Boom!
As those ice birds fell, Bai Ye dodged and suddenly appeared behind Seeth, sweeping his halberd. Under the halberd's gale, all the flying ice birds exploded.
The young captain's gaze sharpened slightly.
Bai Ye's speed was much faster than before, which meant Bai Ye had grown stronger, or hadn't used his full strength earlier.
At the same time...
After shattering the ice birds with a single halberd strike, Bai Ye grinned at the young captain.
Although the opponent looked like a little runt, he was a captain-level fighter, and Bai Ye naturally had to show respect. This was not an opponent that could be easily dealt with.
With this thought, Bai Ye leaped up and charged directly at the captain.
He swung his Fang Tian Hua Ji forward.
The young captain leaped backward, intending to evade the halberd's sharpness, but at this moment...
Bai Ye reached out and made a grasping motion forward.
Greed Wolf's Grasp!
In that instant, the young captain felt something being drawn out of his body, and his movement speed suddenly slowed considerably.
Bang!
Due to the sudden deceleration, Bai Ye's halberd swept out and struck the captain's chest, sending him flying.
The young captain's body shot backward, smashing into the wall near the White Dao Gate, creating a gaping hole.
Bai Ye grinned, "A piece of advice for you, even if you're captain-level, it's best to just Bankai directly!"
The young captain gritted his teeth, pushed away the debris, and slowly got up.
"As you wish!" The young captain raised his Zanpakuto and said, "Settle down in the frost, Hyōrinmaru!"
Instantly, the surrounding frost swirled towards the young captain, forming a giant sphere that enveloped him.
"Bankai!" The young captain's roar echoed: "Daiguren Hyōrinmaru!"
The swirling frost sphere shattered.
The young captain reappeared, now with icy dragon wings behind his back, his right arm covered by a dragon-claw gauntlet, and an icy tail swaying behind him.
The young captain gripped his sword hilt and swung forward forcefully.
"Ice Dragon Tail!"
The blade shot forward, and with that strike, a vast amount of frost surged towards Bai Ye. The ground was rapidly frozen, and as the frost swept past Bai Ye, he was instantly covered in solid ice, frozen into an ice sculpture.
But...
It lasted only for a moment!
Crack!
The ice covering Bai Ye cracked, and as Bai Ye spread his arms, the frost shattered with a roar.
"So cold!"
Bai Ye grinned and swung his halberd forward, the frozen ground instantly erupting.
The young captain's eyes narrowed, and he lunged forward.
Clang!
A crisp ringing sound echoed!
Blade and halberd clashed, producing a resounding impact.
In just an instant, immense power pressed down on the young captain. With a bang, the ground beneath his feet shattered.
He was no match for the power!
The young captain's face changed, and he quickly leaped backward. Once he had put some distance between himself and Bai Ye, he began to run rapidly, weaving around Bai Ye.
Since he was outmatched in strength, he would compete with speed and agility, but...
"Why are you running?"
Bai Ye's voice suddenly sounded, and the young captain's face showed surprise.
Bai Ye...
Had actually caught up!
Not only had Bai Ye caught up, but he was even keeping pace with the young captain's rapid movements, his speed in no way inferior.
The dark purple armor looked heavy, but it didn't affect Bai Ye's movement at all. In fact, with Lü Bu's possession, Bai Ye's physical attributes were enhanced comprehensively, not just his strength.
Bai Ye was not, as his opponent thought, merely strong.
Under the young captain's terrified gaze, Bai Ye swung his Fang Tian Hua Ji again, delivering a horizontal slash to the side.
The young captain was once again sent flying, skimming close to the ground, and then...
"Captain!"
Several Shinigami emerged from Seireitei, gathering at the entrance. Several Shinigami worked together to catch the young captain.
Bai Ye did not continue his attack, but lowered his Fang Tian Hua Ji, watching the opponent silently.
The young captain straightened himself again, meeting Bai Ye's gaze.
The snow continued to fall, white flakes landing on Bai Ye's shoulders, gradually melting.
In that moment, the young captain felt humiliated.
Because Bai Ye exuded a sense of loneliness.
Standing alone in the wind and snow.
Heaven and earth were vast, yet there was no one to fight.
Hence, loneliness.
And for the young captain, he was the youngest captain of the Thirteenth Division in history. His powerful spiritual pressure had earned him the title of genius since childhood. Everyone told him he was strong and his future was boundless.
Yet now, he felt weak, incomparably weak!
He couldn't even pique the opponent's interest.
Any verbal insult was inferior to blatant disregard!
On the other hand, Bai Ye's feelings were even more intense, because that loneliness did not stem from him, but from this power, from...
The God of War Lü Bu!
Almost without warning, Bai Ye lost the will to fight. The so-called battles began to feel boring and empty.
What was the true value of being called the God of War?
Was it to keep winning, to kill all enemies?
No!
In this moment, Bai Ye seemed to understand Lü Bu's solitude.
He didn't want to kill anyone.
Instead...
He wanted to be killed!
But it seemed there was no one in this world who could accomplish that.
Why?
When all he wanted was to die in battle.
Was this a difficult thing to achieve?
Why was it so difficult?
"Let's end this," Bai Ye raised his Fang Tian Hua Ji again. "It's no longer interesting."
As his words fell, Bai Ye suddenly bent his knees and leaped violently into the air.
The young captain took a deep breath, the frost surging from his body becoming even more intense. That feeling of humiliation did not discourage him, but rather intensified his fighting spirit.
He wanted to see how strong Bai Ye truly was.
So, he raised his blade!
"Hyōka Sōshō!"
The snowflakes swirling in the sky seemed to grow larger, a vast expanse of white, dyeing the dark night silver.
This was his ultimate killing move. The falling snow could freeze everything. Any enemy who touched the snowflakes would begin to freeze, and ice flowers would bloom. When a hundred ice flowers appeared in the world, it would signify that the enemy's life had come to an end, buried beneath the flowers.
...