Feeling the endless stream of Reiatsu flowing through his body, a surge of confidence welled up in Isshin Shiba's heart.
He took a deep breath, gathered his Reiatsu along the edge of his Zanpakutō, and unleashed a lightning-fast horizontal slash at White.
The sharp wave of sword pressure tore through the air along with his blade, cutting toward the Hollow before him.
This was none other than his special technique, Agitowari.
Facing the incoming attack, White revealed a contemptuous smile.
Confidently, it reached out its palm, intending to block the strike.
After all, Isshin Shiba's earlier slash had not even managed to break through its defense.
However, reality greatly surprised it.
The blade passed through, and White's left hand was severed without suspense. The broken limb flew into the air, and blood sprayed out like a fountain.
White let out a painful howl, its eyes filled with shock and rage.
"Getsuga Tenshō!"
Immediately afterward, Isshin Shiba shouted and unleashed his signature technique.
A massive Reiatsu slash erupted from his Zanpakutō, its crescent-shaped light instantly swallowing White before him.
The powerful impact sent White's body flying backward. It crashed through several streets before slamming into the wall of a house.
Isshin Shiba followed with Shunpo, his body rushing toward White like a bolt of lightning.
The Zanpakutō in his hand flashed with dazzling light.
His movements flowed as smoothly as clouds and water, and every slash contained endless force, leaving White with no room to evade.
During his fierce exchange with White, Isshin Shiba displayed exceptional Zanjutsu skill.
His attacks were as violent as a storm, forcing White to respond with everything it had.
The two sides traded blows back and forth, neither giving an inch. The entire battlefield was filled with a tense atmosphere.
However, White was no weakling either.
The horn on its head began gathering a powerful flash of light.
Seeing this, Isshin Shiba immediately drew his blade back to guard.
A white Cero fired from White's horn and shot straight toward him.
At the critical moment, Isshin Shiba activated Kidō, forming a blue shield in front of himself.
The Cero collided with the shield, producing an earth-shaking explosion.
The shockwave swept through the surroundings, shaking the nearby buildings until they looked as if they might collapse.
When the smoke and dust dispersed, Isshin Shiba stood there unharmed. His face was grave as he tightly gripped his Zanpakutō, preparing for White's next attack.
Isshin Shiba murmured to himself, "This Vasto Lorde really is troublesome. It took a direct hit from my Getsuga Tenshō just now, but it doesn't seem to have suffered much damage."
White panted before him, clearly having consumed quite a bit of Reiatsu from the previous attack.
Even so, it still gave off an intense killing intent and stared fixedly at Isshin Shiba.
At that moment, the severed part of White's hand began to squirm.
Its flesh visibly started regenerating.
Isshin Shiba frowned and thought to himself, "High-Speed Regeneration? This is getting troublesome. I can't let this drag on. I have to find a way to finish it off quickly."
Just then, White suddenly launched another attack.
It opened its bloody maw and spat out a cloud of black smoke, which rapidly swept toward Isshin Shiba.
Seeing this, Isshin immediately used Shunpo to dodge.
However, the black smoke followed him like a shadow, refusing to let him escape.
"Damn it!"
Isshin Shiba cursed and swung his blade, cutting apart the black smoke, but the smoke seemed alive.
It quickly reformed and continued rushing toward him.
"What the hell is this?"
Annoyance rose in Isshin Shiba's heart.
He realized he could not easily shake off this black smoke's entanglement.
At the same time, White seized the opportunity to attack again.
It swung its sharp claws and pounced violently toward Isshin Shiba.
Isshin Shiba was forced to split his attention between the black smoke and White's direct assault, putting him at a disadvantage for a time.
Gritting his teeth, he said, "Looks like I can't drag this out any longer. I'll have to use my full strength to defeat this thing!"
After saying that, Isshin Shiba took a deep breath.
Spiritual power surged throughout his entire body. He decided to go all out and fight White to the death.
White's strength truly could not be ignored.
This battle carried Isshin and White all the way from Naruki City to Karakura Town.
...
At that moment, Kisuke Urahara, who was hiding in Karakura Town, the Visored, and the three parties consisting of Batsuunzai, Saitō, and Hiyori all sensed the two surging Reiatsu signatures.
They stopped what they were doing and looked toward the sky with grave expressions, inwardly shocked.
"The Reiatsu from this battle is actually producing such powerful fluctuations!"
None of the three groups chose to act, because they did not know whether there was some scheme behind this battle.
This was especially true for the Visored and Kisuke Urahara.
They did not want to expose themselves easily. After all, they were wanted criminals in Soul Society.
"Oh my, Yoruichi-san, Captain Shiba doesn't seem to be a match for that Hollow. Should we help?"
A certain man in a bucket hat covered his mouth with a fan as he spoke to the black cat beside him.
The black cat licked her paw.
"Kisuke, Isshin Shiba hasn't even released his Zanpakutō yet. There's no need to worry. We can just watch for now."
As for Batsuunzai, Saitō, and Hiyori, they also had no reason to act.
According to the records in the Spiritual Arts Library, they were supposed to have died in battle.
At the same time, Masaki Kurosaki, the last surviving descendant of the Kurosaki family with pure Quincy blood, as well as Ryūken Ishida of the Ishida family and other powerful individuals, also sensed the intensity of this battle.
"Ryūken, that Shinigami gentleman's battle with the Hollow doesn't seem to be going well. Should we help him?"
Masaki Kurosaki asked anxiously.
"There's no need to hurry. Let's observe the situation first," Ryūken Ishida replied calmly.
He knew very well how powerful the Hollow was, and that Shinigami was clearly no ordinary person either.
Under these circumstances, blindly intervening might only cause more trouble.
Besides, he was curious about this mysterious Shinigami and wanted to see just how capable he truly was.
However, as time passed, the battle became increasingly intense, and Isshin Shiba gradually fell into a disadvantage.
Masaki Kurosaki could not help speaking again.
"Ryūken, if we don't act soon, that Shinigami gentleman may be in danger."
She was extremely anxious and worried for Isshin Shiba's safety.
Ryūken Ishida frowned.
After thinking for a moment, he said, "No. I will not act. Masaki, you must remember that Shinigami are enemies of us Quincy. If we rush in recklessly, that Shinigami may very well attack us too."
After saying that, he remained standing in place without moving.
"But that is a Vasto Lorde-class Menos Grande. If that Shinigami loses, things will become troublesome," Masaki Kurosaki said anxiously.
Ryūken Ishida remained silent for a moment before saying, "Let's wait a little longer. Now is not the time. Even if we are going to act, it should be after that Shinigami dies."
He clenched his fists tightly, an unreadable light flickering in his eyes.
Masaki Kurosaki, meanwhile, looked worriedly into the distance, silently praying that Isshin would defeat White.
At that moment, everyone was tensely watching this life-or-death battle, waiting for the final result.
...
"What a difficult opponent!"
After fighting White for so long, Isshin Shiba finally prepared to release his Zanpakutō.
"Burn, Engetsu."
Bzzzz—
After a low hum, the Zanpakutō in Isshin Shiba's hand emitted a dazzling light.
Engetsu was a fire-type Zanpakutō.
After release, it gathered a large amount of Reiatsu along the blade and released flames.
This could strengthen the Zanpakutō's attack power and allow him to manipulate flames to scorch or detonate enemies.
Its guard was hexagonal, engraved with simple patterns, and two tassels hung from the end of the hilt.
"This is…"
Masaki Kurosaki widened her eyes in surprise.
She had never seen such powerful Reiatsu before, and fear could not help rising in her heart.
Ryūken Ishida's gaze also became solemn. He realized that this Shinigami was about to use his true power.
"That Shinigami has released his Zanpakutō. Masaki, you don't need to worry anymore," he comforted her.
"Getsuga Tenshō!"
After releasing his Zanpakutō, Isshin Shiba shouted angrily and swung the blade forward with force.
In an instant, a massive flaming spiritual shockwave swept out and rushed straight toward White.
However, White, swallowed by the flames, turned into a wisp of smoke.
In truth, it had already pulled away long before. What had been left behind was merely an afterimage.
It turned out that White had already suffered once from Getsuga Tenshō.
So this time, before the attack could hit it, it used Sonído and left its original position.
Isshin Shiba lowered his Zanpakutō and panted heavily.
The continuous high-intensity battle had left him, who had not fought seriously in a long time, somewhat strained.
"Damn it. You're pretty cunning! But this is only my Shikai, Next, please go ahead and die!"
Isshin Shiba stared at White before him, a ruthless light flashing in his eyes.
He gripped the hilt with both hands and prepared to use Bankai.
At that moment, however, a powerful Reiatsu suddenly attacked from behind, causing his body to jolt.
Aizen, who had been hiding in the shadows, had made his move.
"Bankai—!"
Just as Isshin was about to call out the name of his Bankai, a sharp pain suddenly tore through his back.
A huge wound opened across it, and blood sprayed out wildly.
Fear and rage surged in his heart.
"Who is it?"
He turned his head, trying to find the attacker, but the surroundings were pitch-black, and he could not see anything.
However, he could clearly feel that the wound on his back had definitely not been caused by a Hollow.
It was a wound cut by a Zanpakutō.
Isshin Shiba's eyes widened, his heart filled with doubt.
Who could have ambushed him without him noticing at all? And the attacker was clearly extremely powerful.
Otherwise, they would not have been able to easily break through his defense.
He gritted his teeth and endured the intense pain. The Zanpakutō in his hand remained tightly gripped.
Although he was seriously injured, his will to fight had not disappeared.
At that moment, the three groups watching the battle were all shocked. They could not understand this sudden turn of events.
Who had ambushed Isshin Shiba?
That wound was obviously caused by a Zanpakutō, and the attack had been extremely ruthless.
It had nearly taken Isshin Shiba's life.
However, the attacker did not continue. After striking Isshin once, they vanished, as if they had never appeared at all.
Isshin Shiba endured the intense pain and struggled to climb up from the ground.
His eyes were filled with anger and unwillingness, but even more than that, they were filled with confusion.
He did not know why that person had ambushed him, nor did he know whether they were connected to this battle.
"No matter who you are, I won't let you have your way!"
Isshin Shiba said in a low voice, his eyes revealing firm resolve.
Although he was heavily injured, he still refused to give up.
He tightly gripped his Zanpakutō and prepared to face the battle ahead.
Then Isshin Shiba once again focused his mind and fixed his gaze on White before him.
He knew that only by killing this Vasto Lorde Hollow could he uncover the truth.
He took a deep breath, adjusted his condition, and prepared to throw everything he had into this life-or-death battle.
However, the heavily injured Isshin was no longer a match for White. He was beaten back again and again.
Just as he was considering how to break away from the battle, a blue arrow of light shot straight toward White.
The arrow struck White, making it let out a painful howl. Its body began to burn, releasing waves of black smoke as White roared furiously.
Then a girl wearing a school uniform rushed over from afar at incredible speed.
She held a bow in her hand, her gaze firm and calm.
She was Masaki Kurosaki, a Quincy.
"You are…?"
Isshin Shiba looked at the newcomer, his heart filled with surprise.
He had not expected this girl to possess such powerful strength, and what she used was clearly a Quincy attack.
"Shinigami sir, my name is Masaki Kurosaki! Are you all right?"
As it turned out, Masaki Kurosaki had ignored Ryūken Ishida's attempt to stop her and had decisively stepped in to help.
Although Isshin Shiba was a Shinigami, she could not bear to watch him be killed by a Hollow.
Masaki Kurosaki quickly used a healing technique. A soft light enveloped Isshin Shiba.
The wounds on his body healed at a visible speed, and his strength gradually recovered.
Isshin Shiba looked at Masaki Kurosaki gratefully and said, "Thank you, Miss Kurosaki. But why are you here?"
Masaki Kurosaki pointed behind her and explained, "My home is nearby. I sensed the battle between you and this Hollow earlier. When I saw you falling into a disadvantage, I came to help."
Isshin Shiba's physical condition was still quite poor.
He panted as he said, "How innocent.... Miss Quincy, don't you know that Shinigami and Quincy are mortal enemies? Aren't you afraid I might try to kill you?"
Masaki Kurosaki revealed a brilliant smile and answered, "I'm not afraid at all! Because I believe you absolutely wouldn't do something like that, Shinigami sir. Besides, the enemy of my enemy is my friend!"
Hearing those words, Isshin Shiba felt warmth rise in his heart.
He had never expected that at such a critical moment, he would meet such a kind, brave, and fearless girl.
"Excellent! Then let's fight this Hollow together!"
Isshin Shiba's fighting spirit ignited once more.
Together with Masaki Kurosaki, he resolutely faced White.
The two displayed remarkable coordination.
Isshin Shiba tightly gripped his blade and engaged White in fierce frontal combat.
Meanwhile, Masaki Kurosaki relied on her astonishing archery, continuously drawing her bow and firing arrows.
Masaki Kurosaki's attacks were like a violent storm. Every arrow carried fierce momentum, as if it would tear White to pieces.
The spirit bow in her hand constantly released sharp whistling sounds, inspiring awe.
However, White was not defeated so easily.
It roared furiously, blood continuously flowing from the wounds on its body, but its strength did not seem to weaken.
At that moment, its horn once again gathered a dazzling white light.
This time, it was even more intense than before, making fear rise in anyone who saw it.
"Dodge! It's going to fire a Cero!"
Isshin Shiba shouted anxiously.
He knew very well how powerful Cero was.
If Masaki Kurosaki were hit by it, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Although Masaki Kurosaki possessed powerful Quincy abilities, she was still only an ordinary human girl, and her battle experience was relatively limited.
Faced with such a powerful enemy, she seemed somewhat at a loss.
Moreover, she had never encountered a Vasto Lorde-class Menos Grande like White before and knew nothing about its attack methods.
Seeing that the Cero was about to shoot toward Masaki Kurosaki, Isshin Shiba had no choice but to abandon his attack on White.
He quickly rushed toward Masaki and used his own body to block the Cero.
With a thunderous explosion, the Cero collided with Isshin Shiba's body and produced an enormous impact.
Isshin Shiba was instantly sent flying and crashed heavily to the ground.
---------
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