"Hadō #4…"
"It's useless!
The Reishi that forms your Kidō (Demon Arts)—the moment it touches those Dangai fractures, it'll be swallowed by them!"
Yushima Ōko said confidently.
"Mm, I know~" Tessai Tsukabishi stood between the fractures, raised his right hand, and extended his index finger toward Yushima Ōko. Reishi gathered at his fingertip, arcs of electricity crackling and dancing there.
"Then I'll just make sure it doesn't touch them~
Byakurai (Pale Lightning)… Dakō (Serpentine)!"
With a sharp sizzle—
Yushima Ōko stared at the man opposite him, unable to make sense of what he'd just seen. A sting pulsed in his left palm, with faint scorch marks seared across it.
That eerie white lightning had leapt through space along an absurd, twisting path—and arrived right beside him.
If Yushima Ōko hadn't instinctively shifted his body at the last instant and condensed some Reiatsu into his left hand to block, his whole body would've been paralyzed by now.
"Kidō… can be used like that?!"
Aside from Shuuichi-sama, this was the first time Yushima Ōko had ever seen Kidō change like this.
And even with Shuuichi-sama, Yushima Ōko knew the ability to force Kidō to change in nature came from Shuuichi-sama's own Shikai—something no other Shinigami could imitate.
But that unnaturally moving Byakurai (Pale Lightning) just now had completely blown past Yushima Ōko's imagination.
That wasn't a simple "change in nature" anymore. In Yushima Ōko's eyes, it was like an entirely new Kidō had been invented on the spot!
"It seems you don't understand advanced Kidō applications," Tessai Tsukabishi said, looking at him. "After I left Soul Society, did the Dai Kidōchō (Grand Kidō Chief) stop taking that side of education seriously?"
"Advanced Kidō applications?
And what do you mean, 'after you left Soul Society'?"
Yushima Ōko didn't remember Shuuichi-sama ever teaching him anything like this. And everything he knew about Kidō so far had come from Higashino Shuuichi.
In fact, Higashino Shuuichi had suggested more than once that with Yushima Ōko's talent for Kidō, going to the Kidō Corps to train would be a good choice.
But Yushima Ōko had never gone.
Because in his eyes, a Kidō Corps that still hadn't selected a Dai Kidōchō capable of convincing everyone had no right to teach him Kidō.
And as for Higashino Shuuichi—his Kidō strength was something he'd brute-forced together through overwhelming Reiatsu and wild ideas born from his Zanpakutō's abilities. When it came to true high-level Kidō technique, Higashino Shuuichi was… missing the one crucial piece.
"So you really don't know," Tessai Tsukabishi said with a regretful shake of his head. "Young man, Kidō isn't as worthless as you seem to think."
He didn't know what the Kidō Corps looked like in Soul Society now. But seeing a Shinigami with Yushima Ōko's level of power and Reiatsu who didn't even know about post-casting refinements…
It made Tessai Tsukabishi feel a faint worry for the Soul Society he'd left behind so many years ago.
After him, had the next Dai Kidōchō truly continued to do everything possible to help Shinigami who wanted to learn Kidō—raising their skill without holding anything back?
"Let me show you with your own eyes… the upper limit of Kidō~"
The moment he said that, Yushima Ōko could clearly see it—Tessai Tsukabishi's entire presence changed.
"Heh… don't run your mouth," Yushima Ōko sneered. "You think I'd believe that?"
Still—just like Shuuichi-sama always drilled into them—
Despise the enemy on the battlefield. Take them seriously in tactics.
When it came to talking tough, Yushima Ōko absolutely couldn't lose ground!
With that, Reiatsu gathered around his feet. He stepped out with Shunpō (Flash Step), and his body shot forward toward Tessai Tsukabishi in a jagged, zigzag line!
He had no choice.
Raikū: Dangai (Precipice Rift) was a double-edged sword. Yushima Ōko still couldn't fully ignore the influence of the Dangai fractures himself.
Truthfully, in all of Soul Society, there were only a handful of Shinigami who could do something like that.
Even Higashino Shuuichi could only use a similar method—using Hanmaku (Reflective Membrane) to isolate his body from the Dangai—so he wouldn't be affected.
So even though Yushima Ōko was moving at his maximum speed…
To Tessai Tsukabishi, it was still far too slow.
"Bakudō #63: Sajō Sabaku (Locking Bondage Stripes)… 'Hassenzō (Eight Thousand Jō)'!"
Again.
Again, there were extra words Yushima Ōko had never heard appended after a standard Kidō.
And mid-charge, Yushima Ōko flat-out froze.
Because he knew exactly what Sajō Sabaku (Locking Bondage Stripes) was supposed to look like—thick iron chains launching out to bind a target. Not especially fast, but silent, with unpredictable emergence points for surprise.
But the Sajō Sabaku (Locking Bondage Stripes) Tessai Tsukabishi cast—
Yushima Ōko even had time to rub his eyes.
What the hell were those countless massive chains, spreading across the sky like a mess of three thousand loose strands of hair—opening wide to devour him?!
One glance was enough to tell him each chain was thicker around than he was.
And this was supposed to be "binding"?!
Yushima Ōko was certain that if even one of those struck him, he'd be in serious trouble.
"Hatei Kūri (Dominating Ingot Void)!"
Fortunately—this was Kidō.
And as long as it was Kidō, it fell within the range of his Zanpakutō's other ability.
Yushima Ōko halted in midair, raised Sumitsukigasa before him, and let the ring at its center begin to spin.
The chains rushing toward him began to break down in flight, dissolving into the purest Reishi—then getting swallowed up by Sumitsukigasa.
Yushima Ōko didn't use Taikō Shigure (Receding Crimson Drizzle) to directly absorb Tessai Tsukabishi's Reiatsu.
Because he'd already been caught by surprise and sealed inside this special space. Under the rule that you couldn't create a new separate space within an alternate space, he couldn't use his Raikū ability to trap Tessai Tsukabishi inside his space.
So Taikō Shigure (Receding Crimson Drizzle) would be drastically weakened.
"Too close… but I'm still a step above!"
Watching the chains finally cleared away, Yushima Ōko still felt lingering fear.
Because this was "just Kidō," and it was already putting him under this much pressure.
So what if the Shinigami called Tessai Tsukabishi drew a Zanpakutō next and used Shikai—or even Bankai?
Yushima Ōko no longer dared keep even the tiniest bit of luck in his heart.
That Tessai Tsukabishi… must be a Shinigami who had mastered Bankai!
Of course, if Higashino Shuuichi were here, he'd probably smack Yushima Ōko on the head and tell him he'd guessed wrong again.
Tessai Tsukabishi had no Zanpakutō.
Or perhaps he once had one—but as a Dai Kidōchō, he abandoned it voluntarily so he could devote himself fully to Kidō.
Or perhaps Tessai Tsukabishi's Zanpakutō was Kidō itself.
Any explanation was possible.
And none of them mattered.
Because they all led to the same conclusion:
Tessai Tsukabishi did not possess a Shikai or Bankai that belonged solely to him.
But for Yushima Ōko, that wasn't good news at all.
Because if he didn't have Shikai or Bankai… it meant he was absolutely exceptional somewhere else.
At the very least, when it came to Kidō alone, Higashino Shuuichi was certain of one thing—
Setting aside the mysterious combat power of the Zero Division…
Below them, Tessai Tsukabishi was in a league of his own.
"A Zanpakutō ability that can absorb Reiatsu?" Tessai Tsukabishi said coolly. Then he raised both hands, pressing index and middle fingers together in an inverted "V" before his chest.
"Hadō #12: Fushibi (Ambush Flare)!"
In an instant, a dense spiritual lattice—packed with Reiatsu—spread through the entire space like a spiderweb.
"It's useless!
If it's just Kidō, then in front of my Hatei Kūri (Dominating Ingot Void), it will all become nourishment for my Zanpakutō without exception!
If you don't take out your Zanpakutō and fight seriously, then this battle's only possible ending is your defeat!"
Yushima Ōko didn't move, continuing to let Sumitsukigasa drink in Tessai Tsukabishi's Kidō.
"Have you noticed, young man?" Tessai Tsukabishi said mildly. "Your Zanpakutō ability—Raikū: Dangai (Precipice Rift)—really is strong. It's a very good double-edged sword. But as long as its essence is still something created by a Zanpakutō's power through Reishi, then it still remains bound by the rules of a Shinigami's Reiatsu.
In short—it isn't a true Dangai fracture. It's only a simulation you produced through a very advanced method~"
"So what?" Yushima Ōko snapped, not understanding why Tessai Tsukabishi was suddenly saying something so cryptic.
"That means it can be canceled out~.
Since I don't know the internal spiritual structure, I can't neutralize it at the lowest cost. So I'll just use the dumbest method instead~"
Tessai Tsukabishi smiled as he spoke, casually letting Yushima Ōko devour the Reishi from Fushibi (Ambush Flare).
And it was then—sparked by Tessai Tsukabishi's words—that Yushima Ōko realized something he'd overlooked.
Aside from that strange Byakurai (Pale Lightning) at the start…
None of the Kidō Tessai Tsukabishi used afterward had tried to avoid the Dangai fractures Yushima Ōko created.
Meaning—
The "dumb method" Tessai Tsukabishi mentioned was to use stronger Reiatsu to wear down those fractures?
Yushima Ōko looked around—and sure enough, that lattice Tessai Tsukabishi had spread throughout the space, though it looked grand and all-encompassing, was actually deliberately concentrated around the Dangai fractures.
Some strands were even repeatedly slamming into the fractures.
And when those strands were absorbed into Sumitsukigasa by Hatei Kūri (Dominating Ingot Void), they also dragged away part of the Reishi that formed the fractures themselves.
That led to a brutal outcome:
The Dangai fractures around Yushima Ōko—his "perfect protection" he'd been so confident in—were being weakened from both sides, and were already close to fading away completely.
"Damn…"
Yushima Ōko understood what that would lead to.
So did Tessai Tsukabishi.
"Hadō #90: Kurohitsugi (Black Coffin)!"
Beneath Yushima Ōko, one… two… three… until nine enormous black coffins rose, wrapping layer after layer, swallowing him within.
"It's fine… as long as it's still Kidō, it's still within Hatei Kūri's range…"
In the darkness, feeling the endless pressure crushing in from all sides, cold sweat poured down Yushima Ōko's forehead.
But like he said—so long as it was Kidō, in theory Hatei Kūri could still break it all down.
So he shouldn't be in danger.
He just needed to wait until Hatei Kūri dissolved these Kurohitsugi (Black Coffin) layers into Reishi and absorbed them…
"As I thought, young man—your Zanpakutō ability is like a greedy little child~"
But outside the layered coffins, Tessai Tsukabishi already wore the expression of someone holding absolute victory.
Everything was exactly as he'd predicted.
Everyone knew: when children eat candy, they do it piece by piece.
If there's too much candy… they can't finish it all at once.
"Bakudō #99: Kin (Seal)!"
Outside the massive coffins, leather straps and nails appeared out of thin air.
Normally they would immediately pin the target—
But because Yushima Ōko was locked inside the coffins, they hovered there in midair, comically "stuck" with nothing to latch onto.
Two layers—
Inside, Yushima Ōko had already decomposed and absorbed two layers of Kurohitsugi (Black Coffin).
"Bakudō #99: Bankin (Great Seal)!"
"Shokyoku: Shiryū (First Song: Halting Fabric)!"
Tessai Tsukabishi continued casting as though he hadn't seen the scene at all.
Compared to the ordinary Bakudō #99: Kin (Seal), the Bankin (Great Seal) he used—
The moment that First Song's bandages appeared, they wrapped everything into their coils.
Not just the huge coffins—
Even the smaller straps and nails created by Kin (Seal) were swallowed up and bound within.
Five layers—
As Yushima Ōko absorbed more and more Reiatsu, his decomposition speed grew faster and faster.
"Nikyoku: Hyakurensan (Second Song: Hundred Linked Bolts)!"
Outside the bandages, dozens of terrifying, jagged iron spikes appeared.
Inside the bandages, Yushima Ōko finally finished absorbing the spiritual power of the coffins.
But there wasn't even a hint of joy on his face—
Because the world outside was still black.
Bandages with immense binding force surged in.
Spikes meant to break power followed right after.
Yushima Ōko swung Sumitsukigasa in resistance, trying to use Hatei Kūri (Dominating Ingot Void) to break down the bandages and spikes into Reishi.
But even larger bandages and spikes were already waiting beyond them.
The First Song's bandages sealed off Yushima Ōko's spiritual output.
The Second Song's spikes pierced through and disrupted his released ability.
And then, finally—
"Shūkyoku: Bankin Taihō (Final Song: Great Seal Taihō)!"
Tessai Tsukabishi swept his hand upward.
A colossal monument stone, its base carved with the manji symbol, dropped from above—slamming Yushima Ōko down beneath it.
He couldn't move at all.
He couldn't even make a sound.
"This is the upper limit of Kidō, young man," Tessai Tsukabishi said softly as he landed before the stone. "Did you see it?"
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