Chapter 77: Only That Which Cannot Be Destroyed Can Be Called Reality
"This is…?!"
Yoruichi broke out in a cold sweat.
"What a coincidence, I just mastered this move myself… all thanks to a certain someone you mentioned that I really dislike!"
Suì-Fēng gritted her teeth when she said this, her words full of hidden meaning.
The anger flickering in her eyes was even more scorching than the Kido spiritual pressure emanating from her body.
"You said I'm taking my anger out on you… Ah, I am indeed very angry, so angry that I just want to quickly deal with you, and then go settle accounts with that scoundrel!"
With that, without giving Yoruichi a chance to reply, Suì-Fēng charged forward like a hurricane, launching an extremely fierce offensive.
Although both sides' combat power had significantly increased,
for Yoruichi, the situation had not improved.
She had never expected Suì-Fēng to also independently master Shunko, and with a higher degree of completion than her own.
If this was Suì-Fēng's own ability,
then in Yoruichi's eyes, this talent might even surpass her own.
But if that were truly the case,
why hadn't she noticed it before?!
"Yoruichi, you're distracted again!"
Suì-Fēng thrust Suzumebachi into the inside of Yoruichi's arm.
It could leave a bee crest, and perhaps even sever a tendon crucial for hand-to-hand combat.
Yoruichi naturally wouldn't let her succeed, changing her move at the last minute, using offense as defense to force her to retreat.
Suì-Fēng did retreat.
But it looked more like she had been prepared for it all along.
"The spiritual deterrence of the bee venom worked…!"
A tactic someone had mentioned flashed through Suì-Fēng's mind.
Sometimes, revealing one's information can create psychological pressure on an opponent, making them hesitant in battle, which in turn disrupts their original rhythm.
Before they adapt, this is the best opportunity to decisively defeat the opponent!
Although Suì-Fēng felt resistant for certain reasons,
her body moved naturally.
Just like… an instinctive reaction to becoming humble upon seeing Yoruichi.
"What?!"
Yoruichi's move was blocked by Suì-Fēng, and with such a skilled technique as Anti-Kido.
She instantly judged it to be a trap.
But it was too late.
Suì-Fēng grabbed her fist and yanked hard, simultaneously extending her leg to trip her.
Finally, she plunged Suzumebachi into her heart.
Boom!
Yoruichi's full-power spiritual pressure sent Suì-Fēng flying away and created a huge crater where she stood.
"Still not giving up…"
Suì-Fēng, who had flown dozens of meters away, snorted coldly.
"Surrender, Yoruichi… I've already left a bee crest on your heart; once activated, you'll still be at my mercy."
"Even so, I can't surrender… I am Shihōin Yoruichi; the person who can make me surrender and admit defeat will never appear… Yes, in your words… if it were you, you should know I'm serious."
Yoruichi clutched her chest, breathing heavily, blood still trickling from the corner of her mouth, but her smile remained bold and heroic, her cat-like golden eyes filled with an untamed spirit of defiance.
"Even facing this, you don't intend to change your attitude? Bankai… Jakuhō Raikōben."
Suì-Fēng deactivated Shunko.
The Zanpakuto on her arm suddenly swelled into a golden missile launcher as tall as a person.
She aimed the missile at Yoruichi.
"I'll say it again, surrender… otherwise, I'll execute you with my greatest achievement of the past century."
"…"
Yoruichi was indeed unable to maintain her previous attitude, her face blank with shock.
"What is this? Why is your Bankai… this kind of thing?"
"?!"
A hint of embarrassment flashed in Suì-Fēng's eyes.
Just as she was about to speak, a voice suddenly rang out, answering for her.
"—Perhaps it's because Captain Suì-Fēng herself is a very contradictory person."
"?!"
"?"
The two confronting parties instantly looked in the direction of the voice.
In a nearby alley, someone walked out unhurriedly.
He was about eighteen years old, with black hair and black eyes.
His figure was tall and straight; although he wore a battle-damaged Soul Reaper uniform and looked quite disheveled, his bright, piercing eyes drew everyone's attention, leaving no time to dwell on whether he was disheveled or not.
He was a young man full of strange charm.
"Shimiya…!"
Yoruichi's face lit up with joy upon seeing him, but Suì-Fēng reacted even more strongly, immediately turning her weapon and pointing the missile at Shimiya Takeru.
"?!"
"?"
Shimiya Takeru's expression stiffened, and his remaining human instincts almost made him raise his hands.
Yoruichi, on the other hand, was the opposite.
With the missile moved away, the sense of deadly crisis vanished.
Combined with Suì-Fēng's shattered cold demeanor, Yoruichi couldn't help but let her imagination run wild, immediately casting a questioning gaze between the two of them.
"Captain Suì-Fēng, please calm down."
"You do something like this and expect me to calm down? In your eyes, am I that easy to talk to?"
Suì-Fēng glared at Shimiya Takeru.
"I didn't have a choice before, but now I want to be a good person… If I say it like that, can you understand?"
"Then go kill Yoruichi now, and then surrender."
"Kill Yoruichi? Captain Suì-Fēng, are you serious?"
Shimiya Takeru showed a strange expression.
"I've already made up my mind; if you hadn't jumped out to interrupt, this guy would have already turned to dust!"
"…So, I arrived just in time."
"?"
Seeing Suì-Fēng narrow her eyes, Shimiya Takeru waved his hand and said, "Don't be nervous, I'm not here to save her, but to save you."
"Shimiya… are you really Shimiya? Or did the Captain Commander punish you too severely, making your mind muddled enough to say such absurd things?"
"To be fair, Yoruichi is indeed a traitor, a criminal, a scoundrel who deceived you, hurt you, and always caused you trouble."
"…"
"???"
"But as a vassal of the Shihōin Clan, the Feng family, you once swore allegiance to Yoruichi. Regardless of the reason, you cannot personally put her to death, including instigating me to kill her… unless you are prepared to commit suicide to atone for it afterward."
As Shimiya Takeru uttered his last sentence, Yoruichi's expression subtly changed, while Suì-Fēng fell silent.
"That's a scene I absolutely do not wish to see, so I am here to save you."
"…I see."
Suì-Fēng murmured softly.
She seemed to accept this explanation.
Yoruichi immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
"So that means, as an accomplice, you want to help me out of this predicament, so you plan to step forward and die in her place, right?"
Suì-Fēng suddenly spoke.
She didn't even glance at Yoruichi, staring intently at Shimiya Takeru.
"In that case… Yoruichi, you can get lost, the farther the better, get out of my sight. I don't have time for you right now."
"Huh?"
Yoruichi was stunned.
Before, she had such a heavy, resolute attitude.
How could she instantly disregard her as soon as Shimiya Takeru arrived?
This change was too sudden, wasn't it?
"I say, Suì-Fēng, you two wouldn't happen to be…"
"Shut up! I'm not like you! I would never betray the Soul Society because of certain people!"
"Um… I wasn't entirely doing it for Kisuke; it was mainly because I was forced into that situation… But then again, your answer is a bit off-topic… Alright, I won't say anything more."
Seeing Suì-Fēng turn her cannon back, Yoruichi immediately raised her hands in surrender, giving Shimiya Takeru a look that said, "I'm out of ideas, you handle it," and then watched to see what would happen.
"Captain Suì-Fēng, you seem very angry."
Shimiya Takeru's tone was calm, not at all like an honest person with a gun pointed at him.
"Of course I'm angry. Do I have any reason not to be angry?"
Suì-Fēng's face was very grim.
"The day the ryoka invaded, I specifically reminded you to stay put and not run around."
"Yes, I remember that day… I also said sorry to you."
"…So, from that time, or even earlier, I've been completely played by you?"
"To be precise…"
Shimiya Takeru interrupted.
He looked directly into Suì-Fēng's eyes, which were almost consumed by rage.
"It was from that time that I became certain that what I was doing was correct."
"Correct?"
Suì-Fēng laughed in anger, and just as she was about to say something, Shimiya Takeru interrupted her: "Because I endorse your ideas more than anyone else, because everything I do is what you want to do."
"What did you say?"
Shimiya Takeru's answer made both Suì-Fēng and Yoruichi stunned.
"Is that so hard to understand?"
"Brother Kurosaki and I are close friends. He wants to save people, and there's no reason for me not to help him, even if it means becoming an enemy of the Soul Society."