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"My apologies."
A powerful gust of wind extended from where the sword sheath connected to the hilt, and as it passed, it seemed to shed its outer shell, transforming into a long spear held in Ikkaku Madarame's hand.
"But, I suppose you don't mind me using my Zanpakuto, do you?"
"Of course."
Ishikawa Katori nodded, thunderous lightning crackling around him, completely tearing off the remaining strips of cloth on his upper body, revealing his well-built physique beneath the black work clothes.
Although if he could choose, he would prefer to continue fighting Ikkaku Madarame with a wooden sword.
But his Zanjutsu was still too weak; it was difficult enough to resist Ikkaku Madarame in his normal state, let alone after his Shikai.
Ishikawa Katori did not immediately launch an attack; instead, he carefully observed Ikkaku Madarame's Shikai.
Although he had known for a long time that Zanpakuto could be released, this was the first time someone had released a Zanpakuto in front of him since he came to Soul Society, and the change in the blade was extremely bizarre.
Shikai is the first stage of Zanpakuto release.
Although the Reiatsu magnification for the wielder themselves is not significant, a Zanpakuto after Shikai possesses different abilities; in fact, Ishikawa Katori felt that rather than calling it a release, Shikai is the true form of a Zanpakuto.
Although Ikkaku Madarame's Zanpakuto does not possess various strange abilities like other Zanpakuto Shikai, it is equally not to be underestimated, because every Shinigami, after releasing their Zanpakuto, will research the most suitable combat method for themselves based on their released Zanpakuto.
"First time seeing it?"
"Yes."
"Then open your eyes and watch carefully!!"
Ikkaku Madarame laughed heartily, no longer holding the spear with one hand, but instead crossing both hands to hold the spear and twirl it: "I took advantage of my Zanpakuto, so for fairness, I will also tell you the ability of Hozukimaru; it can not only turn into a long spear, but also separate in the middle, becoming a three-section staff."
As if to match his words, almost as soon as Ikkaku's voice fell, the long spear in his hand separated in the middle, turning into a three-section staff with a spearhead.
"The two states can be switched at will to adapt to various situations."
Ikkaku Madarame shook the three-section staff, and the sections merged, turning back into a long spear.
Almost at the moment he finished explaining his Zanpakuto, Ikkaku Madarame stomped his foot on the ground, and his entire being burst forward like lightning.
A look of solemnity flashed in Ishikawa Katori's eyes; without any hesitation, he disappeared from his original spot amidst the roaring thunder.
Bang~
Almost the instant Ishikawa Katori left his original spot, the sharp spearhead pierced into where he had stood previously.
Unlike the swinging, slashing, and spinning techniques in the Asauchi state, when Hozukimaru was released, Ikkaku Madarame's fighting habits also changed, fully showcasing the advantages of the long spear.
Ishikawa Katori frowned, having to admit that close-quarters Hakuda was at a significant disadvantage against long-handled weapons.
From that single spear thrust just now, it was clear that the length of the spear shaft defined the range of Ikkaku Madarame's attack and defense; to injure Ikkaku, one had to enter that range.
Hmm?
Suddenly, Ishikawa Katori's expression changed.
Whoosh!
Without warning, a gust of wind swept in.
A sharp spear tip suddenly thrust horizontally from Ishikawa Katori's left side.
Without time to think, Ishikawa Katori's upper body bent backward, dodging the incoming spearhead, and at the same time, he slapped the ground with one hand, leaping into mid-air.
So fast?
Looking down, a strange look flashed in Ishikawa Katori's eyes.
He had the advantage in speed over Ikkaku; normally, even if Ikkaku could catch his figure, he wouldn't be able to keep up, and he was also certain that he had indeed left Ikkaku's attack range.
However, the next second, Ishikawa Katori understood why this attack came so quickly.
Because Ikkaku didn't move at all; the moment his spear thrust missed, he didn't pull back the spear, but instead directly allowed the spear shaft to separate into a three-section staff, and with the flick of the base, the spear tip, which had embedded itself in the soil, was directly flung towards Ishikawa Katori, who had moved out of the attack range.
With the two connecting chains, Ikkaku Madarame's attack range was much greater than it appeared.
"I told you, my Hozukimaru can turn into a three-section staff!" Ikkaku Madarame flicked the spear hilt, and the three-section staff once again transformed into a long spear.
Whoosh!
Immediately after, a sharp whooshing sound, the nearly 1.9-meter-long spear, like a dragon emerging from its cave, swiftly arrived, heading straight for Ishikawa Katori in mid-air.
Ishikawa Katori's heart stirred; without thinking, he distorted his waist and kicked!
"Windmill!"
The taut toes swept up a hazy white streak of light, mixed with lightning, causing the air to hum under the strain.
Clang!
This kick, coming from behind, struck the spear shaft directly as he distorted his body to dodge the spear tip.
Ikkaku Madarame felt an incredibly powerful force, his hands went numb, and the long spear in his hand nearly flew out.
This strength…
Ikkaku Madarame's heart was solemn, but a savage grin appeared on his face.
Accompanied by crisp cracking sounds, the long spear separated again; the spear tip that Ishikawa Katori had just dodged suddenly turned back like a venomous snake, slashing horizontally towards Ishikawa Katori.
Ishikawa Katori's expression remained unchanged; he beckoned with one hand.
"Kaminawa!"
The lightning that permeated his body instantly condensed into a rope.
The moment it appeared, it directly wrapped around the chain in the middle of the spear-tipped three-section staff.
With a pull and a flick, the spear tip that had attacked from behind was immediately flung back.
"Oh?"
This scene made Ikkaku's eyes light up; he was increasingly fond of this young man in front of him.
This young man was simply born for battle; just seconds ago, he was still struggling with how to deal with the long spear's attack, but after suffering a setback, he quickly came up with a way to counter it.
Ikkaku Madarame's fighting spirit surged around him.
Holding the tail end, he stepped forward, and the spear shaft instantly merged, simultaneously severing the lightning-condensed rope.
He changed from thrusting to swinging, directly smashing the spear shaft towards Ishikawa Katori's waist.
This series of movements was quick and fierce, giving Ishikawa Katori no time to defend.
Fortunately, Ishikawa Katori's reaction was equally swift.
Almost as soon as the Kaminawa dissipated, a repulsive barrier rose from the back of his right hand.
"Bakudo #8: Seki."
He swung towards the spear shaft as if swatting a fly.
Clang!
Both bodies shook simultaneously.
Ishikawa Katori moved sideways, while Ikkaku Madarame's body was also propelled by the force feedback from the spear shaft, spinning half a circle in place.
The spear shaft then disassembled before he could dissipate the force and steady himself.
"Hahaha!"
Ikkaku Madarame laughed wildly, almost maniacally: "Again!"
With a flick of his wrist, the long spear shot out like lightning, its sharp, cold tip tracing a straight trajectory through the air, heading straight for Ishikawa Katori's face!
So fast!
Ishikawa Katori's eyes narrowed, a similar fanaticism on his face.
The lightning around him intensified, even subtly dispelling the eerie aura around him, making him appear like a ball of lightning.
"Bakudo Number Thirty: Mouth Thrust Triple Flash!"
He drew a triangle in the air with one hand, and three sharp, beak-shaped beams of light shot directly at Ikkaku Madarame.
However, before they even reached Ikkaku Madarame, they were shattered by the spear tip; and at that instant, Ishikawa Katori concentrated his Reiatsu on his legs, bringing down an attack imbued with electricity and thunder onto the spear tip.
His kick was like a blade, and his foot and the spear tip were about to meet again.
A glint flashed in Ikkaku Madarame's eyes; the spear shaft separated for an instant before merging, and the spearhead, as if it had a will of its own, bypassed his foot and went straight for Ishikawa Katori's face.
Ishikawa Katori felt a sharp sensation wash over him.
Almost as soon as he kicked empty, his taut toes in mid-air remained unchanged.
Using his knee as a pivot, his calf bent, swinging repeatedly with extremely short movements!
"Shunko: Blade!"
Clink, clink, clink!
The lightning on his leg gathered and shot out along Ishikawa Katori's toes, transforming into crescent-shaped slashes that struck the spear shaft at an incredibly rapid frequency.
The Kido Ishikawa Katori integrated into his Hakuda was Byakurai, and this was precisely the Hakuda technique Ishikawa Katori created based on it.
The inspiration for this move came from Yoruichi's Lightning Strike, but unlike Yoruichi in her Shunko state, who simply and brutally released the Kido within her body from a distance, scorching everything within the attack range with lightning-like Reiatsu.
The Byakurai integrated into his body had limited power, so he chose a more ingenious method.
In short, it was to use the Kido within his body to condense sharp slashes, and at the same time, use his powerful, heavy leg as a bowstring to enhance the power of the condensed slashes.
Although the power was not strong, when stacked at a high frequency, like a rainstorm, continuously slashing at the spear shaft, it also caused the spear shaft to sway, brushing past Ishikawa Katori's cheek.
A hint of surprise flashed in Ikkaku Madarame's eyes, but his reaction was by no means slow.
The spear shaft separated again, and the spear tip turned, slashing from behind Ishikawa Katori towards the back of his head.
However, this attack was easily dodged by Ishikawa Katori as he bent his head.
Almost as soon as he dodged this attack, Ishikawa Katori stepped forward, instantly arriving in front of Ikkaku Madarame.
For the first time since the battle began, he had entered Ikkaku's attack range.
Buzz, buzz, buzz~
Thunder roared, and a fist imbued with lightning smashed out.
Ikkaku Madarame's expression changed.
His left hand, originally gripping the second section, moved back, and both hands simultaneously gripped the first section of the spear shaft, blocking it in front of his chest.
Bang~
Amidst a dull thud, Ikkaku Madarame felt a pain in both hands.
The force feedback from the spear shaft actually caused the webbing between his thumb and forefinger to split open, and blood directly stained the last section of the spear shaft.
This monstrous strength!
Ikkaku Madarame bared his teeth, but he paid no mind to the sharp pain in his hands, because Ishikawa Katori did not stop there.
Almost at the moment he sent Ikkaku Madarame flying, Ishikawa Katori launched himself into the air.
Raising his leg, sweeping, all in one fluid motion!
"Shunko: Giant Blade."
Boom!
A massive lightning slash tore through the void, hurtling straight towards Ikkaku Madarame.
However, Ikkaku Madarame's reaction was equally swift.
As he stepped back, his right foot sank into the soil, the three-section staff merged, and a spear shot out with a blur, thrusting straight into the void.
He actually used the spear tip to pinpoint the center of the massive lightning slash.
Meeting the incoming lightning slash, the cold glint brought by the spear tip poured out like a shower of raindrops!
Clink, clink, clink!
The spear shadows overlapped, and Ikkaku Madarame, in an instant, thrust countless times.
With each thrust, his footsteps would shift backward.
Sharp, dense clanging sounds echoed throughout the field, making one's ears tingle.
Crack, crack, crack—
Cracking sounds emerged, and visible cracks appeared on the lightning-condensed slash.
The moment the cracks appeared, Ikkaku Madarame exhaled, changing his backward step to a forward one.
With a stomp of his foot, the ground itself trembled.
The long spear was like a dragon, and with a crisp crack, the massive lightning-condensed slash broke in half.
Ishikawa Katori frowned; Byakurai was, after all, a Low Level Kido.
Even if his mastery was extremely high, its power was still limited.
Whether it was the intensity of the Reiatsu and strength magnification, or the power of the techniques created from it, they were far inferior to Yoruichi and Soi Fon's Shunko.
"That's a good move."
On the ground, Ikkaku Madarame laughed heartily, flicking the spear with one hand.
But his right hand, which was behind his back, couldn't help but tremble; thrusting dozens of times in an instant, the feedback force made his hands numb, and he felt as if his palms had swollen by a full size.
This made Ikkaku Madarame curse him as a monster in his heart.
Not only his strength, but his speed, enhanced by lightning, was also astonishingly fast; his whole being was like an eel.
He had the advantage in both weapons and Reiatsu, yet in actual combat, he was constantly at a disadvantage, unable to even touch this kid's body.
Just one spear…
Just let me stab you once!!
...
Absolutely cannot be stabbed even once!!
Ishikawa Katori stared at Ikkaku Madarame.
Even though he held the advantage now, defeating Ikkaku Madarame with it was almost impossible.
After all, he wasn't some cheat who, upon regaining his Shinigami abilities, already had Reiatsu strength infinitely close to Captain-level, someone who, with his own powerful Reiatsu, could even go toe-to-toe with Ikkaku through sheer brute force.
Strictly speaking, that guy, like Zaraki Kenpachi, was born with cheats.
Coach, I want to cheat too…
Ishikawa Katori's mouth twitched slightly.
Ikkaku was far superior to him in both combat technique and Reiatsu.
Judging from the recent battle, if using a system panel as an example, his Reiatsu strength combined with his own power after activating Shunko would probably be around 60,000 proficiency on the Reiatsu panel; whereas Ikkaku's Reiatsu was definitely among the top Vice-Captain, at least 70,000 to 80,000 proficiency.
His Zanjutsu was probably also at the level of tens of thousands of proficiency in advanced techniques.
And…
This was still without him using Bankai.
Others might not know, but Ishikawa Katori was well aware that this guy, though a Third Seat, had mastered Bankai a long time ago, he just didn't like using it.
It's really not easy to win.
Most importantly…
Shunko puts an immense burden on the body.
With Ishikawa Katori's current intermediate physique, he could already feel some soreness in his body, and his Reiatsu was also severely depleted.
He had to end the battle quickly, but it was extremely difficult to break into the long spear's attack range.
Moreover, the sectional long spear perfectly circumvented the drawbacks of a long spear; even if one entered its attack range, Ikkaku could instantly change the Zanpakuto's form, transforming the long spear into a three-section staff, using it like a dagger.
Speaking of which, can that really still be called a 'sword'?
Ishikawa Katori couldn't help but inwardly complain.
In fact, if it were a true life-or-death struggle, Ishikawa Katori wasn't without a way to continue fighting, and even had a certain chance of winning.
That would be…
Trading blows, and then, while trading blows, using Kaido to heal himself.
But Ishikawa Katori didn't intend to do that.
Firstly, he didn't want to, as this wasn't a life-or-death struggle; secondly…
Even if he won that way, Ishikawa Katori might need some time to recover from his injuries, which would cause him to miss out on a lot of experience points, making it truly not worth it.
Thinking of this, Ishikawa Katori dispersed the lightning around him.
"No more fighting."
Hmm?
Ishikawa Katori was startled, because at the same time he uttered those three words, Ikkaku Madarame, as if they had agreed upon it, spoke simultaneously.
In unison~
"Haha—"
Ikkaku Madarame laughed heartily, sheathing his Zanpakuto: "Let's call this a draw for now.
I'll come find you again next time."
With that, he turned and walked away with great nonchalance.
During their fight, the two had left the back of the tavern and arrived in the wilderness tens of meters away from the tavern.
When they returned to the tavern, a crowd immediately greeted them.
"Let's go, Kiyone."
Ikkaku Madarame called out, walking through the crowd and heading outside.
"That's not like you."
Ayasegawa Yumichika smiled: "What will you tell the Captain when you go back?"
"He's too weak."
"Hmm?"
Ikkaku Madarame chuckled strangely: "That's what I'll say when I go back.
Anyway, the Captain hasn't seen him, and given his level, I'm just right to be his opponent."
"Tsk, the Captain will definitely kill you when he finds out…"
"Haha, we'll see then.
You help me take my sword."
"Hmm?"
"My hands are numb…"
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