Chapter 423: He Really Didn't Cheat
The Shinigami spectators stared in disbelief at the bold characters scrawled on the back of Kai's stone chair: "Haven!!"
Did this mean the chair could block wind-based attacks?
They speculated silently, finding the notion almost absurd.
Was this why Kai's Zanpakutō was deemed the most nonsensical and extraordinary in history?
Across the battlefield, Pivitt couldn't see the writing on the chair.
All he knew was that Kai had conjured a light shield to deflect his attack and was now lounging on a throne-like seat. It was infuriatingly dismissive.
Determined to break through Kai's defenses, Pivitt resolved to act swiftly. His Bankai, only recently mastered, lacked refined control and endurance.
A fierce roar filled the air as multiple massive hurricanes converged around him, merging into a colossal storm. The clouds above were torn apart.
The hurricane morphed into a monstrous form, its five claws each a swirling dragon of wind.
Hovering in the sky, Pivitt stood amidst dozens of meters of wind dragons, their roars echoing. Above him, even larger tornadoes formed claw-like extensions.
He raised his Zanpakutō, and the disaster wind dragons surrounding him bellowed toward the heavens.
"Captain Aizen, is this really alright?" Unshō asked, looking at the spectacle with a grin. "This move looks powerful. The Fifth Division's buildings might not survive."
"You're one to talk," Hyōban, the eighteen-year-old vice-captain of the Fifth Division, retorted in a sharp tone. As a new spirit, he still referred to Unshō as captain out of habit. "You showed no mercy earlier, Captain Unshō."
Hyōban harbored resentment toward Unshō, who had delegated nearly all Fifth Division duties to him, leaving himself with minimal work yet still complaining of fatigue.
Now, with Aizen as the new captain, Hyōban hoped to pass the vice-captain role to Unshō, freeing himself entirely.
"It seems Vice-Captain Hyōban holds quite a grudge," Unshō said, still smiling. "I hope Captain Aizen makes things easier for you."
Even if Unshō became vice-captain, he doubted much would change. He hoped Aizen would be more diligent, or poor Hyōban would remain burdened.
As their conversation veered off-topic, Pivitt's voice rang out above.
"Witness my power, Teacher!" he shouted.
The dragon claws of the Calamitous Wind Dragon and the sky's tornadoes synchronized, unleashing a devastating assault.
"Disaster Dragon Wind Claw!"
A thunderous rumble shook the air.
The enormous claws in the sky condensed, becoming smaller but sharper, pulling endless currents that altered the heavens. Like the talons of a dragon god, they descended to obliterate everything below.
The spectacle was visible across Seireitei.
Captain Soralin's calm shattered. The shockwave alone could wreak havoc, and allowing such a disaster would be a failure of her duty as head captain.
Her Bakudō skills, however, were lacking. Having spent little time in Soul Society, she focused primarily on her Zanpakutō and Shunpo. Kidō, with its complex precautions, gave her headaches. Her proficiency was only slightly better than Pivitt's.
Reluctantly, she turned to Chiyori, the Second Division captain, with a pleading look.
Noticing Soralin's expression, Chiyori raised her chin with a cold, haughty air, silently mocking her. Yet, she acted.
"Bakudō No. 96: Four Realms Cloth Top."
Four golden beams spread around the battlefield, erecting towering golden barriers on all sides. One barrier stood closer to the spectators, shielding the Shinigami from the chaos.
This Bakudō, Four Realms Cloth Top, didn't exist in the original Shinigami world of Kai's past life, where Kidō was incomplete. Kai had crafted this and other unpublished Bakudō techniques, deducing their forms for this world.
With Unohana Retsu and others perfecting Kaidō, Kai felt unburdened.
The golden barriers glowed, leaving the Shinigami in awe. A chantless Bakudō above number 90 was a remarkable feat.
Many knew of Captain Chiyori's reputation, but her mastery of Bakudō was astounding.
Soralin gazed at the barriers with envy. Even with chanting, she could only manage Bakudō below number 90, and not all of them. Her strength lay in Hadō, which suited her, but it paled compared to her Bankai.
The massive dragon claw lingered above the golden barriers for a moment before crashing down onto the light shield surrounding Kai.
Yellow sand erupted, obscuring the scene, as waves of vibrations rippled outward from the impact.
The ground trembled, shaking Seireitei and even Rukongai beyond. Shinigami and residents alike felt the earth churn, their faces uneasy as they gazed at the dim horizon.
Time passed slowly.
In the Fifth Division's battlefield, Pivitt, hovering midair, caught his breath and waved his Zanpakutō. Fierce winds swept away the spreading sand, revealing the scene below.
A massive claw-shaped crater, dozens of meters deep, scarred the ground.
Yet, at its center, a patch of land stood unscathed—where Kai remained.
"How is this possible?" Pivitt exclaimed, his voice tinged with disbelief. "That was my strongest move, and it couldn't breach his defense. He is only using Shikai!"
He began to doubt himself. Was his strongest wind-type Zanpakutō false?
As Pivitt grappled with his thoughts, Kai's cards activated.
His Haven seat wasn't invincible. It was a conditional card, triggered only by wind-based attacks, with a five-minute duration—five rounds on the timer.
Four minutes had passed, adding four more cards to Kai's panel.
Pivitt noticed but felt helpless. He couldn't penetrate the defense.
Frustration gnawed at him, bordering on despair.
"This child's mental resilience needs work," Kai remarked, amused by Pivitt's defeated expression in midair.
In truth, Kai and Pivitt's Reiatsu were equal in this fight, with no intent to overpower through spiritual pressure alone.
Had Pivitt managed to exhaust Kai's Reiatsu, he would have conceded.
Kai's Zanpakutō cards were random, though luck sometimes favored him with desired draws. He adhered strictly to each card's rules.
After all, he created this Zanpakutō for fun. Invincibility would diminish the enjoyment.
Thus, he truly wasn't cheating.
( End of this chapter )