Deep blue Reiatsu surged from Grimmjow's fingertips, stretching backward into five deep blue streaks of light that floated at his sides like razor-sharp wings.
"Desgarrón!" Grimmjow raised his hand, and the massive blue streaks turned with it. "This is my strongest technique... Die!"
He swung his claws hard. The five streaks of light broke away, swelling even larger as they shot toward Muten Natsu at terrifying speed.
Muten Natsu raised Myōki to block. The tips of the five streaks struck the blade, driving his body backward through the air.
Black ripples spread in front of Muten Natsu. As he was forced back, they formed cone-shaped rings one inside another, enclosing the five streaks of light within them.
"Next time..." Muten Natsu lightly flicked Myōki with a finger. "You should use it sooner."
Myōki trembled. An invisible wave spread outward, and the black rings of ink suddenly contracted inward, turning the sharp streaks of light into drifting black mist along with them.
"You..." Grimmjow stared in disbelief. "What did you do?!"
"I adjusted my own Reiatsu to match yours." Muten Natsu turned slightly as the faint black mist began gathering around Myōki. "Victory is already in my hand."
Soul Essence Stealing was the foundation of Myōki's ability, but it was mostly used to strengthen him after battle and offered little help during a fight.
The stronger a Soul was, the denser the Reiatsu contained in its Reishi became, meaning its spiritual pressure was stronger as well.
Not only was it harder to seize, but even if he succeeded, he could not use it right away.
Only after killing an enemy could he absorb their scattered Reishi, and even then, it had to be further purified before it could be used.
That was what Muten Natsu had always believed.
But earlier, during his battle with Kenpachi Zaraki, Myōki had detected Reishi that could be absorbed.
They were fragments of Kenpachi Zaraki's own Zanpakutō, crushed by his own power.
By absorbing those Zanpakutō fragments, Muten Natsu had seized part of Kenpachi Zaraki's power to a certain extent. More precisely, he had seized the power of Kenpachi Zaraki's Zanpakutō. That was why he had been able to cut through Kenpachi Zaraki's Zanpakutō in their later clash and win.
In other words, as long as he had the power to make a Soul body collapse, he could absorb an opponent's Reishi in the middle of battle.
But making Reishi collapse was no easy task. It was nearly as difficult as killing the opponent outright.
Someone like Kenpachi Zaraki, whose power was so overwhelming that it caused his own Zanpakutō to break apart, was an exception among exceptions.
However, brute force was not the only way to make a Soul body collapse. Other methods could corrode it as well.
For example... Spirit Ink.
The corrosion from the Spirit Ink caused Grimmjow's Reishi to leak out, and Myōki absorbed it. After a long period of analysis, Muten Natsu adjusted his Reiatsu output according to the structure of Grimmjow's Reishi. Through complex calculations, he achieved one simple effect.
Breaking through his defense.
"You've got to be... kidding me!" Grimmjow swung his claw again, sending sharp streaks of light sweeping toward Muten Natsu.
They came at him like five beams of moonlight stretching between heaven and earth. Muten Natsu took a deep breath, and the black mist around him surged together, wrapping itself around Myōki's blade.
Muten Natsu stepped forward.
With just one step, he passed through the streaks of light and appeared before Grimmjow.
The streaks shattered behind Muten Natsu. Myōki broke free from its restraints in his hand, and the fierce flash of the blade dimmed everything around it, leaving only that sharp arc of light shining.
Grimmjow instinctively twisted aside and swung his claw, releasing another streak of light.
But the moment it flashed, it shattered like glass.
His entire right arm vanished along with part of his shoulder. Grimmjow crashed to the ground, half his body dyed red with blood. "You think... this means you've won?!"
"How could I ever lose to you..." Grimmjow tore open his wound with one claw and released Desgarrón again. Five streaks of light appeared, then suddenly gathered together, forming a mass of crimson, jagged light. "I will become King!"
Desgarrón fused with Gran Rey Cero, twisting a vast area of space around Grimmjow. The violent power shredded everything it touched as it flew toward Muten Natsu.
"Then come find me after you become King." Karmic fire surged in Muten Natsu's palm, burning Grimmjow's severed arm into a black claw. "Assuming you're still alive."
The flaming black claw collided with the strange flash. Terrifying power erupted freely, grinding and clashing against itself, throwing up rolling shockwaves and sending white sand flying.
The black claw pierced through the turbulence. Under Muten Natsu's control, it stabbed into Grimmjow's chest and pinned him to the round tower.
Hiss!
Cracks appeared in the white armor on Muten Natsu's shoulder, and cold karmic fire spilled out.
Immediately after, the bandages on his body began to snap. The power he had been suppressing inside had reached its limit, and now it was starting to destroy his body from the inside out.
"Tsugi no mai, Hakuren!" Rukia Kuchiki had already expected this. She swung her katana and released a blast of cold air, helping Muten Natsu stabilize the rampaging power inside him.
Hard ice covered Muten Natsu's body, sealing him completely within it.
But the karmic fire raged wildly and quickly melted the ice.
Muten Natsu growled and tore off the skull mask. Half his face had already been burned translucent by the karmic fire.
"Some no mai, Tsukishiro!" Rukia Kuchiki adjusted her position and froze Muten Natsu again, deliberately leaving gaps so the vents in the white armor on his back could release the power inside his body.
What poured from the vents now was no longer black mist, but cold karmic fire.
Rukia Kuchiki's Tsukishiro, together with Muten Natsu's Raku Zetsu, stabilized his body and allowed as much of the rampaging power as possible to vent from his back.
Only after a long while did the pitch-black color in Muten Natsu's eyes gradually fade. The power inside him finally stabilized just enough for him to control it.
The black bandages loosened layer by layer, revealing the torn flesh beneath.
"Sōten Kisshun." Under Rukia Kuchiki's guidance, Orihime Inoue released Shun Shun Rikka. "I reject!"
A golden, spindle-shaped barrier wrapped around Muten Natsu, and his body, burned by karmic fire, began regenerating at a visible speed.
Tsubaki-oni moved across Sōten Kisshun. Whenever the power Muten Natsu could not control spilled out of his body, Koten Zanshun guided it outside the barrier, preventing the barrier from being damaged.
Nell crouched outside the barrier, her large eyes staring blankly at Muten Natsu within it.
Compared to the overwhelming strength he had shown while fighting Grimmjow, Muten Natsu looked almost pitiful now.
"It always ends up like this..." Ririn sighed. "Don't you have a safer way to beat your enemies?"
"If I could... I'd like that too." Muten Natsu tugged at the corner of his mouth. With Rukia Kuchiki and Orihime Inoue's help, he had finally recovered enough to speak, though his voice was still hoarse. "But I'm not a genius like Toshiro. If I want to defeat an Espada, I'm bound to pay some kind of price."
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