Although Sōya greatly looked down on Zaraki, believing it was shameful that Kenpachi had lost to Ichigo—who couldn't even use Bankai—he nonetheless had to admit that his physical body was monstrous. He withstood hundreds of Kidō spells and remained standing firm.
Just then, a bizarre object appeared inside the Dangai—an armed helicopter.
Sōya had procured this from a military base in the Human World. Its appearance, however, was vastly different from standard models in the Human World.
This helicopter was equipped with various machine guns and heavy artillery, making it look grotesque and unconventional.
Zaraki had never seen such a bizarre thing. While he was still confused, the helicopter's barrels were already spitting streams of fire. Countless bullets and shells poured out.
These weapons were fused with Sōya's Reishi, tearing through the Reishi turbulence within the Dangai and heading straight for Zaraki.
Zaraki swung his sword, unleashing a burst of Reiatsu. Reishi collided with Reishi, triggering a fierce explosion inside the Dangai.
Having fused with the armed helicopter, Sōya immediately understood its structure and subsequently made extravagant modifications.
Even seeing Zaraki submerged in the hail of bullets, Sōya did not cease fire.
Shin felt as if he had been transported back to his previous life, watching some kind of action blockbuster.
Sōya's creativity was truly immense. Using a fused armed helicopter for fire suppression was incredibly fierce.
The shells, infused with Sōya's Reishi, possessed power far exceeding simple physical laws. If it were an ordinary Shinigami, they would undoubtedly be scattered into pieces under such a relentless bombardment.
But the one standing before him was Zaraki, a monster possessing a freakish body and overwhelming power.
As the explosive residue cleared, Zaraki emerged covered in wounds, his clothes tattered, yet his face bore a terrifying, demon-like grin.
"I'm telling you, can't you stop messing around with these strange and useless things? Why don't you just come and hack me with a sword?"
Sōya paid no heed to Zaraki's provocation and instead observed him carefully.
Zaraki still lacked Bankai, yet his Reiatsu had genuinely increased. However, it still hadn't reached a level that warranted his serious concern.
The whirring sound of the helicopter's rotor once again echoed throughout the Dangai, and shells were fired anew.
Zaraki had no choice but to once again engage in what he considered an utterly boring battle.
Simultaneously, while the armed helicopter occupied Zaraki's attention, Sōya began chanting a Kidō spell.
The hundreds of Reigai (Spirit Body) performed a Kidō resonance chant in unison.
All the Reigai used the exact same Kidō—the "Sōren Sōkatsui" that Sōya's older sister had used in the final moments before her life ended.
The Kidō chant was complete, but he was not in a hurry to release it. Instead, he continued manipulating the Reigai to increase the spell's intensity.
Following this, Sōya summoned a large number of "weapons," all items he had previously fused with in Soul Society and the Human World.
Blades, firearms, bones...
They converged into a solid "wall" blocking Zaraki's path.
"You are such a killjoy. Can't you just give me a good, satisfying fight?"
Zaraki countered the attacks from the helicopter and the "weapon wall," completely disregarding the new injuries appearing on his body.
Sōya confirmed that Zaraki's Reiatsu had not diminished, and only then did he release the Kidō.
Hadō #73: Sōren Sōkatsui!
White and blue explosive flames engulfed the space inside the Dangai.
As the flames vanished, Zaraki, who had suffered no damage from the attack, emerged from the smoke.
It turned out that the preceding attack was not aimed at Zaraki. Sōya had commanded the Reigai to fire the Kidō at each other, and the explosive flames had consumed and incinerated them.
Zaraki rested his sword on his shoulder and asked, "What in the world are you playing at?"
Staring at Zaraki, whose Reiatsu had increased yet again, Sōya felt perplexed. "Why does your Reiatsu constantly rise?"
"Huh? What are you talking about? My Reiatsu has always been like this." Zaraki replied, seemingly oblivious to his own state.
"Is that right? Well, asking you was useless anyway."
Sōya scanned the surroundings, confirmed that all the Reigai had been completely incinerated, and then spoke again, "Farewell, Zaraki. You are not worthy of the title Kenpachi."
No sooner had he finished speaking than the carbonized Reigai floated into the air and began spinning rapidly around Zaraki. Even more bizarrely, these Reigai were still capable of chanting Kidō, with individual characters leaping out from their mouths.
Hadō #96: Ittō Kasō!
The "Ittō Kasō," sacrificed through hundreds of Reigai and a portion of Sōya's soul, might be far less potent individually than the one performed by Yamamoto. But when hundreds of these spells were accumulated, the resulting destructive power was nothing short of terrifying.
A blade-shaped tornado of flames suddenly erupted in the Dangai, appearing intent on incinerating everything.
"Danger."
Shin was preparing to deploy a defensive measure, but Ikaros acted first.
Her eyes turned red, her hair seemed to stand on end, her wings unfolded into sky-blue light pinions, and an angelic halo appeared above her head.
A honeycomb-shaped defensive net formed from Reishi enveloped the two, completely isolating the flames of "Ittō Kasō" outside.
On the other side, Sōya stood in place, his Reiryoku severely disrupted. The recent attack had placed a significant burden on him.
He sensed it: Zaraki's Reiatsu had vanished within the blazing column of fire.
"However, it's not over yet."
He then shifted his gaze toward Shin and Ikaros in the distance.
Just as Sōya was preparing to deal with Shin, a dark figure slowly walked out from the heart of the fire.
Zaraki, blackened from head to toe, looked like a demon from hell, letting out a harsh, jarring laugh.
"You actually managed to warm up my body a little!"
At this sight, even Sōya was filled with a degree of shock and fear.
"What is happening... Your Reiatsu clearly vanished!"
"Why?"
"Die! Die! Die! Just die already!"
Sōya frantically summoned all manner of attacking weapons and launched a crazed assault on Zaraki.
Seeing that none of these attacks were effective, he gathered all the Reishi he had fused after activating his Bankai into his sword, preparing for a fight to the death with Zaraki.
But before the true clash between the two could even begin, another attack brought the battle to an early end.
Rewind a few seconds...
"Enemy, confirmed."
As the lingering flames dissipated, Ikaros locked onto the enemy—Azashiro Sōya.
Her left hand formed a loose grip, and her right hand was drawn back as if pulling a bowstring. A large bow and arrow, burning with ghostly blue flames, materialized.
The arrow shot forth, striking Sōya at a speed too fast for the naked eye to track.
Neither Sōya nor Zaraki had time to react.
Boom!
The fierce explosion engulfed both men and continued to spread outward.
The Dangai could no longer withstand the force, and it began to collapse.
(End of Chapter)
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