"Extend, Houzukimaru!"
The lieutenant had no intention of wasting words with Byakuya. He struck the hilt against the scabbard, merging them and entering the Shikai state.
After Shikai, the opponent's Zanpakuto transformed into a red-tasseled long spear. Immediately, the lieutenant pushed off with his toes, lunging forward and charging towards Byakuya.
His speed was incredible!
The spear thrust forward, cutting a silver streak through the air, aiming directly for Byakuya's face.
Then...
Clang!
Byakuya made no move to dodge, standing his ground as the spear struck his chest with a clear ringing sound.
The lieutenant was stunned, while Byakuya chuckled!
The power of Lu Bu's possession wasn't just the Halberd, but also this set of dark purple armor.
Was armor just for show?
However, the lieutenant reacted quickly. He suddenly grabbed the spear shaft and pulled hard. The shaft split apart, and the rear end whipped forward. xxs壹贰
This time, the opponent's attack was no longer aimed at Byakuya's body, but directly at his face.
This was a spot the armor couldn't protect!
But just as it was about to strike, Byakuya suddenly raised his hand and grabbed the spear shaft.
"Rise!"
Byakuya roared, then with a surge of strength in his arm, he directly flung the lieutenant and his weapon into the air.
The lieutenant tumbled through the air, only managing to stabilize himself and land back on the ground.
Byakuya glanced at the weapon in the lieutenant's hand, realizing it was a three-sectioned spear, similar in shape to a nunchaku but with a spearhead.
At the same time...
Bang, bang, bang!
Gunshots suddenly rang out.
Byakuya glanced sideways. The surrounding Shinigami, taking advantage of Byakuya's engagement with the lieutenant, had pressed forward, and Sesh was now completely surrounded.
Hiss!
Byakuya took a deep breath and roared towards Sesh, "Get out of the way!"
Upon hearing Byakuya's shout, Sesh reacted swiftly, quickly darting to the side and leaping away.
And at that very moment...
Byakuya leaped violently into the air, descending into the center of the crowd.
"Demon God's Descent!"
Boom!
Byakuya landed in the center of the crowd. The moment he touched down, a large cloud of dark purple smoke billowed around him, encircled by phantom demonic claws that trapped the Shinigami.
Then...
Byakuya twisted his ankle, spun in place, and swung his Halberd in a wide arc, putting all his might into the sweep.
Instantly, screams erupted!
The Shinigami were utterly defenseless. Swept by Byakuya's halberd, they were all sent flying, crashing in all directions.
The surrounding walls collapsed, turning into heaps of rubble.
"Let's go!"
Byakuya called out to Sesh and strode forward. After exiting the intersection, the Byakudo Gate, one of the four gates of Seireitei, appeared before them.
Sesh said to Byakuya, "We've gone far enough, we can place the marker."
But at that very moment...
"Did I say you could leave?"
The lieutenant, still holding the three-sectioned spear, had caught up.
Sesh reached for his pistol, but Byakuya placed a hand on his wrist.
Byakuya said, "Don't worry about him. You place the marker, I'll handle everything else."
Sesh nodded and ran ahead, putting distance between himself and the Shinigami, then took out the item given by Kongaku.
Meanwhile, Byakuya swung his halberd, striking the spear the lieutenant thrust down, and once again sent him flying with a powerful blow.
"Lieutenant?" Byakuya asked, "Can you Bankai?"
The lieutenant grinned, "Do I seem to be underestimated? Since you're so eager to see, I'll show you."
The lieutenant thrust his spear into the ground, then removed his outer coat, revealing a terrifyingly muscular physique.
Instantly, the spiritual pressure emanating from the lieutenant began to surge.
Spiritual pressure, that was the term for Shinigami.
For the Chosen, it was essentially spiritual power. Just like the Zanpakuto Sesh gave Byakuya, which required a spiritual pressure value to achieve Bankai, it was actually the spiritual power value that needed to be increased.
Perhaps the two were not the same, but their effects were at least analogous.
At the same time...
Following the surge of spiritual pressure, the lieutenant raised his three-sectioned spear high once more.
"Break, Houzukimaru!"
The lieutenant roared, and the spiritual pressure emanating from him increased wildly.
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
The ground beneath them began to shatter under the oppressive spiritual pressure, vast spiderweb cracks appearing, forming a deep pit!
"Bankai!" the lieutenant took a deep breath, "Ryūmon Houzukimaru!"
Instantly, the Zanpakuto in the lieutenant's hand vanished, replaced by a suspended, axe-like giant blade behind him. Thick chains connected it to two smaller axe blades on either side, and lifelike dragon patterns adorned the axe surfaces.
Byakuya raised an eyebrow. This was quite something. As far as Byakuya knew, all Captain-level Shinigami could Bankai, but not all lieutenants could. Only a select few lieutenants with formidable strength, close to Captain-level, possessed the ability to Bankai.
After achieving Bankai, the lieutenant slightly lowered his stance, then suddenly leaped into the air.
"Didn't you want to witness Bankai?" the lieutenant snarled, "Then I'll let you witness it."
As he spoke, the lieutenant forcefully threw one of the axe blades in his hand towards Byakuya.
The axe blade was incredibly heavy, whistling through the air, carrying with it a powerful gust of wind. The massive chain connected to its rear made a constant "clang, clang" sound.
This attack appeared to be immensely powerful, capable of crushing a person into pulp.
However, at this moment...
Byakuya suddenly smiled, a somewhat eerie smile!
Then...
Clang!
Byakuya suddenly raised his hand and directly caught the descending axe blade, producing a deafening sound.
The lieutenant was instantly stunned. His attack had been caught?
And...
With his bare hands?
The lieutenant yanked hard on the chain, trying to pull his weapon back, but found that the axe blade remained utterly still, unable to break free from Byakuya's grip.
"You've misunderstood something," Byakuya said, looking at the lieutenant. "It's not that achieving Bankai means you can defeat me, but rather that if you achieve Bankai, I can have more fun!"
The moment Byakuya finished speaking, he grabbed the axe blade and swung it forcefully to the side.
In the next instant, the lieutenant's body, pulled by the chain, was sent flying sideways.
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
The lieutenant's body repeatedly slammed into the ground, shattering it with each impact, creating loud roars. Large clouds of dust billowed up, forming columns of dust.
...