Yoruichi Shihōin frowned as she watched Ichigo Kurosaki eating and drinking heartily.
Her sharp perception noticed something unusual about him: "His wounds and spiritual pressure are recovering too quickly. This isn't normal. Is it because of the food? And what's this strange spiritual pressure?"
When she sensed the abnormal spiritual pressure, Yoruichi understood the origin of these dark foods. She had eaten them at Shiroha Uehara's place before, but they were processed then, completely different from now. From this, she understood Shiroha's plan.
She approached Shiroha and whispered, "These foods come from Hueco Mundo, and they're all primitive ingredients without any processing. Such food will stimulate the Hollow power in that boy and make him stronger. But isn't it too early to do this now? Are you sure?"
Shiroha Uehara looked relaxed and indifferent. "It's okay! Even if the worst happens, the Five Elements Barrier can handle it."
He wasn't afraid that Ichigo would suddenly become a Hollow or that the White Hollow would take over. Even if the Bull-Headed Hollow emerged, it would have to struggle against the Five Elements Barrier.
The more he observed Ichigo, the more he liked him. Not only did Ichigo have great potential, but he was also easy to control. He was truly a top-notch worker. No wonder the old man would rather violate the ban and help him regain his Death God powers. Who wouldn't like such an employee who "brings his own supplies"?
"It depends on your performance." With Shiroha's assurance, Yoruichi felt much more at ease.
This was because she didn't know how tricky Ichigo's Hollow power truly was. Although Kisuke Urahara had mentioned some of Ichigo's peculiarities, he habitually concealed several key points. Therefore, Yoruichi didn't know how terrifying Ichigo's potential really was.
In her opinion, even if Ichigo became a Hollow, he would at most be at the level of a captain with Bankai. So, she felt the situation was foolproof.
If she knew the true strength of a hollowed-out Ichigo, she would definitely worry that the barrier couldn't withstand it.
Of course, Shiroha knew that Ichigo's strength was far greater than that. But he still had absolute confidence in the Five Elements Barrier. His ultimate technique would not be that simple.
Everything had just begun!
In the underground base, Ichigo, who had eaten and drunk his fill, stood in front of the Five Elements Barrier again with renewed confidence.
But at this moment, Zangetsu's steady voice came from within his mind: "Ichigo, you have other options. You don't have to use this method."
Hearing this, Ichigo was slightly stunned.
In his experience, Uncle Zangetsu had always been omnipotent and fearless. However, just now, he actually heard a rare hint of hesitation in his words.
This shocked him a little. It seemed this barrier was really that difficult. Was this barrier more terrifying than Kenpachi Zaraki?
His confidence wavered, and he suddenly stopped.
"Are you scared? Do you want me to lower the difficulty for you?" Shiroha curled his lips with a playful look.
Ichigo held his head high and gripped Zangetsu tightly. "Why would I be scared? The difficulty is fine. I can hold on for three months, not just three days."
Now he really felt in good condition, his body full of strength again. Besides, he wasn't someone who gave up easily. So, he walked into the barrier with determination.
"I believe you!" Shiroha nodded.
He knew that with Ichigo's talent and potential, the current Five Elements Barrier couldn't trap him for too long. But the barrier he had developed wouldn't be so simple.
In fact, up until now, the Five Elements Barrier hadn't truly activated. The real strength of the barrier lay in its infinite growth.
The reason was that the Five Elements Barrier could bring the mutual generation and mutual restraint of the five elements to the extreme. The concept of the five elements added by Shiroha was a top skill in the world of death.
With the passage of time, not only would the power of the five elements continue to increase, but it would also absorb the enemy's power for its own use. This was where the power of the five elements was most terrifying.
After absorbing the enemy's spiritual pressure, the suppression effect of the Five Elements Barrier would reach its maximum. This barrier was infinitely changeable and extremely formidable.
Soon, Ichigo discovered how terrifying the Five Elements Barrier truly was.
After arriving at the barrier, he once again faced the endless power of the Five Elements. Because of his previous experience and greatly improved condition, his speed and strength were greatly enhanced, allowing him to perform with ease.
But soon, he found that something was wrong. Suddenly, his spiritual pressure had no effect on those vines, fireballs, and golden light, as if it was being suppressed.
"How is this possible?" Ichigo was shocked. "I'm in great shape now, with all the advantages, why am I suddenly unable to make progress?"
At this time, the Zangetsu in his hand had undergone new changes. The bandage at the end of the hilt was turning into a black iron chain. This was a sign of Bankai. The Hueco Mundo ingredients were a great tonic for White, making the power of the Hollow very active.
Coupled with the deliberate allowance from Uncle Zangetsu, the power of Zangetsu was undergoing a transformation. After all, Ichigo's Zanpakutō was essentially a fusion of the power of the Shinigami, Quincy and White Hollow. When White became active, the power of Zanpakutō would grow stronger.
But even so, Ichigo felt more and more powerless when facing the five elements. He didn't understand this.
In the spiritual space, White was also confused: "Why? These are just dead things. How can they have such strong pressure?"
A part of his original power began to awaken. The true power of his Zanpakutō Zangetsu also began to be released. Although Ichigo didn't show any signs of becoming a Hollow, his spiritual pressure did carry the power of White.
Such an increase was very terrifying. Moreover, Ichigo was now fully focused and determined, able to exert his strength to the maximum extent.
According to White, Ichigo in this state was absolutely invincible. Even if he couldn't destroy an energy beam with one sword strike, at least he could easily deal with the barrier's attacks.
But why had it become like this? What exactly was this barrier?
"So that's how it is, there is actually such a secret! It seems that we must make more attempts. What an interesting power!"
In the spiritual space, Zangetsu suddenly realized.
White was puzzled: "Mr. Zangetsu, do you understand it now?"
Originally, he thought that this barrier was nothing special, just requiring a few more cuts. Now, he felt helpless, because this thing seemed impossible to cut through. Was he going to take over this kid's body to "handle this"?
"This barrier is absorbing our power to perfect itself," Zangetsu gradually understood everything. But he could only proceed step by step. Ichigo wasn't ready yet, so he couldn't rush it. Moreover, this barrier was too complicated and too strong.
For a "technical control" player like him, this was a good challenge. He also rarely felt such excitement.
To be safe, Zangetsu released part of White Hollow's power. The most obvious change was that Ichigo felt his body becoming more flexible, no longer experiencing the previous stiffness.
But the corresponding pressure from the barrier had also grown stronger. Now there were hundreds of golden lights, and the vines were taller than him, looking like they wanted to devour him, which was terrifying.
Therefore, even with the support of Hollow power, Ichigo still felt somewhat overwhelmed. The key problem was that his spiritual pressure was becoming increasingly ineffective against the barrier.
"It seems that it still doesn't work. In this case, let's just give it a try."
In the mental space, looking at the still very confused Ichigo, Zangetsu advised, "Ichigo, use Getsuga Tenshō to attack the surrounding barriers!"
Hearing this, Ichigo flew to avoid the dense vines without hesitation, then slashed at the distance. To be safe, he didn't slash at the five energy beams, but at the invisible barrier between them. A huge black slash broke through the air. The slashing wave and spiritual pressure were more terrifying than before, easily tearing through rocks and shaking the space.
However, this powerful Getsuga Tenshō immediately dissipated as soon as it touched the invisible barrier.
"Nothing happened at all!" Ichigo was dumbfounded.
His attack was no less powerful than the one that knocked down Kenpachi Zaraki. But even so, it couldn't shake the barrier at all—not even a ripple was created.
Zangetsu analyzed calmly, "Ichigo, listen carefully. This barrier has five methods of attack: golden light, water flow, vines, fireballs, and swamps. These five attacks correspond to the five abilities of condensation, erosion, growth, destruction, and fusion. But this is only the basic mode of the barrier. These five attacks and the five energy beams around are actually just appearances. The most terrifying thing about this barrier is that it absorbs the enemy's spiritual pressure to infinitely enhance its own characteristics. Therefore, these five attacks and their abilities will become stronger and stronger. This barrier will consume anyone who enters it!"
Hearing this, the breathless Ichigo was shocked. "Is this barrier really so scary? With such power, wouldn't it be invincible!?"
Now he understood why his spiritual pressure posed less and less threat to the barrier. Because he had been thoroughly mastered by it.
In the spiritual space, White was also shocked: "This ability is too unreasonable! How can we break it?"
Zangetsu said helplessly, "Although this is incredible, it is the fact. The five energy beams and five types of attacks only exist to utilize the barrier's ability to absorb spiritual pressure. The surrounding barrier is its true power. So, I can only take action!"
He had wanted to keep Ichigo away from the battle and not be affected by the upcoming war. However, fate played tricks on him. Faced with such a barrier, he could only use the power of the Quincy to help.
With the influx of an invisible force, a little red light appeared in Ichigo's eyes, and new power surged within him. He was covered with a layer of holy light, as if bathing in the sun. However, a small bone mask grew on his forehead.
After the three powers combined, his state was complete and his combat power increased dramatically. With one swing of his blade, whether it was the golden light, water, vines, or fireballs, all turned into nothingness. Then, he swung his sword and slashed fiercely at the surrounding barriers.
Several huge black slashes cut through the air toward the barrier. The slashes were so powerful that they seemed able to tear apart the sky and earth. The black spiritual pressure roared and surged, even more powerful than a Hollow's Cero.
For a moment, the entire barrier trembled slightly. With the blessing of both the Hollow and Quincy powers, Ichigo was finally able to shake the Five Elements Barrier.
While enjoying a perfect massage from Yoruichi, Shiroha whispered, "The barrier seems to fluctuate a little bit! The power is finally getting decent!"
Not only was the Five Elements Barrier absorbing Ichigo's power, but Shiroha was also using his observation haki to absorb the essence of his opponent's power.
Now, Shiroha understood a little why those old Soul Reapers were so interested in Ichigo's power. This was indeed a perfect path for transcendence, and it could even lead directly to the realm of a pseudo-Spirit King.
Moreover, Ichigo was born with the unity of man and sword, just like Aizen in his later form. This state of integration between Zanpakutō and soul was the highest state of Zanpakutō liberation.
It was just that Ichigo was currently unable to fully integrate his own huge and complex power, and he hadn't even achieved the initial integration. Therefore, he did not possess the strong vitality and terrifying regeneration ability of the Hollow, nor could he perform Fullbring. He was even unable to display Blut Vene and other Quincy abilities, and he didn't even have a completed Bankai.
But it didn't matter! The Five Elements Barrier would take good care of this kid, and then solve this problem perfectly. In the end, Shiroha would turn all of his opponent's power to his own use.
As for breaking the barrier, that was impossible. Now Ichigo couldn't even truly challenge the Five Elements Barrier. The current state of the barrier was equivalent to the Shikai of a Soul Reaper's Zanpakutō, and it was fighting in its most basic form.
The barrier became stronger when it encountered a stronger enemy, and it could absorb the enemy's power to evolve. Therefore, Shiroha was very much looking forward to Ichigo's Bankai.
In that way, both he and the Five Elements Barrier would become stronger, and Ichigo would also become stronger after being tested. This was a win-win situation!
Just when Ichigo was deeply trapped in the Five Elements Barrier and trying his best to break through, Rukia Kuchiki's sentence was brought forward again. This was the second time her execution had been moved up. And this time it would be done in one go—the execution would be carried out in twenty-four hours.
After hearing the news, Rukia's pupils shrank. Even though she thought she was prepared, when death was really approaching, her heart still sank to the bottom, and her head spun.
Stimulated by this sudden news, Renji Abarai finally lost his composure. Even though his inferiority complex had diminished his feelings for Rukia, he still couldn't tolerate sending her to death with his own hands. If he hadn't captured Rukia and brought her back, she wouldn't be facing execution.
So, he escaped from prison.
Because Momo Hinamori was overworked and had not recovered, and with the instructions of Shiroha, the "Peach God" stayed obediently in the noble district, was not used by Aizen, and had no "performance opportunity."
Aizen, who had been prepared for this, changed his plan and wrote a suicide note to frame Renji and Tōshirō Hitsugaya. The two thought that Gin Ichimaru was the real culprit behind the scenes and clashed with him.
Gin wasn't afraid at all. After a lot of sarcasm, the two sides fought. During the battle, Izuru Kira defended Gin and in the aftermath of Hyōrinmaru's Shikai attack defeated the vice-captain of the third division, Izuru Kira.
At the moment when the cold water vapor spread, Kira realized something was wrong and tried to avoid it. But it was too late. In the blink of an eye, the water vapor on his right arm turned into white ice, making him lose his combat ability.
At that moment, he realized how huge the gap was between himself and a captain, and how terrifying Hyōrinmaru truly was.
Gin was equally formidable. He used Shinsō's Shikai and knocked down the already injured Renji.
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