Bleach: From the moment I was invited by Squad Zero.

Shiba Isshin also noticed the ominous golden light: "What the hell is that?!"

"I don't know, but it's definitely not Hyōrinmaru's own power!" Yanagawa spoke very quickly.

"That power is very peculiar in nature; it's interfering with Hyōrinmaru's will, and we must deplete it first."

"Or we can temporarily suppress that additional golden power, otherwise Hyōrinmaru will remain in this berserk state where he can't distinguish friend from foe, and he won't be able to communicate at all!"

As if to confirm Yanagawa's words, Hyōrinmaru, whose forehead was flashing with golden light once again, let out a low roar mixed with pain and rage.

Chapter 21 The Battle of Ice and Fire

"Captain Yixin, it's your time to shine, go for it!" Liu Chuan said in a relaxed tone, even with a hint of encouragement.

Upon hearing this, Shiba almost stumbled.

He turned his head briefly, glaring at Liu Chuan, who stood at the edge of the battlefield, arms crossed, watching the fight. His voice sounded particularly sullen in the howling wind:

"Huh?! Me? What about you?! Liu Chuan! Don't just stand there watching! This was your idea!"

Faced with Shiba Isshin's "accusation," Yanagawa remained unfazed and responded in a matter-of-fact tone with a hint of perfunctoriness: "Don't worry, I'll assist you as the situation warrants."

"Assist?" Shiba Isshin continued to shout.

"How can I help you? By giving you encouraging looks?!"

"Tactical observation is also a very important form of assistance."

“I’m analyzing this golden power. You just need to go all out and attack, apply pressure, and force it to show more.”

Shiba Isshin: "..."

He finally understood.

Liu Chuan, under the guise of observation and analysis, pushed this ready-made captain-level henchman to the front line.

With him taking the lead, Liu Chuan was naturally happy to relax and safely collect data and study his opponents from the back.

"You bastard...you're ruthless!" Shiba gritted his teeth and shattered another sneak attack ice spike, mentally cursing Yanagawa countless times.

But despite his complaints, he knew that Liu Chuan had a point.

Hyōrinmaru is currently in a chaotic and berserk state, only knowing how to attack wildly. Close combat is very risky, so someone definitely needs to be in front to restrain him and create opportunities to observe and find weaknesses.

"Fine! I'll be the laborer this time!" Shiba made up his mind, no longer expecting Yanagawa to join the fray immediately.

Hyōrinmaru's attack missed, and he seemed to be enraged, or perhaps he was forcibly urging out more power.

His feet, covered by icy dragon claws, sank slightly, and the blizzard around him intensified instantly, causing more sharp icicles to condense in the air.

"Tsk, looks like we have no choice but to fight!" Shiba Isshin spat, his usual cheerful smile disappearing, replaced by boiling fighting spirit.

He took a step forward, his right hand firmly resting on the hilt of his Zanpakuto at his waist.

Just as the next wave of ice shards was about to rain down, Shiba Isshin's eyes flashed with a sharp light.

"Burn, burn!"

boom!

The intense spiritual pressure, like a long-suppressed volcano, erupted from Shiba Isshin's body!

This spiritual pressure was domineering and scorching, instantly dispelling the chill that approached his body, and even melting the frozen ground beneath his feet, leaving a charred mark.

The icy spiritual pressure of Hyōrinmaru, which could freeze everything, collided with the incompatible force of water and fire, and the air crackled with the explosive sounds of violently clashing spiritual particles.

"—Shanyue!"

As the release command was completed, the form of Shiba Isshin's Zanpakuto changed abruptly!

The blade was instantly enveloped by a layer of highly condensed, almost liquid-like crimson flame, forming a blazing fire blade!

Wherever the blade passed, the air distorted and heat waves rolled in, creating a spectacular contrast of ice and fire with the surrounding icy and snowy landscape.

The fire-type Zanpakuto, Satsuki! It is naturally incompatible with Hyōrinmaru's ice-type Zanpakuto, like fire and water!

"Drink!"

Facing the dense ice shards shooting towards him, Shiba Isshin did not retreat but advanced, his burning sword drawing a fiery crescent-shaped trajectory!

"Flame Slash!"

The crimson flame blade aura roared out, carrying a scorching will to burn everything, and crashed head-on into the rain of ice crystals.

*Sizzle!* *Sizzle sizzle sizzle!*

Wherever the fiery blade energy passed, the sharp ice crystals melted and evaporated.

It turned into huge plumes of scalding white steam, instantly filling half of the battlefield and temporarily obstructing visibility.

But the fiery blade's momentum did not diminish, and it slashed straight at Hyōrinmaru behind the ice shards!

Hyōrinmaru seemed to have a strong aversion to this scorching power, and he let out a low roar.

Crackle!

Centered on Hyōrinmaru, countless enormous and magnificent ice petals instantly condensed.

Layer upon layer, in an instant, an incredibly thick wall of ice flowers formed in front of him.

boom!!!

The crimson flame blade struck the wall of ice flowers with devastating force!

Scorching heat and extreme cold, flames and ice crystals—two diametrically opposed and mutually restraining forces collide and annihilate each other!

The ice wall shook violently, and large areas of ice flowers exploded and vaporized, but subsequent ice flowers continued to grow and fill the gaps.

The light of the fiery blade aura quickly dimmed, and finally, after penetrating nearly half of the ice wall, it exhausted its power and dissipated into countless sparks.

A draw! No, perhaps the fact that Shiba Isshin's Flame Slash could break through Hyōrinmaru's defense, given the elemental advantage, already demonstrates its power.

"Goodness! That's impressive!" Shiba Isshin laughed loudly, showing no fear, but instead his fighting spirit soared even higher.

With a flash, Yan Yue, trailing a blazing tail of flames, charged towards Hyōrinmaru!

As the captain of the 10th Division, Shiba Isshin's strength is definitely among the top of all the captains of the Gotei 13.

Its fighting style is bold and unrestrained, and the flames of the Blazing Moon endow it with unparalleled offensive and explosive power.

"Flame Fang - Thrust!"

While suspended in mid-air, Shiba Isshin gripped the Zanpakuto tightly with both hands, the tip of the blade pointing forward. His entire being seemed to merge with the Zanpakuto, transforming into a crimson fire meteor that crashed straight into the still incompletely repaired wall of ice flowers!

This time, it's an ultimate breakthrough in a specific area!

"Birds forming icicles!"

The remaining wall of ice flowers exploded with a roar, spontaneously scattering into countless sharp ice pillars as agile as a swarm of bees, covering Shiba Isshin, who had transformed into a fiery meteor!

The tip of each ice pillar gleamed with a cold light powerful enough to freeze spiritual particles.

Attack against attack!

"Well done!" Shiba Isshin roared, his sprinting speed not slowing down at all. The flames on the Blade of Light in his hand suddenly contracted inward, their color changing from crimson to a bright blue that was almost incandescent, and the temperature soared again!

He brandished the Moon Blade, which danced into a blazing white halo.

The blazing white halo, like a miniature sun, collided violently with the dense cluster of icicles!

The hissing sound continued incessantly as the icicles were constantly evaporated and vaporized, but there were simply too many of them, one after another.

The rotation speed of the incandescent white light wheel began to slow down, and its light began to dim.

Finally, after most of the ice pillars evaporated, the light wheel dissipated, and Shiba Isshin's figure emerged somewhat disheveled from the billowing steam.

After landing, he slid back several steps before regaining his balance. His body was covered in frost, but his eyes remained sharp as fire.

The icicles were also completely destroyed. In the first round of direct confrontation, neither side gained a significant advantage.

"Phew... This guy is still so troublesome even when he's lost his mind." Shiba Isshin shook his slightly numb arm, and the flames on the moon stabilized at a crimson red again.

He could sense that Hyōrinmaru's power level was extremely high, and his control over ice was superb. If he hadn't been so strong, he would have suffered a loss in that exchange of blows.

Moreover, the opponent seemed to have no idea how to conserve spiritual pressure or find tactics, and was just attacking wildly based on instinct.

Chapter 22 The Power of Vibration

Suddenly, Hyōrinmaru's gaze, as if drawn by an invisible thread, abruptly turned to a spot not far away.

There, lying quietly, was the "Hyourinmaru" that belonged to Kusakabe Sojiro, which had been tested by Yanagawa and then carelessly abandoned on the frozen ground.

His right hand, covered in icy dragon claws, reached out and grabbed at the knife in mid-air.

Om-!

As if summoned by an irresistible force, the Zanpakuto trembled violently and then broke free from the frozen earth on its own, transforming into a streak of dark blue light that flew into Hyōrinmaru's palm like lightning!

"What?!" Shiba Isshin's pupils contracted, and alarm bells rang in his mind. He vaguely guessed what was going on, and a terrifying thought surfaced in his mind.

Hyōrinmaru was seen holding a Hyōrinmaru in each hand, one being the sword that was formed from his own physical form, and the other being the sword that Kusakabe Sōjirō possessed.

The next second, Kusakabe Sojiro's "Hyōrinmaru" sword burst forth with a dazzling, eerie blue light!

A powerful ice-type spiritual pressure surged wildly from Kusakabe Sojiro's sword, flowing like a hundred rivers into the sea, and was greedily absorbed and devoured by Hyōrinmaru's main body!

Kusakabe Sojiro's sword lost its luster at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Hyōrinmaru, having absorbed this power of the same origin, underwent an incredible transformation!

"Roar--!!!"

A deafening dragon's roar echoed across the wasteland! The spiritual pressure erupting from Hyōrinmaru's body surged instantly, as if the last shackle had been released!

Its strength, the profundity and majesty of the ice rules it contains, are far greater than before!

The frozen soil beneath his feet cracked and sank, forming a huge icy crater.

The blizzard in the sky suddenly stopped, not because its power had weakened, but because all the cold air and ice seemed to have submitted to this newfound power.

It transformed into an icy blue aura of spiritual pressure surrounding him.

The only Hyōrinmaru in his hand had an even more crystal-clear blade, radiating an eternal chill.

"This is..." Shiba Ichishin felt the terrifying spiritual pressure rushing towards him, his expression changed drastically, and his eyes were filled with disbelief and shock.