"He really is weak!"
Ishikawa flexed his recently recovered right hand, a hint of confusion surfacing in his heart.
Although its size was massive, its strength was nothing remarkable.
The surrounding mist was indeed incredibly heavy; if other Shinigami were trapped here, even moving a finger would consume a large amount of Reiatsu.
But for him, he could move freely without even needing to use Reiatsu, so there was naturally no talk of Reiatsu consumption.
And even if his physique wasn't considered…
His Reiatsu was not afraid of consumption, unless he was in a completely Reiatsu-less environment.
As it stood, the only highlight of this gray mist was its ability to obscure perception.
Ishikawa, being in it, couldn't pinpoint Kokumei's location, nor did he know from which direction the next attack would come.
"Since you've appeared before me—" Ishikawa searched the gray mist with his gaze, saying calmly, "you must at least have some confidence in killing me, right?"
Originally, according to Ishikawa's prediction, Kokumei would remain hidden in the dark, waiting for an opportunity to devour more people and thus become stronger.
But the current Kokumei, though having devoured many people…
Most of them were ordinary people and regular Squad Members of the Gotei 13; only a few Seat Officers and Vice-Captains were devoured by him, and among Captain-level, there was only Soi Fon.
Excluding Seat Officers and a few Vice-Captains and those with Vice-Captain-level strength, the combined strength gained from ordinary people and regular Squad Members of the Gotei 13 might not even be as great as that from Soi Fon alone.
To attack him with such strength, his preparation could be said to be extremely insufficient.
Yet, he still appeared, ambushing him on the road from the Everything Store to Shiba, having calculated that Ishikawa would inevitably come here.
However, Kokumei didn't give Ishikawa any more time to ponder.
The mist seemed to consciously part to both sides, opening a long, winding path through the misty sea.
At the end of the path~
A figure walked with a blade in hand, slowly approaching Ishikawa.
This figure appeared as a small boy, dressed in a gray robe, resembling Ishikawa but more aloof, as if devoid of any emotion.
However, this wasn't the most bizarre part; the most bizarre was… both of the small boy's eyes were a strange purple, and being gazed upon by those purple eyes made Ishikawa instinctively feel an inexplicable discomfort.
It wasn't a discomfort of the mind, but a primal biological discomfort and revulsion, and a killing intent uncontrollably surged within him, making him wish to immediately kill the owner of those purple eyes.
Ishikawa frowned, averting his gaze from those eyes and instead looking at the gray long blade in his hand.
The blade's design was completely different from what Ishikawa remembered; its length was still around 1.6 meters, the hilt was hexagonal, and behind the hilt was a white ribbon that was strikingly out of place with the gray blade body, yet somehow blended in.
Not Shikai~
Although his Zanpakuto hadn't fully recovered, Ishikawa had used it many times in battle; Kokumei in Shikai state was basically unchanged from its Asauchi state, only possessing the abilities to absorb various energies and for the blade to freely disintegrate, as well as an increase in sharpness.
And the Zanpakuto Kokumei held before him was definitely not the Kokumei in Shikai state that Ishikawa remembered.
Ishikawa's expression immediately became extremely serious.
Not Asauchi, not Shikai.
Then there was only one possibility: the Zanpakuto Kokumei currently held was something he had never seen, and had never used…
Bankai!
Upon realizing this, while solemn, Ishikawa also felt a sense of curiosity.
Curiosity about what abilities his Zanpakuto's Bankai possessed.
"Should I say long time no see?"
Ishikawa looked at the small boy, a flicker of killing intent in his eyes.
He was not unfamiliar with the small boy; before his Zanpakuto was destroyed by Aizen's power, its true form had always been this appearance.
The small boy didn't speak, appearing like a completely unconscious shell, merely gazing at Ishikawa with those purple eyes, devoid of any emotion, sentiment… or rather, any feeling a living being should possess.
Was it because he had died once and hadn't recovered?
Or was this a state he would inevitably enter after Bankai?
Just then, the slowly walking small boy suddenly tapped his toe on the ground and vanished from Ishikawa's sight without warning.
A warning sign suddenly arose in Ishikawa's heart; an extremely dangerous feeling stimulated his hairs to stand on end.
The gray long blade was reflected in his pupils; Ishikawa instinctively conjured a Kido Blade to block in front of him.
Clang——!
A sound that echoed throughout the battlefield, accompanied by sparks, a ripple spread outwards from the two, and sharp slashes burst forth, carving out trenches in the surrounding earth.
Ishikawa looked at Kokumei, who was within arm's reach, and just as he was about to make a move, his vision blurred, and Kokumei's figure once again disappeared into the gray mist.
So fast!
Ishikawa frowned; it was inexplicably fast. No matter how Ishikawa searched in the mist, he couldn't even catch a glimpse of Kokumei.
The reason he was able to react just now was purely because he responded the instant he was attacked.
Fortunately, although Kokumei's speed was fast, his Zanjutsu skill was not strong, and his attacks were extremely simple.
However, with the enhancement of that powerful Reiatsu, the destructive power was still extremely terrifying.
"Huuu—"
Ishikawa took a deep breath, his expression gradually returning to calm, giving up on further searching and instead standing quietly in place.
To adapt to all changes by remaining unchanged.
If his eyes couldn't keep up, he would rely on his senses!
The next second, Ishikawa's foot lightly tapped the ground, his body bent forward, and the Kido Blade he had conjured in his hand swept out horizontally, creating even a hurricane under the immense force of the swing.
Ishikawa did not use the Reiatsu within his Reiatsu Crest; although it could absorb Reiatsu to recover, the recovery speed was completely unsuitable for use in combat.
In front of the Kido Blade's trajectory, Kokumei's figure appeared, his Zanpakuto directly slashing towards Ishikawa.
The two blades rapidly approached, and just as Ishikawa thought the previous scene was about to repeat, a bizarre event occurred.
The simply downward slashing Zanpakuto suddenly shifted at a strange angle, bypassing his Kido Blade.
This shift was full of incongruity, giving Ishikawa the feeling as if the opponent had made the move several seconds in advance.
It was so bizarre that Ishikawa couldn't even react.
Pfft—
Blood splattered, a gush of blood blossoming from Ishikawa's shoulder.
Even though he reacted immediately, this slash still landed on Ishikawa's body.
Precognition?
Ishikawa frowned; the injury on his shoulder was not serious and could heal in an instant.
But being cut by this simple slash made Ishikawa feel an inexplicable sense of incongruity.
The trajectory, angle, and Reiatsu usage of that slash… even its so-called swordsmanship, were not complex, yet he simply couldn't block it or dodge it!
After one strike, Kokumei tapped his toe on the ground, and his entire being once again merged into the mist.
Ishikawa glanced at his shoulder with his peripheral vision; the wound had already healed, and beneath the torn clothes was unblemished skin.
It didn't seem like precognition; it was more like…
The moment Ishikawa made his move, Kokumei saw through all the variations in that strike, and from them, chose a trajectory that Ishikawa's Kido Blade absolutely could not defend against.
Moreover, the instant Kokumei made his move, Ishikawa also felt an indescribable level of concentration from him!
Although Ishikawa would instinctively calm down during intense battles, allowing his concentration to reach its peak.
The concentration Kokumei exhibited, however, was something Ishikawa couldn't achieve; his entire being was as if all biological emotions had been erased, and his bodily functions severed.
Transformed into…
A pure killing machine.
His Reiatsu, strength, and speed had clearly not increased, yet at a certain moment, they seemed to have greatly surged.
Bizarre~!
What exactly was the ability of his Bankai?
Ishikawa didn't feel himself being weakened, nor did he feel the opponent getting stronger, yet he simply couldn't dodge the opponent's attacks.
Whoosh—
The sound of air being torn apart appeared again, and Ishikawa's Kido Blade once again slashed out.
Pfft…
The sound of blood splattering continuously echoed, gushes of blood blooming from various parts of Ishikawa's body.
No matter how he tried to block, no matter how he tried to dodge, Kokumei's Zanpakuto would always brush past Ishikawa's Zanpakuto at just the right moment, appearing in the area Ishikawa was dodging into.
Unable to comprehend or understand…
Kokumei also gave Ishikawa no time to think, his figure appearing from all directions around Ishikawa, moving so fast that it left afterimages.
The sound of the blade entering flesh continuously echoed within the gray domain, and the surrounding gray mist even turned somewhat crimson from the splattering blood.
"Huuu… Huuu…"
Unbeknownst to him, Ishikawa's breathing had become rapid.
Although he was injured every time Kokumei attacked, Ishikawa, relying on his combat instincts, took the hits with the lightest possible cost, redirecting blades aimed at his vital points to less critical areas.
But this continuous, nerve-wracking defense not only made Ishikawa physically exhausted but also caused a sense of dizziness in his mind.
Yet, he couldn't relax his guard, because even a second's delay would result in him being hit by an attack aimed at a vital point.
However, Ishikawa vaguely realized the ability Kokumei possessed after Bankai!
If there were no surprises…
It should be an ability related to analysis.
There was something strange about those purple eyes; every time Kokumei attacked, those pupils would lock onto Ishikawa, giving Ishikawa an inexplicable sense of revulsion, but also allowing him to determine where he would appear.
Even though it would expose his hidden presence, Kokumei still allowed those pupils to lock onto him, which was enough to indicate that the activation condition for his ability was to gaze upon him.
Human body analysis?
Ishikawa frowned; under the gaze of those purple eyes, no matter how subtle a reaction, it would be captured, allowing for immediate analysis and pre-emptive adjustment of attacks.
It was as if, under the gaze of those purple eyes, even a single cell's reaction from Ishikawa would be detected.
If that was the case…
The Reiatsu Crest around Ishikawa's body glowed faintly.
Almost simultaneously, Kokumei's figure appeared above Ishikawa's head, the gray blade with the pure white ribbon in his hand striking directly down at Ishikawa's forehead.
Restraining his body's instinctive reaction, the Reiatsu Crest around Ishikawa's body flared brightly at this instant.
The next second…
Buzz~
The air vibrated, and dark red Ceros suddenly condensed around Ishikawa's body, shooting towards Kokumei, who was attacking from mid-air.
Hundreds of Ceros caused the Reiatsu Crest on Ishikawa's body to dim.
But with hundreds of Ceros appearing simultaneously, there were almost no gaps, and with the two of them in such close proximity, Kokumei absolutely could not dodge his attacks as before and attack him through the gaps.
And indeed, that was the case!
Hundreds of Ceros instantly enveloped Kokumei, their surfaces flashing red. Although the power of the Ceros was far weaker than a Hollow Flash, their speed was nearly twenty times that of a Hollow Flash.
And so many Ceros erupting at the same time were already enough to compensate for the lack of lethality!
The moment he fired the Ceros, Ishikawa didn't stay idle either. Squatting down, he followed closely behind the Ceros, charging straight towards Kokumei in mid-air.
However, what happened next made Ishikawa's pupils contract.
Puff, puff, puff, puff, puff, puff, puff…
A sound like air being let out emanated, and Kokumei in mid-air spun around, his Zanpakuto turning into countless afterimages, tapping on each of the Ceros!
Normally, a released Hollow Flash would explode even if attacked.
But the moment it was touched by that Zanpakuto, each of those Ceros truly deflated like balloons, and the immense Reiatsu within them, which had even dimmed the Reiatsu Crest on Ishikawa's body, actually reverted back into Reiatsu.
Not human body analysis!!
Ishikawa looked at the long blade piercing directly towards him, his eyes showing shock for the first time.
This was…
Omni-analysis!
Even Ishikawa, the caster, couldn't revert the released Ceros back to Reiatsu state, but that simple tap easily dissolved the Ceros.
It felt as if, in an instant, he had found the weak points of all the Ceros, and even analyzed the rules of the Reiatsu within the Ceros.
The tip of the blade, rather than puncturing the Ceros, seemed to eliminate the rule of 'allowing Reiatsu to condense into Ceros,' fundamentally erasing the existence of the Ceros.
Analyzing the human body and analyzing rules were completely different concepts.
The sound of blood splattering rang out, and the world in Ishikawa's eyes turned crimson, blood blossoming from Ishikawa's eyes.
The last emotion remaining in his eyes was an incredibly intense shock!
Bang~!
Ishikawa crashed to the ground. Blinded, he didn't sit idly by, but immediately clapped his hands together in front of his chest.
"Bakudo #79: Kuyō Shibari!"
Nine black, black hole-like spheres immediately appeared around Ishikawa's body.
Kuyō Shibari was a binding type Bakudo; the nine spheres would distribute around the enemy, forming a black hole-like effect, thereby restricting the enemy's movement.
But the Kuyō Shibari Ishikawa used at this moment was somewhat different; its black hole's suction force was not directed at Ishikawa in the center, but was released in all directions, including upwards, attracting all attacks and people coming towards him!
Kokumei's Bankai ability brought Ishikawa immense shock, even to the point where he didn't know how to break it!
And…
On one hand, he hoped this analysis had limits, so he might have a chance to win.
On the other hand, he also hoped this analysis had no limits!
Because…
This was his Zanpakuto.
The ability to analyze rules was, without a doubt, an ability that completely encroached upon the domain of gods.
It could even be compared to the terrifying deduction ability of the system.
And in some ways…
Analyzing rules actually felt somewhat complementary to the system's deduction ability.