join p atreon.com/KeyofStars and become a Sequence 9: Reader for hundreds of additional chapters and over a dozen stories
"Kill~~~"
On the outskirts of the West 38th District, under the midday sun, the sounds of battle echoed through the forest.
Led by Himura and Oyama, a group of old patrons from the tavern charged, howling, towards Tsujido's followers.
Comparatively, Tsujido's followers had the advantage in both numbers and strength, but Tsujido's death had severely dampened their morale; Oyama and the others, on the other hand, were like chickens on steroids, fearlessly charging at Tsujido's followers.
Coupled with Toguro's death, there were no longer any enemies among Tsujido's followers who could contend with Himura, who, with only his right hand, wielded a giant axe and was an invincible presence on the battlefield.
These factors combined to give Oyama and his group the absolute upper hand.
Ishikawa Katori did not join the charge with the others but stood still, silently sensing the surrounding auras.
As for the battle that had just boosted everyone's morale, he hadn't given it a second thought.
Having detected the enemy's arrival in advance, using Kyōka Suigetsu to conceal himself for an ambush, rapidly casting three Bakudo spells with full incantation, and then the increase in his spiritual pressure… if he couldn't kill the opponent under such advantageous circumstances, he might as well go find a block of tofu to bash his head in.
"He's coming!!"
Ishikawa Katori's expression shifted, and he spoke up to warn them.
Nishijin Ori, beside him, nodded without speaking, his expression only growing more vigilant.
Almost simultaneously with Ishikawa Katori's words, an ominous grey energy erupted without warning, engulfing Ishikawa Katori and Nishijin Ori's location.
Ominous and terrifying!
Ishikawa Katori stared unblinkingly at the void, his spiritual power within him furiously burning. His spiritual pressure was rapidly increasing at an astonishing rate.
Pressure!
Even though he hadn't appeared yet, Ishikawa Katori still felt immense pressure, a pressure he hadn't felt even when facing the previous villain and Nishijin Ori after breaking through to the fourth stage.
And…
Is this the aura of a Hollow?
The opponent's aura was indeed not just that of a Shinigami. Although Ishikawa Katori had never seen a Hollow before, he was far superior to Nishijin Ori in spiritual power detection. The moment he sensed the opponent's presence, Ishikawa Katori couldn't help but frown.
For some reason…
He always felt that the opponent carried not just Shinigami and Hollow auras, but a mix of extremely complex auras, as if he were a monster forcibly pieced together.
Thoughts raced through Ishikawa Katori's mind, but his vigilance did not slacken in the slightest. His fully released spiritual pressure made the air around him incredibly viscous and heavy. It gradually changed from the usual azure to a light purple, and his black work uniform violently fluttered.
Buzz buzz buzz~~~
Just then, a strange fluctuation suddenly emanated from above Ishikawa Katori and Nishijin Ori's heads.
Looking up, they saw the void violently distort, then open like a gaping maw, behind which a figure sat slumped.
That's right, slumped. The entire person sat there weakly, as if dead.
A Hollow cavity?
A thought flashed through Ishikawa Katori's mind, and he subconsciously looked towards the face of the person in the Hollow cavity, but before he could clearly see the opponent's appearance, the slumped figure in the Hollow cavity vanished without warning.
This scene made Ishikawa Katori's pupils contract. Without any hesitation, his spiritual pressure surged wildly around him.
"Explode!"
With a loud shout, the spiritual pressure outside Ishikawa Katori's body churned, continuously condensing, and then exploded with a roar, transforming into a massive impact. Whether it was trees or sand and stone, everything turned to dust under this impact.
This was a common technique Ishikawa Katori naturally possessed after his spiritual pressure reached a high level. The impact wasn't strong, but it caused the rapidly moving opponent to briefly reveal his form.
But, it was enough!!
Ishikawa Katori locked onto the opponent's position almost instantly. He distorted his foot half a circle on the ground, and as his body rotated, his right hand slightly beckoned, and a crimson fireball condensed. The moment he completed his turn, he flung it towards his rear right!
"Hadō #31: Shakkahō."
Boom!!
The fireball tore through the air, hurtling towards the figure.
"Roar roar roar roar…"
But at that very moment, a terrifying roar suddenly echoed, piercingly loud, even forming a sound wave that made Ishikawa Katori's brain tremble.
Boom~~
A deafening explosion rang out, and the soaring flames, even in the bright midday sun, were incredibly dazzling.
And within the flames, a figure gradually revealed itself.
This was a square-faced man, about thirty years old, with wild light brown hair. If judged only by his facial features, he gave off a very ordinary impression; but at this moment, that face was incredibly distorted, his eyes blood-red, and as he roared, saliva continuously dripped from his mouth.
His appearance was less like a human and more like a beast!!
The roaring sound wave dispersed all the flames created by the Shakkahō.
The Hado, used by Ishikawa Katori with Vice-Captain-level spiritual pressure, was actually shattered by his pure spiritual pressure defense, turning into scattered sparks.
As expected, he's very strong!
Ishikawa Katori's expression darkened, and he subtly glanced towards Nishijin Ori's location.
At this moment, Nishijin Ori was also frowning deeply, his gaze constantly scrutinizing Genji's body.
Indeed…
Things had changed.
Ishikawa Katori had once asked Nishijin Ori about his battle with Genji. According to Nishijin Ori, when he fought Genji, Genji used a sword, and in terms of skill, he was probably only on par with Nishijin Ori, but he relied on his incredibly powerful spiritual pressure to severely wound him with a single strike.
But now, the opponent was bare-handed, and the entire person seemed to have lost all reason. Everything about him was completely different from Nishijin Ori's description.
Clearly, his state was very abnormal. A failed experiment of Aizen?
However, the rampaging Genji did not give Ishikawa Katori any extra time to be distracted. The entire person, like an enraged beast, no longer charged at Nishijin Ori, who had stronger spiritual pressure in his eyes, but instead rushed towards Ishikawa Katori.
Whoosh!
In Ishikawa Katori's vision, Genji's figure became blurred, like an illusion.
Not Shunpo!!
Ishikawa Katori instantly made a judgment in his mind. Although it resembled Shunpo, if observed closely, one could notice subtle differences. If there were no surprises, Genji's current movement method should be the Hollow's Byakuya Kuchiki's flash steps!
Ishikawa Katori did not panic; attracting the opponent's attack was his goal all along.
The opponent losing his reason was not a bad thing for him!!
Ishikawa Katori's feet were staggered, and he distorted his body at a strange angle, like a compressed spring.
While power is absolute, if skill reaches a certain level, it might not be impossible to compensate for the difference in power, especially for a beast with little reason!
"Hoo~~"
Ishikawa Katori exhaled lightly. The moment Genji arrived, his right hand suddenly struck out, forming a hand blade, directly slashing at the void.
As the force in the hand blade reached its peak, Genji appeared out of thin air in the direction of the descending hand blade.
Bang!
But when Ishikawa Katori's palm landed on Genji's neck, his expression suddenly changed. He felt as if he had struck steel.
So hard…
Immediately, a terrifying force rebounded from his right hand. Ishikawa Katori's striking right hand was directly repelled. Ishikawa Katori's eyebrows twitched, and his crossed feet distorted again. Spiritual power instantly concentrated on his ready left hand.
As his right hand retracted, his left fist shot out like lightning, slamming fiercely into Genji's chest. The terrifying force created a visible impact that spread outwards from his fist.
Bang~
Genji's body was sent flying backward like a kicked ball.
Ishikawa Katori did not pursue but pulled his slightly trembling left hand back to his chest. He glanced at it and saw that his left fist was already cracked, and the flesh on the surface had directly burst open. This deepened the solemnity in Ishikawa Katori's eyes.
Hierro!!
Although he couldn't use Shunko, integrating spiritual pressure into Hakuda was a fundamental technique. The stronger the spiritual pressure, the stronger one's offensive and defensive capabilities. But in that instant, his full-power Hakuda not only failed to injure the opponent but was instead wounded by the opponent's defense.
This level of defense could only make Ishikawa Katori think of a Hollow's Hierro.
Fortunately…
He wasn't alone, so even if he missed the opportunity to press the attack, it didn't matter!
Almost the instant Genji retreated, Nishijin Ori, who had been waiting for the opportunity, moved.
Compared to the rapid exchange between Ishikawa Katori and Genji, his movement could almost be described as simple and crude. The entire person strode rapidly towards the retreating Genji.
In his hands, two giant axes had appeared at some point. Carrying immense spiritual pressure, he swept them out in a 'two' shape towards Genji.
…
join p atreon.com/KeyofStars and become a Sequence: 9 Reader for hundreds of additional chapters and over a dozen stories