Chapter 98: This Soul Society probably won't last long before it changes its surname to

All of you, step back! Remember to keep your distance~

Huangmu held his Soul-Cutting Sword, lightly waving his hand at the Eleventh Division soldiers around him.

Understood!

The Eleventh Division soldiers wasted no time; the moment Huangmu ordered them to leave, they immediately bolted away at their top speed……

From the moment that boy who had descended from heaven swung that sword at them, they already knew he was merely a monster wearing human skin, and a monster could not be defeated by human strength! Let the monster deal with the monster!

As for whether their captain Huangmu could be defeated by that boy, they had never even considered it, because their captain was the biggest monster in the Soul Society's Pure Spirit Court!

Slurp~

The boy picked up the Soul-Cutting Sword that Huangmu had knocked away, lightly licking the blood stain on his cheek, his eyes flashing crimson. Since he could remember, he had never encountered something that couldn't be killed by a single slash; to him, Huangmu seemed quite interesting……

Thus, the boy paid no heed to those 'fleeing' Eleventh Division soldiers; in his eyes, those running troops meant nothing to him!

Come at me!

Huangmu gazed at the boy who hadn't moved in a while, crooking his finger.

?!

The boy frowned at Huangmu's gesture; he seemed not to understand human speech, not grasping Huangmu's language, but from Huangmu's action he instinctively felt it wasn't anything good……

Can't you communicate? You're practically just a wild beast!

Seeing that he couldn't communicate with the boy, Huangmu's lips twitched upward slightly.

Bang!

In response to Huangmu came the boy's 'ferocious' assault; he didn't know footwork, couldn't perform 'Flash Step' to boost speed, nor comprehend the use of 'Six Styles', relying solely on his legs to run across the ground, displaying a speed far surpassing that of a typical captain using Flash Step—a pure 'stats' monster……

Before the 'sound' reached Huangmu's ears, the boy's blade was already swinging toward Huangmu's head; the boy used his own feet to surpass the sound……

Heh~

Facing the boy's sword, Huangmu's face lit up with wild joy; he backhanded a sword and went straight to meet it!

Without a doubt, the boy's stats were all high! But unfortunately, his opponent Huangmu was likewise a pure 'stats' monster, his Spiritual Pressure and Spiritual Body having reached the peak of a Soul Reaper, all attributes overwhelming the boy's 'stats' monster.

Boom!

Accompanied by endless sound waves, the boy was undoubtedly sent flying once again by Huangmu's slash.

?

The boy's body floated midair, a flicker of surprise crossing his face; this time differed from his earlier probing, for he had exerted his full strength! Yet as his power intensified, Huangmu's strength seemed to increase proportionally, so he was sent flying once more by Huangmu.

However, the boy's eyes merely flashed a hint of surprise; this time he came 'prepared', seen as he spun rapidly in midair, using that trait to shed the force Huangmu had imposed on him……

Moreover, the instant the boy shed Huangmu's force, he immediately launched another attack at Huangmu!

Seen, the boy descended from heaven gripping his Soul-Cutting Sword; this time he would harness the downward force from high altitude and his own bodily strength to slash at Huangmu……

Interesting……

Huangmu watched the boy Gengmu, who used a method nearly defying the laws of physics to completely shed his power, and instantly a smile crossed his face—knowing that Gengmu knew no techniques, yet he could do all this solely because of his……instinct!

Good timing!

Facing Gengmu descending from heaven, Huangmu chose not to dodge—though dodging would be easy, it would take away much of the fun! He thus gripped his sword with both hands, assumed a baseball batting stance, and then swung fiercely toward the sky!

Huangmu poured all his strength into this slash, his inner Spiritual Pressure stretching into countless ink‑black lightning bolts that clung to his Soul‑Cutting Sword……

Bang!

With a dull thud, the boy was launched straight into the sky by Huangmu, the endless wind roar and tremendous impact leaving him dazed and nauseous. Before he could stabilize his posture, he felt a chill at his back and instinctively blocked with his Soul‑Cutting Sword toward the rear……

Sizzle……

Seen, Huangmu had somehow appeared behind the boy, gripping his Soul‑Cutting Sword and pressing down fiercely.

This time Huangmu used not the blade, but the back of the sword……

Bang!

Hearing a tremendous boom from the sky, as if lightning incessantly danced across the heavens, the boy plummeted like a cannonball straight into the towering Corpse Mountain.

Boom!

Another tremendous roar sounded, and the instant the Corpse Mountain collided with the boy, the massive impact shattered it into a heap of flesh; through layer upon layer of that mush the boy blasted the ground into a huge pit, the terrifying shockwave radiating outward from the pit, uprooting countless trees and flinging them away.

Uh……

In the distance, the Eleventh Division soldiers gazed at the distant thunder‑filled sky and at the boy repeatedly pummeled by Huangmu as if he were a sandbag, all showing looks of terror.

As expected of Captain Huangmu!

They pondered for a long time, but their education being truly low, aside from uttering in admiration 'As expected of Captain Huangmu,' they had nothing more to say—just each of them 'widening their eyes' and 'opening their mouths wide,' desperately trying to imprint the distant scene into their minds.

Is it already over?!

Huangmu descended from the sky, his cloak unstained by a speck of dust, and asked the boy in the pit:

Pfft……

Hearing that, the boy slowly sat up from the pit, spat out a mouthful of blood whose owner he didn't know, pulled his Soul‑Cutting Sword from the ground, loosened his muscles a little, and continued walking toward Huangmu.

This time I won't use sword pressure.

Huangmu watched the boy mutter softly.

Hehe~

The boy's eyes still reflected fighting spirit as he rushed to Huangmu's front, the bright silver blade light aiming straight for Huangmu's heart.

Ding~

Facing the boy's swordsmanship full of holes, Huangmu casually flicked his blade to deflect it.

Ha……

The boy looked at the deflected blade, switched it from left hand to right, used Huangmu's force to spin in place, then turned and slashed at Huangmu.

……

Facing the boy's slash that carried his power, Huangmu retreated half a step.

The blade barely grazed past in front of him…

"Kill!"

Seeing this, the boy forcibly grabbed his own moving arm, uttering the unclear 'kill' sound with his mouth, and stabbed toward Huangmu's chest.

However, Huangmu's speed was even greater; seeing him directly press his left hand, which held no sword, onto the back of the boy's Soul-Cutter Sword, applying a downward force that altered the blade's trajectory, causing it to slam heavily onto the ground…

Then he switched his left hand to his left foot, stepping firmly on the back of the boy's sword, preventing the boy from pulling his Soul-Cutter Sword out from under his foot, and with his right hand gripping the sword, he slashed toward the boy.

"Hiss…"

The boy inhaled, and upon realizing he could not pull his Soul-Cutter Sword out from under Huangmu's foot no matter what, he immediately discarded the sword and retreated, imitating Huangmu's motion, pulling back about half a step…

Huangmu's blade indeed did not touch the boy, but the sharp sword wind scraped his cheek, causing pain; a gash was torn open by the sword wind, and blood dripped drop by drop from the boy's cheek.

"?"

Feeling the pain in his cheek, his eyes filled with doubt, he immediately retreated several steps, increasing the distance between himself and Huangmu.

"Ding~"

At the moment the boy retreated, accompanied by a light sound, the Soul-Cutter Sword he had dropped was kicked into the air by Huangmu's foot, racing straight toward the boy's 'vital point'!

"Huh?"

Hearing the sound, the boy moved; at the instant he dodged this 'fatal' strike, he instinctively raised his hand to catch the hilt of the Soul-Cutter Sword flying toward him, but because the sword's force was too great, his whole body was dragged forward several steps by the blade, and then he collided with a huge rock together with the sword.

"Shasha!"

Before the boy could catch his breath, accompanied by a gust of wind, he felt a slight chill on top of his head.

The boy dared not hesitate; he immediately pulled the Soul-Cutter Sword out of the rock, then, holding the sword, he rolled forward on the ground to dodge the wind above his head.

As the boy turned with the sword in his arms to look behind, that huge rock had already been split in two by a bright silver flash of light—not only was the boulder cleaved, but the very ground was split by the sword light, this terrifying blade light spreading several hundred meters before barely coming to a halt.

"……"

The boy watched the sword-wielding Huangmu, and finally understood that the man standing before him surpassed him in 'speed', 'strength', 'technique', and 'defense'; continuing to fight would be pointless, and he could never win.

"Ah!!"

However, the boy was not convinced; having finally encountered an existence that brought him joy, how could he be weaker than his opponent?! See, the boy let out a loud roar, and the spiritual pressure within his body transformed into a soaring spiritual pressure pillar, shooting straight up into the sky, scattering countless clouds in the heavens…

"Kill!!"

Immediately afterward, the boy imitated Huangmu's move, gripping the hilt with both hands and gathering all his spiritual pressure onto the blade; with this strike he attempted to overwhelm Huangmu using his innate, immense spiritual pressure.

The boy's spiritual pressure was immensely vast, so vast that the distant members of the Eleventh Division shuddered with fear; if speaking solely of spiritual pressure, hardly anyone among the Thirteen Court Guard Squads would dare claim theirs exceeded the boy's…

"Hehe!"

Huangmu laughed loudly at this, imitating the boy's action by erupting with endless spiritual pressure, then likewise raising his Soul-Cutter Sword high above his head! The boy wielded the sword with two hands, while Huangmu used only one.

In an instant, the even greater spiritual pressure blanketed the entire battlefield! Unfortunately, Huangmu is among the few in Seireitei who dare say their spiritual pressure exceeds that of the boy before them.

"Boom!"

When the boy sensed Huangmu's bone-chilling spiritual pressure, his eyes suddenly flickered with a hint of 'fear'; it seemed his beastly instinct kept whispering in his ear: "Run! Hurry and escape! The man before you is not someone you can defeat now! If you continue fighting, you will surely die beneath this sword!"

"Hehehe…"

However, before that whisper could finish, the boy suddenly burst into wild laughter; he had waited far too long for someone to fight and bring him joy—how could a mere 'death' scare him away?! He wanted to fight, he wanted to meet this sword head-on…

"Boom!"

After the boy resonated, he brought down his sword with both hands, and accompanying the blade was the terrifying spiritual pressure that had turned into endless 'sword pressure'.

"Boom!!"

Seeing the boy swing his sword, Huangmu likewise swung his own slash, and opposing it was an even fiercer, more formidable 'sword pressure'…

"……"

At the moment Huangmu's and the boy's sword pressures collided, all sound in the 'Gengmu' District seemed to vanish, everything becoming utterly silent; the two sword pressures intertwined, 'mutually opposing' and 'mutually destroying', the boy stared wide-eyed at the scene, his beastly eyes filled only with endless 'joy'.

Alas, this joy was all too brief…

The boy's sword pressure and Huangmu's sword pressure collided for less than a second before instantly collapsing!

Yet Huangmu's sword pressure advanced irresistibly; before the boy could even react, it completely engulfed him…

"Boom!!"

Then, the belated shockwave and sound surge began to relentlessly strike in all directions.

In the distance, those stepping out of the rock formations, intending to personally witness Huangmu's sword, the Eleventh Division members were directly flung away by the air wave, while those hiding behind the rocks were also swallowed bodily by the oncoming yellow sand…

This air wave did not stop there; it ceaselessly devoured everything around it, continuously spreading outward until it barely halted at the edge of the 'Gengmu' District! At this very moment, the entire Huangmu District had become a utter mess…

When all smoke and mist cleared!

"……"

The boy still stood firm upon the earth, his eyes flashing with endless color; his original 'wildness' remained vigorous, yet within that wildness a hint of 'humanity' had been added.

"You did very well."

Facing the boy was Huangmu, clad in a white haori; compared to his earlier 'elegance' and 'composure', he now appeared slightly disheveled, and he smiled at the boy.

"Name……name!!"

The boy stared fixedly at Huangmu, his voice hoarse, asking him.

"Huangmu."

Upon hearing this, Huangmu spoke his name.

"Huang……mu?!"

Upon hearing this, the boy showed a hint of joy; his path seemed no longer lonely.

"Pfft!!"

Precisely at the moment of the boy's unending 'joy', a gash split open from his eye to the base of his right thigh, endless crimson blood spurting from his body…

At the same time as the boy's breaking, his tightly gripped Soul-Cutter Sword also snapped—now reduced to merely a hilt, the blade having shattered into countless fine sand during the battle; only the hilt the boy clung to remained steadfast, fighting alongside him.

"Regret……!"

The boy watched the blood-red continuously welling up from his body, knowing he would soon have to die like the weaklings he had slain, piled into a "corpse mountain", in this "survival of the fittest" region—a chaotic region where if you are not a hunter, you can only become prey.

But the boy was unwilling, and after great difficulty he had met someone who could "understand" him, making him feel the value of life, making him feel the existence of the "joy" called battle, yet because he was truly too weak, he could not continue fighting his opponent, for the weak him was about to die...

"I won't let you die so quickly, you little devil!"

Just as the boy lay on the ground, waiting for the "red liquid" inside his body to drain completely and then turn into a corpse, Huangmu gripped his Soul-Cutting Sword, walked up to the boy, and while speaking, thrust the azure-colored blade into the boy's body.

Regarding Huangmu's action, the boy was very familiar with it; this is a skill that all "hunters" in the "Gengmu District" must learn, called "Finishing Strike", used to completely slay cunning "prey" that feign death or that were not killed outright...

"Huh?!"

However, the moment the azure-colored Soul-Cutting Sword pierced the boy's body, he felt as if the blood he had lost had all returned, causing a flicker of incomprehension in his eyes, and then an overwhelming drowsiness swept over him.

Thus the boy fell into a deep sleep...

"All right! Goal achieved, we can head back~"

Huangmu picked up the boy, whom he had knocked unconscious and successfully staunched the bleeding, from the ground with one hand, then shouldered his Soul-Cutting Sword and walked toward his own squad members.

"Ptui ptui ptui..."

At this moment, the members of the "Eleventh Division" were constantly crawling out of the yellow sand, continuously spitting out "yellow sand" and "dust", each of them looking extremely disheveled.

"No one died, right?!"

Just as everyone had finished "tidying up", Huangmu's voice came from behind them.

"Report to Captain Huangmu, all members of the 'Eleventh Division' are present in this deployment! Not a single person died, nor was anyone injured!"

Upon hearing this, the squad members immediately straightened their bodies and reported to Huangmu.

"Heading back~"

After Huangmu scanned the crowd and confirmed the numbers were correct, he lifted the boy, whose half-dead vitality was comparable to that of a cockroach, and walked toward the southern "Tranquil Spirit Court"; since the objective had been subdued, naturally the next step was to return home~

"Huang, Captain Huangmu, if I'm not mistaken, that in your hand is......"

When the squad members noticed what Huangmu was holding in his hand, they held their breath and asked him.

"Oh? You mean this? My newly accepted disciple!"

Upon hearing his squad members' words, Huangmu spoke with a smile marked "benevolence".

"Hiss~"

Upon hearing Huangmu's words, everyone gasped in a breath of cold air.

Huangmu actually wants to take that monster little devil as a disciple? If that little devil, whose power is off the charts, had a strong teacher and thus learned to apply techniques, what would become of it?!

Even after a thousand years, or even several hundred years, in this vast "Soul Society", another would appear like Captain-Commander Shanben and Captain Huangmu, death gods bearing an "invincible posture"!

However, this is not the most terrifying; the most terrifying thing is that Captain-Commander Shanben, Captain Huangmu, and that boy belong to the same lineage! It is a three-generation line, three generations of the "strongest", three "monsters"!

"This Soul Society probably won't last long before I see it changing its surname to Huangmu!"

A squad member muttered to himself.

"Shh! Keep your voice down, even if it's the truth, you can't just blab it out!"

Immediately, that squad member had his mouth covered by others.

Two more updates, twelve thousand! Then if there are any typos I missed, please point them out and I'll fix them right away! Because my eyes are always tired, I often overlook typos! It's also a bother to everyone! At the same time, thanks for everyone's support!

Finally, I hope everyone enjoys reading, and incidentally I'm asking for a wave of votes~

(End of chapter)