"Your axe... is made of ice?"
Ichigo said incredulously.
"That's right. These two axes were made by Toshiro using his own power, specially given to me as a birthday present."
Jidanbo said, getting up from the ground.
"How is that possible? If it's ice, how could it block my slash without breaking?"
Ichigo still couldn't believe it.
The slash Ichigo just delivered could cut through steel, let alone ice.
If the axe were as thick as an iceberg, maybe. But Jidanbo's axe, while huge, wasn't exaggeratedly large like an iceberg.
Seeing Ichigo's doubtful look, Jidanbo suddenly put on a serious expression. "Hey! Kid, who do you think you are? Toshiro's Hyorinmaru is the Strongest Ice-type Zanpakuto. So the ice Toshiro creates is harder than steel and will never melt."
Well, 'never melt' is a bit of an exaggeration. But unless subjected to extremely powerful force or Toshiro himself acts, his ice won't melt under ordinary circumstances.
"Moreover, the ice used to make these axes was specially compressed by Toshiro using his own power. Its Reishi density is extremely high, so in terms of hardness, it's not inferior to a Shinigami's Zanpakuto at all."
Jidanbo said proudly.
"Then what about that outer 'shell' on the axe that shattered earlier?"
Ichigo asked.
Without that outer shell, the ice-blue crystal axes looked extremely cool. But with that stone-like shell, they just looked like ordinary stone axes at first glance.
"That's just an insulating layer against the low temperature. Toshiro's ice isn't just incredibly hard, the most terrifying thing about it is the ultra-low temperature. So, to avoid hurting the person holding the axes, Toshiro sealed the ultra-cold power inside the ice axes."
"However, even with Toshiro's seal, if you hold the axes for a long time, you can still get frostbitten by their power. So, in the end, Toshiro added a thick insulating layer on the outside."
Jidanbo explained.
"In... incredible! Something he created just using his own power is this formidable. Then how powerful must the person himself be?!"
Ichigo marveled.
Ichigo had used most of his strength in that last strike. But apart from the outer insulating layer, the two axes were completely undamaged.
This meant that if Ichigo faced Toshiro, he couldn't even break Toshiro's ice, let alone have any hope of winning.
"Are all Captain-level individuals this formidable?"
Ichigo couldn't help but ask.
If all the Captains of the Gotei 13 were this powerful, Ichigo felt his chances of success this time were truly hopeless.
"Not exactly. Although Captains are strong, compared to Toshiro, they're still far from being a match. Among all the Shinigami in the Soul Society, there are only two at Toshiro's level: Toshiro himself, the Vice-Captain Commander of the Gotei 13, and the Captain-Commander, Genryusai-dono."
Jidanbo shook his large head.
"Whew! That's good!"
Ichigo breathed a sigh of relief.
"Good what?! Kid! Even though I lost to you this time, at best, your strength is only equivalent to a Lieutenant. And the Gotei 13 has thirteen Captains, not to mention those monster-level Captains above."
"Although the other Captains aren't as terrifying as Toshiro and Genryusai-dono, they're still not opponents you can handle."
Jidanbo said, looking at Ichigo.
"Lieutenants and Captains, huh? But no matter how strong they are, I won't give up."
Ichigo said with firm determination.
"Well, whatever. Since I lost to you just now, I'll let you pass. As for whether you live or die after entering the Seireitei, that's not my concern."
Jidanbo said gravely.
"Oh? You'll let us pass?"
Ichigo Kurosaki said, somewhat pleasantly surprised.
The White Road Gate behind Jidanbo was extremely heavy. Even if Ichigo defeated Jidanbo, without Jidanbo's help, it would be very difficult to open the heavy gate.
"Toshiro said a person should keep their word. And I said earlier that to pass through here, you have to defeat me. Although you didn't shatter my axes just now, you did knock me down. So, you won this round. Since you won, I must keep my promise."
Jidanbo said solemnly.
Originally, given Jidanbo's personality, he wouldn't easily admit defeat. But Toshiro once told him that as a man, one should have integrity. If you lose, you lose. Be able to accept defeat gracefully, not stubbornly deny it after losing.
So, influenced by Toshiro, Jidanbo didn't stubbornly refuse to admit defeat.
"Oh, right, your name is Kurosaki, right?"
Jidanbo suddenly asked.
"Yes, I'm Kurosaki Ichigo."
Ichigo introduced himself.
"Ichigo, huh? Such a cute name!"
Jidanbo praised.
"Y-y-y-you stop it! It's the 'Ichi' for number one and the 'Go' for guardian god! What's cute about that?!"
Ichigo said, flustered and annoyed.
"Anyway, be careful, Ichigo. Although I don't know why you want to pass through here... the people inside are all tough characters!"
Jidanbo warned.
"I understand that very well!"
Ichigo nodded seriously.
"Is that so? Then I'll open the gate and let you in!"
With that, Jidanbo placed both hands under the gate and began to lift with all his might.
"Uoooooh!!"
As Jidanbo exerted his full strength, the heavy gate began to rise.
"Incredible! He's actually lifting that entire heavy gate!"
Ichigo marveled.
Although Ichigo was stronger than Jidanbo, in terms of pure physical strength, Ichigo couldn't compare.
"What?!"
Suddenly, Jidanbo, as if seeing something terrifying, let out a startled cry and stopped his actions.
"Hey! Why did you stop?"
Ichigo asked, puzzled.
As he spoke, Ichigo walked over to Jidanbo's side. Through the half-opened gate, he saw a Shinigami with short, silver hair standing inside.
"Who is he?"
Ichigo frowned.
"Th-the 3rd Division Captain... Ichimaru Gin...!"
Jidanbo said, sweat pouring down his face.
"Ara ara, this won't do. How troubling. As the guard, opening the gate isn't your job."
Gin revealed a dangerous smile.
Swish!
A flash of silver light abruptly appeared.
Schlick!
A spray of blood instantly bloomed from Jidanbo's left arm!