With Muten Natsu's current strength, it was exactly as Rukia Kuchiki had said. At most, he could release Rin'en Bokukō to attack straight ahead, but he could not make it turn around.
But as long as he ignited Rin'en Bokukō, Muten Natsu could control the power left after the karmic fire burned through it, using that to make slight adjustments to its path.
The rising black karmic fire spiraled and gathered, burning Rin'en Bokukō until it began to collapse. Wrapped around the remaining Spirit Ink, it crashed into Muten Natsu's body like a roaring black dragon.
Grimmjow was blown back by the eruption of Reiatsu. He twisted in midair and landed steadily, then raised his head toward Muten Natsu, only to see black mist spreading outward.
He bent his arm and fired several blue spikes into the black mist. Grimmjow's leopard ears twitched, but he heard no sound of the spikes hitting anything.
It was as if those terrifyingly powerful spikes had vanished without a sound the moment they entered the black mist.
The next instant, a heavy breathing sound, like that of some monster, echoed out. The spreading black mist paused for a moment, then suddenly contracted, revealing Muten Natsu drawing in a breath at its center.
"That's..." Orihime Inoue stared at the figure. "What...?"
Layer after layer of black bandages wrapped around his body. Muten Natsu looked similar to how he had after devouring Rin'en Bokukō before, but the bone-white skull mask on his face now extended downward, covering his neck and spreading across his shoulders and chest in the shape of armor.
The white armor covering his back had two nozzle-like openings, with black mist spilling from them in wisps, swaying faintly like ribbons.
"He really did use it..." What Rukia Kuchiki had feared had still happened. Or rather, from the moment she saw Muten Natsu devour Rin'en Bokukō, she had guessed he would do this.
Ririn sensed Muten Natsu's Reiatsu. "What's going on?"
"It's like when he devoured Rin'en Bokukō," Rukia Kuchiki said, her brows tightly furrowed. "Only this time, he devoured Rin'en Bokukō after it had been burned."
"Wouldn't that take a long time to adjust to?" Ririn remembered how Muten Natsu had spent ages buried in the ruins before he finally reached a state where he could fight.
"If he were eating food, then of course he would need time to digest it. But if what he ate was a bomb..." Rukia Kuchiki saw through Muten Natsu's current condition. "Then all he needs to do is release that power completely before it blows him apart."
"You're right, Grimmjow. I really never saw you as my opponent, and I really do have a way to deal with you." Muten Natsu raised Myōki. "I just didn't want to take the risk."
If he truly fought with his life on the line, Muten Natsu was confident he could take down plenty of enemies.
The problem was that their current situation could not be solved simply by eliminating one Espada.
So while fighting Grimmjow, Muten Natsu also had to account for other enemies and anticipate more danger.
To deal with those future risks, he had no choice but to keep part of his strength in reserve.
Grimmjow curled his fingers, his knuckles cracking. "That's not for you to decide!"
"That's true. Holding back to deal with future risks is necessary." Muten Natsu's voice overlapped with a heavy growl. "But if I can't solve the problem in front of me, then holding back won't mean anything."
"Looks like you finally." Grimmjow's voice stopped abruptly as crimson blood splashed beside his ear. His gaze shifted, and he saw the wound on his shoulder. "You..."
He had only managed to say one word when a sharp flash of the blade was already bearing down on him.
Muten Natsu's speed had undergone a complete leap from before.
Even with Grimmjow fully focused, every nerve pulled taut, all he could see was a blurry black shadow.
"That's more like it!" Grimmjow's eyes widened as he swung his long tail at that figure. "I'll crush you, along with that clever little reserve of yours!"
The long tail struck the black shadow directly, but hit nothing at all.
It was only an afterimage.
Grimmjow instinctively raised his arm to guard his side. Myōki's blade clashed with his arm blade, ringing out with a clear metallic sound.
Muten Natsu put strength into both arms, pinning Grimmjow's arm hard against his body. Clear cracks gradually spread across the armor wrapped around Grimmjow.
"This level of power..." Grimmjow braced both arms against the blade and kicked at Muten Natsu's chest.
But the kick missed again. Muten Natsu's speed was terrifying, and he appeared behind Grimmjow with Myōki raised.
The armor on Grimmjow's arms flipped open, revealing ten blue spikes at his elbows. They broke away from his body and shot toward Muten Natsu.
Muten Natsu's figure blurred for an instant. The ten spikes passed through his body and shattered a large stretch of buildings behind him.
Grimmjow swung his claws, but once again, he caught only empty air.
Yet it was as if he had expected this all along. He immediately swept his hand back toward his side.
Muten Natsu appeared beside him, and the black bandages around his waist were torn open by Grimmjow's claws.
Just as I thought! The corners of Grimmjow's mouth lifted.
Though it had only been a brief exchange, Grimmjow's rich battle experience allowed him to quickly find Muten Natsu's flaw.
The black mist spilling from Muten Natsu's back was not decoration. It was a more concealed form of Spirit Ink.
After devouring the burned Rin'en Bokukō, Muten Natsu's speed had indeed risen dramatically. But because he was using power beyond his own capacity, he could not control that speed properly. Turning was basically out of the question, and he could only charge in straight lines.
That was why Grimmjow had only been wounded in the shoulder earlier. Muten Natsu was fast, but his control was poor.
But Muten Natsu had a way to solve that. Shadow Stealth.
When he moved, the black mist of Spirit Ink behind him extended with him.
With Shadow Stealth, he could appear anywhere along the path of the black mist, letting him adjust direction without slowing down.
That was how he had dodged the spikes just now. He first used Shadow Stealth to move elsewhere, then moved back.
Compared with using ordinary Spirit Ink for Shadow Stealth, the black mist was far harder to detect.
And because his body held far too much power, the black mist continued to generate in an almost wasteful amount, allowing Muten Natsu to use Shadow Stealth anytime and anywhere. His movements grew more and more unpredictable.
But no matter how concealed the black mist was, it still could not escape Grimmjow's keen sense of smell.
Through the changes in the scent of the black mist, Grimmjow accurately predicted where Muten Natsu would transfer and landed a hit.
But...
Boom!
The violent power, freed from the restraint of the black bandages, surged wildly out of Muten Natsu's body. It blasted Grimmjow at close range and sent him flying just as he was about to follow up.
"Your reactions are fast..." Muten Natsu pressed a hand to his waist and activated Raku Zetsu, causing the black bandages to cover his body once more. "But in this state, it seems you can't afford the price of injuring me."
"I told you..." Grimmjow stretched both hands forward. "That's not for you to decide!"
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