XX-level Hokage

With a heavy bang, Madarame Ikkaku was knocked back... no, you could say he was sent flying. The Third Division's base area was definitely in for a rough time.

The place was already badly damaged a few days ago and hadn't even been repaired yet; now it's just adding insult to injury.

But thinking about it the other way around, if it had been repaired in an emergency, only to be completely destroyed again, wouldn't that be even more frustrating? So, from this perspective, it's not necessarily a bad thing?

The smooth wall suddenly bulged outwards, and then, among the bricks and stones that bulged to their limit and scattered out, one of the corners of Madarame flew out.

He twisted his waist in mid-air, regaining his balance before landing, and his feet touched the ground without him falling. The moment he stopped, he vigorously swung the hand that was holding the knife.

"What kind of strength is that?"

Although I know that you can't judge a book by its cover, even among the captains there are types like Hitsugaya Toshiro who look like a child at first glance.

However, among so many special cases, there are also some commonalities. For example, great strength can be seen from some clues in appearance.

Ichigo may look like an ordinary boy, or even a muscular man, but his spiritual pressure and strength are incredibly powerful. Even Ikkaku Madarame was so overwhelmed by his power during their repeated sword exchanges that his hands went numb and he could barely hold his sword.

Even with all his skills, he was overwhelmed by Ichigo's mindless brute force. That's probably the meaning of "one force can overcome ten techniques."

The fact that Ichigo Kurosaki was able to push him to this extent means that his strength is no different from that of an ordinary vice-captain.

Ikkaku Madarame already found it strange. According to Kira Izuru, Kurosaki Ichigo in the human world was just an ordinary, easily defeated henchman. He didn't even understand how Shinigami fought.

However, not long ago, Renji Abarai was actually defeated.

Rather than saying that Ichigo Kurosaki's abilities grew at an extremely fast pace, it would be more accurate to say that he was practically a completely different person.

Now, after actually fighting Kurosaki Ichigo, Madarame Ikkaku has to admit that Kurosaki Ichigo now possesses power that is no weaker than the vice-captains.

But is it a bit much to think that this level of skill is enough to defeat Asan and Renji?

Chapter 84: Simple and Unpretentious

Furthermore, what exactly did Kira Izuru encounter back then? Could it have been a fake Ichigo?!

Numerous thoughts flashed through Madarame Ikkaku's mind like lightning, but on the ever-changing battlefield, he was not given much time to think.

Instead of breaking through the wall to chase after him, Ichigo leaped over the high wall, using the force of his fall to grip the hilt of his massive Zanpakuto, Zangetsu, and slashed at Madarame Ikkaku like a falling moon!

Ikkaku Madarame abruptly raised his head. Unable to dodge in time, he could only raise his Zanpakuto and its scabbard together above his head to block Ichigo's attack. At the moment Ichigo's moon fell, it was as if gravity had doubled.

Madarame Ikkaku's foot suddenly slammed down, and with a loud bang, the ground beneath his feet shattered into countless large and small fragments that flew out. Madarame Ikkaku's Shinigami uniform also flapped wildly and loudly under the impact.

Ichigo's attacks are not simply about having great strength; he wraps his spiritual pressure around his swords while swinging them, and then unleashes a powerful burst forward as the swords collide.

It's less like wielding a sword and more like swinging a hammer—no, an air cannon? Using spiritual pressure in such a crude way is an absurd waste.

If this move were further studied, it should become an even more powerful technique, but Ichigo is not yet able to achieve that level.

But it must be said that, at least for now, although crude, it is indeed useful. Even Ikkaku Madarame dares not challenge Ichigo.

"But when did I ever say I was going to fight you, you bastard!"

"Stretch out, Hozuki-maru!"

He took a step back, seemingly giving up as he fled from Ichigo's blade.

Madarame Ikkaku used his sword and sheath to deflect Ichigo's Zangetsu to the side, while he took the opportunity to dodge from the opposite direction.

Ichigo's Zangetsu landed on the ground with a deafening crash, cleaving a massive crack in the earth and splitting the wall in two at the end of the crack. Meanwhile, Madarame Ikkaku turned around and attached the top of the scabbard to the top of the hilt, connecting the sword and scabbard together.

In an instant, a red light enveloped both the sword and its scabbard, and the Zanpakuto held by Ikkaku Madarame instantly lengthened and deformed.

It transformed into a long wooden pole, at the end of which was an extremely sharp, willow-leaf-shaped spearhead! The sword and scabbard had become a spear!

With a twist and a burst of power, the spear shot out like a dragon, stabbing straight at Ichigo's face like lightning!

Ichigo's pupils suddenly contracted as he instantly recalled the sword transformations of Kira Izuru, which he had witnessed in the human world, and Urahara Kisuke, who had already drawn his Zanpakuto from his cane.

A sense of crisis surged through him in an instant, and Ichigo swiftly swung his head, barely managing to dodge the deadly stab.

Even so, a clear bloodstain remained on his handsome face, a trickle of blood slowly seeping from it. Madarame Ikkaku remained motionless, still in his spear-wielding stance, while Ichigo remained motionless, still gripping his sword.

From the breathtakingly rapid battle to complete stillness, the transition took less than a second. "Is this... your Zanpakuto?" "Yes, this is my Hozukimaru, isn't it impressive?"

His face wore a smile brimming with fighting spirit, less of a boastful smugness and more of a confidence in his own power. And this Hozukimaru was undoubtedly Madarame Ikkaku's power, a part of him, and one of the sources of his confidence. "Impressive."

Even though Kira Izuru's blade had changed, it was still a sword. Madarame Ikkaku, on the other hand, had completely changed his weapon – something Ichigo had never seen before. "The warm-up matches are over. Now the real show begins. I'll say it again, kid: hold your breath, concentrate, and give it your all."

"Okay, but don't be like that."

From a state of stillness, a storm suddenly arose again.

Come!

The gun twisted, the willow-leaf blade turning towards Ichigo, like a spring broken free from its restraints, springing directly towards Ichigo's head. "I almost got killed!"

"What's wrong? Simply avoiding things doesn't qualify as beauty."

With his hair and decorative feathers swaying in the wind, Yumichika Segawa spoke to his enemy with a smile.

As for Ishida Uryu, Segawa Yumichika's enemy, he remained expressionless and did not respond. He forcefully retreated backward.

This is a high-speed movement technique exclusive to Quincy, known as the Flying Blade Kick. It achieves high-speed movement by adjusting the flow of spiritual energy beneath the feet. Because Quincy can manipulate the spiritual energy scattered in the air better than Shinigami, the Flying Blade Kick, when used properly, can even surpass the speed of Shinigami.

Even faster than God's Instant Step.

If it weren't for his Flying Kick, he would probably have been defeated by now.

The issue isn't whether Ayasegawa Yumichika is strong or not, but rather that he's more troublesome than one might expect... no, he's completely the opposite of what Madarame Ikkaku would seem.

"If you keep hiding like this, you'll lower my impression of Quincy. Hado Twelve Fubuki." Ayasegawa Yumichi, relentlessly pursuing Ishida Uryu through the undulating buildings, exuded a composure that his enemies found repulsive. It wasn't about the level of his abilities, but rather a satisfaction with his surroundings, allowing him to fully utilize his power.

It feels a bit like a capture shell, the kind where you stuff something like a fishing net into a shell, and once it's fired, it deploys in mid-air to capture the enemy.

From the spot where Yumichika Segawa landed, the massive net of demonic arts unfurled in an instant, faster than Yumichika Segawa using Shunpo, and faster than Ishigami Yuuryu dodging.

Seeing the enormous net closing in on him, Ishida Uryu had no choice but to temporarily slow down his Flying Leap and raise his spirit bow. Arrows of light shot out from the bow, the dense barrage intertwining with the approaching net of demonic energy.

In an instant, a gap was torn in the Ghost Path Net. Ishida Uryu emerged from that gap.

However, the Ghost Path Network still landed in other places besides the location that Ishida Uryu broke through.

It's like a giant spider weaving a web between buildings to capture its prey, giving people a feeling that there's nowhere to step.

Intuition told Ishida Uryu that these Kido nets were strange and it was best not to touch them. So he immediately used his Flying Leopard Kick as a signal to create a temporary spiritual step under his feet.

Essentially, it's the same method as Death standing in the air.

There's no reason why a Quincy, who is even more skilled than a Shinigami, couldn't do something that even Shinigami can do.

Ishida Uryu immediately began searching for Ayasegawa Yumichika, but failed to find him. Just as he was wondering if Ayasegawa Yumichika was hiding under the Kido Nets, using the visual obstruction created by the Kido Nets to launch a sneak attack,

However, Yumichika Segawa's voice came from the completely opposite direction.

Where are you looking? Focus, it's up there. "Thirty-two Yellow Flames of Destruction!"

Ishida Uryu suddenly looked up, and whether by coincidence or by design, Ayasegawa Yumichika's figure overlapped with the sun.

The sun's blinding light made Ishida Uryu squint and avert his gaze. But even so, he wouldn't miss what was happening above.

As a Quincy specializing in archery, Uryu Ishida, who had diligently studied all the skills and abilities of the Quincy since childhood, could not afford to neglect his training in eyesight.

Perhaps the reason he wears glasses is because he studied too hard as a child. Like scattered stars, numerous dense points of light were showered down from above.

It was somewhat similar to the Rain of Light that Ishida Uryu had used a few nights ago, but completely different. Yellow, blazing flames, like arrows, fell from the sky.

Not one or two, but more than a hundred high-speed flames crashing down on Ishida Uryu like a ceiling hanging down.

Chapter 85: What Mischief Could a Cat Be Thinking?

Faced with such an attack, Ishida Uryu gritted his teeth. His Quincy pride wouldn't allow him to dodge or even succumb to such a blow. "Even if it costs me my life, I must win!"

He raised his hand and fired an arrow of light at top speed at the yellow flames falling from the sky. The arrow of light transformed into a meteor and collided with the yellow flames in mid-air.

Like a surface-to-air interceptor missile, the yellow flames were ignited in mid-air, turning into yellow sparks that were blown away like droplets.

Those explosions, in turn, intertwined with other nearby flames, creating a chain reaction that resulted in a series of meaningless explosions that stretched across the sky.

Even so, not all the yellow flames were extinguished. Rather, the series of explosions, while seemingly relieving some pressure on Ishida Uryu, actually made it impossible for him to accurately determine which flames remained unextinguished due to the continuous nature of the explosions.

The yellow flames fell from a position that was only millimeters away from Ishida Uryu, and the only building below him that was not covered by the Kido Net was instantly reduced to dust in the flames.

If one were hit by such an attack, although it wouldn't kill them instantly, it would certainly render them unable to move.

Ultimately, those big shots start with level 80 or 90 Breakthrough Dao techniques, each one more terrifying and earth-shattering than the last. But for ordinary battlefields and death gods...

It's just a matter of degree; that level of demonic power is already far beyond what's needed and is more like showing off.

It's like the legendary Explosion! It's useless against ordinary opponents, and ineffective against extremely strong ones. The range of thirty to fifty is where true masters of the Ghost Path truly unleash their power.

There were many more of the same yellow flames. In order to avoid being hit, Ishida Uryu had to temporarily abandon gathering and move backward to avoid the yellow flames that were being thrown at him.

A series of explosions appeared in the sky, like a dome made of explosions.

The yellow flames below landed on the building and exploded one after another, filling the air with dust and turning into white smoke.

Both above and below, barriers obstructed the view, causing Ishida Uryu to lose his grasp on Ayasegawa Yumichika's position.

This kind of tactic should have been used by Quincy like Uryu Ishida. Ishida never imagined that one day a Shinigami would use it on him.

Was it because he was still young and lacked combat experience, or was it because his opponent had anticipated this situation from the very beginning of the fight and deliberately lured him into this?

All that is known is that in the process of constantly retreating and dodging, they were searching for Yumichika Seigawa.

When Ishida Uryu realized what was happening, he had already landed on a corner of the Kido net stuck to the building.

There was no terrifying explosion like stepping on a landmine, but in Ishida Uryu's view, that was far more frightening. The moment his foot touched the Kido Net, Ishida Uryu realized what this net's purpose was besides capturing enemies. The slightly sticky Kido Net gave him the sensation of being locked on.

The true purpose of this Kido Net is to capture the dynamics of one's own spirit, making it easier to aim and strike the spiritual pressure of an old friend! "What a pity, it seems your level isn't high enough for me to use Zanpakuto."

A ghostly voice sounded from behind Ishida Uryu, who instinctively aimed his spirit bow at the rear.

However, Yumichika Hōkawa remained in a safe position some distance from Ishigami Yuryū, his face bearing the same calm smile that had remained unchanged since the beginning. "Well then, to you, an enemy who must be defeated, I'd like to offer my condolences."

He placed his raised index finger on the Kido net in front of him. "Hado 11: Lightning Bolt!"

In an instant, blue and white lightning spread across the entire Ghost Path Net.

This is the ghost path through which lightning strikes can be emitted from objects. Lightning itself has the property of conduction; lightning formed by the ghost path travels through other ghost paths...

Transmitted over the network.

Although its speed is far from the speed of light, it is not so slow that by the time one notices it, there is more than enough time to think about dodging it.

Lightning instantly pierced through his entire body at the point where Shi Youyulong and the Ghost Path Net made contact! Whoosh!

A long corridor separates rooms with doors spaced at equal intervals. The scenery is the same no matter where you walk.