Chapter 586: The Finale
Chapter 586: The Finale
In the distant Scarlet Highlands, a profound silence enveloped the air, enveloping the cliffs, the sky, and the land.
Both the members of the Second Division and the leopard-like members of the Leopard Clan stood transfixed, their eyes glued to the unfolding scene above and the motionless figures of their chieftain, Olg, and the one with the Rinnegan.
They could sense Olg's spiritual pressure still lingering, seemingly unchanged, yet devoid of any sign of life.
What just happened?
Each of them had witnessed the endless cycle of time, trapped within the infinite loop, bewildered by the eerie phenomenon. But it was Feng Ye's final act, the Finale Sword, that left almost everyone bewildered.
Silently,
Olg and the Rinnegan-wielder plummeted from the sky, landing on a high plateau on one side of the cliff. They stood there, frozen like statues, unmoving.
From a distance, Yoruichi observed this, then glanced deeply at Feng Ye. Even she was shaken by the power he had displayed.
"I never thought there would come a day when you would save me," she murmured.
She had once harbored suspicions about Feng Ye's intentions, but now those doubts seemed like overcautiousness, and she even felt a twinge of shame.
If Feng Ye truly harbored ill intentions towards Soul Society, there would have been no need to reveal his true strength here, to save her and defeat Olg, the Leopard King.
Feng Ye could have easily concealed his spiritual pressure, which surpassed that of a typical captain, and hidden his terrifying Bankai ability. He could have abandoned these Second Division members and fled back to Seireitei. Even if he had been subjected to investigations and interrogations, it wouldn't have been difficult to smooth things over.
Moreover, by doing so, Feng Ye could have succeeded Yoruichi as the captain of the Second Division.
But...
Feng Ye had not hesitated to expose his true strength to save her. He had revealed a spiritual pressure surpassing that of a captain and demonstrated the most terrifying ability she had ever witnessed. Such actions clearly indicated that Feng Ye was not someone with malicious intentions towards Soul Society.
"... "
Feng Ye offered a faint smile but remained silent.
Standing behind them, Soifon, who had quietly wiped away her tears, looked at Feng Ye and Yoruichi with a warm expression on her face.
She had once tried to suppress her feelings for Feng Ye, vowing to dedicate herself entirely to Yoruichi and fight for her. But now, Feng Ye had pulled Yoruichi back from the brink of death, and this act alone surpassed all her efforts.
This debt of gratitude was difficult to repay, and including the previous time, he had saved her life twice.
These deeds would be forever etched in her memory.
Soifon had vowed to fight for Yoruichi, and she would steadfastly uphold that promise, never wavering in her conviction. However, if Feng Ye were to pursue her now, she might still refuse because of her dedication to Yoruichi. But to repay the debts she owed Feng Ye, she might... be unable to refuse him in other matters.
Aside from her unwavering conviction, she could offer him everything else.
Of course,
A man as talented, powerful, and warm as Feng Ye, with hardly any discernible flaws, would unlikely harbor despicable thoughts.
Under the watchful eyes of the Second Division members and the Leopard Clan, Yoruichi took a step forward, walking slowly towards the fallen Leopard King, Olg.
"... "
She glanced at Olg, frozen in place, his beast-like eyes devoid of even a hint of despair. Only stillness remained.
This deathly stillness, devoid of even despair, seemed lonelier than a desert, like a universe that had reached its end. It was as if the temperature had equalized in every corner, eradicating all signs of life, motion, and emotion.
She knew that this kind of death was probably the most painful, surpassing any physical or spiritual torture in the world.
Yoruichi met Olg's gaze, then raised her hand. Her five slender and delicate fingers came together, forming a blade with her hand, infused with spiritual pressure. With a swift motion, she beheaded Olg, and his head fell to the ground.
Throughout this, Olg showed no resistance or movement, his eyes reflecting only stillness, devoid of any hint of emotion.
Thud!
As Olg's head hit the ground, his blood splattered.
"... King!!"
Witnessing this, the shocked Leopard Clan members finally snapped out of their daze, their faces contorting with horror and disbelief. They stared at the scene, their eyes reflecting their terror.
Although they didn't understand what had transpired, they clearly saw Yoruichi behead their king, and they could sense Olg's spiritual pressure rapidly fading away.
Olg was dead!
Their king had been slain!
Yoruichi slowly raised her hand, no longer looking at the fallen head. Her gaze turned cold as she faced the Leopard Clan member with the Rinnegan. From a distance, she gestured towards him.
She unleashed a burst of spiritual pressure from her palm, sending a visible arc of energy hurtling towards the Leopard Clan member. It struck him with the force of a sword pressure, tearing his body in two, and blood sprayed out.
"Ah... Ahh..."
At this sight, the Leopard Clan members on the other side of the cliff could no longer contain themselves. They cried out in terror, their disbelief turning into sheer horror as it consumed their hearts. They began to back away, step by step, their eyes fixed on the scene before them.
In the sky, Tiger Shinta, who had been locked in battle with Lilith but was momentarily halted by the infinite time loop, stared with wide eyes, unable to believe what he was seeing.
The fear that permeated their hearts eventually coalesced into a single thought.
Flee!
Run for your lives!!!
After a brief moment of rigidity, Tiger Shinta spun on his heels and sprinted away, his battle intent and aura vanishing without a trace.
It was around the time Tiger Shinta fled that the Leopard Clan members on the opposite cliff crumbled. One by one, two by two, three by three... they began to turn and flee for their lives.
Yoruichi watched this unfold with a cold gaze. "Annihilate them all," she commanded.
"Yes!!!"
The members of the Second Division, having snapped out of their daze, looked at Feng Ye, who stood calmly with his hands behind his back. Their eyes reflected a mix of awe and admiration before they responded in unison. Their auras surged and peaked in an instant.
"... "
Lilith silently watched Tiger Shinta's retreat, lowering her oversized longbow slightly.
From the start, Feng Ye had not interfered with her battle, and she knew that this was a chance for her to train. Thus, she would not let Tiger Shinta escape, and she was determined to complete the challenge that Feng Ye had set for her.
In fact, Tiger Shinta's escape presented her with an opportunity to deliver a killing blow.
Her Bankai was a bow, and there was no doubt that the farther away she could pull the string, the more powerful the attack would be, especially against a fleeing enemy. She could unleash her full power without restraint, accumulating her strength to the limit, and then pierce the heavens with her shot!
Huff...
Lilith exhaled softly, then performed a rather comical action. She lifted her foot and stepped on the bow, pushing it forward with force while simultaneously pulling the bowstring back with all her might.
Despite the bow's enormous size, even with this awkward stance, she could only draw the string back a small fraction. However, compared to her previous arrows, the power gathered in this one was vastly different.
The amount of spirit particles gathered on the string didn't seem to have increased much, perhaps only a little more than before. But as she pulled back the string, the density of those spirit particles began to intensify to a terrifying degree!
Zzzzz! ! !
A blood-red arrow, resembling lightning, could be seen shrinking little by little along the drawn bowstring. The flickering arc of red light diminished in amplitude but grew in brilliance, condensing into a single point that exuded an unnerving aura.
Even Ye, who was observing from a distance, looked up, her eyes reflecting a hint of gravity—Lilith's gathered arrow was dangerous!
Even if she were the target of that arrow, she knew that if she didn't dodge it carefully, she would likely be pierced through by Lilith's shot and die instantly!
Finally, when the blood-red radiance contracted into a silken thread, emitting a light akin to the sun that dimmed the sky, Lilith released the bowstring.
The blood-red thread instantly sliced through the sky, piercing the heavens and speeding towards Tiger Shinta's back.
After releasing the arrow, Lilith herself was propelled forward by the recoil of the bowstring, tumbling in the air before steadying herself. Her small face remained impassive, devoid of any emotion, unaffected by the comical stance she had just assumed.
Sssss! ! !
The blood-red radiance that sliced through the sky instantly traversed the vast distance, reaching Tiger Shinta's back.
Tiger Shinta, fleeing with all his might, also sensed the intense danger approaching from behind. In the face of impending death, he roared and twisted his head, opening his massive jaws.
From the huge tiger mouth, a pitch-black beam of light gathered, accompanying his roar as it shot out, engulfing the blood-red thread that had sliced through the sky.
But.
It was all in vain.
The hasty response, coupled with his fleeing state, gave Lilith the opportunity to maximize her strength, and the disparity between the two was simply disproportionate.
In an instant, the blood-red thread penetrated the black beam of light, entering Tiger Shinta's mouth and piercing through his skull!
Silently.
Tiger Shinta, in his giant tiger form, remained frozen in the act of twisting his head to roar, his figure immobilized in mid-air. After a few seconds, his massive tiger head exploded into fragments with a loud bang!
The headless body plummeted from the sky, trailing blood.
"Even your little sister is so strong."
Yoruichi retracted her gaze from the horizon and said, "If she had shot that at me, I'm not sure I could have withstood it. I might not even have been able to dodge it."
Feng Ye smiled gently and also averted his gaze, saying, "With prior warning, you would still have a ninety percent chance of dodging it. Even if you were caught off guard, with your strength, you'd still have about a thirty percent chance of evading it... However, Lilith's Bankai is a tool-type, so others can use it as well."
At this point, he glanced at Yoruichi and casually added, "So if I were to shoot at you, you probably wouldn't be able to dodge it at all."
"Alright."
Yoruichi made a stopping gesture and said, "I know you're stronger than me now, my vice-captain."
She emphasized the word 'vice-captain.'
Feng Ye chuckled.
Yoruichi looked at Feng Ye, the hint of a smile on his sunny and gentle face, paused for a moment, then turned to him and said seriously, "This time... thank you."
Feng Ye smiled amiably and replied, "You don't have to be so formal. After all, I am the vice-captain of the Second Division. Protecting the captain is part of my duty."
"Hmm."
Yoruichi's expression shifted, and she smiled playfully as she stretched her body, saying, "That last battle was a bit tiring. Come and give me a leg massage, vice-captain."
"No."
Feng Ye glanced at Yoruichi and said, "You should get your personal guard to do that."
Soifon stood by, smiling as she witnessed this exchange. Seeing that Yoruichi and Feng Ye could still joke around as they used to, their relationship seemingly unchanged, filled her with warmth. Previously, whenever she saw Yoruichi and Feng Ye banter, she would feel a twinge of conflict, thinking that Yoruichi should be more mindful of her position and that Feng Ye should be more respectful.
Now, however, she felt none of that conflict, only harmony.
"Alright, stop standing there."
"End the battle quickly."
Feng Ye turned his gaze towards the distant cliffs.
Yoruichi also retracted her gaze and, along with Soifon, walked forward a few steps before joining the pursuit.
With the loss of their king and several of their strongest members, the Leopard Clan's fighting spirit had completely collapsed, and they were in a state of utter disarray. Coupled with the addition of Yoruichi, Soifon, and the others, the battle turned into a one-sided rout, with bodies soon littering the field and blood soaking the earth.
Feng Ye stood tall, observing this scene silently.
This was the Scarlet Highlands, and those patches of deep red earth may have been dyed red over millions of years by the blood of the Leopard Clan.
"It looks like the battle over there is almost over too."
Feng Ye glanced at the deep red earth and then turned his gaze casually towards the Rukongai.
(End of Chapter)
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