This strength was nothing short of terrifying.
This barrier was just a dead object, but it was so strong that even Zangetsu had to take action.
This was really interesting!
"You don't understand. This barrier is not that simple. Its power level is very high, even beyond the realm of the pinnacle of Shinigami. Without opening Bankai, Kurosaki Ichigo will never be able to escape."
At this point, Zangetsu's mind flashed back to Uehara Shiroha's calm and composed face. He smiled bitterly and said:
"I've been tricked! It seems that I can only delay time. When the time is right, I will let Kurosaki Ichigo complete his Bankai! Then, with my strength, I will break through the barrier in one fell swoop."
This barrier was so powerful that it was impossible to break through it with just Bankai. Zangetsu must add his strength.
This was no longer a power that a Shinigami or a Hollow could possess.
...
Over there, Shihōin Yoruichi also noticed the movement of the barrier and asked in surprise, "Isn't this a simple barrier?"
If it was the same level as at the beginning, she thought she could easily handle it.
But now the barrier attack made her feel threatened.
This growth potential was too terrifying.
If it was just a simple barrier, it would never be so strong!
Urahara Kisuke, Tsukabishi Tessai, and Hachigen were all top-notch Kidō masters.
In terms of barriers, the attainments of the three could not be said to be invincible in the world, but could only be said to be unique.
However, even they could not arrange such a powerful and gorgeous barrier with just a clap of their hands.
She even felt the breath of the Zero Squad from this barrier, which was really a bit unbelievable.
"This is just a small thing!" Uehara Shiroha did not think this was so great.
How could he feel surprised and powerful?
The real horror of the Five Elements Barrier had not yet been revealed.
In fact, the barrier was not mature yet.
But it had already transformed to the level of a transcendent.
Therefore, Kurosaki Ichigo and Shihōin Yoruichi felt a fatal threat.
The knowledgeable Shihōin Yoruichi figured out a little bit, but was not sure:
"Have you broken the limits of Shinigami??"
"Not completely!"
However, he himself had not yet completely transformed into a transcendent.
The Five Elements Barrier was not only a killer move at the transcendent level, but also a key step for him to complete the transformation.
Of course, with the help of the power of the Hōgyoku, this process would be accelerated.
So even if there was no special mission, Uehara Shiroha would get the Hōgyoku.
Shihōin Yoruichi was silent.
She didn't expect that the transcendent power that Aizen had in mind, Uehara Shiroha had already obtained it in advance.
The gap between the two was really getting bigger and bigger.
Fortunately, she didn't make an enemy of him.
At this time, Uehara Shiroha, who was full and satisfied, ignored Shihōin Yoruichi.
He focused his attention on several Ryoka.
The captains' move was extraordinary.
Although Zaraki Kenpachi was defeated, Ukitake and Kyōraku still saved the captains' face and sent Yasutora Sado and Shiba Ganju to the Fourth Division prison.
The future "Three Heroes in Prison" was only missing Ishida Uryū.
Uehara Shiroha had already used his Observation Haki to lock onto the positions of Ishida Uryū and Inoue Orihime.
The two were wearing their Shinigami costumes, preparing to infiltrate the enemy and wait for an opportunity. But they were unlucky and ran into the drunken 11th Division Tenth Seat Aramaki Makizō.
Because the two were not wearing their Zanpakutō, Aramaki Makizō saw through their flaws.
Not to mention that during the wartime special order, Shinigami must carry their Zanpakutōs.
Even more, they actually claimed to be from the 11th Division.
Following the boss Zaraki, they don't even carry a sword, what kind of 11th Division shinigami are they?
Then, several 12th Division shinigami, following Kurotsuchi Mayuri's orders, came forward to persuade them and rescued the two.
But Ishida Uryū could see that they had bad intentions.
Then, Kurotsuchi Mayuri, who appeared with Nemu, "liked" them.
Several 12th Division shinigami exploded!
It turned out that just now, Kurotsuchi Mayuri secretly placed a bomb on his men and caught them by surprise.
Seeing this scene, Uehara Shiroha couldn't help but complain:
"You are cosplaying as the Queen! The others were in trouble, but no one was killed. You came up and killed a few of your own, you are really excellent!"
In fact, in the plot, in this Ryoka invasion, except for Kurotsuchi Mayuri and Aizen, the number of kills of other people was zero.
Although Kurotsuchi Mayuri killed his own people and was suspected of "padding his stats", you just say whether he killed them or not, right?
Moreover, in the Thousand-Year Blood War, Kurotsuchi Mayuri was even more crazy.
Sure enough, no matter which world it is, technology is the primary productive force, and scientists can be crazy.
At this moment, Ishida Uryū was a little panicked.
Although his strength had greatly increased due to the increase in the concentration of Reishi, he easily defeated a Shinigami seated officer before.
But at this moment, they were facing the captain of the Gotei 13. And he was a scumbag with no bottom line and unscrupulous means.
In the following battle, Uehara Shiroha was even more powerless to complain.
In the original work, Kurotsuchi Mayuri release the first Bankai !
This was also the first appearance of the Shinigami Bankai, which attracted everyone's attention and was dazzling!
Then it successfully lowered the gold content of the Shinigami Bankai!
Kurotsuchi Mayuri's Bankai [Konjiki Ashisogi Jizō] was beaten into a sieve by Ishida Uryū's [Letzt Stil].
Of course, there was a coincidence factor in this.
[Letzt Stil] itself was not weak, it was equivalent to an alternative perfect holy form, and was positioned at the same level as the Shinigami Bankai.
Moreover, this move happened to restrain Kurotsuchi Mayuri's Bankai.
But no matter what, if you lose, you are a loser.
Uehara Shiroha could only sigh that these scientists were really like Batman, never winning a skirmish, and never losing a fight.
He also took a few glances at the subsequent developments, which were similar to those in the plot.
First, Tōsen had to take down the "battle-damaged" Ishida Uryū and send him to the Fourth Division's cell.
The "Three Heroes in Prison" had all gathered.
As for Inoue Orihime, she was brought to the 11th Division by Aramaki Makizō, and successfully attracted the attention of Zaraki Kenpachi.
However, Zaraki Kenpachi was the same as Ishida Uryū and Ishida Ryūken.
Although on the surface they were all interested in the women of the Shiba family, in fact, they really cared about the men of the Shiba family.
Thinking of this, Uehara Shiroha glanced at Kurosaki Ichigo who was still fighting hard in the Five Elements Barrier, and his eyes lit up.
Yes, the men of the Shiba family were really hardworking!
In the barrier, Kurosaki Ichigo really fought for his life.
Compared to when he just entered the barrier, he had really become a lot "smarter".
Before, he was "standing still and outputting", and didn't consider dodging, unloading, or "receiving and launching". He highlighted a strong force that could make bricks fly, and he was definitely not timid.
His moves were all natural, without any skills.
But now, after each attack, he immediately dodged and would never land in the same place twice.
While defending, he would try his best to counterattack.
He didn't want to do this, but the attack rhythm of the Five Elements Barrier was too fast and the offensive was too fierce.
Therefore, Ichigo Kurosaki could only make good use of every bit of strength and every bit of time.
He couldn't have any hesitation or any mistakes, otherwise he would be beaten or even killed.
As the battle continued, his combat power, skills, and experience improved rapidly.
Uehara Shiroha was happy to see this happen.
The stronger the opponent became, the greater the value of use, and the more benefits he got.
This was a win-win situation. Ichigo Kurosaki was beaten twice and he won twice.
However, Shihōin Yoruichi's eyes were very sharp.
She keenly noticed that something was wrong.
Ichigo Kurosaki was still rejoicing about his progress, but Shihōin Yoruichi realized that the opponent was about to reach his limit.
However, the power of the barrier did not decrease, but became extremely terrifying.
She said with some concern: "Is the strength of the barrier too high? What if he can't hold on?"
"If he can't hold on, then he'll die. What else can we do?" Uehara Shiroha said indifferently:
"Anyway, he will die sooner or later if he fails to complete his Bankai. There is no difference between dying in my hands and dying in the hands of others."
Although Shihōin Yoruichi was born in an assassination unit, she was sometimes a bit soft-hearted.
In fact, this could be considered an advantage. After all, she was not a brainless saint, and she was also very decisive when it came to taking action.
In this regard, Uehara Shiroha did not blame her too much.
After all, you can't ask everyone to be as good as him. Even if his woman had some minor shortcomings, he could tolerate it and afford it.
In fact, Shihōin Yoruichi's worries were not unreasonable.
With the passage of time, the power of the five elements of the Five Elements Barrier was becoming stronger and stronger.
Kurosaki Ichigo had long lost his previous calm and self-confidence.
His current condition was very bad, and the Shihakushō that was condensed with spiritual power was damaged in many places.
Not to mention counterattack, he even had difficulty dodging.
Because of the great pressure, he did not notice that the mysterious mask that he had thrown away long ago appeared again and blocked the attack for him.
Just when White and Zangetsu could not help but want to "play for him," Uehara Shiroha came over and snapped his fingers and said:
"All right, take a break and eat something."
Instantly, the Five Elements Barrier stopped moving, and the light of the five energy beams dimmed.
Ichigo Kurosaki, who had escaped the disaster, gasped for breath.
He felt like he was alive again. He really saved his life!
He secretly sighed in his heart: "I survived, I thought I couldn't make it."
But on the surface, the boy acted very calm.
Ichigo has been strong all his life and will never reveal his inner weakness. What a man!
Seeing the other party's strong and calm appearance with his hands in his pockets, Uehara Shiroha teased:
"Can you do it? You are so young, why are you so weak? If you are not good at it, practice more!"
"You will never be able to complete your Bankai if you continue like this, so eat more." Shihōin Yoruichi thought it through. Uehara Shiroha was right.
It is better to suffer and be beaten now than to lose your life in the future.
Some suffering must be endured.
She looked at Uehara Shiroha and thought secretly:
"I have been a little slack these years. Byakuya Kuchiki, has become so much stronger. If it weren't for this man training me day and night, I might not be able to save Ichigo Kurosaki this time. It seems that I have to practice more seriously in the future."
Although she still had a few tricks up her sleeve, she didn't like to use them.
Because she hadn't fully mastered that technique, once she used it, she would completely lose herself.
Uehara Shiroha liked to tease her in that state.
Thinking of this, Shihōin Yoruichi's golden cat eyes became a little brighter.
"Eat?" Ichigo Kurosaki felt a little hungry.
Previously, he had not felt hungry even after fighting hard for a long time. However, after fighting with the strange barrier for a while, he actually felt hungry.
Especially when he saw the full of delicious food on the table in front of him, his stomach started to growl.
It seemed that the consumption just now was greater than he thought.
"Don't look at it, that's not for you, this is for you."
Uehara Shiroha waved his hand and placed two plates of pitch-black food in front of Kurosaki Ichigo.
Seeing these two plates of what looked like "dark cuisine," Kurosaki Ichigo was startled and said in horror:
"What is this? Are you sure this is food? It's too suspicious!"
No normal person would eat this thing.
Not to mention the color, aroma and taste, it's not much better than charcoal.
Is this really something that people can eat?
He would never eat this thing even if he was beaten to death.
"What? Are you afraid that I will poison you to death?" Uehara Shiroha smiled and took a bite.
Although the food in Hueco Mundo looks almost the same as charcoal, it is not a good thing at first glance.
But it tastes really good.
Anyway, he ate it with relish.
It has a very unique taste, and it is very pure, without any impurities.
This may be related to the environment of Hueco Mundo. After all, that place is nothing but sand, which is indeed very "pure."
Seeing Uehara Shiroha eating very happily, Kurosaki Ichigo was a little hesitant.
It didn't look like a prank.
Moreover, seeing others eating so happily, he was even hungrier.
"You can choose not to eat, but as Yoruichi said, you will not be able to hold on later." Uehara Shiroha spread his hands:
"Although this thing doesn't look very good, it is very good for you. You will know after you eat it. The choice is yours."
Feeling the growing hunger, Kurosaki Ichigo knew that he had no choice.
If he continued like this, let alone completing his Bankai, he wouldn't even have the strength to fight.
So, with a bitter face, he put a ball of black food in his mouth.
He had planned to chew it a few times and swallow it directly, just as if he was taking medicine.
As a result, as soon as the food entered his mouth, a special taste filled his mouth.
The sweet and delicate feeling made him feel extremely satisfied.
All of a sudden, his empty abdomen seemed to be nourished, and his body became warm and strong.
He seemed to be alive, as if he had been reborn, as if he had opened the door to a new world.
An inexplicable force in his body began to become more active.
Kurosaki Ichigo opened his eyes wide, with a look of enjoyment on his face, and blurted out two words: "It tastes so good!"
After saying that, he began to concentrate on eating, not noticing that his wounds were slowly healing.
The damaged mask that he had thrown away and reappeared was also gradually restored to its original state.
At the same time, in the inner world, White seemed to smell something and asked in confusion:
"This is the taste of home! What on earth is this Uehara Shiroha doing? Is he really on our side?"
Zangetsu looked at the direction of Uehara Shiroha with a serious expression and said firmly:
"No matter what he is planning, it doesn't matter. We must stay away from him, away from the Shinigami, away from fighting. Only in this way can Kurosaki Ichigo survive."
"Old Man Zangetsu, your idea is good, but it is a little unrealistic." White sneered and said:
"After all, we have no right to decide anything, only that kid can make the decision. Those people will try their best to drag him into the vortex. You can suppress his power, but you can't control his thoughts. After all, he is the king of this world!"
At this moment, White was in full swing, full of fighting spirit.
This Zangetsu was good in everything, but a little too calm.
In this world, calmness and reason cannot solve problems, only strength can solve problems.
And now, he was power.
==============================================
Support me at [email protected]/goldengaruda and check out more chapter of this or more early access chapter of my other fanfic translation.
=============================================