Steel Tempest was Yasuo's Q ability.
At its most basic level, it was a simple thrusting strike.
However, every successful hit accumulated a stack of Whirlwind, which lasted for six seconds.
After gathering two stacks, the next Steel Tempest would release a powerful whirlwind capable of launching enemies into the air.
At this moment—
Shiraishi activated Steel Tempest while still seated.
To Soi Fon, the move appeared full of openings.
As the Commander of the Onmitsukidō and Captain of the Second Division, Soi Fon possessed absolute confidence in her speed, mobility, and mastery of Shunpo.
Dodging such an attack should have been trivial.
A slight shift of her left foot—
The blade should have missed to the left.
A slight shift of her right foot—
The blade should have slid harmlessly past her right side.
But—
Impossible!
Soi Fon's pupils suddenly contracted.
That awkward sitting posture should have made it impossible to generate any real power—let alone execute such a swift and precise attack.
Unless…
Either the technique contained a principle she could not understand—
Or her opponent had already reached the level of a true master swordsman, capable of transforming the simplest strike into countless variations.
Soi Fon refused to believe that Shiraishi had reached such a terrifying level.
Without hesitation, she used Shunpo, her body vanishing instantly as she moved behind him.
Yet the tip of his blade continued pursuing her.
Relentlessly.
How could such an awkward stance keep pace with her Flash Step?
For the first time, a faint sense of unease surfaced in Soi Fon's heart.
Perhaps Central 46 had not overestimated this man after all.
Sending her personally to eliminate him might have been the correct decision.
She drew her Zanpakutō in a swift reverse grip.
Her spiritual pressure erupted like lightning.
The next instant—
Bang!
Blade met blade.
The clash of their spiritual pressure erupted outward, creating a violent shockwave of wind.
Tables overturned.
Wooden benches shattered.
The walls of the teahouse cracked apart and fragments flew into the air.
Leaves rustled violently as debris scattered across the field.
The stool beneath Shiraishi exploded into splinters as his feet sank slightly into the ground.
Soi Fon staggered back several steps before regaining her balance.
"...Not bad."
She muttered quietly.
"I underestimated you."
Holding her Zanpakutō upright before her chest, she calmly spoke the release command.
"Sting All Enemies to Death — Suzumebachi."
A flash of white light erupted.
Her Zanpakutō vanished.
In its place appeared a small golden stinger mounted on her middle finger, connected by a chain to the arm guard around her forearm.
Shiraishi's expression finally became serious.
Among everyone in Soul Society, he might be the one who understood the abilities of the Gotei 13 Captains the most clearly.
Soi Fon's Shikai—
Suzumebachi.
Its ability was simple, yet terrifying.
Nigeki Kessatsu.
Two strikes.
If the same location on the opponent's body was struck twice, the target would die instantly.
Unless someone possessed overwhelming spiritual pressure like Aizen, there was virtually no way to resist it.
It was an extremely lethal ability.
Fortunately—
Shiraishi's abilities were no less powerful.
His Steel Tempest possessed a special characteristic.
Once an opponent stepped within his attack range, the strike would automatically lock onto the target.
That was why Soi Fon had been unable to dodge earlier.
Within that range—
Steel Tempest had a perfect hit rate.
No matter how fast the opponent's Shunpo was…
No matter how refined their combat technique…
Even spatial movement would not allow them to evade it.
They could only block the attack—or be pierced by it.
The most ingenious part of the technique was that Steel Tempest had no fixed stance.
It could be used while standing, sitting, crouching—
Or even lying down.
That unpredictability made it a terrifying ambush technique.
Whoosh.
The moment Suzumebachi was released—
Soi Fon vanished with Shunpo, launching herself forward without another word.
Shiraishi responded immediately.
He activated another ability.
Sweeping Blade.
Yasuo's E skill.
The true source of Yasuo players' joy.
Shiraishi dashed forward in a blur, passing directly through Soi Fon as she entered his attack range.
Soi Fon flicked her finger forward, aiming to pierce his right arm.
But the attack missed.
Not because he dodged—
But because he had already passed through her position.
More precisely—
Shiraishi's body slipped past hers like a gust of wind.
For a fleeting moment, the strange sensation left her body slightly unbalanced.
But before she could react—
Shiraishi continued his assault.
"Steel Tempest!"
This time, the strike was different.
When Steel Tempest followed Sweeping Blade, the thrust transformed into a circular slash.
Golden sword energy erupted outward.
Every instinct in Soi Fon's body screamed danger.
A long-dormant sense of crisis surged through her nerves.
Her spiritual pressure compressed inward, making her petite figure seem even smaller.
She instantly used an advanced Hakuda technique.
Willow Transformation.
Her body relaxed and softened like a willow branch in the wind, allowing her to disperse incoming force across her entire body.
The blade still struck.
A shallow wound appeared across her back.
A thin line of blood slowly emerged.
However, most of the attack's destructive force had been successfully dispersed.
She landed lightly on the ground.
Her breathing tightened slightly.
Then—
She felt it.
Shiraishi's spiritual pressure surged suddenly.
Golden wind-like energy began swirling around his body.
Two successful hits had already stacked the maximum Whirlwind effect.
He raised his sword.
And swung.
A raging golden tornado erupted into existence.
Tables, broken wood, fallen thatch, datura flowers, grass, and debris were all dragged into the violent storm.
Everything was hurled straight toward Soi Fon.
Her slender waist twisted sharply.
Her body rotated.
Her left leg kicked upward over her shoulder in a devastating arc.
Spiritual pressure exploded from her toes like a tidal wave.
With the strength of that kick—
Even a mountain hundreds of meters tall could have been shattered.
But something strange happened.
The moment her spiritual pressure collided with the tornado—
It dissolved.
As if it had been swallowed by mud.
The wind dragged her left leg upward.
"What?!"
Soi Fon gasped in shock.
She immediately suppressed her panic.
This strange phenomenon—
It must be the ability of his Zanpakutō.
After all, the abilities of Shinigami Zanpakutō were famously mysterious and unpredictable.
But—
What kind of power could neutralize spiritual pressure itself?
She barely had time to think.
Because the sound of cutting wind suddenly reached her ears.
Not the roar of the tornado—
But the deadly whistle of blades slicing through the air.
Three attacks.
An upward slash.
A horizontal sweep.
And a vertical strike.
Each one carried enough power to cut a person in half.
Every strike was lethal.
Soi Fon's body moved purely on instinct.
Her years of training as the leader of the Onmitsukidō took over.
Blood sprayed through the air.
Shiraishi had unleashed Yasuo's ultimate technique—Last Breath.
Three slashes.
Not a single one struck a vital point.
Shiraishi landed on the ground.
Then immediately used Sweeping Blade again to dash away.
Drip.
Blood fell onto the grass.
Soi Fon knelt on one knee, one hand pressed against the ground.
Blood flowed down her forehead, splitting into two thin lines across the bridge of her nose.
She looked up sharply.
"Don't even think about running away!"
Slash once and escape?
There was no such easy victory.
She immediately began casting a Kidō spell.
"Bakudō #58 — Kakushitsuijaku!"
She drew a circular symbol on the ground with her finger.
Even without brush or ink, a thick black circle formed from spiritual energy.
The spell attempted to track Shiraishi's spiritual pressure signature.
But the result shocked her.
"What…?"
"I can't detect his spiritual pressure at all."
Her teeth clenched.
"That guy…"
A masked officer dressed in black suddenly appeared beside her.
A member of the Onmitsukidō.
"Captain, are you alright?"
Soi Fon stood slowly.
"It's nothing."
"Just a minor injury."
Her voice was ice cold.
"Draw up a portrait of Shiraishi."
"Issue a wanted order to all Onmitsukidō units."
"If anyone discovers his whereabouts—report to me immediately."
Her eyes burned with anger.
Even if he fled to the furthest corner of Rukongai—
She would personally hunt him down.