Watching Shunsui swing his Zanpakuto towards him, Aozaki's lips curved slightly upward, revealing a disdainful sneer.
After all, he had also used Katen Kyōkotsu before, so he was naturally not unfamiliar with this fighting style.
Aozaki knew very well that the ability Shunsui displayed, at first glance, seemed no different from rules, but in reality, it was not.
One must know that the true source of Katen Kyōkotsu's power is actually closely linked to Reiatsu.
When Shunsui releases his Zanpakuto, he will unleash a unique Reiatsu domain.
Only when one is within this Reiatsu domain will they feel the various effects brought by what are called 'rules'.
Therefore, if one wants to break this situation and find a way to crack it, it's actually not as difficult as imagined.
One only needs to use an even more powerful Reiatsu, a Reiatsu so strong that people cannot resist it at all, and mercilessly shatter this domain completely!
Thinking of this, Aozaki did not hesitate at all and raised his arm.
In an instant, a majestic Reiatsu, intertwined with black and white, surged out from within his body like a roaring flood.
The unleashed Reiatsu, like a collapsing, cascading giant curtain of the sky, pressed down fiercely towards Shunsui in front of him.
Facing such terrifying pressure, Shunsui involuntarily bent his knees, almost falling to the ground.
Ukitake's figure flickered, appearing instantly as if by Shunpo, holding his twin blades tightly and raising them high.
Immediately after, he quickly launched an attack.
Vertical slashes, horizontal sweeps, diagonal cuts, upward thrusts—a series of movements like a violent storm, with flashing blade lights forming a dense web of attacks.
However, facing this fierce onslaught, Aozaki stood steadily in place, like an unshakeable, towering mountain.
His hand-blade, like a sharp edge, precisely blocked every sword attack.
If it weren't for the extremely rapid offensive, which left Ukitake no time to think, his face would surely have shown shock.
Someone could block his slashes with their bare hands?
He was not Shiba Isshin!
Although Ukitake knew Aozaki was powerful, they were, after all, Reigai, and could only imitate the original's behavior through collected intelligence; it was impossible for them to know everything.
Therefore, when facing Aozaki, they were inevitably met with unexpected situations.
If they had known beforehand that Aozaki could, decades ago, single-handedly counter Zaraki's full-power slashes, perhaps they wouldn't have had such thoughts at this moment.
Evidently, the intelligence they possessed was not yet that detailed.
Aozaki's lips curved into a slight smile, letting out a soft chuckle.
The manipulated reishi quickly condensed into an Asauchi, which he swung fiercely upward.
Clang!!
Ukitake's pair of twin blades were so easily severed by him.
The Asauchi's momentum did not diminish, and the blade directly sliced across Ukitake's neck.
Immediately after, a head flew off, but not a single trace of blood stained the long blade.
Shikifuse!
A head flew off, yet not a single trace of blood stained the long blade.
After cutting off Ukitake's head, Aozaki slowly stood up, looking at everything before him.
"Honestly, you guys are far worse than those annoying senior brothers."
Aozaki said softly, with a hint of disdain in his tone.
"Little junior brother is joking again; our Reiatsu has all been specialized. It's just that you're too strong."
Shunsui responded with a smile, simultaneously inserting his twin blades into the ground.
With his movement, a powerful Reiatsu instantly erupted.
"Bankai: Katen Kyōkotsu: Karamatsu Shinju!"
Shunsui whispered, and behind him, a female shadow made of an unknown substance suddenly appeared.
Black pine trees and pine needles rapidly extended from his twin blades, and the surrounding scenery instantly grew dim.
However, the Reiatsu that should have sent shivers down one's spine felt like a gentle breeze to Aozaki, having no effect whatsoever.
At the same time, Aozaki glanced behind Shunsui.
He could see Kuchiki Byakuya's blade tip pointing downwards, as he released the hilt, and the Zanpakuto stood upright, sinking into ripples on the ground and disappearing.
"Bankai: Senbonzakura Kageyoshi!"
From the ripples on the ground on both sides, thousands of gigantic blade bodies rose, looking quite spectacular.
However, this spectacular scene only lasted for a moment.
The next second, those massive blades shattered like flower petals, transforming into countless even smaller blades that flew and scattered.
Seeing this, Aozaki grinned:
"Little Byakuya, this isn't enough; you need to keep working hard."
As a newly appointed captain, Kuchiki Byakuya's strength was roughly on par with Yushirou, only slightly stronger than him.
Compared to Aozaki's two senior brothers and Zaraki, there was still a considerable gap.
Previously, Kuchiki Byakuya had been assisting from the side with harmless attacks, and Aozaki had almost overlooked his existence.
Now, he finally realized that there was such an unthreatening guy on the battlefield.
"Don't call me by that name; I am not your junior!"
Kuchiki Byakuya frowned, saying with some dissatisfaction.
Under Kuchiki Soujun's careful guidance, Kuchiki Byakuya did not become the cold, god-like figure from the original work.
Of course, it's also possible that Aozaki, this improper fellow, influenced him, making him different from the original.
"Aozaki, prepare to die!"
Kuchiki Byakuya's eyes were cold, and he shouted with a firm tone.
"Shūkei: Hakuteiken!"
As his words fell, the Zanpakuto in Kuchiki Byakuya's hand instantly transformed, the long blade formed by countless petals emitting powerful spiritual energy fluctuations.
He infused all of Shinra Bansho's petals and spiritual energy into the blade, causing the entire Zanpakuto to emit a dazzling white light, like outstretched wings.
Kuchiki Byakuya's figure moved swiftly as if by Shunpo, appearing before Aozaki in the blink of an eye.
He swung his blade without hesitation, fiercely striking at Aozaki.
As Kuchiki Byakuya's swordsmanship teacher, Aozaki knew this was his strongest move.
However, for Aozaki, who had undergone countless sparring sessions with Kuchiki Byakuya and considered himself to have entered the realm of gods, Kuchiki Byakuya's strength was still far from enough.
With a muffled thud, the white light sword in his hand shattered, and a long wound was cut into his body.
Blood splattered out, forming brilliant blood blossoms in the air!
"It really didn't work, did it?"
Watching his teammate fall, Shunsui's face remained expressionless, as if he didn't care about what was happening before him.
In fact, he had been conducting an experiment just now, attempting to use his ability to influence Aozaki by utilizing the increased Reiatsu after Bankai.
Shunsui frowned deeply, his heart filled with doubt and confusion.
No black spots, no endless abyss; undoubtedly, his attempt failed.
Shunsui truly couldn't understand how the Reiatsu gap could be so enormous when he was already among the top Shinigami after Bankai.
But there wasn't much time left for him to continue thinking.
The Zaraki from before had actually been wearing power-restricting equipment.
And he, from beginning to end, had never suppressed his power; after using Bankai, his body had already begun to uncontrollably collapse!