In the 7th Division's barracks, Captain Sajin Komamura saw through Vice Captain Tetsuzaemon Iba's intention to delay time.
He spoke in a deep and gentle voice, "Tetsuzaemon, I know you must think that I have doubts about the execution. That's why you deliberately delayed to give me more time to think. Am I right?"
"Yes, everything is as the captain said. I am just stalling for time." The flat-headed hair man wearing sunglasses also went down the stairs.
Worrying about his captain was much more honorable than falling asleep on the toilet. However, he did have such concerns in his heart. In his opinion, his captain had a pure heart of justice and might not be comfortable with such a dramatic order.
Komamura, wearing a wooden helmet, said firmly, "You don't have to do that. Because I don't have any doubts in my heart. All my actions are to repay the kindness of Master Genryūsai. It was he who accepted me despite my status. Since Master Genryūsai has no objection to this execution, I will resolutely carry out the order. This is my justice. What do you think, Tōsen?"
Noticing someone behind him, Iba hurriedly turned around and saw the captain of the 9th Division, Kaname Tōsen, and his vice-captain, Shūhei Hisagi.
Wearing dark goggles and dreadlocks, Tōsen looked solemn and said firmly, "My thoughts have not changed at all. My eyes, which cannot see, will only seek the path with the least sacrifice. And I will stick to it to the end."
At this time, Hisagi bowed to the two and said, "Captain Komamura, Vice Captain Iba, something happened in the 4th Division. Captain Zaraki suddenly broke into the 4th Division prison for some unknown reason and released the three detained ryoka. Now, they are rushing towards the execution platform."
Komamura nodded. "That man is really reckless. Tōsen, it seems that it is time for you to act again!"
"Just like before, I will eradicate all evil completely and show no mercy." Tōsen had long felt that something was wrong with Kenpachi Zaraki.
The kind of madman who was obsessed with killing and indulged in fighting was evil in his view. That guy's existence would only disrupt order, and it was only a matter of time before he betrayed the Gotei 13. And since Tōsen hated war and fighting, this time, he wanted to get rid of Zaraki completely.
After a search, the four of them stopped Zaraki and a group of ryoka who were being led astray.
After a heated exchange of words, Zaraki faced the two captains, Komamura and Tōsen.
In the distance, Ikkaku Madarame faced his old friend Tetsuzaemon Iba, while Yumichika Ayasegawa faced Shūhei Hisagi.
As for Yachiru Kusajishi, she took Orihime Inoue and the others and ran away.
Originally, Zaraki had used this group of ryoka as bait, wanting to lure out Ichigo Kurosaki and then have a good fight to avenge his previous defeat. But now with two captains to fight, his feel so lucky.
In the underground base, Uehara Shiroha was watching the battle with his keen perception.
Over there, Tōsen had already activated his Bankai [Suzumushi Tsuishiki: Enma Kōrogi] to trap Zaraki.
Zaraki, who had no special abilities and could only slash with his sword, had no way of breaking his Bankai. Therefore, he could only be trapped in endless darkness, without hearing, vision, spiritual sense, or smell. Only the sense of touch that perceived pain remained.
Such despair and pain could drive people crazy. Zaraki in the barrier was like a tiger locked in a cage, a living target, and could only be slaughtered. How could Tōsen lose?
Therefore, Tōsen confidently delivered a righteous lecture, enumerating the sins of Zaraki. He swung his sword and easily injured his opponent.
But his sword was not as sharp as his words. After slashing for a long time, Zaraki, who was bathed in blood, did not decrease in combat pwer but instead grew stronger, and even looked more energetic.
In the past, people who fell into the Enma Kōrogi would quickly succumb to despair and lose all their fighting spirit. Even Tōsen would not need to make a move, and the opponent would collapse.
However, Zaraki in front of him did not hesitate or fear at all. Only a demon would act this way!
Tōsen was baffled and shouted, "Who are you after all? Monster!"
Looking at Tōsen who was fighting blindly, Shiroha thought to himself, "Blame it on your bad luck. First of all, the ferocity of this beast was aroused by Ichigo. That defeat was a great stimulus to Zaraki. He lifted a considerable part of his seal. So now, his spiritual pressure is much stronger than before. Secondly, your Bankai is too predictable, and you can't give Zaraki the challenge he craves. So, you are finished."
At this time, Ichigo was madly attacking the Five Elements Barrier. Now his spiritual pressure and momentum were rising steadily, reaching an extremely terrifying level.
He was under tremendous pressure. He had just learned that Rukia was about to be executed. He only had half a day to complete his Bankai. Therefore, he had to race against time without wasting a moment. He must complete the Bankai!
Feeling his intentions and the continuous pressure of the barrier, the Zanpakutō in Ichigo's hand suddenly shone brightly, and a terrifying spiritual pressure burst forth.
Even a patient person could get angry. During this time, Ichigo had been beaten repeatedly. The power of the Five Elements Barrier was endless and fierce, making him miserable. He truly understood what it meant to "have no way out."
Last night, his dreams were full of golden light, water, and vines... Today, the power of the Five Elements Barrier had become stronger, and the oppressed Ichigo finally erupted.
An incomparably huge spiritual pressure burst from his body and sword. The heavy spiritual pressure shook heaven and earth, and the entire world and the Five Elements Barrier trembled.
"Bankai! Tensa Zangetsu!"
Instantly, black and red spiritual pressure wrapped around him completely. It was like a tangible force, and the aftermath alone shattered the incoming vines, water, and fireballs.
At this moment, Ichigo finally completed his Bankai!
His spiritual power transformed into a black-on-the-outside and red-on-the-inside Soul Reaper robe, draped over his body like a black shihakusho, rustling in an unseen wind.
The appearance of Zangetsu also changed dramatically. It changed from a "big kitchen sword" with no aesthetic sense to a slender black katana. The blade was pitch black, looking restrained yet murderous. There was a "卍" guard on the black handle, and a small black chain hung from the end.
Bankai, Zangetsu went from one extreme to another. Shikai Zangetsu was large and "bulky," while Bankai Zangetsu was light and elegant, many times smaller than its previous form.
"This is my Bankai [Tensa Zangetsu]!" Looking at the new Zangetsu, Ichigo was shocked.
He didn't think that the much smaller Zanpakutō was just for show. He could feel that his speed and strength had greatly improved. This Bankai was truly powerful!
At the same time, in the spiritual space, White was also shocked and asked in confusion, "Mr. Zangetsu, is it really okay now? With his current body and will, can he withstand this power?"
"Originally it was impossible," Zangetsu looked up at the Five Elements Barrier outside and exclaimed, "but this barrier is too extraordinary. While absorbing our power, it can also feed back and strengthen Ichigo's body. After enduring this over and over, Ichigo can barely bear this power."
He was increasingly amazed by the magic and power of the Five Elements Barrier. This barrier was just like Shiroha, extremely mysterious and powerful, as if it could do anything without limitation.
"Tsk! That's nothing special. We can do this kind of thing too..." White curled his lips, choosing to remain stubborn to the end.
After activating his Bankai, Ichigo didn't hesitate at all, and swung his sword fiercely at the five energy beams: "Getsuga Tenshō!"
These training were not in vain. The fighting over the past few days had allowed him to learn the Soul Reaper's Flash Step, slashing techniques, and hand-to-hand combat without a teacher.
With the blessing of Tensa Zangetsu, the growth of the past few days immediately transformed into a terrifying attack.
At this moment, Ichigo danced with Tensa Zangetsu in his hand, and attacked the five energy beams in succession. Several pure black energy waves penetrated the five energy beams and tore them apart.
Without the support of the beams, the vines and water balls immediately collapsed.
Seeing this scene, Yoruichi was amazed. "What incredible speed, what formidable power! Is this Ichigo's Bankai!? So strong!"
With her exceptional eyesight, she could hardly track his sword movements. And this was when Ichigo had just completed his Bankai and had not yet fully mastered it. For Tensa Zangetsu to have such power already was truly impressive.
With one sword, he destroyed the Five Elements Barrier, and Ichigo was filled with pride, letting out a triumphant roar to the sky.
He was back! That high-spirited and indomitable young man was back! The previous script had problems, but now everything was right.
"Not bad, not bad," Shiroha clapped his hands softly. "It is indeed an excellent Bankai! You are now qualified to see the true form of the Five Elements Barrier."
As his voice fell, the Five Elements Barrier instantly absorbed the Bankai spiritual pressure that Ichigo exuded. Suddenly, golden light, water columns, flames, vines, and mud all appeared and attacked Ichigo fiercely.
"This barrier is too difficult to deal with!" After achieving Bankai, Ichigo's speed had increased greatly, and he easily dodged the incoming attacks. However, his expression was not relaxed, but very solemn.
He knew very well that just dodging would not solve the problem. These five attacks were continuous, endless, and would become stronger and stronger. The barrier was the root issue. If the barrier wasn't broken, he would only be exhausted to death.
He had thought that breaking the five energy beams would be enough to break the Five Elements Barrier. Now it seemed that he was still too naive.
Realizing this, Ichigo decisively moved to the edge of the barrier and swung his blade fiercely at the invisible wall: "Getsuga Tenshō!" The black spiritual pressure revealed a mysterious brilliance.
The light was not intense, but any captain-level Soul Reaper could feel the terrifying power contained within this spiritual pressure. This power was very pure and tremendously potent. Once it erupted, it was enough to destroy everything in its path.
At the moment of contact with the barrier, the black spiritual pressure condensed at the tip of the blade exploded instantly, with power like a million tons of explosives detonating together. Just the shock wave alone destroyed the floor, rocks, and the fierce five-element attack behind him.
Witnessing this astonishingly destructive attack, Yoruichi exclaimed, "Such tremendous destructive power! Even an ordinary Shinigami Captain couldn't withstand that blow."
But the Five Elements Barrier remained completely undamaged. Ichigo's powerful strike that was enough to shake heaven and earth and defeat a captain had no effect on the barrier!
This defied all reason!
Yoruichi seemed to realize something and said with sudden understanding, "The spiritual pressure of the barrier disappeared! What happened? Could it be that...?"
The spiritual pressure disappearing meant either it was too strong or too weak. She knew that the spiritual pressure of the Five Elements Barrier would not weaken, but would only become stronger. And spiritual pressure beyond one's own perceptual dimension could not be sensed.
In other words, the spiritual pressure of the Five Elements Barrier had exceeded her perception limit. In her experience, only the royal guards of the Soul King Palace could reach this level. And now a mere barrier had reached such heights.
The captains of the Gotei 13 were no match for a barrier. This was truly incredible and outrageous. It wasn't just that people were worse than dogs, but that people were worse than stones.
If a barrier was already so powerful, then how strong was Shiroha who had created it?
"How is this possible?" Before the barrier, Ichigo was also dumbfounded. His powerful attack couldn't even shake the barrier.
Maybe it was a fake Bankai? But that was impossible. His strength had indeed increased tremendously. He could easily defeat his previous self in seconds. This was undeniable. But why could his attack shake the barrier before, yet have no effect now?
At this moment, Zangetsu appeared. He waved his right hand, and a red and blue spirit arrow instantly hit the barrier. However, the barrier still showed no reaction.
Seeing this, Zangetsu sighed and said helplessly, "Ichigo, give up! This barrier has no solution! Even with your Bankai, you can't break through it."
Although he had said before that "Retreating is not an option. It only makes a person grow old. And fear brings death closer." sometimes you had to surrender when appropriate. Because this challenge, they truly couldn't overcome.
At this time, White spoke up, "Mr. Zangetsu, is there really no other way? Maybe this barrier has reached its limit! We just need to hold on a little longer and we will win."
He had thought about taking revenge himself before. Now that Bankai was unlocked, he couldn't even defeat a barrier that someone had casually set up. This was too humiliating. Revenge seemed even more like a joke now.
Zangetsu shook his head. "Before, they weren't serious at all. That's why we could barely shake the barrier. In fact, this barrier is not affected by any conventional force. My Quincy powers cannot seize the Reishi that makes up the barrier. It contains several powers that I cannot comprehend. Therefore, this is not something we can defeat."
Unless the three forces were combined into one, they would not be able to break through the barrier. Because the power that composed the barrier was not simple—it was even beyond his understanding.
However, White and Ichigo chose to remain stubborn to the end. The two said almost simultaneously: "I don't believe it, it's impossible!"
At this moment, the Shinigami power and the Hollow power in Ichigo's body and the Zangetsu in his hand reached a perfect resonance. With their minds connected, power continued to flow outward. He was filled with confidence and felt that he could not lose.
After a few moves, he was ensnared by thick and tough vines and suspended in the air. The vines were now thicker than Ichigo's waist, and were covered with flame patterns, silver liquid, rock skin, and metal barbs.
The five abilities of the five elements seemed to be integrated into one. The spiritual pressure contained within was extremely powerful and easily overwhelmed his Bankai spiritual pressure.
The unity of the five elements doubled their mighty power—even gods would have to kneel. Five abilities exerted pressure simultaneously, and even with Bankai, Ichigo was still unable to break free and was completely subdued.
After achieving Bankai, he became like a puppet, manipulated by others. Now he understood Zangetsu's good intentions. This barrier was truly overwhelming. How could he possibly overcome it?
The previously arrogant White hid in the spiritual space and remained silent. Well, this grudge couldn't be avenged now. This barrier was indeed unsolvable! Shiroha's strength was truly beyond imagination. Even Aizen in his prime wasn't this formidable, was he?
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