"Sighing children, play your fill!"
As the chant ended, Nnoitra only felt a great flash of ghostly light before his eyes, and everything in his vision changed in an instant.
"Picking up pebbles, throwing pebbles, jumping, jumping hopscotch. Left foot up, right foot hop, turning a circle, changing feet to hop…"
Faint, indistinct singing reached Nnoitra's ears. The voice was very similar to that of the Shinigami, but it sounded incredibly childish.
"I'll come find you again."
And as the singing came, Ishikawa's voice also echoed from all corners of this space.
…
Boom~!
Nearly half a minute later, Nnoitra emerged from the void with a gloomy face, placing his hand on the ground the moment he appeared.
"How is this possible?"
Gone…
Aside from the initial two faint Reiatsu, the Shinigami he had been fighting had vanished without a trace.
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