Chapter 43

These were blade glints honed to the absolute limit—each one comparable to a single slash from Ten Myriad Phases itself!

"Crack—"

"Crack—"

Space, like fragile glass, was instantly smashed, severed, and shattered into fluttering fragments!

Ferocious and menacing, each one hovering around captain or vice-captain level of strength—snarling, roaring Adjuchas, their gazes greedy.

Along with dozens of Gillian-class Menos Grande, and barely a handful of small Hollows remaining.

Like insects sealed in amber, their figures abruptly froze in place, as pitch-black threads surged ceaselessly around them.

And then.

Countless pure-white blade glints pierced straight through every last one of them!

Their once-proud iron hides and defenses were like tofu before those countless blade glints.

Unable to pose even the slightest obstruction.

The next instant.

"Rumble rumble—"

The sound of bodies collapsing rang out.

On the ground, scattered haphazardly, lay countless tiny fragments of Hollow flesh!

The cut surfaces were smooth as mirrors.

Without a single flaw, like works of art carved by the heavens themselves.

The black-clothed men behind the shield watched their pupils contract violently; some were trembling all over.

In their eyes.

The five Adjuchas—those massive bodies towering a full ten meters tall—had suddenly crumbled apart!

Under the slicing of countless myriad blade glints, they dissolved into countless tiny particles like dust, drifting on the wind.

And.

Countless rifts in space exuded a terrifying pull.

Before those particles could even drift down to the ground, they were all swallowed up!

Five.

Adjuchas.

Wiped out in an instant!

Is this even human!

Even Captain-General Yamamoto is probably only at this level!

"That man is a monster!"

"Good thing the shield's defense wasn't broken through!"

The leader gazed at the shield's surface—at the deep, fine, numerous slash marks, as if about to pierce right through.

An inexhaustible intent of sharpness pierced through heaven and earth!

But in the end.

It still kept that just-now attack defended outside.

Otherwise, they would now be nothing more than scattered bits of flesh on the ground. 7

"The strongest shield of Soul Society—how utterly wretched." The black-clothed leader gave a bitter laugh. 1

The next instant. 2

In the air, the densely packed blade glints suddenly vanished. ⑸

In just an instant, like swallows returning to their nest, beneath the heavy veil of night, it looked like a pure-white meteor shower. 7

Between heaven and earth. 6

The scattered, endless blade intents gathered one after another upon Ten Myriad Phases!

Upon the blade. 6

The black-red patterns writhed madly, like roaring hidden dragons, exuding a peerlessly sharp, all-annihilating terrifying might.

Light bloomed along the blade's edge.

Beneath the boundless night, it was like a pure-white great sun! Then it transformed into a slender, invisibly thin thread of sharpness!

This was the power of Shikai compressed to its absolute limit—nothing remained but the purest sharpness!

The degree of sharpness.

Was fully ten thousand times that of before! Nothing could withstand it!

The next instant.

Everyone saw.

At the peak of Senya Pavilion, Kuchiki Senya stood lazily, one hand gripping a Zanpakuto whose sharpness had been compressed to the absolute limit.

It shed a soul-stealing, all-annihilating pure-white radiance.

It was the most extreme sharpness any of them had ever witnessed!

His other hand held a bottle of strong liquor, which he took a fierce swig of.

This life-and-death battlefield, this kill-sure situation.

Did not seem to stir even the slightest ripple in his heart.

The corner of his mouth curved into a faint smile.

"The strongest shield of Soul Society?"

"That name is too arrogant—I don't like it.".

038. Focus on a single point, and reach the pinnacle of perfection!

Relay group 371729119

"He—he—he!"

"In his battle just now, he hadn't even used his Shikai!"

Present.

The eyes of Muguruma Kensei, Hirako Shinji, and the others nearly popped out of their sockets!

Looking at the current Kuchiki Senya—after his Shikai, the terrifying might of space shattering in an instant and razor-sharp compression—they could only cry out "Monster!" from their mouths!

If he had used his Shikai from the very start.

They probably wouldn't have even arrived before Kuchiki Senya finished the battle!

The others were even more dumbstruck. Konpaku Retsu's hand resting on her Zanpakuto slumped down in defeat, and the fighting spirit she had held toward Kuchiki Senya vanished without a trace.

They couldn't win.

No matter how you looked at it, they couldn't win!

Without even using his Shikai, Kuchiki Senya had displayed combat power on par with the others' Bankai.

Then.

After he used his Shikai, the might of shattering space was more than ten times greater than before!

In an instant.

Dozens of Menos Grande were utterly annihilated!

Even the strongest shield sustained damage beyond recovery!

All of this.

Proved that he had the potential, in the future, to catch up to—or even surpass—Captain-General Yamamoto!

"Aken, stay away from that man from now on, okay?"

Behind a tall, ferocious-looking man, a little girl with pink hair was already trembling all over.

Her heart filled with worry.

Kusajishi Yachiru was truly afraid that Zaraki Kenpachi would get hot-headed and go challenge Kuchiki Senya again!

Zaraki Kenpachi nodded solemnly.

"However."

"Once I'm strong enough, I'll still fight him!"

"Senya!"

Shihoin Yoruichi and Urahara Kisuke hurried over, looking at Kuchiki Senya on Senya Pavilion, whose face was utterly calm.

The Zanpakuto in his hand, against the night sky, seemed like a brilliant star, blooming with a piercing white radiance.