"Extend, Katenkyo!"
The lieutenant had no intention of wasting words with Bai Ye. He directly struck the hilt against the scabbard, merging them and entering his Shikai.
Upon entering Shikai, the opponent's Zanpakuto surprisingly transformed into a red-tasseled long spear. Following this, the lieutenant pushed off the ground, leaning forward, and charged towards Bai Ye.
His speed was astonishing!
The spear thrust forward, cutting through the air with a silver glint, aiming directly for Bai Ye's face.
Then…
Clang!
Bai Ye made no move to dodge. He stood his ground and allowed the spear to strike his chest, producing a clear, ringing sound.
The lieutenant was stunned, and Bai Ye was amused!
After being possessed by Lu Bu, he hadn't just gained the Sky Piercing Halberd, but also this suit of purple-black armor.
Was armor merely for decoration?
However, the lieutenant's reaction was quick. He suddenly gripped the spear shaft and pulled hard, causing the spear to split apart. The tail end then whipped forward.
This time, the opponent's attack was not aimed at Bai Ye's body but directly at his face.
This was an area not protected by armor!
But just as it was about to hit, Bai Ye suddenly raised his hand and grabbed the spear shaft.
"Rise!"
Bai Ye let out a low growl and then exerted his arm with immense force, sending the lieutenant and his weapon flying through the air.
The lieutenant tumbled through the air, barely managing to steady himself and land back on the ground.
Bai Ye glanced at the weapon in the lieutenant's hand. It was a segmented spear, similar in form to a three-section staff, but with a spearhead.
At the same time…
Bang, bang, bang!
Gunshots suddenly rang out.
Bai Ye glanced sideways. The surrounding Shinigami had seized the opportunity while Bai Ye and the lieutenant were engaged, pressing their advantage. Sze was now completely surrounded.
Hiss!
Bai Ye took a deep breath and roared in Sze's direction, "Get out of the way!"
Hearing Bai Ye's shout, Sze reacted swiftly, quickly darting to the side and leaping away.
It was at this precise moment…
Bai Ye suddenly leaped into the air, descending into the center of the crowd.
"Demon God's Descent!"
Boom!
Bai Ye landed in the midst of the crowd. The instant his feet touched the ground, large swathes of purple-black smoke surged around him. Surrounding the smoke were phantom demonic claws, encircling the Shinigami.
Then…
Bai Ye twisted his ankle, spun in place, and swung his Sky Piercing Halberd in a wide arc with all his might, sweeping outwards.
In an instant, screams erupted!
The Shinigami offered no resistance, sent flying in all directions with a single sweep of Bai Ye's halberd.
Surrounding walls crumbled incessantly, reducing to piles of rubble.
"Let's go!"
Bai Ye called out to Sze and strode forward. After exiting the street, the White Road Gate, one of the four gates of the Seireitei, appeared before them.
Sze said to Bai Ye, "We're far enough. We can plant the marker."
But at this very moment…
"Did I say you could leave?"
The lieutenant, still holding the segmented spear, had somehow caught up.
Sze reached for his handgun but was stopped by Bai Ye, who pressed on his wrist.
Bai Ye said, "Don't worry about him. You plant the marker, I'll handle everything else."
Sze nodded and ran forward, putting distance between himself and the Shinigami, then took out the item Kong He had given him.
Meanwhile, Bai Ye swung his halberd, striking the spear thrown by the lieutenant and sending him flying again.
"Lieutenant?" Bai Ye asked, "Can you Bankai?"
The lieutenant bared his teeth. "Do you think I'm looking down on you? Since you're so eager to see, I'll show you."
The lieutenant thrust his segmented spear into the ground, then removed his outer robe, revealing a terrifyingly well-built physique.
Instantly, the lieutenant's spiritual pressure began to surge.
Spiritual pressure, this was the term used by Shinigami.
For the Chosen, it was essentially spiritual energy, just as the Zanpakuto Sze gave Bai Ye required a spiritual pressure value to achieve Bankai; in reality, it was the spiritual energy that needed to be enhanced.
Perhaps the two were not the same, but at least their effects were analogous.
Simultaneously…
Following the surge of spiritual pressure, the lieutenant raised his segmented spear high once more.
"Tear apart, Katenkyo!"
The lieutenant roared, and his spiritual pressure surged madly again.
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
The ground beneath them began to shatter under the immense pressure of the spiritual energy, developing a vast network of cracks and forming a deep crater.
"Bankai!" the lieutenant took a deep breath. "Ryumon Katenkyo!"
In an instant, the Zanpakuto in the lieutenant's hand vanished, replaced by a suspended, axe-like giant blade behind him. Thick chains connected it to two smaller axe blades on either side. Lifelike dragon patterns adorned the axe surface.
Bai Ye raised an eyebrow. This was quite impressive. As far as Bai Ye knew, all Captains could achieve Bankai, but Lieutenants were not guaranteed to. Only a select few Lieutenants with formidable strength, close to Captain-level, possessed the ability to Bankai.
After achieving Bankai, the lieutenant lowered his stance slightly, then suddenly leaped into the air.
"You wanted to see Bankai, didn't you?" the lieutenant sneered. "Then I'll let you see it."
As he spoke, the lieutenant hurled one of the axe blades in his hand forcefully at Bai Ye.
The axe blade was incredibly heavy, whistling through the air and creating a powerful gust of wind. The massive chain behind it constantly made a "clang, clang" sound.
This attack appeared to be overwhelmingly powerful, capable of crushing a person into a pulp.
However, at this very moment…
Bai Ye suddenly burst into laughter, a somewhat eerie laugh!
Then…
Clang!
Bai Ye suddenly raised his hand and directly caught the descending axe blade, producing a loud metallic ring.
The lieutenant froze instantly. His attack had been caught?
And…
Bare-handed?
The lieutenant suddenly tightened his grip on the chain and pulled with all his might, trying to wrench his weapon back. However, the axe blade remained motionless, utterly immovable from Bai Ye's grasp.
"You've misunderstood something," Bai Ye said, looking at him. "It's not that achieving Bankai means you can defeat me. It's that if you achieve Bankai, I can have even more fun!"
The moment Bai Ye finished speaking, he gripped the axe blade and swept it forcefully to the side.
In the next instant, the lieutenant's body, pulled by the chain, was sent flying to the side.
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
The lieutenant's body repeatedly smashed into the ground, pulverizing it with each impact, accompanied by resounding thuds. Large clouds of dust billowed upwards, forming pillars of dirt.
…