Chapter 29: Yeruashi: No Need to Worry |
Boom!
Accompanied by a powerful surge of concentrated reiatsu that rippled in all directions, the figures of Yoruichi and Org stepped back several meters in perfect synchronization.
At first glance, it might have seemed like an even exchange, but the reality would prove far different once the combatants' strengths and weaknesses were factored in.
Yoruichi, renowned for her peerless speed, had just held her ground against Org in a direct head-on collision!
One could only imagine the dire, pathetic situation Org would find himself in the moment Yoruichi shifted from a frontal assault to a contest of pure speed and maneuverability!
This was the head of one of the Great Noble Houses of the Soul Society, the Captain of the Gotei 13's Second Division, and the Commander-in-Chief of the Onmitsukido—the "Goddess of Flash," Yoruichi Shihoin!
"Incredible..."
Great Org whispered, his voice laced with disbelief.
He never dreamed that Yoruichi's strength would skyrocket to such a degree that she could challenge him in a test of raw power... especially after his beastly transformation!
In the next heartbeat...
Swoosh!
The smiling Yoruichi vanished instantly, reappearing behind Great Org and driving a swift palm strike toward his neck. Combined with her Shunko, this seemingly simple and unassuming attack was far more lethal than before. The air surrounding her palm, saturated with a massive amount of concentrated reiatsu, distorted violently, and the nearby reishi trembled.
Boom!
Org, in his feral form, lunged forward, narrowly evading Yoruichi's relentless strike. He twisted mid-air with incredible agility, snapping his fanged jaws shut.
Yoruichi executed a sharp retreat before immediately delivering an impossibly fast and powerful blow to Org's jaw.
Crunch!
Org's jaw shuddered violently, his teeth slamming shut on empty air as two shattered fangs flew outward, accompanied by a spray of blood.
In that fleeting exchange, Yoruichi had managed to knock several teeth straight out of Org's closing maw!
Roar!
Org let out a pained howl, swinging his massive, clawed paws at Yoruichi in a desperate attempt to tear her to ribbons.
Yoruichi effortlessly dove beneath the enraged Org's massive claws and zipped right under his long belly, striking with an elegant palm shaped like a blade.
Thwack!
The Panther King leaped upward, but despite his rapid reaction, the fur and skin of his underbelly were still ravaged by the immense pressure of Yoruichi's concentrated reiatsu.
Org's expression darkened as he spat out several large mouthfuls of blood, feeling the enemy's reiatsu deal significant damage to the internal organs within his chest cavity.
"King Org!"
The numerous members of the Panther Clan standing near the edge of the abyss cried out in shock and fear, while the Shinigami of the Second Division and the Onmitsukido nearby let out sighs of relief.
Soi Fon's eyes shone with unwavering faith.
This was the person she believed in!
This was the person she was ready to give her life for!
Lady Yoruichi!
However...
Contrary to everyone's expectations, the Panther King spat out more blood and let out a ferocious roar, showing not a single hint of fear or hesitation.
"Does he still have another trump card?"
Yoruichi exclaimed in surprise, instinctively leaping back as that savage roar triggered a sharp sense of impending danger.
The moment she retreated dozens of meters, she was startled to see a figure that had appeared on the edge of the cliff without her noticing.
It was a demi-human!
Outwardly, he bore a strong resemblance to the Panther King before his transformation, but he possessed far more human features.
This strange representative of the Panther Clan lacked a massive coat of fur, differing from a human only by his beastly claws and ears.
But what was even stranger...
Not the slightest ripple of reiatsu emanated from his body, as if he didn't exist at all!
In this world, even the most ordinary souls possessed at least a faint trace of reiatsu, as spiritual power was the foundation of any soul's existence.
Which meant...
This was no soul.
'A monster?'
As the thought crossed Yoruichi's mind, she was suddenly struck with shock and horror to find that she could not move.
Her body was bound by some invisible force!
At the same time, concentric circles appeared in the eyes of the demi-human, who was watching the stunned Yoruichi with a predatory grin!
"Could it be?"
Yeruashi, who had been casually and relaxed while playing with the enraged Justin, whispered in surprise as he turned his head and saw the demi-human's eyes.
Lilith also cast a surprised glance at the eyes of the newly appeared Panther Clan member.
Those were... the Rinnegan!
Yoruichi gritted her teeth and unleashed a massive burst of concentrated reiatsu in every direction, attempting to break free as quickly as possible.
In a battle of this caliber, even a split-second delay could be fatal, let alone a strange invisible force that completely robbed her of movement for a full second!
Swoosh!
Org's razor-sharp claws lunged toward Yoruichi.
Although the flare of reiatsu helped Yoruichi break the binding, it was already too late to dodge.
Splash!
The right side of Yoruichi's abdomen was torn to shreds, sending blood spraying into the air alongside chunks of flesh!
"Cough..."
The Second Division Captain's eyes widened in disbelief and confusion, and a torrent of blood surged from her mouth.
In that moment, Yoruichi felt her spiritual power rapidly weakening and flickering out.
Because monsters completely lacked reiatsu, she hadn't been able to react in time to the strange demi-human's arrival on the cliff's edge.
By the time she realized it, it was too late!
This member of the Panther Clan, who had apparently become a monster, was also at the Captain level... perhaps not much weaker than Yoruichi herself!
She hadn't just faced a surprise attack from a Captain-level opponent; he had managed to completely neutralize her Flash Step with some bizarre ability!
In such a situation, even the famed Goddess of Flash was powerless...
Yoruichi had received a mortal wound!
"This is the end, Shinigami Captain,"
Great Org said calmly, a malicious smirk revealing his beastly fangs.
At that moment, Soi Fon let out a piercing scream and lunged through the air, catching the wounded Yoruichi.
"Noooooo!!!"
"Yoruichi! Lady Yoruichi!"
Soi Fon wailed in despair as the blood pouring from the massive hole in Yoruichi's stomach quickly soaked her small frame.
It was a lethal injury!
Even Retsu Unohana, were she standing there right now, would not be able to save Yoruichi's life!
"Ugh... run... that's... an order..."
Yoruichi, hovering on the brink of death, forced out a few ragged words.
She never could have anticipated that the Panther Clan would have another combatant of such power, let alone one wielding such strange and dangerous abilities.
That fleeting moment of carelessness and underestimation had cost her her life.
Yoruichi understood the severity of her wound better than anyone; she also knew perfectly well that Lilith and Yeruashi couldn't hold back four Captain-level opponents on their own.
Every Shinigami here would die if the battle continued!
"Ah... run quickly... leave me..."
"No... no... Lady Yoruichi..."
Soi Fon sobbed loudly, clutching the bleeding Yoruichi to her chest.
Her duty was to fight and die for Lady Yoruichi, yet today, the enemy had mortally wounded her lady right before her eyes...
She would never leave Lady Yoruichi here!
But the moment Soi Fon tried to flee with the dying woman, the gaze of the Rinnegan-wielding Panther fell upon them.
The Rinnegan pulsed with a powerful impulse, and thin streams of blood rolled down the strange demi-human's cheeks: "...Amaterasu!"
Whoosh!
Black flames instantly engulfed the figures of Soi Fon and Yoruichi.
Soi Fon screamed in agony and fell to the ground with Yoruichi as the Amaterasu began to hungrily consume and devour their reiatsu.
She gritted her teeth and released a powerful surge of spiritual energy in an attempt to extinguish the terrifying black fire, but the Amaterasu continued to burn relentlessly and mercilessly through everything in its path.
"..."
Soi Fon felt a crushing wave of despair as she realized she couldn't put out the frightening flames, while Lady Yoruichi's spiritual power continued to fade at an alarming rate.
She could only think that Lady Yoruichi could not die here, completely disregarding her own life.
But she could neither heal the mortal wound nor escape with her lady.
Who...
Who could possibly save Lady Yoruichi in such a situation?!
"It's over."
Justin, still battling Yeruashi, smirked confidently. "Ah... I really wanted to crush you with my own hands, Shinigami, but there's no point now that your Captain is already dead."
Yeruashi watched the Rinnegan-wielding Panther with interest, completely ignoring Justin's words. "That was quite unexpected."
The Rinnegan.
It was definitely his power.
This world was comprised of five percent of his power.
It might not have sounded like much, but in reality, that five percent was enough to grow dozens of God Trees and create dozens of Kaguyas!
However...
That five percent was an integral part of the world.
Life could absorb no more than twenty percent of that power; the remaining eighty percent formed the foundation of the world itself.
Roughly one percent of his power had scattered freely across the world, which was the very reason the monster race had formed.
In its scattered state, that power could give birth to three or four Captain-level monsters, but if gathered, it could create a single monster beyond the Captain level, comparable to Retsu Unohana or Yamamoto Genryusai.
The strength of this Rinnegan-wielding monster was precisely around that of an average Captain.
If Yeruashi's power didn't exist, this monster would never have been born, and Yoruichi would have easily defeated Great Org. In other words, the current crisis was born of his influence on the Soul Society many years ago.
"Given up already? Well, that's fine too... I can't wait to tear you apart with my Bankai!"
Justin smirked at the distracted Yeruashi before fiercely swinging his massive Bankai, intent on cleaving him in two.
But by this point, Yeruashi had completely regained his composure, his gaze becoming bored and indifferent, much as it had been throughout the entire battle.
Yeruashi made a sharp swipe with his Zanpakuto.
Whish!
This time, the clash of their blades wasn't met with a deafening roar or the ring of metal.
Instead...
Yeruashi's Zanpakuto sliced through Justin's massive Bankai like a hot knife through butter!
Justin's Bankai was severed in two by Yeruashi's blade!
"!!!"
Justin's face twisted into a mask of horror, his mouth falling open, but any words were cut short by a bloody horizontal line that stretched across his body just below the chest.
An unintelligible, muffled wheeze escaped Justin's throat before his body separated into two pieces at the chest and tumbled into the deep abyss, followed by a shower of blood.
"Justin!"
This sudden turn of events profoundly shocked all the gathered members of the Panther Clan, including Org himself.
At the same time, the Shinigami of the Second Division and the Onmitsukido, who had been in utter despair, fell into a state of stunned disbelief.
Yoruichi was mortally wounded by a hidden attack!
Yeruashi had killed a Bankai wielder!
All of this had happened in an interval of less than ten seconds, leaving every Shinigami present in a state of total shock.
Swoosh!
Yeruashi, having just killed Justin with a simple swing of his blade, stepped forward calmly and vanished. A heartbeat later, he reappeared beside Yoruichi and Soi Fon.
With a light, serene wave of his hand, he created a gentle breeze that extinguished the Amaterasu flames devouring Soi Fon and Yoruichi as easily as if they were common candle flames.
"Yeru... Lieutenant Hatake..."
Soi Fon lifted her head, her tear-filled eyes looking at Yeruashi the moment she felt the terrifying fire that had been consuming her reiatsu vanish without a trace.
She sat on her knees, cradling Yoruichi, and whispered imploringly, though she saw no hope left: "Save... please save Lady Yoruichi... she can't die like this..."
Yeruashi patted Soi Fon's head and said calmly, "You needn't worry. As long as I am here, she will never die."
Yoruichi, now standing on the very threshold of death, slowly shifted her hazy gaze to Yeruashi.
Initially, she had held no hope of surviving such a wound, but in that moment, a faint spark of hope flickered in the depths of her eyes.
Yeruashi looked at her and gave a carefree smile. "Didn't you want to see the special ability of my Bankai, Captain? Then watch..."
Then.
He smoothly raised his Zanpakuto above his head, pointing the blade toward the sky, and spoke in a clear, steady voice: "Bankai."
"Shunkan Mugen."
Accompanied by a raging flash of reiatsu that blanketed the heavens and the earth, the raised Zanpakuto took the form of a hand on a vintage clock, while a massive golden timepiece materialized in the air behind Yeruashi.