"What are you talking about?"
Naraku Sora frowned, seemingly thinking of something.
Urahara Kisuke twitched the corner of his mouth and shook his head, which was still a bit dizzy from Benihime's bombardment.
Although Dankū and Blood Mist Shield had blocked most of the impact, he was ultimately just flesh and blood, unable to compare to Naraku Sora's thick skin.
Even though it was just the aftermath, he was still blown dizzy, and his condition was at its absolute worst.
If it weren't for the spiritual power recovery potion, whether he could even stand and talk right now would be a question.
"The creation of the Tenshintai actually borrowed heavily from Mr. Kōga's Muramasa's ability."
"Forcibly materializing the Zanpakutō spirit into the real world, just omitting the step of 'injecting rebellious thoughts'."
"And as far as I know, Muramasa's ability seemingly has no effect on your Zanpakutō, Lord Naraku."
Naraku Sora nodded. Back then, in order to fool and befriend Kuchiki Kōga, he had actively opened his mental defenses and let him use Muramasa on him.
The result was obvious.
But that was because Vajrayati subjectively would not betray him, which was why the materialized sword spirit couldn't be forcibly summoned.
If it was for the sake of mastering Bankai, it probably wouldn't be that extreme.
Probably...
Because of their previous experience, creating a new Tenshintai didn't take much time, and Naraku Sora proactively went back to his room to sleep and rest.
He needed to replenish the energy consumed at Shutara Senjumaru's place.
High-Speed Regeneration restored missing limbs, but mental exhaustion still required rest to recover.
Early the next morning, the four of them, fully restored, arrived at the dojo once again.
Considering the commotion that might follow would be quite large, Aizen took the initiative to take on the task of setting up the Kidō barrier, while Kurotsuchi Mayuri was responsible for recording the relevant data.
He was very interested in Naraku Sora's Zanpakutō.
If he hadn't considered the fact that he couldn't beat him, he would have even wanted to use the invincible Ashisogi Jizō to overcome his superior and forcibly seize the Zanpakutō for research.
Urahara Kisuke moved the humanoid device to the center of the dojo. The improved Tenshintai had a few more black marks on its surface.
It looked even more mysterious.
Like some sort of ritualistic prop used in an evil ceremony.
Naraku Sora pushed the tsuba at his waist. The moment he drew his blade, a silver radiance flashed by.
Before Urahara Kisuke could see it clearly, the blade had already plunged into the Tenshintai. Countless cracks spread and distributed, instantly extending to the edges of the device.
It was a completely different scene from when he used the Tenshintai himself.
Urahara Kisuke had already used Flash Step to retreat to the back of the dojo, focusing intently on the changes in the center of the venue, refusing to miss a single detail.
The research creation known as the Tenshintai couldn't be popularized because there were too few Soul Reapers with the potential for Bankai.
Even the Five Great Noble Families, who were born with spiritual power talents surpassing ordinary people, couldn't guarantee that a Soul Reaper who mastered Bankai would be born in every generation.
It was precisely because of this rarity that the wielders of "Bankai" were worthy of being recorded in the annals of history, becoming great existences forever engraved in the history of the Soul Society.
Coupled with Naraku Sora's own uniqueness, it made them, as researchers, very aware of its preciousness.
In the blink of an eye, the Tenshintai shattered.
Countless fragments did not shoot out in all directions, but hovered in place. Amidst the dead silence, flames seemed to ignite between the fragments, spreading and tearing the space apart, forming a rift-like spectacle.
Reishi boiled, and boundless ruins and wreckage appeared between the rifts, presenting a doomsday-like scene in the dojo.
The night sky.
It covered the original scenery.
On the scorched earth, scorching heat danced and twisted. A burning wind carrying sulfur and ashes whipped up, blowing away the thick black clouds that blotted out the sun, revealing the burning red.
The three of them looked at the scene before them in astonishment, unable to recover their senses for a long time.
Compared to the commotion when Urahara Kisuke used the Tenshintai, this was far too exaggerated.
They weren't on the same level at all.
Amidst the dead silence, the desolation spread, quickly touching the edges of the Kidō barrier.
It came to an abrupt halt.
Above the blazing red dome, amidst the twisting and winding stars, a slender figure like a flame gradually emerged.
The black skirt radiated outward like water ripples, hanging down from the stars, untainted by dust.
Countless blazing red patterns intertwined and wove together, forming a solemn yet slightly eerie design, dotting the skirt, seemingly constantly changing and outlining.
The familiar tall figure slowly walked down from the stars. A pair of ruby-like eyes held a hint of a smile as she walked straight to Naraku Sora's side.
A joyful smile appeared on her exquisite face. She raised her eyebrows, her eyes seemingly only holding Naraku Sora alone.
"Although it's a bit of a shortcut, you still firmly walked to this step."
"Bankai training isn't as simple as you think."
Naraku Sora grinned:
"What if it succeeds?"
"A man's got to have dreams, otherwise what's the difference between him and a dead fish?"
The big sister sword spirit nodded slightly, seemingly agreeing with this statement.
"But since you're trying to take a shortcut, you must be prepared, right?"
Naraku Sora raised an eyebrow. "Prepared for what?"
A familiar teasing smile appeared on her charming face, as if he had seen it many times before.
"The heroic fearlessness to face death head-on, of course."
As her words fell, the twisted stars in the sky suddenly plummeted. A fair hand raised at the right moment, its slender fingers spreading open to grasp it.
The star melted, forming a thin, pitch-black blade.
The next moment.
A heavy pressure descended upon the dojo, as if the sky was overturning. The ground trembled violently, and ferocious fissures expanded in all directions, like an earth dragon turning over.
The heart-palpitating impact continued to spread, wantonly venting endless scorching heat, forcing the spectators to retreat again and again.
The exaggerated scene made Urahara Kisuke reveal a shocked expression.
Just the external release of Reiatsu was this terrifying. If they really fought, would Naraku Sora be a match for that sword spirit?
Just standing there gave off an illusion of invincibility.
The last time he saw such a terrifying guy was when he went to Squad One to report mission details.
Just what was the background of his boss's Zanpakutō?
Kurotsuchi Mayuri, on the other hand, immediately took out his portable equipment and instruments, continuously recording everything before him while calculating the wavelength changes of the Reishi in the atmosphere.
As a scientist, he absolutely could not let go of any opportunity to explore the unknown.
This use of the Tenshintai gave him a lot of inspiration for modifying his Zanpakutō. After this matter was over, he would add some things to Ashisogi Jizō.
Aizen remained silent, only a trace of imperceptible envy flashing in the depths of his eyes from time to time.
Sensing this heavy pressure, Naraku Sora's expression froze, and his smile slowly disappeared.
Based on Vajrayati's exaggerated performance during Shikai, he didn't think Bankai would be that easy to complete.
"Sora, I'm coming."
As soon as the words fell, Naraku Sora's pupils shrank. A tall and slender figure appeared in front of him without warning, and the blade forged from stars in her hand slashed down without explanation.
A strong sense of crisis erupted in his heart, driven by instinct.
Naraku Sora fiercely raised his sword to meet the attack.
Clang!
The blades collided in mid-air, sparking countless embers.
Boundless power surged along the blade, pouring entirely into Naraku Sora's body.
The next moment.
Naraku Sora's eyes widened. As if hit head-on by a runaway truck, he instantly flew backward.
His entire body crashed directly into the Kidō barrier, rippling out circles of waves.
"He was actually suppressed head-on?"
Urahara Kisuke was full of astonishment, wearing an expression of incomprehension.
Because he often saw Naraku Sora implementing hope therapy in the underground prison, he was very clear about his true strength, coupled with his previous glorious battle records.
It could be said that even looking at the entire Soul Society, their Prison Warden could be considered a first-rate powerhouse.
Yet such a powerful existence was actually suppressed in terms of raw stats.
Was there really no problem with this Zanpakutō?
Naraku Sora fell from the barrier, his body igniting with the scorching flames of Reiatsu. Visibly tyrannical Reiatsu spread from deep within, lingering over his body.
He raised his left hand, pressing his thumb against his chest.
"Hadō #88・Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō."
Brilliant lightning erupted, instantly swallowing his body. The blazing Reiatsu flames and lightning intertwined, merging into one.
With the double buff, Naraku Sora felt an unprecedented power, his Reiatsu swelling to the extreme.
Then, he tapped his toes lightly, and the ground instantly compacted downwards, forming a deep pit.
Accompanied by sweeping air currents, Naraku Sora disappeared from his spot, leaving only a straight azure lightning bolt that whipped the earth, carving pitch-black scorch marks.
Flash Step erupted.
Instantly crossing the distance between the two, Naraku Sora descended from the sky like a meteorite, raising his blade to sever the atmosphere and slashing forward.
First Secret Sword・Rhinoceros Strike.
Greeting that brilliant blade light was Secret Tradition・Dragon Flash.
The big sister's mouth curled up slightly, as if the current battle couldn't bring her a trace of pressure, just like playing with a child.
The earth sank beneath their feet.
The scorching heat incinerated the Kidō barrier carefully arranged by Aizen. The leaking Reiatsu made the entire dojo creak, letting out groans of being overwhelmed.
Naraku Sora, firing on all cylinders, was already able to fight on par with the sword spirit wielding the star blade.
Their battle grew increasingly heated, the scorching high temperatures melting everything around them.
The dazzling and complex moves were like resplendent stars, releasing endless light and heat. Just the escaping shockwaves crushed the bricks and stones.
There was no cold killing intent, only a test of strength.
When Naraku Sora knocked her back for the first time, the sword spirit stood in place, no longer continuing the terrifying offensive from just now, a half-smile appearing on her face.
"I can see that you strongly desire this power."
"Since you look forward to it so much, then let it be as you wish."
As soon as the words fell, the apocalyptic, desolate scene before them suddenly disappeared, as if erased out of thin air by some power.
The process didn't even take an instant.
As far as the eye could see, only shattered, collapsed ruins and crumbling rubble remained.
The long sword held in her fair hand, however, underwent an earth-shattering change. Pitch-black branches grew from the blade, continuously spreading and intertwining outward.
A profound crimson extended from the center, clinging to the blade, emitting a twisted radiance.
The surrounding atmosphere continuously distorted, as if unable to bear this power that surpassed limits.
The broad blade and her slender body formed an extreme contrast. A gentle voice sounded, her face full of a tender smile:
"If you can't block this, you really will die."
Looking at that exaggerated momentum, a chill ran down Naraku Sora's spine, as if he was fighting against the entire world.
It was too late for regrets now. He could only accumulate all his power to block and defend, hoping to withstand the incoming attack.
The twisted giant blade was raised and swung forward.
In an instant, only dead silence remained between heaven and earth. In front of the pitch-black light, everything was erased!
The earth turned into a tyrannical ocean. Everything in sight whipped up layers of fluctuating ripples.
The rock strata churned, and a massive mushroom cloud rose above the barracks.
It was as if doomsday had arrived!
---------------
Want more chapters? 50+ extra chapters are available on my Patreon:
patreon.com/Hard_Worker