Chapter 561: Bankai: End-All!
Chapter 561: Bankai: End-All!
Retsu Unohana was slightly taken aback.
Her vice-captain, Isane, standing beside her, was even more astonished, her eyes widening as she exclaimed, "Have you gone mad? There's a limit to arrogance!"
If the man before them didn't know who Retsu Unohana was, her words might be forgivable. But it was clear from his previous statement that he was aware she was the captain of the Gotei 13.
Even if Fengye didn't know the full extent of Unohana's power, he should at least realize that he was challenging a captain-level opponent. To face such a formidable foe with merely a small knife was akin to a fantasy!
Arrogance!
Sheer arrogance!
Even the strongest of the Visored would be no match for Unohana. Any misstep would result in being mercilessly cut down by her sword.
Isane felt that Fengye's words were an insult to Unohana, and her eyes now burned with anger.
Just as she was about to say something more, Unohana raised her hand, stopping her.
"Isane, step back." Unohana said calmly.
She wasn't angry about Fengye using a small knife. The Visored, unlike Shinigami, didn't rely on Zanpakuto and often fought using only their physical bodies, so it wasn't unusual for them to use a small knife.
While she had once been the greatest criminal Soul Society had ever known a millennium ago, her time in the Gotei 13, especially after leaving the 11th Division and joining the 4th, had refined her temperament. She rarely lost her temper anymore.
Besides, there was no need for anger now. If Fengye was the type to make excessive arrogant displays despite his weakness, he would have already been cut down by her sword and turned into a corpse in an instant.
"Lilith."
"Yes."
Lilith, standing behind Fengye, responded and then reached out with her small hand, grabbing the still-stunned Hizashi and disappearing from the spot with her.
It was at this moment that Unohana's entire demeanor changed. It was as if she had released herself from some invisible shackles. Her gentle and elegant posture transformed, and she exuded an aura as terrifying as a hellish demon.
Szzz!
A blood-red arc of light flashed as Unohana drew her Zanpakuto and slashed horizontally at Fengye. The immense spiritual pressure caused the nearby air and earth to violently tremble.
This sudden release of immense spiritual pressure even caused Isane, who had retreated dozens of meters away, to feel her breath hitch, as if she were bearing the weight of a heavy mountain.
"What an idiot!" Isane muttered to herself.
Captain Unohana was showing no mercy from the start. She didn't even intend to gauge Fengye's strength first. This meant that if Fengye couldn't withstand this attack, he would be cut down, paying the price for his previous provocation!
Even without using her Shikai or Bankai, Unohana's sword was still incredibly formidable. Even a captain-level opponent would find it challenging to withstand her attack.
Spiritual pressure was the foundation of a Shinigami's combat power.
Each Shinigami's spiritual pressure had a limit to its growth and would eventually hit a bottleneck, unable to progress further. Typically, a vice-captain's spiritual pressure upon releasing their Zanpakuto would reach a density of 200,000 spirit particles, while a captain's Bankai would have a density of at least 1,000,000 spirit particles.
As one of the strongest Shinigami in Soul Society, second only to the captain-commander and the members of the zero squad, Unohana's spiritual pressure, even in its standard state, exceeded 1,000,000 when fully unleashed! It rivaled the power of a typical captain's Bankai!
In other words, the destructive power of Unohana's sword strike had already reached the level of a standard captain's Bankai. Even a regular captain would struggle to defend against it without resorting to their Bankai.
And among the Visored, very few could withstand a captain's Bankai, which meant that the young man before them was as good as dead. This was the price of his arrogance.
Isane exhaled, feeling that she had already witnessed the conclusion.
But the next moment froze her in place, and her eyes widened in disbelief at the scene that unfolded.
Clang!
A crisp sound of metal on metal rang out.
Fengye, with a calm and peaceful demeanor, casually raised the small fruit knife in his hand and blocked Unohana's Zanpakuto, halting its blade mere inches from his body. He had used a tiny fruit knife to stop Unohana's Zanpakuto!
"This is impossible!" Isane exclaimed, her eyes wide.
Even Unohana herself wore an unusual expression.
After a brief moment of astonishment, a fiery gleam flashed in her eyes as she acknowledged the young man before her as a true powerhouse.
Boom!!!
Unohana unleashed a torrent of spiritual pressure from within her being.
This vast spiritual pressure spread for what seemed like an eternity, engulfing countless streets in its wake, causing countless souls to collapse in its path, unable to withstand the overwhelming force.
Several kilometers away.
Lilith stood protectively in front of the little Rukia, a blood-red gleam in her eyes. She erected an invisible barrier, shielding them from the encroaching spiritual pressure.
Hizashi, within the confines of Lilith's barrier, was spared the direct impact of Unohana's spiritual pressure, but she still witnessed the world seemingly trembling violently, with Unohana at its epicenter.
This was the violent agitation of spiritual particles in the atmosphere caused by overwhelming spiritual pressure!
"..."
Hizashi's expression reflected her awe.
At that moment, Unohana, having fully unleashed her spiritual pressure, slashed her Zanpakuto, sending a bloody arc of light toward Fengye.
This time, it was more than a simple slash; it was an exhibition of her swordsmanship.
A millennium ago, she had traversed the Soul Society, defeating countless renowned swordsmen, assimilating their unique sword styles to create her own, the 'Eight Thousand Flow' swordsmanship. It represented the amalgamation of the myriad sword styles of the Soul Society, standing at its very pinnacle!
With each graceful swing of her blade, she cleaved the air, leaving behind bloody afterimages as her sword pressure and aura bore down on Fengye.
Ding!
Fengye, unperturbed by Unohana's tempestuous assault, casually brandished the small fruit knife in his hand, deflecting each strike with nonchalant ease.
He seemed like a leaf in a tempest, yet unbelievably, his tiny knife found its mark every time, precisely blocking Unohana's blade.
"How is this possible...?"
Bravely, not far away, witnessed this incredulous scene, feeling as if he were dreaming. He couldn't believe that someone had managed to repel Unohana's attacks with just a small knife!
Not just Bravely, even Unohana herself felt a tumult of emotions as she faced Fengye.
The little knife in Fengye's hand, with each deft parry, felt like it was piercing her very being, despite only blocking her attacks.
It wasn't a matter of spiritual pressure.
It was swordsmanship!
Fengye possessed the power to counter her spiritual pressure, which Unohana didn't find surprising, as there were indeed individuals among the Visored with such capabilities. What truly astonished her was how Fengye's knife seemed to find the weakest points in her attacks with pinpoint accuracy!
It was as if he had completely seen through her sword style!
This was something Unohana had never experienced before! Even the head-captain, Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto, surpassed her only in spiritual pressure, not swordsmanship. In terms of pure swordsmanship, she stood unrivaled at the pinnacle of the Soul Society!
But now...
Her proud and self-proclaimed apex swordsmanship, the pinnacle of the Soul Society, was being casually torn apart by Fengye's diminutive knife.
It was as if a swordsmanship disciple was facing their teacher, their skills not even in the same league.
"!!!"
Unohana's heart trembled as she abruptly changed her sword style, transitioning from the Flowing Heart to the Flowing Water and then to the Rock-Splitting Sword styles.
The myriad sword styles she had mastered blossomed like a vibrant bouquet in her hands, each technique vying to surpass the other in an attempt to break through Fengye's knife defense.
However.
What chilled her heart was that no matter how she altered her swordsmanship, no matter which style she employed, Fengye's knife remained unwavering. With uncanny precision, each parry struck at the weakest point of her attacks.
This sensation was incredibly uncomfortable, akin to having a sneeze relentlessly suppressed, again and again, within a fleeting moment.
For Unohana, combat was the very essence of her being.
Especially when facing formidable foes, the thrill of battle brought her immense joy, reminiscent of the primitive and ancient exhilaration of humanity's earliest days.
But in this moment, as she clashed with Fengye, she felt none of that familiar exhilaration. Instead, she experienced an indescribable sense of suffocation.
Fengye's small knife once again met Unohana's Zanpakuto, this time sliding along the blade and creating sparks as the two weapons clashed.
With a perfect arc, the diminutive knife glided down the length of the Zanpakuto, coming to a rest as it wedged between the sword's edge and hilt. With a swift upward flick, Fengye knocked the Zanpakuto away.
Ding!!
Caught off-guard by the parry, Unohana was unable to adjust her attack in time. The force of her swing was interrupted at the most unfavorable moment, causing her to lose her grip on the Zanpakuto. It flew from her hand, arcing through the air before embedding itself into the ground a short distance behind her with a clang.
Unohana leaped backward, but a flash of light and a gash on her shoulder told her she hadn't been fast enough. Blood sprayed from the wound.
Fengye made no move to pursue.
He stood calmly, sheathing his small knife and assuming the same peaceful demeanor he had at the start of the fight.
Unohana retreated to where her Zanpakuto lay, grasping the hilt and pulling it from the ground. She kept her head lowered, her expression hidden, but they could hear her murmur, "I pride myself on mastering the sword styles of the world... It seems I've been too arrogant. I never expected there to be someone like you."
Although Fengye was using a small knife, the fact that he could dismantle her swordsmanship with it indicated that his skill far surpassed hers. It was no wonder he chose to use a knife instead of a sword. In this moment, she understood.
Her swordsmanship wasn't at a level that warranted his use of a sword.
Fengye spoke calmly, "The path of the sword is boundless. Even my current level is not the pinnacle, but... the world is indeed bigger than you thought."
Unohana lifted her head.
Her eyes, far from conveying defeat, now held a thrilling gleam that stirred the heart.
What she craved most was not swordsmanship but the thrill of battle itself. Whether it was swordsmanship or the healing art of Kaido, she pursued them to enhance her enjoyment of combat!
The man before her, whose swordsmanship surpassed her own, was incredibly strong.
He was a man who could please her!
Unohana's sword slashed to the right, and a terrifying blood-red spiritual pressure surged skyward. The wound on her shoulder instantly healed, and blood began to drip from her Zanpakuto and palm, falling to the ground.
In that moment, the entire world seemed to transform into a hell of blood!
"Bankai..."
"...Minazuki!"
An even more vast and overwhelming spiritual pressure than before surged upward. The ground beneath her feet couldn't bear the weight of this terrifying pressure and began to crack and shatter.
The entire 78th district of the Rukongai, and even the entire Rukongai, trembled at this display!
...
Deep within the Seireitei.
Yamamoto-Genryusai Shigekuni, the captain-commander, suddenly looked up from his inspection of the central underground corridor, his gaze fixed on the direction of the Rukongai.
Standing atop the outer wall, Aizen Sosuke, the 5th Division's vice-captain, also lifted his head, his eyes narrowing as he gazed toward the 78th district of the Rukongai.
Hirako Shinji,
Kisuke Urahara,
Yoruichi Shihouin,
Almost all the captains within the Soul Society looked up simultaneously, their eyes drawn to the direction of the Rukongai. The words that escaped their lips were almost identical.
"This spiritual pressure... It belongs to..."
"...Unohana's Bankai!!!"
With Unohana's release of her Bankai in the 78th district of the Rukongai, the entire Soul Society took notice!
The overwhelming spiritual pressure surged skyward, causing the nearby air to tremble violently and form visible waves and gusts that howled in all directions.
In this moment, even the vice-captains struggled to withstand the immense pressure. Vice-captain Izuru Kira felt his legs sink halfway into the ground under the immense force, his breathing labored.
Even as a vice-captain, he had rarely witnessed Unohana's Bankai.
"I never expected to see the captain's Bankai here..."
"That man..."
His eyes fixed on Fengye, standing before Unohana, and his gaze shook with intensity.
(End of Chapter)
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