Restricted Death

Chapter 230 One against Four
Although the spiritual pressure was terrifying, Ulquiorra and Nellyel keenly sensed something amiss amidst the low rumbling sound that tore through the air. The immense pressure did not pour down on the city below indiscriminately; instead, it was like a precise blade, accurately locking onto the direction in which the four of them were located.

“Grimmjow,” Nellyel spoke calmly, her voice exceptionally clear in the howling wind, yet carrying an undeniable warning, “He is not an enemy that can be dealt with alone.”

Grimmjow was even more annoyed by the sound; Nereil's words had hurt his pride.

He ignored the warning, a sinister smile spreading across his face. A surge of spiritual pressure erupted from his body, a stark contrast to his earlier restraint. This violent energy raged in all directions, the shockwave sending debris flying from the edge of the rooftop. Matsumoto Rangiku and the other Shinigami members retreated, scrambling to regain their footing.

boom!
Grimmjow's entire figure shot towards Xin's location like a cannonball, tearing through the air with a sharp whistling sound. His speed was so fast that he left a series of blurry afterimages and was already close to his target in the blink of an eye.

Everyone present held their breath, their hearts pounding like drums. Matsumoto Rangiku, Shin's lieutenant, gripped the hilt of his Zanpakuto so tightly that his knuckles turned white from the force.

She wanted to step forward and block the opponent's attack for her captain, but under the overwhelming spiritual pressure, her movements became sluggish, as if she had stepped into a sticky swamp. In this brief moment of sluggishness, Grimmjow had already rushed to Shin's face, and the scorching wind from his punch made Shin's clothes flutter loudly.

But to everyone's surprise, Grimmjow's seemingly ferocious attack stopped abruptly just centimeters away from Shin. Time seemed to freeze; Grimmjow was as if he were embedded in mid-air by several invisible hands, maintaining his punching posture but unable to move at all! The wind howled high above, blowing his messy hair wildly, but his body remained stiff and motionless.

Unable to move...

Grimmjow's eyes widened, bloodshot veins filling the whites of his eyes. He couldn't understand, only feeling an invisible force of rules pressing down on him. It wasn't that something was blocking his way, but rather that he couldn't control his body; his muscles spasmed in vain, and he could only watch helplessly as Tachikawa Shin coldly raised a finger, a faint light gathering at its tip, and gently pressed it against Grimmjow's chest.

"Fool!" Ulquiorra cursed in a low voice upon seeing this, and was about to rush to the rescue, but it was too late.

"White Thunder!"

boom!
A blinding flash of lightning tore through the dim sky, and with a deafening roar, the beam of light pierced through Grimmjow's body, passing right past Ulquiorra and the others. It left a horrific bloody hole in Grimmjow's chest, his flesh torn open and charred black, the acrid smell of blood and spiritual energy filling the air.

With a thud, Grimmjow's body crashed onto the rooftop, raising a cloud of dust. His eyes were filled with disbelief, and he let out a wild, guttural growl.

The sudden turn of events caused the other three Arrancar to look extremely grave, and the air became heavy as lead. They finally realized why the four of them had been sent at the same time.

Although Grimmjow is the seventh Espada and the weakest of the four, this does not mean that he is someone who can be easily defeated by anyone. Even if they wanted to seriously injure him with a single blow, it would be impossible for them to do so.

This was not a battle they thought they could win easily, especially now that they had almost lost one of their combatants; the sense of urgency was as chilling as ice.

"Serves him right!" Nnoitra sneered as he looked at Grimmjow's miserable state, a cruel sneer playing on his lips. "Pathetic!"

This contempt made Grimmjow struggle to breathe, blood oozing from his mouth.

Upon hearing this, Nelliel's expression subtly turned displeased, a hint of anger flashing between her brows. She quickly adjusted her breathing: "Attack together! Don't give him another chance."

Shin then said to Matsumoto Rangiku and several members of the Fifth Division, "Find a place to hide."

As soon as he finished speaking, Ulquiorra raised his hand, and a high concentration of emerald green spiritual particles gathered and compressed in his palm, their light as dazzling as a new star. In the next instant, a thick beam of light suddenly shot out toward the rooftop where Xin was.

boom!
The terrifying destructive power of the Cero caused a towering energy explosion on the rooftop where Shin and the others were gathered. The shockwave churned, and debris and dust rose into the air like a mushroom cloud.

Nellyel and Nnoitra moved simultaneously, their figures flashing as they approached the center of the explosion, their scythes and blades flashing with deadly cold light.

When the light from the explosion dissipated, only Shin and Gin Ichimaru remained standing unharmed on the rooftop amidst the smoke and dust, their robes slightly stained with dust but their elegance undiminished.

Nellyel and Nnoitra attacked from both sides with lightning speed.

boom!
The swords and sickles in their hands fell simultaneously, striking Xin's body. The burst of spiritual energy transformed into a beam of light that shrouded everyone's faces in darkness.

However, despite the powerful attack, Xin's body remained unharmed. His clothes fluttered without being torn, and even the rooftop floor beneath his feet did not crack. It was as if all the impact had been silently neutralized.

Nereil and Nnoitra were instinctively shocked by Xin's formidable defensive power upon seeing this.

boom!
Another emerald green Cero shot came, Ulquiorra providing support from above.

Nereel and Nnoitra flew away simultaneously with fluid movements. At the same time, Grimmjow, who was lying on the ground, was also pulled up by Nereel and rescued.

Shin lightly patted the non-existent dust off his shoulder, a casual yet composed gesture, as he glanced at the four Arrancar not far away.

"Kill me? Is that all you're capable of?"

Despite his severe injuries, Grimmjow remained conscious. He broke free from Nelliel's support, clutching the bloody hole in his chest with one hand. His face was ashen, but his eyes were fixed on the letter, burning with rage.

"This guy! I'm going to kill him with my own hands!"

Ulquiorra frowned upon hearing this, his voice as cold as a knife: "You have no chance against him one-on-one, don't do anything foolish."

"Stop talking nonsense!" Grimmjow retorted angrily. "You have no right to order me around!"

Having said that, he drew the long sword from his waist with one hand, placed the other on the blade, and his spiritual pressure fluctuated violently, ignoring the blood seeping from his wound. His spiritual pressure rose at an extremely terrifying speed, and blue light surrounded him.

"Squeak, Leopard King!"

boom!
Similar to a Shinigami releasing his Zanpakuto, a surge of spiritual energy enveloped his entire body, causing a transformation: white bone armor emerged from beneath his skin, covering his limbs; blood-red light flickered in the hollow of his abdomen; a similar bone tail appeared on his back, whistling as it swung; his originally short blue hair grew long and messy, flowing like wild mane; and his fangs were exposed. He looked like a bloodthirsty beast.

Shin felt the surge of spiritual pressure emanating from him and frowned slightly. He glanced at Gin Ichimaru, who hadn't made a move, and knew he couldn't use his powers here again.

He suddenly shot into the sky, his figure like an arrow, rising a hundred meters in the air in an instant, the wind whistling in his ears like the wailing of ghosts.

"Where do you think you're going?!" Grimmjow roared in anger, leaping into the air and disappearing in a flash, giving chase at incredible speed.

"Grimmjow!" Neluel shouted, but Grimmjow completely ignored her.

Ulquiorra frowned, his clothes fluttering in the wind. He muttered, "Tachikawa Shin wants to use the city below as a battlefield, so he can better utilize his abilities. Grimmjow has lost his mind!"

After a brief moment's thought, Nelliel said, "Let's go too!"

“This is bad for us,” Ulquiorra said, glancing down below.

“If we release our Zanpakuto together, we have a great chance of winning. If we push the enemy to the brink in the battle below, they may not care about the lives of humans. On the contrary, if we let them kill Grimmjow first, we will suffer greater losses.” Nereel finished speaking quickly and then flew rapidly into the sky.

Ulquiorra ultimately chose to obey her orders. Nereil was the third in the Espada. Although the Espada were only ranked by strength and not by hierarchy, Nereil was a rational and calm person. As she had just said, losing Grimmjow would be even more disadvantageous for them.

The battlefield advantage that can be gained here is not as important as Grimmjow himself.

Nnoitra, however, looked at Ulquiorra and Neliel, who had already taken to the skies, and spat coldly, his teeth clenched. Before leaving, he glanced at Gin Ichimaru, who remained standing there, his fox-like smile unchanged.

Their eyes met, and Neutra gave a cruel smile, twirling the scythe halfway in his palm before turning and chasing after him.

"Leopard King's Claw!"

Grimmjow's forelimbs and claws slashed through the air, leaving five enormous blue streaks that resembled blades tearing the heavens and earth apart, as if to rip the letter to shreds.

Xin's figure continued to rise, but when he saw the huge claw marks coming towards him, he suddenly stopped.

boom!
The claw marks went right through Xin's body, but surprisingly, Xin seemed completely unaffected, and even his clothes were not torn.

Seeing that his prized technique had no effect on him, Grimmjow refused to give up and swung his claws again.

"Leopard King's Claw!"

boom!
The massive claw mark reappeared, and the wind pressure tore through the clouds. This time, Xin Moran raised his hand, his five fingers spread out, and an invisible force spread out, actually stopping the violent claw mark when it reached him. Countless spiritual particles scattered like snowflakes.

"This guy?!" Grimmjow's expression was a mixture of shock and anger. His proud attack had been so easily neutralized by the opponent.

Nellyel and her two companions had caught up and surrounded Xin in the strong winds high in the sky. The air currents were like knives cutting through the air, and their clothes were constantly billowing.

Grimmjow roared at the three of them, "I told you, he's my prey alone! Get out of my way!"

Neutra retorted without restraint, "You idiot, who gave you the courage?"

Ulquiorra's voice was icy: "Are you going to disregard the adults' orders?"

The word "sir" he uttered finally caused Grimmjow's expression to change drastically. His rage subsided slightly, and the low growl of resentment in his throat became almost inaudible.

They were already at a high enough altitude that the wind whistled past their ears like knives scraping their bones. Looking down, the tall buildings appeared as tiny as chess pieces, and the city's outline was blurred into a hazy blur.

Finally, at this moment, a visible spiritual barrier suddenly appeared below, emitting a faint blue glow, quietly enveloping the entire city.

Shin finally breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this. He knew that it was Urahara Kisuke and his group who had taken action and created a barrier to protect the entire city.

In this way, there's no need to worry about anything anymore.

The four Arrancars naturally noticed the changes below, but having already left the battlefield, they didn't care what happened there.

Ulquiorra stared at Shin's figure and suddenly said, "He doesn't seem to be wearing a Zanpakuto."

However, he was inwardly surprised and doubtful about Shin's true strength. Before coming, the master had specifically instructed him that even if he was ultimately defeated, he should find out the true information about the opponent's Zanpakuto.

Of course, they didn't want to believe that the enemy was stronger than the four of them working together before they came.

But now, without even revealing their Zanpakuto, the opponent has shown strength that may surpass any one of them individually.

Shinigami are different from Hollows; without a Zanpakuto, they are like cripples.

Neliel had already drawn the blade from her waist and held it horizontally in front of her, calmly saying, "It's a good thing."

"Sing praises, Knight of the Antelope!"

The next moment, an extremely powerful spiritual pressure surged from her body, and her body transformed from what was originally thought to be a mature woman into a half-human, half-goat creature, wielding a double-headed spear.

That's definitely a good thing...

Ulquiorra thought to himself, and drew his sword from his waist as well.

"Seal it down, Blackwing Demon!"

As Ulquiorra's Resurrection ended, enormous black bat wings sprouted from his back, and he wore a helmet with two horns.

Meanwhile, Neutra did not delay.

"Pray, Holy Crying Mantis!"

Nnoitra has a crescent-shaped horn growing from its head, cross-shaped yellow markings on its face, and tooth-like eyepatch-shaped masks in the void. It has six amputated arms, each wielding a double-edged scythe.

High in the sky, the wind grew even fiercer, its howling drowning out everything.

The four Arrancar surrounding Shin all released their blades, their spiritual pressure crashing down like a tsunami, seemingly unleashing their full power to end his life here.

Whether it was my imagination or not, the temperature seemed to have dropped several degrees compared to before, and the chill suddenly increased.

It wasn't an illusion; how could someone of their level, a Void Realm expert, not notice the subtle changes taking place on the battlefield?

Within their sight, Xin, who had not originally been carrying a sword, was surrounded by a visible white aura of cold air, which then quickly condensed into ice.

It was an ice blade, somewhat crudely designed.

Fortunately, it is still recognizable as a knife.

(End of this chapter)