Chapter 70: The Offensive and Defensive "Endonemī" (Two-in-One)
It was Ichigo.
Facing the formidable enemy standing at the apex of the Shinigami, he showed no hesitation.
After Hollow White retreated, he, as always… shot!
Giant cross-shaped arrows, dozens of meters long, were shot out one after another.
He launched a saturation bombardment on Yamamoto Genryūsai's position.
The bombardment lasted only three to five seconds before stopping.
It wasn't that Ichigo ran out of power, but rather an extremely massive spiritual pressure, accompanied by explosive flames, broke through the arrow rain and spread across the sky, as grand and majestic as a volcanic eruption, delivering a strong visual shock.
"After enduring such a severe attack, he can still unleash this kind of power?"
Ichigo, who had landed on the ground, found it somewhat unbelievable.
"That's not surprising."
Shimiya Takeru suddenly appeared on the other side.
His voice, coming through his helmet, had a more metallic quality than usual.
Even when speaking normally, his voice sounded strong and resonant.
"A Shinigami's vitality is equivalent to his spiritual pressure, and as long as his heart is still beating, spiritual pressure will be generated. Even if he can't react in time, instinctively mobilizing spiritual pressure to resist forcefully still has some effect… Of course, only some."
"The Captain Commander's Shikai is very strong, but no matter how strong it is, it can't be stronger than our Bankai."
"In a one-on-one fight, he might be able to contend for a bit."
"But in a one-on-two… it's already incredible if he can last a few rounds, especially when he doesn't understand the full extent of our Bankai."
Ichigo unconsciously nodded, staring at the large fire.
"My strength increased too much after Bankai, making it hard for me to control myself if I went at it alone. So, I simply let that guy test the opponent's strength first. When I cooperate with you later, I'll know what to do… But now it seems I still underestimated the opponent."
"—That's my line."
Yamamoto Genryūsai leaped out of the crater, which had been blasted beyond recognition,
instantly drawing both their gazes.
"It was I who underestimated you."
Even though he was covered in wounds, one eye couldn't open, half his face was stained with blood, his muscular upper body had hardly any good skin, and his breathing was heavy and rapid, clearly indicating extreme physical exertion.
But even so, Yamamoto Genryūsai's posture remained as upright as an ancient pine, exuding an unbeatable resilience.
He would not show any weakness in front of his enemies due to non-fatal injuries until his last breath.
"Holding a weapon like a 'bow', yet uncharacteristically launching a strong offensive…"
Yamamoto Genryūsai glanced at Ichigo, then looked at Shimiya Takeru.
"Having no weapon in hand, yet providing cover from a distance…"
"And then, once I adapt to your offensive, you suddenly switch back, continuing to catch me off guard."
"Of course, that's secondary."
"Without strong actual power as a backing, so-called tactics are merely being clever for cleverness's sake."
"Kurosaki ichigo, your Bankai can be said to have pushed the basic combat methods of a spiritual body to the extreme."
"Splitting the power of Bankai into two parts: one part envelops the entire body, becoming light and thin, greatly increasing mobility; the other part transforms into a spirit particle bow. Since spirit particles have no fixed shape, it can perfectly inherit the close and long-range combat style of the Shikai period and further develop it."
"Coupled with an extremely aggressive mental state, suddenly disrupting the battle rhythm… To put it bluntly, the probability of not being suppressed by your offensive and subsequently revealing a weakness is infinitely close to zero."
"As for you, Shimiya Takeru…"
If Yamamoto Genryūsai still knew nothing about his enemy's power after enduring so many attacks, he would truly feel he could retire.
But that being said,
Yamamoto Genryūsai had only seen through Ichigo's Bankai.
He was still in the conjecture stage regarding Shimiya Takeru's Bankai.
"How is my Bankai?"
Feeling Yamamoto Genryūsai's gaze, Shimiya Takeru spoke.
His tone carried a hint of provocation.
"I guess you're going to say that the defensive power of this battle suit of mine is very strong, and the spiritual pressure hardness is very high. If Brother Kurosaki is both long-range and close-range, then I am both offense and defense."
Yamamoto Genryūsai couldn't flatly deny it.
From the current performance, that was indeed the case.
But he knew very well.
This brat's Bankai was definitely not as simple as it looked.
He actually completely ignored the existence of "Flying Dragon Striking Thief Shocking Heaven Thunder Cannon."
Yes.
Ignored.
This was not a normal display of defense.
It was as if it hadn't even touched the hem of his clothes.
Perhaps the spiritual pressure hardness of the armor itself was real.
But the point of "defensive power"… remained to be discussed.
"Nothing more to say? Then, let's make a move, otherwise… the Soul Society might not be able to hold on."
Shimiya Takeru slightly adjusted his movements, striking a combat pose similar to ancient martial arts. His movements were visibly refined, making one realize that they were far from mere showmanship.
He took a step forward with his right foot, seemingly light, but the next moment, the ground within a hundred-meter radius shattered with a roar.
This display completely removed any doubt about his spiritual pressure hardness.
The so-called spiritual pressure hardness.
It is the compression of spirit particles, increasing their density, so that they do not scatter due to external forces.
To put it simply,
It's the same principle as tensing muscles when hitting or being hit.
For a spiritual body, spiritual pressure is like muscle.
Therefore, anyone fighting will enhance and refine their spiritual pressure.
Whether for defense or offense, this step cannot be avoided.
With strong spiritual pressure hardness, one can become impervious to blades and spears.
No matter how much an opponent slashes, the skin won't be cut.
Zaraki Kenpachi has a lot to say about this.
And Yamamoto Genryūsai's ability to withstand successive attacks without losing combat capability is also due to this factor.
But Shimiya Takeru's situation was different from theirs.
If one had to make an analogy,
Only the Arrancar's "Hierro" comes closest.
No need to deliberately control spiritual pressure, no need to tense muscles; the special body structure naturally leads to high-density aggregation of spiritual pressure, making the body incredibly hard.
The battle suit that Shimiya Takeru transformed into through Bankai also possessed the same characteristics.
Completely composed of high-density spiritual pressure.
Yet it didn't feel heavy at all.
Light and hard.
These words are not suitable for describing armor or battle suits.
They are more suitable for describing… swords!
When Shimiya Takeru stomped his foot, it felt exactly like unleashing a sword pressure.
"Yes… let's finish you two off within three minutes; dragging it out will become very troublesome."
"Bankai — Zanka no Tachi."
Yamamoto Genryūsai pointed his long sword at the two of them.
Suddenly, the sea of fire vanished.
The process… probably didn't even take a second.
The entire battlefield.
Sky, ground.
All the burning flames disappeared.
Not even a wisp of flame could be found.
Only smoke, steam.
The sun overhead became even more dazzling, the atmosphere blurred, and heat haze shimmered.
The moisture in the air evaporated little by little.
The long sword in his hand appeared charred.
It looked as if it had just been forged, or as if it was about to rust, completely lacking its usual sharpness, and even giving the impression that it would shatter with a slight touch.
However, seeing this scene, Shimiya Takeru and Ichigo's breathing hitched.
They instinctively felt an unprecedented crisis.
"That is…"
Ichigo's pupils widened in shock.
"Gathering all flames within the blade, neither releasing explosive flames nor burning enemies, but rather erasing everything with extremely high heat and power… This is my Bankai."
Yamamoto Genryūsai unexpectedly revealed his own information.
Soon, Shimiya Takeru and Ichigo also understood his "reason" for doing so.
"How I lost… spending time in prison thinking about this question would be too wasteful. It's better to think carefully about how to win back."
"For that, one needs to have a correct understanding of the power that defeated him."
Upon hearing this, Ichigo tightened his grip on the spirit particle bow in his hand.
Shimiya Takeru, without another word, rushed out.
As fast as a drawing sword technique,
Completely replicating Hollow White's earlier actions.
Even his speed was no less!
This was also an effect brought about by spiritual pressure hardness.
It was by no means as simple as a significant increase in spiritual pressure after Bankai leading to enhanced explosive power.
Arriving in front of Yamamoto Genryūsai, he leaped up, completely disregarding the long sword in his hand that could obliterate everything, and went straight for a flying kick.
The old man was terrifyingly calm.
But ripples stirred in his heart.
The name of the ripples was "memory."
A person who fights with both a sword and a bow,
A person who crushes everything with violence.
----------
Check Out P atreon For More Chapters:
P atreon.com/AnonymousWriter6