Anime/Manga: Bankai Starting with Demon Slayer

This place is not empty; beneath your feet are cracked and hardened desolate streets, and in the air is a lead-gray smog that makes it hard to breathe.

Soul Society, District 78, Dog Hanging.

The endless cold and hunger seemed to penetrate the barriers of reality, forming a dirty and dilapidated street in the bird's mental world, which he could then wander through.

"Ugh..." A low growl carrying a threatening tone rang out, attracting the bird's attention.

A few steps away, a thin, ragged little boy was standing there.

Beneath her disheveled, straw-like hair, a pair of eyes burned with the ferocity of a hungry wolf cub, staring intently at him.

Beside the boy lay a similarly lean raccoon.

Its fur was dull and lifeless, and its ribs were clearly visible beneath the skin. Only its beastly eyes shone with a pure and cruel savage light.

They are clearly a human and a beast, yet they are so alike.

Why?

The raccoon didn't open its mouth, but the birds could hear its guttural growls, hoarse and chilling.

Why fight for people who are not involved?

Why provoke a monster you can't win against?

Why didn't you run away?

The sound repeatedly struck the bird's soul, and the raccoon's figure drew ever closer.

【Bird, have you forgotten? Have you forgotten the lessons we learned to survive through blood, sweat, and pain?】

Don't forget, we are family!

As for the thin boy, he didn't speak, but his fierce eyes were fixed on the bird, filled with the same anger and confusion.

Asuka watched silently as the raccoon approached, and finally spoke:

"...They saved me, taught me...and accepted me. At the very least, I must avenge them..."

【madness!】

The raccoon suddenly stood up, its hind legs tensed, and in a blurry flash, it pounced on the bird!

Your heart has softened, Asuka!

Survive! Remember our promise—no matter how embarrassing or difficult things get, we'll survive!

What are you doing now? Risking your life for others? Have you forgotten how you crawled like a maggot in a garbage dump?!

The sharp claws, imbued with a malice that could tear apart souls, viciously clawed at the bird's face!

The bird's movements slowed down considerably here. The raccoon tore a wound on its cheek, and it rolled backward in a sorry state. Its soul instantly felt a sharp, tearing pain!

But the raccoon was still not satisfied and continued to pounce on him.

Every claw strike and bite was accompanied by a desire to devour his existence.

Asuka knew that it was the Zanpakuto's angry punishment for his "cowardly act" and "betrayal" of his own survival creed.

The gray-black claw-like wind tore open illusory wounds on his spiritual body, yet the pain felt incredibly real.

Fight back! Defeat me! Go and rob me like you always have!

The raccoon was clearly getting anxious. It opened its jaws, which were full of sharp teeth, and roared angrily.

But the bird still did not retaliate.

"I haven't forgotten, and I haven't changed."

“I will never forget the pain and hunger, the chill of death that caressed my soul… It makes me grateful for everything I have now!”

"This is not weakness, it's just that I've found a reason to fight with my sword, besides just prolonging my life!"

"Help me! Help me defeat this monster!"

The two are one, so there is no point in them fighting each other. He must make the Zanpakuto recognize his will.

Only in this way can we truly understand each other and be of one's own use.

Just as the raccoon's sharp teeth were about to pierce the bird's throat, the little boy in the distance finally spoke:

"That's enough! Raccoon steal!"

He casually reached out, his small body seemingly able to traverse space, and directly grabbed the raccoon by the back of its neck.

The ferocious beast, which had been so imposing just moments before, instantly became docile after being grabbed by the little boy, whimpering and begging for mercy as he was dragged to his side.

The little boy looked up, his gaze meeting the bird's in the distance, and his voice went directly into the bird's mind:

"I have received your decision..."

"Asuka, now that you've decided to fight for others, as your family, we will fight alongside you..."

"And... we can't let this guy get away!"

The little boy's voice rose, carrying a kind of frenzied cruelty:

“That thing killed someone and stole their things... so we'll kill it! We'll swallow everything it took from others, with interest!”

"Let him taste the bitterness of being plundered and utterly annihilated! Whether they are demons or death itself, we cannot let them go!"

Sensing the violent killing intent, the raccoon beside him suddenly raised its head and let out a greedy howl:

【Awooo—!!】

The little boy's voice grew louder and louder, echoing in the bird's mind like a resounding bell, constantly impacting his mental world.

The entire Xu Diao area of ​​the soul world began to tremble, as if it would collapse at any moment!

[You must survive! Asuka! Survive at all costs!]

Look straight ahead! Don't be weak!

Plunder! Tear apart!

Call out my name—!!

Reality, Osaki Hachiman Shrine.

Lulu finished giving her suggestions at length, but didn't receive a reply from Fei Niao.

On the contrary, after the opponent sheathed their Nichirin Blade, their aura became increasingly dangerous...

He's already planning to run away.

The bird's five fingers transformed into claws, digging fiercely into the damaged stone. The pressure emanating from the bird's body was so intense that even the Lulu on the opposite side stared in disbelief at the surging spiritual pressure on its body!

"—Chew it up and swallow it!"

"Talisman steals!!"

Om-!

The dark gray spiritual pressure erupted like volcanic lava that had been suppressed for thousands of years!

A violent shockwave erupted from the bird in all directions!

The blood-soaked bricks beneath their feet were instantly shattered, lifted up, and turned to dust!

The shrine's dilapidated pillars were shaken and cracked, with wood chips falling like a torrential rain!

The tattered sword began to change in the shocked gaze of the man, rapidly shedding its rust and expanding!

In the blink of an eye, it transformed into a large, gray-black serrated sword, over five feet long, with a ferocious and menacing design!

The blade was slightly curved, with a savage arc that seemed ready to tear everything apart at any moment. The serrations on the blade gleamed in the moonlight, like the terrifying jaws of an ancient beast!

"What is this thing! Who are you?!"

Lu Lu's composure vanished completely. The aura emanating from this knife was far too dangerous; if he were struck... he would die!

The bird's actions answered him.

He only saw a gray-black afterimage flash by, then felt a coolness on his sleeve...

puff--!!

The severed arm soared high into the air!

Chapter 30 The Plundering Strike

Lulu wasn't caught off guard by Asuka's blade, but she was still struck.

He stared in shock at his blurred body, which had been afflicted by the Blood Demon Art: Mirage, and the severed arm that was bleeding profusely and was difficult to heal. His expression changed drastically, and his yellow pupils shrank to almost nothing!

"What is this??"

The Mirage Tower is not completely immune to physical damage. Instead, it uses a photodynamic reaction created by the energy of flesh and blood, combined with extreme distortion of the body, to prevent the opposing swordsman from identifying its true core. As a result, the Nichirin Blade can never strike its true self!

But now, the surface of the wound is churning with tiny gray-black ripples, constantly gnawing at the flesh and blood, making his soul feel numb.

For so many years, he's been the only one who eats people. When has he ever experienced this kind of chilling feeling?!

Meanwhile, Asuka's face became increasingly rosy.

Even though his breathing rhythm was disrupted due to the initial release, his sense of power became even stronger.

He could feel streams of pure and powerful life force flowing from the scythe in his hand, into his body, nourishing every meridian and bone.

This power was cold and dark, yet extremely powerful.

In other words, he's eating ghosts.

"...Is this your power? The thief?" Asuka whispered to her inner self, quietly feeling the feedback from this power.

The hawk cannot speak, but it continuously emits a humming sound as its blade vibrates, releasing its inner fighting spirit.

"Isn't that enough...? I understand..."

Asuka crouched down, sword in hand, and charged at Lulu once more with a powerful kick!

He did not use the fixed Wind Breathing sword form, but let the surging power with nowhere to go, along with the wind pressure, tear everything apart!

"court death!"

Lu Lu was shocked and furious. He suddenly spread his remaining left hand out wide, and thick darkness instantly spread out from under his feet!

"Vampire Art·Wu Jian!"

In an instant, the ground beneath the bird's feet suddenly became sticky and soft, as if it had turned into a mud pit.

Countless dark, ghostly arms reached out from within, coiling around his legs, attempting to drag him into a lightless hell.

At the same time, the figure of the 'lu' became blurry in the darkness, and several identical 'lu' emerged from different shadowy corners. The aura of each one was so similar that it was impossible to distinguish them!

This is precisely the fighting style that Lu Lu excels at:

Using shadows to create traps, illusions, and clones, they confuse, wear down, and ambush their enemies, never engaging in direct confrontation.

His timidity and caution were ingrained in his bones, stemming from the cowardly self of his past, who would only cower in the shadows and tremble.

Even after acquiring its master's blood and becoming a powerful waning moon, it remained the same.

The bird's momentum was halted slightly, but instead of trying to break free from the pulling ghostly hands, it used the momentum of its downward strike to slam the raccoon into the muddy puddles at its feet!

Sizzle—!

The serrated blade slammed into the mud like a scalding hot iron plunged into the water, instantly emitting a hissing, steaming sound!

The ghostly hands retracted as if they had been scorched, and the mud pit itself was blasted open, revealing the real floor below.

At the same time, the raccoon once again conveyed the satisfaction of being full, and the feedback gave the bird a boost of energy.

With his increasingly keen spiritual pressure perception, he quickly scanned the constantly flashing phantom clones around him, and finally fixed his target in one direction.

Lu Lu's Blood Demon Art was incredibly powerful, indistinguishable to the naked eye and even from spiritual pressure, but he forgot one crucial point—

On his severed arm, the creaking remnants of spiritual energy from the charcoal thief remained, something he could never imitate!

Asuka, dragging her heavy raccoon sword, charged out of the mud without regard for anything and slashed towards the location of the chariot's main body!

"What?!" Lu Lu's pupils trembled violently.

His mirage technique was seen through? Impossible! This is a Blood Demon Art that can even make a Pillar-level swordsman escape!

Lu Lu suddenly realized something and looked at his severed arm.

"Is it this thing? That kid has locked onto this strange power?"