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

Stark's figure vanished from the spot with a whoosh, like a ghost, and in the next instant, he appeared several meters behind Kyoraku Shunsui.

"So fast!" The people watching from outside the barrier couldn't see the specific movements.

You can also sense the lightning-fast clash and Stark's unpredictable speed through the instantaneous change in their positions.

Many senior officers' expressions changed; they could see that Stark's "Sound Spin" was effective in short-range bursts of power.

It seems to be even faster than the instant step of the Kyoto band leader, and its trajectory is even more unpredictable!

Kyoraku Shunsui turned around, his face showing no sign of defeat, but rather even greater interest. "Indeed impressive, Lord Stark. Well then... let's go again!"

Before he finished speaking, he moved again! This time, he pushed his Instant Step to its limit, and with his exquisite footwork, his figure left several afterimages in the training field.

They launched a relentless offensive against Stark from all angles! His twin swords transformed into two streaks of black lightning, his swordsmanship masterful, showcasing the profound skill of a veteran captain.

However, Stark's response surprised all the spectators, including Shunsui Kyoraku himself.

Faced with Kyoraku Shunsui's exquisite offensive that would make even ordinary captains flustered, he moved with an almost leisurely air within a small space.

Each movement was a perfect evasion of Kyoraku Shunsui's blade, a mere hair's breadth away, yet seemingly an insurmountable chasm.

His movements were minimal, without a single unnecessary action, as if he had already seen through the trajectory and intent of Kyoraku Shunsui's every attack.

That feeling of being in complete control, as if everything is under your command.

"Clang! Clang! Clang! Sizzle—!"

The opponent's combat intuition, reaction speed, and application of "Sound Transformation" have all reached an astonishing level.

With his conventional fighting style without releasing his Zanpakuto, he couldn't truly threaten his opponent, and he couldn't even force his opponent to take a serious stance!

"Tsk, really... frustrating." After Stark dodged yet another exquisite combined attack, Kyoraku Shunsui deliberately leaped back several feet, creating distance between himself and Stark.

A bitter smile appeared on his face as he shook his head, but the fighting spirit in his eyes burned even brighter.

He sheathed the twin swords back at his waist and slowly gripped the hilt of the "Flower Heaven Mad Bone" sword with both hands.

A spiritual pressure completely different from before began to emanate from his body.

"Lord Stark lives up to his reputation; it seems conventional methods won't work against him."

Kyoraku Shunsui's voice echoed through the training ground, carrying a hint of emotion, but also a seriousness that was about to get down to business.

"Well, I can't keep it a secret anymore. After all, the audience is watching, and I can't let them think that I'm a useless captain, right?"

He took a slight breath, his gaze fixed on Stark, and his deep, clear chanting, like an ancient ballad, echoed through the empty training ground:

"Flowers drift in the wind, catkins scatter, and the flower goddess weeps;"

"The heavenly winds are in disarray, the heavenly demons sneer—"

As he chanted, a dark yet magnificent light suddenly shone from the blades of his twin swords, "Flower Heaven Mad Bones"!

A strange force of rules, which makes one feel as if reality can be turned into a "game" and life and death into a "gamble," has begun to quietly spread!

"Flower Heaven Mad Bones!"

As the chanting ended, the twin swords shone brightly! Kyoraku Shunsui's spiritual pressure surged, and his aura suddenly changed!

Zanpakuto, Shikai!

Chapter 106 Game Rules

Inside the training ground, Kyoraku Shunsui completed the initial release of "Katen Kyokotsu," his twin swords radiating a strange sense of rules that dragged reality into a "game."

"Let's say hello first!" Kyoraku Shunsui made the first move, but he did not immediately use that strange "game" ability.

Instead, he crossed his twin swords in front of him and swung them forward with a sudden thrust! "Not content with solitary pleasure!"

A storm of sword energy, composed of countless spiritual blades and resembling a raging tornado, swept towards Stark!

Where the storm passed, it carved deep furrows into the ground with tremendous force!

This is a powerful ranged attack that combines exquisite manipulation of spiritual particles with the power of the Zanpakuto's Shikai.

Stark's eyes remained calm.

He raised his right hand, and blue light gathered in his hand. A beam of blue light shot out from his hand!

The beam of light struck the storm of blade energy head-on!

Cero! And it's a top-tier Cero released by a Vasto Lorde-class Arrancar!

"BOOM—!!!"

The blue Cero and "Unrefined Pleasure" collided violently in mid-air, creating a massive energy conflict and explosion!

It eventually turned into a thick cloud of smoke, enveloping most of the training ground!

The audience outside the barrier saw only a blinding light and billowing smoke, and screams rose and fell.

Amidst the dense fog and turbulent energy currents, Kyoraku Shunsui's figure rose silently into the sky like a ghost!

He was not affected by the explosion; instead, he used the chaos and cover created by "not being a loner" to instantly rise to a higher position.

Like a roc spreading its wings, it hovered high above the training ground, looking down at the billowing smoke below.

"Alright, greetings are done, and warm-up's almost over." Kyoraku Shunsui's voice came through the energy cloud, carrying a hint of amusement, yet also an undeniable seriousness.

"Well then, Lord Stark, let's officially begin... the 'game'."

He held up "Flower Heaven Mad Bones" with both hands, and a wave of forceful rules permeated the air.

"Zhan Gui!" Kyoraku Shunsui announced loudly, his voice clearly reaching those below and also the ears of Yanagawa, who was watching the battle from outside the barrier.

"The rules of the game are simple—the person who stands the highest wins!"

"Anyone who steps into the spiritual pressure range of 'Katen Kyokotsu' will be forced to participate in the game."

At this moment, I am suspended in mid-air, while you are on the ground. According to the rules—"

Kyoraku Shunsui's figure plummeted from the sky like a meteor, his twin swords clashing as he slashed down fiercely at Stark's figure below!

"If our position is higher than the enemy's, the power of our strike will increase dramatically, enough to kill the enemy!"

This strike wasn't the fastest, but wherever the blade passed, space seemed to be distorted by that strange power of rules!

With the enhancement of the "Ghostly" rule, the power on the blade increased several times over, radiating a terrifying aura capable of cleaving a captain-level Grim Reaper in two!

"A rule-based Zanpakuto..." At the edge of the training ground, Yanagawa, who had been quietly watching the battle, murmured to himself as a slight glint of magical energy flickered in his eyes.

He could clearly "see" that the enhancement added to Kyoraku Shunsui's slash was not simply an energy boost, but a forced amplification that was almost at the level of "rules".

This transforms the simple spatial relationship of "positional height" into an absolute rule that determines the "power of a strike," and forcibly applies it to the battle.

"Katen Kyokotsu"... Just as rumored, it is an extremely rare and troublesome rule-based Zanpakuto.

These Zanpakuto's abilities often seem simple or even childish, but with their "unreasonable" rules and mechanisms, they can easily turn the tide of battle under certain conditions, and even defeat the strong with the weak.

Faced with this downward slash carrying the rules of the "New Ghost," Stark finally moved.

Instead of directly confronting the terrifying strike amplified by the rules, he swayed and used "Sound Spin" again, attempting to dodge as before.

However, this time, the situation is different.

The rules of "Zhan Gui" seem to have locked in his "position".

Despite Stark's incredibly fast "Spinning Spin," Kyoraku Shunsui's blade seemed to anticipate his movements!

There's no way to avoid it!

In the blink of an eye, Stark remained calm.

He picked up his knife to defend himself.

"clang--!!!!!"

It clashed solidly with the "Flower Heaven Mad Bones" twin swords! A deafening clang of metal clashing against metal rang out!

At the moment of impact, Stark's sword-wielding arm suddenly sank! The specially made ground beneath his feet exploded, and spiderweb-like cracks spread for several meters!

A violent force, far exceeding his expectations, surged fiercely along the blade!

"Ugh!" Stark groaned, his body sliding backward uncontrollably for more than ten meters before he barely managed to regain his balance.

Just one block put him under pressure and almost caused him injury!

Is this the power of a rule-based Zanpakuto? It transforms the simple condition of "positional height" into an attack power strong enough to threaten Vasto Lorde's true form?

"Quick reflexes, Lord Stark." Kyoraku Shunsui landed with the force of his strike, a smile on his face, but his eyes showed no sign of relaxation.

"However, the game of 'Ghost' is not over yet. As long as the height difference remains, my attacks will continue to be 'fatal'."

He made a move as if to leap up again and seize the high ground.

However, Stark did not give him another chance.

Almost at the same moment he regained his footing, he charged towards Kyoraku Shunsui!

Since "height" is the key to the opponent's rules, then use extreme speed and close-quarters combat to suppress the opponent and prevent them from easily gaining a height advantage!

His "Sound Spin" was activated again, and the speed was even faster than before!

Kyoraku Shunsui seemed to have anticipated this, and instead of engaging in a direct confrontation, he moved like a willow catkin in the wind, using his exquisite Instant Step to evade Stark's ferocious attacks.

The dual-wielding sword "Flower Heaven Kyokotsu" provided an impenetrable defense, and the occasional tricky counterattacks forced Stark to retreat and defend.

The two clashed again, their swords flashing and their movements so fast it was dazzling.

This time, although Stark's offensive was fierce, it was difficult to completely suppress Kyoraku Shunsui as before.

After the "Flower Heaven Mad Bones" technique was first released, the eerie sense of "game" rules forced Stark to be distracted and on guard during his attacks, preventing him from going all out.

The battle was temporarily at a stalemate, but the smile on Kyoraku Shunsui's lips seemed to deepen.

"This is really troublesome... Well then, let's play a little game." After a fierce clash of swords, Kyoraku Shunsui used the momentum to drift back a few steps, temporarily creating distance.

Instead of launching an immediate attack, he lowered his twin swords slightly, and his purplish-black spiritual pressure, as if alive, quietly seeped into the ground and the surrounding shadows.

"The second game—Shadow Demon." Kyoraku Shunsui's voice, carrying a strange allure, clearly reached Stark's ears.

"The rules are equally simple: both sides can slip into each other's shadows and launch point-blank attacks from within."

Shadow Ghost? Crawling through shadows? Point-blank range attack?

A flicker of doubt crossed Stark's eyes. This rule... sounded even more bizarre, even somewhat... sinister.